Let me start by sharing that there are things that Tom's Plumbing does correctly, and they are:
1. Plumbers are prompt, responsive, responsible, and knowledgeable. When Allen showed up to replace a leaking radiator pipe, he knew what needed to be done, and was even willing to do the repair our way to save money.
2. Service is provided same day, if you're in a jam, and need that repair to save yourself from living in an ark.
3. Reputable brand name here in Elgin, that comes highly recommended, which means that the community has respect for the local company.
Now you'll be asking why am I giving the business a one-star rating, and there are a few, starting with:
1. Allen was able to provide us a verbal estimate (not a quote) of what it would cost to install a new tub hookup, and said that it would be $140/hr plus materials (he approximated 6-8 hours, so I rounded up to $1,000). A few days later, Mike, co-owner, called and said that Allen was wrong, and that the true cost would be $2,000-$3,000. I trust Allen, especially as he shared his years of experience so if he said $1,000, I believe that to be a fair estimate. Side note: the plumber we did hire for the tub hook-up took 6 hours to complete, and charged us $1,000; he made $167/hr on that small job alone.
2. The owners do not empower the employees to do a good job, to be able to provide an estimate (not a quote), and to allow them to use their expertise to help grow the company. If Mike has to show up to provide a quote on every job, then you'll never be able to work beyond a one man sales crew.
3. Because Mike was so focused on ripping us off on installing a tub, he wasn't able to see into the future. We have galvanized steel pipes throughout our newly purchased home that need to be replaced this year, for both our heating system and water supply. That's $140/hr plus materials times how many hours of labor? 40? 80? That's a missed opportunity to make over $10,000+ on one customer, and your cost of customer acquisition was $0, since we found your business card in the home when we moved in.
4. The business co-owner, Tammy, seems to think it is ok with bashing Yelp reviewers for sharing their frustrations about the business as is the case with James Melton's review. Please stop. I was there, and I know what happened; changing your reply to his review won't help remove a poor rating.
I'll stop there as I think that the inability to rely on quality customer service is ultimately what will cause this company to continue to struggle. The philosophy of "it is 100% impossible to please 100% of the people 100% of the time" is a flawed strategy in approaching customer service, and I would encourage the owners to take some online courses, reach out to the local SBA chapter, and read up on how to run and grow a small business successfully. I wish Tom's Plumbing the best of luck in their future endeavors, as I really do recommend Allen's services as an experienced plumber, but I cannot recommend the company. read more