I do not recommend Chicago Plumbing Experts. I just bought a house with my fiancé and there was a horrible smell coming from the basement. The inspector advised us as to what the issue could be and we asked Chicago Plumbing Experts to provide a quote to fix the issue. Will diagnosed the issue as being a busted P trap. He provided a quote for $3,879 to break up the concrete around the P trap, install a new P trap, hydro-jet the drain and sewer system, and "re-concrete kitchen drain/vent line assuming line is fine." As new home owners, we thought this was a fair price and we agreed to the price and the invoice, and two guys (I can't remember their names) came out to address the issue. They were 1.5 to 2 hours late and when they arrived they were unfamiliar with what services they were to be providing. We actually had to show them our copy of the invoice so they could familiarize themselves with the job they were supposed to be completing. After about an hour, they notified us that they needed to go buy some supplies. This seemed normal, but they were gone for three hours. When they returned they told us they had to go all the way to Brookfield (from Chicago) to retrieve the hydro-jet, which was supposed to have been brought with them to begin with, according to the services listed on the invoice.
Now the kitchen drain. I will accept fault for accepting the wording of the invoice. We knew the kitchen drain was NOT fine, and I assumed they would fix it once they removed the concrete and confirmed that it wasn't fine. They did not fix the kitchen drain. They removed the concrete, confirmed what the inspector had already told us, and used a towel (provided by us) to fill the gapping hole around the corroded pipe. They told us they could re-concrete the drain, but it would need to be serviced in the same way as the P trap (meaning it was going to cost us another $4K to properly fix the issue because they needed to break up the concrete, install a new pipe, and re-concrete the kitchen drain).
In addition to this, they decided to hydro-jet the drain and sewer system by using the stack in the basement. They broke the cap on the stack and did not have a replacement in their truck. They told my fiancé what he needed to buy and told him where to buy it. They were about to explain how to install it, but he told them he wanted to go buy the replacement cap and have them install it before they left. They told him the cap needed to be 4 inches so that's what he bought. It turned out the cap needed to be 3.75 inches so the cap my fiancé bought didn't fit. They instead filled the hole with plastic bags and said they would come back to fix it, for an additional charge. They didn't even end up using the stack to hydro-jet the drain and sewer system...they used the catch basin in the backyard. Breaking the cap on the stack was entirely preventable.
We called to complain to Will after they left two holes in our basement and he told us they would be back on Monday to put a cap on the stack and to re-concrete the kitchen drain, as discussed. They did return on Monday, but they were there for less than ten minutes to put a cap on the stack and then they left. Although they were there twice, they did not clean up their mess and I had to dispose of the extra rags and their water bottles.
They did correct the issue with the P trap, but it was NOT worth it. The service was very unprofessional and overpriced.
Advice for new homeowners: assume NOTHING and get EVERYTHING in writing, whether you hire Chicago Plumbing Experts or someone else. Save yourself the expense and the headache. read more
