Spartan

Cathy B.

I emailed Spartan over the Blizzard weekend(1/22-24 '16) and they never got back to me. So I called them on Monday morning to ask for a free estimate for a system that may or may not be working. They told me that it would be a charge to work on it $89 for the first 30 minutes and some godawful number after that. I said all I needed was an estimate, I didn't need any work to be done. I explained that I am a real estate agent and that my client is buying a property and that the HVAC had not been tested because it is a water system and the water had not been on previously. I told the manager that the home inspector said that it was probably not working but I needed an HVAC opinion a) to tell my client if it is working or not and if not, an estimate for repair so I could get the seller (a government entity) to pay for it.

I met the technician at the property (he was about 15-20 minutes early) but unfortunately we found the water to be off at the property so he couldn't do anything. I called back later on to see if I could get him to come back out, they told me no problem and that they would call me when he was in enroute.

They called me back to tell me he was on his way but now they were singing a different tune. They told me that now there would be a charge for it since he had already been out there before. The manager kept saying that the technician wasn't going to be paid and she tried to twist my words around. She also started to get an attitude and raised her voice at me. She said that the fact that I wanted the technician to fire up the unit constituted me wanting them to perform work, and therefore there would be a charge for ""diagnostics."" I argued that there was nothing to diagnose really, it's either working or it's not. It was all about being paid. What she didn't understand was that they WOULD have been paid once we got the estimate, either by the current owner or the new owner. It's called referral business and she didn't seem to understand that.

As I write this they have two stars with 35 reviews.

Freda I.

Before I start let me say that the phone call alone was reason enough to say...NO THANKS! I called this morning to ask if someone could come out to take a look at my thermostat. The lady doesn't ask about the problem first. She starts right off with the prices and costs saying, it's $89 for the 1st 30 minutes and then some crazy price for additional time over the 30 minutes. If they use parts/materials....you guessed it.....more costs. I asked if these fees would be included if they do the work. NO. So, in addition to the pre-costs I would also add the cost of materials. This company sounds like they are all about the $$ and not service. I hung up and I'm still looking for a HVAC company that cares about people, as well.

Chris H.

I had an awful technician and dealt with poorly trained customer service. I scheduled a Saturday morning appointment, and they never showed up or called to say they were running late. So I called them and asked what was up. Customer service said that technicians were running behind and to call back in a couple of hours. I wait. Same thing a few hours later. I wait, same thing. I finally call again, and they are closed! So I call the emergency hotline, and they tell me a serviceman will call me. I get a call from a number, but I miss the call and no message is left. I immediately called back. No response. I wait 15 minutes and call again. No response. I wait 15 minutes and call again, and someone responds emphatically with ""WHAT?!"" I ask if this is Spartan Plumbing. He responds by saying that the he is really busy with other projects, so I explain my situation to him. The technician is not happy with my basic question of ""are you coming today,"" drops a few colorful f bombs, and hangs up. At this point, I am frustrated, so I call the emergency hotline and am told I have to call on Monday to set up an appointment. Customer service claimed it was my fault that the technician was not coming. Beware using this company, in my experience their technicians and service were down right awful.

Larry G.

*review for Capitol Heights, MD area*

As I was planning to do a load of laundry which is located in the basement, I noticed water was dripping from the pipes.

Aw, dammit!

I looked online for a plumber and saw Spartan. I liked that you could submit a service request with options for dates and time along with contact information for them to reach you. I thought I'd try asking for today.

Within 10 minutes, I got a call from Spartan. After explaining my situation, they were able to come out the same day within a couple of hours.

True to their words, two guys arrived and inspected the watery mess. The leak turned out to be from the icemaker of the refrigerator on the floor above. They even went out to find a replacement. They returned and replaced the supply line.

And the bill was decent. At least, it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

I'll definitely contact them should I ever have such problems.

Frank L.

Worse than Comcast! I hesitated taking an afternoon appointment block on a Friday afternoon but I had what I felt was a somewhat urgent toilet issue. I was told they'd arrive between 12 and 4. Having heard nothing, I called at 3:15 and was told that the repair person was in NW and I was next on the list. And...nothing. I went to their website, which had their closing time as 6pm. I phoned at 5:40 and they had already switched over to an answering service. It was quite apparent that this person was not going to be able to help me, although she promised she'd call the tech and that he'd call me back. I sent them an email about the problem on Friday night. I have yet to hear back from them. No ""explanation"", no apology, NOTHING! Horrible! Do not use them!

Summer S.

I called Spartan to schedule an emergency visit to fix our AC. A technician called right away but told me he cannot come until next day. So much for emergency service they advertise. He told me that he will call next day to schedule a visit. No call, so I called back and left a message again. He ended up never calling back. Never using this company again.

Wright S.

Terrible customer service. I was excited to do business with this company based on positive reviews from associates and was very disappointed. They did not call me back in 2 hours which seems strange for a plumbing company. The front desk operator refused to let me speak to anyone or give me the names of the manager or owner of the business. I am a commercial property owner who could have provided a lot of business but they were not interested in helping me with a property under contract. They said, ""We don't do contractors"". I said I am under contract and in the due diligence process, part of this process revealed an unidentified pipe that I would like to evaluate. They offered a price which I would pay but then said since I don't own the property, they have a company policy against working with me. I find this ridiculous. If I will pay for their service and it is part of a pre-closure property inspection why would a company refuse business?
Customer service means finding a solution to help solve a problem not refusing to help.

W82hte H.

Spartan came out because of a leak issue we were having. Service guy cestimated that it would cost 9k because HE claimed we needed a new heat pump and air handler. We called another company and they discovered a clogged drain was the reason for the leakage. STAY AWAY or get a second opinion

Bree R.

/sad to say our recent experiences with Spartan have been pretty awful. Last year they came out to look at our HVAC & diagnosed that we needed a new fan (expensive), When i asked if it might instead be the issue we had the previous year (a clogged hose), they said doubtful...but that's exactly what it was, not a broken fan. Our HVAC crapped out again this past week & this time they told us within 5 minutes that we needed a new compressor - a $5k fix, We were skeptical and got a second opinion.... turns out our compressor is completely fine & there was just an issue again with the hose (a problem they've fixed for us before!) & needing more freon.

We wont ever call Spartan again - a complete waste of $89!

Daniel G.

This isn't a knee-jerk reaction review. I've used Spartan several times and they are friendly, courteous, and do quality work. Price-wise, they're pretty much what you'd get anywhere in the DC area.

However, 24hr emergency service is somewhat misleading. If you have an emergency after hours (I've had two this winter), chances are you won't get service that day. Both times I had an emergency, I've had to wait hours for a dispatch to call me to say they couldn't come and that I should call in the morning. The answering service you get really cannot give you any information. They merely page a dispatch with your info and you just have to wait for one to call.

Still, I'd rather stick with Spartan over roto-rooter any day. Roto-rooter's service is parallel to Comcast...and we all know how great they are...