Scannapieco Plumbing & Heating

Ron H.

I have used Ed many times over the years. He is not the most expensive, nor the least expensive but the quality of workmanship and professionalism makes him the only choice I would go to when I need plumbing done. I called 5 different companies to take care of a problem and the solution he came up with saved me hundreds of dollars and solved the problem that the other plumbers could not solve. He is prompt, and left the area cleaner than when he found it. Top plumber, you wont go wrong by calling him.

Will L.

I had previously had the pipes in my 2bdr 2 story townhome in Philadelphia freeze and hired a plumber to repair the leak from the burst. It didnt take long and I got quality service at a fair price. It happened again a couple years later. This time around, I was selling the house so I decided to go with the plumber that my agent recommended. After visiting the place and assessing the job Ed Scannapieco provided a quote of $250-$300 to replace all leaking pipes. I thought that was reasonable and in lne with the other quotes I had and work previously done. I asked Ed to commence with the work and keep me posted if he thought it would cost more. Ed called back the next day after doing the job and said they had to rip up multiple sections of wall to find the leak, that they had already done the work and that it would cost me $1,495. After asking him why he didn't call me back with a higher estimate before doing additional unapproved work he simply said the cost was the cost. I am more than fair when it comes to paying for good work. And because its hard to find good contractors I believe in the importance of compensating ones I do find well. But a 5x markup on estimate? And without providing a heads up before doing additional work struck me as someone trying to pull a fast one. I had a sense that given I lived in different state from where I got the work done (PA) there was a chance I was being taken advantage of but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I had a second contractor check out the job and they confirmed it was hack work. Apparently they simply broke through multiple spots in the wall with a hammer. And when he couldnt find the leak he would break in the wall in a different area. This continued until there were several large to medium holes in the wall. He also removed the water meter (is that legal?) and turned the water off.

I told Ed this didn't sound right. I asked him why he turned water off and he said just in case it leaked. So you mean to tell me after multiple holes in the wall and paying 5x estimate you cant assure me that pipes wont leak? He said he'd put the meter back on but by that point I didnt trust him or his work. I told him I disagreed with the price. But to avoid drama I would pay $800 of the $1495 and sent off the check. He cashed it and sent me an invoice for the balance. I was irate by this point. The audacity. I drew a line in the sand and I told him I wasn't paying anything else. And then I heard words that I never thought someone would direct towards me ""pay me or I'll sue you."" I thought about paying just to be done with it. After all who has time to go to small claims court over $1,500? But I couldn't do it. I had really felt taken advantage of. And while I typically overlook being taken advantage of in small cases this was just too egregious. So hear I am three months later, booking a flight to Philadelphia to make a court date in small claims court to fight the judgement that Scannapieco plumbing filed against me for not paying another $695 on top of the $800 I already paid for the job that was never done. My hope is to share this so that others who have been swindled by Scannapieco might also feel encouraged to speak up and share their experiences.