Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Benjamin Franklin Plumbing's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

  475 Stoystown Rd Somerset, PA 15501-6945

• 

  Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

  374 W Main St Somerset, PA 15501-1518

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/09/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had been having a problem with with low water pressure in my home.The shut off valve in the basement was rusted and leaking. I called Benjamin Franklin, a gentleman came on Febuary 8th 2024.He came at 11:00am.I was under the impression he was a registered plumber. He was not. I am recovering from open heart surgery or I would of done it myself since this is my background.I was getting ready to leave for a Dr. appointment. He tool a quick look and told me I don't have 3/4 inch valve. He said I need to go to lowes. Before he left I asked foe a ballpark figure. Verbally he replied around 450.00 to 500.00 .When I returned I expected to find a work order.Finally 3 weeks later I got a bill stating he had to replace the valve it was .50-1.25 water leak. A 'special" valve a DX 3/4 PRV out by the curb box which Im not 100 per cent sure if replaced or why. He said we called intially and said no water coming into the home, untrue.The bill was $1206.00 replace valve in basement $515.00, which costs less than $25.00. The pressure regulator valve is around $180.00 not $612.00 for a"special valve.Also a $79.00 service fee for what? I am 76 years old on fixed income of social security. Seems like they are taking advantage! Thank you ******* ********* I am not quite sure how to get you a copy of the bill.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/11/2024

  *** ********
  called for service on February 8, 2024, stating he had no water pressure.  We sent one of our senior plumbers to the customer’s
  house to assess the problem. *** ******** told our plumber he thought the
  problem was the main shut off valve on the water line. Our plumber gave the
  customer the price to replace the valve, but also informed him the problem
  might be the pressure reducing valve. After replacing the shut off valve there
  was still no water pressure, we determined the pressure reducing valve was not
  working and needed to be replaced. Before we could complete the repair *** ******** left for a doctor’s appointment but left a phone number to contact
  him. Our plumber tried to call *** ******** three times and there was no
  answer, he then replaced the pressure reducing valve and turned the water on to
  the house and the water pressure was normal. After the repairs were made, our
  plumber called several times on February 8th and 9th to
  review the bill with the customer, but *** ******** never answered the phone,
  and never returned our calls. Pricing for all the work we did was discussed
  with the customer before any work was done. Because we were unable to reach the
  customer by phone, he was sent a bill broken down by tasks.
  $79.00
  service fee
  $515.00
  water leak repair
  $612.00
  Pressure Relief Valve replacement
  

  The service
  fee was clearly explained to the customer, on the phone by our call taker and
  by the plumber, and is a fee everyone is charged by our company to send a
  technician to a home. The other two items are our standard prices for the
  specific tasks and come directly from our price book. All customers are charged
  the same price for specific jobs in our price guide. Pricing is the same for all
  customers, regardless of age or income. 

  Approximately
  a week after *** ******** was sent a bill for the work we did, he called to
  question the prices. Our technician reviewed the prices with him, at which
  point *** ******** asked if he could have the old pressure relief valve back.
  He was told the valve had been thrown away because it was defective, and we had
  never heard back from him. After several more calls questioning the pricing our
  service supervisor got involved with the situation. The pricing was again reviewed
  with *** ******** and then the customer was offered a 15% discount of $181.00. He
  agreed to pay the bill if he could make payments. Our manager agreed to let him
  make payments which have not been made to date.

  Our company
  has all the licenses and certifications required by the State of Pennsylvania,
  and any municipality we work in. All the work we do is priced out of our
  printed price book and is the same for all customers. We do not change pricing
  based on the type of home or location, and we never ask customers about their
  income or age. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/13/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/10/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The company was contracted to do plumbing repairs at our home for a broke shower faucet and a hot water tank. The technician arrived and replaced the hot water tank but left a bunch of water in the basement that my wife and I had to use a shop vac to clean up, the tech said he needed a part for the shower and would come back in a week or two. We made an appointment for a Friday and it was confirmed, but no one showed up. We contacted the office and a person called back and stated they don't know why the appointment was made they were busy and shouldn't have made it. The company policy had an on time guarantee that stated if they are not on time they will pay you for every 5 minutes they are late up to 300 dollars. My wife and I asked about the guarantee since no one even showed up and got no response about the guarantee from the local or corporate office. When the technician did return, the shower was fixed wrong and a third technician had to come out to fix it. In addition to the on time guarantee, the company had another guarantee that the customer would be 100 percent satisficed or you don't pay, this was to include repairs not done right the first time and to include technicians not cleaning up after work is done both things that happened in addition to the no show. A majority of the cost was covered by a warranty we have on the home but part of the cost does come out of a repair fund me and my wife put into for repairs.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/22/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  6/17 called company to have plumbing tech come out & refix prior plumbing leak in upstairs bathroom they repaired. Leak caused staining on living room ceiling tiles below.
  6/21 tech came out & fixed prior leak they had repaired.
  6/23 called company & asked to speak with office manager regarding company policy concerning taking care of the staining issue on the living room ceiling tiles that was caused by the recurring leak that company had previously fixed. Instead of returning call, had plumbing tech return call & handle situation. Was informed by tech, they would come out apply kilz to each of the tiles and then paint ceiling.
  6/28 tech came out to house and only applied the kilz to the affected tiles. When questioned about painting the ceiling as was mentioned, he denied stating that & that we were free to paint the ceiling ourselves.
  7/7 called company back, due to July 4th holiday & requested to speak with office manager again regarding company policy about this issue. To date (8/22), the office manager, named Michael has never returned a phone call.
  Had he returned the 1st call in June, as he should have done, any mis-communication or misunderstanding could have been avoided. When a customer calls & requests to speak to the office manager about a company policy, the manager should be the one to return the call.
  Since what was understood after the kilz would be applied, was the ceiling would be painted, that is what is expected to be completed.