Hub Plumbing & Mechanical

I run 17 properties in Boston and am disgusted with Hub Plumbing. All of my go-to plumbers were out of town for Columbus Day weekend and I had to find a replacement for a water leak. I had a plumber come out from Hub Plumbing and was quoted $376 for one hour of labor to repair a copper pipe. Instead of giving you an hourly rate or a minimum job price over the phone, Hub Plumbing waits until they get to your property to give you a quote and hopes you pay it since they are already there! I would strong urge you to avoid them at all costs -- I have never worked with a firm as overpriced and unprofessional as Hub Plumbing. more

I've used HUB Plumbing for about 4-5 years now, ever since I called on them for a true emergency (the pit where the sewage ejector pump was backing up...GROSS!). Every time I call them they are friendly (love how they answer the phone...it puts a smile on my face just to start with) and I always seem to get an appointment within about a day. They have 24-hr service but nothing since has been a real emergency so I can easily wait a day or two (not a big deal at all...I mean, to get cable you need to wait weeks it seems). I can't believe I haven't written a review before. Every experience I've had with HUB has been a very positive one (and I seem to call on them once a year at least for something...whether it's a plumbing issue or a general service on my heating system). They show up on time (usually...sometimes they're running late because they get stuck on a job...but I understand because if they're at my place longer than necessary to get the job done - I'm thrilled - but then it means the next person might have to wait a bit), they wear booties so they don't mess up your floors, they explain what needs to be done, and then they get to it. And then they clean up when they're done! And the guys (they may have some women plumbers but I haven't seen one yet) are always SO nice. Today Elijah was my hero. My kitchen sink was backing up and it was pretty gross. I thought it was because of my disposal (I'm fairly liberal with what I put down it...a no-no I realize now thanks to Elijah) and that it wouldn't take long at all. It ended up being a clog in the main stack/pipe and he was here over 2 hours. But he got the job done! As usual, I'm super happy with HUB. How often is it that a service person leaves your home and you're really happy!?! I'd recommend them to anyone needing a plumber! Go HUB! Pros: friendly, helpful, clean, professional Cons: None more

I have had a number of plumbing issues in recent years - both big and small and Hub Plumbing has always been quick to respond and accommodating. Every plumber I have worked with through Hub has been professional, friendly and very knowledgeable - and in a few instances had to find some very creative solutions because the space was very tight. I highly recommend them. Pros: professional, prompt, accommodating more

I’m a silent on a small building in Boston that was built in 1929, so needless to say repairs are constant. I bought it back before the boom, and me and two of my friends rent it out for income, so we try to stay on top of repairs as much as possible. Sooo....late last week I get a call from the first floor tenant that the hot water was out. I called, Hub, and when they got into the basement they found that a recirculating line had broken, and that the pipe was old brass all the way up to the third floor. Long story short, they had to dead-end the line, and cut it on the third floor, and ran a new line all the way up. They had to open holes in all the walls, and it was pretty much a horror show. That said, they did a great job! They cleaned up everything, took away all the trash, and put me in touch with a gentleman to take care of the sheetrock repair and painting. This was not a cheap job, as you may imagine..they were there for two days and it cost just over 5 grand, but I know that they used a good amount of materials and there were always 2-3 technicians on the job. They were polite, informing me every step of the way as to how the progress was going. Most of all, I didn’t get complaints from my tenants like I’ve had with almost every other contractor—they took care of their places and were just as polite to them. All in all, fantastic service. Wouldn’t hesitate to use them again. Pros: professional, quick, and friendly Cons: none more

Hub's great. I've called them in a panic for my Somerville property in at all hours of the day and night than they've always been polite and able to calm me down in spite of my hysterics. They come when they say they are, they're polite and ultra clean. I had quite a difficult toilet installation done once (it was a total headache) and, considering the amount of time those guys spent in my house, the flat rate really saved me. Some people might complain about the flat rate, but I don't call a plumber because my drain is clogged (come on)...I call for major things. Trust me, if you've ever had a plumber in your house all day, you keep looking at the clock and thinking YIKES! Hub's flat rate pricing lets me relax and tend to more important things. I swear by them! Pros: 24-Hour service, Prompt, Clean, Polite, Competent Cons: Pricey if you are having simple work done more

Hub Plumbing unclogged my kitchen drain. They were friendly, on time, and upfront about a service charge to come to the house. What they didn't mention was that there was also a standard price they charge to fix drains and that is $342. That's a lot of money and since it is their policy to ALWAYS charge $342 no matter what the problem is then they should tell the customer that upfront. Pros: the staff are friendly Cons: they aren't upfront about standard prices on services more

Let's face it, you don't call a plumber when things are rosy. You call one because the toilet's clogged, the garbage disposal is coughing up stuff or your water heater died or imploded. You're rarely calm or at your best when these things happen. So, when the plumber shows up, it's great when they don't share your panic or ignorance about what went wrong and what it takes to fix it. And when called upon to tell you what happened and what it takes to fix it, it's comforting when they can communicate that in language you understand, complete the work they said they would and don't add a huge mess to the one they came to address. I've used Hub for years and couldn't be happier with them. The guys are polite, competent, do what they say they will for the price they said they would. I've had other plumbers who took more than one try to fix something and guess what? I paid both times. Keep this in mind when they quote a price that's higher than your brother-in-law said it cost him for the same job. I prefer a plumber who's licensed, available 24 hours a day and I can find again when I need him. I've been very happy with them, and think you would be too. Pros: They show up and fix things. Cons: They take money from you for showing up and fixing things. more

Not too long after buying my house, I had some serious plumbing issues, a cracked stack, a house drain that clogged constantly, some corroded pipes beneath the bathroom, and root damage in the outdoor works. After getting a referral from a friend I called Hub Plumbing, then met with John Wood. Now I've dealt with some plumbers in the past, and from working HVAC, I know a few, and when I met with John and his team, I was impressed. First, i was very happy with the speed at which my call was returned (minutes), but not as much as how soon I was able to meet with John, at my house. Later that day he returned with two of the cleanest, most professional workers I've seen in a long time and he set them to work, returning a few hours later.By the end of the job, they had done in two days what (my plumber coworker says) would have taken another company the better part of a week. The kitchen in the rental unit where they had to snake a drain was cleaner than it was before they got there. Maybe I would have saved a buck using my friend / coworkers contact, but I'm sure that using Hub Plumbing saved me grief, as well as a friendship. After this experience, no one touches my plumbing, no one. Pros: Excellent service, quality work, very professional people Cons: none more

I rent a vacation home on the South Shore, I called Hub after getting a call from a tenant that there was no hot water in one of the bathroom shower stalls. What was odd was the adjoining sink was ok. Al came in and determined that the the stop on the shower value came out alignment. He adjusted it back to the correct position and that was it. It was quick and I didn't get the "we are going to have to rip out the old value and replace it" BS line, which was my biggest fear. I will call them again and you should too! Pros: Prompt, Professional, Reasonable Price more

I've never met any plumber in my whole entire life who wears plastic slippers inside customer’s house. This shows respect to the customer! Pros: Extremely professional, courteous, on-time, wonderful work Cons: None more

I am a small restaurant owner in Boston with a commercial building that has apts connected to it. Three weeks ago on a Sun morning my tenants water heater broke and flooded my basement storage area destroying large amounts of food and supplies along with splling into another tenants apt. I called Hub and they came right out and got the situation under control and were able to replace the heater that same day!! Emergency repairs have never been my favorite way of doing business, but Hub made it so easy for me!! I will definately use them for all my future needs! Pros: Fast response time Cons: None more

I was in Boston visiting some friends about a week ago. The second day I was there their glass shower enclosure broke into a million pieces when a party got a little out of control. We called around and most companies were not helpful. They were way overpriced and a little bitchy on the phone. When we called over to Hub Plumbing and Mechanical they were very friendly and answered all of our questions. They came out the next day and replaced the glass shower enclosure plus handled the carpentry and plumbing installation that was needed. I wish we had a reliable company like this back in New York. The plumbing is always falling apart out here. Anyway, bottom-line is that is, if you're looking for a professional, friendly company, call Hub. I know my friends were really glad they did. There bathroom looks a million times better than it’s ever been thanks to them. Good jobs guys Pros: Very professional and extremely good work more

Hub Plumbing came to my parents place and unclogged their sewage main. The service, despite being put aside for a few days due to other clients, was very good and they got the job done promptly and efficiently. The workers were all friendly and personable and the prices were reasonable. I will definitely use hub for other services. Pros: friendly workers, great prices. Cons: delay in service. more

I'm generally tired of the way Boston businesses are operated. Things tend to get done when the employee or business owner feels like getting around to it. I had some various pipe issues at my house in Jamaica Plain, and Hub Plumbing was very accommodating. Not only did I receive friendly and helpful customer service, but the technician was able to diagnose and fix the problem on the first visit, and it didn't break my bank account. Pros: Friendly customer service, prompt response, and accurate Cons: Nada more

I called late-night from New York, where I live. I was not a customer of this company prior to this--they still treated me as if I were. I had a hysterical tenant with an infant without hot water. Al came out within the hour, (it was about 10PM) and called me in NYC to tell me what was going on. He was very patient over the phone with me, and basically said that the Aquistat(sp) was bad on my heater and that it needed to be replaced. I was able to pay over the phone with a credit card, and he did the job immediately, in the middle of the night. I was really impressed. The next day, I received a followup call from Stephanie to make sure everything was ok, and they sent the invoice and paperwork down to my place here in the city. I now have a Red service plan with Hub, and receive discounts on future work. I was totally pleased with their service and highly recommend them. Jesper Pros: Very professional Cons: None more

We decided to replace our faucet in our bathroom. I'm used to paying hourly for plumbers, but apparently that's not as common around here and none of the plumbers we called would tell us an hourly rate, only that they would give us a fixed price once they looked at the job. So for our simple bathroom faucet (we already bought the faucet, they just needed to install it) they quoted us $550 plus their $50 charge just to come out. The plumber that came was very nice, and even admitted that it probably wouldn't take more than an hour, but that was the price he was supposed to charge. There is no way that I am paying $600 for an hour worth of work. They were nice enough about it, though. Pros: came promptly, nice people Cons: price was outrageous more