Spartan

I should have paid attention to the previous reviews but instead called Spartan to address the leak from my kitchen sink that was causing water to pool on my kitchen floor. They were the only plumbing company that could come this week, before I was scheduled to go out of town.
They gave me the time slot from 11 – 2. At 2:30, I called Spartan since they were still not here, and was informed they were running behind schedule and it shouldn’t be more than an hour. At 3:30 when they still weren’t here, I called again and was told they were on their way over. Finally at 4pm, I got a call from the plumber who told me he couldn’t find parking outside, so wanted to reschedule my appointment.
I wasted a full day waiting around for them to show up, just for them to cancel on me. It sounds like they do good work from some of the other reviews — the problem is getting them there to do the work.

I had an appointment today between the times of 7:30am-10:30am (DC Location). When I called at 10:45am to ask what was going on, I was told that since it was raining, the technicians would not be able to come out. I did NOT receive a phone call, an email, or anything to let me know this. This is such POOR customer service. The receptionist only said she was sorry. To me, when you have poor customer service like this, you should offer the client some type of compensation because people take off work to pay your company for a service.
I told her to cancel my appointment because I would not be using their service.

They got the job done. It was clean a percise and they got it done in a reasonable time frame would try again.

I recently called Spartan out to my rental property in dc to work on the A/​C unit for me. We had a power surge one night and the next day I could not get the unit to work properly. Being a single woman I am not the one for home improvement especially messing with possible electric. So I googled Hvac companies in dc and came across Spartan. I was very impressed with the information on their website being a woman owned and managed company I felt more comfortable calling them. I called into the office the customer service representative were very friendly and knowledgeable and got my scheduled for same day service at not additional cost. The technician came out and diagnosed the system and come to find out it was just a fuse (go figure) the technician made the replacement and the system started right up and blowing cold air again. I even signed up for a service agreement to get my system checked twice a year… no company I have ever called has offered such a program.
I can’t say enough nice things about this company I will definitely be using them for my rental properties and my own home in the future.

I’ve called them multiple times on several different occasions (including a few emergencies) and it’s been the same story — they promised to call back or stop by and were never heard from again. This has happened quite frequently and I’m not sure why I continued to call.

I emailed Spartan over the Blizzard weekend (1÷22−24 ’16) and they never got back to me. So I called them on Monday morning to ask for a free estimate for a system that may or may not be working. They told me that it would be a charge to work on it $ 89 for the first 30 minutes and some godawful number after that. I said all I needed was an estimate, I didn’t need any work to be done. I explained that I am a real estate agent and that my client is buying a property and that the HVAC had not been tested because it is a water system and the water had not been on previously. I told the manager that the home inspector said that it was probably not working but I needed an HVAC opinion a) to tell my client if it is working or not and if not, an estimate for repair so I could get the seller (a government entity) to pay for it.
I met the technician at the property (he was about 15 – 20 minutes early) but unfortunately we found the water to be off at the property so he couldn’t do anything. I called back later on to see if I could get him to come back out, they told me no problem and that they would call me when he was in enroute.
They called me back to tell me he was on his way but now they were singing a different tune. They told me that now there would be a charge for it since he had already been out there before. The manager kept saying that the technician wasn’t going to be paid and she tried to twist my words around. She also started to get an attitude and raised her voice at me. She said that the fact that I wanted the technician to fire up the unit constituted me wanting them to perform work, and therefore there would be a charge for «diagnostics.» I argued that there was nothing to diagnose really, it’s either working or it’s not. It was all about being paid. What she didn’t understand was that they WOULD have been paid once we got the estimate, either by the current owner or the new owner. It’s called referral business and she didn’t seem to understand that.
As I write this they have two stars with 35 reviews.

Before I start let me say that the phone call alone was reason enough to say… NO THANKS! I called this morning to ask if someone could come out to take a look at my thermostat. The lady doesn’t ask about the problem first. She starts right off with the prices and costs saying, it’s $ 89 for the 1^st 30 minutes and then some crazy price for additional time over the 30 minutes. If they use parts/materials…you guessed it… more costs. I asked if these fees would be included if they do the work. NO. So, in addition to the pre-​costs I would also add the cost of materials. This company sounds like they are all about the $$ and not service. I hung up and I’m still looking for a HVAC company that cares about people, as well.

I’ve had two jobs done by Spartan. One was a horrifying experience, but the other was excellent.
For the first job, a portion of the plumbing in my 1929-​built house corroded and needed to be replaced (bathtub wouldn’t drain, due to rust flaking into the pipe so terribly that even a drain snake couldn’t pass). They came to replace the piping, which included replacing the drain insert that meets up with the bathtub, but failed to wirebrush away the rust on the seating surface (again…the house was built in 1929, so rust is expected), and couldn’t get a watertight seal. They assured me that, if you use enough plumbers compound, anything will seal (ha! I’m a mechanical engineer who works with steam piping systems for a living… I know this to be a complete lie). Four hours later, they quit… actually quit. Walked out the door and said the job was undoable. I went down to the local plumber’s supply shop, bought the required tool for removing/​reinstalling the drain insert, wirebrushed away the rust, and reinstalled the insert. Leak solved. The only reason I couldn’t do this job myself, was because they cut through and removed the corroded cast iron section of piping I couldn’t remove by myself. In the end, the boss of the plumber who walked out on the job cut me a check for $ 500, which was about a 75% discount. 0% happy with this work.
For the second job, my natural gas-​fired hot water boiler for the heating system in my house broke; unfortunately, it happened on a Sunday and was the coldest day of the year. They took my phone call that day and came out the very next day, when no one else would even take a call on a Sunday. I’m not saying a I got a good deal on a new boiler, but it was installed right and when I needed it. 100% happy with this work.

*review for Capitol Heights, MD area*
As I was planning to do a load of laundry which is located in the basement, I noticed water was dripping from the pipes.
Aw, dammit!
I looked online for a plumber and saw Spartan. I liked that you could submit a service request with options for dates and time along with contact information for them to reach you. I thought I’d try asking for today.
Within 10 minutes, I got a call from Spartan. After explaining my situation, they were able to come out the same day within a couple of hours.
True to their words, two guys arrived and inspected the watery mess. The leak turned out to be from the icemaker of the refrigerator on the floor above. They even went out to find a replacement. They returned and replaced the supply line.
And the bill was decent. At least, it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.
I’ll definitely contact them should I ever have such problems.

I called Spartan to schedule an emergency visit to fix our AC. A technician called right away but told me he cannot come until next day. So much for emergency service they advertise. He told me that he will call next day to schedule a visit. No call, so I called back and left a message again. He ended up never calling back. Never using this company again.

Terrible customer service. I was excited to do business with this company based on positive reviews from associates and was very disappointed. They did not call me back in 2 hours which seems strange for a plumbing company. The front desk operator refused to let me speak to anyone or give me the names of the manager or owner of the business. I am a commercial property owner who could have provided a lot of business but they were not interested in helping me with a property under contract. They said, «We don’t do contractors». I said I am under contract and in the due diligence process, part of this process revealed an unidentified pipe that I would like to evaluate. They offered a price which I would pay but then said since I don’t own the property, they have a company policy against working with me. I find this ridiculous. If I will pay for their service and it is part of a pre-​closure property inspection why would a company refuse business?
Customer service means finding a solution to help solve a problem not refusing to help.

/​sad to say our recent experiences with Spartan have been pretty awful. Last year they came out to look at our HVAC & diagnosed that we needed a new fan (expensive), When i asked if it might instead be the issue we had the previous year (a clogged hose), they said doubtful… but that’s exactly what it was, not a broken fan. Our HVAC crapped out again this past week & this time they told us within 5 minutes that we needed a new compressor — a $ 5k fix, We were skeptical and got a second opinion… turns out our compressor is completely fine & there was just an issue again with the hose (a problem they’ve fixed for us before!) & needing more freon.
We wont ever call Spartan again — a complete waste of $ 89!

This isn’t a knee-​jerk reaction review. I’ve used Spartan several times and they are friendly, courteous, and do quality work. Price-​wise, they’re pretty much what you’d get anywhere in the DC area.
However, 24hr emergency service is somewhat misleading. If you have an emergency after hours (I’ve had two this winter), chances are you won’t get service that day. Both times I had an emergency, I’ve had to wait hours for a dispatch to call me to say they couldn’t come and that I should call in the morning. The answering service you get really cannot give you any information. They merely page a dispatch with your info and you just have to wait for one to call.
Still, I’d rather stick with Spartan over roto-​rooter any day. Roto-rooter’s service is parallel to Comcast… and we all know how great they are…

This company tried to screw my mother over. She has used this company for many years bc they are local… never again! Her system was working intermittently. They told her she needed to replace a valve for $ 1500 and/​or replace her 12 year old boiler unit. I thght it was a bit strange that she had to replace her unit given her last one lasted for over 40 years. I called 2 other companies and they both agreed that the valve either works or doesn’t work not sometimes and the unit is no where near needing to be replaced. Not only that, they were so rude on the phone when we called and asked questions, seemed like we were bothering them. It is supposed to be a woman based company but they have a long way to go. I do NOT recommend this company ever! !

It took 3 calls and much wasted time going over the jobs I need (they had to take notes to pass on to the plumber) before I could actually talk to a plumber. And not because he finally called me but because I decided to call one last time. Then I was told that they charge $ 89 for the 1^st half hour to come and look and $ 75 per ½ hour after that. Seriously?
I’m surprised they are in business.

I don’t have a lot of experience with plumbers. We always try DIY first, so I don’t have a great perspective on how much plumbers should cost. Spartan was prompt and came in a timely fashion and gave me enough info to know what to expect at the end of the visit. The plumber was professional and gave us good advice. He showed how our kitchen sink plumbing would be replaced. About an hour later everything was working like new! Received some good tips about how to avoid issues in the future. I was VERY happy with his helpful service.

The guy they sent over was a scam artist. As soon as he walked in the door, he started telling me how he does not work with my brand of garbage disposal and I need to buy one from him ($ 500). He could not even find the water valve for the house and killed off his initial billing. Do your homework and ask around before invest money in this establishment.

I was awoken this morning by my neighbor knocking on my door to inform me that the water pipe under my porch was spouting water. I immediately turned off the water supply to the house, which resolved the spouting of the water, but also meant that I did not have water at all in the house. Clearly needing to have water, I called Spartan to have someone come out and replace the broken pipe.
Spartan had received more than 150 calls overnight due to issues stemming from the cold weather. As such, it was highly unlikely that they would have been able to dispatch a repair truck to me today or even the next. However, Tony, the Spartan employee with whom I was speaking, was still a lifesaver. Tony, having been a repair person for many years and was familiar with homes in my neighborhood, told me that my house had a separate water valve for the outdoor pipe. I had no idea because the valve had been hidden by insulation around the main water intake pipes. Tony stayed on the phone with me as I removed the insulation to find the mysterious valve.
Low and behold, success. I not only now had water in the house, but I had no water leaking outside of the house. The repair/​replacement of the pipe can be postponed until warmer weather in the spring. I will absolutely be calling Spartan this spring to replace the pipe.
Thanks Spartan!!!

Friendly phone representative, and they were able to come out the same day I called to fix a plumbing issue. Courteous, fast and professional. You really can’t ask for more than that!

I’ve used Spartan plumbing several times and have recommended them to clients as well. They are professional, show up on time, and do excellent work. However if you need parts you should buy them yourself because their mark-​up is outrageous. Their rates for labor only are reasonable though.