San Francisco Plumbing Company

Robert A.

I'm sorry SF Plumbing for taking so long to write this review. We have been using SF Plumbing for the past 12 years. They were the first and only company we've used since buying our home-what a lucky break for us to find an amazing team on our first call. These guys have done everything at our place new copper pipes, renovations, two hot water heaters Shawn just installed our new tankless and we LOVE it! they replaced our old clay sewer pipes and even contacted the city and PG&E when PG&E broke a pipe resulting in us not having to pay for another repair. This team goes way above and beyond what anyone would expect from any contractor. We also love they are local and a family owned company. They've even saved us on Thanksgiving one year-TIP do not put 10 lbs of carrot peels down the drain. 2 words THE BEST!

Mike G.

My review is not for their plumbing service as I haven't had the opportunity to have them do any work. My review is on the lack of customer service.

My parents gave the name of SF Plumbing Co. as a reference since they did some work for my aunt so I called and scheduled an 8:30 appointment on Monday 8/12/13. for an estimate. Around 9:00 that Monday, I received a called from their office indicating they couldn't find the street name on their GPS. I found that strange since I spelled the street name several times when I set up the appointment. Anyway, I spelled the street name again and was told someone would be here soon. A few minutes later I received another call saying the person was on their way but needed to stop by another site first to drop off some equipment. At 9:30, they finally arrived and 15 to 20 minutes later the review of what needed to be done was completed. I was told I would have the estimate later that day (it was a Monday). No one called with the estimate.

I figured they were busy as one of the brothers was on vacation so I waited until that Friday (8/16) to call. When I called at 4:45 pm, I got the answer that stated the office was closed at 4:30 but left a message and my cell phone number and asked them to call me with the estimate.

I was going to give up since another week went by with no call or estimate in the mail but I decided to give them one more chance and called yesterday morning at 10:00. I spoke with someone who took down my name and cell phone number and said they would call be back.

As of the writing of this review, I still do not have the estimate. I really feel I have been patient but this is ridiculous. I contacted another plumbing company who will be out on Friday for an estimate.

Lisa R.

The San Francisco Plumbing Company stinks! Don't trust them - their work or their word. My mother has called them five times to get a receipt for work done in her home that she paid for and they keep lying and saying the receipt is in the mail for two months now.

Their staff showed up unprepared and did not know what he was supposed to do even though he had met with my mother already and he had scheduled the appointment. Then he went out and purchased a toilet, installed it and charged her $534. He did not have a receipt book for her check and he said they would mail her a receipt with the breakdown of costs. My mother has called them repeatedly to no avail, she has spoken to 7 On Your Side and the Diamond Certified Directory where they were listed and the THOUGHT she could trust them

The first time he came out to fix my mother's leaking sink, he did not even have a washer with him to use. He took a piece of tape and made a ""washer"" and put that in saying that it would work fine. The sink is leaking now. She was charged $134 for the piece of tape.

I wonder what the San Francisco Plumbing Company has to hide that they don't have the decency to send a receipt for work that was paid to them by an elderly lady??

Don't use the San Francisco Plumbing Company unless you want a problem!

Seaweed F.

I just moved to a recently renovated co-op, and wanted to see if I could install a washer/dryer in the closet behind the bathroom (the previous owner said they couldn't get the H.O.A to approve - when I talked to the H.O.A, they told me if I can get all the license/permit, I could do it).

They were scheduled to be at my place between 9-9:30, but I received a call around 8:45 saying the traffic was so bad it'll probably be around 9:30-10. Early enough notice - good service, I thought...

10:15 - No sign of him. I called to see what was going on, and the dispatcher was very apologetic and told me he should be here any minute. I decided to believe her so I waited a little longer.

10:35 - Still no sign. I called again, this time to cancel, but she immediately put me on hold so she could call the guy. She said he had already parked and now just looking for my unit...

10:45 - He was finally here.

Why then am I giving him 4 stars? Because he was pretty awesome once he arrived. He examined the bathroom and the closet and told me it will be a major, major job ($15,000). I told him I actually had another plumber take a look during the walk-through, and that guy had told me it will probably be around $1,500.

He explained to me in detail what would need to happen if I wanted the installation to be proper and for it to pass city code. Gut the bathroom, open the ceiling, remove the flooring, open the down-stair neighbor's ceiling, etc., etc.... He said if this was his place, he wouldn't do it. The previous owner should have pushed the H.O.A, since they already had all the walls opened and knew exactly where everything was.

I respect his honesty in how he didn't try to take advantage of the situation and go forth with the project that would probably brought him a lot of money.

If I ever have any water problem I know exactly who to call (an hour before the problem..).

m j.

If I could give them a zero, I would. I first called San Francisco Plumbing Company about 2 months ago, asking for an estimate for a new hot water heater -- they never bothered to return my call. Against my better judgement, I called them again -- this time I was able to get an appointment -- on a thursday, between 2 & 3. They did not show up. Then, they called -- after 3:00, apologizing and saying they were running late, and would be here in 30 minutes. Then, again, they never showed up...nor did they ever bother to call again. Just plain bad service.

John M.

Called to get one toilet leak fixed and another one in my 96 y.o. mom's house repaired or replaced. The first one was fixed (with a new flapper) but still intermittently leaks. I paid promplty. But I have been promised a phone call four times since the original repair (back on June 30 and it is July 18 today)) and have never gotten a phone call back. I know they are busy...but this is ridiculous. The person answering the phone is always saying ""...he is so overwhelmed with work..."" but there's no excuse for not returning a call to explain the first repair or to schedule the replacement.

Evan K.

A friend referred me for a scope of my sewer line (sidewalk showing a slight sinking worried me). Sean came out, showed up on time. He showed me the scope, explained what I was seeing, showed me again when I had questions, and was very nice. He also left me with a DVD of the line (important if there had been issues so I could show to others to get bids). I'd definitely use them again. When I went to give him a cc, he asked me to call the office when I had time to complete payment. He trusted me, so I'm likely to trust them.

Jennifer H.

I called another plumbing company (friend of the landlords) to come out and look at my sewer at my retail location. This company told me the sewer was fine and ""cleaned it out"". After a bad rain I was flooded again. I then called SF Plumbing and confirmed I in fact had a broken sewer. They replaced the sewer. SF Plumbing was professional, honest and fast.

Curly J.

I was referred to San Francisco Plumbing by a friend who told me they were the ""only honest plumbers in San Francisco"". I don't know if THAT is true, but I have worked with Clay Hogan on a major sewer problem in a commercial building in San Francisco and they stayed on this job until it was fixed. It took a few days, but I thought the bill was reasonable. Then I asked Clay to look at a sewer line at my home. I had been quoted $875 to repair one crack in a sewer line by another company. He used a camera and showed me the areas of concern and strongly recommended that I not bother to repair this line that has multiple hairline cracks, just clean it out on the rare occasions that it backs up. His advice seemed sound to me, and he saved me $875. Nice people, good quality work.

Nancy C.

Where do I begin. They have been taking my money for about 3 years now. You'd think I would learn, but they were very nice and led me to believe that they really knew what they were talking about. My dilemma was that whenever (and only when) it rained, water would flood into my basement. How many times did I state that the problem was rain water coming in from (probably) the sewer in the street - a backup perhaps. But no, after snaking out the sewer line (only to the street because, according to them they could not go into the street) they took the requisite video of the sewer into the house and determined that it was the baby wipes (NEVER, and there have been no babies in this house for over 35 years) and toilet paper (gee, what a surprise), (NOTE: they NEVER suggested that I call the SF Sewer Dept to see about the area from the house to the main sewer line. I did not know I could do that - this is the first time I have ever had basement flooding in the 35 years I have been here.) They came about four times to snake the sewer - after it rained. Obviously this wasn't working.

So now they decided that the existing sewer was in need of repair: there was a quarter-inch ""disruption"" in the alignment of a section of the sewer under the driveway...a ""faulty repair from many years ago"". (Mind you, I have lived in this house over 35 years, and didn't know about a repair being made.) ""Sewer must be replaced, because that is causing the toilet paper to catch and block the sewer."" And why, may I ask, is that happening only when it rains? Again, the requisite pats on the head and comments like ""we know"".

So, for $5,800.00 I got a new sewer section. Amazing though, because when I watched them take out the old, perfectly-good-looking existing sewer, and there was no one who spoke English whom I could ask about that, I said to myself, ""I KNEW it wasn't my sewer, and they just wouldn't listen"".) And remember, they NEVER suggested I call the SF Sewer Dept.

Since that replacement over a year ago, I have had to call them 4 times (only after it rained) - twice for ankle-deep water. Additional major expense. A couple of times they said there was toilet paper in the u-trap, and charged $128 each time to use their long-handled plunger to get rid of it. So, why is there toilet paper collecting in the u-trap? Why isn't it going on through to the main sewer? When it flooded recently - again, flooding with ankle-deep water (but no toilet paper in the water) - I had had it. A friend suggested I call the SF Sewer Dept.

CALL THE SEWER DEPARTMENT BEFORE YOU EVER CALL A PLUMBER!!!!

A delightful gentleman from the SF Sewer Dept. came out and took pictures...from the end of my driveway (where the new sewer stopped) out into the street toward the main sewer line and found roots blocking the rain water which was running off my roof! I commented that I had been told that the plumbers were not allowed to do anything out into the street, and the SF Sewer person said that was not true. GUESS WHAT!! These roots were in the sewer JUST BEYOND THE END OF THE NEW SEWER. The SF Sewer man then called on a second gentleman who power-washed the roots away. Voila! He asked if SF Plumbing had inspected that portion of the sewer - into the street - before the old sewer was replaced and I said ""no"". His comment was that they should have...the roots were right there and could be seen at that time.

It has rained hard twice since the roots were eliminated. I have had no flooding since then.

I was totally bilked, scammed, conned, whatever word, out of well over $6,000 by SF Plumbing Company, and suggest you think long and hard about how professional they might (not) be before you hire them. I guess they felt they could use my money better than I could. Wrong!

When the SF Sewer Dept. people left, then said that the power-wash should take care of the problem for years, but to call THEM whenever I had a problem like this. They could not have been nicer.