Sewer Squad Plumbing Co

Our kitchen drain was plugged due to an improper item being put down the garburator. The plug was beyond the clean out so I needed professional snaking.

In terms of work done and customer service Sewer Squad was exceptional. I called 9pm the night before and spoke to a someone from the firm, not a call answer service. They scheduled an appointment the next morning and the plumber, Josh, showed up on time. I also got a call beforehand to let me know he was on his way and they texted a picture of him so I knew it was him when he arrived.

Josh was very respectful and provided a few of quotes. We settled on one and the job was estimated to be done in 2 hours but was done in an hour. Everything was cleaned up and settling the bill by credit card was quick. After Josh left someone called me to ensure I was fully satisfied. I've included before and after pictures, taken by Sewer Squad, in this review.

This is the kind of excellent service that makes people want to brag about a company they used, so why did I knock one star off them? Price and sales approach.

Josh's first quote included a bunch of unrequested extra services and cost ~$1100. He then proceeded describe other quote options until finally getting to one at $612+tax which did the work I asked for. That would clear the plug and install a 1.5" in-line y-adapter so future cleaning would be easier. I felt that $612 was very high for a 2 hour job with almost no parts. $300/hr is almost twice what I paid for a plumber 2 years ago. As it turned out Josh took only 1 hour to complete the job.

The sales approach was to provide a series of quotes, starting with one filled with bells and whistles at a very high cost, and ending with the quote I asked for with a 'reasonable' price. This was not appreciated.

Better in my view is to start with a basic quote that meets the customers immediate need, then offer to upsell them on other services.

I guess one can consider Sewer Squad a premium plumbing service at a premium price. Nothing wrong with that if that if it is what you are looking for.

PS: I think Josh did feel a bit bad for charging so much for such a small job. He gave me a canister of drain cleaner and tested my water pressure for no charge. That was appreciated. Thanks Josh.