$35,000 DISASTER FROM A SIMPLE CLOGGED TOILET!!!…read more We called "Emergency Plumbing" with a clogged toilet in August 2024. After their plumber visited us, we ended up with THREE ROOMS DESTROYED BY WATER AND SEWAGE, costing $35,000 IN REPAIRS that took SEVERAL MONTHS, and then later getting dropped by our brand new homeowners insurance due to the claim! "Emergency Plumbing" happily took my several hundred dollars in payment for "clearing the clogged toilet". They have offered no recompense for causing our massive loss. But, to their credit, they did say "sorry" a couple times. THE FULL, DISGUSTING, DANGEROUS, SAD STORY: In August 2024 I called about a clogged toilet I couldn't plunge clear. They were able to schedule a plumber for early in the morning. The plumber arrived, and first wanted to see my septic tank. He started to hand dig a bit towards the tank. A minute of digging got nowhere, so he decided to come inside and look at the toilet. He tried an auger to clear the clog, to no avail. So, he asked to see the sewer cleanout. We went to the basement, where things were about to go DANGEROUSLY BAD. We located it above a ceiling tile in the finished basement. He held a up small garbage bag and opened up the cleanout... A FIRE HOSE RIVER OF SEWAGE immediately began to spray out onto him and our finished basement. He panicked and asked for garbage cans / bags to catch the sewage river. My wife brought down some large utility garbage bags. The plumber and I held up and filled about 3-4 large bags of sewage over our heads during the next several minutes before the flow finally stopped and he could cap off the cleanout. He reassured me by saying, "sometimes stuff like this happens". We were both drenched in sewage from head to toe. Some had splashed in my eyes and mouth. He started to hand mop up the large sewage puddle with some paper towels. I told him "don't bother, this all will need a mitigation company". He replied, "all you really need is some soap and water". Ummm no. We dried off, shedded clothes and went back upstairs. The toilet still wouldn't drain, so he said he'd drive back to get the larger auger. He asked if I had any toilets upstairs, and I replied yes. He said "OK, you can use your upstairs toilet and shower, just don't use the clogged one down here". He left and I started to shower. After showering I came back down to the main floor to discover that SHOWER WATER WAS GUSHING OUT OF THE TOILET INTO OUR BATHROOM AND HALLWAY!!! More fun! In the second panic of the day, I tried my best to dam up the NEW RIVER OF WATER now FLOODING my main level hardwood floors. I ran downstairs to see even more water now soaking many ceiling tiles and raining onto the sauna and floor. I called the plumber and the head plumber agreed to come join the fun. He arrived, I explain the scene, and he said "Oh no, he should never have told you to use the fixtures upstairs". Oh no! The first plumber later returned with the larger auger. They managed to clear the clog with it. They did some hand mopping up of the now destroyed first floor powder room, hallway, hall closet, and living room. They asked for a check for several hundred dollars, said sorry for the problems, took my check and left. The next day we opted for a water & sewage mitigation company, rather than the plumber's recommendation of "soap and water". Over the next couple days, my wife and kids truly enjoyed watching the hardwood floors, powder room, drywall, and finished basement get ripped out of the house we had purchased just months before. Then we had four days of loud industrial fans and dehumidifiers to hopefully prevent any mold. Then a few weeks enjoying a half ripped apart house, no working first floor bathroom, rough hardwood cuts, nails, etc. Lots of fun for kids and wives alike. The insurance claim process and reconstruction took place over the next couple months. We had to cancel our Thanksgiving party, as we were still wrapping up the rebuild by then.In the weeks after the plumbing adventure, I texted and called the plumber, hoping to get some recompense for this disaster, maybe cover my insurance deductible, maybe even my money back? We talked on the phone once and I made my case. He didn't offer anything at all. Haven't heard from them since. I would love to avoid going to court and just have them do the right thing, make this right for a family of four whose second half of 2024 was ruined by their work. Does anyone stand by their work anymore? 0 STARS - CANNOT RECOMMEND FOR ANY PLUMBING WORK. Maybe the head plumber is good? But whatever junior plumber they sent to unclog my toilet basically destroyed much of my new house. They were arrived on time and were friendly to talk to, though, tiny bonus points for that. ONE QUARTER OF A STAR

Great same day service ata reasonable price…read more They had good communication too and even told me how to do a Different Job.

Dear Anna, At the very least your "clarifications" could be…read morefactual. However, that's even more telling about the business. Here are the facts: - the appointment was set well in advance, so you mentioning work on "the coldest day" without reflecting the price doesn't make any sense. If you didn't work on "coldest day" or it was viewed as some heroic measure, you should have accounted for it when scheduling an appointment or rescheduled it. There was no emergency whatsoever, - why deny the demands of removing negative review. That was a factual statement, - the written "estimate" was given only after work was completed as a paid invoice confirmation. Didn't provide clarity to your charges at all. Thus, my and my husband's outreach to you (before the negative review was written). I'll let other potential customers draw their own conclusions.

Recently used this company for a water heater installation. They were on time and did an amazing…read morejob.

Mike is a straightforward and professional individual. When I called him to repair my leaky faucet,…read morehe provided me with an up-front quote. He kept me informed of his arrival. It turned out that replacing our bathroom faucet was not an easy task. As a result of his efficiency and expertise, he was able to diagnose the problem and take the necessary steps to resolve it. I received clear communication throughout the process, and he answered any questions I had. P.S. He's not only a kind and humble person, but after a stressful job, his funny side truly shines. He made my husband and me laugh so hard! Thank you, Mike. All the best wishes for your new life/family adventures.

This is unusual. I have tried using Mike for several services. Once I called and he happened not…read moreto be available right then. Another time, he did not do that type of specialty work. In both cases, he was so kind and patient to offer exceptional advice and also someone he knows to do the work described! This is someone who clearly puts the client first and is not looking at his own bottom line. I also like the fact that he answers the phone. Can't wait to use him for some work on my properties.

My wife owns a two multi-unit buildings in Pilsen Chicago and has a long time plumber with whom she…read moregrew up. He is an incredible tradesman and always our preferred choice where his services are warranted. We, however, live in Winnetka and this is outside "Armando's" service area. He, however, recommended HT Strenger to us and we are extremely happy that he did. We experienced a leak behind a kitchen wall that another vendor purported to fix yet to no avail so this was a re-do. David of Strenger reported precisely on time and opened the wall as if he was instead a laproscopic surgeon, unlike the previous failed vendor whose access hole/port was four times larger and created a mess that required the acquisition of a drywaller and several hours of collective inconvenience. The first failed plumbing contractor billed in 15 minute increments and, if I am not mistaken, so did Strenger, with the difference being the former's "efficacy coefficient" was zero. Stenger's work lacked the haphazard, sloppy and careless inputs of the first acquistion, one of those "always on the radio" suppliers whose name a collegue supplied, and who regretfully I called, as the job seemed perfunctory to say the least. Unfortunately, my belief of the strong inverse correlation that exists between a company's propensity to run obnoxious radio ads and its tendency to screw up the simplest job remains. Neither my wife nor I believed it necessary to ask a real plumber for a more proximate recommendation ("Armando, who would you hire if you lived up here" was indeed the targeted vernacular) but such is the world in which we now live. Another reviewer apparently thought it strange that the company requests "five star" reviews post completion. David made the same request but I construed this not as a plea of desperation inasmuch as affirmation that one would be forthcoming IF and only IF, we felt comfortable rendering such. Strenger's management, unlike the radio advertisers, seemingly understand that loyality, and the ability to thus eschew spending thousands of dollars or whatever these others pay on psychobabble laden. platitude filled ads, comes from telling customers what you will do and for how much, doing it as promised and then billing appropriately. We now have two favorite household plumbers with Strenger being our preferred provider up north. It's just a shame, however, that it takes typically two suppliers, both requiring remuneration, to acquire one good outcome. Strenger made write all that was wrong and I am very grateful for its excellent work. You will be too.

Similar to the review from August 2025 - Had HTS rod my main sewer line. Was told that the charge…read moreis $275 for first 30 minutes plus $105 for each succeeding 15 minutes (2 man crew - again, seems excessive for simple rodding). From the time they arrived to the time they left was 1.5 hours. Somehow an "extra" 15 minutes was added on though my doorbell cam clearly shows when they arrived and when they left. I called the office and they said that time starts when they arrive, not when they start work. I disputed the timing and was told they could pull the GPS records from the trucks and the tech's phones. I asked them do so to justify the extra charge. No response - 3 weeks later. I used HTS on complex work in the past and they always did good a job, but I would never again ask them to something of this nature. They're over market priced, shady time keeping practices and poor customer service. Update: Didn't mention that somehow they slipped in a $75 "camera fee" that wasn't mentioned when I called before the service. HTS did call me (left a vm) and stated that they checked their records and the "timing was slightly different" from what I reported. It was enough to run into the next 15 min. window because they start the clock when they arrive, not when they start work. Wholly unsatisfactory all around for me. As stated above, they're not the right contractor for this kind of work.

Fast professional service. Needed an external faucet replaced, was worried about access but they…read morecut as small a hole as possible for my convenience, even though it made their job trickier. They actually undervalued the job but honored the estimate regardless. Honest and reliable company and im extremely happy with the quality of work.

I requested their help on a kitchen drain clog. They gave me their price and let me know most…read moredrains can be cleared in an hour or less. My service took three hours at a rate per half hour. I feel they stretched the service time out to get more money and clearing a kitchen drain should not have taken three hours.

Great experience with this company. Rod came in and fixed a problem with some permanence that…read moreother plumbers only deferred. Very timely professional and committed.

Highly recommended! I recently used Maximum Plumbing for the second time, and it fully confirmed…read morewhat I learned from my first experience -- this is a top‑notch operation with exceptional service. Max is incredibly responsive and thorough in explaining the work that needs to be done, which gives you confidence right from the start. Lucas installed a backup system for my sump pump and handled everything with professionalism, courtesy, and efficiency. He arrived on time, worked neatly, and made sure everything was functioning exactly as it should. Overall, another great experience. Maximum Plumbing has become my go‑to for any plumbing or sewer needs.

Messaged me immediately and arrived within 2 hours (for a non- urgent request)…read more Lukas was friendly and completed the job in a timely fashion. Not only did he fix the clog, he educated us on the potential problem and how to avoid them moving forward. I would highly recommend Maximum Plumbing to anyone for any plumbing need!

Was charged $180 for a new thermostat available at Home Depot for $40! When called to question…read moreprice was told they don't price match and have a 20% mark up on parts. Furnace was out. They responded promptly. Was out of town. Never got a call back to give an update so did not know if heat was fixed. I had to call them at the end of the day to see if we had heat when we got home. -20 wind chills. Was a simple fix just needed a new thermostat.

Marco wound up doing the work. Both he and Kevin were impressive in their concern for doing the job…read moreright and fixing the problems left behind by my mistake in using a handyman service for my "simple" bathroom job. Did it cost four-figures? Yes. Was not flooding the kitchen below and having the peace of mind of using a licensed and insured plumber worth it? Yes, every penny (as long as we still have the one-cent coin). Don't blunder as I did. As our other regular plumber, Brian Clar, said: Always use a real plumber for plumbing work. It costs less time and money in the end.