Plumbing Pals — Attraction in Philadelphia

I had a frustrating and disappointing experience with Plumbing Pals that I want to share so others don't go through the same.

I called them about a kitchen sink issue where water was draining slowly, and pipe is leaked or cracked under the sink. I clearly mentioned both issues during the call. They told me there would be a $78 diagnostic/service fee, which would be credited toward the final repair cost if I chose to go ahead with the work. That seemed fair, so I agreed.

The technician who came out did not do any repair work. He looked at the issue and told me he only handles drain cleaning, not pipe replacement and that a different plumber would need to come for that. He also said if he attempted to unclog the drain, it would worsen the leak and the sink still couldn't be used. After he left, my card was charged $78.

Shortly after, I received a quote of $475 to unclog and replace the P-trap (drain pipe). Even though it seemed high, I approved it. I also downloaded a $50 coupon from their website, as they suggested. Once the work was completed by a plumber the next day, I asked to confirm that the $78 would be credited toward the $475, along with the coupon. He said only the coupon would apply, and the $78 would not be refunded or included, even though that fee was supposed to cover diagnostics, and this job was a direct result of it.

I called Plumbing Pals for clarification, and they sent me a recording of my initial call as "proof" that I only requested drain cleaning. Ironically, that very recording clearly shows I said there was a leak or crack in the pipe that might need replacement, which confirms I was upfront from the beginning. It's obvious they either didn't listen or chose to ignore what I said.

When I tried to escalate the matter, I was connected with a supervisor named April, who was extremely rude and dismissive. She insisted that the $78 would not be refunded or credited and told me if I wasn't happy, I "didn't need to do business with them again."

As a customer, I'm not a plumber, I rely on professionals to diagnose the issue (which is why they charge the service fee in the first place), communicate honestly, and apply the service fee toward the repair as advertised. This company failed on all fronts.

In short, this was a misleading, overpriced, and unprofessional experience. I regret using Plumbing Pals and strongly suggest others look elsewhere for honest and respectful...

If I could give zero stars, I definitely would. A few years back, my wife and I engaged this company via our realtor to inspect the pipes in the home we were about to purchase, ensuring there were no major concerns. During the inspection, the technician assured us everything appeared fine, suggesting only a future washout might be necessary. However, just five months into owning the property, disaster struck. Our basement bathroom backed up, flooding the basement in the dead of night. Upon calling Roto-Rooter for assistance, they discovered significant pipe issues. Shockingly, we never received an official report or write-up from the initial inspection, and our realtor confirmed they hadn't received one either. Seeking answers, I requested a copy of the inspection report from the company. To our dismay, when they sent over the report, it mentioned during the scope, they discovered a lodged object and deterioration further down the exit pipe extending over 10 feet, with a recommendation for replacement—an issue that could have impacted our negotiations during the home purchase. When asked to provide the original email containing this crucial report, they claimed it had been deleted, citing a policy of retaining emails for only 30 days. Frankly, it's baffling that a business would operate with such a short email retention policy. In summary, this company failed to take responsibility, compounded their error, and left us in a dire situation. We received no refund for the inspection, despite never receiving the report. While we admit to placing trust in our realtor and assuming follow-ups were in place, the negligence of all parties involved is undeniable. Save yourself the trouble and avoid this company. There are plenty of reliable and reasonably priced plumbing services in the area that won't leave you high and dry on top of doubling down with lies after caught making a mistake. Reason I'm posting now is because they recently sent me an email for a discount off their service and reminded me of how unprofessional and incompetent they were, let alone I never signed up to receive promotional emails from them. Thanks for attending my TED talk review of these guys. Don't get fooled by their high ratings and take your...

Worst experience with any plumbers I have dealt with.

Asked for a free quote for leak repair and was set up for an appointment without mentioning any fees. Plumbing Pals has a shady practice in that they sent me an invoice of 0 but with an arrival fee of $75 typed in very small text located in obscurity. Furthermore, the arrival fee was not mentioned at all when scheduling an appointment for a quote.

The plumbers arrived hours outside of the time window agreed upon. I already knew where the slow leak was but the plumbers insisted on there's none after spending minutes looking for it. To add insult on top of injury, they tried to charge a $135 leak detection fee while insisting there's no problem.

All businesses are here to make money. I am in no disillusion that Plumbing Pals is otherwise. But a business has to be honest and be able to provide quality services in exchange. In my opinion Plumbing Pals failed in both areas.

Would NOT recommend.

Edit:

Please allow me debunk the false statements made by the owner below.

1). "the first conversation our office mentions is a $75!dollar dispatch fee... this was confirmed and this was brought to your attention..."

**No, this is false. The dispatch fee was NOT mentioned by the office. I stand by the claim of dishonest business practice.

2). "the fee... was also brought to your attention when you called to Schudle the appointment...we have a up front policey all this was confirmed and you were aware of the fee before you schudled service"

**Again, making false statements and trying to cover up a shady practice that had lost you the trust of a customer do NOT make the business look good. What happened, happened. Being dishonest and NOT owning up to it just adds another glaring negative.

3). "Also our notes show the tech was earlier then he was scheduled"

**He was more than two hours early. People have other things going on in their lives. This was unexpected and unwelcomed.

4). *Let me emphasize again the quality of service (or the lack thereof). Spending mere minutes to assess, unable to detect a slow leak that was already confirmed before the visit, and then try to charge an $135 fee -- does this look like a sound...