The Plumbing Dr

Fast, courteous, efficient, informative. Last night at 6 pm, my hot water heater blew. At noon today, I already have a new heater, hot water, and safety measures installed so it won’t happen again. Thank you, «Dr. Matt» and the Plumbing Doctor. I recommend this company
wholeheartedly.

Dr. Talel and Jonathan were recently here for a basement laundry/​drain blockage. I was very pleased! They were efficient, clean, quick, and professional. I would absolutely call the company again for my next plumbing project/​problem. Which I hope to never have, but…

Our water heater burst at 10:00 on a Sunday night. We called the plumbing dr, and they came out within the hour. On Monday, Larry came out and installed a new water heater. He was very professional and explained everything. He cleaned up all of the mess, and we now have a new water heater. The price was very competitive. We definitely will use them again.

Great service, fast. Honest and followed up the following year per the package we chose– a huge benefit since I had forgotten they would do follow up treatments. It’s great to have a plumber you trust implicitly– particularly when trouble usually hits when hubby is traveling.

I’ve been using The Plumbing Dr for all of my needs for several years and they have not disappointed! Most recently, I had a clog in a 2″ side drain pipe with no available clean out access. Talel came out and was friendly and professional. He listened as I explained how the washing machine drain water would back up into the utility sink. He asked a few questions to narrow down the exact location of the problem. Then he went to work. He installed a handy clean-​out access above the pipe and proceeded to snake out the pipe not once, but TWICE. Once to get the main clog out, then again with a larger diameter tool to clean the insides of the pipe. He explained everything he had done, and then gave me some easy to follow advice to help prevent the same issue in the future (use a lint trap, and do a large «flush» using the utility sink about once a week after doing laundry).
Thanks The Plumbing Dr for another job well done!

Larry and Marlon came to our home to locate an odor coming from our master bathroom. They quickly diagnosed the issues, laid out multiple plans for us to choose from and kept us informed all throughout their time working on the plumbing. They were friendly, respectful, informative, and always seemed to have our best interest in mind. They took preventative measures to further explain the needs of our home and property to ensure we wouldn’t have future issues. They preformed all of their tasks in a timely manner with minimal intrusion (cutting through walls and ceilings). We came across The Plumbing Dr online, and are so happy that we selected them to fix our sewage and plumbing issues. We would gladly recommend Larry and Marlon to anyone who asks for a reference. Thank you!

Dr. Matt came and quickly found and resolved our plumbing issue.

Great customer service! Larry of The Plumbing Dr was very courteous and professional; and was right on time for scheduled appointment to assess hot water heater issue. Very knowledgeable of products available and did not try to up sell when we discussed the product we were interested in and needed. Would highly recommend.

As always, outstanding service from the Plumbing Dr.
Same day service for a quick fix for a toilet that was making very strange noises.
Dr. Larry was prompt, polite, professional, friendly and very easy to interact with. And, most importantly, he knew what he was doing the first time!

Drs. Matt and Francisco did a fabulous job saving our basement from the leaking water heater. I appreciated getting understandable advice on how to proceed with the replacement process. They are efficient and left no trace of their work at the end of the day.

Dr. Charlie repaired our outdoor rear faucet. He did an excellent job and the price was reasonable.

I have employed the plumbing doctor over the period of many years. In the past couple of weeks, I have had a very negative experience, and have not as yet decided whether to file a formal complaint with the Commonwealth Attorney General.
I had a 10 year old American Standard pressure assisted toilet that began to run. I called the Plumbing Dr and called the company, explained my problem, and scheduled an appointment for a plumber. An individual named Matt arrived, said I should replace the toilet, that the Plumbing Dr only installs Gerber toilets. He said he would install an equivalent toilet that was the highest consumer rated. Since the toilet to be replaced was a grey colored toilet, he would have to special order it.
When Matt arrived two weeks later, I let him in and he replaced the toilet. However, when I inspected it, it was a completely different model, a gravity toilet, though it was grey. Matt claimed that all the pressure assisted toilets had been recalled.
After he left, I researched online and discovered that all manufacturers still offer pressure assisted toilets, that only some units had been recalled. I also discovered that all I needed to have done was have the Flushmate unit in the tank replaced. Replacing the toilet itself was entirely unnecessary.
I called the Plumbing Dr and was told by someone other than Matt that, yes, they were available but not in grey. In fact, I was told that colored toilets are no longer sold.
The unit installed is called by Gerber a Viper, and the particular version is discontinued. The one I had expected is a model called Ultra Flush, which is pressure assisted and at one time was rated by Consumer Reports as it’s highest rated, though it no longer is. The Viper is list priced at $ 243, about half that of the Ultra Flush. The Plumbing Dr charged me $ 1,422.90 in total, which is $ 1,179.90 for installation. However, there is nothing special about the bathroom in which it is installed. I was not pre-​informed of the switch, and the amount I was charged was not altered even though the cost of the toilet was different.
Further research shows that colored toilets are still sold, though the options are now more limited. Kohler offers a whole line of grey toilets.
I checked the Plumbing Dr website, and I discovered that Matt is not a licensed plumber. He is listed as a «plumber’s helper». The Commonwealth Board of Contractors requires a professional plumber to hold a Class C license to perform work of the value I was charged.
Therefore, Matt is just a handyman, and everything he told me, and I was told over the phone by the company’s representative, is incorrect, insofar as I can determine. On the ticket Matt wrote, he signed his name «Dr. Matt». Throughout, i was led to believe Matt is an experienced licensed plumber. Had I known he wasn’t licensed, I would not have allowed him onto the premises in the first place.
The Plumbing Dr has a high reputation, and is an established firm. However, in this case, the Plumbing Dr is guilty of malpractice. The company removed a toilet rather than repairing it, replaced it with an inferior unit, charged an exorbitant fee for installation, and used an installer who is not a licensed plumber.
I have not decided as yet how best to proceed. Putting the «Dr» marketing usage aside, the company appears to be a family run business. And, I am a long time customer. In fact, the proprietor, William Bennett, performed work on the toilet that was replaced almost ten years ago. I never had any reason to question the integrity or business ethics of the company before. You wouldn’t think the company would want to cheat its long time customers.
If I file a complaint, it will certainly not help the firm’s business. It may not accomplish anything. Or, it may ruin the company. I don’t really know. However, I feel I should do something. After all, the company now appears to be engaged in highly questionable business practices. Consumers should be advised. So, here I am writing a review.
Caveat emptor.

Update: The business manager called me and apologize for what had happened and offered a full refund. I think the specific plumber we dealt with had gone rogue. I’m glad these people care about their business and i’ll consider them next time, a second chance.
I called them for our leaking water heater and was told that there will be $ 68 diagnostic cost no matter what. I accepted and they sent their guy. He was in our place for less than an hour and his assessment was that the heater should be replaced. He said it will cost about $ 5k. We asked for a breakdown cost of material and labor and he wasn’t willing to provide that. We looked online and noticed that we can get a 5 star heater for around $ 600, so his price was really over the board and we decided to go with someone else.
He asked us for $ 130 for just this diagnosis. Outrageous!

I had service over the Memorial Day weekend and was very pleased.
From my initial call to when the job was completed I was given great customer service.
The technician, Manny, outlined all of my options and associated costs. He was professional, knowledeable and customer service oriented. And, Bill handling the emergency service number, was informative and patient. I would definitely use this company for future plumbing needs.

Make sure to check their direct site online for a better $ 30 off first customer/​visit coupon and a free inspection! Their homeadvisor profile only offers a 20 $ off coupon. Their visit/​consult costs $ 68. If you end up using their services then they waive that fee and just charge you for the services. Which makes it pretty hard to turn them away after you have ~70 bucks sunken costs already. Anyways I was praying for a great plumber.
The scheduling was very easy. They called ahead of time with a 45 min warming before arriving. Check. The technician was nice and seemed very knowledgeable. He did make a comment about how it normally costs about $ 200 to call out a plumber in the Tysons Corner area. which I responded with «well you cost $ 68 actually haha… so don’t lie to me» and I caught him off guard but we laughed it off. He recovered by saying some joke back about averages or something. Anyways the pricing packages were ludicrous. I had a toilet water tank replace/​install 2 – 3 years back and it was HALF the cost of what I was charged. I can’t imagine that sorta inflation happening… So I felt like the cost was high to begin with. Additionally what bothered me was that he kept focusing on an entire replace/​install pre packaged service (printed in nice glossy packages to maximize costs) to just address it all (current/​future) issues. It was not addressed to focus on what would fix the immediate need and then the «nice to have» things to fix. Seemed like he was focused on selling the entire kitchen sink first. which was the highest package at $ 720!!! Then later he backed down to a mid level package of $ 315. Perhaps a selling tactic to make me think I’m getting a better deal not paying the full 720. I bit the bullet and went with the $ 315 package with 6 mths warranty and $ 30 off (new customer) coupon.
The last part that left me with a bad taste in my mouth was that after my home inspection I asked about a toilet where the water runs on its own occasionally. Nothing urgent just a nuisance. He was not able to give me a straight/​logical answer. He kept going in circles and telling me that’d I’d need to rip/​replace like I’d just done with my original project… Yes ok I understand I’ll need to rip/​replace eventually in several years but the reasoning didn’t make sense as I kept correcting him on facts… Anyways, after a few rounds of going in circles and not getting a straight answer that made sense I just dropped it.
I’d use them if I was in an emergency in the future but not my first choice. I’m left wondering if I was taken advantage of and if he was totally honest about his assessment. But he got the job done and was a nice person… otherwise.

Dr. Charlie and Dr. Matt arrived within an hour to fix my «toilet emergency.» They ended up replacing the toilet, which required the delivery of a new toilet. I figured it would take hours… but two hours later they were totally done! The pricing was upfront and clear, and reasonable. They even encountered a problem that would need further fixing, but understood that I was crunched for time that day. The Plumbing Dr. followed up a few days later to schedule the additional work. As before the pricing was upfront and clear, and compared to other plumbers, really affordable. If you’ve got a plumbing problem, The Plumbing Dr. should be your first call!

Editing this review again. Just had a nightmare scheduling experience with little competence, empathy or desire to make things right on the scheduler’s part. The technician seemed competent but, man, these guys just cannot shoot straight. Partially my fault for going back to the well after my first bad experience.

We had a plumbing emergency on a Saturday morning and the Plumbing Doctor was there to help. They stayed for eight hours and tried everything.
Even the president of the company came over to deal with the issues when his regular plumber gave him a call. The president was even wearing casual weekend clothes and was getting dirty trying to clear out a pipe that had tree roots damaging the pipes. They patiently answered our questions and tried to explain what was going on and what we needed.
I felt like they really were making a good effort and they did a good job patching things up until we can get more follow up work later to solve the problem for good.

Overall, I felt a little gouged, but told myself that I was paying for them to come out the next day (I called on a Thursday and got a Friday appointment), versus the following Wednesday as quoted by Stevens Plumbing (the place my entire building uses — apparently, they know our building and we get a great rate with them).
For less than an hour’s worth of work (he basically re-​piped under my kitchen sink), he consulted his magic chart and it was $ 372. That’s quite an hourly rate for someone I’m assuming isn’t a «master plumber», nor did it seem to require the skills/​experience of a master plumber.
As far as service, the person who answered the phone was very pleasant. The plumber that actually came (Charlie) didn’t really like people (that much was obvious), but he did the work and so far nothing has exploded or sprung a leak.
Oh well, I’ll hope to be in position to choose Stevens next time and save these guys for when I’m really desperate.

I had the Plumbing Dr. come out to check an issue where my handheld shower worked but the showerhead didn’t. $ 188 per hour, no half hour charges. Whatever, they have great reviews, right?
When they came out, the tech said that he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it, and that the whole system needed to be replaced. The entire $ 300 shower system would need removing and replaced. And he didn’t know why. And he couldn’t figure out how to take apart this shower system, which I, NOT a plumber, installed in about 20 minutes last year. It had like three hex screws holding it together, seriously.
So I asked him a dozen different questions, trying to figure out whether he was thorough, and novice tinkerer though I be, I determined this guy wasn’t worth his salt. He didn’t check the diverter, and didn’t remove the showerhead from the system to see whether there was an issue there.
Called Stevens Plumbing Company, they sent a guy out there who spent half the time, used some basic investigation plumber skills and found a clogged washer at the shower head. Didn’t even need any tools to remove it. Had it unclogged and working in short order.
So no, I won’t be going back to the Plumbing Dr. Their tech didn’t do a thorough job, charged me a goodly sum for no work at all, and recommended the worst-​case-​scenario fix. Sounds like your stereotypical oil-​change shop recommending you replace your brakes, air filter, spark plugs and every other thing even if you had it done a week ago, just because they think you don’t know better and want to get the most money out of you. Or maybe it was a novice plumber who wasn’t worth his salt. At least I found a company that did a proper job.