The Plumbing Authority
Plumber · Knoxville, TN
Our verdict
4.9★ across 1,949 reviews, BBB A+ accredited; 94% positive sentiment across 100 analyzed — but 4 negative reviews flag expensive estimates and a surprise $50-200 diagnostic fee not disclosed at booking.
Scores are our editorial reading of published customer reviews — not a verification, license check, or guarantee.
Ranked #8 of 15 plumbers we've reviewed in Knoxville, TN · compare all →
Our opinion, based on the 100 reviews we analyzed from Google, Yelp and BBB · Analysis updated Jun 2026 · How we decide ↗
What reviewers praise
Full-house repipe capability with crew of ~10 licensed plumbers; water line, drain, fixtures all handled in one job per 1 Yelp review
1 cited review
“We have a historic Oak Ridge Alphabet house and needed a full house repipe. Over the years there had been a lot of bandaids and partial fixed resulting in a hodgepodge of new and original pipes. The plumbing authority had the size to complete the whole job. We also had them install a tankless water heater and garbage disposal.”
fast_response=18 across 100 reviews; owner personally came out same-day at no charge for a minor issue 3 years after original job
1 cited review
“The Plumbing Authority provided excellent service and was able to quickly resolve our issue. They went above and beyond to work us into the schedule to get our problem fixed the exact day we needed it done.”
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed — 1 cited review not excerpted here.
Transparent multi-option explanations — techs lay out options without pressure, confirmed in 2 of 12 quoted reviews
1 cited review
“Steven O. from Plumbing Authority was excellent to work with. He was timely, thorough, and clearly very knowledgeable. What I appreciated most was that he never felt pushy — he carefully explained what he observed, laid out several options, and then gave me the space to think and decide without pressure.”
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.
Red flag
Undisclosed diagnostic fee ($50-200) charged even when no work is done — not mentioned during phone booking per 1-star review
“Short version: overpriced, incorrect diagnosis, hidden fees, upselling techniques, lack of experience. Saved myself over $3,000 by doing it myself. Another plumber quoted less than half for the same job. I will NEVER use Plumbing Authority again.”
expensive=4 in themeCounts; one 1-star reviewer quoted competing plumber at less than half the price for the same job
“Short version: overpriced, incorrect diagnosis, hidden fees, upselling techniques, lack of experience. Saved myself over $3,000 by doing it myself. Another plumber quoted less than half for the same job. I will NEVER use Plumbing Authority again.”
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed.
Emergency weekend availability reportedly limited — one reviewer couldn't get same-day service and called the experience an 'emergency call'
Cited in 1 of the 100 reviews we analyzed.
Keep it in proportion: these concerns are cited in 3 of the 100 reviews we analyzed. Most reviewers report positive experiences — see the full rating picture below.
The evidence — in reviewers' own words
Critical
“In December 2023 they came to my house to fix an immediate problem. The same problem happened now...10 mos later...sink water pipes disconnected and water flooded under the sink. Called this morning and they cannot send someone out until Monday for emergency call. Will not be using them again.”
“All I needed was one washer to be changed out in one side of my bathroom sink bc it was dripping a little bit. The young man that came in was wonderful. No complaints about him at all. But for a total of 6mins of work I was charged 190.00. Not even two washers. Just one. In the end I am really angry with myself bc I should have just refused service and found another company that was a little cheaper. But bc I …”
“the guy seemed clueless, looked at my problem about 10 minutes, and stayed outside on the phone for about 20 minutes, and came back in, still seemed clueless as to what was wrong, still didnt know where the leak was coming from. i was asking him what part was bad, so i could determine if i wanted it to be replaced or fixed (my 2 options of having it fixed) and i didnt trust him at all. he acted like this was his …”
Positive
“We had an excellent experience with The Plumbing Authority! Ray and Hector did a great job with a complete mainline replacement. They were very professional, knowledgeable, friendly, and thorough! We also had a drain re-pipe done and Jake and John were fantastic! Audra was our contact in the office and she was very friendly and accommodating! They all went above and beyond and I highly recommend this company!”
“It was a wonderful experience using the Plumbing Authority! After finding that we had several leaks in our dated sewer system, we decided to go ahead and replace all of the water and sewer lines to update our home and prevent future problems and expenses. Mikhail who came to give us our estimate was wonderful! Compared to several other estimates I'd gotten, Mikhail was able to find a different, much more cost …”
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: Mar 2026.
Across platforms
Google 4.9★ vs Yelp showing 2-star and 5-star reviews — at least 3 Yelp quotes in the evidence set, including a 2-star complaint about emergency unavailability and pricing.
Should you hire The Plumbing Authority?
Best for
- Emergency and same-day calls
- Whole-house repiping
- Water line repair and replacement
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
Look elsewhere if
- You're highly price-sensitive
Advice derived from the review analysis above — how we decide.
Own The Plumbing Authority?
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.
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Nearby: Knoxville