IR in Vancouver, BC

My partner and I had used Jon's plumbing services back in 2015 when we did a total kitchen renovation at our house on the North Shore. We were completely satisfied with his workmanship and knowledge, his general manner and -- SO important -- his accountability. Recently, I enlisted Jon's help again to install a new toilet in my downtown condo. This required a pick-up from the store where I purchased it. Once again, everything about Jon's performance was top-notch: It was easy to set up an appointment for the following week; his communication via texting was clear, businesslike and friendly; on the appointed day, he picked up the toilet and arrived slightly early, texting first to alert me of his arrival. He and his apprentice, Al, arrived and completed the job in short order. He answered all of my questions with enthusiasm, and the time just flew by. They cleaned up after themselves and disposed of my old toilet as requested. Everything has been working fine. For anyone who is tired of unfavourable experiences with contractors and trades people, I can assure you that Jon is the person to restore your faith in the whole process. I highly recommend him and his company.

I initially contacted Pioneer on December 16 to determine the cause of a leaky toilet tank which was dripping water onto the floor. I wasnt sure whether the leak could be stopped by simply swapping out some old washers, or perhaps it was time to replace the 25-year-old toilet. Either way, I needed a professional assessment and advice. The technicians approach seemed logical. He opened the intake valve to fill the tank. He crouched down to observe the underside of the tank and he noticed the leak. He explained that while the problem might be related to a worn-out washer, it was more likely a hairline crack in the tank. Hard to determine, so he recommended replacing the toilet. He flushed out the water and suctioned the tank dry with a portable sump pump. All of this took but a few minutes. He then showed me a high-end toilet model which Pioneer could install for a total cost of around $2,300. Quite a bit more than I expected to pay, so I told him I needed to think about it. The bill for this service came to $366.24. I was shocked by this exorbitant amount considering there was no repair undertaken, no parts needed, and relatively little time spent. If Pioneer had wished to attract me as a new customer, they might have offered to apply part of the consultation fee toward the cost of replacing the toilet but no such offer was made. When the technician left, I did not have a good feeling. It seemed there was an element of money grabbing going on, which turned me off to the idea of giving Pioneer the toilet replacement job. In fact, I ended up using a different company to do this work for less than $800, which included the cost of a quality name-brand toilet. A far cry from Pioneers $2,300 estimate. Shortly after the call-out, I received a text from Pioneer requesting I write a review if my experience had been 4 or 5-star. It went on to say that if my experience wasnt great, I should message them first and they will make it right. I did this, and never received a reply. I waited several weeks and messaged them again explaining I was about to post a review -- and that I was offering them another opportunity to address my dissatisfaction before I compose it. Once again, no response at all. The fact that Pioneer has ignored my communications has only served to seal my initial impression of them. I will not be using them again. ADDENDUM to the above review: The marketing manager of Pioneer Plumbing contacted me regarding my review. He was understanding around my concerns with pricing. He refunded $50 and sent me a gift card to a local coffee vendor. In retrospect, I am less upset by the whole experience. At least the company has a process in place to address their customers' discontent. However, I might recommend discussing pricing with them before giving them the job.