Review and analyze now for company Universal Plumbing and provide the analysis in the discussed format for the following reviews: '''We are landlords who have used Universal Plumbing for multiple years on multiple properties. Miguel has created an amazing relationship of trust throughout the years, by continually delivering and really working through issues.
Yesterday he came in, and after some initial misunderstanding which could have went really wrong, he really helped to resolve any and all issues. He made sure that ALL things were done and taken care of, if any outstanding issues arise.
He stands behind his word and has really taken care of all our property needs throughout our time with them. If any issues arise, he really makes sure that they are all addressed, throughout.
I also love that if the job is not in their scope, he will be honest and try and offer what he sees and the possible solution. Because of him, they are our go to company for any plumbing needs.
We are appreciative of Miguel's integrity and how he has really comes up with creative solutions in moving things forward for some complex issues. Do not hesitate to use Universal plumbing, as Miguel has shown us throughout the years, he moves with integrity in his work and actions.
Miguel showed me again yesterday that he values building trust and relationship, which is the right way to build a business with the customers you serve. THANK YOU Miguel! This company was our go-to for any plumbing issues.
But now I can't get a hold of anyone at the company to request service. I have 3 different phone numbers.
It just goes to voicemail on two of them and you can't leave a message because their mailboxes are full. And the third number, some guy says "hello" and then nothing.
Sounds like a recording. Maybe an accidental outgoing voicemail message? Would still use them, if I could actually get anyone on the phone.
Makes me wonder if they're out of business. I think they also took down their website.
Effective, efficient and reliable!! I've used their service many times and never been disappointed! They've helped us with small projects like clogged drains to big projects like sewer repipe. Because they're so busy it's sometimes difficult to secure an appointment.
Why 2 stars and not 5 or 1? Because I used Universal Plumbing for close to 10 years and the service has been very variable. However, the general trend has been a downward one and should be a 1 star after my last service so Universal no more.
They always run late. During my most recent service, I had scheduled an appointment for a cleaning about 5 days before the appointment.
I got a confirmation text and email that night prior that they were coming at the expected time . Once my appointment time slot had begun, they texted me to say they needed to reschedule and when I complained I got a call back saying they were raising my routine fee by 20%.
Only after agreeing to that did they send someone out to do the agreed work at an inflated price. I tried calling to speak to someone to express my general discontent and they ignored that request.
I do not recommend the present day Universal. These guys used to be honest, now they are con artist.
Installed my water heater and now it's having issues and they state the warranty is void. Trying to charge me 700 dollars for a part that doesn't need replacing or buy a new water heater for 1700 dollars Angel and his team of plumbing experts lead by Chicho and Benito are fantastic! I was referred to these guys by a friend and I will look no further for a plumber.
Communication, expertise, and fairness in price are all 10 Stars. Thank you for a beautiful job on a very difficult and challenging renovation.
If I could give them no stars I would. I will never use this company again.
Angel is a thief. I understand that some folks have had good experiences with him but wait til you have your house inspected and the inspector calls out the work Universal did and it not passing inspection after spending almost $6,000.
I paid them to replace existing cast iron pipes with new ABS pipes - they did not do that. They did some but not all 25 ft.
After the work was completed I could not confirm it was done because I couldn't crawl under my house in check. I assumed it was done.
Come two years later my house is on the market and inspector points out numerous things that did not meet code from the work they did. See attached images.
They did not use proper supports / they used a piece of old wood under the pipes. Ladies- this is not the company for you!! They take advantage of young women.
Pay extra and use Roto Rooter- they certify their work. And I'm kicking myself in the ass for not using them.
Angel is a liar and super shady. Eventually people will get smart and check their work and see that it isn't up to code.
Again- I'm not saying my plumbing doesn't work - it works. But after spending $6,000 I assume it would've passed an inspection.
Angel refuses to send anyone out to even look at it and denies they did anything wrong. I hope this company goes out of business so they can't take advantage of anyone else.
I have used Universal Plumbing many times, and have always been extremely satisfied with their work. They always exceed my expectations and I trust their advice and expertise.
Their technicians always give me an honest diagnosis of the issue and don't try to upsell me, which I really appreciate. I've worked in construction for over 10 years so I have a pretty good idea of what is a fair price and what issues are involved when I call a plumber.
Unfortunately, before I found Universal, I had terrible experiences with plumbers who tried to convince me to do unnecessary work or charge ridiculously high prices for simple projects. Not the case with Universal.
They are always fair and very honest and I truly value that. They also work incredibly fast which is awesome.
I needed to replace my water heater and I thought for sure they would need to come to my house one day to give me an estimate, and if approved, come back the next day at the soonest to install the unit. A two day job wouldn't be unreasonable just because of the logistics involved.
But they actually came back in about an hour on the same day once I approved the estimate, and had the new unit installed by the end of the day. AWESOME !! They also did small things that show how detail oriented they are, which I really appreciated.
They built a small platform to elevate my new heater off the ground for added safety, and added insulation to all the hot water pipes connected to the heater (even pipes they didn't install) to improve overall efficiency. They also replaced the flue which wasn't crucial, but made the ventilation more efficient as well.
I didn't expect any of these small details, and they didn't charge me for them. They just really want to do quality work and get the job done right.
Their pricing is very reasonable and their technicians were friendly, professional, and punctual. What more can you ask for? That's why I always call Universal when I have a plumbing problem.
They're awesome !! I've used these guys twice before. First time chris came out and this last time Ruben cAme out to my parents home to fix an issue.
Both times both men fixed the problem quickly and were very nice and thorough. Easy communication and booking the appointment.
Their business model is that they come out to give you an estimate, and then you can chose if you want to have the work then or in the future. I didn't like the fact that they couldn't give you any kind of ball-park estimate over the phone, even though when they arrived to give pricing they referred to their "standard price list." Pricing was about 33-50% more than I expected, and there was a bit of a high-pressure "we can do it now, we're here, and the price will be lower if we do it now versus if we come back" negotiation that I didn't love.
But nice enough guys, good work, and now my project is behind me. Ruben is amazing! We had leaking problem for 2 units and the main regulator was out of order.
Ruben and Leo came and repaired everything same day. He explained everything, gave the different possible repair options, was very sweet and polite, and most important! The repairs, worked out great! Really happy! Truly recommend! The operators at the phones are also very helpful, and prompt to return phone calls, and they remind you by text message in advance.
Overall this was the best plumbing company i worked with for the past years. Universal Plumbing to the rescue again! It's been a few years that I've had a blockage, so when the toilet started to back up, I knew who to call, it was Angel! I left a message and he called back right away and I shared the issue I was having.
He said he would try to get someone out tonight, and would call back. He called back and said he could have Ruben out within an hour.
Isn't that awesome!!! Angel took down my information, I received an email and text message confirming the appointment and even a link to track Rubens ETA. Ruben was great, was fast, and got the job done! Based on all my experiences, I can always count on Universal Plumbing! THANK YOU AGAIN!!! We've been customers of Universal Plumbing for several years now and have always been very pleased with their work.
They are always up to code and the office staff is extremely helpful and professional. This is especially after trying another plumber for a last minute job who ended up not guaranteeing his work.
Chris and Benito did a fantastic job on 2 major plumbing issues in our house. Chris was patient in explaining the work and answering all my questions.
Very professional and were on time. Also it was great being able to call Chris for questions.
Chris and his assistant, Benito, did a great job replacing the toilet. In a 90 year old house, repairs never go as planned, but Chris was able to work out solutions.
These guys are professionals. They know their craft, communicate well and deliver more than 100% service.
My new 'go to' plumbers. Universal plumbing is a well managed honest home owner friendly service business.
From the appointment call confirmation with Esther. We were able to request Chris B.
and Kevin. They called in advance to let use know they were coming to the job site on time.
Chris is a top notch experienced plumber and problem solver. He answered all my questions with patience and professionalism.
I highly recommend them and will definitely call them again for my plumbing needs. They came to my house and gave me a free consultation.
The rep, Julian, was very courteous and punctual. Okay so these guys saved my life.
I mean, maybe not literally, but close enough. I had a minor kitchen disaster on my hands after my garbage disposal clogged and I unsuccessfully tried to fix it with draino -- which only led to a sink full of standing water and draino, the fumes of which were starting to spread through the house.
Like a fool, I then tried to run the dishwasher which only made everything worse. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep with the kitchen in this state, so I took it upon myself to find a 24 hour plumber.
Well after calls to two other places who claimed to be 24/7 but then said they were booked til tomorrow -- Angel at Universal Plumbing answered my call (yes, his name was actually Angel, and no I'm not ashamed to say it was like a miracle). Less than thirty minutes later, one of his technicians, a lovely man named Ruben, was at my door.
Within the hour, my sink was unclogged, my garbage disposal was working again and all was right with the world (well not the world, but my kitchen at least). And for what it's worth it didn't cost an arm and a leg either.
They have an additional service charge when it's after hours but their prices are more than reasonable. Universal Plumbing will forever be in my book as not just great plumbers, but the life saving kind!! Two weeks ago my tankless water heater died on me.
As I looked for a plumbing company on yelp that specializes with tankless heaters, Universal Plumbing pops up with almost 400 reviews. I am a high believer on good reviews.
These guys are in top of their game. 1) after setting the appointment, I get a text message and email 2) hours before my appointment I get a text reminder that they are arriving.
(There's also a tracker to show you how far the technician is from your home) 3) dressed very professional and was extremely helpful. The tech that came out to my home was Angel Flores.
This dude was amazing. He was very patient and knowledgeable.
He took his time to school me on the different type of plumbing systems and what my price options were. They have great financing plans if you qualify.
They are not the cheapest company, but by far their work is excellent and worth every penny. Chris and Benito are fantastic! We had a drain clog which was located well deep beyond and away from our kitchen sink and they were able to snake beyond 50 ft to unclog the pipes for us.
Unlike another plumber from another company who came in earlier and refused to snake that deep, Chris and Benito gave their 100% effort until the problem was solved! I am very satisfied with the service! Chris was also very professional in the way that he answered my questions and explained everything in details. Definitely recommend them for others with plumbing issues.
They were very professional and came when scheduled. I liked that they reminding me of my appointment and also let me know when my plumber was on the way.
Julian was very helpful and explained what could be causing our drainage issues. There was a lot of transparency regarding the costs and potential issues up front, which I really appreciated.
They also gave me discount based on the quoted price on the phone versus what they usually charge. I would recommend! This is a fantastic plumbing company.
The staff are professional and ethical. They will offer advice and make suggestions so that it reduces your long term costs.
Chris Bernabel who worked on kitchen and bathroom projects was professional, friendly, experienced, and dedicated to making sure I was happy as a customer. He works hard and offers great advice.
I'd highly recommend him. Excellent business, excellent staff, excellent experience ---- will definitely be hiring them again for future jobs.
Highly recommend!! I was very happy with the work and price paid. Friendly and clean service.
I tested their price match guarantee and they came down $25 on the quote to match another plumber's price. They are super organized, giving text and email reminders of appointments.
I originally reached out for a quote via Yelp, and they responded within a short time. I will use again if (when, let's be honest) I need a plumber again.
Wow! Great plumbing service. After submitting a request for quote on their website I promptly got call from their booking office.
They were very professional and organized. When the technician, Ruben, was on his way we got a text message with a link to track him and see his eta, very handy.
He arrived and completed the job efficiently and professionally, with a fair price to boot. Definitely will be using universal plumbing again in the future.
My hot water tank was making these loud banging noises at the place I just got and after searching around the Internet, it says it needs to be flushed. So I called Universal and booked an appointment.
The booking process was very seamless. Miguel came spent the next 2 hours draining my water heater.
He was very nice and explained to me how that water tanks should drained once or twice a year as part of the maintenance to flush out the lime/deposit build ups. He also showed me how to do it so next time I can do it myself.
Unfortunately, the draining didn't stop the banging noise. The tank is 8 years old.
I think the previous owner never did any draining and Angel explained to me it's probably too late to do anything about it without a big expense. Fortunately, Angel explained that it's not a safety issue, just annoying...
I will wait until the thing stops working or leaks and consider a replacement. These guys are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! They are clean, fast, respectful, and genuinely cool guys.
They came out super late notice after I stupidly flushed the lid to a makeup compact down the toilet by accident. My landlord was hesitant in letting me use Universal Plumbing but he gave me the "go ahead" when his usual guy didn't call for an appointment.
They did the job exactly how he had requested with no questions asked and charged me way less than the other guy quoted the landlord for the same job. Im a female who lives alone and felt completely safe and comfortable having them here late at night.
That's saying a lot!! I will definiteley be calling them for all of my future plumbing needs. I have used U P mulitlple times now and cant say enough good things.
However I had to share this since it is not every day that a plumber will spend over an hour modifying a screw to fit the purpose needed when a standard screw is just not available. Pretty damn impressive.
This is probably why they have over 130 reviews at 5 stars. Thank you Angel.
You are amazing. .
Phone service great Repairman came late after time window given. Walked in, barely looked at the appliance and quoted me $250 for a $85 job.
Tops . (Replacing thermal coupler of water heater).
Job done by someone else the following hour. Lucky I'm not unaware and gullible? Yep.
Our sink got backed up in our kitchen, and we found Universal Plumbing through yelp, and we loved the fact that they took care of us quickly after our call. The plumber who came to our house was very friendly, and was very knowledgeable about the job, as he took care of it within less than an hour! I highly recommend giving them a shot if you want a honest, friendly, and professional plumber! Thank you Universal Plumbing, you have a customer for life! I'm updating review from the one below: They definitely tried to make good and didn't charge me for some past work, so I appreciate that they were accountable.
My guess is that if your plumbing problems are straightforward, they'll be good for the job. Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me. I let these guys take advantage of me.
I own my part in being overly accommodating when they were late, didn't actually come up with solutions to fix our plumbing problems but theorized, charged a bunch of money, and never fixed them. We were desperate to get some problems fixed and looked past too many red flags.
I think there's also a moral and ethical code here in being a business that does what it says it will do, shows up, and doesn't take money for a job not done. It could be the technician, or it could be the company overall, but my experience has been bad.
If you're going to use them, I recommend... Terrific service! Ruben came out today and did a wonderful job installing our new garbage disposal and tending to a leak in another sink.
He also checked out the gas and water pipes under our house and gave us peace of mind that they were in good order. Ruben was polite, knowledgeable and great to work with.
We would definitely recommend Universal Plumbing Co. and will use them again.
Universal Plumbing came out and provided an estimate to replace a 3 handle shower/tub fixture with a single handle fixture. It was about 2x more $$$ than a number of other reputable plumbing companies that I called that were also highly rated on Yelp.
Universal Plumbing insisted that they come out to provide a free estimate. Yet, pricing comes from a mobile app with their "standard" pricing for this type of job.
Beware. I tried everything to unclog my tub drain, and was left desperate to find someone who knew what they were doing and could come out on the weekend for a reasonable rate.
Not only did they send out a team of two earlier than their first available same-day appointment time, but Rojo and Benito were the best guys. They realized that I had been misquoted on the phone, but then called in to the office to argue that because I'd already done some of the work by removing the lift assembly, that I should be charged the lower rate I was quoted.
Not only THAT, but then when they ended up having to go through the sink to remove the clog, they identified a piece there that desperately needed to be replaced, and did it free of charge. I'm almost like excited to have another plumbing issue so I can call these guys again!! So amazing.
Can't recommend highly enough. Best experience.
Thank you thank you. Sorry I didn't get a chance to work with them.
In order to get an accurate quote on a mainline possible replacement, I'd expect a camera inspection to be part of that. A free quote is offered on Yelp, but when I called, it's actually $200 to run a camera.
I already found another company who ran the camera for free. I like that they answered on the first ring.
They are easy to reach at least. I got a Free Estimate from this company.
They were on time which is always a plus. Although I ended up not needing/having plumbing issues, the technicians that came were very friendly and helpful.
I had a leak on my shower and they detected that it wasn't from pipes or tubes - so very honest people and not trying to do anything fishy to get money from you by doing a job that isn't necessary. Based on the reviews, I am sure that if I would've had a plumbing issue these guys would've done a 5 star job.
good service?fast response?and charging fiarly. I tried many many plumbing companies?this is the best? Don't believe the online booking.
I made an appointment at 11 am for 1 to 3 the same day, got an email confirmation and then they called at 2 pm and said they couldn't come until 2 days later. Some else called to sa wasn't their fault I can't comment on their service because I felt that was unacceptable I called these guys on a Friday to schedule an appointment- they called me up 30 minutes prior to arriving Saturday afternoon.
They gave a fair price for hydrojeting and lining my mains. They came 1 hour earlier than scheduled on Sunday morning- and finished an hour earlier than they said.
So far so good. HIghly recommend them.
I see there are a few bad reviews but you can't please everyone all the time. and being most plumbers are flakes- these guys are top notch! Professional and clean We had a sink drain that was clogged, called Universal Plumbing and they were able to get me an appointment early the next morning.
Chris showed up and he was knowledgable, quick and very personable! That sink was unclogged in minutes. He even helped me install my toilet seat really quickly as well! Would definitely call Universal Plumbing again! Thanks Chris!!! Update: Upon reading my review the owner, Angel, called me to personally apologize and offered me complimentary service.
He explained that his guys were unexpectedly busy and therefore was unable to make my appointment. He also wanted to make sure that I was able to get my service done tonight (the same night) because he understood that if I was to call another plumber, I would have to wait even more to get the service done.
So I gave Angel another opportunity and they pulled through! Everything from coming within 15 min and making sure they got the sink unclogged. I would have added a sixth star because Angel didn't ask for me to update or edit my previous review based on complimentary service which I thought was professional and courteous.
I'm glad there are business owners like Angel that take pride in their business and staff and makes sure every customer is taken care of. Thank you Angel, Salomon and Universal plumbing for making sure I got what I needed done without further hassle.
---- I would only give them 1 star but they DID call 2 minutes before the end of the appointment, telling me they can't make it out at the appointed time. Not sure why they couldn't call me before 7pm so I don't waste my time from 5-7PM.
Thanks but no thanks, there are plenty of others that want my business. I messaged with Angel a while back about something else, and today I called them because I had an issue with my kitchen drain.
It's my birthday today and I asked angel for a short time window to wait because I had plans. He was able to do that for me, which was very nice.
Ruben came over, and worked hard to clear the drain that was backed up all the way to the main line of the complex around 50 feet in. after I asked, he recommended that our building hydro-jet since the plumbing is not in the best shape it could be.
They charged me what I believe to be a fair price, and were just great all around. more soon.
I read about these guys at about 10am today and called to see if I could schedule an appointment sometime this week to hydrojet my main line at my house. It's now 4:30 and they're wrapping up the hoses and packing up the truck.
Because they're done with the job. 6.5 hours after I called them.
This wasn't an emergency by any means. I just needed some roots cleaned out from my main line and it was something that I had been putting off for months.
In one afternoon - specifically, a two hour window that they did arrive within - they knocked out the whole job. And for a reasonable, comparable price to some of the options in the area that would take days or longer to get back to me.
Now I can run all of my faucets while flushing both toilets and taking two showers with the dishwasher and washing machine running and I won't have to worry about anything except the drought and how I am a terrible human being for wasting so much water. Woohoo! I can't speak more highly of Universal.
First of all, I spent 10 years building houses with my father in Atlanta, and my grandfather ran a plumbing company in Birmingham for 30. I've soldered a good bit of copper, and am quite familiar with how hard it is to find a *good* plumber.
I didn't end up working with Universal Plumbing by choice. I rent a house that has some problems with roots that creep into the sewer line every few months, and my landlord uses them.
I always cringe a bit at the thought of dealing with any new subcontractors.... It's such a role of the dice.
Especially when they need to show up at 10pm on a Sunday to hydrojet my sewer line. Angel is awesome.
Extremely good communicator, well mannered, and thoughtful. We usually deal with him, but everyone they've ever sent has been the same.
More recently, I bought a place nearby and needed to scope the sewer. For some reason I couldn't remember the company name, and used LA Hydrojet for the real estate inspection.
They were good, but pricey and not very helpful when I asked for advice and a price break for a second scoping on a sewer permit once we closed escrow. Further, their reception wouldn't let me speak with my technician directly.
I called Universal and they were great. Angel discounted the scoping, and also provided a ton advice for the work we're doing to prep for the new bathroom we're planning to add.
His quote for the new plumbing was suuuuper reasonable, and he worked hard to fit me in his busy schedule on a Sunday no less. Chris and Benito were awesome and professional and just super skilled plumbers.
Unclogged a very fancy toilet without damaging it and replaced faucets and fixed a sink flange. Thx guys This company has to be one of the most reliable, affordable and most communicative I've ever dealt with.
After shopping around with several companies for a sewer repair and replacement of my sewer line. I ended up hiring Universal and they did a fantastic job of maintaining my home organized and as clean as possible throughout the 3 day project.
If you're looking for a good plumbing company who you can count on they're definitely it! Also don't forget to ask for Angel, he was great to work with! I needed a plumber on a Sunday afternoon fast. My kitchen sink wasn't draining.
I called around 1:30p and by 5pm the same day my sink was being repaired by Ruben. I couldn't have asked for anything better! They're very professional and are paperless.
All receipts are emailed and they send you a picture of the person they are sending in advance to ensure security. This is above and beyond.
Thank you for repairing my sink on a Sunday afternoon. This company is absolutely terrific! We have had a plumbing issue for years..
roots in the line. I constantly had another plumbing company come and snake it.
However, in recent months it got worse and worse. They kept telling me it would last 3- 5 months..
and it never ever did. One day they came and three days later it was backed up again.
We decided to try another company... no luck..
and then another company.. nope..
and another.. nope.
Then, we called Universal....and guess what!!???? They actually FOUND the issue!!! So for years and years and years.. we have been getting RIPPED OFF! We have been getting charged for snaking over and over and over again..
believing they were doing the right thing by us. All I kept hearing is you need to replace these pipes..
at a cost of literally tens of thousands of dollars. But you can keep snaking it as a band-aid if you want they told us...
which is what we did. Angel came out at night with his dad and in no time at all they found the problem.
In the dark. Under the house.
With flashlights! They found it in the dark when other companies couldn't find it IN THE DAYTIME!!! We scheduled a time for them to do the work.. during the daytime.
:) A gentleman named Rojo and another gentleman whose name I just cannot recall, came out and took care of the job for us. They did it once and they did it right.
We have continued to use Universal and Rojo has continued to be our service man. We couldn't be more pleased or more happy and thankful.
Rojo was here recently with another gentleman named big Mike.. both couldn't have been more kind, more courteous and more professional and knowledgable.
I seriously cannot recommend this company enough. If you're unhappy with your current plumber..
look no further.. here they are.
Thank you Universal and Rojo for consistent professional service. Thank you Chris B.
for doing an amazing job. Chris was professional, courteous, efficient, knowledgeable, paid attention to details, and patiently answered my endless questions.
Chris and his crew came out last week to change a water heater in the basement. A small portion of the rusted galvanize pipe was replaced at the same time.
During the initial estimate, he noticed the smell of gas in the basement, so he took the time to thoroughly check the lines after the new installation. He went out of his way to make sure everything was working properly and safely before he left.
Kudos to Angel, the owner. I had mistakenly believed that the copper pipe was not connected properly to the old galvanized pipe, and I wrote an email with photos attached.
Angel followed up couple hours after the email was sent, and explained to me the proper way to connect the lines. He showed me how to deferential copper from brass, and he offered to send a sample of the parts used just to give me a peace of mind.
That's serious customer service. I've had bad experiences with other plumbers in the past.
I'm so grateful to have found Universal Plumbing. These guys rock! I'm definitely asking them to come back when I'm ready to re-pipe the house.
A+ all the way. This is my second time using universal plumbing and I'm happy with my experience.
Reuben did an awesome job fixing the disposal and faucet. He also was able to unjam the bath tub knob.
I would call them again when I need a plumber. Always quality work! Always fair! Always professional! Always on time.
I have been working with Universal Plumbing for 3 to 4 years. I actually found them here on YELP and I'm so thankful.
Mike and Benito a re wonderful.! They are knowledgeable and patient. I recently called them to have a new water heater installed.
Another job well done. Finding an honest company with worker's that take pride in their work is rare.
I will definitely continue using their services and recommend Universal to anyone looking for quality work. My water heater pilot refused to stay on last week, and I was getting nothing but cold water.
I called them Friday night around 6:30pm, and they arranged to have someone out on Saturday at 8am. They found that the thermo coupler needed to be replaced, and by 9:30am, I had a working heater and warm water again! My girlfriend was getting tired of me not showering! :D The price was reasonable.
And as a result, I'm having them come back out to work on running new pipes for a washer. Thanks Universal Plumbing.
So happy to have found this company! I was out of town for the weekend, my grandma was home alone when our water heater started gushing water from the bottom of the heater. It flooded our basement with almost 10 inches of water.
We called Universal Plumbing after finding them on Yelp, we had the pleasure of having Angel come out. He inspected the issue and stayed in contact with me the entire time over the phone.
He provided a very affordable price and I gave him the OK to start working away. Angel you're awesome! Thanks for all the help! After receiving a DWP bill that was almost triple what it normally is, I started to look for water leaks on the property.
I contacted Universal Plumbing Co. & they arrived quickly and, at my request, brought a "Leak Detection Specialist" who had equipment to verify where the leak was coming from - an outside hose faucet that also supplies water to the house.
After jackhammering & digging to expose the pipe, the leak was found & it was a steady flow, not a drip. Unfortunately, the entire galvanized steel pipe was rusted - not a surprise because it was 64 years old.
All 130 feet of it needed to be replaced and new valves installed. The job involved a 130-foot trench from the house to the city water meter.
The technicians were very thoughtful...they let me know exactly when the water needed to be shut off, which was only for a few hours while the connections were made. When the job was completed, the work area was cleaner than it was before! Chris Bernabel just left my grandparents home for some fixes and he could not have been more timely, helpful and patient.
With a full house of non-English speaking Koreans he really had a lot to navigate through haha. We love this company because of the amazing communication throughout from making the appointment until any questions after.
We will definitely be using them in the future if anything comes up AND we highly recommend them, especially Chris! Thanks for your help today!!!! My water heater was leaking and wasn't producing any hot water so I called Universal Plumbing around 8pm, I wasn't sure if anyone would be able to come out being so late! Universal was very understanding and able to send out someone within that hour! Salomon showed up very professional and knowledgable about what was wrong and explained detail by detail on his procedures to fix the problem and steps I can take to prevent any other issues in the future! I really appreciated that because not many people are willing to help those without any interest on their end! I recommend Universal Plumbing to anyone with any type of situation! Great company with a great staff! The kitchen sink in our condo was clogged up and the water in the sink rose as our neighbors used their sinks. We needed to get this fixed tonight and hoped I can get someone out here on a Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
After the first plumber I called said he couldn't be here until Monday, I called Universal Plumbing and I'm glad I did. The person I talked to was very professional and polite and said he can have someone out within the hour.
I received an email about 30 minutes later saying the plumber was on the way and had a picture of the plumber. Reuben came and was able to clear the blockage with the snake He also pointed out to me that there was a lot of sediment in the pipes and that the pipes for the whole complex should be cleaned.
I'll will talk to the HOA about his recommendation. Reuben was courteous and was able to resolve the issue fairly quickly.
So glad we can go to sleep now without having to worry about this tonight. A big thumbs up to Reuben and Universal Plumbing! Our water heater shut off on a Sunday and the company sent someone over that same night to diagnose the issue and did not charge a service fee.
The company was able to order and replace the part quickly so we could get hot water again in our household. The price was comparable to many of the other companies I called.
The workers were friendly and professional, and very timely. Guys, these guys are the real deal! I am the kind of person who thinks all tradespeople are out to get me and my money, counting on my lack of knowledge--the quintessential optimist, am I--but at no point did I feel like the fellas from Universal Plumbing were trying to swindle me! Edmund and Sergio showed up, were incredibly kind and respectful and went straight to work! They also gave me complementary tips and advice on my rights as a renter in Los Angeles! It serves to mention that the job at hand was not at all glamorous, nor would it earn the company loads of money.
They simply helped to hook up my new stove and changed the shut off value, which is an easy enough task iffin you're the kind of person to have multiple monkey wrenches laying around. I am not that kind of person yet.
No one wants plumbing problems, but I'm so glad to now know and trust a plumbing company enough to not overly sweat it if the pipes ever go awry! So tonight, when I cook a meal in my own kitchen for the first time in far too long, I will be thanking and toasting to the good ol' Universal Plumbing Co.!!! Chris and Benito are very pro... operated calmly and quickly in a very complex environment.
I called about a major gas leak, within minutes I received a text that Chris was on his way. He arrived ready to work.
Very polite and clean. Together, as a team, Chris and Benito finished everything in a clean orderly way, in a timely manner.
Respect! There customer service is on point. I had a leak and I thought that is was coming from the back of my washer.
Rueben showed me that it was actually coming from my bath. It was minor and I could fix it myself.
Thanks Universal plumbing for being honest and saving me $$$. My toilet in our house was giving us issues but I kept ignoring it until it got to the worst as it can get! What a way to start the long weekend! I come home from work tired and ready to rest and come to realize that my toilet got backed up and it was over flowing! Having no idea what to do my first idea was to go to yelp and search for a plumbing company who is available immediately because I need this issue fixed right away! Came across Universal Plumbing where I saw that they are a 24-hour company so I gave them a call.
I spoke with Angel and he had it arranged luckily right away with an opening where he was able to send out a crew to fix my toilet! He did mention that it may take approx 45 mins. - 1 hour until they got to my house which I didn't have a choice, but they did stick to they're word & actually mad it there within half the time.
Finally the issue was resolved and & my toilet was back up & running right away with the incredible help from Universal Plumbing! Definitely will keep the in mind for all future works that needs to be done and will be my #1 referral to everyone! Thanks again! You guys are amazing!! =] Extremely professional and great to work with. This is not your mom and pop plumber service.
This company has text and email reminders (with pictures so you know who your plumber is). WOW! They have 24/7 service options and are easy to get in touch with.
Plumbing starts from $80 for the easiest item. We've used them for toilet, shower drain, and water heater issues and have not been disappointed.
They can even do somethings that other plumbers cannot (like create access to pipes). Highly recommended.
They cleared 20ft of roots at our office building using hydrojet. They use the camera and jet at the same time so you can see what's going on.
Saved me from excavating! They came after hours not to disturb the office tenants. They were very professional and fast! I called them again to jet my house and they cleared the roots there also.
I hear they just got a second brand new hydrojet machine! I should not say but I can't wait to try it, it's a cool technology 4000psi!!! I worked with Angel, Jim, Mike and Chris all really great! Highly recommend! My problem stemmed from a leaking pipe coming from one of my upstairs bathrooms. I didn't know exactly where this was coming from, but definitely knew I needed to have this repaired ASAP.
I contacted Universal Plumbing and Angel arrived at my house within the hour. It turns out the leak was coming from a drainage pipe from our upstairs shower.
Angel knew exactly where the problem was and was able to solve the issue on site. I have had to hire other plumbers before for my home (which by the way had horrible plumbing installed in the 70s).
I was amazed at how quickly the problem was identified and repaired compared to some of these other guys. I would highly recommend Universal Plumbing if you need reliable, efficient service.
Infant put a whole roll of toilet paper down the toilet! Called Universal. Easy to make an appointment.
Good communication about time of appointment, including emails and text messages. Chris arrived early.
Took care of it quickly and efficiently. Left everything clean.
Chris also looked over a recent tankless water heater install and suggested some minor improvements. All positive.
Would use them again. This is the best plumbing company you will find.
Never loose their number! Today I was changing out the vanity and sink in my bathroom. Come to find the pipe leading to the shut off valve has disintegrated.
I quickly shut off the main water line and called Universal Plumbing. I love these guys! They came over within hours (which was very important, because I have tenants that need their water on) Quickly fixed the pipe, didn't charge me an arm or a leg.
Do yourself a favor, if you need a plumber CALL UNIVERSAL PLUMBING Thank you Angel Thank you Oscar Universal plumbing saved my life today. I had major main line break.
I couldn't turn off the water. Found them online told them I have emergency.
Tech came out with in 20 minutes. Turned off the water and they started the job on the spot.
Im very happy job got done today and my water is up and running. Thank you again for hard work and very satisfied customer.
My husband and I are very happy with the services that Ruben and Kevin provided. Universal Plumbing is very professional and honest! From the moment of your initial phone call you will notice the professionalism and sincere care from the office staff.
When Ruben and Kevin first stepped foot into our home they did it in a very clean manner. Before walking into our home both of them put on a pair of booties to keep our wood floors clean! After inspecting all of the services that we needed done, they showed us our contract on the iPad that the office provides them with.
My husband really liked the fact that they are paperless because he is very much into technology. I LOVE the fact that Ruben and Kevin took time to cover the floors through out our home so that their work area would remain as clean as it was prior to their arrival.
I think that the cost of our projects were very fair and that Ruben was very honest with us about our plumbing issues. Their punctuality was also very impressive.
Ruben and Kevin arrived to our home at 8:00 AM SHARP! It has nearly been a week since Ruben installed our garbage disposal and it is working perfectly. The kitchen sink is draining like never before and we have lived in this home for over 22 years! I know for a fact that we will continue to use Universal Plumbing.
Thank you guys! I had to call another (and much less expensive) plumber to redo the shower repair universal was unable to repair months ago. They charged me way more for a temporary fix that took a day and a half on what seemed easy to the new plumber and took only a couple hours.
They also quoted me WAY to high on a replacement HVAC system. I won't be using them again.
Angel was an awesome savior. He not only came in record speed but fixed our gas leak with out breaking my bank account! Definitely recommend universal Ten o'clock at night, we have a plumbing emergency.
Call through three different plumbers and finally Universal Plumbing takes my call. So grateful.
They were prompt--got here within 10 minutes of their ETA. They were courteous--put on those blue disposable shoe covers before entering my house.
They were professional--told me about the labor costs and late night fees up front, every step of the way. They got the job done.
Problem solved. I hope I never have to use them again.
But if I do, I won't hesitate to call Universal Plumbing. Please be very careful.
Dishonest, deceptive and predatory. Tried to charge almost $1000 for $6 easily accessible broken pipe.
They wouldn't leave. Tried to take me to ATM or Bank.
Fixed problem myself in 15 minutes for $6. I worked in criminal law for a few years and saw these practises come up in court, the amount of disparity between what was wrong and the price they were going to charge was astonishing.
They know you are panicking and are vulnerable. A lot of people are not aware that this is not just a civil matter but can be prosecuted under criminal law as deception.
In general for all house work 1. Stay as calm as you can, don't rush to pay someone in a panic.
2. Try to get a second/third opinion.
3. Try and get a friend or neighbor to shut off water and advise.
4. Never be alone when they come (especially women) 5.
Never let them take you to the ATM or Bank 6. Don't just pay because you're in a panic, stay calm.
8. Calm down and don't let yourself be swindled into paying $1000 for a $50 job.
9. Don't pay more than $150 for an emergency unless you absolutely know the work is needed and you have got a second opinion.
I believe you can tell a lot of the company's respect and value for its clients by being punctual. Universal Plumbing was late by more than 1 hour and made us miss our alumni winetasting event.
No calls apologizing for the lateness and giving an expected timeframe of arrival- we had to call the company ourselves to find out what happened. The excuse? Traffic....
Living and working in LA means accounting for the traffic, people. Don't make the customer wait! Also, they gave a pretty high estimate ($150) to what was essentially changing the wax seal from the toilet.
After hearing the price, my husband went to home depot and got a wax seal for $15 and did it himself. Docked 3 stars for punctuality issues with no follow-up and apologies and 1 star for the high price.
Fantastic service, prompt, efficient and reasonable. Will use them again (I know it is only a matter of time with my old house....) Angel and his team did a good job of replacing a huge water heater at our lease.
5 stars for putting plastic down to protect the new unit going up the stairs and for removing the old unit over the ledge so as not to damage the property. Universal Plumbing gets a 1 star for the scheduling and follow-up communication.
I was given a window of 12-4pm. Landlord kept texting and calling them until 6pm, asking where their crew was, and was anyone going to show up that day.
Was told at 6pm that they were 15 minutes away. Crew arrived at 8pm instead!! They worked on the unit and left at 12:40am the next day - yup, past midnight.
While I appreciate that they stayed to get the job done, I was livid that I had cancelled some business meetings that day just to wait for them - all day. Angel was apologetic for the schedule and communication mishap, but it was still a big fat middle finger of disrespect to my time and job.
The next time the landlord called them for repairs to a leaky kitchen sink, Universal Plumbing never even returned the landlord's calls. I guess business is booming and it's a vendor's market.
I just had a visit from them today, as my first time using any plumbing service. The issue was the toilet filling up water too slowly.
Pros: 1. They fixed the problem, it is filling up back to the normal speed now 2.
The guy, Reubon, along with the other guy, were very nice Cons: 1. Wasn't on time.
But I didn't expect them to, so didn't bother me too much. 2.
I personally think the company's charge is over priced. The guys was at my home for only 30 mins, replaced the fill valve which costs no more than $30.
And final bill was $180, which means they charged me $150 for that 30 mins. Probably will try other companies next time, if I ever need to.
If you are looking for plumbing services in the Los Angeles area -- look no further. These guys were excellent! Ruben, Oscar and Alex were sent out the same day (even though it was already 6pm) to help us with a blocked sewer line.
Most places would have just made us wait until the next day. They quickly found the source of the problem, recommended a solution and fix the problem.
They were efficient, friendly and knowledgeable. We will definitely be using them for any future issues.
This review is for their customer service and response time, which is amazing! They respond super fast and even was able to get someone out to give a quote. I didn't hire them in the end though because the price quoted was much too high.
I do appreciate the timely manner they're able to handle things though. For anyone that needs immediate assistance and someone to talk to, this place is a local company that can deliver that.
They are great! I had a disgusting clogged sink and filthy "pipe water" was all over my kitchen. My landlord arranged for someone to come the next day, but it was getting worse and I didn't want that stuff all over the place where we eat! I called several plumbers and got the "after hours" quotes, several of which were over $200.
Then I called Universal, who said that it would be more because it was past 7PM, so I was expecting another quote in the hundreds. Then he told me the "more" was 20 dollars and apologized.
An extra 20 dollars is not a problem when CHUD is all over my kitchen. I didn't get the name of the guy that came, but he arrived within an hour of my call, did an amazing job and only charged $80 (after 7PM pricing).
I highly recommend this service. They are nice, do a great job and get rid of all the CHUD in your kitchen! -He even took out the trash when he was leaving! This is the second time I have used Universal Plumbing.
Like my last experience, they came on time. The problem was immediately identified as a crack in my sink faucet.
They went out and bought me a new one and installed it in less than a couple of hours - all on the same day. I have to say that I am impressed.
Chris came with an assistant and they unblocked the pipe from my laundry. They did the job and were really courteous and professional.
I'd absolutely call them again for any plumbing work.'''.
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