Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

11825 W Point Douglas Rd S Ste 2, Hastings, MN 55033, USA

Address:	11825 W Point Douglas Rd S Ste 2, Hastings, MN 55033, USA
Phone:	+1 651-254-8101
Site:	ontimeservicepros.com
Rating:	4.4

Location

Photos 15

Reviews 4

Ryan Newbloom

If you dont have the desire to read the full review, at least read this part: The primary goal of this agency is to sell you replacement parts. They are not repairmen, they are salesmen. This is an important distinction, because they will try to convince you to fully replace your broken systems regardless of how simple of a repair it is. Here are the details of my encounter: On May 8th, I contacted Ben Franklin Plumbing to request a repair, as my water heater had stopped working. Researching and testing the system indicated to me that the likely problem was a bad thermocouple, but I lacked the tools and knowledge to safely do the repair myself. I indicated this on my initial call, and the person who scheduled the appointment assured me that they would have a replacement water heater on the truck if needed. I thought this was strange to mention considering this was literally a $20 part tops, and it immediately made me suspicious that she was already talking about replacement before even dispatching a plumber, but I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. That afternoon, the plumber, Frank Dolliver arrived. He was prompt and friendly. He attempted to convince me to sign up for a service subscription, which I declined, and he then began telling me how this particular brand of water heater is notorious for breaking down after 3 years and needing to be fully replaced. He suggested we replace it before even looking at the system. I declined and explained that I just thought it was the thermocouple, and that I would like him to check that first. He pulled out the gas assembly and said that he tested the thermocouple and its working fine. I asked what that meant, and he explained that it could only be one thing causing our problem and stated that the gas assembly itself had broken down. He then explained that wed be looking at a $400 for parts and labor. Given that the water heater itself was worth less than that, he suggested that we replace it with the water heater in his truck, which would be $1700 for the cost of parts and install. I declined. I called the manufacturer the next day to inquire about the warranty, and found out it was still under warranty. They overnighted us the part, which we received Thursday morning. I called Frank to inquire about installing the part, and he refused to return my multiple calls. Friday afternoon, I called the dispatch again, who stated that they could not get anyone out to install the assembly until Saturday afternoon. Saturday afternoon, a different plumber, Joe Fletcher, showed up, and after explaining the situation, he thought it was strange that Frank did not actually try replacing the thermocouple. He asked if I would mind if he tried replacing it just to be sure. I said fine. Frank replaced the thermocouple in about 15 minutes, and the water heater kicked right on working great. To Joes credit, he sensed the building rage and offered to comp the entire charge due to the earlier misdiagnosis. So after spending four nights without hot water due to Frank being unwilling to do the job we hired him to do, I was understandably upset. I called their main line and spoke to a representative who did her best to feign shock at the behavior of one of their employees. She took down my information and said that an operations manager would be contacting me about my experience. As of 6/3/2016, no one has contacted me further about this. Let me be clear, the primary business of this agency is to sell you full replacements. They have staff capable of making repairs, but they will outright lie to you about the severity of the repair in order to make a full replacement more attractive. Only after they realize that they cannot convince you to replace will they actually do the work you requested of them in the first place. You cannot trust them to be honest about their diagnosis. Ultimately I will take future repair calls elsewhere, because there is no point in hiring someone that will be dishonest about what needs to be fixed in the first place.

Julie Urban

Over $400 per hour for labor???? I did not have an issue with the technician and his work. What I do have an issue with is how a company can charge such an exorbitant amount of money for the installation of a garbage disposal. Because I know absolutely nothing about plumbing, I was putting my trust into a company that I thought would not take advantage of its customers. When the technician came to the house and gave a price of $507 to install a garbage disposal, he was asked to provide a breakdown of parts versus labor. He said he could not do that. After the job was finished, I found the exact disposal that was installed online at 2 different places for 2 different prices: $86.05 and $94.99. Therefore, I paid over $400 for an installation that took less than an hour. I did get a 5 year warranty, but that is a pretty hefty price for a warranty. I called a few other companies to get an estimate. Most would not give me a price over the phone - they said a technician would have to come out and give me an estimate (along with a service fee of course). One company that would give me an estimate gave me a quote over the phone and also gave me a break down of labor and parts: about $100 for the disposal, and $160 for installation. I certainly learned my lesson the hard way and wanted to pass along this information to others. Please shop around, and do not put your trust in this company. In addition, a message was left with the manager with this same information asking how can this company justify the $400 per hour labor charge, but our phone call was never returned.

Dennis Beck

This is the first review i have ever written, but the cost of my "repair" was rediculous. Service man came to repair my water heater. It needed a new igniter, but I was told it was only wet and it needed to dry out. The service man took out the burner along with the igniter to dry out. He told me to leave it out for 3 hours or so to dry, then asked if i would put it back together. He also suggested that I may need a new thermostat at a cost of $800. He was at my house 45 minutes and charged me $186. I also was not given an estimate on how much it would cost as is says this in their ad. I assumed he was going to give me the estimate after 45 min but instead I got the bill. After putting it back together it still did not work. I had Dakota Comfort come the next day, and they put in a new igniter in less than a half hour and charged me less than half Ben Franklins price.

Tony Vogt

Woke up in the morning with basement full of water from the water softener overflowing. Called these guys and even though they didnt have any openings, they put me on standby and was able to fit me in couple of hours later. The service pro Frank came out and assessed that it would be better just to replace the softener as it was 25 years old. Frank had the new water softener installed within couple of hours and even fixed couple of other problems with piping and shower without extra cost! I would definitely recommend BenjaminOne hour heating. They are always very professional and they know what they are doing. I wouldnt use any other company for plumbing and heating/ac issues!