Palo Alto Plumbing Heating & Air

This is an old fashioned good old neighborhood plumbing store. I have been using them since our family moved to the Bay Area. They are down to the earth, professional, knowledgeable and most important, very honest.

I have been using a lot of their services from the company all these years. The are all excellent. I just too lazy to write any reviews.

However, I just had a pipe leakage and water was gushing out. I called PAHP. Charlotte told me they were booked up till Monday even for after-hour service. But she could try as this was an emergency. The technician came in half an hour and fixed the problem in 20 minutes. He just finished his work several blocks down the road and could squeeze me in. I am totally grateful for their service : expertise, fast diagnosis, knowledgeable, skillful, and professional.

Last Christmas, I had to replace the heating unit at a rental property. Charlotte, was very nice. She co-ordinated with the technician to order the right kind of heater. I was told that the work should take about 3 hours for the 2 technicians.

However, they were still working in the afternoon. The job was taking longer than expected because after installation, when the technician checked the heater, it was not blowing air sufficiently. He said the heater worked, but as I paid the price of a new heater the performance should be comparable to a new heater. So their technicians de-installed the heater, and took it back to the dealer to exchange for a new one. Then he came back to re-install again. And this is Christmas Eve and the 2 technicians worked late into the afternoon to finish the work.

I was really amazed and speechless at their professionalism. If I were to check the heater, I probably would give a pass and did not even know there was a problem, as the heater was working, just not like a new one.

Such a gem in our neighborhood. Honest people providing honest service with honest prices. We are blessed to have this family business in the area. Greatly appreciated.

I will definitely use them again. I called them on Friday afternoon and they came over within the hour. To get the old water heater out of an outer closet, they had to remove not only the door but the trim and various electrical timers, etc. They had to install all new copper tubing to conform to code. It took about 2 hours, but the job was outstandingly clean and well-done, including excellent welding! I've always had Guy plumbing do our work, but on a Friday afternoon, they couldn't take on a job for that day. I was really impressed; I didn't expect it.

The plumber was great, but the receptionist Charlotte was extremely rude. They ordered a part for my toilet. They didn't follow up with me for weeks. Each time I called, Charlotte was unable to find my file based on the address. She kept angrily telling me that they have hundreds of customers and it's impossible to remember addresses. I'm not clear on why Charlotte thinks she can behave this way with customers, but because of her I would not recommend this business.

Unlike other water-heater installers, this one didn't try to upsell us. No hidden charges. Rico did an outstanding installation job.

My experience with this company has been extremely negative and disappointing. I needed a pilot assembly for a Rheem water heater. Palto Plumbing charged me $485 for the part plus two hours of labor for a total cost of $828.65. I contacted Rheem to determine the actual cost for the pilot assembly and was told the part cost $29. The technician spent less than 20 minutes removing and replacing the part and yet he charged me two hours of labor. When I complained (in person) at the company headquarters, I was treated rudely and was told that they had the right to charge whatever they want to and if I did not like it then I should have gone somewhere else. This was just about the worst experience I ever had with any business. Not only because of their unprofessional and rude demeanor but also because I feel totally ripped off by them. I would never do business with this company again and will warn all my neighbors and friends and will share my dismal experience with them. This water heater was purchased brand new 5 years ago for a total of $575, including installation. It is unfathomable to pay $828 for a $29 part when I could have bought a brand new water heater and had it installed for $575. If this is not an unethical business practice than I don't know what would be.

I have used Palo Alto Plumbing many times. Never had any problems with them and they have been very professional, reliable and the repairs were well done. Even came on Thanksgiving and once on Christmas Eve. Yes, I paid more for those trips, but it was worth it. They have done A/C work, furnace and pipes. Occasionally they run late, but sometimes my job makes them run late. I do call when the scheduled time passes and they are not here yet, but they are better than most other services. Definitely way way better than Direct TV, and that is just my TV and not my toilets!

This is the second time I've worked with PA Plumbing. Both times, our HVAC conked out the first day we needed it. Last year our blower on the furnace stopped working when a cold snap came and this year, our first heatwave the a/c went. Both times, they provided speedy service and a reasonable price. They emphasize residential clients. Sometimes when companies focus more on commercial you can't even get the time of day from them. I really really really like Palo Alto Plumbing Heating and Air. A pleasure to work with. I highly recommend them.

They were asked to re-route some copper pipes delivering hot water to a few radiators. The task was performed and Rico called me and said it is all complete and working. As it was late in the day, I told him to set the thermostat to 50 degrees and I will go there to check next morning. He did, and I turned it up to 75 degrees next morning. (House was vacant).
The radiators remained stone cold after a couple hours. I then bled the radiators just in case. To my horror, a strong swoosh or air rushed out and water was heard gurgling in one radiator for half a minute. Clearly no one bled that radiator before the system was turned on. But all radiators remained stone cold. Then Rico was sent back to fix the problem. He spent all morning bleeding all the radiators. Then Max came and did some more bleeding. The radiators remained cold. Then Max decided that the pump is not pumping and needs replacement. It was Friday and on Monday morning Max got a replacement pump and installed it.
The radiators finally got warm.
I believe the failure to bleed the system BEFORE turn-on caused the pump to pump air instead of water and burned itself up. All that bleeding by me, by Rico and by Max later were too late. A professional plumber ought to know that and not to tell the customer that all is done when it is not.

The techs have been great guys but the customer service provided by Charlotte is horrible. She talks over you, thinks she knows everything and thinks she runs the place. She is rude, demanding and short tempered. Her tone is defensive and accusatory. Charlotte has psychological issues and needs to go back to her 12 step program. How they have managed to stay in business with Charlotte answering the phones is anyone's guess. Max told me to practice Aloha. Max your own people need to heed your advice first.

Responsive and reasonably priced. Nice people too!