I just wanted to let you know that I had South West Plumbing out for service on 2/17/08 and they not only met but exceeded my expectations by far. I had been dealing with a clogged kitchen sink that... More

I just wanted to let you know that I had South West Plumbing out for service on 2/17/08 and they not only met but exceeded my expectations by far. I had been dealing with a clogged kitchen sink that I was unable to fix myself. So I called and had them send out a service technician. The technician was very helpful and knowledgable. I look forward to doing business with South West Plumbing again in the near future. Lisa C. 98188
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I just wanted to let you know that I had South West Plumbing out for service on 2/17/08 and they not only met but exceeded my expectations by far. I had been dealing with a clogged kitchen sink that... More

I just wanted to let you know that I had South West Plumbing out for service on 2/17/08 and they not only met but exceeded my expectations by far. I had been dealing with a clogged kitchen sink that I was unable to fix myself. So I called and had them send out a service technician. The technician was very helpful and knowledgable. I look forward to doing business with South West Plumbing again in the near future. Lisa C. 98188
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I just wanted to let you know that I had South West Plumbing out for service on 2/17/08 and they not only met but exceeded my expectations by far. I had been dealing with a clogged kitchen sink that... More

I just wanted to let you know that I had South West Plumbing out for service on 2/17/08 and they not only met but exceeded my expectations by far. I had been dealing with a clogged kitchen sink that I was unable to fix myself. So I called and had them send out a service technician. The technician was very helpful and knowledgable. I look forward to doing business with South West Plumbing again in the near future. Lisa C. 98188
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I had South West Plumbing out to my home this past Easter weekend. My mother had clogged the kitchen sink( probably all of the egg shells) I was happy that they could get a plumber to my home in... More

I had South West Plumbing out to my home this past Easter weekend. My mother had clogged the kitchen sink( probably all of the egg shells) I was happy that they could get a plumber to my home in less than an hour. Two men showed up and introduced themselves. Both were dressed in clean uniforms and before they came in the even put little booties on their shoes. I showed them the problem and the lead guy told me it would be $169.00 to clear the drain. That sounded fair so I sign the paper for them to start the job and before i could even sit down they were getting started. These 2 guys were amazing. The each new what the other was going to do. First a carpet was laid down, then a tarp of some kind, then a machine was used to clear the drain. In just 15 minutes they were done and my drain was fixed. They let me know that the pipes under my sink were getting thin and gave me a price in case I wanted to get it done in the future. I told them that i would consider it and paid the bill. They cleaned up their tools and carpet an were gone without a trace that they were even there. I am glad that there are still "Professionals" out there that can do a job without causing any damage or dragging the job on for hours. I will definitely use them again. Thank you Rick!
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I called these guys to help me fix a minor issue with hot water in my shower. I explained to them that I had it working until I messed-up. And couldn't put the cartridge (that goes in front of the... More

I called these guys to help me fix a minor issue with hot water in my shower. I explained to them that I had it working until I messed-up. And couldn't put the cartridge (that goes in front of the mixing valve) back on. They showed-up. And inspected the shower and the parts. Gave me a look followed by: Two Options: Opt 1-"he can try to fix it but it may not work." Second option is that he "will have to open up the wall and install new pipes, mixing valve, new shower etc etc." I told him to give me an estimate for the opt 1. The guy told me that "there are no guarantees that it will work." Then quoted me $550. Looking at the surprise look on my face. He gave me a discounted price of $450. Upon which I told him to leave. He then asked me if I will be interested in getting it fixed for $250. And guaranteed that he will fix the problem. So in mere 15 minutes he went from $550 and no guarantees to $250 with guarantee. All this without my asking him to reduce the price...I just asked him to leave. Upon which he said that I owed them $39. I told the guy that when I had called they told me that I won't have to pay anything until I ask you guys to do the work. He didn't believe me. Instead gave me a look that I may be lying. Called his dispatcher. Who confirmed that I was telling the truth. The whole experience was really annoying. Later in the day, I called Morgan's plumbing on Stone Way. The gentleman at Morgan's asked me to bring the parts. I did. They showed me that I was placing the rubber washer and the springs backwards in the cartridge. They also showed me how to increase hot water in the shower. I came home. For myself - with no past experience with plumbing....it took me 45 minutes. And the shower works like a charm!
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People don't understand what it costs to run a service plumbing cost. Its costs the company nearly 400$ just to show up at the door. Yeah, you can hire cheaper guys... which are probably unlicensed... More

People don't understand what it costs to run a service plumbing cost. Its costs the company nearly 400$ just to show up at the door. Yeah, you can hire cheaper guys... which are probably unlicensed one man shops. If you want your plumbing to be done the day you call, and you want a licensed guy then call the big companies. If you're on a budget, try your luck with someone else... although good luck if you need to pull a permit.
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I filed this complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Filed against : South West Plumbing & Waterheaters Inc 2401 SW Alaska St Seattle WA 98106-1384 Complaint Description: My complaint... More

I filed this complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Filed against : South West Plumbing & Waterheaters Inc 2401 SW Alaska St Seattle WA 98106-1384 Complaint Description: My complaint is in 2 areas. 1) Misleading & deceptive information gathered on the phone regarding the service call. 2) Dishonest business practices. Because I called South West Plumbing, Inc. I wasted valuable time with an incorrect diagnosis of my furnace problem and their attempt to significantly overcharge me. A typical $89.00 service call with Washington Energy Service was all that was required to fix the issue. Glad I didn't give them the $508.00 they quoted me. Buyer Beware !
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They do not deserve one star. Outrageously expensive! This is the typical “charge what the market will bear and add 100%” company. I am surprised they are still in business. Someone ought to... More

They do not deserve one star. Outrageously expensive! This is the typical “charge what the market will bear and add 100%” company. I am surprised they are still in business. Someone ought to start a new plumbing service called ‘Affordable Plumbing’ and charge a reasonable rate! My estimate? $988 after a $90 'senior discount' for 90 minutes of work. No, I didn't consent to have the work done. Found a real plumber who did the work for $190 plus tax.
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No Stars. I used Southwest Plumbing about four years ago to replace part of a galvanized pipe that had clogged up so badly that water barely trickled out. They also replaced an outside water bib... More

No Stars. I used Southwest Plumbing about four years ago to replace part of a galvanized pipe that had clogged up so badly that water barely trickled out. They also replaced an outside water bib for the faucet, and installed a new kitchen faucet. We had them come out on a Saturday, and two guys showed up to do the work. We were given an estimate of $695 or so and were sold on the flat fee part as we were not sure of how long or how serious the clogged pipe was. When they finished up only after 1.5 hours I was floored. Even with two guys that's $200 plus an hour! Materials were less than $20. With tax the bill came to be in the mid 700 dollar range - and this was four years ago. Their reasoning is always "in case it takes two days to do the job then you don't pay more". That's B.S. I now know not to use flat fee billing companies - always ask if they bill for Time and Materials (T&M). In retrospect after having done more repairs and used other plumbers and subs since then, I still get steamed when I see their ads on the back of buses, etc. Almost all good "real" plumbers will tell you to avoid Southwest, Beacon, and Gene Johnson. These people prey on less knowledgeble people and give real plumbers a bad name.
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They do not rate the 1 star I had to give! We now know why they are not a member of the Better Business Bureau. Check it out; http://www.thebbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=515794 This company... More

They do not rate the 1 star I had to give! We now know why they are not a member of the Better Business Bureau. Check it out; http://www.thebbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=515794 This company installed a new shower valve, which I furnished, in an open wall I was having retiled. They did not even have to open up the wall to get to the pipes. When the tile man returned after the plumber left, he was stunned at what they had charged me. If he had been here, I would have known the charge for the work was out of line. Since I am not familiar with the cost of a plumber, I stupidly signed a contract with them for a charge of 753.28 +67.04 tax, total of 820.32, for a little over 1 hrs work, the only supplies they furnished was a piece of 4" pipe for the faucet, the new valve they installed came with the faucet I had already purchased. I was informed that if I did not use them I would be charged a 39.95+tx dispatch fee just to look at the job. They do advertise " no travel charge" but a dispatch charge must be different. So, in good faith, I paid them by check, since I didn't know what a reasonable charge should have been. When I called them regarding this inflated charge, they informed me that was the price and I signed a contract and was told the price in advance. If I stopped payment on the check they would put a lien on my home. He basically told me to "poke it". This return call only came after leaving several messages over 2 days, then finally I left the message I was going to stop pay my check. He called 15 minutes later. My husband was out of town at the time and he is the one that deals with these situations...needless to say when he got home, he was angry.(putting it mildly) Another senior citizen ripoff!? After the fact...I called several reputable companies and found that the job should have been about 150.00-250.00 on the high end, for one and one half hours work. I realize they do give the price up front, but when dealing with women and senior citizens, they have to know that these are the people that have no idea what a repair charge should be and are trusting that a large well known company in the area will not take advantage of their ignorance. Wrong!! These are the ones they do take advantage of. I am sure if the tile man or my husband was here, the price would have been different. Personally, it would be worth the 820.00 to me, to have a story put out about this rip off companies charging practice. I think the Seattle area needs to know how they operate. When I questioned the tech about the price, he informed me they had a flat charge, not an hourly rate to "save the customer money" the entire back cover of my phonebook is their ad stating the same. They also advertise a senior discount which I did not receive. I saw that after the fact, but the plumber didn't even ask. My husband asked if I got a kiss afterward!! NO I DID NOT!!!
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