Friendly Plumber

My husband and I came back from a great holiday to a water heater that overflowed my basement. Thank goodness this happened while we were already in town or we surely would have been in trouble.

Robert, the plumber who worked on our heater was as friendly and professional as can be and offered lots of advice on securing our house next time so that this will never happen to us again.

While chatting, I learned that he too just got back from vacation, from the very same place no less. Small world!

Posted 11/30/09 | Report Abuse

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I was in the middle of closing escrow for a house I'm buying in San Francisco and at a 1/2 day notice, this plumber came to my rescue and made my home buying possible. Otherwise, Allstate wasn't going to insure my house and I wouldn't be able to close. Thanks for the speedy service, I'll definitely use you for the upcoming bathroom remodel!

Posted 11/24/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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My water heater broke Wednesday morning. I called Home Depot and paid by credit card for their guaranteed same day service. No one ever showed up in spite of my repeated calls. Finally, they told me they would try to schedule someone to come over the next day, Thursday. Right then and there, I cancelled my order. I had an important job interview for Thursday and I couldn't very well show up stinking.

I did a Google search and found Friendly Plumber's website. It said they've in business for 10 years, professional, so fingers crossed, I called their number. I spoke to their receptionist and pleaded for help. I told them how Home Depot stiffed me, and despite their fully booked schedule, they had a plumber at my house within 3 hours. He did a great job going the extra mile, and charged just a little over what Home Depot credited back to my account.

Posted 11/16/09 | Report Abuse

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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I'm SICK of home improvement!

Here comes my husband, telling me he'll fix this, and that. A week later, nothing happens. The drip, dripping -- was absolutely the last straw.

Friendly Plumber came highly recommended, so that was good enough for me. This guy came to my house, took less than 45 minutes to adjust the bathroom faucet. He was professional, friendly, and seemed like a good guy all around. DUDE, I OWE YOU A BEER!

And by the way honey, I hired a pro -- deal with it!

Posted 03/25/09 | Report Abuse

10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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Friendly Plumber came to my house to look at our water heater and give me an estimate. I wanted a tank less water heater and so this was ordered and we made an appointment to come back the Monday after it was supposed to come in to do the work. While working on the heater he noticed another small part to the pipe that needed to be repaired. He did not charge me for that part because he didn't add it into the original estimate. (very honorable) He was very professional and polite. He also had very good communication, leaving messages on both my home and mobile phone with updates as we were waiting for the heater.

Posted 02/16/09 | Report Abuse

13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.

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I was in a desperate rush for a plumber because my bathroom sink faucet wasn't working. I found Friendly Plumber through searching their reviews, and we first did a telephone 3-way with my dear landlord -- who is tanning in Maui as I write this, to get permission for them to work. This was really helpful in eliminating any questions on my landlord's part, because we're all at least in the same page, and I'm happy my problem was attended to by a professional.

Joseph did all the work in less than 3 hours, which really helped free up the rest of my day off. I was given a 4 hour window by another plumber just to show-up, and my hot water dispenser wasn't even going to be installed the same day.

Even my landlord is miraculously happy because the plumber's charge was reasonable and all the work is backed up by a warranty.

Posted 02/11/09 | Report Abuse

11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

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Robert is an excellent contractor! He just finished a full bathroom remodel for me, and installed a tankless hot water heater at my house in 2008. That has been a Godsend to my four kids, and we now have a gorgeous showroom, bragging rights bathroom, my wife is so psyched about.

Robert was very professional and trustworthy. We are very pleased with his quality of work, and excellent attention to detail.

The price I paid Friendly Plumber was slightly higher than the another plumber's estimate, but I am happy with the results I got.

Posted 02/03/09 | Report Abuse

14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

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Special respect and many thanks to Joseph, who stuck with our "mystery leak" until it was solved. Gas fireplaces are tricky in that it's a specialty area between plumbing and electrical. Many plumbers can not handle this type of repair. I know because I went through eight seemingly expert companies in the Yellow Pages, and no one could give me any answers. Joseph came to my home a total of 5 times - until the repair was complete. Throughout what could have been an unpleasant and frustrating experience (for me and their company), all employees I have encountered were friendly and professional.

Posted 01/30/09 | Report Abuse

11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

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Great mom and pop operation. Fair price, friendly, knowledgeable. Joseph explained what he's doing and how it works. It is very hard to trust contractors these days, but I will only call him from now on. Thank you for being a true professional!

Posted 01/27/09 | Report Abuse

15 out of 15 people found this review helpful.

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I had Friendly Plumber come out for a leaky shower that another company told me could not be fixed. Their guy came out promptly, was friendly, and fixed it and then I showed him water under my wall-mount toilet and he said it wasn't properly mounted, which is the cause of the water damage on our wall.

He recommended an emergency restoration company to take care of the water damage, and at first, he could not find the parts to fix the toilet because the previous plumber had mickey moused it, but he never gave up and found all the parts later that day to fix it.

I found Friendly Plumber to be very professional, knowledgeable and will do whatever it takes to fix the problem.

I will recomend them as everybody from their receptionist to their techs are a pleasure to work with!

Posted 01/20/09 | Report Abuse

16 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

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I used this company for a flip I'm doing at Parkside. I found their rate to be a little over average. Yes, NOT CHEAP, but I would say just a little over average and not exactly outrageous either.

What I did appreciate was the way their plumber was absolutely on the ball when all he-- broke loose on my job. Not due to his fault, but when my General decided to put a wall 1 foot over from the blueprint (to save money), all the plumbing on that wall would have had to be redone if it wasn't from Friendly putting a stop to it and refusing to do the job even though my General was apparently already making a huge stink about his timelines. He tried to explain what was going on to the guy's crew, and later to me.

This kind of professionalism is why I am willing to pay the extra buck, because my project would have been up (you know what's) creek if Friendly wasn't on the ball.

Posted 01/18/09 | Report Abuse

17 out of 17 people found this review helpful.

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I spent a horrible Friday waiting for a certain (ahem) Rooter company to arrive, and when they finally called at almost 4 in the afternoon to say they won't be able to make it, I search the web and found Friendly Plumber.

I live in a Victorian and they were able to diagnose the problem right way (roots growing into our clay pipes) and fix the problem quickly and cheaply! Through out Rob gave me such personal attention and addressed every question, explained all that was happening, and made me feel very well taken care of.

The price they charged me was a little less than what the Rooter company told me over the phone, and I'm glad I didn't go cheap on their $30 Trip Charge because I think it was night and day, they were prompt and professional as opposed to the earlier flake of a plumbing company.

I haven't had any problems since and I wholeheartedly recommend Friendly Plumber to everyone I know!

Posted 01/10/09 | Report Abuse

16 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

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I've had a fair amount of experience with plumbers in my time, but since I'm relatively new to San Francisco, so I still checked around for companies with good reputations before having someone in our home.

The Friendly Plumber who came out to give me an estimate was very friendly and professional. Another thing that I noticed when researching on the internet is they have a very good reputation. That definitely helped bolster my confidence, especially since my remodel is not a slip-shot, easy affair.

I'm converting a single family Victorian to 2 units, so I really need a company who can pull off my project without any snags.

So far, I am quite pleased.

Posted 01/08/09 | Report Abuse

22 out of 22 people found this review helpful.

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Quality work by a nice, friendly plumber. Rob is a smart, resourceful guy, who was able to find the best and most economical solution for my piping problem. He was professional in explaining the problem in very simple terms, worked fast, and even tidied up at the end.

Posted 12/27/08 | Report Abuse

18 out of 18 people found this review helpful.

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Thank heavens for the internet! I live in San Francisco (and had to go out of town on a last minute trip) when I found out from my wife that my water heater flooded our basement.

She was panicking because she had no clue how to put a stop to it, if the heater was still on, and I also certainly am not very good when it comes to these things.

Well, she found good things being said about Friendly Plumber and so she called them instead, after I apparently wasn't of much help. The receptionist professinally handled her panic, calmed her down, and had an actual plumber call her from the field.

My wife said that the man came promptly later that day, was dressed professionally, with a uniform and shoe booties on (didn't track dirt all over our carpets) -- she's a real stickler about the carpet since it's an off white color too.

Overall, we're very pleased. It's great how he showed her which valve to turn off next time too. Very helpful.

Posted 12/02/08 | Report Abuse

21 out of 21 people found this review helpful.

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I hired Sears to install my washer/dryer and their employees seem to have done something incorrectly because shortly afterwards, the Kohler bodyspray faucets in my shower started malfunctioning.

I called at least 4 plumbers in the phone book until I gave up and took my search online. I called several plumbers listed here too and nobody even knew what I was talking about until I called Friendly Plumber.

The guy they sent out has got to be one of the most knowledgeable plumbers I've ever met. Not only did he pinpoint the exact problem as soon as he saw my faucets, he was professional enough to get the job done the same day, and without much ado.

Posted 11/04/08 | Report Abuse

19 out of 19 people found this review helpful.

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I'm new to San Francisco and have really come to heavily rely on review sites for advice especially for restaurants, and service professionals.

Well, I accidentally dropped flower vase stones down our garbage disposer yesterday and since my roommates are cool enough to only charge me half the rent than they're paying to help me get established, I thought it really uncool to let them come home to me trashing the apartment.

Based on the reviews, Friendly Plumber seemed like the kind of company who will work with me, so I called and their employee came out and fixed the disposer all before 5pm!

The guy did a great job, was a complete professional, and he didn't talk down on me or make me feel stupid.

Awesome customer service too. Very helpful to show me how to take it apart myself should this happen again in the future.

Thank you Friendly Plumber!!! You're officially one of my favorite service companies in San Francisco!!!

Posted 10/29/08 | Report Abuse

20 out of 20 people found this review helpful.

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Water heater broke, and this was the third person I called. They arrived on time, gave me a fair price, and were extremely friendly. So, rather than a smoking deal, what you should expect for your money is reliability, prompt service, good advice, safety considerations, professional work and a guarantee. I'd recommend them to everyone who needs plumbing work.

Posted 10/27/08 | Report Abuse

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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Thank you for doing a really good job in hooking-up our hot water heater. I really appreciate your tactfulness with our little incident too.

I am so happy I can take a hot shower again. Whoohoo!

Posted 10/07/08 | Report Abuse

23 out of 23 people found this review helpful.

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I just wanted to say that after having paid 3 other plumbers to come out, Friendly Plumber was the first to really analyze and solve my gas pipe problem and was able to tell me exactly how much it was going to cost before starting the work. Not only did Robert do a great job, he went the extra mile in terms of dealing with the inspector professionally even though the guy was really pushy. I would highly recommend Robert!

Posted 09/18/08 | Report Abuse

21 out of 21 people found this review helpful.

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Their guy came to my house and fixed my leaky faucet. I tried to fix it myself at first, but no luck. The price was maybe average and I'm feeling pretty good to be able to support a family-owned company.

Posted 09/08/08 | Report Abuse

24 out of 24 people found this review helpful.

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I got a quote from this plumber a couple of weeks ago for a minor bathroom remodel and I was surprised to get a call from him telling me that the city will be increasing permit fees, and that if I still want to have the job done, I should before September 1 rolls around.

I did get him to file for the permit already last Friday, just in time! I'm saving a whopping $4,500 in permit fees alone! Work will start this Thursday, and so far, I'm glad I was reminded of this or my procrastinating would have gotten the best of my wallet. Good job staying on top of things. I'm already ahead! Thanks.

Posted 09/03/08 | Report Abuse

20 out of 20 people found this review helpful.

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I'm on the road 300 days of the year and after getting 4 completely different sewer bids on my long weekend, I went with Friendly Plumber. They were the second most expensive, but the guy offered a creative way to save my lawn and skirt around my wife's antique
English rose bushes. While their competitors exuded indifference, I'm thankful Friendly went the extra mile.

Posted 03/26/07 | Report Abuse

22 out of 22 people found this review helpful.

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Yeah right, I thought about the name. When the woman answered the phone and the plumber went to my house, I was pleasantly surprised that these people were actually friendly.

Moreover, the bill wasn't bad.

I'd definitely refer this company to my friends.

PROS: I'd definitely refer this company to my friends.
CONS: Can't think of any.

Posted 05/18/06 | Report Abuse

23 out of 23 people found this review helpful.

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our toilet in the bathroom was leaking and we couldn't get it to stop. we, first called another plumber. he gave us the run around, telling us that we needed a new septic..something. all i knew was that the guy was charging over $300- money we didn't have. we called friendly, they came within hours- to our surprise, the toilet wasn't installed properly....they fixed it, and only charged me a small fee for comming out. they're the best.

Posted 11/29/05 | Report Abuse

22 out of 22 people found this review helpful.

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I had a terrible water leak in my kitchen pipes and was desperate since I had a dinner party I had already planned later that evening. I called around and luckily found Friendly Plumber who send someone within the hour. I was so relieved when the guy was able to quickly fix what was wrong. I got a pretty reasonable bill too. I would definitely use them again if the need arises.

Posted 11/26/05 | Report Abuse

21 out of 21 people found this review helpful.

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