Tom Martin Plumbling

Tom did a complete replacement of my sewer line, commonly know as your PSL (personal sewer lateral) from my house to the street. He personally came out, researched the situation and directed his staff to complete the new sewer line. His knowledge of how to do the work allowed him to win the bid and complete it using modern techniques, such as pulling pipes thru the ground, avoiding excess digging.
Prior to this, by contrast, I had the need for the Alameda County test of the PSL (to sell a property). I went with a major named local company. Their staff misdiagnosed the situation and wasted time. That company then sent out another crew along with a doubling of the contract price. They wasted more time. Eventually, they passed the PSL without having to do any actual repairs. That ended up costing almost half as much as what Tom charged for the complete replacement of my sewer line at my house.
If you want a job done right, go with a hands on, experienced professional such as Tom Martin.

We’re super lucky to have a great operation so close by. Travis did a great job. Upfront, easy going and honest. Thanks a bunch, guys.

Horrible experiences with Tom Martin and his crew.
Do NOT hire him unless you want only headaches.
(NOTE: This appears to be a 2^nd Unilocal account for plumber Tom Martin. I’m posting this review of my awful experience with him on both accounts.
This one of course has the word spelled «PLUMBLING» in the title, instead of «plumbing» which is ironically another example of his lack of attention to detail!) :(
I don’t have time to detail all the awful experiences I had with them over the last several days, but the straw that broke the camel’s back was Tom telling me yesterday that he would be back at 8am this morning to finish work on my driveway and storm drain, then when I call him at 8:15am he yells at me that I did something wrong!
He says the workers didn’t show up (same thing happened as well yesterday, showed up late), and they wouldn’t be here til 9:30am (after I had changed my schedule around to accommodate the 8am start).
I asked when he was going to let me know that they were not coming at 8am, and he hid from taking responsibility by saying that I told him not to call before 8:30am. However, that was in general last week, and obviously NOT relevant to today because we had scheduled today’s work for 8am, so of course I could take a call today before 8:30am!
He finally apologized, saying he was upset about his workers and took it out on me.
SO UNPROFESSIONAL!
What is so disturbing is that the first time he was supposed to be here days ago, he made an appointment by phone.
When the day and time came, and 90 minutes had passed with no call, I finally called him and he said that he had forgotten about the appointment! SERIOUSLY?
Blamed it on some story about that he had left his planner in his son’s truck, but when he finally showed up, he pulled out a notepad to write something down, and I saw that my name, address and the appointment time was all noted there!
Then Tom had the audacity as he was leaving that first day to tell me to write a good review on Unilocal for him! I said I would do so when all the work was completed days later, but of course that’s NOT going to happen now! :(
These are just 2 instances of Tom’s irresponsibility and the extraordinary frustrations that I went through with him. His worker Travis seemed very nice and helpful, but did not communicate with Tom the owner thoroughly about the work Travis had done alone here, so there was extensive miscommunications with everyone from Day One.
I could go on and on — I’ve only shared a small part of this mess, but I’ve already wasted so much time dealing with these people that I have to move on. Fortunately a neighbor has given me a great referral, and the new company coming tomorrow to clean up the situation.
I tried to ignore all the problems, lack of timely communications, being late, etc. because I so much wanted this to work out. But I should have realized when the owner not only was 2 hours late to first appointment, but had forgotten the appointment to begin with, that it was a harbinger of worse things to come. :(

Phew, what a crazy day, and I am so thankful for Tom Martin Plumbing. I had a gas smell coming out of my oven, so I immediately called PG&E. Turns out there was a leak on my appliance valve and I had to have all the gas to my house shut off, get it fixed, and then have PG&E come back out to turn it back on. I called around and no one could come out immediately. Finally I called Tom Martin Plumbing and they were here within 30 minutes. Travis was friendly and professional and fixed the valve within the hour. PG&E came back and turned on the gas and everything is fixed. Thank you Tom Martin Plumbing!

Had a backup in my main sewer line. Called in the morning and they were out in the afternoon. They snaked out sewer line in less than an hour. Very professional, very nice and the bill was very reasonable. Second time I’ve used them and will continue when I have plumbing needs.

I got the impression they don’t write down phone messages. I had to explain who I was and where I lived three times. I called during the window I was given just to confirm I should wait, that someone was coming. Without any investigating I was told «don’t worry they’re on the way». They weren’t on the way. We took off time and no one ever came. Maybe they do fine work, I’ll never know. 2 stars because at least they’re cordial on the phone but c’mon…

Want something done right? Call this business NOW!!! Mr. Tom is a very knowledgeable guy. Knows exactly how to fix your plumbing problems and is effective. I would recommend him to anyone in my family.

I can’t believe how knowledgeable Tom is, Pge disconnected my gas due to leaks, we called Tom and he quickly got right on it. A truly humble man is what really made me write this review. I recommend him 100%!! May his business always flourish as we pass through this life!

Tom Martin and his team are the best plumbers you will ever meet. Serving most of the bay area, I had them come to my rental house in Piedmont which is over 100 years old and has had numerous re models, leaving the plumbing a mish mash of copper and galvanized. Tom and his crew spent over two weeks working on my mess of plumbing issues, and no matter the challenge, they found a way to make it work. This was no easy job, over 300 feet of copper was installed in my house removing all the old galvanized, along with two new sewer laterals and the water service. Despite being a near impossible challenge to figure out how everything worked and how to re route the new pipe without completely destroying my house, they strategically opened walls and ceilings to find the connections and get them replaced. I felt they were extremely qualified to handle just about anything plumbing wise you throw their way. And the entire team was so courteous, kind and careful around my old house, delicate floors and yard. Tom and team literally saved my house from itself. From angle stops, sump pumps, christie boxes, drains, pipe replacement, leaks and amazing customer service and attention to detail, these are the plumbers you want working on your house!
Tom Martin plumbing is just the best. Dont hesitate, call these guys for any complex or simple plumbing job. You wont regret it. I cant say enough good things about them.

We had a very fussy main drain junction that several plumbers tried to cure but never really resolved. TA Roberts Plumbing came out to fix a sink drain and recommended Tom Martin for the larger job of dealing with the main sewer line. Tom’s team arrived on time and Allen and Dave got right to work on snaking out the drain. They followed up with a camera inspection and found additional trouble. Tom came out to confer with them and they used a jetting tool to fully clean and clear the pipe all the way to the main line at the street. It was a back breaking all day job for them but they went about it with great vigor and spirit until the job was done. All told, a great value for the money and would definitely have them back.