Smelly Mel's Plumbing

stephan k.

Not so great. The work done was o.k., but the prices are exorbitant, even in the plumbing world. The tech kept trying to sell me extras that were not needed, and they charge a separate price for each item, rather than service call plus time and materials. 2 hours cost $1200+ dollars. Never again.

Jim F.

Please strongly reconsider using this company, as there are many others. Pacifica neighbors were alarmed to find a black substance, approx 2-3 gallons, running down the street after they left for the day on a sewer lateral project. Had to call fire dept to come clean it up, as it was running down the gutter. Turned out to be liquid tar, either spilled or dumped from their ongoing job. After the cleanup, I thought I'd call the company to let them know what happened. I was alarmed and disheartened to find the representative defensive, hostile and completely callous as to the situation. Although he could have said ""Wow, thanks for calling- we'll check it out"" or any other choice a professional would make, he asked me ""Why is this important to you?"" and ""Why are YOU involved in this,"" additionally, ""Maybe someone else spilled it."" I tried to explain why it was a serious problem, but the person continued challenging me as to why I cared. After trying to explain that the substance was headed into a drain, through pipes and finally the ocean, I told him that he seemed not to be receptive. He again challenged me as to why it mattered. I then hung up and called the police, who informed me that the cleanup will be charged to the company. Unfortunately, from the people who either dumped or spilled half a bucket of tar in the gutter to the company rep, this company needs an expensive reason to clean up their act. I urge you to call another company when you have plumbing needs.

L P.

Used this company once before, pricey, but the the service person got the job done, very professional, ""roots"" in the pipes. Used them again this year, a different service person. Bad attitude, pulled out one chunk of roots and said you need to replace your pipes, left with a chunk of money, said no guarantee on job. 3 days later, more problems. Called a different company, a very professional person showed up,
worked on clearing remaining roots, used a camera at no charge to see how far the roots were and made sure the water flowed, at half the price. We'll use the second company before calling ""Smelly"", ever again. Apparently there is no guarentee on who you'll get to service you. My poor neighbors used them twice, same person twice in 3-4 days and had to call a different company, for a 3rd time. Not good.

Rosemarie T.

I called Smelly Mel when one of my toilets clogged up beca use I had previously seen their truck in the neighborhood. When their plumber came and looked at my toilet, he recommended that I replace it because it wasn't a good unit (even though it had been working ok for several years). He quoted me a price o$725 for a new toilet or he would attempt to clear the clog for $225. I said I would have to think about getting new ones since I would have had three to replace and to go ahead with the work. He finished the job in less than 15 minutes and told me it was in working order. The toilet worked when flushed with just paper. The following day it was again clogged. I called the company and was told that I should talk directly with the person who did the work. When he called back he told me that there wasn't anything else he could do but would apply the $225 toward payment of the new toilet. Guess what, a friend, not a professional plumber, got it working by just using a plunger, flushing several times to be sure it really was in working order. I would not recommend a company that uses a hard sell when you have just called for service and that won't guarantee the work they do

Chris U.

If there was anything less than a 1, I'd give it. We had a simple sink to fix and called on a Friday. We weren't in a hurry to get it done, so I scheduled an appointment for Saturday morning between 8-10. When 10:15 rolled around, I tried to call the tech to figure out if there would be a plumber coming sometime soon. She wasn't available for a call at that time, so I left a message and requested a return phone call (which the message claimed would be within 5 minutes). 15 minutes later, my wife called back and a woman answered the phone and told us that a plumber had been at our house and rang the door bell for 20 minutes before leaving. After waiting for 2 and a half hours with my 3 year old in our front room, watching for a truck to come, this was clearly not true. She asked if we wanted someone to return later in the day, from 2-4, but didn't take any responsibility for the mix up. There wasn't even a phone call during the two hour window letting us know that someone was ""at our door."" HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. Who knows though, maybe if you have hours to sit on your hands the plumbers are actually good. Don't expect them to show up when scheduled though!?!?! Waste of time. I'll fix it myself for a lot less!

Norman W.

I have used Smelly Mel's in the past and they have always been top notch. Having a need for a plumber I called them again and was not unhappy. The service tech was on Time, efficient, neat and knew. what ghe was doing. He was in and out in a very short time. If I ever need a plumber again I will contact Mel's and ask for Dave.

Elizabeth T.

FYI: This company is listed twice (one in Pacifica and one is South SF). Same company though.

They repaired my new home's sewer lateral per the new Pacifica ordinance for new homebuyers. The ordinance sucks, but these plumbers did not. Great experience, very professional, fast, and price slightly beat four other estimates (not by much, but still a savings), including the cost of the permit, materials, and labor.

The company's name is still a little disturbing, but I guess when it comes to unclogging toilets and sewer work, if Mel didn't smell he wouldn't be doing his job right.

Tony Z.

We had a sewer lateral done for our commercial buidling. I met with Travis and discussed the job and found him to be extremely knowledgable. I was completely satisfied with the work that was done.They were extremely professional, very reasonably priced and very efficient. I also used them for a retail space in San Mateo. I would highly reommend them for any of your pulmbing needs. You will be highly satisfied.!!!!!!

Mike J.

Will arrived on time and was very easy to deal with. He explained the issue and how to fix it. The work went quickly and as of now we haven't had another issue. Yes, they are expensive but what plumber isn't. I cant speak for all the techs that Smelly Mel's employs but if I have any plumbing issues I will call Smelly Mel's again and ask for Will.

JC K.

I called this company in to reconnect a new faucet and reinstall my garbage disposal. The tech charged me $295.00 for the faucet and then said my disposal is broken and I needed to buy a new one. After returning to Sears and purchasing another disposal unit, my boy friend checked out the old disposal and found that there was nothing wrong with it and he reconnected it in five minutes. The tech did show up after five and did get a couple calls from probably his wife wondering where he was....so I am thinking he needed to get out of my job call. He made $295 on a simple faucet reconnect and took off. You make the call- something smellees me fishy to me. Overpriced and unfinished equals bad service.