John Baethke & Son

As always, the technicians @ Baethke's are awesome, friendly, knowledgeable, and honest. Ron Page went through several options for us in the replacement of our water heater with clear explanations which helped us make a solid decision regarding our choices. There was no pressure, just honest conversation. He even contacted the water heater company to see if the warranty was still applicable on our busted water heater. (We just bought the house a year and a half ago.) During the installation of the new water heater, Ron answered all my questions ( I like to hang out and see how such things are done) and shared tips for better and more efficient water use ( what temperature should be set to and why, etc.) Baethke's is an awesome company! And Ron a wonderful technician and person.

We have been having issues with our toilet so I filled out the website form and received a scheduling phone call literally right away! They were able to send someone out later the same day, and called when he was 30 mins away. This alone sets them above other plumbers we've worked with, but on top of that Mike was lovely, friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. We have a working toilet now just a few hours after my original call, and a new plumbing company to call next time we need one!

Great service. Called and they came the next day. A bit pricey but do you really want the cheapest option for something as important as plumbing? Highly recommend. Ron and Mark were fantastic. Services: Water heater repair, Faucet repair

Strongly Recommend: I would like to give these guys a very strong 5. Had an issue with our sump pump and wanted to replace it. Contacted them and they reached out to me really fast: Initially messages John and he mentioned that Cathi will be helping you with that. In less than 2 hours, Chris came to our house and found the issue. He provided the options that we have and of course his recommendation.

He was very a helpful, polite, professional person who knew what he was doing. He answered all of our questions and was very patient. Both my wife and I were very happy about their work in general. Thanks, Chris and the entire team.

Excellent experience addressing a leaking kitchen faucet. Called company and they were able to schedule repair for next day. Plumber came out, diagnosed issue, had to replace faucet, offered me several options based on quality, design, and price. Prior to this, used company to replace original water heater. Same professionalism, customer service, and high quality work. Would definitely recommend this plumbing company for any of your residential plumbing issues. Also like that it is a family run business.

You get what you pay for. You may pay more for Baethke plumbing, but these guys are top notch. Consistent, clean, friendly. I've been using them for over 10 years now. Everytime I go with someone else, eventually I have to call Baethke to fix it. Service: Plumbing pipe repair

Don't usually write reviews, but I've scanned and digested the reviews for this company on google and yelp, and had wished I had read them before using them. I wanted to start off by saying that yes, the technicians are professional ans clean. However, my technician changed a single gasket under the sink in my basement unit, and I was charged $500.

When told the pricing options, I of course was stressed but felt pressured by the situation to go along with services, so I agreed. He did a good job (again, just taking off and putting on a new gasket) and it took about 30 minutes. I sat with him and watched the job to completion. He was very nice and explained the issue clearly, after sitting with my decision last night, I feel that I grossly overpaid. Unfortunately, I won't be using them again, they are in my neighborhood, but I didn't sleep well knowing I laid $500 for a 30 minute job.

Charged us $2,100 to clear blocked drains. Normally charged $300-$450 to do same work. When problem reoccurred in less than 3 months they told us they would call us back with a time to come back, that they were really busy and it would take them 2 weeks to return. Went with another firm after hearing that. Also quoted $1,000 to clear a downstairs bathroom sink. Went to CVS, $8 Draino fixed the problem. Will never use them again.

I had a positive experience with Baethke Plumbing today. I found the pricing to be transparent and easy to understand. From my first phone call and the reminder texts to today's service, everyone was very polite and thorough. The communication was clear and my backed up drains seem to be running well. The technician spent three hours resolving the problem and I'm happy with the results.

Incredible customer service! Explained the entire process and gave me multiple options for the repair and wakes me through each option and the pros/ cons. Ended up going with the top option but once he got started he realized I didn't need some of the work done and they took a big chunk right off the invoice. Also had an additional issue pop up this afternoon and he cane right back to take pictures and give me a quote. Customer service was beyond expectations and so happy to have found a service we can trust.

The cost is double what you will pay a typical plumber. I just paid $430 for a toilet ring replacement and I'll save an extra $200 by replacing the little rubber flapper myself. but we've used this company a couple of times and definitely don't believe there is any scamming/swindling going on as mentioned in a few other reviews. They are just pricey.

We had an emergency last year and it was obvious that we were prepared for a big ordeal but the plumber surprised us with a simple solution which earned our trust. Their brand is "white glove service" rather than trying to come across the most competitive/affordable. so moving forward we will DIY or hire a handyman for simple home updates but we will continue to call them first when there is an urgent need for help.

Ron is GREAT. My building kept pushing me off about my hot water pressure being low and they came in ran a diagnostic report to show my building that it's their problem. These guys aren't the cheapest but you absolutely get what you pay for, the other low reviews are because of costs. So few are about the actual work. Plumbing service is a labor and is not easy, all these bad reviews expect it to be at cost. If you aren't cheap or dirt poor, use these guys.

We had a 50 gallon water heater that died. We were planning on going through Home Depot outsourcing but they said they couldn't do the project due to space and said the best solution that they could offer was to downsize to a 29.5 gallon tank. We called John and he said not a problem. Came earlier than expected, did the entire project without any issues and they were able to still use a 50 gallon tank.

They found an issue with a dryer vent too and they handled it on the spot. Quick, effective, and extremely pleasant to work with. Would highly recommend and plan on using again in the future if something comes up.

We like to do our own home improvement, so I was apprehensive about hiring a contractor. But my husband and I faced problems that were outside of our abilities, so we reached out to several professional plumbers. Vanessa, the plumber sent by John Baethke & Son Plumbing, was excellent. She was courteous, knowledgable, efficient, and she and her helper did great work that we felt we paid a fair price for.

She gave us an accurate estimate with different options, and spent time going over the problems and potential solutions. This was a multi-faceted job, including drain cleaning, toilet replacement, shower repair, and sink upgrades, and the different parts were all done so well that I have already hired them for another large upgrade on my old plumbing system.

This was in stark contrast to other plumbers that didn't even reply, or were difficult to deal with. I would recommend John Baethke & Son Plumbing to anyone looking for quality work. I'd also like to thank the company for getting vaccinated! That issue was addressed immediately, and without my even having to ask about it, which I really appreciated. They obviously prioritize the safety of their clients, and I'm grateful.

We have been using Baethke & Sons for years for normal maintenance, the one-off repair and most recently upgrading our kitchen sink and plumbing. Excellent communication and we got alerts of who's coming and when. There are some great plumbers in Chicago and you typically get what you pay for and we've been very happy with their level of service. Strong recommendation.

Hilarious experience at a recent barbecue when a discussion about Chicago plumbers came up. By chance three of us had used Baethke over the last few years and all agreed it was our worst experience with a plumber ever. Our own experience involved a completely disorganized front office and a tech who kept "discovering" new problems after assuring us he had things well in hand. Why would anyone want to hire a plumber who argues with every piece of criticism he gets on Yelp? Serious red flag for that alone.

190 dollars to step foot in my door and then wants another 260 to look at my shower. Total SCAM!

I submitted a request online yesterday afternoon and have a new faucet and bathtub spout installed less than 24 hours later, which I am super happy with as I struggled to get other plumbers even to quote me. Vanessa was my tech, she was super friendly, kept me informed and has left the work area cleaner than it was when she came in. I will say that they are definitely on the pricier end of the spectrum, but the job is done and I'ma happy customer less than 24 hours after making initial contact!

Ron came on time and was very friendly and professional. He wore the proper PPE for the job. He let me know costs up front before starting to work on my bathroom which I though was great. Thank you Ron for the great service.

After getting involved with our parents bathroom remodel (elderly and deaf) we came to realize they were gauged and taken advantage of by JB&P. It has got to the point where we have now involved the states attorney. First - they charged $13000 dollars to cover only a handful of items (other plumbing company came and quoted 6-7000) and only had provided our parents a statement of work for 817$.

We went back and fourth with them to try and get additional statements to see where all the charges were but ended up hanging up on us after they originally said they would provide. Luckily our parents took pictures of everything so we could deduce at least most of what they did. Second - Some of the work they did was Not even up to code and may lead to back flow and potential flooding within the walls (we will have to pay another company to fix that mistake) Third - they had to come out additional times to fix the hot water flow to the shower and part of that involved cutting open the new wall that was finished.

They then left the wall damaged and did not cover or send another company to fix the wall they had to cut open. As others mentioned this company is extremely overpriced and In this case we feel our parents were taken advantage of. EDIT : Again - the owner is saying our parents did not mention any dissatisfaction. They are quite unhappy the Wall was cut open to fix a plumbing issue and not repaired (your mistake you should cover it).

Yes the remainder of the plumbing work does work (except not up to code) but the sink and shower both work as intended. There is no mixup on services provided and the review is strictly based on the plumbing services provided that we paid 13,000 dollars for and got a statement for 800 of (what did you charge 13,000 for?!). Not sure what they consider a threat as the only thing we asked for was please provide detailed statements (to prove no gouging) or we will involve an attorney.

Cross posted from Angie's list AVOID Jon Baethke and Sons for plumbing work. Poor. Visit 1: $300 Had a leaky disposall on the sink. Technician was very respectful had shoe slips and wore a double face mask. He repaired 1 section of the ultra cheap white plastic (which was improperly installed by the last plumber from a different company). He tested it and said it worked, I had him fill up the sink all the way and the work began to leak, he repaired it again.

We tested in again and it didn't leak, but within 20 mins of leaving tenant checked the other side of the sink and now that was leaking. Technician (Dan Lowry) had to come back to retighten the other side which was jostled during his work. Not a great experience, but not a terrible experience. Also no breakdown of parts and labor on the invoice.

Visit 2: $467 A pipe had burst in the basement during the winter storm. A different company (First Plumbing, fyi they are 60$ per visit not 90$) had come in an emergency to shut it off. First Plumbing were trying to charge 600$ some dollars to repair a ruptured copper tee. Also they turned the whole houses water off, they said to access the valve which unfortunately was installed behind the dishwasher it would cost 250$ to move the dishwasher for liability. wouldn't suggest first plumbing either.

I said I'll have JB&Don come to fix it. I was expecting around 300$ again. It was maybe 20$ worth of copper maximum and a 45 minute job. They knew where the pipe was and knew the extent of the repair. JB&Son came out to fix it and said it would be 380 to repair + the 90 visitation fee. I was told by the office (Kathy) the 90 fee would get applied to the work but the technician ensured me this was incorrect.

So for 45 mins and maybe 20$ of parts I was charged 470. Expensive, but not the end of the world. This is where things go downhill. After completion, the technician didn't turn off the cold water valve in the basement, didn't turn the house main water back on, and didn't check to see if the pilot light on the water heaters went out.

This caused 3 days of hot water disturbance for my valued tenants. Visit 3: Attempted 2000$ charge which was denied, and was still charged 190 for off hours visit. After my valued tenants had to put up with the debacle (and a total lack of apologies from JB&Son) the next technician comes in and tells me that my plumbing was incorrectly installed and that my exhaust vent was disconnected.

The charge will be 1,970 dollars to repair 1. Incorrect plumbing - I know that my plumbing was installed improperly, which is why the inline shut off was installed. The cold water inline left open by the last technician (Patrick Sumrall) and after it was closed the hot water worked fine. Glad I didn't pay 700$ to cap my lines when there was already a shut off installed. 2. Vent disconnected.

The technician (Josh Hall) told me I had a vent disconnected from the wall, when I asked for pictures it shows the vent clearly connected. He said it would be fixable with self tappers and tape but that company policy is to replace the whole venting system. At most 100$ in parts and 2 hours of labor max. The charge was 1,300. 600$ per hour? Also I asked the technician to test it with a monoxide detector.

He said he didn't have one, but knew there is carbon monoxide in the area. I have a carbon monoxide detector in the utility room which was reading 'green' or non detectable. I called the office spoke to Kathy again and told her of the situation. She said she isn't a plumber but stands by their plumbers word. That this call is a separate issue from my last visit and she would call the plumber and give me a call back. she never called back and proceeded to ignore my next phone calls.

Then I was charged 190$ for the off hour site visit. The technicians themselves are pleasant and punctual which is the only reason they didn't get an F. They are stuck at the mercy of the mgmt. But the management at JB&Sons are incapable of understanding the situation, non responsive when something goes wrong, and overcharging for work.

Scammers. Plumbing customers beware. Technician came for a service call and charged me. Did absolutely nothing. Didn't even check valves to see if they worked. Then the company gave me quotes for $600 plus to over $2000 to check a valve and clear a screen on the faucet. I am an out of town landlord. Eventually came down and did work myself. $600 to exercise a valve. SCAMMERS. BEWARE.

Requested for a quote on Saturday and received the call from this company on Wednesday. The person who called was friendly however I can't get an actual quote to clean my grease trap in my restaurant unless I agreed to pay $89.50 service fees before they send the technician for inspection. I don't feel comfortable with it since if the technician give my a quote for $500 to clean the grease trap then I have to either agreed to the sky high price or pay the $89.50 for nothing. The way of getting an actual quote from this company makes me feel unprotected.

First, let me state that they are extremely friendly, have good communication, fast response time and arrived promptly. Tom, the technician was very professional and pleasant. However, the prices quoted seemed extremely high. In addition to the $89 service fee, I was quoted an additional $321 to check the dishwasher for leaks (this wouldn't include any repairs deemed necessary) and $286 to change a toilet gasket. Needless to say, I didn't get the repairs done. UPDATE: Got a brand new dishwasher and installation for $500 and got the toilet gasket fixed for $65. I really does pay to shop around! In these tough times of covid, it's really not the time to attempt to charge such exorbitant fees. Shop Around!

I've been using John Baethke plumbers for years and have always been impressed with their professionalism and work. You will pay more for their work, but it will be done right the first time. I've had less costly recommended plumbers do work for me and then hired Baethke to come in to fix their shoddy work. My upstairs neighbor had a leak that damaged my ceiling, and Baethke diagnosed the problem accurately, put it in writing, and provided me with an estimate to repair through my ceiling.

My neighbor hired a different plumber to do the job, and he is an idiot. He had to leave after ten minutes to go and "buy" a ladder to do the job, then he had to leave a second time to buy parts. He replaced a tub trap that Baethke determined was perfectly fine. It's my time being at home, but it's my neighbor's money paying for the repair. I wouldn't have looked farther than Baethke.

Anyone looking at these Yelp reviews should see a trend here. Customer makes a legitimate complaint - company replies with strange passive aggressive comeback. If this guy spent as much time doing plumbing as he had to do with dealing with negative feedback, he'd be the best. I did speak to him over the phone today despite numerous escalating e-mails with him that were unproductive.

I have reported him to Department of Consumer Affairs. I would advise anyone planning on using this company to read the reviews, do your homework. Also, did he really just use my wife's name in his reply? Him trying to play us both separately is a strange, awful, unprofessional and disturbing development. Company did not itemize invoice for service. Prices seem higher than industry. Do your homework on average prices and customer experience before proceeding.

Readers take notice of the class and character of the owner of this company. His reponse to a bad review is to attack the writer. He lied in writing as to facts and made others up. He representative took pictures of the inside of my house illegally without my knowledge or permission. The woman who answered the phone said they charge one flat rate to switch out a water heater but that's just a con to get in your house and get you to sign a high priced contract.

You are purposely trying to take advantage of the homeowner and their lack of knowledge. In his responses he does not address what HIS company did but tries to slander the character of the 1st plumber ( orig install) and the 2nd plumber - But he doesn't even know who they are! He does not address the illegal photos. And then he goes on to insult by comparing himself to a steak and the other plumbers as a "back yard bbq". You are a narcissist. You win some, you loose some john. This time you lost so move on to the next poor person your gona screw out of a small fortune.

Had a bad water heater. Their name was on it from previous owner. I gave them a call and they arrived on time, actually called and said they could come early which was great. The guy comes in and is a nice guy but a real talker. I ask what he thinks it might be and he immediately goes into the most unlikely problems that include the ventilation and other things. I'm not too bad and understand that it's a water heater that had been functioning fine it's more than likely a thermocoupler or gas valve. Anyways, it feels like the guy is spending more time on his iPad (service related I assume) than he is on the fix.

Then he gives me the 3 options (we have 2 water heaters) : 1- starting at replacement with all the bells and whistles $8000 2- replacement without bells and whistles $4500 3- clean out and thermocoupler replacement $650 4- clean out and gas valve replacement $1250 It took 2 hours to get to this point. I needed hot water and have a doctors appointment at 4.

I reluctantly go with option 3, that becomes 4 after the thermocoupler didn't fix. I am disappointed at the crazy costs these guys quote. Do yourself a favor and use someone else first. It seems like you don't typically have time for second opinions with plumbing and these guys are grossly overcharging.