Jermonty

Water Code is not a high overhead, well advertised plumbing outfit with several plumbing crews that are under internal corporate pressure to pull in as much $$ as possible in shortest possible time. With these companies you might get a 1st year guy - or maybe 2 guys will show up to do a job that requires only 1 guy etc... and they will charge you for 2 guys. Shawn is co-owner and does the residential repairs - so when you call Water Code you get Shawn. I had a multi-year kitchen sink drainage issue. Last couple years I have paid for 2 plumbing companies to fix this issue. No luck, in fact McKenna Plumbing was a disaster. Shawn had extra tools that other guys did not have. For example - I was told 3 times by different plumbers that you can't clean out a drain pipe clogged with hard grease and that the pipes need to be replaced. I found that hard to believe but when 3 are saying the same thing I was prepared to replace pipes. Shawn arrived with a much larger, better quality "snake" with a small chain attachment that is designed to clean the entire pipe - scrapping the inside walls as it rotates. I have trouble believing 3 other plumbers did not known this tool exists... they just didn't have it. Shawn mentioned a lack of venting - no one else did. The piping above a finished ceiling in basement turned out throw Shawn a huge curveball as it was not done properly ( multiple 90 degree turns ) and this got his snake stuck in pipe ( this has never happened before and if he had known of all this extra piping he never would have used the snake). This lead to a completely new multi-hour job to cut ceiling, free snake from pipe and replumbing drainage lines to code - then using snake to clean the new, much more direct drainage line. The patience and professional attitude that Shawn maintained was commendable and the extra $$ he charged for what was turning into a job that was 3X longer than planned was more than reasonable. Hats off to Shawn -- the "code" in Water Code Plumbing maybe should stand for Ethical Code of conduct - something sadly lacking from most others I have dealt with.

In Short - Mckenna agreed to to a job - informed next day that they failed. Response to taking $630 from customer to ZERO benefit of customer was not to come back and fix problem they have already been paid for but to create a new job. This new job involves fixing problem but also replacing many parts and doing work that does not need to be done -- and to over charge again - likely another $600 when all done. Backstory - Kitchen sink drain piping clogged with grease. McKenna wanted to replace all piping from sink to stack but i have a finished basement ceiling and did not want to cut holes in it. McKenna agreed to cut ABS pipe in furnace room and clean out the grease clog. McKenna -- They failed. While sink drained better when they were on site to the point I paid the crazy $560 plus tax bill - the 1st use of sink that night led to exactly the same problem. I called Mark to say the sink clogged on first use and his response was not one of surprise or remorse. When asked what he is going to do about it he quoted me a new job of replacing pipe in ceiling AND the piping under the sink ( the P-trap piping ). I said there is nothing wrong with piping under sink and he said he would not do it any other way - price $400 plus materials. This quote means little as it gives him the opening to massively over charge for materials - I would guess the job to be another $600 and the idea of paying McKenna even more money was, frankly, revolting. I ended up cutting the pipe myself and with the 1st hand sight of what NOT to do have watched them ( they ran water from sink to open pipe in basement creating a huge wet greasy stinking mess in basement conntainers that i supplied, then tried jamming a hard plastic hose in the ABS piping. Other plumbers have laughed when told they did this. ) , I tried it myself - used better tools i was able to pull all the grease out of the pipe. Sink drains fine for 3 weeks now. Note - Mark ( owner ) showed up on site 15 mins after 1st guy, never introduced himself and didn't say goodbye. He showed zero concern that the job he had been paid for was a complete failure. And his response to this was to over-charge for another job - most of which was not needed.. This line direct from the McKenna website ..... "Often times customers are left with a feeling that they have been 'had'. " So true -- I feel like I have been "had" ... of course they are suggesting this applies to everyone else. What a joke ......