L.J. Kruse Company
Plumber · Berkeley, CA
Our verdict
4.9 stars, 275 reviews; 78 of 100 analyzed are 5-star; honest diagnosis documented saving one customer $1,500 vs. a competitor's new-heater quote; slow_response cited in 4 reviews and 1 dispatcher accountability incident.
Scores are our editorial reading of published customer reviews — not a verification, license check, or guarantee.
Our opinion, based on the 100 reviews we analyzed from Google, Yelp and BBB · Analysis updated Jun 2026 · How we decide ↗
What reviewers praise
Honest diagnosis over upsell: technician repaired heater others quoted for replacement, saving customer $1,500; reflected in fair_pricing theme across reviews
1 cited review
“Temps were down low and it was freezing cold. Anthony was sent to diagnose the problem. He had a look and came back two days later with the parts to make the repair and took care of business. (A second est from another company quoted us for a new heater). Our heater was still plenty good and a repair saved us $1,500!! Appreciate the honest diagnosis and efficient expertise.”
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed — 1 cited review not excerpted here.
Complex multi-day sewer jobs handled with thorough written quotes emailed quickly; Gabe explained root cause accessibly without condescension
1 cited review
“I called on three different plumbing companies to identify the root cause of a kitchen sink backup. The only company that delivered in a timely, informative, and actionable way was LJ Kruse. I had never used them before and was pleasantly surprised. Gabe explained the issue he identified in a non-condescending and accessible way, then obtained a detailed quote for me which I received by email quickly.”
15 fast_response citations in 100 reviews; Jordan serviced furnace within 24 hours of request, on time with upfront fee disclosure
1 cited review
“LJ Kruse service was great. Jordan serviced the furnace within 24 hours of requesting service. He was on time, professional, pleasant, knowledgeable, and efficient. He quickly diagnosed the problem, explained everything to me, and got the furnace running again.”
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed — 1 cited review not excerpted here.
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.
Quote not adjusted after job took less time than projected — customer paid for expected scope after actual labor was shorter
Cited in 1 of the 100 reviews we analyzed.
Slow response in 4 of 100 reviews; 1 instance of dispatcher claiming plumber called with no voicemail or missed-call record on customer's cell
“Called Kruse yesterday - had used them once before. They told us we needed to be available today between 9am and noon. Took time off work to be available - no one contacted us. Noon rolls around so we called dispatch to make inquiries. They claim their plumber "called" our number and kept getting a busy signal. Only contact number we provided was a cell phone with voice mail. No voice mails; no missed calls.”
Keep it in proportion: these concerns are cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed. Most reviewers report positive experiences — see the full rating picture below.
The evidence — in reviewers' own words
Critical
“Our furnace stopped working and we called Kruse (on the recommendation of another vendor!). The technician advised that the furnace was too old to be repaired and the faulty part was no longer manufactured. He advised replacing the furnace. I was charged $184 for this visit/advice. There are two problems with this situation: 1. I called another vendor to get a second opinion and that vendor not only was able to …”
“LJ Kruse services our entire building in Emeryville because all units share source plumbing. At the end of last year my heating stopped working after we had the buildings boiler replaced. We contacted LJ Kruse and they sent somebody over quickly. We were told that the fan for our forced air heater needed replacement and the parts would take several weeks to arrive. A couple of months later and we still hadn't …”
“Their tagline is "a century of service". Notice that there is nothing good about that. We had some work done by this company to replace a sump pump. They then charged us almost $200 per hour for work which seems extraordinarily high based on other plumbers we've worked with. And, they charged us $270 for the sump pump. They provided all the product info for the sump pump so we looked it up and it was $144 on …”
Positive
“Had a great experience with Michael K from LJ Kruse. He took care of a difficult drain clearance and fixed an airlock issue with my radiant heat. Courteous, listened to my ideas, worked fast and clean. I would request to have him back in the future. 5 Stars”
“I am extremely pleased with the visit by the L.J. Kruse technician, Matt Hopkins, who solved the problem with our in-floor radiant heating system, and patiently explained in detail what caused the system to shut down. He also left us with quotes for more involved cleaning of the system in case the outage is repeated. I will be happy to call upon him in the future if needed.”
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
Newest review in our sample: Feb 2026.
Across platforms
Google 4.9★ vs Yelp reviews mixed (several 1-star Yelp reviews in evidence including no-show and missed-appointment incidents not reflected in Google rating).
Should you hire L.J. Kruse Company?
Hire if
- You need high-quality work that holds up over time
- You need a plumber who actually shows up when scheduled
Think twice if
- You need rock-bottom prices with zero flexibility on the quote
- You need detailed walkthroughs and written estimates before work starts
Advice derived from the review analysis above — how we decide.
Own L.J. Kruse Company?
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Find plumbers near you
L.J. Kruse Companyisn't in one of our ranked city guides yet — the nearest covered markets are below.
Nearby: Richmond · Daly City · San Rafael · Stinson Beach