King George Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric

I’m writing this review to warn others against hiring King George Pluming. Here’s my story: My mother recently hired King George Plumbing to fix a broken thermostat in August. Aris, a King George technician, came in and installed an Aprilaire 8463 and charged her $373.19. He told her that he did not charge her for the labor and that he gave her an additional discount. Later we researched the Aprilaire unit online and found that this model can be bought for about $60 on Amazon. So if you believe what Aris is telling us, then they marked it 522%. That also assuming that they didn’t get these units at a wholesale cost in which case, the margins would be ludicrous. I pointed this out to Aris and said we wanted to return the unit. He said that they can’t accept the unit back because they can’t resell an opened thermostat. I find this hard to believe because it’s not like they even showed my mother an unopened box and or even allowed her to keep it. Anyway, I told him if that was the case and if I could provide him a brand new unit in an unopened box, could he refund the money then? I’m thinking that I could just by a brand new unit for $60 so that I could get my mother’s $373. He then tells me that they can’t do that because the time that they invested in coming out and installing the unit. So his story changed. Now the company DOES charge us for labor, but they tell you that they are not. I tell him that’s fine, I can see his point. How about we don’t get a full refund, but instead we provide back a brand new unit unopened and they refund us $300. He then said I needed to call back Monday and speak to the manager. I called back Monday and I had a similar conversation with a woman. I also pointed out that their website has a seal on it that says “100% Satisfaction Guaranteed” on it. And asked her why they were not living up to that promise. She declined to comment and said that there are no refunds. Anyway, she said she may need to speak to the owner. I called back again later and still did not get anywhere so I told her that if there is nothing I could do then I would have to voice my complaints through Yelp and BBB. She said to call back when she’s had time to speak to the owner. I called back one last time and was not able to reach the manager so I told that I didn’t really have a choice, but to post my situation online so that I could warn others. We eventually just bought a Nest smart thermostat for $200 on Amazon. I installed it myself. So after all that, I got my mother a state of the art Nest smart thermostat which she can control through the internet or on her phone for $173 less than the cheap Aprilaire unit that King George installed. If you read King George’s website, it says people choose King George because of honesty, integrity, and quality. This truly isn’t the case. I would avoid King George at all costs. If this is how King George Plumbing operates with just a simple thermostat installation, I really don't know how you could trust them with more complex, larger jobs.

Just a little on the high price side.

I had King George come out 2 years ago. Keep reading to find out why I'm just now giving them the review. We had just moved in and realized there was a gas leak. I give them a fair grade for coming out on an emergency basis. The work seemed to be done correctly as the leak was fixed, but we were charged over $1,000 for less than 2 hours of work. At the time I just dealt with it, what else do you do. Fast forward to this summer. I wanted my pool heater serviced/tuned. After reading online that plumbers generally also work on pool heaters, I called to ask if they do indeed work on pool heaters. The lady who answered the phone literally answered me by saying "No, why would we work on pool heaters? You need to call a pool repairman." I said "because they are just regular heaters made by the same manufacturers who make indoor heaters." Who answers a customer call like that??? It was the rudest response I've ever gotten when calling and asking for some type of service. She didn't respond so I just said thanks and hung up. Shockingly rude. Now, two years from the original repair and we had another gas leak last night - in the exact same spot that was repaired. The utility company saw the earlier repair and mentioned what a terrible job was done. We called another plumber to come fix today and they agreed a mess was made of our piping. So not only did we pay 1k originally, I now just paid another 1k to get it done the RIGHT way - and we are lucky we didn't blow up in the meantime. Never again. I was tricked into thinking they are the only place in Warren. Wrong. Don't fall into that trap.

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I purchased a new hot water heater from Home Depot, and based off online reviews, I decided to forego HD's installers and use a local plumber for the installation.  I contacted and engaged King George Plumbing as they are located in my town, and they appeared to have a good reputation, even though many people have previously told me that they are more expensive than their competitors. <br /> Before or during the installation process (I am not exactly sure when it was determined), the King George rep informed me that the water pressure in our house was coming in too high (+100psi).  Because of this, a new water pressure regulator was needed and it was going to cost me an additional $600+.  As I reasoned that the water pressure was a safety issue, I consented to the installation of the new water pressure regulator, of which King George installed flawlessly. <br /> After the installation was completed, the King George rep could not get the HWH to operate.  The King George rep contacted Rheem's technical support, and based on this conversation, it was determined that new parts were needed (mind you, this is a brand new HWH).  As I was relying on King George's expertise, I consented for the replacement parts and the King George rep informed me that they would return once the replacement parts were received. <br /> A few days later, the replacement parts came in and King George sent another rep to install.  The peculiar part of this new visit is, that even though King George charged me $675 for the installation of the HWH (on top of the $600+ for the new water pressure regulator), they were charging me an additional $180 for this visit, even though the HWH was not working after King George initially installed it.   <br /> The replacement parts were installed by the King George rep, but the HWH heater still did not work.  The King George rep got back on the phone with Rheem technical support, and it was recommended that additional parts were needed.  So, these additional parts were ordered and the rep told me that they would be back again once the additional parts were received. <br /> The additional parts were received, King George came back out, installed the parts, and guess what...the HWH still did not work!  At this point, it appeared that the King George rep gave up on the HWH (even though I had to pay an additional service call fee of $325), because in his write up of the service call, he included his recommendation that I purchase a new Bradford White HWH from King George for the total cost of $1500 (this included the installation). <br /> The next day I called Gold Medal, as I had an inclination that it wasn't the HWH that was defective, but the service provided by King George.  Lo and behold, within a half hour upon arrival, the Gold Medal rep had the HWH operational after a phone call to the Rheem technical support line.  Moreover, I was told that the installation of the replacement parts was probably unnecessary, even though it was recommended by King George. <br /> Apparently, what had happened, is that the HWH sensed natural gas fumes within the room, and it shut itself off (this is what it is supposed to do, and was one of the primary reasons I bought the HWH).  When this happens, the machine needs to have a hard "reboot" (to borrow a computer term) so that it can come online and operate properly, going forward. <br /> I contacted King George about this, and after relaying all this information to Brenda (whom I am presuming is King George's office manager), they made it sound like I was at fault for all of the troubles I received from the HWH installation.  King George offered no apologies (the lack of hot water in our house prevented us from moving into it), no refunds (they kept charging me for additional visits, even though I had already paid for an installation and the HWH was non-operational after every visit), no nothing. <br /> Moreover, King George did not even install a bonding wire, which is another item that is required on every HWH installation.  I had to call them back and complain that the bonding wire was not installed, before they even mentioned it or affirmed that it is needed. (They did come out and install it, btw, but not after several rounds of phone calls and not after Brenda accused the Gold Medal rep of lying about the bonding wire). <br /> Needless to say, I am currently waiting on my permit from King George, which I already anticipate I will not receive.  The reason for this is because the gas valve (which is normally changed during a HWH installation) was not replaced by King George.  However, this gas valve replacement is a permit issue; that is, if the city inspector sees the old, 30+ year gas valve that is currently installed, he will not pass the HWH installation as the old gas valve needs to be replaced.  Again, King George is deflecting this responsibility and is adopting a wait-and-see approach before they replace the gas valve (even though a gas valve replacement is a standard service in any HWH installation AND as mentioned already, is a permit determinative issue). <br /> In the end, and in light of all the charges I racked up with all of the King George visits, I ended up purchasing a yearlong membership from Gold Medal.  It was worth every penny... <br /> As such, it will go without saying, I will never use King George's services again nor will I ever recommend them to friends or family.  The incompetence and expense is just too much!    <br /> <br />

Fast and clean work. Very courteous!

I moved into a new home that had an old hot water heater (13 years) which needed to be replaced.  As a first time home owner and new to the Bedminster, NJ area, I asked for recommendations and am sorry I took this one.  The only pleasant individual at King George Plumbing, Heating & Electric (Warren NJ) was the first plumber who came out to provide a quote and he quit the company a week later.  Their customer service is very poor.  Brenda and another woman from their office were both extremely rude and nasty when speaking with her on the phone to simply set up the appointments necessary.  I guess they are so large that they don't care how to treat the customer.  They are very late for appointments and do not call to advise the customer if prior jobs are running long and they will be late.  Typically, you can expect them to arrive an hour to an hour-and-a-half past the latest time. They are very expensive.  I would justify this if the work, service and customer service provided were worth the price, but this was not the case.  What I also did not care for was that they send a different person each time you need an appointment.  I needed them to come back a few times and got a different plumber each time.  I received the recommendation for this plumber from a friend who said she is friends with one of the owners, but I was highly disappointmed and would not recommend them to others in need of plumber/electrician.    <br /> <br /> <br />

See above. <br />

This went well. I had no problems with the installation or with the final inspection.

After writing the owner of King George and getting no response, I called in another heating/air conditioning service company. <br /> For a little more than $100, the other company presented me with a heating system that performs like new! <br /> The re-alignment of a simple part was all that was needed. <br /> Let King George stick to plumbing, and that's all. <br />

I called up to get quote to address two separate leaks (kitchen and one bathroom) and for routine maintenance on HVAC.  I was told that they could come out next day, between 2-4.    <br /> What prompt service!  Except it wasn't.  At 4 o'clock, I called to see if they were still going to come out.  The person receiving my call told me she would find out and get right back to me.  About half an hour later, I got a call that the service rep encountered a snag and would not be coming out that day.   <br />    <br /> Stuff happens, but unless this had occurred right at 4:00, I would have expected the service rep to have had me contacted.  I asked why did I have to find out about the delay, having made arrangements to be home that day, only after I called.  I received an apology, was told something about getting a discount and said they can come out the next day, again between 2 and 4.   <br /> They did show up next day at 3:20, did the HVAC maintenance and looked the plumbing issues.   They also pointed that my water heater was rusting, and recommended and provided a quote for replacing it, along with quotes for replacing kitchen faucet and shower valve. <br /> I've used this company before, using them to install my HVAC and do some plumbing work a few years ago.  I've had the impression that their prices were high,  supported by other reviews here, but I was OK with paying for quality and professionalism.   But not letting me know they would not be showing up left me disenchanted and so I did decide to look elsewhere. <br /> I subsequently got the water heater replaced with another local company with the same rating on Angie's list, who turned out to be cheaper and left me more impressed with their professionalism (exactly on time, attitude of both service representative and call center).   I expect to use the other company in the future. <br />

Safely removed several trees including one about 8 feet from front of house. Whole crew very cooperative and put up with me as site manager for the day.

They were fantastic. They brought all their own equipment, and were neat, thorough, and courteous. From the time the serviceman came to check the problem until the work was actually completed, everything was done with extreme professionalism. They were straightforward with their explanation of what they would do, how and when they would do it, and the cost. If they had been a little cheaper, the experience would have been perfect! <br />

See above explanation <br />

I called and got information about kitchen faucet installation . <br /> When the faucet was delivered the plumber made the appointment <br /> within a few days and arrived on time and installed it perfectly. <br />

They've been great to work with overall! We've worked with them for 25-30 years. They're a little pricey, but they've been very reliable.

The technician did an excellent job, which was not easy because the sink was already in place making the work more difficult.  He arrived early (called ahead to see if it was OK), got to work promptly and cleaned up thoroughly.   The price was set in advance of his starting work, according to a price book which he showed me.

First of all, I was disappointed that they sent a "technician" and a helper instead of an actual plumber to do the job. The on-site estimate was more than I had anticipated from a few calls to other companies that I had made prior to their arrival, but my tank was leaking so I felt I needed to replace it that day.  I also needed a new pressure reducer valve on my water line but at this point I just requested an estimate. As it turned out, I called another plumbing company who sent out a master plumber to do the pressure reducer valve  job at about HALF the price of the first company's estimate.  <br />

Excellent

I was quite pleased with them.  They did the work I wanted done.  I had gotten a new boiler installed by another company and I was getting uneven heat throughout the house.  The technician came and was able to fix that.

They have replaced the air conditioner previously. They were very good and professional. We like their attitude and their feedback. The price was fine.

We have used them for the last two or three years. They are pretty good, but pricey. We have a service contract with them and are reasonably happy with them.

1- King George made several repairs in my home to my satisfaction(leak under sink, remover rusting instant hot water.) When I asked for an estimate to replace my AC system, someone came out, took the info, however I had to call several times for the amount. I eventually contacted another company - they came the next day and gave me their quote. I called King George again, the sent their quote and it was for a unit that was too small for my house, and smaller than the unit I was replacing. If I had not contacted the 2nd company, King George would have put in an incorrectly sized system. 2- Upon my annual plumbing inspection, the technition turned a valve which released some pressure in the pipes, then turned it back. He told me the reason I was hearing water running through the baseboard heating system was that the system needed to be bled - cost $400+ A week later my brother looked and saw that the pressure relief valve had beed turned off. I called King George, they sent another technition who replaced the pressure relief valve - about $60 - the system never needed to be bled.

The AC did not start up this year. Turned out to be a bad (old) circuit board that had succombed to old age. The board was replaced quickly and the work area was left immacculate. During the inspection/diagnosis the technician explained what and why he was testing different parts, and why he determined that this board was the issue. He also provided two alternative repair scenarios (one cheaper and one more expensive) explainging the pros and cons to each. this treatment is not surprising, as it has been consistent with King George for 10 plus years we have used them. They may be on the upper end in price (not outrageously so for the area) but the work and peple have always been supperb.