Fred Smith Plumbing & Heating

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).

Best plumbing company in town! Responsive, professional and they have the best plumbers. As a building manager I couldnt be happier---when I call them I know they got me covered especially during emergencies.

**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!

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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).

Have called this company four times, set up two different appointments to get an estimate, and they did not show up, deny that they know about the job, and do not call back despite leaving multiple messages. Clearly they are busy enough. Take your business elsewhere. Very unprofessional.

Our building uses Fred Smith and we had a broken pipe in our kitchen. Fred Smith gave us a service call, then canceled and rescheduled it. On the second time when they were due to come, they simply canceled. WORST BUSINESS EVER! DO NOT USE THEM!

This company bills more hours than they actually work. I was billed for 5 hours of work when less than 1 hour was performed. They claimed travel time and waiting for the steam system to cool down. Their office is within 2 blocks of my building and they arrived at 9am, so unless they arrived at the building at 5 am, they didn't wait for anything to cool down.

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.

Crooks. They told my super that the flood in the apartment below me was because I needed my flange replaced. I called other (honest) plumbers and my insurer and they said my flange only needed to be replaced in my apartment if there was visible flooding in my apartment and a stench. There was neither. Because they said I needed the flange replaced I had to get it done. They spent hours in my bathroom sitting on the flood doing nothing (I was getting billed hourly) and then went to charge me $855. And of course there is still flooding in the apartment below mine.

Don't Even Bother with an Afternoon Appointment, Not Loyal to Old Customers
I have been a customer of Fred Smith Plumbing & Heating for many years. Unfortunately the business has not grown in a healthy manner. I just spent two days waiting for a plumber that has not yet arrived. I had made the appointment a week in advance.. When I called to question where the plumber was the first time, the person I spoke to was very derisive, implying that it was my fault for having made the appointment in the afternoon in the first place. He indicated that that was a sure sign that they would never show up. I had heard that they occasionally pick a customer to slam or ignore and make fun of. He seemed to want to bait me so that I would cancel. I should have followed my instincts and called another plumber right then, but I thought since I was a long-term customer they would come. When they called to cancel for that day and said they would come the next day I asked if they could guarantee it would be first thing in the morning. They said no, they would not guarantee anything. I should have realized then they really were never going to come.. I waited all day the next day, too. Several times, I was given false hope that there would be a plumber coming soon. I actually, at one point, begged! Late the second afternoon, they called to say that they still would not make it. I told them that they had had enough fun, and said goodbye. Loyalty only goes so far. After I told them I would never be calling again, they called and, for the first time since I had made the original appointment over a week earlier, offered me an actual time slot - for the next morning - a major religious holiday - so they knew they would not be busy. That's how they treat their old customers. At their own convenience, not the customers' -how rude can you be?
PS, the next plumber I hired came exactly on time and with no drama or nastiness.

TWO MONTHS AGO TODAY, a supervisor was sent to assess a basic pipe leak. Smith has done work for years for our building and thus their supervisor should perhaps know what he is looking at. finalized a bid then somehow realized that he FORGOT to factor in the cost of dealing with connecting to the main line. Though they seem completely unable to return a call, whenever I called, the person who answered the phone assured me the bid was coming in a day or day. TWO MONTHS AGO TODAY. Guess what- nothing. Completely disappeared. Since we live in a pre war and they are familiar with our building, I've tried using them in the past. Results have been completely pot luck. One plumber who was quite competent fixed a previous pipe leak. Others who came to fix some basic plumbing issues, not only often didn't fix the issue but made it worse. They when you try and get it fixed correctly, those answering the phone at their office give you attitude and bluster. In this case I asked for the plumber who was pleasant, professional and competent and was told couldn't be assigned. Shared this experience with members of our board and the super, but thought others should know about their 'competence'. Good news is they forced be to find a pleasant, professional and competent plumber, so I'll never have to use Fred Smith again. Don't you love happy endings!

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!

This firm was recommended by our building manager and after several attempts to stop by and see what the scope of work they finally came on October 6th and walked the job with the building manager. We set up to do the work Thursday October 15th. They were supposed to send an estimate and proceed with the work as the building scheduled a water shutdown. I call Monday, for the estimate and to confirm the job on Thursday. I was told that the estimate was not ready but the job was still scheduled. Called Tuesday you will have the estimate tomorrow and nothing. I call back Wednesday after not receiving the estimate and was told that they decided not to do the work after wasting two weeks of NYC construction time which is an eternity I not have to start from the beginning. The lack of professionalism and the lack of follow-up is beyond comprehension.
SAVE YOUR TIME AND MONEY AND LOOK ELSEWHERE AS THESE GUYS ARE A JOKE.

I would not use again. We had a leaking tap in the bath and our building management wouldn't take care of it and referred us to Fred Smith Plumbing. I booked an appointment in the morning for 1pm-3pm that day. At 3pm someone from Fred Smith rang acting like they were calling to book the appointment anew! I told them I had already booked an appointment and they acknowledged it but said they would REALLY/DEFINITELY come tomorrow. If booking it may we worth checking to see if it is a REAL appointment! At any rate, I didn't have time to find another plumber so agreed they could come the next morning. They only turned up 20 minutes late which was pretty good. After a quick inspection, they said it needed a spare part and they had to go across town to get it. Over an hour later the plumber returned with the part and replaced the part in about 15 minutes and declared it fixed. The total bill to stop a leaking tap: $429.72. Labor $248, part $146.60. PIus tax. I know this is Manhattan but I gotta think there is better out there. I will certainly be trying my luck with another provider next time.

I used Fred Smith Plumbing and Heating at the recommendation of the super of my building and I'm so glad I did. They removed an old bathroom vanity and installed a new one (and new fixtures). The job went faster than estimated and they did a top notch job. They even tighten a loose shower handle and kitchen faucet while they were there. Did I mention they did all of this during July 4th week?! I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for excellent plumbers in NYC.

The absolute worst experience I have ever had. After booking an appointment over a week ago they were supposed to come to help to see if I had a leak in my apartment. They gave me a window of between 10-2pm so I had to take off from work. At around 10:45 I called to get a better estimate of when they thought they would come. I was put on hold and then told that their regular building clients come first and they wouldn’t be able to come today nor would they be able to come for the rest of the week. I explained that I booked it over a week before and was a paying customer and that no one had bothered to call to tell me this. I was losing a day at work to sit at home and wait for them and they didn’t have the courtesy to call and tell me they couldn’t come. Awful company. Stay away.

Owner or dispatcher needs a wake-up call in customer service. 1st appt 9-11 window, call to enquire, plumber shows up @ 2:15pm. Next day 9am appt, call @ 10:30am for an update might show up in an hour or 90 mins. 1pm arrival. They could care less how long you wait....

I don’t write reviews but this was one of the most horrible and unacceptable experience that I have ever had that I had to make an exception to warn you all to stay away from them. I would give a -1 star if I could. The owner was particularly dishonest and disrespectful. They should go out of business.

Showed up to fix toilet seal, removed it and found old seal disintegrated. Then said I have to leave now, I'll come back tomorrow to finish. The toilet was on a tarp, in the middle of our bathroom! I couldn't make this up. Instead, I said no, you need to finish today. He called, and a replacement plumber, (who was excellent) finished the same day. Quirky? I hope so.

ZERO STARS! NO-SHOW!

I was extremely disappointed with a last minute cancellation at 12:00 Noon for today's 10a-2p appointment, I find it incredibly unprofessional and unacceptable. They simply left a voicemail saying they got too busy with other jobs.
Hmm…that seems a bit contradictory to their website where they state [their] reputation has been built on high quality, fairly priced service...On never having to make excuses.
My wife and I made arrangements, not only moving our schedules around but also everything under both our sinks in advance of what we thought would be an agreed upon appointment.
They came well recommended by our well-connected broker at Corcoran Real Estate, and seemed to have it together by how quickly they turned around a COI that named us and our building management, but alas, no play no pay!

I booked an appointment a week ago and called to confirm it in the morning. After confirming the appointment at 8:30 a.m., the company emailed me at 10:30 to say they wouldn't be able to make it. I took the day off from work. According to the person I spoke with, they are an emergency based business so this happens! I would not recommend.

Arrived same day, were professional and efficient. Replaced pipes under the sink, did a nice job and fixed the leak.

I just had my kitchen faucet fixed by one of the plumbers from Fred Smith Co. He did a great job. He even had to go downtown to get a piece and come back an hour later.
I also had these guys fix my radiators a couple of months ago. I live in a pre-war building and these things break down all the time. I haven't had any problem with my heating anymore after they fixed it.
I'd aks for Brett (the plumber), if you call them! He's great.

Awfu. - most egregious was doubling cost of work v other bids by 1) insisted on breaking open wall even though plumbing was exposed, 2) tried to charge for permits not needed, 3) Took multiple visits to get correct description of work & then sent email to coop misstating specifics to cut corners - then blamed me!!! Replacing existing kitchen appliances can't be that difficult.
Glad I got more bids.
FSPH was our building plumber & turns out they didn't look past immediate leak to evaluate rest of pipe - which subsequently broke & reflooded a bathroom

Preston, one of the family business owners, was very concerned about an issue I had. He was responsive , listened and empathized. I am most impressed by his curtesy and willingness to rectify to my satisfaction, which he most certainly did.

I must say we were with smith Plumbing for 40 years and in the last month they canceled there appt with us 5 times and kept giving us other days and times that they never showed up to. every time we called no one knew anything. This is so disappointing after 40 years to call us and tell us they NO longer work with small businesses. I remember when they were a small business. SHAME ON THEM.

Recently, ran into some plumbing issues when my son flushed some bath toys in the toilet. Called Fred Smith and it did not take them long at all to get to my house. The technician was well meaning and did me the favor of talking to my son about the importance of respecting the plumbing. I would recommend them to a friend or anyone in need of a great plumber.

Infuriating at best. Crooks. They billed me for the time they spent bidding on a job that they could not do. The billed my building for the time so that it appeared on my maintenance bill. Think twice and then think again before you call this company.

My experience with Fred Smith Plumbing was excellent. Chris, Devon and Ricardo were professional, knowledgeable and very neat. What a relief to finally find a reliable plumbing company in Manhattan.

Miserable customer service. Had these guys install a dishwasher which they did a fine job of except for putting screws into the sides of my counters so that I could no longer pull it out. When I called to see if someone could come by to check it out they told me no.

Run, don't walk to Fred Smith if you want an amazingly terrible experience! These guys are always more than happy to help you waste any extra time you may want to get rid of. Thanks for not showing!

They installed a water pressure pump in my apartment and wouldn't come to service it . Said it would take a couple of weeks when I asked for someone competent.

highered them to fix my boiler, cam in 2 hrs and got the job done.
Saved me form the cold and i was very happy with the service

THIS is the plumbing company the whole world is trying to find. Smart. Efficient. Friendly. Explain the situation. Never over-charge. Thank you!

Great plumbing company quick and reliable and will work with you on pricing

Scheduled for Friday. They called on Friday and told me they couldn't make it. I rescheduled for Monday, and they called and told me they couldn't make it again. Horrible.

they arrived later than stated but got the plumbing job fixed.

The best plumbing company in Manhattan!

Very professional and clean, great company

A+ employees

Great experience!

Nice!!!!!!

Fred Smith you the best. Finally real plumber’s
Shoutout to Henry and Phill