There ARE reasons why he got a one star review. If I could give minus stars I would. Needless to say but please do your research AND look elsewhere. Please DO NOT PREPAY him for the work. It's a scam and you don't get an invoice...nothing. read more

For anyone considering using these services at this company, take a look at the numerous negative reviews. Why would you use a plumber who has countless negative, concerning reviews. He does not honor his warranty. He installed two faucets at my condo; shortly after installation, they began leaking water due to shoddy installation. I called and asked if he could come back and fix it, as his business card and website stated a 2 year warranty on all work. He answered rudely and begrudgingly and said he would come out. He then proceeded to inform me it would be a $75 service charge. A $75 service charge to return less than a week later to fix his shoddy work is both unreasonable and absurd. He is not accredited by the BBB. I am not sure if he even maintains adequate insurance, as my building would not accept his insurance. 0/10 -- abysmal. read more

We have very old pipes in our kitchen that were leaking. I turned to Yelp for a recommendation and found, "The Plumbing Doctor." Response time was excellent from the first call. We were given a time frame and Our plumber showed up within that expected time. My husband and I are very happy with the job done. VERY. The price quoted us was reasonable and fair(I asked a relative that lives out of state after briefly discussing the issue and what I was quoted.) Our plumber also recommended a biodegradable cleaner in lieu of harsher chemicals to help keep the pipes clear without destroying the integrity of our pipes. He did not have to make this honest recommendation. The plumber cleaned up the area very nicely after working. He was polite. Would recommend, "the Plumbing Doctor," to anyone looking for a fair honest, plumber that knows their trade. We will definitely use him again. Thank you for your excellent work!! Rob and Nellie K. read more

I came home from a trip and my wife told me there was an issue with our toilet. I tried fixing it myself, but it wasn't happening. A plumber friend of mine recommended John. I called John and he was at our house within minutes. He was very professional and personable. He fixed the issues we had and answered all of our questions. He is very fair and honest with the work he does and the price he gives you. I will be using John for any and all future plumbing issues. read more

My hot water heater decided to spring a leak, signalling its coming demise. Called John on a Sunday morning and he was over in a couple hours to take a look. After quoting me a fair price on a new water heater, he and his crew came by the next morning for the install, which went painlessly. Excellent experience with the Plumbing Doctor and I'm happy to have him in my town. With my old house, it won't be the last time he gets a call from me. read more

Used Jon once for a backed-up sink and he was great. Used him a year later for a clogged toilet and he never fully fixed the problem, sold us some useless "all natural " drain cleaner, and charged much more than what we eventually paid a handyman who fixed the problem right away. A friend, who also found out about Jon from Yelp, had a similar experience. Never again. read more

Fantastic. We had a backup in our sewer, he was at our house in a matter of minutes, and rotted out the sewer like a champion. Sewer is old as dirt, so of course, it backed up again, on a Sunday, and Jon came out, with a fancier (longer) tool, that weighed about 450 lbs, and did the job, again. Free of charge (he backed up his initial work). He didn't seemed rushed. he didn't seem disinterested. He was thorough, and helped us out. read more

Location: Chicagoland. Check his web site or call for details. I reviewed his location called "Loop," but he is all over the metro area, Elmhurst being one. Jon Spears, The Plumbing Doctor, responded to my call for cleaning a tub drain on an urgent basis. He handles emergencies, too. We were able to arrange a timely appointment. John was very efficient and knew just what to do. Another "maintenance" person I had used the prior day came with more primitive equipment and didn't even bring a necessary tool. I simply recommend The Plumbing Doctor. He's available 24/7 according to his web site: http://chicagoplumbingdoctor.com/ REGARDLESS of whether you employ Jon or not, I urge you to look at his web site, first clicking the "Promotions" tab. Then there is other useful information there including recommendations and explanations for certain biodegradable products He came out on a Sunday morning! I was lucky that he had a promotion on tub drains and did not charge me a trip fee or a fee for Sunday or holiday. I sensed that Jon is straightforward on his pricing. Jon was very efficient, knowledgeable and got the job done. I will recommend him to everyone I know. Jon travels all over the Chicago area although there may be special time slots, such as evening or early morning for more distant suburbs, such as Hoffman Estates. Call and he will tell you. I have seen some customer comments questioning his request to use text messages or email. It is not an absolute requirement, but helpful. I asked about this. Jon values efficiency and this is documented scheduling device for you and him. If you use neither, I believe that Jon will certainly accommodate. read more

John is by FAR the best plumber we have ever dealt with. And we've had plumbing issues in almost every place we've lived---5 homes in 7 years in 2 states so we've run the gamut of clogged toilets, drains, garbage disposal issues, you name it. When I called around for plumbers in the North Shore, each and every one wanted a $200-$250 "service charge" just for coming out, and this wasn't an emergency situation, just a couple of clogged bath drains! Then, these companies charge between $60 for 30 min to $45 every 15 min!! REALLY?? Wouldn't it be the same price at the end of the day to install a whole new tub?!?! So, when I called The Plumbing Doctor and he told me that THERE WAS NO SERVICE CHARGE FOR YELP! Users I Nearly cried. John made an appointment for the next morning (although he said he could come out that evening as well but we have 2 little kids that were melting down) and showed up ON TIME. Impressive on that count alone. In less no time flat both bathtubs were running beautifully, no mess, no issues, just GREAT service and advice. The cost? LESS THAN THE "SERVICE CHARGE" of those other North Shore Plumbers. And, John guarantees his work for 2 years. On a personal note, he's also just a very nice person, a family man and someone who understands how to work well with people. THANK YOU Yelp! yet again, Yelp! users saved the day!! read more

Jon is fantastic! Came out quickly. Immediately solved my emergency leak. Then, went on to give me invaluable advice in terms of how to improve my rental property! read more

This is one of those rare occasions I wish I could select negative stars. John is very unprofessional as my wife had to schedule time off twice from her work in order to be home for the appointment. Twice he was a no show. Finally third time was a charm and John showed. However, he overcharged us for the work and a week later it didn't work once again. When we contacted John again he said it must be this other problem surely not my work. We scheduled an Appointment my wife took time off work again and sure enough no show. Never again. This is a factual account and a cautionary tale to all our fellow yelpers not to use John and his company. Read my other reviews and you will know I am factual and very pro- entrepreneur however in this case three strikes and your out. read more

John is a very trustworthy, hard working plumber. He has been to our home several times now and we are ALWAYS happy with the results. I have even sent him to my mothers home in Wheaton and put a message on Facebook to make it known how great he is. John is everything you want in a plumber. My family would know, since my father was a commercial plumber for over 40 years. Since Dad can no longer take care of his plumbing, he trusts John (the Plumbing Doctor) to take care of his pipes correctly. Thank you John for all you have done for us! read more

We recently called John, The Plumbing Doctor, to help with what we thought was a broken seal on our first floor toilet. After John repaired the seal, we discovered there was STILL water coming over the top and onto our first floor in the mornings. We called John back and as we explained what was happening, he quickly suspected a backukp in our sewer. Upon rodding the line, he diagnosed a line BREAK in our sewer just outside our house, between the house and the street. He showed my husband where the pipe was broken and how it had been improperly repaired by the previous owner using the wrong pipe seal. John made arrangements to bring back a crew over the next few days. This was during zero degree weather. Two men dug a six foot hole down to where our sewer line was, in our front yard, and another crew came to do the repair. They were careful to put yellow tape and cones around the problem area as well. We had a mitigation crew on the inside of our house at the same time, to deal with the water that had gone through the first floor ceiling and into our basement, so there was a lot going on, and throughout John and his crew were diligent and worked well with the other teams to supply necessary information. . While the repair was expensive, we felt that the price was completely reasonable and justified given the magnitude of the problem and the extreme weather conditions in which the work and repair to be done. Also because the break was so close to our house, John was unable to use heavy equipment to get down to the pipe as he would have hit our gas or water main as well as taking out our sidewalk and potentially also the porch. In sum, l highly recommend John for an excellent job. At this level of problem, you need someone with a lot of experience, and he definitely has extensive experience. He knew to call the city and get permits as well as their requirements for the minimum type of repair seal for the pipe. And he additionally checked the rest of the pipe leading out to the street. He found some roots growing in there and supplied us with a root removing solvent to use every year in the future. Everyone needs to know that there are very few if any insurance policies that cover sewer breaks between your house and the street. If you have a policy it will likely cover only inside your home and if it covers the outside you will still be held responsible to show diligence in checking and maintaining your lines over the years. I recommend having your sewer line checked periodically just to show diligence in the event of a problem, as well as to do preventive maintenance if your home is more than 10 yrs old and you have big trees like we do! All in all, everything was great with John. Similar to what another poster said, they were not here on time every day, maybe late by an hour or a little over that, but the weather was so horrible I don't see how anyone could have been outside before the sun came out. If you have a very rigid time frame it is better to make your time limitations very clear, and maybe also try to allow extra time, as he gets a lot of calls, and just being reasonable, it is difficult for a plumber to observe a strict schedule as they are unable to diagnose a problem and the amount of time it will take to fix until they are on site- hence you could be pushed back bc of another appointment ahead of yours that took longer than projected. What else- his crews were the nicest people. They did not just sit around, they worked hard. All in all the repair took only 3 days and it was a very big job. I highly recommend John. He is the best. read more

We called John due to a toilet leaking in our 2nd bathroom and he came the following day to take a look. He showed us that the original toilet was too large and installed incorrectly and said, he could put a "band aid" over it to get by for a few months, but recommended getting a new toilet in the correct size to properly fix the issue. It was a little bit pricy for us to buy a brand new toilet, but he went out of his way to call a couple of places and find the best rates on a new toilet for us. He came a few days later, installed it and now we have a properly functioning toilet. He was friendly and efficient. Thanks John! read more

This guy is at good as it gets! Dependable, trustworthy, honest, and a pleasure to have someone who won't screw you over! Used him twice. Once, for a roto rooter on a bathroom drain and fix a toilet. The second time for a clogged kitchen drain. No B.S.!!!! Straight to the job and on time! He even gave me some helpful hints to keep- the drains running and getting the rust off the porcelain in the toilet. When you find a guy like this, he will always be your go to guy because you KNOW that the job will be done correctly, fairly, and he doesn't disappear!!! read more

I cannot say enough good things about John. He has to be the hardest working plumber I have every known. Absolutely one of the best. If you are reading this and trying to find a good plumber, call John. I will be amazed. Seriously. He's just that good. read more

He was able to help me fix my basement floor drain. Gives good advice, no BS. Saved me a lot of money through the whole process. I would definitely call him again. read more

Extremely unprofessional. Do not hire this person. Cancels last minute and provides 5 hour windows to simply review your job. Bad experience. read more

While house sitting we had a problem with basement drain. Picked John from Yelp rating and map. John was polite, arrived quickly, and got us fixed up with minimum fuss. He could have made a bigger project out of a small problem with a basement ejection pump, but he didn't. He's honest as well as competent. read more

This is my first review, but never really had a good enough reason to review a company... until now. The Plumbing Doctor has two listed locations; I'm reviewing the Elmhurst, IL location, only because it is closer to my 1-bed/1-bath Mt. Prospect condo. Speaking of that 1 bathroom, my toilet had a slight leak, during flushing. It was so minor that I let it linger a few weeks, until I could have a buddy come by to help me fix it to save money. That didn't go so well, so I researched as much as possible on BBB, Yelp, and other websites, only to arrive at The Plumbing Doctor. As is the case with all other reviews of this company, they were absolutely terrific, and as the 5 stars indicates, I can't imagine another plumbing service outperforming this company. All in all, great, great service, very personable staff, and quick & efficient plumbing work. That's not including their 2 year guarantee! Thx for the fix, The Plumbing Doctor! read more

John was quick to follow up on my call for flooded basement and came the next day as scheduled to replace the sump pump in my basement. Pros - *Quick service. *Quick initial response *Recommended me an extremely awesome guy for cleaning flooded basement. *Gave me good advice to extend the hose from sump pump to drain water farther from the hose. *Very Good advice about my sewer and it's past repairs as well. Cons - * He left after replacing my sump pump saying I can call him once I clean the room, so he will come and seal the lid back. I told him to expect a call in couple of hours. Wrote him a check and he was on his way. I called him after couple of hours that the room is clean and he can come close the lid. He told me he never said to come back the same day and can only come back after 2 days. I had to take another day off from work coz he said he can come only on Wednesday morning. I guess my mistake was to pay him before the work was completed. * I had a tough time convincing him to seal the lid since he said he will only put the lid back but won't seal it coz he didn't have right material to seal it and that I should seal it on my own. Leaving the lid unsealed was very unprofessional response from him. I finally convinced him to seal it. Even though his service was quick on initial work, I found it very unprofessional to not follow up on the remaining work properly. read more

I had created a profile just to give John a great review. He helped me get out of a plumbing nightmare and was professional, prompt and friendly. I have recommended him to everyone who's had plumbing needs. As I told him, I hope I don't need him but if I do I'll call ASAP. read more

I never give 5 stars for anyone (because none of us are perfect:) but Jon is a solid 4 1/2 ! Have found a knowledgeable, $ FAIR, plumber who replies promptly, answers questions, makes suggestions, tells you what needs to be done - without any pressure; goes ABOVE and BEYOND to fix your problem. In my case it was clogged laundry room/kitchen pipes etc. - he knew what to do; even created a much better drainage system for my washer! Be patient with timing communications- his service is personal and if he needs to reschedule a bit - no worries. He doesn't rush through his clients and knows what he's doing! read more

Stay clear! Overcharged, didn't fix issue, always late or just didn't show for appointments.

This guys is the ghost of plumbing. Will not get back in touch with you when all you want to do is give him money for work. Guess he doesn't want to work? read more

John did a great job unfreezing four of our pipes after some of the sub-zero weather we have had recently. He also provided do-it-yourself home improvement tips to help prevent the problem in the future. We will be using him again for our plumbing needs. read more

This guy was great. I had repeated problems with my garbage disposal and asked him to install a new one. He showed my how to properly flush and adjust the unit and told me I did not need to spend money on a new one. Fixed the problem for $75. Honest and knowledgeable guy - I would call him again. read more

John was great. Called him on a Saturday and he came on a Sunday morning to help us finish our DIY project that wasn't so DIY. Didn't charge extra for Sunday and we were back to normal with our new faucet with no leaks! Thanks John. read more

Incredible. Saturday night. 20 minute response!! Quick and honest diagnosis plus a quality, very reasonably priced repair. He also took the time to advise me of a couple other future items that I should address. Other plumbers would have given me the "you better do these today or you will flood" statement. Great to hear honesty. I know my lifetime plumber read more

I would like to say something positive; however, it is impossible for me to apply any stars as a rating but it seems required. Left msg for them 7/14 in the evening to call me 7/15 by 9:00ish am no call, called them. John had an attitude, wanted to call me back in 20 min. to check his schedule. Over two hours no call. I called back after some discussion was going to come between 8pm - 10pm that night. As requested, I sent a text message to confirm appt. I thought that was nice of him; however, NO SHOW, NO CALL and NO TEXT. This cost me a whole day of work and still the bathtub is clogged and kitchen sink backing up into the bathtub! I will never work with this company again. read more

After reading the solid reviews about Jon, I called him this morning to fix a clogged kitchen sink. I've used other plumbers in the past, but they always charged a ton and moved slowly, and you never knew who would show up. Some employees are better than others. I'm willing to pay competitive rates for good work and that's what I got from Jon. Excluding chit chat time, he and his assistant, Robert, routed my sink in less than 30 min. It cost me $200, which is what he quoted me upfront when we spoke over the phone and he asked me questions so he had a good sense of what the problem was. He worked quickly and efficiently, the way you would think all plumbers should work. They were conscientious about the small mess their work made, which was unavoidable, cleaning up as they went along, and Robert even picked up my bottle of all purpose spray cleaner to clean up. I'm glad I found a trustworthy plumber who knows what he's doing, does a great job and guarantees his work. Jon is now my go-to plumber and I will be happy to recommend him to my friends and neighbors. read more