Jim Dandy Sewer SVC INC

10/28/10

Did a Great Side Sewer Repair in Ballard

by wsaxbe at Citysearch

Sewer repairs are crappy. Fact is, they require a lot of work, can cost a lot, and mean you don't get to shower or use the facilities in your house until they are fixed.

My wife and I were married at the beginning of this month and all the family and friends who attended strained the system at our mid-century house in Ballard and gave us our first challenge as newlyweds - a sewage back-up in our basement (thankfully, the house-guests had left). We rented a rooter and managed to snake out some roots we knew were a problem about 30' down our lateral line (right under a neighbors tree) but during the process we collapsed about 6' worth of pipe right where the sewer line bends out of our house and heads towards the main. Total block.

My new father-in-law had worked with Jim Dandy before and recommended them (I was a little nervous after reading the so-so reviews here and elsewhere). I called them and they had a plumber, Shawn, come out within the hour. He identified the block, tried a rooter head, confirmed the line was broken, and then used a radio-locator to pinpoint the location, which was luckily not under our concrete slab. He worked really fast, let me pepper him with questions, and was super nice. He was there for an hour and a half but only charged me an hour. He also set up an appointment with an estimator (Chris) early the next morning.

Chris came in and took a look at the location, and gave me a pretty good bid price. He was willing to be flexible on aspects of the job, and after consulting with him, we agreed on a division on labor that saved us quite a lot more. I and some willing friends dug a portion of the excavation that afternoon (4' down x 8' x 4' - we were sore!) and he had a crew come out the next day and dig down another 3' (digging more than 4' down can be dangerous without bracing, which the crew did when they arrived) as well as pull out the broken lateral line, replace it with PVC, completely rebuild a nearby downspout tie-in with PVC, and add a 4" clean-out line to the surface. We did the backfilling.

As soon as the crew was done our second plumber, Jon, came out to scope the new pipes and clean out the remaining roots. He was able to get a 4' rooter tip to the main-line (120' away) and we took a look at the remaining concrete pipes on both sides of the house. They looked pretty good for being 65 years old. He even cleaned out the sand in our downspout p-traps. Despite the late hour, he did not charge us for overtime (which he technically should have). Like Shawn, he worked hard and fast and then billed slightly less time to us than he could have.

I really liked everybody associated with the sewer mess. They were nice, sympathetic, flexible with the estimate, and fast. The project cost me way, way, way less than I thought it would have. It wasn't cheap - but it didn't break the bank. We were pretty lucky with the location of the break and didn't have to worry about city streets or sidewalks, big rocks, or under slab. What could have been a financial nightmare was resolved with only minimal pain and a lot of good learning experience.

I would recommend Jim Dandy to anybody, and would also recommend tackling a sewer break with a willingness to ask questions, a willingness to do some of the grunt-work, and a friendly attitude. I think plumbers are like anyone else - if you get all mad at them for telling you the painful truth about your problem, you might not get the best service. If you can laugh about it a little, get engaged with the problem-solving, and see them as on your side, they really will be.

11/04/08

The Last Honest Plumber

by TerryMartin at Citysearch

I have a house in seattle that needed to have some of the plumbing repaced. I have been putting it off for years after a terrible run in with a plumber who we hired to do a job, he gave us a good price, then when the work was done the bill had tripled! I have been terrified to go through this again. I called several places to get a feel for the company and decided to try Jim Dandy Sewer and Plumbing. They came out fast, they did a great job, and the price was exactly as they said it would be. Honest and Fair! I will no longer hesitate to call a plumber, I will just call Jim Dandy!

The only plumber I would feel comfortable sending to my own mother!

• Pros: They were very professionial and efficient!
• Cons: No cons here.. the other plumbers are the cons!

10/24/08

JIM DANDY PLUMBING TO THE RESCUE THEY SAVED THE DAY

by HOMEOWNER22 at Citysearch

JIM DANDY PLUMBING CAME OUT TO FIX OUR HOT WATER HEATER THAT HAD STARTED LEAKING OUT OF THE TANK I CALLED AND TALKED TO THEIR GAL THAT ANSWERS THE PHONE SHE WAS VERY FRIENDLY ASK ME SOME QUESTIONS WAS ABLE TO GET A PLUMBER RIGHT OUT THAT SAME AFTER NOON THEY HAD THE NEW TANK IN PLACE WORKING AND CLEANED UP IN JUST A COUPLE HOURS THE MEN WE VERY POLITE POSITIVE AND DID A GREAT JOB CLEANING UP BUT WHAT REALLY DID IT FOR ME WAS I NEEDED A HAND MOVING MY FRIDGE AS I WAS DOING SOME CLEANING THEY WERE MORE THAN WILLING TO HELP MOVE IT OUT AND BACK I TRIED TO GIVE THEM A TIP FOR THERE EFFORT BUT THEY DECLINED SAYING IT WAS A PLEASURE TO BE OF HELP BOY YOU DON'T SEE SERVICE LIKE THAT EVERY DAY ...THANK YOU JIM DANDY

07/22/05

Would recommend to anyone!

by stellablue19 at Citysearch

Our dishwasher needed urgent repair last night.

Today I started calling a list of Plumbers recommended by Windermere & kept getting messages that did not even tell me their hours.

I got to Jim Dandy, who answered their phone. I live in Seattle/work in Bellevue, so repairs at home always entail taking a day off to sit at home waiting for a contractor. Jim Dandy had a 2-hour window, and offered to call my cell 30 min before arrival.

I told them I'd be home in 30 minutes and it only ended up taking me 15. The plumber, Shawn, was waiting for me when I got home. He fixed the problem and showed me how to fix it myself if it happened again.

I'd use them for any plumbing needs without any reservations. Finding a contractor that understands and will work with a busy work schedule is a rare find.

• Pros: Same-day service, Worked w/ my schedule, Pleasant staff
• Cons: None

03/26/05

Run Away

by builder at Citysearch

I don't enjoy writing unpleasant reviews, but there's no other word to describe what happened to me. I explained what I wanted to the the estimator who didn't explain to the field crews who did exactly what I didn't want. Making matters worse is the fact the company didn't even try to rectify the mistake. Instead managers stalled the project and continued to bill while not doing work. The result was the single worst contracting experience of my life (and I've dealt with some questionable contractors before).

• Pros: they have equipment
• Cons: poor customer service, customer communiation, trust issues