Cork's Plumbing, Heating, & Cooling
Plumber · Marengo, IL · Open 24 hours per Google listing
Our verdict
4.7★ across 67 reviews; owner Frank responded within 2 hours on a Saturday; no emergency service fee confirmed; 9 of 63 reviews are 1-star, including no-show and unreturned call complaints.
Scores are our editorial reading of published customer reviews — not a verification, license check, or guarantee.
Our opinion, based on the 63 reviews we analyzed from Google, Yelp and BBB · Analysis updated Jun 2026 · How we decide ↗
Lists 24-hour service on its Google profile — and reviewers describe after-hours calls.
What reviewers praise
Owner responded within minutes on a Saturday and on-site within 2 hours; Sunday morning leaky toilet fixed with no emergency service fee charged.
1 cited review
“The owner, Frank, responded within minutes to my call on a Saturday morning and was on site within 2 hours. Great work and fairly priced. Thanks Frank!”
Cited in 2 of the 63 reviews we analyzed — 1 cited review not excerpted here.
fair_pricing theme in 3 of 63 reviews; kitchen countertop disconnect/reconnect priced well below competing quote from the countertop installer.
Cited in 2 of the 63 reviews we analyzed.
What reviewers report — the concerns
Other directories bury these. We think you should read them before you call. Every concern below comes from the reviews it cites.
Red flag
1-star review describes 2 months of no-shows and broken promises despite repeated contact with owner; pattern of ignoring customers once A/C was determined to not need full replacement.
“I tried, without success, to get service for around two months. I constantly got the run around, despite speaking with the owner multiple times. I gave them multiple chances to redeem themselves, and all I got was no-shows.”
Cited in 2 of the 63 reviews we analyzed.
Red flag
Yelp 1-star review describes owner as 'a liar and a thief' who kept a $2,000 rebate and took months to complete a $14,000 HVAC install while requesting advance payment for payroll.
Cited in 1 of the 63 reviews we analyzed.
slow_response in 2 of 63 reviews; 1 reviewer tried to schedule service for 2 months with multiple no-shows and no callbacks despite speaking with owner.
“I tried, without success, to get service for around two months. I constantly got the run around, despite speaking with the owner multiple times. I gave them multiple chances to redeem themselves, and all I got was no-shows.”
Keep it in proportion: these concerns are cited in 3 of the 63 reviews we analyzed. Most reviewers report positive experiences — see the full rating picture below.
The evidence — in reviewers' own words
Critical
“Absolutely do not do business with this man not matter what name he hangs his shingle as. He is a liar and a thief! His father was a good honest man and Shane ran is business into the ground and now goes by Schwartz and Co. heating and cooling. He told us we needed both a new heat and ac unit. To the tune of 14 grand with was suppose to come with a 2,000.00 rebate. He kept our rebate and the install took …”
“CALL someone (anyone) else! we had done business with Schwartz for 17 years. They came to service my systems and clean my ducts September 2023, said we needed whole new systems, and since we had done business with them for so long we took their word thinking Shane would be honest. Said he needed a deposit to lock down the manufacturer rebate for us by September 30th, we did it then said he was behind on installs, …”
“I wish I could share a good review with everyone, but that is not the case! I’m sure Cork’s has good service, but I couldn’t even get them schedule me for service. Someone initially responded, but when they found out my A/C was running they quickly left and since then I can’t even get a call back to schedule service and I tried getting a hold of Liz with no luck!!! I guess if I’m not buying a new A/C unit I guess …”
Positive
“My furnace decides to go out when it's zero degrees on a Saturday. I call Cork's and they find the part for my 20 year old furnace. Gil shows up and I'm back in business 30 minutes after he arrives. Can't ask for more than that!!! They do great plumbing work too!”
“Hot water heater went out. We called Jensons to replace because they were the original installer. We were quoted $2600 (not including expansion tank) and then reimbursed for the tank after they got the money back from the warranty. Thinking we were getting shafted we asked around and were recommended to Cork's. Not only did they come out next day, they replaced the hot water tank and the expansion tank for 1/5 the …”
Quotes are reproduced verbatim from public reviews on the platforms shown; we select which to feature, and selection reflects our editorial judgment. Report a quote that doesn't match its source ↗
The rating picture
Our sample skews heavily toward critical reviews — it disagrees with the Google average shown above.
Newest review in our sample: Dec 2024.
Across platforms
Should you hire Cork's Plumbing, Heating, & Cooling?
Hire if
- You need transparent, predictable pricing with no surprise fees
- You need high-quality work that holds up over time
Think twice if
- You want detailed upfront explanations
- You need airtight scheduling and guaranteed arrival times
- You need guaranteed sub-hour response for true emergencies
Look elsewhere if
- You can find better-priced options nearby
Advice derived from the review analysis above — how we decide.
Own Cork's Plumbing, Heating, & Cooling?
You can respond to our analysis, correct business facts, or dispute the accuracy of a quoted review. Responses that check out get published on this page, and factual errors get corrected — see our corrections policy. We don't remove accurate quotes, but we'll re-run your assessment as your reviews change.
Find plumbers near you
Cork's Plumbing, Heating, & Coolingisn't in one of our ranked city guides yet — the nearest covered markets are below.
Nearby: Algonquin · Marengo · Burlington · Garden Prairie