John E Barry Plumbing & Heating Corporation

We had a clogged drain in our shower/​toilet. We made an appointment and they were on time, first thing in the AM. The guy snaked the drain and said it was fixed, but two days later, the same problem. We called the company and they sent someone different out the next morning. This guy was a bit more diligent and even ran a camera through to double check. We didn’t get charged for the return trip, which I appreciate. The first guy who came should have been more thorough, but hats off to the company for fixing the mistake. Would use them again.

I’m surprised by the scores and reviews for JBPH. We have used them twice over the last couple of years, and they’ve been very professional. I’m no expert, but their rates have always seemed fair to me.

I got this company by asking one of my neighbors. They are absolutely the worst. I had the faucets replaced in my bathroom and kitchen. Seems like a pretty simple job for an experienced plumber. The woman in the office e-​mailed me a quote, but when it came time to pay, they tried to charge me way more, saying that the woman was new and made a big mistake. Sorry, if you put something in writing, and a customer relies on it, you don’t change the price after the work is done.
But the worst part was the work and the attitude of the guy who did it. He couldn’t install one of the bathroom fixtures properly and became very argumentative with me, saying that the problem was with my sink, which was ridiculous since the last two faucets that were installed worked just fine (I wanted to upgrade them because I am selling the place). I could hear him cursing while he was under the sink trying to fix it, which was offensive to me in my own home. He was a big nasty guy, and a little scary. It took three times to get it installed properly.
I will never use this company again.

We called after 9 pm on a Thursday night with a broken hot water heater which another company had failed to fix or replace over 5 days. John E Barry called back on Thursday, was at the house 12 hours later and replaced the hot water heater at HALF the cost that the other company quoted us. Service was great, friendly, they explained things, assuming that I am not actually a plumber, and were not sitting around on stools.

They played some strange silent game, speaking very little, with stern body language. It felt like their service guy was trying to be intimidating. At one point one guy tried to wrap up the work and just leave. He told me the pipe was fixed. When I bent over to turn it back on, the problem was still there. It was all just a bit too weird. Ultimately, it took them four trips out and a customer willing to be tenacious. Each time they were here, they said it was fixed — clearly not. They argued with me, trying to make it sound like they had fixed the problem and at other times trying to tell me that nothing more could be done. The argumentative nature, combined with the false «fixes,» no apology or explanation for the bizarre behavior and bad work leaves me to put a 1-​star rating.

I called to try and get a simple fix for my toilet. The guy on the phone was completely unprofessional.
When i told him where i lived, his response was «oh god down there? There’s no parking down there» Thanks bud, people that live in busy areas still need repairs as well.
When i asked him what his fees were, he said «A LOT.» He ended up quoting me, but said «if i can’t find parking and drive around for 20 minutes that’s time on the clock for you»
He asked if I wanted to be put on the books or not, I told him forget about it since he was being an asshole. He hung up on me.

We had Barry plumbing install a high efficiency gas boiler which was problematic from beginning to end – exhaust pipe expelling gas fumes, recommended a chimney firm which installed the exhaust pipe incorrectly, and very nasty to deal with. stay away!

I had 5 quotes for my broken boiler in my home. John E. Barry had the lowest quote for the highest quality materials. I also use them for my more minor plumbing needs — they always can fit you in quickly if it’s an emergency. They are very courteous and clean.

I have used Barry Plumbing many times– in fact I have spent thousands of dollars with them. Unfortunately the last time I called them, they seriously let me down. I had a clogged kitchen drain that simply needed snaked. The last time it was done was five years ago. Barry sent a plumber out to snake it and three weeks later, it was clogged again.
Called Barry back and they sent someone back out. Then I recieved a bill for $ 180.00. I called the manager and was told «we don’t gurantee clogs» Me– «What do you mean– you were just here 3 weeks ago– clearly it wasn’t completely cleared the first time.» Manager– «How do we know you didn’t pour grease down your drain?» Me «because I am not an idiot!»
Long story short, $ 330 later, our drain is still running slow. It makes me sad becuase I really liked this company. It seems John barry has a new guy running «customer service» who has no desire to keep the customers they have. I guess business must be really good.

There are better, more professional, plumbers servicing DC.