Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of North Austin

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is the best I’ve used in Austin over the 25 years I’ve owned a home here. I’ve used them several times now and they are courteous, communicative, punctual and do the job correctly at a fair price. Recently, Timothy was fantastic. He diagnosed a complex issue, explained it and made recommendations providing options, then promptly made the repair. Would use again and again.

We were in a tight situation and needed a plumbing repair on the same day. Fred was exemplary at understanding my need and working to secure me a same day appointment. My plumber, David G, completely exceeded my expectations. His communication, his patience with explaining what is needed and his quick thinking at answering the endless, “Yeah, but what if -”. Although the repair couldn’t be fixed the same day, they are going to be able to fix it the following day after securing a hard-to-find part. I called them at 10:00 am this morning and it’s 3:22 pm and my problem will be rectified fully by tomorrow. I’m an extremely happy customer.

I called the office at 7:30am with no hot water. They answered and Mickey came to assess my heater by 10am. It was 27 years old Hot water heater from 1998 😳 It was time. He was very professional and helpful. He gave me the quote, I paid 50% and then Scott and Dave came later and installed it in the afternoon. They worked hard since it was an attic unit. The new unit got a dent but should not effect it’s functions. I was glad Benjamin Franklin plumbing were prompt and professional.

Gimmicks, 4+ hours of work, problem not resolved, plumber consistently correcting my words (snake a drain vs. cable a drain). Charged me extra for 2" drain pipe in an old home. Offered to rip through walls for another $3K plus a membership to their club for $500 which gives you access to more discounts. Another plumber came a few days later to give another estimate and fixed the clogged drain within 10 minutes. This is a slick big franchise company who bought an older Austin business. I called to give them this feedback that someone else was able to fix the problem and the manager never called me back. Do not recommend.

This company seems much more focused on making money than meeting customer needs. I contacted them to have a licensed plumber check the gas connections for my water heater and HVAC, just to confirm there were no leaks. I didn’t suspect a leak, but wanted professional verification. When scheduling the appointment, I clearly explained my request. However, they refused to provide a quote for the gas leak check. Instead, they said there would be a minimum $99 fee, and that the actual cost couldn’t be determined until the technician assessed the situation onsite. OK, fine. When the plumber arrived, I again explained that I was looking for a simple gas leak check and verification. After a quick 10-minute look at the appliances, he told me the only test he can offer is a pressure test — priced at $1,000. I was shocked. There are many standard, less expensive methods for detecting gas leaks (e.g., visual inspection, soapy water test, electronic gas detectors, gas sniffers), yet they only offered the most expensive option. I asked how long the pressure test would take and was told less than an hour. So essentially, I paid $99 just to get a quote for a $1,000 test that involves no repairs — just using their tools and a plumber's time for an hour. That’s effectively $1,000/hour. Later, I contacted another plumbing company. Their pricing was less than half of Benjamin Franklin’s, and their service included more comprehensive checks and other items. Given this horrible experience, I will not be using Benjamin Franklin Plumbing again. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Comment after reading “Response from the owner”] The owner’s response only reinforces my original impression — that this company prioritizes making money over addressing customer needs. They seem to exaggerate every situation to justify selling more expensive services. In my case, I simply wanted a basic gas leak check and verification, with no known issues or suspected leaks. Yet, they offered only one option — a $1,000 pressure test — while dismissing other standard and legitimate methods used across the industry. Their reasoning was, “$1000 would be a small price to pay if it prevented a fire or worse yet the loss of someone’s life.” If that logic applies to everything, then perhaps they should set a $1,000 minimum for all services. For example, if a customer only needs to install a gas shutoff valve, they could insist on a $1,000 pressure test, because, “$1000 would be a small price to pay if it prevented a fire or worse yet the loss of someone’s life." Or if someone wants to install a water shutoff valve, they might recommend a $1,000 water pressure test — since, by their reasoning, “it could prevent water damage that costs tens of thousands to repair.” This kind of approach doesn’t demonstrate care for customer safety — it shows a business model focused on upselling and inflating costs under the guise of safety.

("Your review will help people find great local businesses." Yes, by having them steer clear of these pirates. TL;DR summary - After quoting me $300 to replace a 2-inch easily accessible plastic dowel on my toilet, BFP charged me $60 for a service call and left me with a broken toilet.) BFP has been my plumber of choice over the past ten years, until an unpleasant incident today. I have a Niagra commode, which BFP sold to me and installed in 2008, less than five years ago, which had a plastic part break in the upper tank (the "non-handle clip" part #C2216-35) yesterday. I turned off the water to the commode, called BFP, and scheduled a service call for today. To be fair, I was advised at the time that they would charge $60 service call fee for coming out to my house, but I was anticipating that they were going to fix my toilet - once again, the one that they'd sold me a few years ago. I should've anticipated trouble when the dispatcher told me that they weren't installing my model any more "back then, there was an incentive to sell them, now there's not; we still carry parts for them, though." The tech came to my house, and offered to replace that 2-inch plastic dowel for a (bring out the book) "level 3" charge of $223 (plus the $60 service call). Dumbfounded, I asked how much it would be to replace the entire toilet (bring out the book) with one of traditional flush technology and was quoted a figure in excess of $600. Our tech said that he didn't have a toilet on the truck with him, but that he'd be happy to do a temporary repair of my commode and come back Monday with a new one. My wife later observed that if we operated the way they did, we should have had him fix the toilet, then canceled the replacement. D'oh! I observed that $300 (repair+service charge) seemed a little steep for what amounts to a plastic dowel that I could get at Home Depot for around $5, and our serviceman waxed philosophic, "Well, I don't set the price. We have to pay for our trucks." And then charged me $60 for that extravagant (price) quote. I asked if there was any warranty on the now broken toilet with the obsolete technology that they sold me, and he said that there was a one year warranty from the factory (web searching has turned up that it is in fact 5 years) and two years through BFP. The plumber from BFP, having given me the outrageous quote, then charged me $60 for the visit and left without fixing or touching a thing. Enjoy that $60, BFP. It's the last money that you'll see from us. Update: I have since tried to contact the manager, and left a message with a bored answering service. I have yet to have my call returned, which is odd, because when I want to schedule service (money to them), I usually get a call back immediately. Update to the update: just received a call from the tech (the manager declined to return my call at all), and they will do the job for an extra $120, about $100 off their initial quoted price, or around $200 with the $60 service charge to replace a plastic dowel. Went from one star to two on this basis, but probably will still not use them again.

WHOA!! We have a regular plumbing company we use, unfortunately they were unavailable today. So, we tried Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. But... had we KNOWN how EXORBITANT the cost would be, we would have happily waited until tomorrow when our regular plumbing company would be available. $79 + $58 is AUTOMATICALLY charged. $79 is the "trip charge" AND $58 is a "membership fee." So, be prepared to pay $137 BEFORE anything is done. This "membership fee" gives you 15% off your services... today and in the future. So... that means, with our 15% discount today (remember, it cost us $58) we saved $101. Let me just point out that our regular plumbing company does not charge a "trip fee" or any other "fee" for driving to our home (BTW, we live about 2 miles out of Cedar Park and today's plumber with Benjamin Franklin was coming from Cedar Park). $79 buys a whole lot of gas..... In the last 10 years, we have used the same plumbing company, but at least 4 different times we needed to use someone else because our regular plumbing company was unavailable. Those companies did not charge exorbitant prices like this! Today, we had a broken pipe on an outside faucet. The plumber needed to remove 2 bricks in order to access the pipe to fix it. All of the work was expected... the plumber did not do anything we thought was odd. The workmanship seems good. The plumber left here about 40 minutes ago and all seems to be fine, the outside faucet is not leaking. BUT, just this summer, we had a different plumber come out (because our regular company was not available) to fix a leak on a different outside faucet. He removed 6-8 bricks to replace a leaking pipe that was further up inside the wall. So, today's services were very similar in complexity and time needed to fix. Although, added services today were including the new faucet and valve. So, sure. I'll even add another $100 for these VERY standard plumbing items. An appropriate price would have been $400 for today's services. Our advice to anyone considering using Benjamin Franklin Plumbing... DO NOT unless you simply can not find ANYONE else. The quality seems good. Again, no complaints about the actual craftsmanship of fixing a broken pipe on an outside faucet. But the pricing for their services are DOUBLE (did I mention that they are DOUBLE?) what you can find with other local plumbing services. So, shop around before you commit to this company, because you'll be on the hook for way more than is appropriate for the services provided. Wholly crap ---- even more!!!! I just read all the reviews on here and on Yelp! They've been GOUGING people for YEARS. I did not read any of those reviews before writing this one. Unfortunately, my older parents do not understand the value of reading reviews before contracting services. I agree with one of the previous reviewers that said, "I'M OUTRAGED" with these charges --- and I LOVE the review on Yelp that really said it like it is - they called Benjamin Franklin Plumbing "THIEVES". That hits the nail on the head.

This review is as relevant today as it was 8 years ago when it was originally posted. Unbelievable, it took the proprietor 8 years to acknowledge it, but not apologize for the experience or want to make it right. We were directed to Benjamin Franklin Plumbing by HomeAdvisor. I was explicit in my written instructions when filling out my HomeAdvisor survey that I wanted my 9 year old tankless Burner Assembly Cleaned! VERY straightforward. As a secondary concern, I asked about descaling (as I have had this service completed in the past) and having service valves installed to make descaling easier to do in the future. The technician (Kevin) went OCD on us and could not get over the fact that my tankless didn't have service or flush valves ALREADY installed. He mentioned regulations required them and that very few plumbers could or would flush the system without the valves! He said he could not install the servicing valves. He said the owner of Benjamin Franklin was very strict and the owner would not allow him to work on my tankless because it is not up to "code". Oh... and the technician said the gas lines were too narrow and it would cost THOUSANDS of dollars to fix. Complete BS, NONE of which had anything to do with CLEANING THE BURNER ASSEMBLY! The gas lines provide plenty of gas and pressure. My system has worked flawlessly for 9 years. 1) I found Benjamin Franklin Plumbing on Home Advisor. 2) I called the company the next day and spoke to Amy who told me that their technicians knew how to clean and work on Tankless systems and specifically the Burner Assembly..."Oh yeah, they do it all the time". 3) By the way, I have had my system flushed by CLARK KENT plumbing on two previous occasions. 4) I have a written quote from CLARK KENT plumbing to install servicing vales for $350. 5) I'm sorry but regulations DON'T require servicing valves! I'm very disappointed that my first experience with HomeAdvisor put me in contact with Benjamin Franklin. I should have simply contacted Clark Kent Plumbing. So to wrap it up, Technician looked at my heater, freaked out over no service valves (which has nothing to do with the burner assembly) and said "no can do". Was told it would cost THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of dollars to service the heater. I was then charged $59 bucks for an incompetent service call. Ridiculous. Sorry folks, I don't like to be fed a load of BS. My tankless is located in my attic and is positioned oddly, making it awkward to gain full access. I speculate this is the reason this technician had a problem with working on my heater, thus discouraging the work by telling us it would cost THOUSANDS of dollars to service.

Mr Oldenkamp- As you know from Joyce and Richard that I am concerned with the given prices to "make-over" two toilets with new parts. I have used you to replace the hot water heater sometimes ago. When Richard mentioned the rough estimates for the two toilets. I told him maybe I should replace these 14 years old with new toilets and Richard explained that new parts will be just fine and it is much lower than buying two new toilets. I went along with Richard's advice. Richard suggested 'tune' up for hot water and other minor jobs done too. When I got the final bill which was a whooper bit over $1,000+!!! Alone $600.00 was the 'makeover" of my toilets. I was not happy with these charges and decided to do my homework. My roommate and other friends' thought it was a rip-off and showed me various toilets in Home Depot or Lowes. They are much lower than the repair and labor charges. And some of these toilets have mechanics to reduce water being flushed equipped with two different kinds of flushes. I even checked the parts itself at Home Depot, which the most expensive replacement is less than $30.00. Richard came again today for the leak I experienced in one of the toilets; I shared my concern with Richard. He showed me purchasing prices of "new toilets" though your company, which were way over $600. I showed him printed documents from the internet of various toilets. Richard explained replacements of the 'Ben Franklin' (printed with the same name on the flush valves) parts are better than Home Depot or Lowes. After Richard fixed the leak, I informed him that I am not satisfied with the pricing and felt two toilets replacement parts and the labor should be one price of $300.00 that was fair and reasonable. Richard explained the labor fees, which may be the reason for these prices. I mentioned to Richard that he was doing his job but I would discuss this further with the owner (you). After Richard left, I called Joyce and asked for you. You suggested for me to write an email to you. I had the feeling that you were either avoiding me or not being comfortable using the 3rd party person when using the relay for the deaf video conversation since I am deaf. I am still angry and upset with being taken advantage of my ignorance when comes to plumbing and pricing. I plan writing this unfortunate situation on Angie's List, Yelp and Face Book letting other consumers know to check with pricing and compare before signing or paying anything first. Sincerely, Susan Sien

My mother for years now has sworn up and down that I'm going to marry a "bubba". That's right. Not some stuffy college professor, some high powered lawyer or slick businessman but a bubba. A down-to-earth, likeable, kind guy who likes to work with his hands and who knows how to fix stuff. I couldn't agree more. Hence you can imagine my excitement when my garbage disposal broke. Yes, I just had my house built 3 1/2 years ago but you know Texas builders, always trying to get by using the Cheap. It wasn't enough that my disposal just stopped working but it also stopped draining too meaning every time my dishwasher turned on it would back up into my sink. I needed help. I had just received a card in the mail from Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and couldn't resist the discounted sales call, precious picture of America's Founding Father himself holding a plumbing wrench plus the possibility of meeting a soul mate. I called right away. I not only got a courtesy call when my plumber was on his way but he also showed up early. After all these guys bill themselves the "Punctual Plumber" and they were right on. At my doorstep was not Mr. Right for me but truly was Mr. Right for the plumbing job. Good ole' Dave is long time married and had been doing plumbing work for about 30 years and really knew his stuff. Granted, this wasn't a complicated job but I always enjoy talking to people who know their trade. We chatted for a bit about his son who is my age and a Gunny DI in the USMC, and about the recruit depot in San Diego I too had spent time in (back when billeting was still available for $20 a night stay which alas is long gone). Dave was a very nice man and he also helped me with my drain issue in my master bathtub. I felt very confident in the services and my brand, spanking new stainless steel higher-than-before horsepower garbage disposal. It now has a 5 year warranty on it from BF which is better than what I had before from the builder. The only downside is that being a brand and a franchise Benjamin Franklin is going to cost more $$$ than the average plumber: I paid over $300 for my disposal, install and service call fee. However I am confident in the communication and skill set of the company and would still use them again.

I would give negative stars if able. Back in 2008 or 2009 our Mainline broke, we called Ben Franklin to take a look and fix. BFP advised to run the new main straight from the street to the corner of the house to avoid turns/joints. We did the trenching to save money, BFP okayed the trench and laid new main. Everything seemed fine. A few years later - another break/leak - soggy yard at corner of house. I dug down to Main, there was a hole in the copper pipe that looked like a nick from a hacksaw, it had weakened over time and was leaking pretty bad. Called BFP, they came out and claimed no responsibility - it was "out of warranty", said they could fix it for 600 dollars. First plumber fixed it (there were about three overly-complicated knuckles/joints where PVC met copper). He repaired it the same way it was - all the knuckles and joints. He covered it back up and left. The next day, the ground was soggy again, I uncovered it again, it was leaking from one of the joints. Same guy came back, fixed it again, the same way. He went to cover it up, I said no. It started leaking again the same day, just as bad as before. Day three BFP sent a different plumber. This guy looked at the work the first guy did and shook his head laughing at the work. Second guy fixed it, took out all the knuckles/joints, it was now just PVC to Copper. I left it uncovered for a day to see if it leaked, it did not. A few years later, my foot stepped into soggy earth again at night on the corner of the house. I found water literally bubbling up through the ground. I dug down to the main, finding a twisted bend in the copper right at the foundation. The leak was spraying from the inside of the bend/kink. I left the water off all night, cleared out more of the main in the morning - the copper main into the house looks like it was manhandle and forced down and at an angle in order to meet the PVC from the street. Talked to BFP, I explained the history, they said once again that BFP's work was out of warranty. Then quickly stated all plumbers were sick with the flu, could not do anything until a week later. Ben Franklin does shoddy work, and they take absolutely no responsibility.

We paid $305 to this guy, and the toilet is still unusable. The "service" we received from this business felt like a scam. Another reminder to read Yelp before hiring someone, because it seems many of these people had the same experience we did. After receiving a postcard waiving the service fee, we called to have them come out to fix a toilet that frequently ran. The representative says we need to replace the flapper, but since the toilet is seven years old, we should really go ahead and replace the gaskets, as well. He quotes the price of the flapper at $90; the cost to replace the innards is $305. He strongly suggests replacing the gaskets, so we tell him to do so. As soon as he's finished, he tells us the toilet is cracked and needs to be replaced. AFTER HE'S REPLACED THE GASKETS ON THE TOILET FOR $305. He then quotes a new toilet at $700. I tell him that I just bought a new toilet for our other bathroom for $89 at Sam's Club, and he stammers through an explanation about why the price would go up to $700 if we bought it from them. After we declined, he said that the toilet would probably leak, and we could be looking at $10,000 in water damage--and he's putting a disclaimer on our receipt that they're not responsible when that happens. He says he "didn't notice" any crack until AFTER he'd replaced the parts and charged us $305, but since he'd already replaced it, we'd have to pay the $305 for the useless toilet in addition to $700+ for a new toilet. TL;DR: Needed to get a toilet to stop running, paid $305 to make the repairs the rep said it needed to make it stop running, only to be told that we actually needed a new toilet for $700+ in addition to the $300 we'd already spent, or be faced with $10,000+ in water damage if we didn't do as he suggested. Wanted over $1000 in total to replace parts in a now-useless toilet and buy another one.

shameless and despicable! I had a leaking kitchen faucet and a bathtub dripping water. I fell for the free service call. the plumber was very nice, but the only two faucets they carried on the truck were a $400 and a $600 model. top quality with 100 year guarantee. okay, I took a deep breath and told him to install it. total installed $609. he looked at the tub but couldn't get the stems loose. he used a hammer and screwdriver to chip away around the stem. he finally said he couldn't get them loose and that he would have to cut out the whole valve box and cover the hole with a remodeling kit. he couldn't do it today because he would have to order the part. he left an estimate of $788! I guess he figured he had made enough on the faucet job for today. I paid him $609 and he was out of here. I just couldn't believe this guy's estimate and I couldn't believe it required major demolition because he couldn't get the stems loose. I found a master plumber with 25 years experience and called him out to fix the tub. I said nothing about Benjamin Franklin. this master plumber got the stems loose, put in all new parts, including handles and spout, caulked, and fixed a toilet as well. total charge - parts & labor - $210. Benjamin Franklin seems to work on the theory that there will always be another sucker. I was their sucker on the faucet, but will never use them again or recommend them. maybe they're killing the goose that lays golden eggs. I am totally blown away! master plumber does the same work, that day, for 25% of Benjamin Franklin's bid. all of that said, I hope I can enjoy my probably $200 faucet. ugh!

The person who wrote a review stating that Benjamin Plumbing pulled out a price book, be ready to get ripped off is correct!! The plumber just left here. I had a piece of pipe that needed to be cut out and replaced with new pipe. A small piece from the water line. It was a repair leak in 3/4 inch copper. My price quote "$583.00!!! and to bury the small section of line was an additional $305.00!!! I had to pay them $59.00 for showing up. You want to know whats wrong with this country. This is it "GREED"!!!! No many people want to make an honest living anymore. They want to get rich from you. Disgusting, Dishonest company. The tech was very nice. OH BTW. They told me if I joined their club for $58 dollars I would get a 15% discount. Oh boy even with that discount. I'm still getting ripped off. My suggestion use craiglist plumbers. Most will give you an honest price. Just an update I hired someone else to do the job. He exposed the pipe, cut off the damaged area and replaced it with "PEX" which is half the price of cooper, faster and easier to use. and then buried the line. He charged me $200 labor and parts were $25.00 So got the whole job done for $225.00 Not the $888.00Benjamin wanted. Of course Benjamin never even mentioned PEX to me. Also the guy I hired does all kind of work. Shame on you Benjamin Plumbing. If you get a flyer in the mail from them. Run!!!!

Shame on me for thinking I could trust this company and their plumbers to provide solid, honest service and expertise. But at least I can warn you to stay clear! I'm not a plumber but I don't think it costs $218 to replace an old leaky hose bib. On June 6, 2016 I was charged $218.00 to replace a 1/2" hose bib. I was told it was better and more expensive than the regular 3/4" (@$98) because it was stainless steel and had a lever handle... and he had to solder off the old one. The plumber acted like he was giving me a deal @ $218 and he kept pushing the service agreement. I had a couple other professionals (men) come over and take a look. They said I got taken by this company. I saw the hose bib he put on and it costs about $12 retail. The plumber spent about 5/7 mins replacing the old one. I had a promo for a free service call (@$59) otherwise; I would have been charged $277!! They are overpriced and I feel they took advantage of me, a trusting consumer in need. I definitely won't be using this company again! Side note: After the visit, they kept emailing me to give them some feedback on their website on my experience. Yes, I told them what I AM TELLING YOU. Funny, there weren't any more emails or follow-up phone calls to ensure I was a valued customer, nor was my review posted on their site. Funny how that works once they get your money...