Birnie Thos R & Sons Ltd

Rating: 4.1 out of 5

Birnie Thos R & Sons Ltd reviews (87)

  • Review from HomeOwner
    Rating: 0 out of 5
    Review left on 21 Aug 2024

    Bathroom renovation

    Hired them for plumbing work as part of my moms bathroom renovation and I mistakenly thought the said 350 for the job but the actual estimate was a3600 from a discounted price of 4500. They removed a toilet added a valve and added two new shut off valves for the shower and capped the vanity lines and pulled the water line for the fridge. Did less than two hours of work. Another plumbing company who then finished the work for us said that the work that they did should have cost at most 750. When I try to get the owner to credit her Visa they say that they will only deal with mom because she signed even though I was there and thought the charge to her Visa was 360. My mom is 89 and hard of hearing and they are taking advantage of seniors.
  • Review from Julie Marriott
    Rating: 0 out of 5
    Review left on 12 Sep 2021

    EXORBITANT PRICE

    Work done worked out to well over $400 per hour. If my basement wasn’t leaking and my sink wasn’t completely plugged, I would have sent them away but had already waited a week after they cancelled once. I wish had had seen all the negative reviews before I called them.

    Answer from pro:

    Hi Julie, as we have shared on the other review sites where you have posted. We regret that our multiple attempts to reach an amicable solution were unsuccessful. We wish you nothing but the best moving forward

    Reply created 14 Sep 2021
  • Review from HomeOwner
    Rating: 0 out of 5
    Review left on 19 Dec 2019

    Better off before calling

    Leaking water line from the fridge. A full day spent and we are in worse shape than when they started. They damaged the structural support of our home. Initial technician repaired and replaced the line and 1 valve in 2 hours. $644 After he left we realized the water pressure was very low, they sent out a second technician for 2.5 hours, who drilled 1.5" holes through 3 joists and pulled the line out completely. The 'dispatchers' cant provide an email to contact them and send photos, they laugh and seem very distracted on the phone. No escalation path available and poor business practice.
  • Review from HomeOwner
    Rating: 0 out of 5
    Review left on 12 Jun 2019

    Unethical Company

    Everyone must stay away from R. Birnie & Sons Ltd. Huge rip off artist! Before you use them, take a look at all the 1 star reviews on their Google listing where people have stated how this company tried to take advantage of them and rip them off financially. I highly advise you stay away from this company for the following reasons. They were supposed to start at 8:30 AM and showed up at 3:45 PM. The service man broke a tube running to trap seal primer while inspecting this very line, then suggested the only way to resolve my issue is to change the faucet and place two emergency stop valves. They charged me $1094.65 for 2 hours of work and material cost was only $120. Exact same work by 2 other plumbing companies in the area will cost less than half the amount they charged me. I also found out at the end that they didn't provide an itemized list of charges which based on Consumer Protection Ontario MUST be provided to the consumers if you have a direct contract (face to face agreement with the service man is considered a direct contract). Please don’t make the same mistake as I did and do not use R. Birnie & Sons Ltd. If you do, there is a very good chance you will have a very stinky experience!!

    Answer from pro:

    To Mr. Derayeh. First off thank you for allowing us to help you out in your urgent situation and we are so glad we were able to resolve it for you. We fully expected your review based on the conversations we have had while trying to come to an amicable understanding. We understand that some people will use reviews as a bargaining chip and we respect your right to share your experience based on your perspective. To our valued clients and future clients Because we value the relationship of our customers so dearly, we do not feel it benefits our company or our customers to engage publicly in a disagreement. Even if it means not defending ourselves. We will always strive to keep or earn back our great customers and have for almost 100 years. So with that said we just ask you to consider that there are 2 sides to every story, we have 4.3 stars out of 5 (we’re not perfect but we are learning), and we have served our community well for almost 100 years. We look forward to serving you and striving to make sure you have a positive experience. Grandma and Grandpa always said not to air dirty laundry in public, it’s a stinky situation we like to avoid! The Birnie Team

    Reply created 12 Jun 2019
  • Review from Customer of Birnie Thos R & Sons Ltd
    Rating: 5 out of 5
    Review left on 17 Jan 2019

    Plumbing work

    This company did a great job. They sent a plumber out by the name of Marc. He's new with them but what a great communicator and fixed us up in no time.
  • Review from Customer of Birnie Thos R & Sons Ltd
    Rating: 0 out of 5
    Review left on 25 Oct 2018

    sewer problem and they over charge people

    this company over charge me and charge me for membership i rejected but after i gave them my visa they charge me much more than their estimate and they Shaw me invoice in their computer but next day they send me different invoice with different charges my advice never trust this company they are a not trusted people. I had a bad experience it was my first time i called from St. Catherine to Hamilton and i paid for my mistake.
  • Review from HomeOwner
    Rating: 0 out of 5
    Review left on 2 Oct 2018

    Bad service, outrageous pricing

    I own a house in Hamilton which is rented out to a family. Their daughter had a bath an water went through the light fixture in the kitchen below. I figured it was probably a problem with the overflow drain and I called this company as I'd seen their trucks around and figured they'd be reliable. I called and spoke to a woman on a Thursday and she told me they wouldn't be able to get to the house before the following Tuesday? This seemed like a long wait but it wasn't an emergency so i agreed to that. I called Tuesday to confirm they were coming and was told the appointment would be for the next day. I arranged for the tenant to be home and she waited without a call or update, as did I. I called them and was told they couldn't make it out until the next day now. This was a full week after I called. The next day Robert came but the water was shut off so he couldn't actually do the work anyway but told me the total cost for the repair (if it was the overflow) would be in the neighborhood of $1000!!!! It would be 175 bucks just to cut a hole in the drywall behind the drain to look at it. I could go on but suffice it to say I found a licensed plumber who charges less than 25% of this company's prices and was available to do the work the next day.
  • Review from Bairbre Matthews
    Rating: 3 out of 5
    Review left on 19 Sep 2018

    Repair to 3" Floor Draiin in Basment

    Although Birnie and sons completed a project in our basement re positioning the toilet and shower drain as well as moving the laundry lines, the job was done very promptly and their representatives were always courteous and well informed. I have a problem with the concrete finishing in the basement as it was amateurish. Relative to this new estimate as stated above we found their costs were considerable higher than that of the competition.
  • Review from Customer of Birnie Thos R & Sons Ltd
    Rating: 4 out of 5
    Review left on 14 Sep 2018

    galv pipe replace, sewer stack replace, lead pipe replace

    just at quote stage, but the gent doing it was informed, informed me well, and courteous and considerate ... waiting on status of house sale fro the work to be performed ... good stuff do far
  • Review from rick philp
    Rating: 5 out of 5
    Review left on 17 Dec 2017

    Sewer relining

    We are very pleased with the work completed on our sewer by Bernie Plumbing. We opted for the lining of the sewer ... job was completed quickly and with very little damage to the landscaping Gerry helped us make the best decision by answering all our questions reqarding the relining process. If you are having to replace your sewer ... you owe it to yourself to call Bernie Plumbing for a quote Rick Philp
Get in touch