Review and analyze now for company The Plumbing Doctor and provide the analysis in the discussed format for the following reviews: '''Jon (the plumbing doctor owner) came to our place and office many times to get our toilet repaired. One time we had toilet leaking from our upstairs neighbor, Jon first fixed it but it did not work so he proactively came back and repaired.
It was major fix but he patiently did it. Second time we called him to repair our running toilet.
He showed up on very short notice and was on time. He gave us both repair and replacement options which we thought was very honest.
We went with repair option as it was little cheaper than replacement. Third time we called him to my wife's office where he had to replace the toilet and fix valve of other.
So far we did not had any negative experience with him. He is very responsive, shows up on time in between time range, he is quick and takes care of cleaning the mess after.
He is not very warm person over texts for appointments or follow ups but I get it. He prob gets number of texts and and that's his version of short and responsive.
I have only positive thing to say about this company (and hope it remains like this in future as well). He was saving grace after my original contractor "completed" my repairs.
He identified old and incorrect pieces within a new toilet install, literally saving my new wood floors and bathroom. Will use him for ANY plumbing need moving forward.
He's very quick and responsive. He fixed an issue with the toilet in my condo that we had tried to fix ourselves for a few days.
He replaced the internal system and was done in maybe 5 minutes. Used this plumber previously and he did a good job.
I suggested John to my sister. They scheduled a date and time and John no showed, no call.
I suppose I should have known better but I recently contacted John again for a plumbing problem and he basically did the same thing to me. As we were communicating about a date and time, he ghosted me.
This is about as unprofessional as it gets. AVOID!!!!! Do NOT hire this guy.
The TOTO plumbing supply store recommended John to fix our toilets. After no-showing and missing appointments, he finally showed up to do the work.
He did most, but not all of the work. When we were waiting for him to come back and finish, some of the work broke.
When I told him he has to not only come back to finish, he needs he get back right away and fix the toilets again which were broken. He wouldn't return phone calls or come back.
His best/worst excuse was, calling minutes before one of my scheduled appointments and said he "is on the way to my house to do the work, but an emergency came up and he had to reschedule." I was irritated -- again -- buy said okay, and to come the next day. Then he asked me for my address.
MY ADDRESS. "If you are currently on your way to my house, how do you not know my address? How do you know where you are driving...?" Don't hire this guy.
BTW - the plumbing supply house who recommended me made an extra effort by driving the replacement parts to my house and apologized profusely about the situation. Our pipes started backing up and he was able to come out quickly and resolve the issue at an excellent price.
He is very personable and explains anything you want to know. By far the best experience I have had with a plumber! Rude, condescending jerk acted like he was doing me a favor.
Fixed clogged sink, was to replace another, but after providing the estimate and promising to pick up new sink and fixtures, would not return calls. I thought we were scheduled but John didn't come.
When I tried to confirm I got no response. Tried again.
Nothing. Hope he is ok.
Jon used the "N word" freely and multiple times, and he made disparaging comments about Asians and women. This is never okay.
If that doesn't stop you from working with him, he was very late to our appointment, which we had taken off of work to fit in his time frame. Then, he gave us flack for asking him what time he would be arriving.
He brought his son, which we were okay with, though his son wandered around our home unsupervised. Compared to other plumbers, he overcharged us for his work.
We found him on a recommendation and were floored by his actions. Our faucet stopped working.
One second there was water coming out, the next second, it was as dry as a desert. We had a ton of dirty dishes piled up on our kitchen counter, after just having prepared dinner.
It was almost 8 p.m. I panicked.
Yelped "plumber" and narrowed it down to those who were still open and in my area. Called the first number I saw and "John" answered the phone.
I explained the situation and he diagnosed the problem in 30 seconds: "Did you try replacing the batteries??" DERP. He could have charged me $200 to come out on a weeknight to tell me the same thing and I would have been none the wiser.
But instead, he said, very patiently, "Just try changing the batteries. If that doesn't work, give me a call back." Needless to say, it worked.
And here I am, so impressed, that I'm writing a 5-star review. #Integrity.
Now that he doesn't know where I live revising my review - 1 star - Jon disappeared for 3 weeks during a job - complete MIA and then wanted to be paid in full to finish - sorry champ, job was completed by someone else which cost a bunch more to pick up 1/2 way through The Plumbing Doc is John Spears. Nope, no relation to Brittany Spears for those of you wondering.
I've spent a lot of time with Doctor John during the past week; I'm pretty sure I've seen him more than my husband. I found John right here on Yelp (where else?), called him and he was at my door within an hr.
I joked with him that he was faster than fast food delivery and we decided his new tagline should be "faster than Jimmy John's." Visit #1: John took a look at our guest bathroom toilet, which had decided not to flush anymore. Sigh.
He gave us 2 options: A) He could try to fix it with some kit for a few hundred dollars, which was likely to last us 1- 1 1/2 years B) We could get a new toilet tank in the $600 range, which should completely take care of the problem. We chose option A and hoped for the best.
While I was graced with the doctor's presence, I also had him take a look at our broken hot water filter knob as well. Visit #2: John fixes and the toilet and hot water filter for a total of $290.
It would have been more, but I was lucky enough to get a $75 discount for mentioning that I was a yelper. Whoo hoo! I thanked John and told him that I hoped I wouldn't see him again for a very long time.
Visit #3: Uh oh. He's back...the very next day! Our toilet flusher gave up again! John tells us the bad news that we'll need a new tank.
And there goes that cute purse I've had my eyes on. Visit #4: John installs the new tank, charges us an extra $310 and says he'll just eat the cost of the kit since it didn't work for us.
Our toilet flusher is working perfectly so now I'm really hoping we won't see John again for a long time. While it would have been nice if the less expensive option fixed the problem, I had a fantastic experience with John.
I appreciate that he tried to save us money and didn't penalize us when it didn't work out. On top of that he's reliable (always on time except once when he called to say he'd be late), about half the price of the other plumbers I called and he's fast.
Yep, faster than Jimmy John's! Old buildings have charm, character and they're a great way to get some 'Oohs' and 'Ahhs' before you get some oohs and ahhs (so I have heard; I eat cupcakes in lieu of anything fun). Old buildings also have issues: drafty windows, bad insulation and old parts.
My toilet fought in the first World War. He had a long good life, saw me through a lot of ups and downs but, eventually, he didn't have any more to give.
Which was a problem, because I did... soon! I needed a doctor, a plumbing doctor.
I used the site (it works!) and found the five sexy stars I longed for. Three phone calls later (nothing is *ever* easy with me), and the doctor was on his way.
He brought know-how, parts and patience. He opened my tank to find really old parts, rusted parts and parts held together with electrical tape (I kid you not and I had nothing to do with that).
After I allowed him to work out his disbelief, he got to work. He was efficient, timely and cordial.
He installed brand new parts into my toilet, gave me maintenance tips and had it working better than it did before. I can vouch for the last part.
Ahhh... (there it is)! I was in need of a plumber to disconnect and reconnect a hot water heater and searched for one here, Yelp recommended more plumbers and gave me the option to message them as well, and this company was one of the ones to pop up.
The guy Jon S, messaged me back, simply "Address?" No "thanks for contacting us etc" didnt ask for more info about the nature of issue, but I obliged and NEVER got a reply back. Great! Because I didnt want to give my money to this rude Jon S guy! the company who WANTED my business did an amazing job, were professional and courteous and were paid promptly and I gave 3 referrals, 2 of which have been scheduled.
Jon replaced my kitchen faucet and re-piped the sink in my condo due to a leak. He clearly explained and showed me why this needed to be done.
He needed to return for some finishing tasks he didn't have the parts for and returned on schedule as promised. The price was very fair and the work was well done.
I highly recommend Jon. I am a little tardy in writing this review, but I have only recently been a more active yelper.
I contacted the Plumbing Doctor after reviewing yelp reviews. My kitchen sink was not draining as quickly as it used to and I suspected a clogged pipe.
I had tried using Draino but to no success. The Plumbing Doctor arrived on time and was able to quickly diagnose and fix the situation.
He also gave me tips on what to do and not to do with my disposal (I will not elaborate...). He was very honest and non-sense which I appreciated.
I recommend and would use the Plumbing Doctor again should any problems arise. Thank you! Our family noticed a backup in April of this year.
We naturally called our favorite plumber, Jon The Plumbing Doctor. They were pretty busy but Jon was able to get his Nephew, Justin out here within a couple days.
Justin rooted the sewer and we discovered wipes and roots. It had been a couple of years since they had been out to clean the sewer.
Justin and Jon suggested a $150 dollar Rootex treatment. So for $500.00 we thought that was it for a while.
It was yesterday that my wife noticed another backup (eight weeks since Justin had been out) in the basement. She called me and I called Jon.
He returned my call within an hour, but said he was leaving town and wouldn't be able to help till Monday. He suggested we consider installing an outside clean-out so they could get a six inch blade in there.
He was considering recommending another plumber who he said was more expensive (does he get commission?) to get us functioning again. I contacted several plumbers and discovered somebody who came out and worked until 11pm last night.
He rooted the same sewer and pulled 4-5 handfuls of roots out from about 25-30 feet out in the yard. Apparently The Plumbing Doctor didn't do a very good job this last time.
I understand issues, but I am a business man and I stand behind my work. Feel like Jon has become like so many plumbers (bummers), tired and lazy.
Just my thoughts. We have been remodeling our kitchen and that plumbing work would have gone to Jon, but now it appears like the Scottish Plumber gets the work.
Jon was very courteous over the phone and didn't get mad or charge me for rescheduling our first appointment at the last minute, but that is the only good part of our experience with this company. We hired them based on the good Yelp reviews to come fix the dishwasher shutoff valve under the sink.
They were brusque and rude about several things: --Jon had to ask me "what's the job again?" when I called to see if they were still coming (they showed up an hour and a half late.) I get that they're busy, but any businessperson should have notes of some kind on their appointments, because it's just obnoxious to give the impression of forgetting who your customers are and what they need. --They were annoyed that the water wasn't already off when they arrived.
I get they don't want to wait, but we live in an old condo building and can't turn off the hot water just for our unit--were we supposed to shut off hot water for the entire building for four hours on a 20-minute job? --They disregarded specific instructions from my husband and then acted like it was his fault their time was wasted. I get they're frustrated, but they should have listened to their customer instead of assuming he didn't know what he was talking about.
--They demanded cash or check and dragged their feet to take card information even though their Yelp page says they accept credit cards. I have worked in many a small business; I get that CC fees are an issue, but seriously, this is 2018.
If every nonprofit I know can maintain a Square, so can a decent business. And at the VERY least, they shouldn't draw people to your business by saying they take cards and then try to bully their way out of actually doing it.
--Turns out they actually caused a further hassle for us because they put on the wrong size valve when they replaced it--didn't match the dishwasher hose. Again, I GET IT; they can't carry around every possible part they might need.
But they didn't ask us in advance what size it was (we're not experts; we don't know what they need to know) and they didn't tell us what they were putting on, they didn't give us the option to run out and pick up the correct part, etc. They just left it for us to discover when we got the new dishwasher installed, so we had to delay that to get a connector.
On top of all that, they charged us quite a lot of money for a very small job. And for the final time, I GET that you have to have minimum charges for showing up; I'm a very reasonable person and I'm all for people making a decent living! But there's a good wage for skilled work, and then there's $250 for a job that took one part and 45 minutes *including* the time THEY wasted by not listening to my husband.
If it wasn't for the Plumbing Doctor we would be frozen in the winter. When our old faulty hot water heater started acting up, we dialed Jon and he was available almost immediately to come out and replace our hot water heater.
On top of that it was extremely affordable! Very professional Very fast Very affordable Had a very strange conversation with the man who answered the phone. I told him I wanted an estimate for a water heater installation, and he quoted a range over the phone.
I asked him what model the quote was for, he said he's not going to give out brand and model numbers over the phone--that he'd have to come out. I asked when he'd like to come out, and he told me there would be a $75 charge for that.
The entire conversation was very strange--Jimmy said he was sick, and he sounded half asleep. I got a bad enough vibe that I didn't even want to have him come out, even though he seemed to vaguely agree to waiving the charge for the visit.
Also very strange: when looking up this business on the State of Illinois Corporate/LLC certificate of good standing database, there is no listing found for "The Plumbing Doctor." My neighbors had complaints of a leak coming from above and it turns out my water heater was doing it. It lived almost a good 20 years, but as a first time homeowner I haven't had a chance to think proactively about preventative maintenance and replacing it any earlier.
After several quotes, I decided with John because he did have the most reviews here on Yelp, he provided the lowest quote, seemed very knowledgeable, and I was enticed by the idea of extra storage he said that I would have and how the unit would be placed and such. He did mention that either he or his guy Lucien was going to be doing the job.
John told me that there would be a gas cost savings, but I was unaware that this has an electrical component and didn't think about the ramifications of the increase of electricity or energy consumption that I should have asked about. I was surprised at Lucien's request to get an extension cord and telling me that I would now have to get an electrician to add an outlet to my switch so that my Navien tankless water heater cord would not have to be plugged outside of the utility closet.
So this is another thing to add to my growing to do list. Lucien did a good job, but it wasn't the vision that John provided me and I think I overheard this on the phone conversation after the job was completed and a picture was sent over to John.
So, I believe John knows this and is aware, but at the end of the day I am stuck with how this thing is fitting in that space. I was told I would have extra storage with the way the unit would be put in.
The piping has basically encased both sides and is not up against the wall that John told me that it would be on. What has been particularly tough for me to swallow is that I feel like I paid a premium for a high quality expensive product set up in a way that was not how I was told it was going to be.
I feel like after you buy something very high end and cool that I should be happy, but I feel frustrated and disappointed. So now every time I open the door to the water heater and furnace I'm going to think about this - like this isn't how this is supposed to be! Jon's initial response was very quick and he gave an estimate for the work to be done(which he stuck to) after I explained what I needed.
His price was fair and he doesn't play any games trying to up the price later or nickel and dime you. Setting up an appointment with him was also easy and he arrived on time.
Just a heads up that I'm sure he is very busy and it's not easy for any service provider to be engaged in many back and forths via email or phone. I only mention this because I did have a few follow-up questions and he was a little slow to reply but that's ok with me.
He is trying to respond to so many people each day you have to balance. Prior to my follow-up questions he had already given me the quote and was ready to schedule the work when I was ready.
When he came onsight (to fix a slow drain and also install a kitchen faucet), he was friendly, very fast and did an awesome job for the price agreed. I will definitely be calling on Jon again for any plumbing needs I have and have already referred him to my brother who lives in the suburbs.
second try to provide a review, this time i'll provide more information to hopefully sustain on this page. We were very optimistic about John due to his very responsive nature when we had some water problems in our home.
We ended up working with him after he bid out a more bearable solution to deal with some old plumbing. Unfortunately the work was done incorrectly by his subcontractors, after months of back and forth to explain how this poor service had cost us thousands of dollars we finally gave up and sourced a new plumber and crew.
We ended up throwing out furniture, pulling up carpet and then pulling up tile too! It was honestly a horrible experience that endured for months. Moreover, when our realtor learned we had used him for some plumbing work she immediately told us that she had heard of other complaints of his poor workmanship in her 10 years in Chicago.
If you are in need of quick response he can help, but I would strongly advice against anything that requires more attention. I think it is a good team that can solve any technical problem.
Not as fast as everyone wants, but pretty good in different areas of repair. Maybe some employees of this company are really incompetent and irresponsible so many people have had unpleasant cases but I would reccomend.
Make sure to get a written quote else they will say something on phone but call with more charges. I was very unhappy.
I hired to get a two way clearout and while servicing that they said I should get some more thing later which would cost $280 more but they went and charged $514 instead. Called around 9:00pm on a weeknight to ask about a clogged kitchen sink / dishwasher drain.
Tried to work out a time the following day to come by but schedules didn't align, so I said I appreciated the offer but would have to try to find someone that could come by in the morning. A short while later, John called back and offered to come right away.
Was at my place within a few minutes. John assessed the problem, fixed it, and was out the door within 10-15 minutes.
Original quote over the phone was higher than I expected, but final price was quite a bit lower because John didn't want to under-quote without seeing the problem (which I appreciate). Highly recommend.
Will be leaving the business card he left me with the doorman at my building in case anyone else has any issues. Big Fan of John's.
Another outfit came out and said they couldn't rod my sewer completely, and camera'd and claimed to not be able to get passed 60ft. They claimed they needed to dig and put a clean out in my front yard for $2400, and said that didn't included the $525 for rodding, and $225 for camera work.
I was very skeptical. So a neighbor told me to call John.
Explained situation to John. He asked a few questions, and also explained that any good plumber should've rolled the cost of the rodding and camera into the $2400 clean out.
I had him come out. He rodded my sewer, in an hour.
Found nothing obstructing the line, and saved me the hassle of needlessly buying a $2400 clean out. Give John a call.
Made an appointment and got a text morning of with a 10am-12pm window. Plumber never showed up.
I texted and left a message. Never got a response.
Waste of time!!! They handled the issue great and took care of the confusion. The owner called personally and fixed everything.
Would reccomend. John saved the day and my Moms 65th birthday! I had new counter tops installed and needed my plumbing hooked back up! I I was so upset when I called him because I had another company just tell me it was going to be $1700.00 because I needed everything new! I just wanted my plumbing hooked back up! I called John late that evening very upset and told him what happened and the first thing he said is do not worry I can help you! He asked for me to send pictures and told me this would not be a problem! Asked for my address and said see you tomorrow and not to be upset! He was professional and extremely kind and followed up to see if my mom enjoyed her birthday! I thought this was pretty awesome! I am extremely grateful and will pass his cards to all my clients! Thank you again John John did a fantastic job analyzing my water heater, giving me an appropriate estimate, and scheduling a follow-up to quickly replace my broken water heater.
John was able to text me to notify me of changes in his schedule, and even texted me after his work was complete just to check-in and ensure I was satisfied. He educated me on my new hot water heater, and even chatted with me about which tools would be most helpful for me to purchase and have on-hand for my new condo.
Thanks, John! I've used Jon twice and both times in the past I was extremely pleased and recommended him highly. That's changed since his last visit.
Suffice it to say that he charged FAR more than what a reasonable person would expect to be a reasonable price. When I called him and told him that (my wife was at home when he came; not me) he said that what he charged for his labor was fair.
He also said that he charged us HIS cost for the parts and a drain opener solution. I checked these out online and my wife checked it out when she was at Home Depot.
They are far less than what he said he paid -- and he supposedly gave us HIS cost! Does he really think that if he makes stuff up as he goes along that people aren't going to check?? I also recommended him to a friend. Jon told them they would have to buy a replacement tub and suggested a top of the line replacment for a few thousand dollars.
They went with another plumber and were charged $400 to fix a leak. Jon is not only a fantastic plumber, but a great guy.
I have worked with him twice now and both times he has been accommodating to my schedule, incredibly helpful and went above and beyond to help me. He's fast, reliable and great to work with.
I highly recommend him for any plumbing issues you have in your home. John was amazing.
Quick recap...I was remodeling a bathroom and stupidly hit a pipe with a drill bit. Dumb mistake.
This resulted in water spewing out of the pipe and I had to shut down water to my condo. John was actually out of town coming back to Chicago and referred me to another plumber.
The timing didn't work out with that plumber but about an hour later, John told me he was available. He gets to my place faster than he told me (he said an hour but got there in 30 minutes).
Then he literally gets the job down in less than 5 minutes. Keep in mind, he told me he could get it done in 10 minutes over the phone whereas other plumbers told me it would take a minimum of 1.5 hours.
I was skeptical that he'd get it done but he really did. It comes down to this...if you hire an expert with a vast amount of experience and couple that with very high end and efficient tools (which John owns), you get extremely fast and high quality service.
I would not recommend Jon at all. He was supposed to come and replace the water heater.
The time slot given was 12- 4 but he never confirmed what time he will actually be there on the day of the arrival. I called him to say that I was on the way and running a little late.
He cancelled on me saying he has a doctors appointment and that he needs to go. He never mentioned it the previous day that he has a doctor's appointment during the time slot he gave.
He said his doctors appointment was opposite to my residence but then sent a subsequent text that he has to go to Western springs. I think he never had intentions to come and do the work.
I obviously had to go with another plumber since this was time sensitive. Also, he would never pick up your call and you will probably get a response to your text from him after you have dealt with the plumbing issue! Plumbing Doctor dug a big hole, broke rod off in sewer line, took $2000 and left.
I am left with about a 10 foot diameter hole with sewage pouring out. A big mess and he will not return text or my calls.
I have been trying for weeks. Not honorable or trustworthy.
This plumber will take your money and not return. I have been waiting for over a month.
Super service, super friendly, on time, reasonable price, 2 year guarantee. Highly recommend! Two stars for fixing the problem (our tub faucet leaking behind the bathroom wall causing water to drip into our neighbors ceiling below).
While they repaired the faucet quickly, the two plumbers wore dirty shoes into my house, tracking mud and filth all over my floors. They also did not clean up after themselves (they left waste and small tools from their job on the ledge of my tub).
Both men on the job seemed annoyed at the problem they were hired to fix. I call this the story of my $1200 shower head.
It's been over 2 years since this incident happened, and I did consider just letting it go and not post a negative review, but after reading all these positive reviews I decided to share my story to prevent others from getting scammed. I'm confident I'm not the only victim either, as there must be others who have not spoken out, possibly in fear because the plumber knows where you live.
So I had low water pressure from my shower head and needed to get it looked at. I searched Yelp and contacted The Plumbing Doctor based on the excellent reviews.
Jon and his assistant (a guy covered in tattoos, he seriously looked like he just stepped out of prison) came for an initial inspection the next day. Both Jon and his assistant were courteous and seemed to know what they were doing.
I remember Jon commented on how nice my apartment looked and how all my faucets/shower heads were top of the line brands and expensive (in hindsight he was just setting me up.) Now here's the background story. My apartment has a lakefront view and is nicely renovated; and I keep it pretty clean and tidy.
I feel this must have given him the idea that I have money to burn and he can overcharge me. The fact that I'm Asian American and very polite may have played a part as well.
Anyhow, Jon took a look at the various issues I was having around the apartment (a toilet that wasn't flushing right and low pressure for my showers) and said depending on how serious the problems are it may cost a couple of hundred dollars. He said he would give me a better estimate the next time he came for repairs.
I said okay (in hindsight I should have started questioning him at that point and ask for a price breakdown). The next time he came, he fixed my toilet by replacing a gasket, fixed the water pressure of my sink by cleaning the faucet head, turned up my toilet's pressure by adjusting a valve (all together it probably took him 15 minutes), and all there was left to do was my shower.
Jon said my shower is a complicated situation and he may need to replace the shower head. He said he has a friend who hooked him up with some extremely nice shower heads that usually costs $700 but he got it for half price.
He wanted to get me those and said the entire repair will cost between $500 to $1400. He still isn't sure how much it will be until he checks it out the next time, but he asked me if I was okay with the initial quote.
Once again I said okay (I know, stupid me... by that point I really should have known I was scammed.) A few days later Jon came again to fix my shower head.
He said he did not have the new shower head in stock so all he could do that day was to fix everything else that was wrong (all he did was clean the shower pipe, a 15 minute job.) After he finished I was ready to write the check. To my horror he said $1400.
I was really shocked. I knew that was the upper range he quoted me the last time, but it was to my understanding that it would only cost that much if there were complications.
There was really nothing I could do so I wrote the check. I didn't complain, didn't say a word, just wrote the check and he left (still needed to return with the new shower head.) We scheduled to have him come one final time to install the new shower head, but with my check in hand he of course cancelled the appointment at the last minute, saying the city of Chicago needed plumbers for a city project that day and he decided to take the job (despite our previous appointment.) We rescheduled and he promised to give me a $200 discount.
A few days later he came, installed the shower head and gave me $200 back. I think he just felt guilty about charging me $1400 so he gave back $200 (gee thanks.) And that's how I purchased my $1200 shower head.
A year later I had the same problem with my shower head, apparently it's clogged again. I hired a handyman and he cleaned the pipe and head and charged me $50.
Doh! Another handyman who worked on my apartment this past year also told me I got scammed after I told him the story. So if your're looking for a plumber and is reading this, consider hiring someone else.
Either that or don't be a push-over like me because when Jon and his crew sees an opportunity to overcharge they will take it. So far this has been the only negative Yelp experience that I've had.
Called up the Doctor on a Monday asking about a new ejector pump; I'm not a plumber so I told him it appeared the pump had died or was about to die, and what was I looking at dollar wise to have this replaced. He chuckled and said "It depends on what I want".
Ummm well I don't know so consider the middle of the road type of replacement. He quotes me a number and seems miffed when I said thanks, that I would be in touch after making a few other calls.
"Yeah, go ahead and call some others". Turned out his $75 off Yelp referral made him $50 cheaper than another quote I had.
E-mailed him the next day and asked what day he might be available. Got a one word reply back and followed that up with asking him to confirm the cost and to tell me exactly what time of the day he was available so we could book the appointment.
Never heard back from him. Apparently the doctor was not in.
Edit (12/19/13): I will give Jon this so far - he contacted me after my review and apologized for the miscommunication. He's going out of his way to try and make it up to us which I sincerely appreciate; hopefully I can take him up on his offer.
For this effort alone I am going to bump up my rating because it's obvious he cares not only about his potential customers, but supports the Yelp community and the trust people put into the reviews. I called this company and yes I got a very quick response.
They came over the same day I called and accessed the situation and they spent less than 10 minutes in my house. They needed to get a part and come back to install it, called the next day they got the part.
Ready to install shows up late due to weather with no phone call then installs the part in less than 15 minutes. The part was $85.00 and the labor was $165.00 which includes a 2 year guarantee which while he was walking out my door said that he cannot guarantee this based on my building so basically I just paid for nothing.
Doctor alright and charging real doctor prices. Wow is all I have to say, and I have learned my lesson the hard way.
Better luck with this one to the rest of you who use their services. UPDATE: The issue is not fixed, the faucet still leaks! I also didn't receive the $75.00 discount for December as he advertised his listing.
All the work he did had to be replaced. It was all done incorrectly.
Total waste of time and money. I called the number at 8:15 AM and John called me less than five minutes later to introduce himself and setup a FREE service appointment for the SAME day.
He was timely, polite and personable taking the time to look at the problem and advise on the options of repair versus replace with suggestions of cost-effective methods to replace it with. I am off to Home Depot tonight to check for options on the clearance rack and call him to schedule an installation appointment.
He is now saved into my Blackberry and will be called immediately regarding future issues. Additional note is that I called others that were less responsive and wanted to charge $75 or more for a service appointment.
I am so pleased to have found this option and info on Yelp.com Brief update to my story/review...earlier today, I scheduled an appointment with John to come install the faucet. He adjusted his schedule to squeeze me in.
Unfortunately, during the call before mine, his truck got broken into and equipment stolen. I was so impressed that in his terrible situation, he took the time to call me and let me know he would not be making it.
I look forward to getting the visit rescheduled and recommend John to anyone needing him to come to the water rescue! John was great. He came the same day from the other side of Chicago.
He knew what he was talking about, and charged less than other quotes. He was dead-on the time he said he'd come, and he was really quick.
I'd absolutely call him again. He gave a great guarantee.
There could have been serious problems with what was going on, and I'm so happy that I now have someone I can depend on! What else could you ask for? Thank you again, John. I have hired The Plumbing Doctor a number of times.
First two times, he was great. Within the last year, I have hired him, he's given me a 4 hour window and then did not show up.
Cost me a day off of work. Previous to that I hired him and he sent other plumbers out to do the work, which they messed up and broke a light in my kitchen and he took no responsibility for it and never rectified the situation.
I would stay away from him. I first started using Jon back in 2009, and I decided that he would be my official plumber.
After he fixed my toilet, he has also installed my hot water heater, and I just had him to install a new faucet for my kitchen sink. He installed the faucet very quickly in about 30 minutes, and since it is stainless steel, he told me the best way to take care of it - using vinegar and wiping it down with an old t-shirt.
Then he called me about 30 minutes later to tell me how to care for the faucet if I get calcium build-up. Now, that's what I call customer service! Jon is very nice and cares about the quality of his work and making sure that his customers are happy.
I highly suggest him for his plumbing services. Thanks, Jon! OUTSTANDING in every way.
Smart and skillful (obviously an expert plumber) Prompt (shows up when he says he will) Responsive (answers his phone/returned my calls) Fast (work is completed quickly and efficiently) Friendly (a super nice guy) Great prices (I felt like I got a very good value) I've called on John twice now, first for a new hot water heater and now today for a leaking pipe in the basement. Both times the experience of working with him has been outstanding.
Highly recommend The Plumbing Doctor! Very convenient, they are happy to talk on the phone and then ask to verify the appointment by text. I can't remember the plumber's name, I think Jon.
Jon did a great job and quickly, at a great price. Very professional and polite.
If you want no nonsense work done correctly, call them up. I asked about an issue with a water heater connector and he said any plumber could take your money and fix it, but it isn't a big deal and you are overdue for new water heaters anyways.
I appreciate the honesty. *Update* John promptly addressed and resolved any issue we had with the fees, making the entire ordeal incredibly reasonable and dealt with the miscommunication with great customer service.
We're more than willing to pay for a job well done and understand that, hey, sometimes fees happen - we just wanted to know some of those details beforehand. Next time, we'll have cash.
* * * * Our bathroom sink was just not draining. So we searched around and found these guys through yelp.
Called them up and John set up a time for next day service. Great! Now, we haven't had many other plumbing issues and we weren't given an estimate over the phone so we weren't really sure what to expect for pricing.
John shows up, fixes the bathroom sink in less than 10 minutes. Cool.
Now for payment... It came to 125 for our bathroom drain.
Alright. A bit more than I thought but hey! Fixed drain.
Thanks. Here's my card.
But to use a card, 5% will be added to the bill. Hm.
Alright. So 131.25 to unclog our bathroom drain with a 2 year guarantee.
Could've been worse. I don't think I've written a Yelp Review in 2 years, but Jon brought me back.
Of course, the worst things happen when you can ill afford it. So no shock my 8 year water heater decided to tell me to go fly a kite.
Jon came out instantly. I couldnt belive it.
Said he didn't want to fight thru Cubs traffic, but I told him that wasn't an option. He was there within an hour.
Got an estimate, picked the day of my choice based on work schedule, and it couldn't have gone any better. Fantastic work, most compettive pricing in the area.
I'm telling you right now, and I'll end it here. If you have any kind of plumbing, water heater issues, anything whatsoever, quit doing research right now.
You are done. Don't waste your time.
Not related to this guy and didn't know him from Adam before finding him. Reliable, High Quality, TRUSTWORTHY (you have no idea how important this is when you are confronted with an unexpected disaster), attention to detail, and knowledgable.
Quit wasting your time reading this, second guessing yourself like you always do, wasting more time doing research, and just call him now. You won't be disappointed.
Found him through yelp and with the free service charge offer he has up there, how could I pass that up? I'm a do-it-yourselfer, but I thought I should probably leave fixing the leaky toilet to a professional. Espescially with it starting to spew a steady stream of water, with the puddle starting to attack the wall.
He came out, even made accomadations around my lunch break, and was very professional and pleasant to do business with. He's one of the few service people that actually do the right job the first time, with the right equipment.
And there's a two year warranty on his service. So, I will definitely call him up the next time I need some thing fixed.
You won't be sorry that you called Jon to handle any plumbing issue that you have. I called Jon strictly based on his Yelp 5 star ratings & he lived up to it as everyone was right about him.
My tub had a clog & my attempt to use a snake to fix it was going nowhere. On top of that, I hate handling any service calls to the house because I often feel like service/repair guys treat women like fools & easy targets to rip off.
I didn't feel this at all with Jon. Jon was: 1) Prompt & professional-called me back within 5 minutes to set our appointment!; 2) Efficient-unclogged my tub in less than 5 minutes; 3) Thorough-gave great maintenance tips for the future; 4) Confident-gave a 2 year warranty on the clog! Weird, that we found what we think is kitty litter in the tub (causing the slow drain)! He assured me that he's seen it all! 5) He's funny-who doesn't like funny? He gave me great maintenance tips & some enzyme cleaner for my 3 flat building & made the whole experience simple & easy-so good that I had to write about it on Yelp! Jon will be my go-to guy for any future plumbing in the building & I would recommend him in a heart beart to others! A fur and hair monster lurked in my bathtub.
He was most likely dense and coarse. I expect he didn't like show tunes.
Jon came over on less than 4 hours notice, on time and promptly eliminated this hair doll my family has been creating in less than 15 minutes. His discount was great I would recommend him to all my friends.
Don't let the hair monster spoil your day. Finding a plumber in the city of Chicago who is honest and efficient, with high quality customer service, is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Well, that is what I thought before I met and worked with John, The Plumber Doctor. Using the positive reviews about him on Yelp I decided to call him to help fix a leaky kitchen faucet.
He was at my house on the same day I called, diagnosised the problem with my leaky kitchen faucet in less than a minute, and had it fixed in no time once he obtained all the parts he needed to do the job. In addition, he helped me save me a few bucks along the way.
It was a real pleasure working with him. I don't believe I will ever call another plumber to fix my plumbing problems other than John, The Plumbing Doctor.
I highly recommed John's services for all of your plumbing needs. By the way, thank you to everyone on Yelp who provided the positive reviews about John, The Plumbing Doctor.
You're the main reason I had such a pleasant plumbing experience. Jon Spears is an honest and meticulous plumber--something that is often hard to come by these days.
I called him last night at 8pm because of a leak in my shower. He promised to come today to fix it.
Turns out there was more damage than we both initially thought but he was able to fix it for me and charged much less than most plumbers would. He did an excellent job and I would absolutely use him again for all of my plumbing needs.
Wow. What a great experience.
Our sink had been leaking for years and had a bowl under it to catch the little drips...until a couple of nights ago when the bowl must have moved and suddenly the cabinet and kitchen floor were flooded. My husband was going to go to Home Depot, get PVC pipe, PVC saw, and fix it himself.
But I turned to Yelp and told him that it would be cheaper (and, ahem, faster) to go with the highly rated Plumbing Doctor. After debating the cost and time it would take my husband to try and fix it v.
a plumber, we agreed that we'd decide on which way to go in the morning, depending on if the plumber had contacted us and when he could get us in. Email sent at 12:02 am.
Fast forward 12 hours later (noon) and our kitchen sink is fixed. That is amazing service.
Seriously. He was knowledgeable, had everything he needed to fix the sink right on his truck and very reasonably priced.
And he accepted a check! Pay no attention to any negative reviews on Jon, they clearly fall in the category of "nothing would please this person" and should be dismissed. So, I'm a start this review off by saying, I rarely write reviews--check out my stats, but any-who, here goes! I contacted Jon AKA "Mr.
Awesomeness!" about a "situation" that I was experiencing in my laundry room closet. Basically, every time the washer hit the rinse cycle the water would back up from the floor drain.
After a failed plumbing attempt by a guy who "claimed" to be a plumber, Mr. Awesomeness came to my rescue with one days notice.
He whipped out his industrial strength plunger and tackled that evil backup, which turned out to be a clog that originated in the kitchen sick (go figure). Within 20 minutes I heard angels singing and there was this strange halo around Jon's head.
In fact, Jon had successfully cleared my drain and I knew that he would be my go to plumber from now on! I contacted the old plumber who by the way had scheduled an appointment to come back out (3rd visit) and cut out my walls, just so I could let him know that he was no longer needed and there was a new plumber in town and he should up his game! If you're looking for a plumber STOP! Why are you still looking? Do you see the rating?. Contact Jon, he's awesome and the price is RIGHT! I hate to be a negative Nancy and want to recognize that running your own business requires a certain amount of hustle but I called this gentleman to help us with a plumbing issue and did not have a positive experience.
I have to say that the communication skills utilized here were not at all impressive. During our attempt to schedule a visit, a key piece of information was shared by me which was quickly discarded - that ultimately led to our missing our appointment.
I was very frustrated and shared that with the "doctor" and received no apology nor an attempt to help us...just a "I've moved on," leaving us in quite a plumbing predicament later at night. To be fair, I'm not sure what his work quality is having not actually used his service.
And am guessing by all of the positive reviews, this was a fluke situation. But I was not satisfied with the communications nor the customer service rendered when things got sticky, so I'll not be calling back if we ever need plumbing service again.
Just beware: it's not ALL 5 stars over here. Thank you, Jon! I had him out to fix my shower faucet, and he took care of it.
Jon even showed me what to do for minor maintenance issues. He also tightened/realigned my sink faucet at no charge.
He was on time, on budget (less than Vanguard), and everything works! PS... make sure you call "Jon at The Plumbing Doctor" not "John at A Plumbing Doctor." Two different people and two different companies.
Jon is a lifesaver and is absolutely my go-to plumber from now on. Last night our basement's ejector pump suddenly failed.
It was an emergency as the snow was melting and I had a trip planned with my wife for Valentine's Day the next day. The first people I called canceled after two hours, so I called the Plumbing Doctor.
Jon first talked me through how to possibly fix it myself, then arrived in exactly the time he gave when that did not work. Jon was very considerate and patient with our situation, as well as cost-conscious.
It turned out that the pump needed to be replaced; he explained to us exactly what the problem was and how to avoid it in the future. He offered to fix it the next day using our key, but replaced it in good cheer when we changed our mind and asked him to come back out (at 10pm!).
I can't say enough good things about the Plumbing Doctor. He saved our plans in an emergency situation, was completely transparent and sensitive about cost and was patient with our indecision at an incredibly late hour.
Quick, effective, helpful and friendly. We had a garbage disposal that refused to run.
Found Jon on Yelp. Made an appointment for after work.
Jon and his partner stopped by within the window they promised (albeit at the very far end of it, but who's looking at the clock?). They got the thing running within minutes, for a fair price and gave us helpful tips on how best to maintain the disposal.
A completely stress-free resolution of a plumbing problem? You better believe it. Like most people, I had a few different problems that needed to be fixed.
John pointed out a few other things (such as TWO holes in two different pipes), that we hadn't noticed. When talking to John, you can tell that he is being honest about what needs to be done, and this is one thing that makes working with his business the easiest.
Our clog was gone in about 2 minutes, and he had our pipes replaced in less than an hour. I also had a few other issues, and they were taken care of accordingly.
I wouldn't hesitate to give John a call again in the future, We've found ourselves in the middle of the worst bathroom renovation in the history of man. With so much stress that comes along with the renovation then, it was great to find someone who not only knew what they were doing, but didn't treat us like idiots because we didn't.
Enter, the Plumbing Doctor. He was extremely patient with us and the building which presented as a major headache.
He's very accessible and polite. Definitely glad to have found him and finally get this bathroom done!!! Update: we just got a check up call from Jon to see how the pipes were holding up and if everything works alright.
How amazing is that? You hardly ever see anyone in the service business do a follow. That in itself was definitely worth an extra star.
Call these guys for your plumbing needs; the work is great and the service is excellent. Love the follow-up call!!!! John arrived early for our appointment.
He was totally professional and knowledgable. We had a terrible smell coming from our master bathroom.
He said 9/10 that means a problem with the toilet. He removed the toilet, replaced the wax ring, and reinstalled all within 15 minutes.
He even took the time to show me what was wrong with the old seal. I couldn't be happier with the results.
We haven't smelled the odor since John left. 100% satisfied and would call him again in a heartbeat.
Great service with competitive prices. I called because I discovered there was water under my bathroom floor and suspected a leaking toilet.
Jon came within hours of my initial call and immediately stated that the problem was an incorrectly installed toilet. It has a wall drainage system rather than into the floor.
Because of the upcoming holiday I will be out of town and Jon scheduled me right away. He came by today and had the toilet running properly within minutes.
Get this, he even called to say he was running behind a little bit because of complications on another job. How rare to get such a call but a very welcome one.
He even went the extra mile to help me set up a dehumidifier so that it would run 24/7 while I'm out of town to alleviate some of the water under the flooring. Best of all, he guaranteed his work for the next two years.
If the problem returns because of his work, he'll come back and fix it for free. Great guy who is knowledgeable, helpful, and responsive.
All for a reasonable price. Highly recommend calling him for any plumbing problem you encounter.
Thanks Jon! Found Jon Spears through another top ranked plumbing related business on Yelp. Jon is an extremely knowledgeable plumber who provides a helpful range of options for your needs.
I was on a tight budget in replacing my hot water heater with a tankless Noritz heater. He managed to subcontract the removal of the old unit at about a 40% discount (had to chop the old one in two to get it out of a stupid configuration that the old owner allowed), and then installed the new unit in a couple of hours (40% discount on new heater as well).
I now have unlimited hot water and a nice tax rebate to boot. He also redid the ugly old steel piping in our bathroom and replaced with nice copper piping so that we could put in a pedestal sink and not have the pipes show out the sides.
Long and short - this guy knows every brand of every item related to plumbing, and is at the top of his game. Jon services Chicago proper and all the nearby suburbs.
Update 2/20/10: our tankless water heater developed an disturbing noise issue after installation. John bird-dogged the manufacturer for weeks (free of charge) until they sent an engineer out to correct the problem.
I would use John again for any plumbing issue we have in the future. Jon showed up within hours of our call & fixed our backed up, frozen pipes quickly and efficiently.
He also gave great advise and was very knowledgeable. Highly recommended! Very nice, very professional.
He was able to fit me in between other jobs and came over very shortly after I called him. Gave me advice on how to prevent future problems and solved the current one (which was a pretty simple hairball build-up).
I'll keep his number handy in case I run into other problems in the future! John (or Jon) came out to fix a clogged kitchen sink. When the air ram didn't work, he then employed a power snake and got the sink draining.
I was very pleased until I noticed the downstairs laundry sink had filled with the water from the upstairs sink. We had friends coming to dinner the following evening, etc.
and were at wits end. I called Jon and he said he would come back over and take care of it that night (it was already 8:30) which I thought was pretty awesome.
However, it was getting late and between wanting to call it a night and wanting him to be able to do so as well, we agreed he'd come back around noon the next day. Jon was at my house at noon and had the problem resolved by 12:30 and not only didn't try to charge any additional $ but refused my money when I offered.
Guarantees the work for two years, too. I called Jon because my garbage disposal had been clogged (my fault).
He offered me two times to come out that day, both of which did not work. He actually then offered to come out in about an hour or two, which was exactly what I was looking for.
I was amazed that he was so accommodating. He came out and fixed my garbage disposal in about 5 minutes and taught me how to clean it every month.
I asked if he had a little more time to take a look at my bathroom sink - it was draining very slowly. He called his partner who came up right away and they unclogged the drain.
Price was reasonable and he was super nice and accommodating. I would definitely call him again.
When he left, I noticed that there was a mess made in the adjoining bathroom. So when I called him to ask about it, he apologized profusely and offered to come back, even though he was about a half an hour away.
He explained that pipes aren't supposed to be connected in a certain way if they're newer (which mine is) so he had no idea that that would happen. Since I just had to clean it up and nothing was broken, I told him not to come back.
I just today received a check from him in the mail and and an apology letter for the inconvenience!! I can bet that no other plumber would do that. Hire this man if you have any plumbing needs!!! After my garbage disposal fell out of my sink -- yes, fell out of my sink -- I called John! He and his apprentice showed up and had my problem fixed -- plus completely resealed and rebuilt my toilet -- in less than an hour.
They were on-time, professional and got the job done in a quick and efficient manner. I would highly recommend them for any of your plumbing needs.
After seeing all the positive reviews, and Andy's one-star rating - I feel compelled to share my story as well. I had a problem with the toilet flange, which was causing water to overflow.
I found the Plumbing "Doctor" on Yelp based on all the positives and decided to give him a try. He arrived like his hair was on fire and he was looking to set a new record time in the Plumbing Olympics.
Also, as an added bonus, he stayed true to the plumber stereotype with butt crack on full display. When I simply peaked my head in the bathroom to check on the severity of my problem, he was very curt and basically asked me to leave him alone while he worked.
So the "Doctor's" bedside manner was like Kevorkian's...but hey, what did I care as long as the water stopped leaking, right? 8 minutes or so later he was apparently done, having placed putty on the flange. He gave me a bill for $300 and instructed me not to use the toilet for a day.
I asked him if he took credit cards and he said "no". I had asked since I was down to my last check...and who writes checks anymore anyway? Later, I studied his Yelp page closer and it states he does accept credit cards! The next day, the leaking continued like nothing at all was done! Rather than having him return which would undoubtedly result in an added expense, I hired another plumber who did the job correctly and only charged half of what the good "doctor" did.
I had a backed up garbage disposal and called around asking for quotes. I called a few other places Sunday night and I felt like I was bothering them - until I called John.
He asked me a few questions - knew what the issue was, quoted a fair price and confirmed a time. He must have been on a job and asked me to text my name, problem and confirm the time we discussed.
The next morning he texted to reconfirm the time. When John arrived - it turns out I had done more damage than he thought.
(did you know that rice and noodles down a garbage disposal expands... Same reason why you shouldn't feed birds rice...).
Anyway - he had to do an acid flush then rod the pipe. He was in an out in under an hour.
He cleaned up the mess that was my fault (although he said its his fault, but my responsibility) and made great conversation whole he was here. John is a trustworthy dependable contractor which is hard to come by these days.
He even guarantees his work for 2 years. I'd recommend him to anyone (even though I hope I never have to see him again....
Hehe). Thanks John! I am 100% satisfied customer of the Plumbing Doctor my garbage disposal was clogged and nasty water started backing up during the weekend and when i called Jon, he called back within half an hour and asked if i needed him to check on it immediately i told him the next day would be ok and he came at the time he said he would, looked at it and explained to me what was wrong with it he also gave me tips on maintenance, what's more he fixed my toilet when he was here too Jon is professional, funny and charges a fair price I highly recommend him I called John to rout my bathroom, and he and his apprentice John stopped by the very next day to fix me up! Not only was this work done great, but The guys also helped me move a piano through a tight doorway that I've need help with for months.
These guys are so awesome not only do they do great plumbing work, but they move pianos too! Thanks a bunch John!!! Great experience! I have never had to call a plumber before....Apparently you don't put cabbage in a garbage disposal. And Draino...Not all it's cracked up to be(in fact it's just bleach).
I called around 8 a.m. he said he would be there between 10-12.
I thought oh great I will see him around 2-3...Not the case, he was there at 11:30! Then went right to work on the pipes, out in less then 30 minutes and at an excellent price. He was very informative, and knew his stuff and very quick to answer any questions we had.
Told us things to look out for, and that if it get's backed up again, to call. He will guarantee his work 5 minutes.
He fixed the bathtub drain that had been plaguing us for a week in 5 minutes. The man is obviously busy, so he doesn't overdo it on the phone with pleasantries, and if he tells you a time, don't try to change it on him (like I did) because it just confuses things.
We talked briefly. He asked me to text him the time and the details, and then I texted him with something different than what I had said (an earlier time).
I called again later because I hadn't gotten a response, and yes, it turned out that he was sticking to the original time (8:00 p.m.-- ideal for a working woman like me!). Basically, keep it simple and he will too! He was friendly and awesome in person, and stuck to the original quote of $115 for the unclogging of the cursed drain.
That's ten dollars cheaper than other places I looked at. And he came out at 8 p.m.
As I said before, 5 minutes. I thought I would take the time I saved to write this Yelp review.
Thanks, Jon! I highly recommend Jon and will never go elsewhere for my plumbing needs. We had a problem with the plumbing in our basement and the washer, toilet and bathtub weren't working properly.
We had standing water and needed something done fast. I figured my Sunday was ruined given that we called at 12:30 just to see how much it would cost and if it was possible he come that day.
I wanted to discuss it with my roommates so I called him back at 12:40 to have him stop by and he was at our house by 12:45....yes, you didn't read that incorrectly, it took him FIVE MINUTES to arrive to our house. Thinking this was going to cost quite a bit of money we were prepared for the worst.
Jon assessed the situation and had the problem fixed in less than 10 minutes. He is a very honest, funny and reasonably priced plumber.
I didn't even feel like he was a total stranger at our place, he is so personable it almost felt like he was a friend coming by to help us out. I highly recommend his services, you will not be disappointed.
Jon is the most professional and personable utilities guy that has ever come over to fix something in my condo (which had everything poorly installed when it was re-habbed). The only reason it's a 4-star review instead of 5 is that he rescheduled me a few times the first time I called him in order to take care of some emergent and larger jobs but you can hardly blame him for that since I will be grateful for that kind of treatment when I have an emergency, too.
I will call him every time. I honestly don't know how this guy has such good reviews.
I called him for a leaking sink, and he came out the following day to check it out. I was under the impression that he'd fix it the same day, but he didn't.
He gave it a quick look and said that it would be $75 for the "service call" and that he'd have to come back to fix it. He didn't even give me an estimate for the repair.
He was then supposed to come on a Thursday afternoon between 12 and 4 to fix the sink and I hadn't heard from him by 3:45, so I called him. He THEN told me that he couldn't make it that day and would have to reschedule - really great since I had to take off an afternoon of work to meet him.
He finally came to repair the sink the following day, which took an hour, and he charged me $275 more. He didn't make up in any way for the inconvenience of waiting for him for four hours the day before only for him not to show.
Two weeks later, it seemed that our sink was leaking again, so I called John to come check it out. He did, but was VERY rude during the entire visit and on the phone.
Then, after he came, he said that since he didn't think that the leak was from any of his work, that we'd have to pay for ANOTHER service call. I refused and won't be calling him for any more work.
Hopefully you won't either.'''.
Read less
“Paul was amazing! I had to have a lot of plumbing work done in order to sell my house.” according to 5 users
