Smelly Mel's Plumbing

Chris H.

Was a slightly hesitant to call a company with the word ""Smelly"" in its name but since my problem was a ""smelly"" one (backed up/clogged/broken sewer line) I took it as a just a funny/memorable name and gave them a call as a 2nd opinion/estimate. The first company could not commit to get out to do the job (required trenching and replacement) in a timely manner (within 3 days) while Smelly Mel's did. Not only that, but they came in less expensive and yet did a fantastic job (cement work was flawless as was the plumbing itself). Willie (one of the techs I dealt with) was funny and communicated all of the issues and progress well.
I highly recommend them!

Timothy C.

Long story short, I just purchased a house and discovered that I needed to replace the sewer lateral before the city would approval our building permits. Smelley Mel's originally replaced the sewer lateral about 8-9 years ago for the previous owner, so I was confused on why it needed to be replaced again. It turns out the city had changed their code and a section of the pipe needed to be replaced in order to solve a standing water problem. After receiving many different quotes, I went full circle and went back to Smelley Mel's for advice. Travis took the time out of his busy schedule to actually sit me down and explain exactly what needed to be done, what the city expected of me, what the process was going to be, how long it was going to take.... Every single question that was floating in my head was answered to my satisfaction. Not only that, Travis gave me a really good quote.

Once the estimate was sent to me, communication was a little delayed due to the holiday season, but we eventually got something down on calendar and travis's team started the repairs. They were super professional, on time, and curious to respecting the property and my neighbors. They were awesome to work with and left the sidewalk looking like brand new. I would highly recommend anyone who has a sewer lateral issue to work with Travis and his team.

Jenny R.

Mike at Smelly Mel's just made my day.

Our garbage disposal was broken and for all the troubleshooting, I just couldn't figure out how to get it to work. We were trying to get by without it, but eventually our dishwasher got backed up. What to do?

First, I called the number on the garbage disposal and thankfully they could dispatch someone to my house the next day. Second, I looked up the company on Yelp.....and was a little worried about the single review at the time. They'd already agreed to come, so I figured I would give them a chance.

The problem was a 5 minute solve and just required having a special tool to release a clog. I thought....ugh, how much is this going to charge, and the answer was nothing because Mike said it required minimal effort. I was so surprised and frankly heartened that we still have some humanity in how we treat people. Smelly Mel's and Mike have a new fan and I will definitely call them first for plumbing problems.

Brian S.

Interesting update: I received a phone call last night from Travis, who identified himself as the owner of Smelley Mel's. He apologized for the long overdue contact as the incident that I described was nearly 3 years ago. He explained that had been wanting and meaning to reach out to me for quite some time, and that for some reason it just kept getting shuffled to the back burner so to speak. Anyways, the fact that he took the time to do so - even in light of the fact of how long it took for him to do so - in addition to him saying that he tends to believe and not question the things that I mentioned in my review and proceeded to apologize for that shows me that at least he personally has integrity and the testicular fortitude to ultimately follow through. Thank you Travis for the follow-up and I wish you and your company well. -- Brian

Steve B.

We had an exterior gas leak and Travis was great to work with. We sourced the leak and replaced / repaired the broken pipe. Travis - and his crew - are responsive, courteous, professional and neat. And their work is fairly priced.

Doan L.

All the bad reviews echo my experience. They basically overcharge and try to persuade people to add on services they you may not need. I thought I was getting Bell Plumbing when I scheduled the visit (which has decent yelp reviews) and didn't know I was getting Smelly Mel's until it was all said and done. I guess Bell Plumbing sometimes sends over sister companies so be sure you identify who is really coming to your house. Avoid this place and save your hard earned money.

Connie F.

This company is too pricey! and unprofessional. The tech that came out to my house to give me a estimate for my water heater.He was horrible. He had a bad attitude and was trying to sell me additions that I did not need. I had to use my home warranty service for this job. I called them while he was there.I needed him to give the authorization supervisor the breakdown and to explain the cost of the repair. He had a bad attitude and told her that he was going to charge her for his time on the phone! That Tech is in the wrong profession. I do not know how that company stays in business. This techs unprofessionalism and money hungry attitude. Bad Business!! I will spread the word. There are still good and honest professional plumbers servicing Daly City,Pacifica and South S.F.. I'm glad I found one to do the job ""Rosenberg 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.