Lancaster Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Reviews 3

JI

Jill Butz

I have had a very negative experience with Lancaster Plumbing and Heating. When they came out to do their annual check of my heat pump they discovered it was not working. They wrote out a recommendation form and under observations they thought we should get a new unit due to age and strain. Then under Findings they offered TWO OPTIONS. OPTION 1 was to repair faulty pieces of equipment at the member price of $900. Under OPTION 2 was to have their comfort adviser come out and give me an estimate for a new unit. we chose OPTION 1. We knew a new unit would not work into our budget right now and we wanted to try and get one more year out of the old one. The tech came to repair. After a couple of visits he came into the house and told me the unit was fixed and there were no more problems. I paid him $938. After he left the heat pump made a strange noise and then was quiet. We didnt need air until two days later when we found the AC would not work. They came again and decided it needed a new motor and another part. It would be at their expense. I was then informed the unit was dead and we needed a new one and their rep would gladly come out for an estimate. I asked about my $938 and he said it could be taken off as credit on the new unit. Well their rep came and his estimates were $1000-$3000 higher than estimates from other companies. I asked about the credit from money Id already paid and was told he could only give me half of the credit. After calling customer service I was granted the full credit for the new unit but NO REFUND. I have never before thrown away nearly a $1000 before. This didnt sound right. Up until this time we had found LPH to be an honorable and trustworthy company. At least we thought so. My daughter is studying law and thought she would call and request a refund on my behalf. She was told no. There would be no more negotiations but they were willing to match whatever estimate I had received. That would cost them more then giving me my money back. Unbelievable. This offer came too late. We had already signed with a new company. We were in the middle of a heatwave and Lancaster Plumbing and Heating were too slow to respond and we had to fight too hard for fair treatment. Since they provided TWO OPTIONS for a course of action you would think they would stand behind that and inform the customer that if we chose OPTION 1 we would not see any refund if they couldnt get the unit operational. That the only refund would be in the way of credit on a new heat pump. If they had told us that we would have made a very different choice. Their very pleasant customer service woman did tell me she valued my opinion and suggestion and would pass it on immediately. Customer satisfaction was important to them. Just not in the case of refunding money for a job that wasnt able to be completed. I would never use Lancaster Plumbing and Heating again and could never recommend them to anyone else.

MW

mwood199

The two master plumbers that worked with us were high quality and really cared about pleasing the customer. It was easy to schedule a same day appointment and both were very punctual. It is obvious that the plumbers were honest people that were embarrassed by the pricing structure by the company. Yet, I must say, they were the best out of the three companies that I have evaluated; a 5 star for on-site performance, and a 1 star for ineffective management and price gouging. I have used all the plumbers in the area for the purpose of testing out and reporting their service and their ethics. However, I do not recommend any of the top three plumber organizations in Lancaster County. Neffsville Plumbing, Ben Franklin Plumbing , and Lancaster Plumbing have a very bad reputation of over charging customers, making the plumbing industry appear unethical and dishonest. It appears that there is collusion and price fixing between the companies because all use the same estimate software and pretty much charge the same prices, which are outrageous. I have felt cheated by all of them at one time or another. The current job was a simple sink hookup after a new counter-top. The job involved disconnecting all the pipes, and coming back to reset the new sink, and connect all the previous plumbing. The total job was two hours at the most and the total charge quoted was between $350 and $500 without any parts. So the total labor charge was over $200 an hour! They do not charge by the hour, but by the job, which is a clever way of making more money. That is more than a lawyer, or a physician specialist. As a builder myself with a lot of experience, the job was an easy one that I have done many times before without an extended educational background in the field. Fortunately, with discount coupons, I was not charged that rate. I felt like a negotiator at Honest Johns Used Car Lot. The price was still too high but it was at least acceptable. The plumbing industry needs to wake up and realize that the current consumer is educated and will not accept price gouging. Companies need to allow for individual flexibility and enable each employee on the job to evaluate their own job accordingly. A centralized management organizational system has been shown statistically through research to be ineffective. Be the first to make industry-wide changes in your standards before major consumer actions hurt your industry.

JE

Jeff McSparran

I am writing this review to sing the praises of Able A. from Lancaster Plumbing and Heating. I cant begin to tell you not only how professional and intelligent your employee is...but how much he truly seems to care about his job and his profession. I had a recent issue at my house that would have stumped most plumbers. The fact that took two different visits left me wondering if the problem was going to be solved. Able explained each step to me...what he was going to do...and try to solve the problem. He tried several options before finding the right one. It wasnt easy. It got to the point where he wanted to know what was causing the problem more than me. He was upfront...and honest. He told me what it could be as well as the "worse case scenario. He spent time at our house over the two days and never lost his sense of humor nor his desire to fix the problem. I could see that his mind as working in overdrive to find a solution. He never stopped. Most plumbers would have been ripping apart walls and starting demo...but not Able. He searched for ways thru this years of experience knowing cutting into drywall and to expose pipes was the last option...and the most expensive. Able doesnt like this job. He loves it. You can see he cares and tries to do right by his customers and to get the job done. Lancaster Plumbing and Heating is lucky to have him as part of their team. Because of his work ethic, sense of caring and the person he his...I will NEVER call another plumbing company. LPH you have earned my business and I am more than satisfied with your service. I would consider myself a loyal customer. Thank you Able. Your the best.

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