J Blanton Plumbing

Went out of his way were buttoned up and repaired. Fantastic sense of humor. A presence amid quite a little chaos.
Lou is. Total professional. He hurried over here while gave advice that prevented a significant amount of damage to me, and to do emergency repairs in the middle of the night. He was very careful about how much he cut and where.

On three separate occasions within the last month I phoned J Blanton to deal with some concerns in our home. All three instances were no call / no shows. Well, let me fix this: there were calls - WE called when the tech was about to arrive THEM to Learn and the pattern was more or less the Exact Same each time:
Second telephone , an hour or so later:"So sorry, we're dealing with a lot of disasters now, here is a new arrival window."
Adding insult to injury is the fact that we paid a couple hundred bucks to be part of J Blanton's *No Drip Club* that supposedly offers"Priority Scheduling on Service Calls." Once we knew we would be doing a lot of work on the place, it seemed like a fantastic idea at the start of the year, and sure, I suppose we saved a few bucks. However, at no stage did I feel like I was being prioritized. In fact once I mentioned this on two occasions when phoning to find out when someone would be arriving to our house, they told me"yeah, you ought to be getting priority assistance, not sure what is happening here, I'll say this to my manager" and so on. Nothing altered though. They ought to rename it the Suckers Club.
But I will not call them because at some stage in the recent years, their capacity.
Staying home all day to wait is irritating. However, it happens. Once is no big thing. Twice is a little concerning. THREE TIMES in the same month? There's a problem that needs addressing.
Sad to be posting this review because I considered J Blanton my go-to HVAC and pipes for quite a while. Techs and their plumbers were very polite and professional over the years. But getting someone to really come to our house has formally become more trouble than its value.
I recommend looking elsewhere for pipes and HVAC support until J Blanton gets its house in order. There are too many companies out there to warrant putting up with this level of frustration.
First call, once the arrival window had passed:"The tech is on his way, he'll be a little later than expected."

Why 13, I've waited a week for a Reply from the plumbers It's one thing to pay for quality support, it is another to get fully shafted and not as the job was slipped by them in even get an explanation. I thinking about reporting them to the better business bureau as I am pretty sure I was tricked by them.
A) created a huge dent in my walls 2ft above in which they cut a hole for an access panel
b) not install an access panel, or at least leave me the drywall so I could install it myself
c) didnt test the water with my downstairs neighbor until they left the website d) didnt clamp down or seal anyway the old drain tile circular cover that now wasn't likely to be used.
E) not supply me with the old cast iron pipework which allegedly rotted out
f) describe the charges as to what I paid $1500 for.

Unbelievably disappointed in my adventure.  They have been used by my condo construction in the past and I contacted them to get a little difficulty that was a faucet needing a washer.  Two agents from J Blanton told me they don't repair faucets and I must call a handyman and arrived.  After that, they would suggest a builder and tried to sell a brand new faucet to me.  I must have had them leave.   Instead, they agreed to look at my faucet and used plumbers putty and tightened the hex nut halting the flow, although not replacing the o-ring.  For the repair $180.00 was charged! They worked as a group because the more experienced employee did not intervene while the up-sell pitch was given by only one of those individuals.  Their customer support rep and I spoke and was offered a 10% discount on my next service call, which doesn't tackle this experience. . End result, I will not call them again and recommend our condo construction change plumbers!

I got a second opinion and moved, and the plumber was much more professional. He actually open up the heater and found that the insulating material to be sterile, no water was leaking out. Stayed for more than 30 minutes testing heat and cooling methods out. No leakage. He noted the water was due to the drain backup, rather than a water tank leak. Quick, CHEAPER and easy fix. I posted the notes from the second plumber.
Called to complain to management, still no answers. Theycan up market you and're just after the $ $ $
I contacted them. There was water from the water tank tray. Two pipes came out and did a"visual inspection" and told me the tank is leaking and I would have to replace the entire water heater within 3 mins of being there. Do not even open or assess the heater. They also attempted to sell me on an"annual support agreement" for like $200, promising some reduction on the heater replacement. I was very disappointed with their review. Plus they charged $79 for this review!!!! See attached estimate!

I would suggest staying clear. It had been handled quickly which was great, but the tech underestimated the complexity of the job, gave me a lower estimate than another company, and then told me I needed to pay more in the center of the project when I had no choice but to agree. Ended up being the most costly. To add insult to injury, the technician was insulting and rude. He whined about that being dust from our washer/dryer and took photos to reveal us it. He then left the job unfinished. He was in a hurry to leave and left it off after removing the door to the utility cupboard. Told us we should find a handyman. The water pressure is also quite feeble from the adjacent bathroom. He told us it is because our plumbing are old that is after replacing with copper plumbing just 10 years back untrue. I called to complain about the job and the manager was fine but wished to talk about a trip she took for the weekend coming up. Promised to look into the situation but did nothing and never called me . Terrible. Be warned.

J Blanton returned my mother's check today 1/9/2019. The test had been accompanied with the attached correspondence.

Until they came out, my kitchen sink had backed up. They counseled replacing the pipes. I gave the fine, although the cost was high. They rodded out the plumbing and the rodding equipment went via the condo assn's most important plumbing pipe and across the wall to my neighbor's apparatus. Water ran down under me and into the ceiling of the device between the walls, with water coming through her light fixture. BUT, they said, none of that was their fault. Nothing was wrong when they came. There was approximately $10,000 in fixes to the most important plumbing pipe and additional units, when they left. They broke my drawer, needed to come back b/c after that time the new pipes were leaking. Oh, which was not their fault , they said, it was my sink holder (drain place ) which was bad and needed to be substituted. Before they came it was not bad. BAD, BAD, BAD.

I have spoken on the phone to provide an update to the office of Attorney General.
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/filecomplaint.html
I had been advised that The letters and accusations from J Blanton plumbing company to letters and me from attorney general's office to me is confidential and cannot be submitted on yelp. It is legal in regarding to the matter, to provide an update. It is encouraged to report to attorney general's office for business similar to this, the more they know, they take actions to protect consumers and can be aware, they stated. I am thankful they are there for us consumers. Attorney generals' office did talk with caution to me. Even they cannot force the business . But they have said they would like to know and it's encouraged to place the link. I encouraged the business, off J Blanton to refund me the $300 or give the cash to a charity set their karma, but they did not refund either way and whined more about the situation. I opt to not go to business court on account of the time investment. The best way to enable you to make this right and to assist others is to utilize the link below, file complaint regardless of the period of occurrence. I expect J Blanton will get the right thing by not using the elderly, going forward , and individuals that are alone. This business once requested me to take the inspection for a refund back but the owner did not follow through. Here's the link.

This Type of disappointment. Ridiculous!! Daylight robbery!!
:-(
$79 was charged per month. After calling the office twice a month and waiting over, we decided to look elsewhere and found that an excellent plumbing business to do the job which is now completed! J Blanton was the company to charge money for the company that failed to supply one and an estimate.

A year and 3 months ago I phoned J. Blanton to substitute a wax ring beneath my bathroom because I could tell it was time from the sewer smell. They charged me almost $400 for your own work. Last month that the sewer smell was back and once I phoned J. Blanton to ask how long their work should have lasted, I never got a call . Called in another guy to replace the wax ring and he finds a wax ring wasn't even used by them they used putty. From what I've read, that used to be common from the'50s and'60s and is regarded as a idle cure as in"we didn't have any wax rings on the vehicle". To have paid and need the work done just a little over a year is quality work. To have not even called me about the length of time it must have lasted is lousy customer service.

An experience with Blanton: we needed a many-thousand dollar pipes repair. Interviewed 4 different plumbers chose Blanton. Messy, big job. Their technicians were considerate, diligent, hard-working, and on time... can't say enough great things. Again just the best, not the cheapest.
Special shout-out into Jane who seems to keep everything going. Need a plumber? Call Jane at Blanton!
We have called Blanton 2-3 days over the four years we've lived in Chicago. They are NOT cheap. But they are GOOD!!! They're careful to keep in touch about when they are likely to arrive (so we do not waste time sitting around waiting), they tell you exactly what they are charging and why, and they do the job. Plumbers that are Superior are not cheap. But when you want a great one, these are the guys to call.

Additionally, I sent an email to the office manager and she gave me some runaround about"he did not wish to fix it for security reasons". If there was a security issue, I asked multiple times and he said NO, I asked multiple times if he could RESET the detector and he explained it CAN'T be flashed. I didn't mind paying the $159 if they'd have just reset it. I spent 20 secs to reset the detector and made a FREE call to the manufacturer and it works alright. Hopefully this review will not be read by you and not just look this provider got. How do you get an overall 4 stars???
So , my FV sensor tripped and shut my water heater down. I phoned this plumbing company that was 24/hr look it over and to come. I must say I am disappointed in your organization.
I understand they try to market a living to be made by customers. What I'm angry about is that we paid a special $159 fee and they could have reset it to us so we had water and instead we paid the fee for nothing and for him to tell us all we must pay more from the morning to get it fixed or replace the whole heater. Just does not seem. They also mentioned it is about the labor and that the components were cheap. He said you are essentially paying for my vacation, insurance, etc.. I get that business should endure, but gauging and lying people when they're in need of help is beyond unethical. That's half the price of what these guys quoted.
While I do appreciate your guys came out late last night (for a special $159 fee), I don't appreciate them lying . They were very nice and respectful. Too fine, talking about the holidays and sports as well as kids. I inquired if he could reset the FV sensor after they assessed there was no gas leak or threat. He said"no" and explained it had to be substituted. He did not have the part therefore he would have to return in the morning and the $159 would not go towards the cost to replace it, which could cost between $500-. I said that I would call the manufacturer at the morning and maybe there's still a warranty on it and decide what to do. When I contacted AO Smith (manufacturer) this morning, they walked me through a 20 second reset of this detector, after asking about any risk to gas or leaking. My wife is pregnant and last night she had to take a warm tub. Your guys could have reset it and we'd have had water last night. He attempted to inform us that replacements only 6 yrs and also we should spend $3000 to get a new one rather than spending $500-$800 to replace the detector and the pressure valve. That's merely a band-aid fix (fine advertising lingo). AO Smith said their tank last an average of 10 yrs., sometimes longer.

Frankly, I am puzzled at the many negative reviews here (contrary to those at Google, where only 3 one-star testimonials out of over 250 exist, resulting in a 4.8 rating). Our experience with Blanton was nothing short of excellent and recommend them or I would not hesitate to use them.
Things went from bad to worse months of water resulting in standing water a week ago. Now we had a dire crisis on our hands. We took a chance & predicated on Google testimonials, called Blanton (well recognized titles such as Roto-Rooter & 4 Seasons told us that they do not do these types of condos) last Monday. They came out just on program and Alex looked over the position water, plumbing and gave us 3 options - a $79 review, a $385 repair job power cleaning and flushing out the entire system and also a $685 job to perform that work, also replacing the piping under a sink that were visibly corroded and ready to go anytime. Ironically, an extra $300 to perform quite basic pipe replacement looked somewhat steep but once we looked in the total perspective of the thickness of the work being done, the seriousness of these problems we had (and also for the length of time) & seeing that the bathtub, sink & toilet lines were all connected, $685 looked like a fairly reasonable charge for me and so I ordered they do all of it. Really it was so, believing that during the practice of the work, the sink piping really collapsed.
As a caregiver for two seniors it's my responsibility to receive the best pricing possible in the best bang for the buck where I dwell together. With items such as plumbing and electrical, that's not simple to do but for what we had done, I would say we achieved that purpose together with Blanton.
Including going between the walls, the drain trap wasn't in the end which was a relief rather than having to continue our wars together with the management ensemble, let alone the possible cost involved.
This condominium has had plumbing issues but the most recent one, slow draining water in the bathtubs, was undoubtedly the worst. An plumber who rodded our tubs early in the fall told us that the problem was probably within our drain trap but to not worry as condo associations cover this repair. This one balked over and above so we had an extra problem on our hands - how do we get this done without spending thousands of dollars?
Blanton is top notch in my book and will get the phone again if service, especially complex matters, is needed (and I am still in my position as caregiver). You need a firm who grasps your dilemma Every time a plumbing scenario that is painful such as ours comes up. Blanton did and its handsome techs, Alex and Mike, delivered for this family. Kudos to them.
(To any Yelp moderator reading this, I propose removing the 1 celebrity posts from those asserting they called Blanton but allege a technician didn't show up. I feel they do not belong with those, while these scenarios may have happened. It may be reasonable to claim that a 1 star review towards a Blanton worker who may have failed to correctly do the task called for or may have charged a lot for services but it's not reasonable where the only contact with the business was made by phone or on the internet rather than in the property where work was needed.)
The task was completed, two hours after the go ahead was given, the tubs were fully emptied and the water went down. Water flow also improved, a side boon. Alex did indicate at some stage we get two new toilets installed as the recent ones were older (probably the originals since the construction was built in the 60s) and in need of replacement. Alex was quite gentle in how he broached the problem, thinking about the money we told me if we do get them replaced, and spent, he could place us under a payment plan rather than spending $1400. As for me, I believe I could get this done for less by a handyman but still this was worth noting. And that I did agree that ultimately these commodes ought to be"flushed out", if you will.

Buyer BEWARE!!
Look at a few wood flooring which were damaged in the dining room by the radiator and I had JBP out to get a problem 1 using a light drop in your radiator in the bedroom. They said the leak in the dining room brought a saw assess and to saw a huge section of floor and was from beneath the flooring. Quoting over 1K of work.
I wish I had read the reviews. They are pretty awful. I now feel confident hiring a different plumber to address the issue so I can fix my hardwood floor, and fix. I have had an ongoing back and forth with my construction seeing and now I see it's just a easy fix.
I adding some additional valve tape and it seems to be a tightening and saw steam coming from the valve.

We called them to deliver an estimate. After their visit, no suggestion was ever sent.
We asked a quote. J.Blanton's did quote on-site, also provided services that range from $3,344 and $8,359. $79 was also billed by them for quoting - though did not signify that fees would be incurred by a proposition prior to stopping out. We have received 3 free quotes. The highest fee, for exactly the same service J.Blanton meant to charge $3,344 for has been $550. It seems that their goal was to stop outside for a quarter hour, leave a hopeless proposal and charge knowing full well that their proposal would be rejected. We won't call a time.

Here is the 2nd 5-star review I have left for J Blanton, since I am always impressed. I had a problem with drain linkage and an old excursion leverb . The rep from Blanton was able day to take a look or to come. He was right now. He advised me there was a DIY solution which could take around 10 minutes to me when he looked at my issue. He explained how to do it. I soooooo love that type of support. Instead of milk me for a dollar fix, they earned my trust. That's why I'll keep calling them.

5-stars since they could come on the day finish the job on site, and asked and so were fine on the telephone and in person.
Also J Blanton said since we need an additional $1380 in services that were hydrojet, the job was guaranteed for 30 days. So to mirror different comments, got the job done.
1-star for the following. 'Hello can you give me an estimate of cost for an easy rodding of a sewer line""I'm sorry we have no means of estimating prices before seeing the job""I will not hold you to the number, just an estimate?" "No, but I can send someone for a free estimate" irritated now"would you say between $1 and $10,000??" "I'm sorry sir we've got no"okay okay, send them out"
We had our sewer line rodded. The accessibility was outdoors and the line length about 45 feet.
So if you're interested here's the number. $765.90 for an external front of the house lineup access rodding that required about 25 minutes. By comparison we also carry a condo and paid $450 for a job that involved removing the bathroom to access the line with a lot more cleanup and also a complete 2.5 hours, distinct company.

Each time Howard in J Blanton has come to do the job and he is very professional, courteous, and knowledgeable. We've felt comfortable each time he's giving us recommendations and that we'll be pleased with the job.
We've used J Blanton for many jobs in the past year: new ac, air conditioning and air purifier setup, furnace maintenance, gas fireplace function (still in progress). Once we ask the job to be carried out, we've had nothing but positive experiences and a quick turnaround time.
Prices are also fair and reasonable compared to other quotes we've gotten.