DrainWorks to the rescue! I recently had the bad luck of a kitchen sink backup while visiting my mother in Toronto, a mere 3 hours before a dinner party. I had never had a drain backup before, so I went online and after checking their site, and all of the great reviews, I took the plunge and called DrainWorks. Luckily, I made the right decision! From the moment I called, I was put at ease that I was in the hands of professionals who care about their customers. Their dispatcher assured me they would have someone over within an hour (which they did). Armando, their technician came, put shoe covers on his boots, laid cloths down, to keep the floor clean, and went to work. He worked diligently, and soon enough, the sink was flowing again! Disaster averted! I can't thank DrainWorks and Armando enough for their efforts and quality of service. read more

Very thorough, professional and knowledgeable. Provided lots of options to my challenging situation.

(FYI, Drainworks services the entire GTA, and has multiple locations all managed by a central office. This address is the office.) First off let me say that the plumber who came out to my condo was top notch. If I were reviewing just his performance and professionalism I'd easily give him a 4 to 5 stars. He knew what he was doing, and took the time to do his job properly. I must commend him for that. The reason I give Drainworks 2 out of 5 stars has nothing to do with their plumbing abilities, and everything to do with their policy regarding pricing. When I contact them over the phone to have a kitchen sink drain installed, they wouldn't provide me a quote. I was told "every job is a little different, we don't give out quotes, etc". But, what they do offer is a free no obligation quote in person. A plumber will come out to you place, assess the gig and give you a price on the spot. You can say sure, or you can say no thanks. This is what bothers me. All of their pricing is in a book that the plumber references right in front of you. I needed a drain. The plumber flips to a book that shows single kitchen sink drain (not two - that's a different price) and tells me that'll be X amount of dollars. So I'm left scratching my head. Why wouldn't the guy just give me the price over the phone? Why isn't this book on their website where customers can view it without the plumber coming in? I left a review for Drainworks on homestars.ca (another handy review website for contractors) and the reply from Drainworks is that every job is different, and that someone could read the prices and raise a bit of a stink when the job turns out to be more complicated. But my job wasn't complicated. It was a new sink that needed a new drain. What stink could I have raised? Why can't Drainworks simply post this price book on their website, but add a clearly visible footnote indicating these are base prices subject to change pending a plumber coming to see the job that needs to be done. I would totally be fine with that. If I didn't like any change in the price, then I could decline the services of Drainworks. This was, and remains my theory on Drainworks. They send a plumber to your place knowing full well that once the guy is there, chances are you're just going to agree to the price even if you don't like it. You've already partially committed to having the guy in your house, you'll probably just cave and let the guy do the work. And if you haven't shopped around, and you don't know much about plumbing costs you won't really know if they are too expensive or not. For Drainworks its clever. Withholding the price book from customers gets their foot in the door, and once there they have a better chance of landing the job. My challenge to Drainworks is to put the price book online and be more open about their pricing before the plumber walks through the door. We'll see if that happens. read more

Excellent service from start to finish. Both the receptionist and the technician were friendly. They managed my expectations about start time and arrived promptly. Service was fast, friendly, clean and thorough. The technician gave me valuable advice to help avoid the problem in the future. I never felt like the technician was doing any suggestive selling - just fixing the problem appropriately. I'm not sure about about whether the pricing was competitive or not ($220 for snaking a kitchen drain line about 10' long from an access point in the basement that was not very challenging to reach. ) Seemed a bit higher than other prices I've heard, so I'm withholding one star. But, with Thanksgiving prep to consider, I was happy to get it done same day. I would use Drain Works again in the future. read more

The technician who came to my home to fix a sewage backup problem in my laundry room was extremely nice. He figured out the problem quickly but told me I should pay extra for a camera to make sure we knew what we were dealing with. He cleared out all roots from the area he showed me on the camera. We thought all was well. It wasn't. the problem persisted and when i called and asked Drainworks to come back and fix the job 100% they told me I had to pay again. I had many discussions with them and their customer service skills and policies are extremely poor. They were down right rude and condescending. The technician only cleared out the first blockage he saw and didn't go any further into the drain to see what else was going on. I wouldn't mind paying more to have the job done but I felt a courtesy call or discount for their return days later would have been appropriate. I would never call Drainworks again, they are expensive and they don't stand behind their work. I would go with an independent plumber next time for sure! read more

I hired Drainworks after I began having issues with my basement toilet not flushing properly. The reason I chose Drainworks for the job was because of the very positive reviews I saw online, which put me under the impression that Drainworks was a respectable and exemplary company. At first I was quite impressed with the service I received. The workers wore booties in my house (instead of just wearing shoes) and they keep me apprised of the price and the work they were doing. The workers ran a camera snake through our pipes and told me that the cause of the problem was roots in the drain. They showed me a picture of the drain to confirm this. I was informed that the pipe needed to be replaced (they gave me a quote for this) and, in the meantime, they would clear the blockage in the pipe so that my plumbing would function properly until the paper was replaced. They also snaked a gurgling drain in my kitchen sink and charged me nearly $600 (not including tax) for the work that they did. After I signed the invoice, I noticed that one of the workers wrote in a line which stated that they made me aware that their work was not covered by warranty. I want to make it extremely clear that I was NOT made aware of this at any time and I only noticed it after the fact. I found it very unprofessional for him to write on an invoice that he gave me that information when in fact he did not. After Drainworks left, my basement flooded THE VERY NEXT DAY after a small rainfall. My basement has never flooded in the past. When I saw the water seeping through my basement I called Drainworks back right away and made them aware of the problem and booked an appointment for them to come back and deal with it. I spoke to someone (who I presume is the owner), he was extremely rude, and he told me outright that Drainworks was not in any way responsible for the flooding and if they were to come back, we would be charged full rate for them to fix the problem. So, in other words, they told me that the work was not covered by warranty, so it was not their problem, even though the problem occurred the very next day. I cancelled my appointment with Drainworks and called another plumbing company immediately. The other plumbers showed up, snaked the drain (the SAME DRAIN that Drainworks snaked) and pulled out a mass of roots and showed us what they did. Ever since then, there have been several rainfalls and the basement has not flooded since. The other plumbers also assured me that if I experienced problems in the near future, they would return and deal with them free of charge. I must say that I was very shocked by the way Drainworks acted. If work is not covered by warranty, I would understand that if the flood happened a month after they did the work (or even a week), I could not reasonably expect Drainworks to be responsible for them. However, after Drainworks showed up, we experienced problems within ONE SINGLE DAY and in response, Drainworks refused to take any ownership or accountability over their work. Like I said, I found this to be surprising for a company with such a good reputation. Be aware, if you hire Drainworks to do any snaking work for you, you should know that they offer zero warranties (whether they make you aware of this not) and, as such, if you experience any problems with their work whatsoever, they will not be of any assistance and will insist on charging you for the same work twice. read more

Fantastic service! I've used DrainWorks on multiple occasions and each time, I've been impressed with the experience. From dispatch to plumber, everyone clearly communicates what is to be expected on a call and I never feel like I'm being "upsold". Kudos to the entire DrainWorks team for a job well done, yet again! read more

I hired Drainworks to dig up my basement floor to remove five feet of sewer pipe that was clogged with tree roots. They arrived when they said they would, put plastic everywhere including the walls so that nothing would get dirty and did the job as they described. After the job was done, I was given three different estimates on how long the new cement would take to dry....first, 24 hours but then they said it could take 7-10 days and finally, they said it could take up to 28 days. It's now been 10 days and it's still not dry, so I guess we're leaning towards 28 days. It would have been nice to know this in advance (when I was given the cost estimate) since it is a rental property and tenants will be moving in soon. Other than that, Drainworks did a good job. read more

Armando arrived on time to fix my main floor toilet which was draining slowly. His manner was professional and he explained the problem clearly. He was able to fix the problem to my satisfaction and also suggested how the problem could be avoided in the future. He left the work area clean. This is the second time Armando did a job for me. Several years ago he and his crew replaced sanitary pipe in my home. This work was also done to my satisfaction. read more

I have had a satisfactory experience with the Drainworks. Had a huge leakage in my kitchen and it was a mess till their engineer arrived and fixed it for us ahead of the birthday party that we had planned for our daughter. Their service is professional and prices are quite affordable. read more

Wow - I just got off the phone with the rudest person ever. I called to get some information and the person I spoke to was SO unbelievably rude. Although I can get them to come out and take a look before giving me a quote, I just didn't feel comfortable after speaking with William. He collected personal information about me including my name, phone number and address prior to even asking me what the problem is. When I asked him questions, he talked over me and didn't let me finish my sentence. Although the reviews are good, I just don't feel comfortable hiring this company based on that horrible interaction. Too many red flags from one conversation. Maybe they are a good company but they need to find someone else to deal with customers. read more

i called them for an emergency repair in the evening. they where responsive. happy with the service

A few weeks ago I called Drainworks to come and inspect a small leak I had at my house. They wouldn't give me a price over the phone even though I knew exactly what the problem was. I figured how much could it be to replace a P trap on a single drain sink? Look I get that every job is different BUT I would have appreciated a ball park figure. This way I wouldn't have wasted their time as well as mine. The estimate came to over $450 ! and that was using PVC plastic and not brass fittings. Because of this I paid them their visit fee of approx $ 80 and left it at that. These guys are professionals. Very polite and the plumber who came and visited was on time and great. I think on a large job they'd be perfect but on my smaller job they were too expensive. I went with another company ( reputable plumber ) who did an excellent job for under $ 200 with tax which was more reasonable. read more

AVOID AVOID, AVOID AT ALL COSTS: Unfair pricing /don't trust estimates. Service was instal a dishwasher. Invoice was not clear, NO rates for service call, NO hourly rate, HANDWRITTEN invoice. Cost: $536.75, MORE than the new dishwasher. 1-1.5 hour of work, and adjusted kitchen cabinet door to stay longer, (when we declined the offer) it's on the invoice!!! When called to clarify the charges, and discuss displeasure was told my husband was the customer and they didn't want to deal with me. Very unprofessional. read more

Drainworks plumber was sent to investigate a leak. Spent 4 hours + in our home and never got to the root cause. Had no logical approach to isolating where the water was coming from. In fact some "theories" he had just made no sense and when i would tell him it made no sense to me, he would agree and offer another theory. Seemed he was just guessing all the time. I had to basically stay with him and offer my thoughts to attempt to help him find the problem. He often agreed with my ideas....and he is the paid plumber! Biggest issue is with the company. The plumber himself was very nice and i kept hoping he would find the problem but after the 4+ hours i gave up and just asked him to leave it and i would monitor. Called the company to complain and they could have cared less. All they care about was that i signed off on the work. Since i did, they would offer me nothing. Refused to offer any kind of partial credit or anything. Just stood by their plumber and said his work was fine. Don't use this company!!! If you do don't sign anything unless you are VERY sure because once you do they will not stand behind anything their people have done. STAY AWAY and find a reputable company that stands behind their people and work. Drainworks doesn't. read more

Up until now, my wife and I had used Drainworks for many years for any plumbing or drain problems. However, when we were recently out of town, our basement apartment tenant contacted us to say that her toilet was not flushing properly and subsequently, it overflowed. Of course, I contacted Drainworks and asked that they deal with this problem and that I would provide them with my credit card authorization over the telephone to pay their invoice. In all the years we had dealt with them, my wife and I had always paid their invoices. I was then reminded that their policy, with no exceptions, is that the person at the house where the service is to be performed must pay for the repairs. Fortunately, the tenant agreed to pay Drainworks and I re-imbursed her by sending her a draft through Western Union. The problem was a clogged waste pipe because of tree roots. I have no complaint about the work performed by Drainworks. However, my tenant of many years, who was never a problem, advised me that the Drainworks technician had informed her while he was clearing the waste pipe that this was not the first time Drainworks has attended to clear the drain in my house and that there is no way he would stay in this apartment if he were living there. Yes, there had been three prior incidents in the 15 years we have owned the house; in our first year, tree roots got into the waste pipe and so, after having the pipe cleared, we had the tree in our front yard taken down. The two other times were when previous tenants had accidentally dropped a sock or another item causing an obstruction which eventually plugged the pipe. This last time, nearly 15 years later, it was again some tree roots that caused the problem. After speaking with the technician, our tenant was very upset and moved out. After the dust settled, I contacted Drainworks to request a copy of their Service Invoice because the tenant could not locate the copy which had been left for her. I also expressed at that time my concern and disappointment with the comments made by the technician to my now former tenant and I wanted to know if indeed their technician made such comments. I was told by the individual answering the Drainworks telephone, in a very condescending manner, that they do not get involved in landlord and tenant matters and that they would not be asking the technician as to whether or not he made any such statements. I then asked to speak with a supervisor because all I wanted to know was whether or not my tenant was telling the truth. I did get a call from "Ed" , a Vice President, who provided me with basically the same line as the person who answered the telephone. He added that when I called from out of town, I had "empowered" the tenant to deal with the technician. I agreed, but I would have expected that this empowerment would have been only in regards to having the problem with the waste pipe resolved and not advising my tenant in a manner which seemed to erroneously convey that the waste pipe was a continual problem and she should move out.. So much for Drainworks position they do not get involved in landlord and tenant matters. Finally, Ed then accused me of berating his employee over the telephone. Needless to say, my wife and I will never use Drainworks again. read more

I share my time between Washington and Toronto, and I recently returned home to Toronto, in the midst of the deep freeze that the city was in, only to find all of my water pipes were frozen solid. I went online, and after doing some thorough research, chose DrainWorks. I called them and spoke to William at their office, and he assured me they'd be out within the hour to thaw my pipes and that he'd call 30 minutes prior to arrival. It all sounded good, but I was a bit wary, considering a few bad experiences I'd had with other companies in the past, but so far, so good. As promised, William called when technician Lou was 30 minutes away. Lou arrived on time, reassured me that he would get to work immediately to restore my water flow. He presented all my options to me upfront, and not once did I ever feel like he was trying to sell me more services that needed. Sure enough, after working tirelessly for more than an hour, all of the water was restored to my home. Relief! I could shower after my delayed flight home. DrainWorks was truly impressive from their online literature, to my initial phone call, and right down to the service Lou performed. Bravo to DrainWorks for exceeding my expectations and for providing such a timely, high quality service. read more