Doesn't Recommend

bbftx

Joined 2 years ago

Ripoff. No "service charge" offset by outrageously high quotes for parts you don't need. I needed a simple $10 gasket replaced, and they said the all the toilet tank mechanicals needed to be replaced for $300. Seriously? What a bunch of jerks.

Doesn't Recommend

paloa

Joined 4 years ago

Million Dollar Plumber...not for everyone!!. Not recommended.. I have used their service & like many people say there are not set prices..Well it is called up front pricing or level pricing.and they have a book ! I had called Ben Franklin out & first they tell me if I want a 3 hour window reserved it will cost me $59.00 to have him come out in that time frame & if he is late that they will pay me for the minutes that he is late , Okay fair enogh.. mean time I waited for the plumber to arrived and he some how got held up & was late ... He never mentioned about free service or paying me for being late, but told me that there is a charge for the time he had to come out $59.00

After !, Well I showed him the plumbing problem, and started to tell me he has to check his book for the level pricing and what level to charge me.. after looking at the plumbers book , I saw the have prices for a simple tast like shower head replacement, angle stop replacement, toilet flapper, tanl lever ... diagnostic charge..all these fall in the level 1 price = $ 105.00 per service.. and goes up to level 5 at level 3 you have a toilet rebuild minor which I had asked the Plumber what that consists he told me a fill valve, flapper, tank lever, and a ridgit supply with a brass nut. I told him that those prices were insane and he tried to tell me that the pro's of the serviceis a 2 year warranty I told him that at a level 3 at $ 270.00 per toilet I could buy a kohler or pay a little more an have a top of the line toto for about $ $400.00 to $ 500.00 And I ask him how much to install my toilet if I bought one He gave me a price of over $350.00 for only labor .

I am a consummer that is keeping Austin in line and the prices also.. I could say more about them but do not use ... Straight forward pricing is based on about $250.00 an hour labor do the math. So I told Him just to give me an estimate but he said that that is the price like it or not !!! I noticed that level 5 is $ 470.00 Faucet Re-biuld Single Handle

Doesn't Recommend

eric0jun

Joined 5 years ago

not recommended. I was new in Austin and Benjamin Frankin, Austin is the first plumbing service I used. Basically, there are three issues: (1) When I was told the estimation is free, it is just kind of cheating. When the estimation was done, I was told that I either use the service, or I have to pay $108 "diagnostic" fee, which is not covered by the "free estimation". In my case, no ceiling or wall was opened. Only a small panel of jacuzzi tub was opened by srew driver. (2) looking through the Jacuzzi panel opening, the plumber identified one leakage source. When asked whether the all leakage sources are covered by the warranty. I was told it only covers the one he fixed. I am not sure whether this is the common practice. (3) The third one, one of my colleague told me price I paid is way expensive. Jun

Recommends

BTSinAustin

Joined 5 years ago

Good service if you know how to play their game.. When you call and are told there is a fee for an estimate tell them forget it, they will then wave the fee.

When you get the estimate tell them again to forget it and a call will be made for a lower price.

Other than having to play the car dealer like price game they have great service.

Recommends

eastside13

Joined 5 years ago

Be prepared to pay for an estimate.... I haven't had a lot of experience with plumbers, so I checked around for places with good reputations before having someone in our home. The Ben Franklin rep who came out to give us an estimate was very friendly and professional. That said, he showed up 1.5 hours late and there was never any mention of paying us for being late. We weren't familiar with this pledge, so we didn't bring it up. Afterwards, I was a little put off by having to pay a fee just to have someone come out to look at the place, especially with him showing up so late. He was very knowledgeable, but the quote we got for the work was just too high. Ben Franklin has this book with set prices for every service, and let me tell you, it really adds up. Maybe it makes sense to people with plumbing experience, but I kind of figure it's better to have some flexibility in the pricing-- like if you have the wall open to do work they should be able to adjust the price to better reflect the specific situation you're working in. The estimate fee also does not apply towards any future work they do. I liked that the Ben Franklin folks seemed responsive and willing to come out at odd times. Anyway, we went with another plumbing company for our work-- one that didn't charge to come out for an estimate, was cheaper, and was able to avoid a lot of the work Ben Franklin recommended.

Recommends

dirtywest

Joined 6 years ago

Great work, good service, VERY expensive!. Let me first start by saying that Benjamin Franklin Plumbing did an excellent job on my toilets and sinks. The plumber came out on a Saturday and (when I had to go return two toilets) offered to hang around while I ran to the plumbing supply to replace my toilets. The plumber even agreed to come back on Sunday morning to do another job for us. He put in 3 toilets, a sink, and connected our oven to the gas line. The work was done well. Very professional. Very friendly. They even offered a 2 year warranty on parts and labor.

But you must be prepared for their prices, which are HIGH. The inspection fee is $59. They charged me $269 to install a toilet (out of the box). They charged me $185 to install a toilet that was already built. They charged me $129 to hook up the sink. Ordinarily I would have sent them away and called another plumber, but I had a deadline to move in on Monday morning. They were the only plumber I could find that would agree to work over the weekend, so I paid the price.

I would definitely recommend them if you are in a bind and need top notch work. Just be prepared to pay for that level of service.