Tom's Plumbing Inc

William C.

My water heater took a dump, called Tom's Plumbing and his wife answered and had him out in 45 minutes. This was a difficult job that was done professionally. Top notch work. I would recommend Mike for any plumbing job large or small.

Nancy O.

Called Tom's plumbing after I had another plumbing company tell me that the two toilets which needed repair would have to be rebuilt, and would cost $325 each to repair. I then asked what it would cost to put in a new kitchen faucet, which I would purchase, the estimate was $400. A total of $1050. I refused the estimate and immediately started to look on line for another plumber. By chance I came across Tom's Plumbing. I called and Tammy quickly gave me a phone estimate and said Mike could be out the next day. Mike came out assested the situation immediately, repaired both toilets and installed a faucet in 1 hour! He was on time, professional, very knowledgeable and above all honest. My bill was about $850 less than my first quote!
I am happy to refer my friends to Tom's Plumbing, honest, hard working, skilled professional people should be rewarded.

Susan D.

I was in a jam and called Tom's Plumbing. Tammy sent Mike out the same day and within a short time of my cry for help.

Mike looked at our refrigerator and knew IMMEDIATELY that he could not do the repair, as it was an appliance issue: a broken water line to our freezer's ice maker. Mike took pictures so I could in turn show the refrigerator repair man. Mike immediately knew this was a bigger problem and advised me to call my insurance company. It turned out to be a slow leak which led to significant damage. Due to Mike's quick and wise counsel I called the insurance company and filed a claim.

Mike only charge me $40 for coming out and telling me that he could not fix the issue. I was GRATEFUL for him not charging me the full price of a call just to say he was not able to fix the issue. Thanks Mike. That kind of honesty, flexibility and customer service earned my respect and this review. I will also share your name with my neighbors and friends.

Customer Service: Excellent
Response Time: Fabulous
Ability to Explain Issue: A true gift, as I had no clue and this was a BIG problem.

Thank you Mike and Tammy for your outstanding customer service.

A grateful customer.
Susan G.

Marianne S.

Arrived promptly. Installed a new faucet. Great customer service. Took the time to answer our questions. Thank you.

Regina H.

Let me start by sharing that there are things that Tom's Plumbing does correctly, and they are:

1. Plumbers are prompt, responsive, responsible, and knowledgeable. When Allen showed up to replace a leaking radiator pipe, he knew what needed to be done, and was even willing to do the repair our way to save money.
2. Service is provided same day, if you're in a jam, and need that repair to save yourself from living in an ark.
3. Reputable brand name here in Elgin, that comes highly recommended, which means that the community has respect for the local company.

Now you'll be asking why am I giving the business a one-star rating, and there are a few, starting with:

1. Allen was able to provide us a verbal estimate (not a quote) of what it would cost to install a new tub hookup, and said that it would be $140/hr plus materials (he approximated 6-8 hours, so I rounded up to $1,000). A few days later, Mike, co-owner, called and said that Allen was wrong, and that the true cost would be $2,000-$3,000. I trust Allen, especially as he shared his years of experience so if he said $1,000, I believe that to be a fair estimate. Side note: the plumber we did hire for the tub hook-up took 6 hours to complete, and charged us $1,000; he made $167/hr on that small job alone.
2. The owners do not empower the employees to do a good job, to be able to provide an estimate (not a quote), and to allow them to use their expertise to help grow the company. If Mike has to show up to provide a quote on every job, then you'll never be able to work beyond a one man sales crew.
3. Because Mike was so focused on ripping us off on installing a tub, he wasn't able to see into the future. We have galvanized steel pipes throughout our newly purchased home that need to be replaced this year, for both our heating system and water supply. That's $140/hr plus materials times how many hours of labor? 40? 80? That's a missed opportunity to make over $10,000+ on one customer, and your cost of customer acquisition was $0, since we found your business card in the home when we moved in.
4. The business co-owner, Tammy, seems to think it is ok with bashing Yelp reviewers for sharing their frustrations about the business as is the case with James Melton's review. Please stop. I was there, and I know what happened; changing your reply to his review won't help remove a poor rating.

I'll stop there as I think that the inability to rely on quality customer service is ultimately what will cause this company to continue to struggle. The philosophy of ""it is 100% impossible to please 100% of the people 100% of the time"" is a flawed strategy in approaching customer service, and I would encourage the owners to take some online courses, reach out to the local SBA chapter, and read up on how to run and grow a small business successfully. I wish Tom's Plumbing the best of luck in their future endeavors, as I really do recommend Allen's services as an experienced plumber, but I cannot recommend the company.

Mary M.

Mike from Tom's plumbing was just at my house. He unhooked a washer and dryer and hooked up another pair. He arrived on time. Mike is very personable and does a great job.
Very efficient, even swept the floor before installing the new ones! I absolutely recommend Tom's plumbing for any needs you might have. He is also a plumbing inspector if you buying a different house.
Thank you for the great service and reasonable prices. After reading James' review, I'd say he is the one confused. You can't compare grocery shopping to plumbing services. Apples to oranges.
I will always call Tom's for any of our plumbing problems.

Tom D.

First experience using Tom's Plumbing was excellent. Called in advance of arrival, showed up on time and fixed my issue. Will definitely use Tom's Plumbing again in the future. Thanks for the quality service! TD

James M.

Bait and switch as defined is when an advertised price is given to a consumer and then when work is requested or product is purchased price is different. This company came and did work on my home. At the time MY WIFE was there and requested quotes for other work. She was given a quote of one thousand dollars. We agreed to it and asked it to be scheduled. A day later we get a call saying that it will be two or three thousand dollars and the individual on the phone started arguing symantecs with me (look at their reply for proof) so the price went up WITHOUT ANYONE ELSE FROM THE COMPANY COMING TO LOOK two fold! Wow! And about arguing over a quote or an estimate or as you call it guesstimate* how damn unprofessional! I had you at 3 stars for the quality of service done but now... no, your business practices leave much to be desired. I would not suggest this company as they quote one price, agree to it and time then come back with a higher price. Find someone who stands by their employees an the work they do.

As the company keeps changing their replies, let me break it down. First reply was that I was never quoted I was only given a ""guesstimate"" with which a time for work was scheduled. Then they again delete their response and write something along the lines of ""cant please everyone all the time"" Now third response says that I am easily dissatisfied... No I just dont like it when people try to screw me over. I am now going to start pasting responses as they come in on this. Instead of personal attacks and such maybe try a ""I am sorry that you were displeased with our services""
latest response: 6/17/2015 I have to disagree with most of the statements presented as I recall the conversation quite differently, but instead of the he said/ she said game I will only reply that no matter how you try...it is 100% impossible to please 100% of the people 100% of the time. In reading his reviews of other businesses it seems he is easily dissatisfied

Craig M.

I've lived in Elgin for over 30 years, and my parents have been using Tom's Plumbing for as long as I remember, and they've have had nothing but good things to say about about the service and workmanship with Tom's.

Andrew L.

Last year Andy, Tom's son, unclogged our basement floor drain. Not a big job but he was prompt, the price fair (for plumbers), and congenial. Andy was almost our neighbor. He'll be missed. This past week a leaky pressure tank and aging hot water heater used for hydronic heating in a portion of our home, the basement drain again, and a toilet that needed a new wax seal and the flange repaired all got done. Mike did the work. Mike was prompt, knowledgeable, congenial, honest (some other company could have ripped me off for the toilet flange repair), and creative. I was seriously impressed with Mike's work. I might grumble when I see the bill, something I always do, but I'll call Tom's plumbing without reservation again if need be.