Flat Rate Company Reviews
Note: These
are negative reviews posted on various consumer sites. They
are presented here to lend credibility to our opinion that
there is something wrong with the so called "Flat Rate"
method of charging customers for residential plumbing services.
There is nothing wrong with giving a "flat rate"
to a customer that desires to know the "cost upfront".
What we are aware of as professionals in the trade and as
consumers and homeowners ourselves, is that unscrupulous
and dishonest individuals and companies have hijacked the
concept and used it in a cunning and intentional way to
manipulate the customer into paying outrageous invoices.
We will admit that there is nothing wrong with the concept
of "flat rating" however it is the rule rather
than the exception that the customer will be unfairly taken
advantage of if they are not paying attention. The basis
for charging out labor is the key - the plumbing shop owner
knows the cost of labor. In general, it is wise to know
"upfront" what the labor cost is based upon. If
it is based upon anything other than an hourly rate for
labor WATCH OUT . Beacon and Southwest appear to be the
most visible advertisers in the Seattle area;. They are
also the largest flat raters out there as best as we can
see, with the poorest customer satsfaction to go along with
it. Use your common sense and do a little homework before
you hire a plumber. Do not sign anything unless you are
sure tha you understand what is being offered and what is
not included..
Southwest Plumbing
Notes: Southwest Plumbing has apparently hired companies to shill the reviews on the web. Judy's Book is loaded with 5 star reviews including many for Southwest Plumbing - all from 1 reviewer. They placed many SW plumbing reviews. Over 2000 reviews were placed by this one reviewer on Judy's Book. We are attempting to extract reviews from real customers for your use.
Rip-off artists
by Upsetlocalhomeowner at Citysearch
Beware -- avoid this company at all costs. They play hardball. We called South West a few years ago to do some work -- ended up charging us a fee to just get an estimate. They quoted an overpriced rate for the job and we agreed to it (we just wanted it finished and didn't have time to get a second quote -- big mistake). The next day one of the lines they installed broke and flooded our house. South West accepted zero responsibility and refused to even refund our money. Fortunately, we have a good insurance company and our credit card company backed us up and we had our money refunded. This is a very shady company -- their promise of 100% satisfaction is a lie. If you need plumbing work take some time to find a real plumber and ignore South West's flashy ads and marketing campaign.
Be Careful
by customerinput at Citysearch
We have had our employees call Southwest twice. After the 1st time, they were instructed not to call them again but, they did. First time was for a plugged urnial. They came, looked and replaced the unit. The urnial was only 3 years old. 2nd visit was for the tiolet and was only a little older then the urnial. Same program. Came in the next day to find a new toilet. Both jobs was big bucks. Southwest does not fix, They ONLY REPLACE. Call a trusted plumber that has experience and value.
- Pros: Everything will be new
- Cons: why replace when repair is logical
No diagnosis
by Bishopbros at Citysearch
I had a similar experience to the first post. Called them and idicated that the pilot light would not stay lit. Had them come out for a diagnosis and estimate. They didn't even take the heater apart to inspect. They indicated that we should replace the entire heater because it would take a week to get the parts and then $400 plus to install them. I let them go and brought in another plumber which dismantled the unit found out that it was simpy a baffle issue and fixed it in 20 minutes ($120 for the call) - Benlaw Plumbing.
“Plumbing”Southwest Plumbing
Guest Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Judy's Bookhttp://www.judysbook.com/members/101311/posts/2010/3/6737806
Horrible!! They said my toilet needed to be resealed and after they sealed it 2 days later it began leaking sewage. I have lived in my home over 30 years and never had that problem. When they came back to fix it they then told me it was my floor. However when I had someone come check my floor I discovered my floor was fine. I finally had another plumbing company come and this time the job was done right. DO NOT USE THEM FOR ANY WORK unless you like giving your money away!!
“Watch your back and your bank.”
Steve V. May 12, 2010 from Judy's Book: http://www.judysbook.com/members/147737/posts/2010/5/7283577
It appears the employees of Southwest plumbing are writing their own reviews, and why not if it works.
“Exploits the elderly or anyone not getting multiple bids -- incompetent as well”
Guest from Judy's Book Saturday, April 17, 2010 http://www.judysbook.com/members/101311/posts/2010/4/7062316
My dad called Southwest Plumbing to have them service his older gas converted water boiler. The reccommend that he replace the furnace instead. Unfortunately my dad didn't get any other bids -- and they didn't actually bid on the work -- but charged him over $11,000 for the replacement. Which is more than double what a friend of mine paid for a similar replacement recently (and his house is twice the size of my parents) Worse yet they seem to have installed the furnace improperly -- periodically it will not start -- displaying a flashing error code. My dad keeps calling them to fix the problem -- and it keeps recurring and they keep charging him to do so. The most recent problem was claimed to be due to debris clogging the intake vent -- but they installed the intake / exhuast vents right at ground level and neglected to protect it with screening to prevent debris from entering.
Flat Fee Billing Should Be Illegal - Find a Plumber that
Charges T&M July 24, 2007 10:39 PM PST
No Stars. I used Southwest Plumbing about four years ago
to replace part of a galvanized pipe that had clogged up so
badly that water barely trickled out. They also replaced an
outside water bib for the faucet, and installed a new kitchen
faucet. We had them come out on a Saturday, and two guys showed
up to do the work. We were given an estimate of $695 or so
and were sold on the flat fee part as we were not sure of
how long or how serious the clogged pipe was. When they finished
up only after 1.5 hours I was floored. Even with two guys
that's $200 plus an hour! Materials were less than $20. With
tax the bill came to be in the mid 700 dollar range - and
this was four years ago. Their reasoning is always "in
case it takes two days to do the job then you don't pay more".
That's B.S. I now know not to use flat fee billing companies
- always ask if they bill for Time and Materials (T&M).
In retrospect after having done more repairs and used other
plumbers and subs since then, I still get steamed when I see
their ads on the back of buses, etc. Almost all good "real"
plumbers will tell you to avoid Southwest, Beacon, and Gene
Johnson. These people prey on less knowledgeble people and
give real plumbers a bad name. (from Judy's Book April 2007)
Posted by Olga M.
User Reviews for Southwest Plumbing & Heating
No diagnosis 07/05/2007 Posted by bishopbros
I had a similar experience to the first post. Called them
and idicated that the pilot light would not stay lit. Had
them come out for a diagnosis and estimate. They didn't even
take the heater apart to inspect. They indicated that we should
replace the entire heater because it would take a week to
get the parts and then $400 plus to install them. I let them
go and brought in another plumber which dismantled the unit
found out that it was simpy a baffle issue and fixed it in
20 minutes ($120 for the call) - Benlaw Plumbing. Review
on CitySearch.com
Fees are ridiculous 06/14/2007 Posted by kgregoris
The thermocouple on my hot water heater needed to be replaced.
I already had the problem diagnosed, and could have bought
a new thermocouple for $5 and replaced it myself, but I didn't
want to deal with it. The serviceman sent to my home wanted
to replace the whole hot water heater. When I insisted I just
wanted the thermocouple replaced, he told me it would be $485.
When I questioned the price, they told me their job pricing
did not allow for a thermocouple replacement without also
replacing some other items, and the job price was $485. I
sent them on their way, bought a $5 thermocouple at Home Depot
and replaced it myself in about 20 minutes, having never done
this type of work before. That was 3 years ago, and the hot
water heater is still working great! Review on CitySearch.com
BEACON PLUMBING
You won't stop freakin when you see the bill
by Rex206 at Citysearch
I'll give them credit for having good marketing all over the place and showing up quickly but I guess what helps pay for the ads and the gas is the fees they charge to do simple service...not to mention the scare tactics after they fix what you thought was the only problem.
They did unclog my sewer line quickly $525 later but then they brought in a camera and told me 15 feet of my sewer line was broken and I needed to spend $3500 to replace it. After digging a 6 foot deep 14 feet wide hole myself I come to find out there was nothing wrong with the pipe. Sure some wear and tear but not 15 feet of broken pipe...WTF!
- Pros: Quick to get there and take your money
- Cons: Don't trust these guys!
They are selling phony service contracts
by Laugher at Citysearch
The service technician sold me a 5-year service plan for $543.41 in Feb 2008. Now in Dec 2009, I call and they tell me they only sell 1 year service plans, my plan is no longer valid. But I have their representative's signature on 2 documents clearly showing it to be a 5-year plan.
Be careful with these guys, they do good work, but DO NOT get suckered into a service plan.
- Pros: Did good work
- Cons: Sold a phony service plan for $543.41
These guys are THIEVES!! by puppymama kudzu.com
I was forced, by them, to remove the review I'd written previously as they held our money ransom. After discovering they'd planned to overcharge us about 400%, we requested our deposit back. They wanted to keep a HUGE portion of it for the "materials" they'd already purchased and for the "trouble" the crew member endured loading it. So the request to withdraw our order was not relayed by the secretary, or whomever, within the course of 24 hours. These guys are absolute crooks, doing sub-par work, from what I learned after asking around and are STILL working unlicensed workers even after the expose on the news!
Begin Freaking after calling Beacon - MLtiger kudzu.com
Sunday 2 weeks ago brought a clogged drain which was backing up into the tub. My senior citizen mother who lives in north Tacoma called Beacon - they arrived, had her write a $2000 check before they would begin. The first employee was a big guy, too big to fit into the crawl space under her home. So they call truck #2 - apparently the clog backed up and because her pipes were not supported equally and sufficiently under the house, the weight caused the pipe to burst. They took photo's and showed them to her, then they called truck #3 with a high pressure water to force the clog out - it was a confusing, expensive ordeal. They were there over 8 hours and had her sign off on everything at the end of the $3600 repair. They wouldn't guarantee the repair because she didn't have a permit for the work. Now, come on, you are professional plumbers - it's a Sunday and this is an emergency, how would she have a permit? And for a repair of a clogged pipe, that didn't require any digging - just replace a broken pipe piece and use high pressure water to force out the clog. Really expensive, no itemized bill specifying cost of labor, parts etc. I believe they took advantage of her because of her age. How much did they charge per hour for labor? What was the cost for parts? Hidden fees, and they do not discuss this up front as their mission statement is written on their homepage. I wouldn't recommend using Beacon. Our next step is to inquire if the "plumbers" they sent were actually certified or if they were trainees. Beacon is on the hot seat from an investigation that determined they don't always send out plumbers to do plumbers work - did my Mom's clog require a plumber, or a trainee? Sure did take them a long time and 3 trucks, it was a good show that borders on fraud. Dear Attorney General for the State of Washington..is our next step.
Start freakin' when you call Beacon! They are overpriced
and rude!! 08/01/2007 Posted by cosmicdust.
Beacon Plumbing in Seattle is the worst. They'll charge you
a flat fee (which is fair) to "diagnose" your plumbing
problem, but they WON'T tell you what the problem is. Then
they provide an absurd quote to actually do the work. My quote
was $1,000 for a leaky faucet repair. Ridiculous! Plus, these
mo-ron plumbers are inconsiderate bastards as they tromped
around my house with their muddy boots after standing in my
bathtub. You'd think they'd have some professionalism/deceny
to either remove their disgusting boots or at least ask to
have a towel/mat put down. If you wish to give Beacon a try,
be my guest, but I wouldn't be surprised if you endure the
same substandard service. Start freakin' when you call Beacon!!!
Cons: Overpriced, rude, dishonest. Review on CitySearch.com
Want a freakin' rediculously high bill? Call Beacon
06/14/2007 Posted by kgregoris
Wasted an hour of my time, then quoted me $2,800-$3,500 for
a simple pump install that should cost $1,000. They said it
would take approx. 4 hours, which is about twice what it should
take. And even if it took 4 hours, their quote would work
out to about $500 per hour for the labor. Review on CitySearch.com
EXTREME OVER CHARGE FOR VERY BASIC SERVICE! 06/08/2007 Posted
by osont
CALLED THE KENT LOCATION BECAUSE OF WATER ON THE KITCHEN
FLOOR. THE BEACON MAN CAME TO MY HOUSE AND FOUND THE WATER
LINE THAT SUPPLIES THE ICE MAKER HAD A LEAK. AFTER MORE THAN
$400.00 LATER HE CHANGED THAT 25DOLLAR TUBE AND HE WAS A HAPPY
MONEY EARNER AND I WAS MUCH LIGHTER IN THE WALLET. i WAS FREAKEN
AFTER I CALLED BEACON! NOT PRIOR TO THE CALL. i GUESS I HELPED
THEM WITH THE HYDRO PLANE.... Review on CitySearch.com
Beacon Plumbing is a Ripoff!! 05/07/2007 Posted by stevehamilton
I have used Beacon Plumbing a couple of times in the past.
They are notoriously expensive but they have been reliable,
dependable and quick -- and I don't mind paying a bit extra
for that. They make a big deal out of telling you they charge
by the job, not by the hour -- which is just a way for them
to obscure the cost. WIth my most recent experience, the quote
was so ridiculously high that I sent the plumber packing.
I am fairly well experienced with plumbing and knew exactly
what needed to be done -- I just didn't have time to do it.
They wanted $475 for 1 hours worth of work (his estimate of
1 hour, not mine). There are many other quality plumbers in
town that charge reasonable rates for routine plumbing; there
is no need to use these thieves. Pros: Quick and on time Cons:
Prices are 2x to 3x or more Review on CitySearch.com
Called Beacon, but still freakin' 02/20/2007 Posted by ag99204
Called them to find a leak. Their phone book add listed leak
detection as a service offered. I was 99% sure that the leak
was not in my house, so that left the problem somewhere underground
in the water line. I told them this and that they would probably
need a high-tech listening device to find the leak. They assured
me that they could find the leak. Well, the plumbers showed
up WITHOUT the listening device, and sure enough, couldnt
find the leak. In fact they stated that they dont even use
the listening device I explicity told them to bring. The wasted
my time and money, I won't use them again. Review on CitySearch.com
Call Beacon - Start Freakin' - $750/hour & Beacon Plumbing
broke my toilet 01/19/2007 Posted by customerio
Beacon Plumbing came to snake out my drain. The guy was here
for an hour, charged me $750 and over-torqued the bolts holding
the toilet to the floor and broke the base. HE BROKE MY TOILET.
Repeated calls to Beacon Plumbing result in them telling me
they'll order me a new toilet, BUT THEY NEVER DO ANYTHING.
BEACON PLUMBING WILL STEAL FROM YOU. Beacon Plumbing in Seattle
is incompetent, dishonest, and a complete rip off!!!!!! Pros:
NONE Review on CitySearch.com Cons: BEACON PLUMBING
IS INCOMPETENT AND DISHONEST
Not worth it 10/07/2006 Posted by suz34
I called Seattle branch of Beacon Plumbing to come help with
my sewer blockage. They showed up and proceeded to charge
me $600 to use a video to look through the drain in addition
to the other $300 for coming out and unclogging it. They would
not give me a copy of the video nor did they give me any outside
landmarks for where the blockage was taking place. Any questions
I asked, I was given a "we can't say" or "we
can't tell you that." They told me about all of the work
it would take to permanently fix the problem but wouldn't
give me any information about alternatives or cost. They referred
me to another employee of the company who was supposed to
come give me an estimate for what we'd need to do to get a
permanent fix. He called, made an appointment and then never
showed. To top it off, 3 months later, my drain had the same
problem again. I called a different plumbing company who fixed
it for $150 and said that the previous co. had just made a
small hole in the blockage but not completely cleared it out.
He also suggested different alternatives for the problem we
were having and answered all of my questions. I felt very
taken advantage of by Beacon Plumbing. I would not recommend
this company to anyone.
Review on CitySearch.com
Beacon plumbing did show up when they said they would and
fixed my problem, however I feel I was overcharged.
by JG-6 from Seattle, WA Aug 8, 2007(Full Review) Beacon
plumbing did show up when they said they would and fixed my
problem, however I feel I was overcharged. One plumber did
1/2 hours work, replaced a couple of parts that cost under
$10. I was charged $485 ! I will never do business with them
again. http://yellowpages.superpages.com
Call Beacon - Start Freakin' - $750/hour
by customerio Citysearch
& Beacon Plumbing broke my toilet Beacon Plumbing came to snake out my drain. The guy was here for an hour, charged me $750 and over-torqued the bolts holding the toilet to the floor and broke the base. HE BROKE MY TOILET. Repeated calls to Beacon Plumbing result in them telling me they'll order me a new toilet, BUT THEY NEVER DO ANYTHING.
BEACON PLUMBING WILL STEAL FROM YOU.
Beacon Plumbing in Seattle is incompetent, dishonest, and a complete rip off!!!!!!
Beacon Plumbing quoted a flat-rate quote of $981.00
by JJ from Ravensdale, WA Jun 25, 2007 ...the tech said because
they may have to be here
for the entire day or more. He said it was a 2 man job to
replace the plumbing/drain on my newly installed shower...
(Full Review) for the entire day or more. He said it was a
2 man job to replace the plumbing/drain on my newly installed
shower that was leaking. I was shocked at the quote, so I
called a competitor of theirs for a quote. The price was less
than $300.00 and had it done in 2 1/2 hours with one technician.
I am sure the quality of work would have been fine, but they
quote an insane amount of money (just in case they have to
be there longer than they anticipate). http://yellowpages.superpages.com
BEACON IS FREAKIN FRAUDULANT
by tnaolson - Kudzu.com from Citysearch
I had Beacon out to unclog my toilet and bathtub. 1st they wanted to charge $500 to run a camera, told them no way just try to unclog it 1st. Then they told me my bathroom was too small and they would make a mess with their machinery that they needed to run a pipe from under the bathtub and out the crawlspace to run the snake. Which was an extra $500. They made a small break in the clog to get the bathtub to drain but the very next day it was cloged again after paying them $1065.00. They said there was a blockage in the pipe they couldn't remove and wanted to pull up my deck and replace the pipe, but they couldn't tell me how much that would be until they actually dug into the pipe! Sent them home and had 4 other plumbers out within the next week. All said the pipe that Beacon had installed out the crawl space was ridiculous and not even up to code. It turned out the so called object in the pipe was just gunk and roots that was removed with no problem by A Priced Rite Pluming. They charged me only $299 for a video inspection and pipe clean out. I've had no more problems with my pipes but am continuing to fight with Beacon. I have reported them to the business bureau as recommended by the other plumbers I had out. I highly recommend using A Priced Rite Plumbing or the Pipe Guys, great people & service. Beacon will rip you off every time!
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