Schuler Service, Inc.

I called Schuler, not in an emergency, but in need to address an issue with water pressure and air in the pipes. They scheduled promptly for the next day. The technician who arrived was very friendly, professional, courteous, but most importantly, knowledgeable! After throughly diagnosing the plumbing, and explaining that there were several issues at play, Chuck outlined everything and made clear what options we had and the potential risk/reward of each. After a decision was made, and a few phone calls later, parts were delivered and the work was completed. The service was excellent and in the future I will not hesitate to call Shuler and ask for Chuck when plumbing issues arise.

If you live in Macungie Borough like me, you may enjoy “great” water pressure … but be careful, because you could unknowingly have *100 psi* running through your pipes, like I did! At least, before Chuck Bell from Schuler installed a PRV (pressure reducing valve) to bring it down to a safe level. It’s never fun to spend money on something you didn’t know you needed (and isn’t in budget). But Chuck eased that blow by being patient (VERY patient) with my uncertainty and million questions. Even when I asked the same thing multiple times, he was never impatient nor did he get offended - he stayed calm and kind. Chick went out of his way to help set my mind at ease about the project and expenditure. He went above and beyond: checking the pressure setting on my expansion tank (and matching it to the house pressure, as it should have been); measuring the temperature of my hot water; (and increasing the temperature on my heater to an appropriate level); and checking my toilet tank to make sure there wasn’t a leak. I can’t forget everyone I spoke with on the phone at the Schuler Service office - they were all SO NICE! I never felt like I was being a pest (these days, some places make you feel like … unless something has exploded or someone needs open heart surgery, you are wasting their time, so they can’t get you off the phone fast enough). Everyone I spoke with at Schuler was warm and friendly, yet professional. Thank you! This review is too long and I doubt anyone has read it all, so I’ll stop now. Do not hesitate to call Schuler; ask for Chuck Bell!

Kevin and Cayden looked at my sump pump and Kevin did suggest a new one since mine was not functioning. I expected as much and he and Cayden had it installed quickly and professionally. I love Schuler Service. Always professional and helpful and I am a repeat customer and always will be. Also thanks to the kind receptionists too for being so nice and decent when booking. Everyone has great customer service skills which means a lot to me. Five stars. I would give them 100 stars if I could!

RIPOFF!!! I was charged over $400.00 for them to bleed my radiators. I agreed because it was explained to me that I might need a part replaced. Well, it didn't need any parts so the only work performed by Schuler was several walks up and down my stairs. Will never do business with them again.

This company was so expensive for a hour and a half to put a valve that was leaking charge us 738.00 Dollar and created 2 big holes in my kitchen, so they would have to come back to fix it and charge us God knows how much more. Very dissatisfied with this company.

Schuler's Service is a major rip off. They lied to me on multiple occasions and overestimated work to an extreme degree. Below I will go into the long explanation of their predatory practices. I bought my house in 2018. When we ordered a Washer and Dryer, someone from Schuler's said that the pipe the washing machine would need to pump water to was too high and we would need a utility sink to ensure we could properly expel the water. I know nearly nothing about plumbing and my parents have a utility sink set up with the laundry so I didn't think much of it. I asked what that would cost me and they quoted me at 3k. I decided this was too much for our means at the time and had them hook it up in the garage where the owner before us had her laundry. Over the next couple years we had several pipe issues in the winter even when shutting the water off (though from the shut off in the garage not in the basement where the pipes ran from). This led to us calling Schuler's out a number of times to fix these pipes. This winter (2022) I decided it was time to suck up the 3k to get our laundry in the basement. I called up Schuler's and they sent Rick out to estimate. He informed me we didn't need a utility sink but instead just an external pump to make sure it could reach the pipe. I waited 3 weeks to get an estimate, in which I had to contact them twice and every time they told me I would have the estimate by x date, that date came and went. Finally I got a call from Rick informing me it would cost $6,431.00, he asked if I wanted it listed out and I said yes. I immediately thought this was an outrageous number for hooking up my washing machine but figured I would wait to see the details of what went into the cost before fighting with the man. What I received next was not an itemized estimate but a brief bullet-pointed list of things that would need to be done as well as the total price as he listed on the phone. I did my best to research the parts and materials listed and when specific part numbers were not included I selected the most expensive versions of the material I could find. With all that I was looking at $750 of materials I gave Schuler's a call and eventually was able to talk to Rick. I asked for an itemized estimate which I was informed they don't provide as to do so would inflate the time it took to get estimates to people. I then grilled him on the cost and where it was coming from. He quickly rattled off materials and their prices which he did so quickly I could only confirm the prices he gave me added to about $1500 and some change I was not able to confirm price or function myself. I asked where the rest of the estimate was coming from and was told two plumbers were needed, one an apprentice which the two are charged at $200/hour and $105/hour(seemed reasonable hourly rate for skilled labor), he claimed 16 hours of work. I confirmed his math but thought 16 hours to hook up the laundry and an external pump seemed extreme. I contacted other plumbers in the area, I also called a buddy over and we moved the machines to the basement ourselves as I didn't want anyone to tell me two plumbers were needed for the job. Young's was the first to come out. The guy from Young's came down to my basement, took a quick look at everything and told me "You don't need me." Stunned, I asked for an explanation. He proceeded to inform me that the pipe wasn't too low for the washing machine to pump to and all I should need to do is buy a longer hose and fit it onto the washing machine. Curious, I did the research this time and found washing machines can pump up to 8 feet after measuring my pipe sitting at about 7'6" from the ground. I bought a new hose and hooked everything up. It worked perfectly. The faucets ended up being a bit leaky and I had Young's come out to fix them. The whole thing cost me $275 between the hose and new faucets. I will never use Schuler's again and will most certainly tell anyone looking for a plumber about this awful and predatory experience with them

I don't believe in company bashing. I would like to offer my opinion and experience with Schuler Service. My Moen tub spout had been leaking. I contacted Moen with a picture and they informed me I would need to replace the cartridge, a part they offer for free to original owners. I contacted Schuler Service along with a few other local plumbers and described the problem. Schuler contacted me first so I setup a next day appointment with them. I asked for a rough estimate over the phone as I knew exactly what needed to be done. They said someone would need to come and look and couldn't provide an estimate over the phone. I have a brother in law who is a plumber but unfortunately lives in Las Vegas. He said it was a simple job and shouldn't be more than $150. The next morning, the day of my appointment with Schuler, I received an email from another plumber that I had inquired with. He also said it was a straightforward job and would be able to provide the cartridge for free and was estimating the job to be around $90. He was on vacation and couldn't do the job until the following week. After hearing from 2 plumbers and having an estimate in my head, I have the Schuler Service technician show up at my house. He was very courteous and professional. He looks at my tub spout, plugs in a few keys on his Ipad and shows me a price of $436. I was dumbfounded especially after speaking with 2 previous plumbers. I asked him what exactly he was doing and how long it would take. He said that price was for changing the cartridge and the job would be done within an hour. Obviously I didn't have the work done but still had to pay the $89 service fee. After he left I called Moen. The Moen representative sent me the cartridge and said they come with instructions. She said many people change these without the help of a plumber as long as you have some kind of techinical know how. The point I am making in all this is the job was not very technical nor time consuming. Prices in Plumbing, HVAC and general handyman companies are usually based on the technical difficulty, time needed to complete job and staying competitive with it's competitors in the area they service. In this case, the technical difficulty was minimal, the time needed was an hour or less and it's competition was quoting $90. Based on some reviews and accolades they received, Schuler Service does seem to do their job right. I must say their customer service is very friendly and courteous. With that said, there are plenty of other plumbers that also do their job right with great customer service skills that will charge a mere fraction of what Schuler Service charges. It's easier for a company to charge higher prices when they impose a service call fee. Many people will opt to have the job done at a higher price to avoid wasting $89 and then having to look for another plumber. A simple search on Yahoo or Google for your area's plumbers with free estimates will yield more than a few results. I am sure Schuler Service does good work, but it comes with a hefty cost. I am not saying Schuler Service is bad nor the company for you. I am saying that everyone should do their research, find reasonable quotes for the job needed and make an informed decision. Thanks for listening :)

Several years ago I hired Schuler to plumb a laundry room drain pan for me. The salesmen did not bother to measure the area, nor did he give much thought to the shape and dimensions of the pan. The result? A pan that was plumbed so close to the wall that a mere 1.75" exists between the back of my washing machine and the wall to allow for the hoses, and this is with the washing machine as far forward as it can go in the pan. This places a lot of pressure against those hoses. There should be at minimum 6" to 8" of space for the hoses to hang, and there was plenty of room for that. Also, the bottom of my dryer was unable to clear the lip of the pan, so it sits up on wooden blocks, and they even needed to remove trim to fit it all in there. This was their solution in a laundry room that had enough space to accommodate virtually any residential washing machine and clothes dryer out there. I now need a new washing machine, and the only one that will fit depth-wise (and just as poorly) is the identical Speed Queen, which I would never buy again for reasons which are irrelevant. So because of Schuler I will now be washing my clothes by hand because I can't fit any other brand washing machine in that pan. The cost to hire someone else to replumb the pan, remove the bolts which hold the wooden blocks in place, and replace the vinyl flooring they ruined would be astronomical, not to mention, this is a job you should only have to dump money into once. I filed a BBB complaint years ago with no results, though there was plenty of back and forth between us. When I would call the office, I would be hung up on as soon as they heard my name. I left a review on their Facebook. Someone there messaged me that that were sorry and asked what they could do to help. The person who sent that message must not have realized who I was and that 'the orders' were to 'hang up' on me. Once they realized this, my review got zapped, and they blocked me from their page. Google, too. If you're a disatisfied customer, and it will cost too much time and money to fix or redo a job, Schuler will just zap you away. The FTC has now heard from me, and I encourage anyone else out there who has been treated unfairly by this business or any business to do the same, and this includes price gouging. I paid almost 6k for them shrink my laundry room to where it will only ever fit a teeny tiny Speed Queen. That's not fair business practice. I've given them so many opportunities to right their wrong, but when I'm sitting here thinking...what if Speed Queen ever increases the depth of their washing machines to where even theirs won't fit? Or...what if I sell my home? A second-floor laundry with a plumbed-in pan should be a selling point, not a deterrent. Not a good feeling...

I would absolutely recommend Schuler Service for remodeling and plumbing services. i have used them multiple times for both services. Most recently a major bathroom remodel. my bathroom was terrible a giant hole in the floor that was coming down to the ceiling in the dining room. it was a pretty significant task. The whole process was fantastic. Sarah helped me immensely with recommendations on what products to get within my budget and also what would look good together. she was available during the whole process even on vacation I had an emergency (toilet broke) and she coordinated staff coming out early to replace it within 2 days they were out!). Project Manager Mike was very helpful I had many questions, emails coordination. it all went smoothly. last but not least, the two individuals who completed the remodel, Jason and Brian. hard workers, worked from the start time to end time everyday. I was so impressed with the amount of work that was done every day. to see my bathroom transform to something that was not only finally functional but beautiful is something I didnt think was in reach. it has taken a huge stress off me as well because I lived many years with this being non functional and literally deteriorating before my eyes. I hope everyone at schulers is aware of how much I appreciate their hard work and efforts. I love my bathroom and I will certainly continue to use your services when needed in the future

As a new homeowner, when we woke up to not hot water, I was stressed out! Less than 10 hours later, no worries... Our hot water heater acted up leaving us with no hot water, after submitting a claim with my Home Warranty service and them charging at least $100 service call plus would not show up until the next day, nearly 40 hours from the original online submission I searched around for a better option... And certainly found it. I could not be happier with everything from the first phone call with the VP a few minutes after emailing them from the website (http://www.schulerservice.com/) to Brian coming out less than 2 hours later to assess the situation and complete the job in less than another hour for a reasonable rate as well as options for alternative projects. Our 10-year old hot water heater is an 80 gallon Bradford White which they do not make anymore. We ended up replacing both thermostats rather than replacing with another option, which Brian took the time to discuss, draw out and honestly break down each service. He was personable (as was the original phone call to discuss the situation, the heads up call to let me know someone would be coming out and Brian was helpful and friendly). These are now my go-to home needs service and I could not be happier with the full service security they've given me with a simple phone number.

My family has used Schuler Service since buying their house in the 60's. While time comes and go's, quality materials and professional service and commitment are solid like a rock at SS ! On 11/1/19, Jason H., explained price tiers & comparison scenario(s) : do you seek a quick cheap fix or ONCE AND DONE ? The choice is yours to make, you can decline the work and there is NOT any pressure. Jason is very professional and a genuinely friendly person. SS hires people that are back ground verified. You are getting skilled craftsmen, not thugs. Schuler is now state of the art in ALL respects : the use the same software to configure your bath & kitchen. But you are given and shown on the spot Estimates on a I PAD, if there is any waiting for an Estimate, you must decide to proceed what choice suits you. Yes, there will ALWAYS be someone w/ discounts : but be careful of what you wish for : CHEAP quality parts and materials along with shoddy work are a train wreck to happen. Cost cutting is what has destroyed our Country and will do the same to your home too, over time. I can NOT urge any consumer enough : Review contractor's on: www.bbb.org If a contractor is NOT ACCREDITITED, their focus MAY be on PROFIT margin ONLY , not on Customer Satisfaction ! Schuler Service again leads the way in going the extra mile. This is why I CONTINUE to retain them.

Admittedly, my issue was fairly simple. My house has old pipes and one of the shut off valves started leaking pretty good out of the blue. I watched a few YouTube videos from some weekend warrior plumbers and people that supposedly know plumbing "hacks" and what it taught me was that I could get lucky and do it myself correctly or I could jack it up and make things exponentially worse. I assumed B which is why I called in a professional. The entire process was beyond easy and everything was as advertised. They sent someone out the next day and gave me a window of when he would arrive. 30 minutes prior the office called and confirmed that Brian was on the way along with sending a text with his picture as promised up front. Brian showed up, saw the issue, explained what he thought was the best course of action and took care of it in a little less than an hour. No runs, no hits and no errors. On a brief sidebar, oh lordy, some of these "reviews" for Schuler crack me up. I truly don't know what people expect. Look, is the pricing a bit expensive? Yes, it is but it's understandable because you need to pay for their time to do something that you can't. If you want cheaper, do it yourself and if you can't, it is what it is. No issues at all with any part of the process and in the future I would definitely call Schuler again. A+

If you need plumbing work, stay far away from Schuler Service. We needed a flush valve replaced on our upstairs toilet. We paid an $89 service fee for the technician to tell us that it would cost $412 to replace it. Mind, you he said it would take an hour's worth of labor and you can find the part on Amazon for $20. That means they are charging nearly $400/hr for labor. INSANE!!! We just put a brand new, much nicer toilet in our basement for less than that!! If I could rate this company zero stars I would. If you need a plumber, look elsewhere! EDITED TO RESPOND TO OWNER: Regardless of whether or not you charge an hourly rate, an hourly rate can be calculated by taking the total charge, subtracting the amount the materials cost, and dividing the total by the time it takes to complete the job. Your own technician mentioned it wouldn't take more than an hour and I have since talked to people who say they regularly change this part out in under 30 minutes. Answering a phone with a kind voice doesn't justify overcharging clients. According to the other negative reviews, I am not the only one to have an issue with being overcharged. And yes, when you try to charge a customer more money than it costs to replace the toilet to replace a $20 part, that is definitely considered overcharging in my book.

Outstanding Service from Chuck Bell and Joe Spangler-Riepensell! I recently had a leaking basement and assumed my old sump pump was to blame. Chuck and Joe from Schuler Service arrived and, instead of jumping to conclusions, took the time to assess the entire situation thoroughly. They quickly identified that the water heater was leaking badly and also traced a major source of water back to a downstairs toilet. Only after addressing those possibilities did they inspect the sump pump--which turned out to be over 30 years old and no longer effective. They explained everything clearly, gave me options, and never pressured me. Within three hours, they had installed a new, efficient water heater and a modern sump pump that's been doing an excellent job keeping my basement dry--even through five days of continuous rain. They also referred me to a restoration service to help with the toilet issue. Chuck and Joe were courteous, professional, clean, and even managed to keep things light with their great sense of humor. While no one enjoys unexpected home repairs, these two made a stressful situation so much easier to handle. I'm extremely grateful for their help and highly recommend Schuler Services--especially Chuck and Joe!

Call Schuler plumbing for your repairs if you have money to spare or don't care about the cost. We contacted them to repair a leaking shower which my husband had correctly diagnosed as a bad/worn cartridge. We also wanted them to replace faucet handles on 2 sinks in the same bathroom. We had the new fixtures that were to be installed. The tech who came to make the repairs provided us with separate estimates for both jobs...$335 for the shower & a whopping $1,200 for the faucet handles! We passed on the faucet replacement but agreed to the shower repair since we were already being charged $89 for the service call simply to "assess & diagnose" the problem. It took the plumber less than 10 min. to replace the shower cartridge. In total we were billed $295 (after a $35 senior discount) for a job that literally took 10 min. We contacted Schuler to inquire as to why the cost was so exorbitant for a job that took only 10 min. They mentioned prevailing rates & that the plumber who performed the repair was one of their best...really?? They offered to deduct another $35 from the bill. We received the check a few days later but are not going to accept it since they appear to need the money more than we do. Bonnie Z., Whitehall