DO NOT USE COLIN PLUMBING. He was not a person that anyone would want to work with. He charged us $395 for a new facet and $400 labor to install it along with $150 service call. When I confronted him, he said that this was his emergency rates. It was not an emergency. We had a slow drip under out sink. We did not say it was an emergency. He came during the day yesterday (Tuesday). It felt like highway robbery. When I called him on it, he did not want to talk to me about it and said that he was busy. I could not believe that I paid $995 for a facet. Save yourself and do not call him. read more

Colin is a crook without a conscious as can be seen by almost all the reviews posted including on Yelp. We had an issue with a frozen sewer line at our rental property. Since I do my own maintenance, I knew what is was and what was needed to open it up. Since I was out of town my renter offered to locate a plumber, and I said OK just make sure he has a Water Jetter. The renter called back with Colin's Plumbing number and he said he has a Water Jetter. I then called Colin and asked the same question, and his answer was "yes I have a Water Jetter". Lined up the appointment and Colin showed up the next day. Now there is a video camera in this basement to monitor for flooding as a safety precaution so Colin was recorded the entire time he was there. For an hour and a half, he tried 3 methods other than what I said was needed to clear the sewer line. He tried 2 different mechanical snakes and a recirculating pump, none of which would clear the frozen sewer. After his failed attempts with the improper equipment, he called me and said he couldn't get it open but knew somebody who could. I said, "did you use a Water Jetter," he said no but he can usually get it open. So there goes an hour and a half wasted that he billed me for. Colin called another plumber who showed up 45 minutes later while Colin waited outside unnecessarily doing nothing also included in his bill. Not only that he stayed the entire next 3 hours while the other plumber with the proper equipment, a Water Jetter, did all the work clearing the sewer line. Remember this is all on video. During those 3 hours Colin did nothing and only chatted with the other plumber while leaning against my water heater. Colin did not need to be there as the other plumbing company confirmed that this was a one-man job for a person with the Water Jetter. Colin sent his bill for 6 hours at $290 an hour and on top of that he added $150 for "Chlorinate piping and drains" When asked about "chlorinate piping" he only could explain it as flushing the toilet several times. Apparently flushing the toilet wasn't included in his $290 an hour. I called him upon returning home and asked him why he said he had a Water Jetter when he didn't, and he again said he did, and it was the recirculating pump he used. Apparently, he doesn't know the difference! Another negative about Colin, if a plumber doesn't know what equipment he is using, is a big red flag. He was very rude on the phone especially after he realized he was caught red-handed in an act of a swindle recorded on video. Being he obviously has a pattern of scamming people, including older people and widows, overinflating his bills, adding labor, he did not perform we also will report him to the MN Department of Labor and the Wisconsin Department of Labor and Professional Services. When questioned about the bill all he said was "will you didn't pay it". He thought because we didn't fall for his swindling acts, we wouldn't follow up. We are to protect the public. One more thing, Colin's bill was $1890 and the plumber that actually did the work and provided all the necessary equipment, his bill was $723. read more

Plumber was disorganized and wasted time,charged almost 900bucks and drain still clogged worst possible service

I am happy to share my story with you, which happened today. But I think the BEST way to get your attention is to ask you to look at all the reviews of this plumbing company of the Better Business Bureau website.  Here is the link https://www.bbb.org/us/mn/center-city/profile/plumber/colins-plumbing-llc-0704-25001820/customer-reviews This contractor has been deceitful about costs, and and performing unneeded work to inflate his time spent on the job to make more money. I had him come out to snake a clogged tub drain pipe. He instead cut out the 3ft of pipe to the main sewer instead of use the clean out, replaced the 2" metal drain with 1 ft of PVC pipe on each end of a PVC P pipe, which took him 2 hrs. When he first arrived, I asked for an estimate, to which he said "Just time and materials", and went down to start the work. At the end of the job, I asked what I needed to make the check out for. He said 895! Shocked, I told him I only had 400 in the bank, to which he replied I would have to write a 2nd post dated check. I said there is no way I am paying 895 to have a clog removed and picked up the bill. First line item was 295 site fee. I said "I ASKED YOU how much and you said "Just time and materials"!! He tried to justify himself. Looking back at how it got to 895, I saw labor as 220/hr. (I live in small town Midwest... Normal rates are @100 hr. He replied he didnt care what others charge. I refused to pay again, and said I would be happy to call the police and take him to small claims court, to which he said he didnt have time for court or speaking with the police. I told him the MOST I would pay would be 300. He accepted after much contention. After he left I looked for the bill so I could take a pic of and submit to the BBC, the local Chamber of Commerce, and anyone else I could think of that could stop this guy from what he is doing to people. Smart guy, he took his bill with him so there was no evidence! Then I went to BBB to make a complaint, and saw how many others he has scammed. Something needs to be done! read more

My husband called Colin's plumbing when we had a backup in our floor drain. He told us we needed a new drain field and charged us $250 to do nothing. Other plumbers have confirmed that we do not need a new drain field. read more

I wished I had checked Colin's Plumbing out before using him. He was next door doing some work and wanted to check out my well system. $2600 later I have a new pump installed . Before he started I asked what the cost would be and he indicated $900 material plus labor. For 2 1/2 hours work on installing the submersible pump he charged me $ 1700. Yes some equipment involved but outrageous! I would not recommend him read more

Sure wish I would have read the reviews prior to highering! :( NO written estimate(s) or details provided for work to be done. Initial cost doubled, then doubled again. Wanted $5000.00 for 4 hours of backhoe work. That equals $1250.00 per hour! MN-WI average is $60.00 - $130.00, and the National average is $50.00 - $125.00 per hour. Talk about a rip off! I was able to get him down to $625.00 an hour just to get rid of him. ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE using this service, be prepared to be ripped off. read more

Colin responded very quickly to my plumbing concern. In fact, I think he was there within the hour. While his solution was effective, it was also very costly. Probably a less costly solution was also available but it was never offered by him. He seemed more interested in padding his pocket than anything else. His solution was to dig up the line to my septic tank - a two hour process for which he charged $2,500 ($2,000 just to move his backhoe to my backyard). He came back day two to simply put in a new pressure tank and an in-line water filter. He then also decided our water line from our well needed cleaning. His work was generally of high quality but I still can't get over his bill of $5,000 for about 1 1/2 days of work. I will definitely not give him a call next time. read more

Reading reviews, let's me know that I'm not alone. Unfortunately, I used him more than once due to emergency reoccurring that he had no solution for, just a crazy high bill and could never give a price on site. He would call the next day demanding 2 - 3x what he had originally eluded to. I WOULD NEVER USE HIM AGAIN NO MATTER THE 'EMERGENCY'!! read more

If I could rate them zero stars, I would. This place takes advantage of people in need, especially the elderly. Our normal repair person could not go on the roof to clean bathroom vent because of insurance. So we found a plumber that could come out short notice. Huge mistake. What should have been a 2 hour, $400 job, cost my 90 year old mother-in-law $1,300. Then he comes out a couple days later to try and sell my mother-in-law some other minor work Collin said was needed, and he wanted to charge $1,500 for this. He was refused and sent away. Beware!! read more

Hey Colin... Remember that 150 dollar pressure tank you charged my mom 900 dollars for? Yeah... It's leaking. Your 4400 dollar bill for this 'professional labor' is a joke. You've ripped off far too many of your neighbors. Shame on you! read more

Was the only well company that answered a week-end emergency call so I went with them. 3-years later I had problems again mainly due to the fact that they put in a pump that was too big (more expensive than what should have been replaced), didn't rewire anything (new guy said it looks like it's the original wiring) and used plastic tubing (new guy used steel). Would not take a credit card insisted on cash. Now I know why! Please do not use this company, in the Well repair world, they are known as the scammers. read more

I just happened to be in Rice Lake when I got the call our water heater was not working, couldn't re light the pilot, and it was leaking, I bought a water heater right there on the spot, hauled it home, but made phone calls to plumbers in the area, and got this crook who was given the fact that I was going from a 30 to a 40 gallon tank, and it was taller, but plenty of ceiling space. He first said 200 to 500 (should have known right there) but after calling another plumber who was busy till the next day who was fine with 250 to 300 for the job, decided to go with Colin's plumbing who agreed to MATCH the price. BIG ERROR...should have gone with my gut when he walked in 2 hours late and said "I didn't know there was a "T" so that will be 400 instead. I should have shown him the door. The "T" was cutting one pipe and reinstalling the shut off about a foot higher with solder. He wanted to use a shut off by the well pump, and when he got to the pump he started banging and shaking it, trying to screw it up I think till I told him to knock it off. Now after he left, my furnace which was right next to the water heater is not working, and when I called him to ask him what he had done to the furnace, he swears he didn't touch it. He refused to remove the old tank, said it would cost me another 400, said I saved 500 by buying my own 500 new tank, he would have charged me 1,000 for it. I never got a receipt for the money, and I will NEVER call him again, as he is basically a crook that takes advantage of elderly people. read more

I don't want to give this company a single star. He accepted my call for a frozen drain pipe. I knew where is was frozen (happened 2 years ago) and how to access it. He disagreed and attempted to use his dirty rusty snake and only got a few feet before he quit. He had to use our screw driver to remove the overflow cover and didn't even put it back on, but left a trail of mud throughout the house and set his machine on 2 rugs leaving wet, rusty marks, then came and said he didn't own the proper equipment. It required a 'Jetter'....but he DEMANDED $250 for maybe 10 minutes of actual work. Had I seen the rugs he wouldn't have been paid a cent. I gave him $50 to leave so I didn't have to call law enforcement to get him out of my house! I have since then located about 20 others he way over charged. Not a plumber in the world worth his $450 an hour!! read more

Colin's Plumbing LLC was called to investigate a foul smell coming from a floor drain/vent in my parents' utility room. While clearing the area to make it easier for the serviceman to work, my mother found a pound of rancid meat she'd forgotten she'd taken out to thaw. She let the man know this was the source of the smell and that she thought no work was needed. He asked to smell the meat and told her he didn't agree. She told him again that the meat was the cause of the smell--she was sure of it. He told her the meat was NOT the smell and that her house was filling with methane gas, making her think there was a dangerous situation that needed to be addressed. Still not comfortable, she asked for an estimate on the work that he proposed needed to be done, which he ignored and proceeded with his work without giving her any idea of what was to come. When all was said and done he handed her a bill for $1,119 for replacing some loose PVC and the cover on the drain. She paid him immediately. I contacted him to get information about what was done. He told me he didn't give her an estimate because "I was three calls behind and I needed to get to work." Providing a range of costs is something that could have and should have been done. I believe he didn't do this because he knew how much he was going to charge her and didn't want to give her a chance to object. I asked him why he didn't listen to her thought that the meat was the cause of the smell, to which he said he agreed that could have been the case. I believe he lied in this answer, wanting to cover up that he told her the house was filling with dangerous methane gas and making the job seem absolutely necessary. I asked him what he found when he jackhammered into the floor, and he said he found loose PVC and a misfitting cover. This was either a lie to me or to my mother when he told her that the vent was installed improperly. I believe this was a lie as a whole, because the vent isn't even located in that room. I believe misleading sales tactics were used to justify a job that the customer was objecting to in order to remove as much possibility of cancelling the job as possible. The work that was done didn't seem to have any issues. The sales tactics and ignoring the customer's concerns and findings were the biggest complaints. We have contacted the business to see if they're willing to review what happened on the day of service. read more

That idiot (Colin) was at my house yesterday...we had a frozen water pipe..he was here for 3 hours ...ripped my ceiling out in the basement.......insulation all over the floor and a mess in the kitchen where the pipe was frozen...he never finished....he said my husband can finish putting insulation around the pipe because he had 2 other places he needed to get too...While he was writing out the bill he said three times that this was a very hard job and I'm sure he was saying that to justify the monstrous 687.00 bill. I just stopped payment on the check because after reading several comments on him, I will be damned if I am going to let him rip me off. I will pay for what he deserves and it certainly isn't 687.00. read more

This company cost my Mother almost $4000 to fix a water problem in the basement. They replaced the well pump, the well casing, the sump pump and the pressure tank. She still had water in the basement the next week. I fixed the problem for $40. I just wish I had been there to stop them from ripping her off for things that she didn't need! read more

Colin responded quickly to my call, however he charges a small fortune. He doesn't take credit cards. He also charged me to bring in a backhoe(which, btw is his son). He handed me a $4000 bill & I was beyond shocked!!! He was here less than 4 hours. I won't use him again. He never gave me an estimate. I wish I would have checked on here prior to calling him. I too, have a new pump, pressure tank & new pipes. His numbers must not have added up to enough money because he wrote over a few of the numbers adding to the bill i.e.; 5 became a 9........never again. I need a new central air conditioner. There is no way in hell, I will call this man! read more

Wish we would have checked reviews before calling this guy. He overcharges and even charges $150 to "stop by on his way home" to give you an estimate. read more

Sunday evening before the Labor Day we found out the main house drain was blocked - Colin's Plumbing owner answered the phone, came within 1 hour, fixed the problem, and we were able to negotiate the payment we could afford, which was very reasonable for holiday weekend Sunday night call read more

These people put in a "new" sandpoint well for me. Charged me over $6000!! It was 3 years ago and I had nothing but problems. First off, I was sucking air and the pressure was all messed up. I had them come back and all the did was tweak the water pressure a bit. Was still sucking air. They don't warranty their work for more than 30 days! It was a friend of mine that found that Colin's had put in a cracked main water valve! Had to fix at my expense. I had "new" pipes also break just to find out they never used the correct pipes to begin with! Had to fix at my expense-again. We won't even talk about what they did to my yard with their well truck! I am a disabled person and still can't afford to fix my yard. DO NOT call these people for anything! By the way, I could have had a new sandpoint well put in for around $1500!! I didn't want to even give them 1 star but Yelp made me before I could post this! read more

This guy doesn't know the meaning of gravity or how pipes flow. For a plumber this is very concerning! Overcharging for backyard plumming service. But my son knew more about plumbing,and he's a welder! Do not be intimated, and be your own advocate for any crooked services from this company. read more

Colin responded quickly, to fix my problem with my plumbing, he is expensive, but he did an excellent job, fixed several faucets, replaced a toilet and repaired various leaks in my plumbing. Yes, he is not the cheapest plumber out there, but he did a great job and I have no complaints. read more

this man quoted us 700. to 800 and by the time he was done inflating things it ended up costing us 945.00 and the pressure tank he put in sells for 245. but he charged 400+ and when we called and told him we wanted an itemized bill he got annoyed with it, to me it should have been itemized to begin with he is a joke for a plumber! do not use this company! read more

Colins is a lying, cheating, greedy crook. He charged me 475.00 for a shower head and toilet valve. Faked like he was replacing my sink drain when it didn't need it. Charged me 100.00 for 20.00 parts. Anyone else would have done it for 225.00 total. Totally dishonest. I'm taking him to court, if he doesn't pay I'll picket his business. read more

This person came to my house after hours when my water heater stopped working. He shined a flashlight on the water heater, said it had water in the pan and that his insurance wouldn't let him touch it. He wouldn't answer my questions directly and kept asking me irrelevant things. He even had to borrow my flashlight, as he hadn't brought one! He said he would have to replace the water heater, maybe in a couple days. On the way out of the basement, he stopped by and wiggled the pressure tank and said I'd need a new one of those, too. His bill for telling me he couldn't touch the water heater was $195. I called another plumbing company the next morning. They were able to get the water heater running in 10 minutes. It does need replacing, but at least I have hot water until I can get a new one. The quote from the second plumber was HALF of Colin's Plumbing, and he was so much more professional and helpful. read more

If I could give out less than 1 star, I would. He actually did give me an "estimate". When I asked what it would cost to dig out the top 12 feet of well pipe where the cast iron had rusted, he said they did one 2 weeks earlier and it was about $2,500. But mine should not be anywhere near that. It wasn't, it was $6,800. No complications nor anything special found in the dig, but somehow the cost increased dramatically. He also borrowed a few of our tools including a shovel and some wrenches while he was working and he stole them. Denied that he ever borrowed them in the first place. Tracked mud in the house when he came in the house too. Hope his business rots just like our cast iron pipes did.. read more

Do not use this guy! He put in a new well pump and pressure tank in June of 2016 and charged all most $4000 dollars. Then this month the pump went out again. That is 18 months old he still charged for a new pump when it should have been covered under a warranty. (The good thing was that it was covered under our home owners insurance). When he came back a few weeks ago he was here for maybe 30 minutes on a Saturday and before he left he told me that he is tired and has other calls to do and told me depending on how he felt on Sunday he would come back or come back on Monday. After receiving the bill for this one he again charged me almost $4000. He wanted me to take money out of my 401k or ask my parents for the money. I understand getting paid but you can't ask someone to take out of their 401k or use a credit card that I don't have. I wish I would have read the reviews before I decided to go with him the first time. Will not call him again! read more