Mac-Vik Plumbing, Heating, and Electrical

I had a new water heater installed by Will. Brian did the diagnosis of old heater a month ago, and he was on target: old tank had a lot of debris, way too much to flush out. It was time to replace it. Alex called early to advise of delay in Will’s arrival, about 40-50 minutes behind scheduled window. Not a problem and I appreciated the early call. Will was helped by Fernando during the heavy lifting parts. Otherwise worked efficiently on his own. He was courteous, answered my questions willingly, and cleaned up neatly. He showed me what to expect as air bubbles (from water shut-off) worked through the system. All seems in good order.

Jorge was fantastic to work with. He struck the perfect balance between professional and personable, making a stressful situation much easier. He clearly knows his craft and took the time to explain the diagnosis in detail. I especially appreciated his honesty—he laid out all my options without any high-pressure sales tactics for expensive repairs.

Had great service on a recent project with Nate and Erin. Super professional in all communications, showed up on time and finished the job in a timely manner. Solutions oriented, no upselling. Just great service and a professional process from start to finish. Highly recommend!

I asked Mac-vik to correct the flagged gas leak XCEL had put on a pipe and to review th boiler for proper operation. I was very specific in describing the location. It took about two weeks for Mac-vik to show up. Even though this was a yellow, not red, tag meaning it was not an emergency I thought two weeks was excessive, but they said everyone is busy due to the season. After spending an hour looking around the technician called me to tell me he could not find the tag and he wanted to charge me $1200 or on the boiler to make it operational and safe. There was difficulty in communication because he could not speak good English, but he did say the owner would call. I described to the owner the simple task I had requested and he said he would need to charge somewhere around $150 for the visit. I told that I felt nothing was done other than providing what I felt was a quote for service I did not think were needed. Sure enough, another company came in, serviced the leak and billed me $125 within two days of my call to them. They also said the boiler is working fine. The next time I heard from Mac-vik was a bill collector. I never got a bill or a phone call from Mac-Vik, just a call from their bill collector. I've put two emails out to them since asking where he invoice is asking them to call or email me, but nothing. I feel these guys run a bad business where even if they perform poorly, you have to pay a ransom. Their follow-up and customer service magnifies the problem. I'm waiting for some response, which will probably be someone in collections for me to pay a bill for terrible service.

My new furnace, under warranty, is not working and no one is answering Mac Vik's phone despite promising and advertising "24/7 emergency service." It is 30 degrees outside. False advertising!

I went with Mac Vic after another much larger company stated that I had five gas leaks, after doing an annual furnace tune-up, that were "explosive" and could cause life loss but then left my house with my gas turned on, which was not appropriate. I decided on a second opinion. Mac Vic was a lot more affordable and left my home after 1 and a half hours on a Wednesday morning stating that they fixed the one gas leak they found. Their invoice stated one gas leaked repaired, no other gas leaks found. After sharing my story with friends and a family friend of another highly reputable plumbing company (not in the area), I was encouraged to have Excel come out to check for gas leaks. I showed them the disparagement among the two company invoices and they agreed that I should be retested. Unfortunately, they found at least one leak, only a few hours after my repair, and shut me down. That means your meter gets locked and you have to have a full inspection by the city before Excel will unlock your meter. I called Mac Vic and they agreed to find and repair the missed leak, after initially debating with me about what their invoice stated and who was responsible to repair it, to now pressure test all of my pipes and to unhook and then re hook all of my gas appliances. It came down to their word versus my locked gas meter box.. Once the city Inspector came on Friday at 10:30am, after the repair was made, I was only able to see Excel much later on a Saturday night around 9ish; they must report to gas leaks first before turning on gas in homes, so you're at the mercy of waiting and you have to be home. Excel specifically told me that they could not touch another company's repair job to relight the pilot lights; Mac Vic told me that Excel would light the pilots when they unlocked my meter. Excel stated that Mac Vic should know this. That weekend the temps were dipping below freezing so I called Mac Vic to have them come out that Saturday night to relight my pilots and get my heat back on. I was concerned about my pipes freezing. The Mac Vic tech came out and it took about 10 minutes to relight my hot water heater, gas stove and furnace. The charge was $165.00. Mac Vic initially told me that I would only be charged an extra $90 for couplings and a permit, which I paid, after I held them accountable for the false invoice. They then stated that they would not reimburse my $165 when they at first stated that they would relight the pilots and then that Excel would do it. They told me that because I used after hours to light the pilots, that I was responsible for the charge. Mac Vic was initially the hero, but then gave a lot of mixed messages when I reported my gas being shut down by Excel, about who is responsible for what and then tried to state that I, the customer, was responsible for knowing how things like Excel operate, for example. I couldn't believe it that Mac Vic tried to state that I knew and told them Excel would relight my pilots. This is called displacement, refusal of responsibility or lack of knowledge and poor customer care. When I talked to the owner, he flatly stated that he did more than enough to take care of me and flatly said no to reimbursing the $165 to relight the pilots. Yes, Mac Vic did spend approximately 7 hours at my home all day Thursday to fix the second leak and run the pressure test which they did not charge me for, aside from the $90, but which also cost me time off from work and I was without heat for 4 days; I don't know how long it would have taken another company to repair this second leak. The repairman at one time had to return to the shop to get larger wrenches and a different pressure gauge as apparently the one he was using kept dropping significantly to indicate an unfixed gas leak. I had to take additional time off from work to wait home for Excel to show up. Also, even though the repairman was a really nice guy and he was always right on time, he uses the old fashioned soap and water method to test for leaks and told me initially that he doesn't like to rely on the gadgets used to test vapor and stated that he never tested my entire crawl space after seeing the invoice from the first company that stated I had five leaks to start. If the purpose of this was to be boastful about the amount of money that I was charged for the repair of the one leak, well, I was left with a gas leak that Excel shut me down for and that's not what I and my family was asking for as well as the unexpected aftermath. I relied on Mac Vic to have all leaks discovered and repairs made the same day the one leak was repaired on that Wednesday and had planned my work hours to accommodate this. Now at least I'm much more educated and hopefully you are as well.

I had 2 of their people come out today. They said because I was having 2 of their people out (one for plumbing, one for furnace) I wouldn't be charged for a trip charge twice. They charge a $60 trip charge! They are in Golden, I live in Lakewood/almost Golden. How does that add up to $60? The furnace guy came out when promised. However, he didn't call first as the office had written down my wrong phone number. He was very helpful, informative, and nice. But he was doing work for less than 40 minutes (including the time it took for him to write my bill). I am wondering if he stretched out his work to make it go slightly above the half hour. I was charged 100 for labor, since he was working for slightly more than then 30 minutes (which would have been $50 for a half hour). A plumber was supposed to be out/call me around 10:30. No one called or showed up. I called them at 11:45. Instead of apologizing, the guy seemed to think he was doing me a favor. He was at my home by 12:30. He was in my home from 12:30-12:45 and then was outside writing the bill for 5 minutes. Though he was quick and he seemed kind, he charged me $100 for his labor and told me he had included his drive time in the labor charge, since I wasn't charged 2 trip charges today. I told him I was getting price gouged and he seemed to think that he had no control over what my bill said. He said to pay him full and call the office to see if they would give me some of the $ back. So I was charged a combined $300 total for EXTREMELY minimal work by both men that barely took any time. Yes, both men were helpful and professional. But both greatly rounded up, in charging me for their time. I also had to sit around all morning, waiting for my 2nd appt. And no one was apologetic about that. I did call their office immediately, once the plumber left. They said they would send me a check $50 for the excess labor charge from the plumber's labor. We'll see..... Finally, I found someone who was somewhat empathetic, in the lady on the phone. She did apologize and say it was a crazy day. But I still think reimbursing me $50 is too little. Though the workers in my home were fine/nice, there seems to be something screwed up with this company's system/management/business model. It seems their employees are encouraged to try to wrangle every cent they can out of customers by excessively rounding up for labor charges. Had they not done so, they would have had my repeat business and my recommendation and referrals. But because of this get-every-cent from the customer mentality, they definitely do not.

Quite awhile ago we called Mac Vik w/a plumbing issue. Two men who said they work with Mac Vik sometimes came to do the work. Nice man & his son - pleasant & friendly and did a great job. Also advised me of a part we needed for a guest room toilet & assured me (since I had asked him) that it was an easy part to install. I was reluctant to do it myself what with the potential for leaks & puddles of water, so I called Mac Vik for the second time within the last few months to replace that part (which I had purchased). A man came out and instead of replacing the part, he made an 'adjustment' that he said fixed the problem. I asked if he felt that was all that was needed. He said, "it's fixed the problem fine". He repeated that a few times during our discussion. I asked if it was his toilet would he have done the same thing. He assured me he would have. What I completely failed to consider at that moment was that he's a freakin' plumber so if the adjustment failed HE could fix his own toilet!! At any rate, he made me feel comfortable w/the adjustment and charged me $140 (for an adjustment....hello!!??!) and he left. The next morning the adjustment was no longer holding (big surprise huh?) and the toilet was running again. I called and the phone was answered by a woman named Joanie who said, "hello" and then stammered and added "Mac Vik". She seemed very distracted by something and wasn't particularly attentive or friendly. I briefly explained the issue to her in a pleasant manner, even making a joke at one point. She then asked if I wanted to schedule an appointment. (I had asked the man who did the adjustment what the cost would have been if he'd replaced the part - $160) Since we had no intention of paying $160 plus the already charged $140 for a simple toilet part, I said 'no thank you' and was in the middle of a sentence when she slammed down the phone and hung up on me. Odd behavior for ANY company. Plus - their 'trip charge' is $90. Exorbitant amount under any circumstances, but especially since their place is in Golden - near west part of Colorado Mills and we're in Green Mountain near the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Maybe an 8 minute drive apart. Wouldn't recommend this company to anyone.

DO NOT USE!!!! I called Mac Vik to clear a basic drain clog. They were unable to clear the clog, didn't send a person to follow up the next day as promised, and the result was a sewer backup that caused $40,000 of damage to my house. Drain Terrier came out and was able clear the clog no issue and came out on a Sunday to fix the issue (which Mac-Vik was unwilling to do after they caused all the damage in the first place). Not only that but they wouldn't pay a dime to me to make it right, not taking responsibility for any part of it at all. I would avoid at all costs. Update: Thanks for the feedback Tom, it's the first I've heard from you personally throughout this ordeal (the last month and a half), so I appreciate the response. Feel free to reach out to me directly to discuss, your team has had my contact information since early July, and I'm happy to discuss it with you. It's not surprising that the facts (as you lay them out) are disputed, but what I think your customers really need to know is that a plumber came out and cleared the drain no problem after your plumber couldn't, and that a pipe specialist came out to take a look at the pipe (said it didn't require replacement) and independently told me without me asking that your plumber dragging roots back through the line when he incorrectly cleared it most likely caused the backup into my kitchen. While that is frustrating to me, the follow up customer service is what is most problematic (i.e. I haven't talked to you once since a $40K kitchen loss). Again, I am happy to talk if you'd like to call me instead of putting all of the facts on this thread. Thanks, Amy

I had been a client of Mac-Vik Plumbing a few times in the past and had no issue or problem with them and their work. This last time I called them to clear a sewer line. A tech came out to clear the main sewer line, but only had 110 feet of snake and my line is longer so he spent 4.5 hours working on it with no success. He came back the next day and had a second person I'd never seen before along to help him. Later, when I received the bill for $2100 and saw I was charged $475. just for the helper and $125 for the snake extension they brought the second day to complete the job, I tried calling the office, the owner. After several attempts to reach the owner by phone to discuss/dispute the charges I finally reached the service manager, who asked that i come into their office in Golden to discuss it. I did so. The sales mgr. at this point, after going back and forth into the boss' office, did finally drop that $475. Charge and also took off an additional amount of $200 or so. While the sales mgr. finally did work with me to correct my bill, I needless to say, will not be calling this company again and would not recommend them at all. They came to the job day 1 without the proper tools, had to return the next day with the necessary equipment, plus a helper and tried to nickel and dime me with a helper charge $475. and a $125. charge for a snake extension.

In reponse to the "Frustrated Contractor " mailing promotion, I requested estimate 12/20/23 for a new HVAC system. The "Comfort Advisor" Alan, came out and prepared 4 quotes based on on site inspection. On 12/22/23, I approved the promotion estimate because good value. That part seemed professional and easy but what came after, is perhaps, a better insight of the company's poor customer business practices. After holidays, I called the company 7 times tfor a callback to clarify size of equipment not included in estimate narrative. I spoke with dispatcher 6 times requesting a call back from comfort advisor. No promised follow up or call back was provided by comfort advisor. Today they notified me they were NOW to busy to honor estimate and work, that's 62 days after I approved proposal. If that's the kind of "Bate & Switch" company culture MAK VIK subscribes to, I may have lucked out in the long run. (Bait and switch is a morally suspect sales tactic that lures customers in with specific claims about the quality or low prices on items that turn out to be unavailable in order to upsell them on a similar, pricier item. It is considered a form of retail sales fraud, though it takes place in other contexts.) Oxford Dictionary

I was driving on Interstate 70 eastbound when I was tailgated by a Mac Vik Plumbing and Heating van. The driver then switched lanes and began tailgating the next car further up. This process continued until he was out of my sight. I estimate that the van was less than 3 feet from the bumper of each car it tailgated. I wrote down the number for Mac Vik and called them almost immediately. Heather answered the phone but would not put me through to the manager/owner. So I described the situation to her and she suggested I call the Colorado State Patrol. I asked her to leave a message for the manager/owner and she took my number. The call was not returned. Several days later, I called back to leave another message which was never returned. I am forced to conclude that the management doesn't care about this incident. Why am I writing this on Yelp? Because it may be a good indicator of how they manage their business. A business that won't respond to something as simple as reckless driving probably won't be responsive to your complaint either. Just beware.

I have two great experiences with Mac Vik in the past few weeks. FIRST. After driving all over town looking for a particular rubber washer, I ended up at Mac Vik, right down the street from me. I had been unaware they sold parts. The guy who works the parts counter was out, but the receptionist did her best to look for it for me, but couldn't find it. When I went back, the guy let me know I was looking for the wrong part all along and told me how to fix my faucet. Second: I needed some corroded pipes replaced and called a few places to do an estimate. Andy came out exactly when he said he would. He took one look at the problem and knew what to do right away. He called me later with his estimate,, which was about half of what the bigger chain was going to charge me. His fix was far less complicated than what they wanted to do. His plumber came out when scheduled and got the job done in just a few hours. From my first phone call, to the plumber cleaning up and leaving, everyone I dealt with was pleasant and professional

They don't care about client safety and will put clients at risk for their profit. We used Mac Vic in the past but, they just got weird about client safety and refused to send anyone because I asked about Covid vaccination status. We are elderly and at-risk, so we want the protection. They incorrectly claimed it was a HIPAA issue, which it is not. Go to HHS website and read it for yourself. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/hipaa-covid-19-vaccination-workplace/index.html When I pointed out their error, they refused to accept the truth and apologize. It seems that they are dead set against being vaccinated for whatever reason, especially client safety. If they sent a worker who could not present a valid vaccine card, they said that they would charge us $75 if we sent him away for not being protected. Beware of companies who do not care about your safety, especially when we are in the midst of a worldwide Pandemic.

Hot water heat boiler went down. Called after hours, they called back with in a couple of hours. They were still on a call, and at least I knew the story. Went over the procedures over the phone and figured out what was wrong. It was 7 degrees out side and my house was 41 degrees with no heat. They showed up the next morning with what was needed, fired up the unit, went to get the official parts and were done in a couple of hours. The tech Rick, handled it from start to finish and knows what he is talking about. The trip charge @60 and the tech charge@100 hr might seem high. But not wondering if they are going to show up, and knowing what and how on residential boilers, the money is well spent. The company is under new owners and they also know what they are doing. And my contacts in the plumbing supply business, say they are legit. No regrets.