Smart Rooter & Plumbing

Faisal J.

Reliable and honest upfront pricing. Sam is always able to diagnose any plumbing issues and provide quick remedies. His cost is fair and work comes with warranty. I had Sam come as quick as within a day to assist with a water heater issue and toilets not functioning.

Charles W.

We seem to be the exception to the rule.... So many good reviews here, but our experience does not reflect this. Hired Sam & his assistant to fix an under sink leak, install a new dishwasher and a new faucet - Sam looked things over and wrote out a quick work order for right around 2 grand. He mentioned he could replace the rotted wood under the sink for an additional $1,200 - pretty high, but we figured let's just get it all done.

$3200.00 seemed a bit steep, but he came with a lot of really positive Yelp reviews and we needed to get the job done with the holidays quick approaching so we went for it. Sadly, while he wrote things out on a sheet of paper and showed it to me, I did not make sure that he gave me a copy - something I would come to regret.

The day of the actual work, they were here for a good 10 hours, so I can't fault them in that respect, but there were issues.... We were told that Sam was going to purchase supplies for the job, and he'd be gone for a few significant amounts of time. Among those ""purchase"" trips was one for plywood.... As you can see from the photos, the plywood was old and possibly being reused from a pile in his backyard - stained up, rough grained, and even a split in part of it.

Then take a look at the install.... You can see that it was a sloppy as Hell job - not seated at the bottom of the cabinet frame as should be, bit sitting on top of the frame - and look at the cuts! Good Lord! If I wanted that I could have asked one of my teen-aged nephews to take a stab at it! COMPLETELY unprofessional work!

At the end of the day, it was discovered that the dishwasher was missing the parts to connect it to the cabinet frame, so it was decided I'd contact the company that made the dishwasher and Sam would stop by once we had the parts in. Then he presented us with a bill for $4,600.... after an initial quote of approximately $3,200? WTH? Whatever.... At this point it's like write the check and get it all over with.... Then he tells me that rather than pay the whole amount, just cut him a check for 4K and I can pay the additional $600.00 when he comes back to secure the dishwasher.

Like an idiot I went along with all of this crap, and then guess what? The parts arrived, I texted him THREE times they were here and asking when he could stop by, and I never heard a word from him..... As the months have gone by it sort of festered with me to the point I felt the need to write this review in hopes he doesn't rip other folks off like he did us.

Crappy workmanship & price gouging.... I'd sooner hire Helen Keller to do a brain operation than hire Sam & Co. again - proceed with caution.

EJ S.

If you need a plumber in the East Bay, call Sam. Sam is my go-to plumber to fix any plumbing issue for my 100 year-old Albany house. I highly recommend Sam. He is prompt, has great prices, reliable, and does quality work. Moreover, he is friendly and explains all the various options.

Karen B.

I want to leave a quick and sincere reflection of my experience with Smart Rooter in hopes to give back to this community. I had a gross disaster in my bathroom, if you know what I mean. An event of this personal magnitude is embarrassing. (If you haven't guessed already, the problem area was the toilet.) I took a stab in the dark. I referred to YELP for plumber recommendations, hoping all the while that I wouldn't be duped. After fraternizing amongst all the excellent service remarks attached to said service company, my first and only call was to Smart Rooter and Plumbing. I was certain this choice was the brilliant choice. Sam, the business owner, gave me a time straight away, and as the day progressed a little, Sam called me to update me of exactly the goings on. You see, Sal was just a wee bit delayed in finding the proper toilet; however, like glorious clockwork, they showed up and started the process of exchanging the old 1980's water aggressive toilet model with the brand spanking new updated and beautiful (Imagine referring to a toilet as beautiful?) water-saving model. I needn't have worried about accessing Sam's service because in the end, it was the very BEST with a splendid value to my dollars spent. I just could not have asked for better. It was almost as if my late father was watching out for my best interest. The process didn't take long and I was completely comfortable leaving the work to these professionals, as I wasn't feeling well. I don't know about you, but events like these feel very overwhelming and stressful. I excused myself to a spare bedroom, and before I knew it, I heard a polite knock on the door to let me know the work was complete and the work area clean. The REAL detailed cleaning needs to be done by moi, naturally. Superb experience, fellas. Thank you so kindly. Work done RIGHT the first time round!

Roland S.

I browse yelp for my toilet issue one Sunday while every body else were closed and I was desperate and found Smart Rooter & Plumbing open 24/7 with 25 yrs experience. I called and spoke to Sam, we discuss my toilet issue and gave me advice. I was not wrong when I gave him the job and I was very thankful for the the great job. He even took time to call and follow up the work of his crew. His crew left no marks of dirt on walls and floor and I was very very satisfied of their service. I highly recommend this company with their honest, clean, quality work rendered. Thank you Sam and to your crew very much!!

Lori W.

I spoke with Sam at 6am. (Thank you for answering and setting up an appointment for that day!) They showed up early (yah!). Sal and William were professional, focused on their task, and efficient. Our questions were answered in great detail. They were extremely clean and tidied up afterwards. Preventative measures were given to avoid the problem in the future. The cost of the services were very reasonable.

Theresa R.

My husband had spent many hours trying to fix our clogged sink in our 50 yo home. We tried snaking, vinegar and baking soda and Liquid Heat home remedies, to no avail.

We called Sam on the weekend and told him our sad story. He was booked Sunday and said he could
come out Monday at 10.

Monday at 10:00, Sal showed up ready to get to work. He rooted with 75 foot, electric powered, snake twice, and then went back to the shop for a better snake and ran it until with a different tip to get the job done. He ran hot water down the drain, checked the outside sewer trap to make sure water was draining out of the house and we were done!

We were so grateful to get it done and have our kitchen back. Sam was responsive in the triage and Sal was on time and a hard worker, and got the job done. He was at our house for three hours and it didn't break the bank.

Ashley J.

Called for a water flow issue and was given a time for the following day. They were a no call, no show. I tried calling to find out if they were still coming and no one answered or called me back.

Felecia A.

Had three plumbing problems. Called & was told by Sam someone would arrive in a couple of hours. Sal arrived within that time & got to work. Approximately an 1 hour later Sam arrived. I'm impressed with their service & how all issues were resolved with a reasonable price. Will definitely use for all plumbing issues.

barry v.

Excellent work by an outstanding contracting team. I called Sam about a water main break - of course right before the weekend. Not a big break but broken piping is still broken piping and it had to be replaced. He and Sal came out, looked over the issue, and gave me an estimate for replacing the main water line between the sidewalk and my house. They rigged a temporary connection to keep water flowing to my house while the broken pipe was turned off and isolated for the weekend. Sal then came in and went to work on a leaky kitchen faucet that turned out to be a bit more work than planned due to poor prior piping placement. But Sal persevered and finished the work as quickly as possible given that additional soldering and piping supports were necessary - and all at a much reduced price given the main water line work about to start. Digging a trench in the front yard was performed carefully and with note of plants and landscape features that needed to be protected and put back in place after the piping job was done. Sam coordinated the city inspection and finished the job on-time and without any surprises. Great job and highly recommended.