Caballero & Sons Inc — Local services in Freehold

Disappointing Experience - Would Not Recommend

I recently had an unfortunate experience with this plumbing company, and I feel compelled to share my disappointment through this review. I had contacted them to diagnose and fix an issue with my toilet, which was occasionally experiencing bubbling when flushed. I had informed them about this issue when making the appointment and the fact that it did not happen every time. The person on the phone, Steve, was friendly and knowledgeable, suggesting that it could potentially be related to the vent needing cleaning.

However, my experience took a frustrating turn when the technician arrived at my home. At the time of his arrival, the problem wasn't occurring, and I was told that they couldn't proceed with diagnosing the issue because of this. Additionally, I was informed that the height of my roof prevented them from conducting a roof inspection, something I wish I had been asked about in advance. This was a critical oversight, as my initial conversation with the company had already indicated that roof inspection might be necessary.

To my astonishment, I was charged a substantial amount of money for a diagnostic that essentially amounted to nothing. I had anticipated a service fee, but I had hoped for a more proactive approach, considering the limited number of potential causes for a toilet malfunction. I would have expected them to, at the very least, investigate one or a few of these potential causes. They did not check any of the potential issues I had discussed with the person on the phone. All they did was flush my toilet, and when the problem didn't occur during their brief visit, they deemed it unfixable and charged me $200.

I fully understand that plumbing issues can be complex and have multiple potential causes. However, I expected a professional plumbing company to thoroughly inspect the problem and provide a reasonable diagnosis, especially after discussing the potential issues over the phone. Unfortunately, this was far from the case.

Additionally, during the visit, it was evident that one of the two plumbers who came to my home was still in the learning phase. I completely understand that everyone has to start somewhere, but one of the fundamental aspects of training should be how to conduct oneself professionally in a customer's home. This particular plumber did not wipe his feet upon entering, and stood there, stretching himself by holding onto my French doors without any consideration. This lack of professionalism was quite unsettling, as I believe that respecting a customer's property and space should be a top priority, even for trainees. It left me with a less than favorable impression of the overall service provided.

I am extremely disappointed by my experience with this company, and I would advise others to exercise caution when considering them for plumbing services. While the initial conversation with the person on the phone seemed promising, the service provided by the technician did not meet even the basic standards of professionalism or thoroughness. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend this company for plumbing diagnostics...

My daughter complained of low pressure when she took a shower. Her boyfriend thought it might be the cartridge so he tried to replace it but was not able to. I called Caballero and they came out and properly replaced the cartridge. The next day, my daughter told me the shower pressure was still very low. So I called Caballero and the same technician came out and he said it was the balancing spool, a component of the valve. He was not able to remove it so said the whole valve had to be replaced and someone would come out and provide an estimate. One of the owners, Michael I believe, came out to do that. I then received a quote of $975 to open up the wall and replace the entire valve. After which, I would also have to re-sheet rock/repair and paint the opening. I decided to look into it myself before moving ahead. I discovered that the flow out of the tub spout was quite strong which I measured at 5 gallons per minute. However, when I measured the flow out of the shower elbow connector up on the wall was quite weak at only ½ gallon per minute. Thus, I believed the issue was with the elbow connector, if not that, the pipe to it from the valve. But I did not think the issue was the valve. I sent an email explaining this to Caballero requesting they come out and check it again before moving ahead with the valve replacement. I later received a callback from Caballero saying they would only come out again if I signed and mailed them back the contract for the $975 valve replacement. They would first check the shower connector before replacing the valve. I didn't think that was right so I did it myself. I removed the elbow connector, it was totally corroded(see attached pic) and the root problem. I replaced it with a new one which cost $40. I noticed same issue in my other bathroom and replaced that one as well

How come professional plumbers could not figure this out ?????

This all occurred in April and a friend of mine recently encouraged me to post a review...

So I call up to inquire about their services, prices etc as I was recommended to them from someone. I was able to speak to a woman that I felt was kinda condescending and rude. I’m very big into home maintenance and especially preventative maintenance. I was working with another plumber whom I felt did amazing work but was criminal in their pricing. But my plumber would come if I called, I was able at times to walk them to each room of the house, show them some concerns, ask as many questions as I wanted and all for a 50.00 fee. I asked this lady if I could do that and she basically said that they don’t do that, there has to be a problem, to walk them around the house would be an astronomical fee (her words) and more. Ummmm how is it a huge fee to simply have your plumbers come over, look at some concerns I have an address it???? I really didn’t appreciate the tone and it sounds like this place is very money hungry imo. I understand that most plumbers have a fee to come and inspect something which is fine, but to tell me that it’s going to cost thousands to simply ask questions is a joke. And don’t deny it as I know what I was told and exactly what I heard. Are there any good honest decent plumbers out there that know what their doing and charge fair...