Bishop Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, Inc.

Scott and Bill came to fix our bathtub drain. Our son put a toy wash cloth down it during bath time. They discovered that our plumbing was out of date, replaced it and did extra rodding to find the difficult wash cloth. They also advised replacing a cast iron pipe , unbeknownst to us, had a huge crack on top. They spent extra time making sure everything was right and working properly. We so appreciate their attention to detail and thoroughness.

BISHOP!!!!!!! James and Scott are very nice guys. They came to fix my heater. Scott was very teachable he explained every step to me that they were doing and what the problem was. They fixed, cleaned and wiped the heater down. My heater was very dirty and dusty. I would recommend these 2 guys!!! I also would like to say it was a tight squeeze where my furnace was but they made it work!! Great job guys ..

We called Bishops to have my mom toilet fixed. Thinking it was due to be repaired or replaced. The tech Joe S. saw that is was working just fine but needed a deep clean. After the cleaning was completed Joe had my mom see that everything was working perfectly! Asked about something for my own self personally & he was nice enough to give me a quote so that I could save up some money. Mentioned that we had coupons and he worked with those . We definitely recommend Bishops for your plumbing needs especially in the Bay Colony area they know how everything is set.

I cannot figure out how anyone is giving them anything other than 1 star. Interesting, they have only a 1.5 rating on yelp???? Anyway, the place is a total scam. Charged us thousands of dollars and claimed they found the break. Turns out the x he was referring to was actually from a tree trimming job done the week earlier. He came to the door 3 times. Each time looking for more money to do further investigation. In the end they never found the cause. We than had a local independent guy come out. He found the break and didn't even charge us for the camera use. Bishop only offered us $100 compensation. However, if we took the $100 we had to sign a waiver stating we would not publish bad reviews. Well that says it all. We refused the $100 just so we would be able to warn others in our neighborhood of the sketchy services. We care more about being a good neighbor than getting $100. STAY AWAY!!!

The price is ridiculous. We paid $400 just for some one to come out and run a diagnostic on our hot water heater. They ignored the code flashing on the unit and said it was something else. They didn't any of the parts to fix it right then and verify that was the issue. We got the part ourselves and changed it out. It didn't fix anything. So water heater was still broken and we weren't any closer to fixing it. We called a different company, they addressed the issue of the code flashing and that worked. The job was fixed by a different company and we were charged half the amount. I feel scammed by Bishop plumbing. They should say that they don't service our brand and not charge outrageous prices.

PLEASE READ - STAY AWAY!!!! FAKE POSITIVE REVIEWS ON GOOGLE!!! PLEASE believe all of the negative Yelp reviews. My elderly mother reached out to Bishop after her heater stopped working. This was the first time that she tried to do something on her own since my father passed away. They charged her $1400 for a bandaid repair - not bad for not even a full day's worth of work, right? I tried to give Bishop the benefit of the doubt by reaching out to them, after my mother called me in tears, in hopes of trying to work something out with them. I thought that they would have some human decency, but I was very wrong. After calling multiple times without any help I decided to send an email to reach out to the owner Brian Wilk, as a last resort. I finally get an email from their VP Kristina Curran. I cannot believe the cold-hearted response that I ended up receiving from her. Kristina did not even have the decency to pick up the phone to call me back in order to discuss this with me, instead she cowardly chose to write an insensitive response via email after I expressed to her employee Gina how poorly my mother was treated by their other employee Brian. Kristina responded as if I should be extremely grateful for the fact that Bishop sent Brian back over to my elderly mother's home to then have him get extremely aggressive and yell at her in order to intimidate her after she just spent $1400.00 for a repair on a heater that only lasted for 2 hours, to then end up sitting in the cold, without heat, for close to a week. But even though there is a language barrier and English is not her first language, my mother signed a contract so who cares it is not their problem. How does a heating company not offer any warranty on their repairs, especially after 2 hours??? And how do they not have 24 hour emergency service during the winter? When I called Bishop I was told that they do not have anyone to send out during an emergency. LIARS!!! Yet their listing on Google shows that they are open 24 hours. It is very clear that Bishop does not care about their customers once payment is received. How heartbreaking that they left a senior citizen in the cold, without a care, in the middle of winter!!! I can honestly say that I have never dealt with a company as morally corrupt as this. They are supposed to be professionals. Their technician Brian should have had the proper training to know when he needs to deem something as beyond repairable. He should have never tried to do a repair on a unit that he, as a professional, knew from the start that he himself could not repair or that it would only act as a temporary bandaid (especially if he needed to invest "20 hours" as their VP claimed). Absolutely absurd and such a joke!!! Bishop, nor Brian their tech, invested anywhere near 20 hours of work. Then after their horrible attempt at a repair they then tried to tell my mother a new heater would be 7k. They say that the pricing is due to them being licensed, insured and bonded. I contacted two other local companies (both licensed, insured, and bonded as well - one with over 30+ years of experience) yet Bishop quoted my mother more than double their price. All of this coincides with the reviews that I have read online claiming how Bishop takes advantage of people by grossly overcharging them. They get customers locked in by not only charging a dispatch fee but then adding a ridiculously high diagnostic fee so that they get backed into a corner and just end up using them versus losing out on over $400.00. After speaking with the State, and the city of Des Plaines, both mentioned that this is NOT the first complaint and that they have received numerous complaints about Bishop regarding similar issues as mine throughout the years. Which makes me question how a company with a track record like theirs gets the State to continue to renew their license year after year. My siblings and I found a great company down the street from Bishop who charged just under 3k for a brand new heater. They couldn't believe the amount that my mother was charged for an attempt of a repair that should have never been done in the first place. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM BISHOP!!!

I'm rating based on my overall experience with Bishop Plumbing. I wish I had looked them up on Yelp before I called them, as I would have definitely selected another company. I had only looked at reviews on Google, where Bishop has a very high rating. Unlike Yelp, I believe Bishop is able to curate the reviews themselves and remove all the low reviews. I do not write negative reviews very often, but in this case, I couldn't in good faith let this slip by as I have come to rely on Yelp reviews for home repair service providers. In short, please look elsewhere. I initially called because my whole house humidifier system was not working properly and the number of the company on our water heater was Bishop Plumbing. I had done a little diagnosis myself and it appeared that no water was reaching the humidifier unit. I paid the initial $89 for someone to come diagnose the issue. The technician was not very nice and had like zero personality or sense of humor. Not that I expect that from everyone, but it certainly goes a long way. Once they got to my house, they said that they would have to do a full diagnosis of the furnace and that was another $365, but since he was already here, I figured I'd proceed (in retrospect, I should have just eaten the $89, asked him to leave, and hired a different plumber). After finding nothing wrong with the furnace, he then determined water was not reaching the humidifier (again, which I had already self-diagnosed but he refused to listen to). To replace the fitting that allowed water to splinter off to the humidifier was $1065 (again, I'm sure this is very high, but at this point I was already in too deep). At that point water was getting to this solenoid unit but he thought that component was not working. A new solenoid would cost $435 (for a part that costs $15-30). I just wanted my humidifier to work as I had already paid $1500 into this issue. In the end he replaced the solenoid and water finally flowed to the humidifier but the humidifier was still not working properly. At that point he said he could keep working but it would cost even more and by then, I was just done. I had spent over $2000 and the issue I originally called about was still not really resolved. It just kept feeling like I was being upsold at every moment. To get them to keep working through the problem would cost another $400, or another $1000 and so on. I am still very disappointed in myself that I did not ask them to walk after I gave them that initial $89. This was an expensive lesson I learned and I hope I can prevent anyone else from ever having learn it the way I did. Just sheer amount of negative reviews on Yelp should give you an indication of the experience you will have with this company.

I SHOULD HAVE READ THE PREVIOUS REVIEWS!!! My water heater went out on a Saturday and I had an emergency need for a plumber. A relative of mine called Bishop plumbing for me. Because it was after hours, they charged $180 to come out. I waited for them from 5 pm to 8 pm. The technician came at 8 pm and claimed that he had just spent 5 hours rodding out another customer BUT he looked very clean and unruffled (should have been my first red flag!!). He looked at my water heater and gave me the choice of finding out was wrong for $475 or getting a new one for $2,000!! I said - why don't you try to find out what is wrong - signed the three pages of forms (red flag #2!). He vacuumed under the unit and determined that the thermocouple needed to be replaced. He replaced the thermocouple and then, even though he admitted that NOTHING ELSE was wrong with my water heater - wrote that I needed to replace my water heater "ASAP"!!! After the work was done, I checked with two other plumbers and found out that I was WAY overcharged!! Checking & replacing the thermocouple should have been around $100-200 MAX. Bishop called me the next day telling me that the technician wanted to talk to me and I told them that I found out that I had been grossly overcharged and wanted to talk to the manager. I was told that my complaint would be conveyed to Diane the manager (who, according to previous reviews will be of no help). I did not receive a call back from the office. The technician called later that day and left a message later that day stating that he "needed" to replace the universal brand thermocouple (you can find it at ACE for $9) that he had installed with a thermocouple with more safety features!!!?? Am I to believe that Bishop goes around installing "unsafe" theromocouples for $475 only to come back and try to install "safer" thermocouples for ADDITIONAL MONEY later and then still pressure you to buy a new water heater for $$$$$?? I called back & left a message that (1) I was grossly overcharged, (2) I have no intention of ever employing Bishop plumbing again and (3) I was going to have the work done by Bishop checked by another establishment. According to the previous reviews, Bishop routinely overcharges and tries to scare customers into having more unnecessary work done for $$$$$$$. Like those before me, if I could give a negative star rating for honesty and customer service, I would do so for Bishop Plumbing. BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!

DON"T PAY FOR THEIR MARKETING TRICKS! WAY OVERPRICED, BUT THEY KNOW THEY HAVE YOU! I called Bishop because they were listed in my local directory with a local address and I prefer to use smaller local mom&pop businesses if I can or at least local businesses. So long story short- my tub leaked into my neighbor's ceiling after I had it refinished by another company & they replaced the overflow plate with a new one. I was pretty sure, though I'm not a plumber, that it more than likely it was a problem with the gasket. I even stressed this to Bishop when I called them. I didn't want to mess with the issue myself because it didn't just concern my bathroom but affected my neighbor, so I thought the best option was to call a professional. Well, the young man came and gave me the spiel about how the overflow should've only been replaced by a licensed plumber, blah, blah. He then charged me over $400 dollars for a "diagnostic" , which ended up being him cutting a 12x12 hole in my wall. Yet - he confirmed the gasket hadn't been hooked up to the overflow correctly. Mind you that $400 didn't include repairing the wall. Next, he gave me 2 options 1. $320 to replace the gasket & another overflow with no guarantee/warranty of any kind or 2. Some ridiculous option that would cost $1,200. I chose option 1 of course but kind of regret it knowing that the parts totaled about $9 bucks. Needless to say, less than 30 minutes later I had about a $900 dollar plumbing bill and a hole in my wall. If it had only been my unit that was affected and I knew that there was no insurance claim or suit etc by my neighbor - I would've told the neatly dressed young plumber to take a hike. Yes, I'm upset at the company that didn't even hook up the gasket correctly in the first place (that's a different review), but I don't like companies that get rich off of people's misery and lack of options. If I knew his "diagnostic" was going to be a $400 dollar hole - I would've taken a hammer to the drywall right in front of him and said, "Well, that one is on me." After it all was done, he gave me a bunch of marketing crapola (hand soap, a sponge, a keychain) and guess what Bishop is not a local company! They have several numbers and addresses all to different towns, etc. You are paying for their marketing. They are out of DesPlaines but are listed as Evanston, Chicago, etc.

Under no circumstances should you ever hire or even call Bishop. They are NOT BBB accredited & have had 53 complaints in the last 3 years. When I contacted the company to fix a noise I heard in the sump pump area, I was informed that there would be a $79.95 dispatch fee, which would be waived if I proceeded with any work with Bishop. Turns out that the initial $79.95 is just to send someone out to your house. However, upon arrival at my house on September 26, 2011, the plumber stated that he would not be able to even assess the problem or provide any estimate without an additional payment of $343.50. I was required to sign a contract for this amount, which was supposed to "remove sealed lid...." I asked if he would guarantee he could find the problem, he said "no." Bishop Plumbing took advantage of that awful moment when they are already in your house and you are worried about an impending plumbing disaster. I felt completely pressured to sign the contract, but called the company while the plumber was here, because I was concerned about the cost. Although their worker was still at my house, the company refused to speak about the billing issue until the job was completed and paid for. After about 5 minutes & WITHOUT performing the work that was allegedly required to diagnose the problem, the worker figured out the issue by apparently unplugging the pumps then plugging them back in. A new ejector pump was needed at an additional cost of over $1,300. The $343.50 diagnostic fee does not get waived or reduced, despite the fact that the sealed lid was never removed. The company refused to be reasonable and insisted that I pay the $343.50 for essentially unplugging my pump from an outlet. I feel completely deceived by their shady & highly unethical and business practices and would strongly urge you to use another company. There seem to be a lot of positive reviews immediately following negative reviews that are posted by people with only that review. 4--glowing reviews the week i posted. This is a plumbing company and not a new, hot restaurant and their cadence of 4 & 5 star reviews does not feel genuine in the least.

I had to give them 1 star....I wouldn't give them that if I had the option!! I can't agree more with the other NEGATIVE reviews I've read about BISHOP PLUMBING. I called them to check my hot water heater as the water wasn't hot...just lukewarm. All I got for $79.95 was a series of quotes: $343.50 to do a "minor diagnostic"...any parts needed would be an EXTRA charge; if it was the shower valve, it would cost $530.90; if the water heater needed to be replaced, the cost would be $1732.25; to remove the old and bring in a new water heater would cost $240.00; replacing the upper and lower elements would cost $945.50!!! All quotes had these mysterious code numbers and letters. I had the salesman (he said he was a licensed plumber) leave as I told him his prices were way too high. Yes, the "plumber" was neat and clean and the trucks are clean and look very professional, but this company is a RIPOFF. BEWARE.... I called another plumber, he was here within an hour, he did a COMPLETE diagnostic and determined that NOTHING WAS WRONG, it just needed to be set at a higher temperature. He checked both elements and thermostats. The TOTAL cost (INCLUDING the complete diagnostic) was $89.00 and he accepted a $25 coupon (from the phone book) for a final cost of $64.00!!! This plumber told me to replace an element would run $125.00 and the second element would be less. Call someone else other than Bishop. I called HERITAGE PLUMBING CO in Hoffman Estates and HIGHLY recommend them. I wrote a letter to Bishop to complain about the $79.95 fee to provide estimates and I was told they would not make any adjustment. In fact, the lady was argumentative to boot when she did call in response to my letter of complaint. There are many other reputable and honest plumbers trying to make an honest living. AVOID Bishop Plumbing.... 3/14/13--PEOPLE ARE FINDING my review FUNNY...it was not meant to be funny, frankly, I think it's very SAD that a "reputable" (?) plumbing company would pull such tactics and charge such outrageous prices....BUYER BEWARE!!

WARNING!! Bishop Plumbing is a complete rip off. Notice that the positive reviews cover how friendly and presentable their workmen are when they arrive. While we all prefer friendly and presentable workers in our home, we also do not want to be ripped off. You will be hard-pressed to find someone who is satisfied with Bishop's pricing and transparency. It appears that Bishop's strategy is to back you into a corner where you are forced to pay them for work or pay them not to work. Let me explain. They charge $80 as a dispatch fee to simply come to your home. They will apply this fee to the repair cost if you end up using them to complete the work. After they arrive, they will glance at your problem and then explain to you that they need to charge you some excessive amount to actually diagnose the problem. In my case this charge was nearly $350. If you say no, they will simply collect the $80 and be on their way. If you say yes, they will attempt to find out what is causing your particular problem. So your choice is to pay $350 just to find out what's wrong or $80 to send them on their way. Once they find the problem they will quote you ridiculously high prices for the repair itself. At this point they know that you will be reluctant to say no to the work considering you are in for $350. I wish I knew of Bishop's practices before I picked up the phone to call them. It turns out that they are not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, which seems strange for a company that has been in business since 1921. Hey, if you want a friendly, presentable, efficient deception, this company is for you!

EDIT: issue was fixed by a local plumber for $200. It took the plumber 30 SECONDS to figure out all I needed was a refrigerant recharge. Bishop wanted $545 before even quoting the cost of fixing, which is now obvious was done to run up the total cost on an unsuspecting customer. AVOID! I called after seeing this business was highly rated on Google, but I did not check Yelp. I don't normally leave reviews but I figure if it saves someone a headache and $90, then it's worth five minutes of time. On my call, I was notified that there would be a $90 dispatch fee to send someone out - to which I agreed to. Once the technician arrived, he took a quick 30 second glance at the unit, pulled out a tablet, and explained there would be a $454 (FOUR FIFTY FOUR) diagnostic fee. I was upset and told the technician that when I scheduled the appointment, no one mentioned such a large fee over the phone. He said he "doesn't know what scheduling tells people when scheduling appointments". Mind you, this diagnostic fee is before any actual quote is done on a fix. I declined the diagnostic and paid the dispatching $90 fee. This is really shady business behavior. Why would a business not disclose a $454 diagnostic fee when scheduling an appointment? It would have saved me money and time, and could have called one of dozens of other places instead. I could only imagine that it's on purpose, so you would be inconvenienced either by having to call another business or pay their absurd prices. I should have gone with a local HVAC business instead of a large corporate one like Bishop.

Edit: issue was fixed by a local plumber for $200. It took the plumber 30 SECONDS to figure out all I needed was a refrigerant recharge. Bishop wanted $545 before even quoting the cost of fixing, which is now obvious was done to run up the total cost on an unsuspecting customer. AVOID! I called after seeing this business was highly rated. I don’t normally leave reviews but I figure if it saves someone a headache and $90, then it’s worth five minutes of time. On my call, I was notified that there would be a $90 dispatch fee to send someone out - to which I agreed to. Once the technician arrived, he took a quick 30 second glance at the unit, pulled out a tablet, and explained there would be a $454 (FOUR FOFTY FOUR) diagnostic fee. I was upset and told the technician that when I scheduled the appointment, no one mentioned such a large fee over the phone. He said he “doesn’t know what scheduling tells people when scheduling appointments”. Mind you, this diagnostic fee is before any actual quote is done on a fix. I declined the diagnostic and paid the dispatching $90 fee. This is really shady business behavior. Why would a business not disclose a $454 diagnostic fee when scheduling an appointment? It would have saved me money and time, and could have called one of dozens of other places instead. I could only imagine that it’s on purpose, so you would be inconvenienced either by having to call another business or pay their absurd prices. I should have gone with a local HVAC business instead of a large corporate one like Bishop.

My review has two parts. First review is of the plumber, Jeff that came out. He was great. He was kind, courteous, professional, and did a great job both fixing a burst pipe, and then coming back to replace the water heater that was damaged by the flood from the burst pipe. If Jeff were his own company, he would have 5 stars. However, the office has some issues. We know we called in a high-traffic time, as there were many burst pipes and plumbing emergencies in the area, but they promised that they would come out between 9-12. I had my mom waiting for the plumber, as I had to be at work. At 12, I reached out to find out where they were, and they said they were running a few hours behind. So she waited. After a few hours, they called to reschedule for the following day. They did waive the dispatch fee, but that still did not make up for the whole day she spent waiting. Also, I needed 2 invoices for the 2 services I had. The office was supposed to email it to me following the service calls. I had to call the office several times, and they made it seem like I was asking them to email me the secret to the universe. It took over a week to get (sort of) what I needed. Finally, we discovered after the fact that what they charged us was more than double what other companies would have charged for the same service. We used them because they were available in an emergency, and were happy with the work. However, if it is not an emergency, do research and ask around regarding prices.