Richard M Dodaro Plumbing

Kay R.

Richard Dodaro is a plumber in Forest Hills, PA. He was recommended on NextDoor.com. Believe every low review you have read about this man. He is aggressive, inappropriate, verbally abusive, incompetent and completely unprofessional.
I needed a shower to be repaired.I called him and he came by same day to see what the job required and to quote the job. He told me he could return on the following Saturday morning with the right part to repair and if that didn't correct the situation he would need to replace the entire shower system. He felt certain that he could repair the faucet handle. He quoted me $650 if the the system needed a full repair. He was complaining the entire time about every customer that day had large dogs and he was angry and wound up from the moment he walked through my door. It was very uncomfortable to be around him. He returned the following Saturday and removed the hot water handle to the shower. I advised him that I purchased a new shower kit, 3 handle that appeared to be the same that was installed prior. He attempted to use the new kit, then went to his truck and brought in a delta cartridge that didn't fit. In fact the cartridge he jammed it in the stem. He then could not stop the water from running out the shower faucet. He then picked up the new shower kit and slammed it on the floor stating ""I don't know why people buy this shi...."" He yelled at me ""Throw it away or send it back to Jeff Bezos."" He was there an hour. During that time he kept trying to engage me in personal small talk, and pressuring me to go out with him for drinks. I declined. He then charged me $200 for his 1 hour of incompetency and rudeness, and informed me he would be would need to return and install an entire new shower kit and go thru the plaster wall behind the shower. He then told me to go to the Kingston Brass website and send him an email with the photos of what I wanted, he would approve and I would purchase. I had to leave town unexpectedly.. Upon my return I sent Rich Dodaro a text message with a link to the shower faucet kit I was going to purchase. He said it was fine. It was delivered and I called him to reschedule. I was going to have my son there because I did not want to be alone with this guy.
He then asked if I was still using my son's home to shower as mine was not working. . I explained that ...I had no working shower in my home. He said, but I fixed it...you had running water when I left. I said no, remember you couldn't repair it, that is why you had me order the new kit. He couldn't remember what he did and he seemed to be very confused. I told him that he charged me $200 and couldn't repair the faucet handle, that I could not return the first kit because he damaged the parts, and I ordered the 2nd replacement for $300, and...I was now at $700 and still have a broken shower. I told him I wanted to be sure that the $650 he quoted me would resolve the problem, and I again asked what availability he had to complete the job. He responded via text ""I don't think I want to work with you anymore. Rude and incompetent.

Dave J.

I called Rich when I needed a new kitchen faucet (my old was was almost 25 years old and well past its ""best by"" date). I was serviced the same day. Rich himself got bogged down with another call (which was fully understandable), and so he sent his daughter Alice to install my faucet.

She immediately got to work taking the old one out and installing the new one in what seemed like no time at all. She obviously knew what she was doing and was friendly and professional in every way.

And they sell high-quality Delta faucets, which are, as everyone knows, an excellent product, produced by a company that is an industry leader. I'm very pleased with both the design and function of the new faucet.

Finally, in addition to servicing me on the same day as I called, I found the pricing for both the faucet and the installation to be quite reasonable.

I'll use him again without hesitation.

Kerry P.

I've used Rich Dodaro for several jobs at 3 of my properties over the past 6 years. He's a little gruff sometimes but a very competent plumber. He's always been responsive and prompt, even in emergencies. He's even given me free parts when I had small issues I could handle myself (handy because he lives a few blocks from me.) He and his crew work fast and his prices have always been reasonable. I'm a retired construction estimator and former trades contractor myself so I appreciate a professional like Rich.

I admit I am puzzled by some of these negative reviews, including at least one by somebody who lives in another state. There are other Dodaro Plumbing companies so I wonder if they have posted a review of someone else.

James J.

Rich is very responsive and a professional no frills plumber . we would call him again. He is very fair and responsible.

Rebecca C.

Our water tank relief valve was leaking. Richard replaced the expansion tank and added a regulator to our water system. However, when relief valve began to leak a month later again and I called for repairs he was incredibly rude and insisted it was not his fault. When we hired a big name plumber they were shocked he had not also replaced the relief valve and set the expansion tank water pressure to not match the house water pressure. The relief valve he did not replace was totally rusted and corroded.

Liz G.

I have used Rich for over 15 years and he is the best. Honest, reliable, knows old houses and is very professional. I wouldn't use anyone else !

Ryan W.

my organization dealt with this gentleman in the past and I am thankful to have not dealt with him on a personal level. He is completely unprofessional and verbally abusive. please look elsewhere.

Gary B.

Called Rich at 2pm. They were at my house at 3:30. Replaced wax ring under the toilet. Left my house at 4: 15. Could not have asked for a more efficent plumber. Fantastic job. I would give them 10 stars if they were available.

Meghan T.

I can say that I've never been so verbally abused by anyone I have let into my home before.

We got an appointment fairly quickly, which was a plus. We had a few non-emergency type issues. Two people came first, a man and woman. On time. Super nice. Both wearing masks. They went right to the sink and told me Rich would be there soon. Unfortunately, our sink is a bit irregular, so they didn't have a part they needed. We made a little small talk while we waited for Rich to see what he wanted to do.

From the moment he entered our home (maskless), he was wound up/aggressive. He was very loud--even though he knew my partner was working (a therapist on the phone in the adjacent room). He started belittling the workers who were already there. It was embarrassing and I felt so bad that I almost said something then. I tried to explain the plumbing issues, but he kept talking over me and then getting it wrong when relaying it back. It was all very odd.

Then, we go to the basement to inspect a pump that's been in my house since we moved here two years ago, thinking it may be the cause of an issue upstairs. We were checking a few things--turning the water on and off, etc.--and he tells me it's broken. That it's been broken all this time. I had no idea! So I was asking questions trying to figure it all out: Can it be repaired? Is this why the knocking in the pipes? Should I just get a new one?

He explodes. Screaming, practically: ""I don't know why it's broken! I'm not a magician! What do you want from me?""

I was just trying to understand what was going on. But I could barely get another word in. Finally I said: ""I'm just trying to figure out why you're yelling at me.""

He stormed up my basement stairs, still yelling. He packed up his two employees, nearly yanking them out of the bathroom, telling me he fixed my sink for free and we're not going to be able to work together because I'll just ask him ""why"" something isn't working. It was the most bizarre experience... I was pretty shaken at the time. Ones home should be a safe and sacred place, you know? I just hope no one else has to go through this.

I can't speak to the quality of his work, because we didn't get that far.

To note: I posted this on Nextdoor, a neighborhood online forum, because I wanted to warn others. To my amazement, the post received a ton of responses by others who had similar interactions. I also got about 8-10 private messages from others sharing their bad experience. They were too afraid to post it publicly. Of course, there were a few neighbors that stuck up for him and believe him to be great, so I imagine he doesn't treat every like this.

Jean S.

Rich is an experienced, highly skilled, and fair-minded owner. He gets the job done professionally and correctly every time. So easy to work with, courteous and reasonably priced. His work is stellar and Rich is a fabulous plumber and person. We use no one else!