Fred Smith Plumbing & Heating

I regret to say that my experience with Fred Smith Plumbing has been less than satisfactory. The installation of my garbage disposer was riddled with issues, and I feel compelled to share my account: 1. **Initial Attempt** - A Fred Smith plumber attempted to install a new garbage disposer along with an adapter to make it go from continuous to batch feed. - Despite multiple attempts, the disposer remained non-functional. - The plumber attributed the problem to an electrical issue and advised calling an electrician. 2. **Electrician's Visit** - We promptly engaged an electrician who found no electrical problems. - Shockingly, the original plumber had incorrectly installed the disposer, causing the malfunction. - Correcting the wiring resolved the issue, but we were charged additional money unnecessarily. 3. **Second Attempt** - Another Fred Smith plumber attempted rewiring. - A dangerous spark occurred due to miswiring, nearly causing a fire. - The power cord melted, yet the plumber left without replacing it. Realizing that the disposer didn’t have wiring issues at all, we took matters into our own hands. A simple air switch from a supply store solved our problem efficiently. During the initial installation, the original plumber claimed to have purchased and installed an adapter, which was subsequently included in the invoice. However, upon closer inspection, it became evident that this adapter was never actually installed. In light of these events, I cannot recommend Fred Smith Plumbing for installation services. They inconvenienced us and posed safety risks. Lastly, my interactions with Fred Smith Plumbing’s staff handling calls and emails left much to be desired. Kevin was unresponsive. This delay resulted in a two-week postponement of the initial appointment.

Listen to the reviews here. Do not use. They cannot be trusted to show up when they say will or do the work they claim on the phone they can do. Will waste your time and energy working with this company, use anyone else.

Andy did a fabulous job. He was meticulous and professional. I had many questions and he was very patient. He worked in my apartment for two days. He had a helper with him each day and were very neat and cleaned as they worked. It was a pleasure and I highly recommend them.

I called to schedule a repair in my apartment. They scheduled a supervisor to come take a look. The supervisor never showed up. So we rescheduled a week later. The supervisor did show up this time, but after a week I had not heard anything from the supervisor. I called and they said that supervisor went on vacation and there were no notes so they needed to schedule another supervisor to go. So, a week later we scheduled a second supervisor to come take a look. After a week of hearing nothing I called and they said that that supervisor is now on vacation after leaving no notes and they want to schedule yet another supervisor visit. Not to mention that every person that I have talked to through this process has said different things. It is the most inane and unprofessional company I have ever attempted to work with. I strongly recommend avoiding Fred Smith Plumbing.

**UPDATE ** This entire response from Fred Smith is a lie. They are lying. I have phone records and emails to prove that they never showed up. They didn't "come toward the end of the window" and didn't have access... They NEVER came. They never called to even GIVE me a window the first day. I called THEM to find out the window, and both days, they never showed. I called them both days after the window closed to tell them I had to leave for work. Then, after 2 no shows Monday and Tuesday, they emailed to say the job wasn't worth their time. Exact words "all our gas guys are busy taken on larger gas jobs and right now we don’t have the man power to correct your issues"... Even AFTER that email, informing we they were "passing" on the job, somebody called me on Wednesday saying he was in the area. Obviously, that was never scheduled since they already passed on taking the job. They are completely incompetent and unable to handle the rigors of city work. Do not use. Unreliable, not timely and apparently now liars. DO NOT USE! * * * * ORIGINAL POST Spoke to them last week, both via email and phone. They said they'll come by Monday or Tuesday this week, but they'll call Monday morning to confirm a time. Well, Monday rolls around and no call. So I call them. They say I'm next on the schedule and will be at my place shortly. I inform them I have to leave for work soon and they say absolutely will be there shortly. I call work and tell them I'll be late, hopefully in around noon. Of course, noon comes and goes and no show. I call. They don't apologize. They say they'll have someone come Tuesday before noon for sure So, I call work and apologize, tell them I'll be in late on Tuesday as well. I bet you can guess what happens next... Noon on Tuesday rolls around, nobody shows up. I call. They transfer me to 4 different people, nobody takes responsibility. Nobody apologizes. Nobody has any answers. All push me off to someone else. Nobody helps but they promise someone will call shortly to reschedule. Hours later, they send an email (rather than calling, like they said they would, since they were probably too afraid to speak with me after they kept screwing up) saying the job is too small and not worth their time to do... A determination they made without ever coming to my home!? Never use them. Unprofessional. Never once apologized for wasting my time. Bargain plumbing and NY Heating Corp are WAY better (and more affordable).

I have a mystery leak which may be causing the floor to buckle, and I asked Fred Smith Plumbing to come and investigate. My first interaction with them was fine, normal- I called, they showed up in the time frame they were supposed to show up, the plumber looked around, and couldn't find the source of the leak. Fine. Then, since he was there, I asked if he could replace these faucets in the bathroom since they had been leaking. He said that replacing them would stop the leak. He helped me pick out some faucets on amazon, and said to book a new appointment when the faucets arrive. I booked a new appointment, and that's when the trouble started. On the day they were supposed to come, time passed, and I finally called, and the man who answered the phone said I wasn't on the schedule. "Did they take your credit card information?" "If they asked, I gave it" "Well, you're not on the schedule, so you must not have given your CC information." Well, if it's your job to ask for and record that information, then that's your job. And that's how interaction continued with their office, blaming me for them not showing up. They finally came another day, the man who came took ages to install the faucets (charge by the hour), including a half hour toilet break (!) If you're looking for a frustrating place that will keep you waiting for days, then take their time and charge you for that, this is the place. Faucet still leaks, though less. 3 days of waiting.

I called Fred Smith to help with some plumbing issues I was having at my kitchen sink on the Upper East Side. After describing my situation over the phone, the dispatcher told me he would call me back with a proposed appointment time (because they juggle a lot of emergency work, they did not want to set an appointment right away). Not too long after the initial phone call, an appointment was set up. The plumber showed up on time and got the job done with no problems. I was most impressed with how polite he was and how careful he was to clean up and not leave a mess. I highly recommend Fred Smith!

Set up an appointment, they canceled the day of (it happens, no big deal). Rescheduled for two days later, called the morning of to confirm with them and they told me my appointment was "priority". No one showed up, no one called to explain why, and when I called to follow up, I was directed to a call center (and not to actual personnel).