Your Trusted Santa Cruz Plumber

 
 
 
 
  
 
Excellent4.7323 reviews
 
4.7
 
Excellent323 reviews
 
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 Irene D. 
 
16 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
I had a leaky sink and needed the faucet replaced as well as the piping under the sink. Ariel was the plumber and he did an excellent job and very quickly & professionally. I'll definitely refer people to this company for plumbing projects.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 David S. 
 
17 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
+4
5 stars -1 star for exorbitant fees -1 star for no warranty on fix ------------------------- 3 stars total For potential future "Expert Plumbing & Water Heaters" customers, you decide if I was fairly charged.  (If the business responds with a creative story, I will definitely come back and edit my review to correct anything that is not 100% accurate.)  Here are the facts. Summary: Paid $654.61 for a fix that took less than 26 minutes and 8 seconds to complete.  The repair took place on a Saturday, so that was emergency plumbing rates.  (All plumbers charge more for work outside of regular business hours.) $198 for the service call (had to pay in advance before they would come). $456.61 for the labor and parts (according to the invoice, parts were listed at zero cost). For the following calculations, will assume the parts were actually $20 meaning the labor costs were $436.61 (456.61 - 20).  For simplification, I will round up the time spent fixing the problem from 26 minutes to 30 minutes.  That means I paid $873.22 per hour for their plumber to do the actual fix (436.61 X 2).  (Wow!  Lawyers are around $400 to $600 per hour. Should have been a plumber.) Details: Elderly neighbor had a leak in her hot water PEX return pipe next to her hot water heater (Picture #1).  Looked like an easy fix to me since access to the PEX pipe was at an accessible location, and it was PEX (easy to work with piping material, the easiest material one can use).  Since water was spewing out everywhere, I had to shut off the water to the entire house.  It was a Saturday, and I needed to find a plumber who could come that day and fix the leak, so I could turn back on the water to the house before I left and this neighbor. The house call was $198 and I needed to provide a credit card number in advance.  Obviously, when they show up, they kind have you over a barrel.  You already paid nearly $200 for them to show up.  How high would their estimate need to go for you to decline their services?  Although I was fully prepared for a high estimate--even though it was an easy fix--I was still surprised at how much they were going to charge to fix the leak. The length of time it took the plumber to prepare the price quote and talk it over with his boss back at the office before showing me the estimate was actually longer than it took him to fix the leak (I am not exaggerating).  Using the stopwatch function on my cell phone, I timed the plumber from the moment he began the actual fix.  When I returned 26 minutes and 8 seconds later, he had already finished.  He was done!  Wow, that was easy!  Maybe it only took 20 minutes to complete?  Maybe it took less than 20 minutes to complete? Don't know because he was already done when I returned. What exactly was the fix? They surmised the hole in the PEX might have been caused by excessive heat on the exterior of the pipe since it was located close to a hot water recirculation pump.  (I agree that is the most likely reason for the failure but neither one of us was completely sure.)  Instead of just replacing the PEX, they decided it would be wiser to replace the first section with copper piping (about 12" long) since it could tolerate much more exterior heat as compared to PEX.  (I think that was a good call.)  (Picture #2) They then attached new PEX to the new copper line at one end and attached the new PEX to the old PEX via some PEX fittings and a 90 elbow.  Take a look at Pictures #2 and #3.  Finally, they wrapped the new parts in pipe insulation (takes less than 3 minutes to do that), Picture #4. In reviewing the receipt, I just noticed the following statement: "Warranty: No warranty on repairs."  I guess a warranty on the work they just completed would be extra.  Doesn't seem they have much confidence in their work which is weird because they call themselves "Expert Plumbing...."  How come "experts" can't guarantee their work, even a little bit?  I think 30 days on a repair costing $654.61 would have been more reasonable and fair than "no warranty".  (The receipt for the repair is Picture #5.)  So if their repair sprung a leak the following day, I would have to pay them to return and fix their repair which they just completed a day before?  That just doesn't seem fair. I think situations like this are a great opportunity for a plumbing company.  It is outside of normal business hours.  The customer needs a fix ASAP since the water is shutoff to the house.  They charge a lot to just come to the home.  Why not charge an exorbitant amount for the actual fix?  What options does the customer really have?  If you say "no", then you are out $200 and have no water to the house, and then you need to find another plumbing company.  There are no good options in situations like this and they know that.  Was I fairly charged or did they see an opportunity and take full advantage of it?  You decide.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Sally B. 
 
18 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
Easy to schedule visit, Ariel came right on time was kind and efficient. Highly recommend
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Pierre A. 
 
19 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
Jared is awesome! He is very knowledgeable. Having an engineering background, I can recognize bs vs the real deal. Jared is the real deal. Friendly as can be. Very good at explaining what the issues are such that anyone can understand. The same holds true for the other team members that have helped us in the past. We totally recommend Expert Plumbing over the competition. Call these guys first.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Chris .. 
 
25 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
Jose installed a new water heater and new supply line.  He was efficient, friendly and communicative.  I'm pleased to recommend him.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Warren K. 
 
29 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
Ariel from Expert Plumbing did a great job for us from start to finish. Very professional,  personable and efficient. Right on time too.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Denise R. 
 
31 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
I am an Expert customer! This is by far the greatest plumbing company I have used. They are extremely responsive, very clear in their diagnostics, work with me on the best solution for whatever circumstances I'm in, friendly and professional. I have been a homeowner here in SC for 35 years and we've had our share of plumbing services, none have been as good as Expert. Yesterday, Ariel provided so much help. He did an amazing job and I will definitely request his help in the future. Finally, I believe good businesses attract good customers. We had an emergency yesterday and the customer who was scheduled then was kind enough to let us have their appt. Thank you to them!!! Expert Customers are the BEST!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Al M. 
 
35 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
Installed tankless water heater to replace power vent heater. Much quieter. Done on time. No surprises.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Paul t. 
 
40 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
The plumber, Ariel, was on time and walked me through the entire process. The first project was a dishwasher install and the second was a tub spout replacement. In both cases, the plumber was extremely proficient and professional. I will use Expert Plumbing for any future plumbing needs.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Kari C. 
 
44 days ago
 
 
 Verified 
Quick service and quality work from Tech Jared.  He was able to come out the same day, show us what the issue was and fixed it on the spot!