FRIENDLY PLUMBER

I called Friendly Plumber for my stopped up toilet. Their receptionist told me they don't do that kind of work because they employ plumbers, not drain cleaners. Ok, but she did help by giving me options on what I can do. I think this is pretty interesting insider information, considering I had no idea this is how I could get things done for the least amount. I'm sharing this information for all of Yelp to see, because I'm through with this issue. Enjoy! 1) ROOTER BONG The receptionist said I can call this company who does specialize in stoppages. They have the proper equipment, and their company owner knows this company's owner, who is a good guy, and will give me honest service. 2) HOME DEPOT PRO, COLMA Apparently, I can rent a "snake" this is what it's called at Home Depot, and if I get my husband to deal with it, it only costs around $45 total for a 1/2 day rental. 3) YELLOW PAGES Plumbing companies advertise drain cleaning specials for $50 total. And $50 wins the pot! That was the magic number for me, which I noticed is also considerably lower than the other plumbers' rates here. That's too bad Friendly Plumber doesn't do this type of work because it would have been nice not to open the phone book at all, but it was very professional of their receptionist to go through the trouble of spelling out the options for me even though their company's getting absolutely nothing by helping me out. more

It's not easy trusting someone to come in your home that you don't know. But, I had some problems with a leak in an upstairs bathroom and so I called Friendly Plumber. They sent somebody that day due to my situation and even called when they were on their way. They sent the most friendly and polite plumber over to my home who arrived when he said he would, was clean shaven, had a professional appearance and just the sweetest service person I've met in a long time. He got right to business, LISTENING to what I had to say about the situation, worked at a steady pace and even cleaned up when he was through. I highly recommend this family-owned business who genuinely takes interest in it's customers. A big shaka to the kanakas, Friendly Plumber is the bomb! more

What a GREAT find! The plumber got there when he said he would, and the price was I thought pretty fair considering this was 8:30am on a Saturday. My water heater was leaking water everywhere and since my husband was out of town, I thought I should just open my wallet and give all its contents to the first plumber who walks through my door. Any plumber, anybody! Shockingly, the plumber was courteous, professional, and even cleaned up the entire mess. He didn't have to do this, but I thought it was a nice touch. Good recommendation, fellow reviewers. Thanks for helping me avert what could have been a very ugly and expensive mess :) more

Good: Detail oriented plumber, locally located in San Francisco so I didn't have to pay an extra driving fee, mom and pop family operation, professional. Other: My kitchen faucet sprung a leak the other day. Literally "sprung a leak", right at my eye. I called Friendly Plumber and Robert was on time, at my door, the same day. Detail oriented, he showed me the part that caused the leak, and replaced it without a hitch in under an hour - now that's professional! I really resent paying for house expenses since I'd rather party with my extra money, to be perfectly honest. I feel I was charged a good price and was treated nicely, so I'm cool with this company.. more

Well, remodeling is a huge undertaking, but I can certainly recommend this company for any plumbing project. I asked for "Robert" since he seems to be highly recommended here, and I am glad I did. His customer service is really top notch! He came over the same day and assured me step-by-step on some ways to not go over my budget for one. I wanted my kitchen and guest bathroom remodeled, but he suggested to do one room at a time and boy, am I glad! I'm currently having problems with my paint contractor (they painted over electrical plugs and very expensive Cat 3 wiring - goody!) and this is holding up the entire project now. With only 1 bathroom in the house, what would have happened if I did this all at the same time? No bathroom? I am very impressed with this young man and I have no hesitation recommending him! more

The gentleman from Friendly Plumber did a great job for me. He was very professional, diagnosed my sewer problem quickly and then fixed it quickly as well. Yes, the "Friendly" experience was not an inexpensive one. However, I think he realized as much and did not try to weasel me out of my money either. The project was well detailed in writing so I knew exactly what I was being charged, and the exact terms of the transaction. I liked the guarantee on all the work done and that I had no obligation to proceed with the job in the first place just because he looked at our sewer main. Throughout the project, the plumber and the office support I received have been highly professional, which was impressive for such small, local operation. more

I am an Office Manager for a small jewelry shop in San Francisco. When the toilet in our office started acting up, I made some calls. Friendly was the first to call me back Monday morning, and thus won our project with their professionalism. They were flexible in sending a guy to our office at lunchtime, which helped manage the transition smoothly. Plus, the toilet was replaced quickly, so we didn't skip a beat. We will absolutely use their services again and will recommend them to others. more

Friendly Plumber came to my house to look at our water heater and give me an estimate. I wanted a tankless water heater and so this was ordered and we made an appt to come back the Monday after it was supposed to come in to do the work. While working on the heater he noticed another small part to the pipe that needed to be repaired. He did not charge me for that part because he didn't add it into the original estimate. (very honorable) He was very professional and polite. He also had very good communication, leaving messages on both my home and mobile phone with updates as we were waiting for the heater. more

I was in a desperate rush for a plumber because my bathroom sink faucet wasn't working. I found Friendly Plumber through searching their reviews, and we first did a telephone 3-way with my dear landlord -- who is tanning in Maui as I write this, to get permission for them to work. This was really helpful in eliminating any questions on my landlord's part, because we're all at least in the same page, and I'm happy my problem was attended to by a professional. Joseph did all the work in less than 3 hours, which really helped free up the rest of my day off. I was given a 4 hour window by another plumber just to show-up, and my hot water dispenser wasn't even going to be installed the same day. Even my landlord is miraculously happy because the plumber's charge was reasonable and all the work is backed up by a warranty. more

New month, new problem, with my basement ceiling leaking from the bathroom above. I had my basement in law flooded from the water heater that was faultily connected by the previous plumber, to roots from the tree in front of my house, which is apparently owned by the city - suffice it to say my run of plumbing bad luck had hit a trifecta, and it's just February yet. I got bids and talked to two other plumbers before I turned to the internet to doublecheck on the reputation of these companies I was considering. In the process, I discovered Friendly Plumber and their good reviews, so with a reputation as good as theirs, they must be doing something right. It seemed unreal how they can please so many people. I had to try them for myself since I know that with my share of the insurance deductible, I had better be getting a job with solid results. My insurance company just won't stand for repeat visits anyhow. Jo from Friendly Plumber showed up to my house with shoe booties, which I thought was a professional touch. He was courteous, and immediately got to diagnosing the fact that my son and I have a tendency to splash around the tub and water was escaping, causing the leak. Thank God it was nothing major! He also noticed that our water heater still isn't strapped correctly, and this time, I'm no longer taking chances so I had him deal with that too. I am pleased with his expertise and am glad I did my research this time around. I am okay with the price I paid, albeit a little higher than the two other plumbers. Jo at least was able to solve the problem. I recommend Friendly Plumber in a heartbeat. more

Joseph is an excellent contractor! He and a helper just finished a full bathroom remodel for me, and installed a tankless hot water heater at my house in 2008. That has been a Godsend to my four kids, and we now have a gorgeous showroom, bragging rights bathroom my wife is so psyched about. Joseph and his helper were very professional and trustworthy. We are very pleased with their quality of work, and excellent attention to detail. more

Special respect and many thanks to Joseph, who stuck with our "mystery leak" until it was solved. Gas fireplaces are tricky in that it's a specialty area between plumbing and electrical. Many plumbers can not handle this type of repair. I know because I went through seven, maybe eight seemingly expert companies in the Yellow Pages, and no one could give me any answers. Joseph came to my home a total of 5 times - until the repair was complete. Throughout what could have been an unpleasant and frustrating experience (for me and their company), all employees I have encountered were friendly and professional. more

Great mom and pop operation. Fair price, friendly, knowledgeable. Joseph explained what he's doing and how it works. It is very hard to trust contrators these days, but I will only call him from now on. Thank you for being a true professional! more

My mother's Victorian developed a bad leak in one of the bathrooms. If there's something that can be said about Victorians is the chain reaction of problems that can happen, once something sets it off. Well, Joseph of Friendly Plumber came over a couple of nights ago, and squeezed us in at the end of his work day and fixed the leak like it was no big deal. My mom said she can tell he is definitely experienced at problem repairs. He was professional, quick and very considerate in what he charged her - not jacking up the price because she's a senior citizen. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You completely earned this good review, and all our business from now on. more

I spent a horrible Friday waiting for a certain (ahem) Rooter company to arrive, and when they finally called at almost 4 in the afternoon to say they won't be able to make it, I search the web and found Friendly Plumber. I live in a Victorian and they were able to diagnose the problem right way (roots growing into our clay pipes) and fix the problem quickly and cheaply! Through out Rob gave me such personal attention and addressed every question, explained all that was happening, and made me feel very well taken care of. The price they charged me was a little less than what the Rooter company told me over the phone, and I'm glad I didn't go cheap on their $30 Trip Charge because I think it was night and day, they were prompt and professional as opposed to the earlier flake of a plumbing company. I haven't had any problems since and I wholeheartedly recommend Friendly Plumber to everyone I know! more

I just wanted to say that after having paid 3 other plumbers to come out, Friendly Plumber was the first to really analyze and solve my gas pipe problem and was able to tell me exactly how much it was going to cost before starting the work. Not only did Friendly do a great job, he went the extra mile in terms of dealing with the inspector professionally, even though the guy was really pushy. I highly recommend Robert! more