The Plumbing Dr

Philip D.

Dr. Charlie repaired our outdoor rear faucet. He did an excellent job and the price was reasonable.

Louis L.

I have employed the plumbing doctor over the period of many years. In the past couple of weeks, I have had a very negative experience, and have not as yet decided whether to file a formal complaint with the Commonwealth Attorney General.

I had a 10 year old American Standard pressure assisted toilet that began to run. I called the Plumbing Dr and called the company, explained my problem, and scheduled an appointment for a plumber. An individual named Matt arrived, said I should replace the toilet, that the Plumbing Dr only installs Gerber toilets. He said he would install an equivalent toilet that was the highest consumer rated. Since the toilet to be replaced was a grey colored toilet, he would have to special order it.

When Matt arrived two weeks later, I let him in and he replaced the toilet. However, when I inspected it, it was a completely different model, a gravity toilet, though it was grey. Matt claimed that all the pressure assisted toilets had been recalled.

After he left, I researched online and discovered that all manufacturers still offer pressure assisted toilets, that only some units had been recalled. I also discovered that all I needed to have done was have the Flushmate unit in the tank replaced. Replacing the toilet itself was entirely unnecessary.

I called the Plumbing Dr and was told by someone other than Matt that, yes, they were available but not in grey. In fact, I was told that colored toilets are no longer sold.

The unit installed is called by Gerber a Viper, and the particular version is discontinued. The one I had expected is a model called Ultra Flush, which is pressure assisted and at one time was rated by Consumer Reports as it's highest rated, though it no longer is. The Viper is list priced at $243, about half that of the Ultra Flush. The Plumbing Dr charged me $1,422.90 in total, which is $1,179.90 for installation. However, there is nothing special about the bathroom in which it is installed. I was not pre-informed of the switch, and the amount I was charged was not altered even though the cost of the toilet was different.

Further research shows that colored toilets are still sold, though the options are now more limited. Kohler offers a whole line of grey toilets.

I checked the Plumbing Dr website, and I discovered that Matt is not a licensed plumber. He is listed as a ""plumber's helper"". The Commonwealth Board of Contractors requires a professional plumber to hold a Class C license to perform work of the value I was charged.

Therefore, Matt is just a handyman, and everything he told me, and I was told over the phone by the company's representative, is incorrect, insofar as I can determine. On the ticket Matt wrote, he signed his name ""Dr. Matt"". Throughout, i was led to believe Matt is an experienced licensed plumber. Had I known he wasn't licensed, I would not have allowed him onto the premises in the first place.

The Plumbing Dr has a high reputation, and is an established firm. However, in this case, the Plumbing Dr is guilty of malpractice. The company removed a toilet rather than repairing it, replaced it with an inferior unit, charged an exorbitant fee for installation, and used an installer who is not a licensed plumber.

I have not decided as yet how best to proceed. Putting the ""Dr"" marketing usage aside, the company appears to be a family run business. And, I am a long time customer. In fact, the proprietor, William Bennett, performed work on the toilet that was replaced almost ten years ago. I never had any reason to question the integrity or business ethics of the company before. You wouldn't think the company would want to cheat its long time customers.

If I file a complaint, it will certainly not help the firm's business. It may not accomplish anything. Or, it may ruin the company. I don't really know. However, I feel I should do something. After all, the company now appears to be engaged in highly questionable business practices. Consumers should be advised. So, here I am writing a review.

Caveat emptor.

Apple M.

Update: The business manager called me and apologize for what had happened and offered a full refund. I think the specific plumber we dealt with had gone rogue. I'm glad these people care about their business and i'll consider them next time, a second chance.

I called them for our leaking water heater and was told that there will be $68 diagnostic cost no matter what. I accepted and they sent their guy. He was in our place for less than an hour and his assessment was that the heater should be replaced. He said it will cost about $5k. We asked for a breakdown cost of material and labor and he wasn't willing to provide that. We looked online and noticed that we can get a 5 star heater for around $600, so his price was really over the board and we decided to go with someone else.
He asked us for $130 for just this diagnosis. Outrageous!

Elizabeth J.

I had service over the Memorial Day weekend and was very pleased.

From my initial call to when the job was completed I was given great customer service.

The technician, Manny, outlined all of my options and associated costs. He was professional, knowledeable and customer service oriented. And, Bill handling the emergency service number, was informative and patient. I would definitely use this company for future plumbing needs.

Eric N.

While The Plumbing Dr was responsive in setting my appointment and arriving on time, they would not fix my issue (leaking shower head). Instead ""Charlie"" pulled out a laminated, prepackage rate sheet of 5 bundled services ranging from ~$200 to over $1500. I was then informed that I could not select the least expensive bundle and that the cheapest option to fix my shower head drip was over $400.

Maybe this package of services was appropriately priced but why couldn't I just pay for the necessary service?? I called another plumber who fixed the drip for a total of $115 (and the replaced part was $45 and included in the overall cost).

I wonder how many suckers The Plumbing Dr upsells into services they didn't really need? Reminds me of McDonalds ""Do you want to upsize that?"" Rip off

Angela K.

Make sure to check their direct site online for a better $30 off first customer/visit coupon and a free inspection! Their homeadvisor profile only offers a 20$ off coupon. Their visit/consult costs $68. If you end up using their services then they waive that fee and just charge you for the services. Which makes it pretty hard to turn them away after you have ~70 bucks sunken costs already. Anyways I was praying for a great plumber.

The scheduling was very easy. They called ahead of time with a 45 min warming before arriving. Check. The technician was nice and seemed very knowledgeable. He did make a comment about how it normally costs about $200 to call out a plumber in the Tysons Corner area.. which I responded with ""well you cost $68 actually haha... so don't lie to me"" and I caught him off guard but we laughed it off. He recovered by saying some joke back about averages or something. Anyways the pricing packages were ludicrous. I had a toilet water tank replace/install 2-3 years back and it was HALF the cost of what I was charged. I can't imagine that sorta inflation happening... So I felt like the cost was high to begin with. Additionally what bothered me was that he kept focusing on an entire replace/install pre packaged service (printed in nice glossy packages to maximize costs) to just address it all (current/future) issues. It was not addressed to focus on what would fix the immediate need and then the ""nice to have"" things to fix. Seemed like he was focused on selling the entire kitchen sink first.. which was the highest package at $720!!! Then later he backed down to a mid level package of $315. Perhaps a selling tactic to make me think I'm getting a better deal not paying the full 720. I bit the bullet and went with the $315 package with 6 mths warranty and $30 off (new customer) coupon.

The last part that left me with a bad taste in my mouth was that after my home inspection I asked about a toilet where the water runs on its own occasionally. Nothing urgent just a nuisance. He was not able to give me a straight/logical answer. He kept going in circles and telling me that'd I'd need to rip/replace like I'd just done with my original project... Yes ok I understand I'll need to rip/replace eventually in several years but the reasoning didn't make sense as I kept correcting him on facts... Anyways, after a few rounds of going in circles and not getting a straight answer that made sense I just dropped it.

I'd use them if I was in an emergency in the future but not my first choice. I'm left wondering if I was taken advantage of and if he was totally honest about his assessment. But he got the job done and was a nice person... otherwise..

kyla l.

Dr. Charlie and Dr. Matt arrived within an hour to fix my ""toilet emergency."" They ended up replacing the toilet, which required the delivery of a new toilet. I figured it would take hours... but two hours later they were totally done! The pricing was upfront and clear, and reasonable. They even encountered a problem that would need further fixing, but understood that I was crunched for time that day. The Plumbing Dr. followed up a few days later to schedule the additional work. As before the pricing was upfront and clear, and compared to other plumbers, really affordable. If you've got a plumbing problem, The Plumbing Dr. should be your first call!

Christine P.

When my main bathroom toilet was clogged, and the plunger wasn't clearing the clog, I called the Plumbing Doctor. Dr. Charlie came out and inspected the toilet, got the clog fixed, and told me upfront what my choices for repair would be. I got the ""band-aid"" fix - just unclog the toilet and be done. Dr. Charlie was prompt and professional, and the toilet is working again!

Hallie P.

Just used them this morning. We ordered a good quality garbage disposer from online but apparently got the wrong one with a modular plug rather than wires. Technician told us he could not install it but he had one is his truck that he could install for $700. We balked at the price and he came down to $500. We still balked and asked him to leave. He mentioned he was not happy and we still had to pay the price of the trip to our house. He was not happy??? We were not happy!!!! Will not use them again!

ZQ T.

The Plumber Dr has gone bad. We have used them before, but the recent two visits it got worse and worse. The usually do good work, but the recent recommendations are all about getting maximum charge ($900-$1600) to replace entire systems for even the smallest repairs (I end up fixing the problem for a $90 part and 10 mins of my time after doing some research myself). I seriously would recommend a 2nd opinion from another trustworthy company if you ever use them.