WM Henderson

Jackie O.

In the past I engaged Henderson for plumbing repairs and also contracted with them to purchase and install a new heating system. Not anymore. After reading these reviews I feel compelled to share my story. I had purchased a toilet and called Henderson for a quote to attach it. The tech arrived and within 60 seconds he quoted me $700.00. Of course, I declined, but they did ask for the $65.00 fee. I'm sure I was being gouged because I am a female and the tech assumed I didn't have any knowledge and/or any other resources. Very disappointed after supporting their business in the past.

Barbara W.

I had a clogged kitchen sink last March that turned into a major repair. I paid IN-FULL for ALL plumbing services billed that day even though I was not satisfied. Because I was unhappy, another rep came by later and wrote up a work order to replace a main pipe in the basement - this was a result of a fracture from a snaking procedure that took place during the initial visit. I did not go through with the additional work that was written up but they billed me for a plumbing contract even though I explained to them that I did NOT want it. I would ONLY have purchased a plumbing contract had I got the additional work done, otherwise it would not have been cost effective for me to purchase. After many calls and emails were exchanged by their office and myself to no avail I decided to ignore their billing. Nine months later, they took advantage of the Visa information they had ON FILE, to charge my credit card $105.00 for a plumbing contract WITHOUT my Knowledge OR Approval. Of note, I have spent over $9000.00 with this company in recent years.

Keith G.

We totally got taken advantage of, and it's sad knowing this sort of thing goes on and its hard to find trustworthy people these days. We had called WMH when our gas water heater wasn't working back in October. The technician, named Steve K, didn't bother troubleshooting or even touching the heater, but just said ""Unfortunately, I know this model well, it's discontinued and when you have water in your basement they are ruined."" I explained that the heater was only 3 years old and there was a water leak in our basement, but not enough to submerge anything. He then explained that even the slightest bit of moisture is enough to get sucked up from the bottom and completely ruin the heater. He then quoted us $1339, and pressured us by saying the $95 service fee will go towards it if we agree but we'll lose it if we decline. Glad I chose to decline, I just had a feeling something was fishy.

So the next day I called Bradford & White tech support and told them what the WMH tech said, and they called his claim ""ridiculous"". I also called 2 other local HVAC companies and they said the same thing, and they couldn't believe that he didn't even take time to open the thermostat or look at the burner.

We told WMH this, and they said ""We stand behind what Steve told you and will not come look at it again, but if you still want to buy the heater from us we'll deduct $100. We did not have enough to buy a new heater, or risk another $75-$100 charge for another HVAC tech who might say we still do need a new heater.... so we endured 3 months of having no hot water (in the winter mind you) while we saved for a new heater. We were really stuck, and we had to get used to heating big pots of water on our stove, carry it to our tub, and using that to bathe.

Finally, in January, our neighbor had a handyman that they knew come check it out. He came over, opened the unresponsive thermostat, started properly troubleshooting, cleaned some wires he said looked dusty, and got the heater working in no time. He charged us $20 for the hour he was there since he was friends with our neighbor, but we gave him $100 for his honesty--and for saving us $1300. W.H Henderson, please stop trying to take advantage of people who are not familiar with HVAC tech details, it's not right. Some people go through financial setbacks like us where even $100 is too much to throw around. Please encourage your employees to do the job they were asked to do (fix things) rather than upsell and make money/bonuses/quotas or whatever. PLEASE tell them honesty will be better for business in the long run.

Justin K.

We called Wm. Henderson to come take a look at our heater when it stopped working suddenly. This has happened before, and the cause was a bird flew into our chimney and clogged the system. We hoped that it would be the same this time. So their tech comes out, and check the heating system for a matter of 5-8 minutes, and says that we have a bad motor. It would cost $917.00 to fix and he also cleverly let me know that there could also be other issues with our system that we would need to fix to get our heat back on, but he wouldn't know until the motor was replaced. At this point we were going to give them the go ahead to make this repair despite warning signs like the quick diagnostic, and being asked by the tech if the issue with the heater is large, if we plan on getting it fixed right away. As if he was making sure we were going to say yes to any problem he came back with.

What changed our minds was the previous warning signs and the $307.00 bill for the 5-8 minutes he spent inspecting our heating system. Over the phone we were told that it was $95.00 for them to come and take a look. When I told this to the tech, he says"" Oh, that's just for us to knock on your door."" Which makes absolutely no sense! At that point I felt slimey even speaking to him and felt I was being scammed so I told him I only had $100.00 on me and could not get more money for him. So he said he'd call and see what his boss says. 5 minutes later he comes back and says that just the $100.00 is fine...

So as you can guess at this point I knew that at the very least this tech sent was a crook if not the whole company. Now we find another heating company to come in for a second opinion. This tech took significantly longer looking at our system which felt good. Then he gives us his diagnosis... A bird was stuck in the system!!! Your motor is completely fine!!!! He removed the bird and all was well.

I'm so sorry for this as I don't normally write reviews, especially to bring anyone down, but this I could not let go. I understand mistakes are made, but to me this was clearly no mistake. This was done to take complete advantage of my family, and throw a large bill over our heads. Completely unacceptable to do to honest homeowners just trying to have a working heating system for the coming winter. I would suggest never using this company for any work if they take advantage of people like this. I will call Wm. Henderson and speak with them about this. If they don't blow this off and actually look into the situation I will edit this review somewhat so that what could have just been one tech's crookedness doesn't bring down his entire company.

Adam M.

Henderson is now charging people $95 for the privilege of letting them charge you for the repair. In other words, they will charge you $95 for nothing, and then also charge you full price for the repair (time and materials). They used to apply the up front ""estimate"" charge to the cost of the actual work. Absolute scam.

Jackie S.

I used Henderson two times and both times their workmen were knowledgeable and courteous. I have issues with their prices - a 95 dollar dispatch fee. What, to call a van and go over to this place? 95 dollars? However I have found that most plumbers charge exorbitant fees so Henderson is not alone. My bigger issue was that I called around the 4th of July that my air conditioning had broken down and I was told I would have to wait 2 weeks to get it fixed. You may remember it was approaching 100 degrees and I am no spring chicken! Yikes! I have never had a service company treat me that way! I almost felt I was some deadbeat who didn't pay their bill and they did not want any part of me. Not true, of course - I paid every bill as it was presented to me. So I called Oliver and they were there in 2 hours. That is my new company. However, to be fair, they are also overpriced!

Christy B.

As first-time homeowners, it would have been very easy for Henderson to take advantage of us -- we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into with a 100+ year old house, and we had no concept of what any repairs / maintennance would cost.
A year into it -- we have unfortunately suffered numerous HVAC emergencies, and thank goodness Henderson has been there to bail us out every step along the way. Most of our situations were based on desperation; the previous owners had used Henderson so when we were in a bind we just moved forward with the people who we felt already had a good handle on our weird old house. But, for decisions that we could take our time with (air conditioning installation, namely) we did our due diligence and got multiple estimates from local providers. Despite all the price-criticsms described within other reviews, Henderson actually came out slightly less than the other bids, which made it an easy decision for us because we already knew first-hand that their work, reliability, and knowdledge is impeccable.
Due to our ongoing maintenance issues (sadly, this seems to be just par the course with old houses) it was a no-brainer to sign-up for Henderson's service plan, and with all of the other craziness of life it is relieving to know that when it comes to any AND all HVAC situations, we've got our guys.

Tony M.

I engaged Henderson over another plumber because they advised me that their price included fixtures which the other plumber did not.
Henderson was prompt. Their work was excellent.
But - they worked their way around the fixtures that I requested. I wanted a soaking tub. They installed a regular tub. I wanted a specific hand held shower. They installed a fixed shower.
I showed them samples from Kohler. They installed Moen. In fact, they seemed to have a thing going with Moen.
Then too, after the major work I had some minor plumbing requests - but for the little things I never saw them again.
Yes, all they did was perfect. It just wasn't what I asked for.
""Caveat Emptor.""

Ed M.

I recently used this company for home bathroom repairs. Their customer service folks were professional and nice to speak with. The plumer arrived at the exact time they stated. I needed work done in two bathrooms. One was complicated and it was done perfectly. The other job caused me to question the repair plan. The owner himself contacted me and provided confidence regarding the plan. All was completed satisfactory.

Mike I.

Don't make the same mistake I did, get another estimate before you call Henderson. $450 to replace the tank to bowl seal and the flusher valve. Those are two $5 parts and it took 90 minutes. They charge you $65 to come out, and you're in a tough spot because something is leaking, so you are backed into a corner, and then they hit you with an outrageous quote. If you don't know how little work it actually is, you're going to overpay. Turns out, they have set pricing, so they could tell you a ballpark figure and then change it once they see what actual work needs to be done, but they choose to operate with no transparency and then gouge you. Yes, they were on time and clean. Yes, they can charge what they want and tell you it is because of their overhead. No, they aren't doing anything wrong. BUT, you don't have to pay way more than their work is worth. It sucks to have plumbing problems and you need them fixed fast, but you will greatly overpay if Henderson is your only call.