“Recently shelled out £20K+ to refit the tinyest cubicle bathroom, by 2 men, which couldn't be completed in 10 days. So the scenario goes like this:
- They will turn up at your house to do a small job and tell you that you need to fix something else
- You will get a quote
- Once the job has started, they will find something else
- They will then use this as an excuse to procrastinate and prolong the job. They turned up at 8.30 and left at 4.30, and took an hour worth of breaks at least. They would also turn up in the morning then disappear for literally 2 hours "to get materials"
- More stops to the van to sit in there for 30 mins drinking coffee ( on your clock), so you are paying for the materials and labour and time fannying about in the van
- You will never get a receipt for the materials if you ask them to produce them, although they and the people in the call centre will also promise to send them but never will
- You will never know exactly how much work has been done unless you are at home monitoring the exact hours spent on the job minus breaks
- The vans have trackers, so all the time spent fannying around in the van is also on your time
Overall, there is no way of determining if you are getting your moneys works, unless you micro manage their every move. They are smarmy con artists and don't be fooled by the greasy facade.
These people should get an oscar.
Enjoy your plumbing (and spending money down the drain).”
“DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT BOOK WITH PIMPLICO PLUMBERS! THEY ARE A RIP OFF!!!!!!!!! JUST PAID £144 FOR A 20 MINUTES WORK BECAUSE I WAS MISLED TO THINK THE WORK WOULD TAKE AN HOUR AND THEY REFUSE TO GIVE ME A REFUND!!!”
“I have been using Pimlico Plumbers for many, many years and have always found them excellent and very reliable.
However, this week I needed them to fix a pump that had stopped working.. The plumber came and advised installing a new "Top of the Range" pump (£750+vat) which took a couple of hours to arrive. He eventually installed it, but he couldn't get it to work - something about an air lock.
I was charged £1800+ TO STLL NOT WORK!!! Unbelievable..Daylight robbery as many of my friends have said. I am never using Pimlico Plumbers again.”
“Pimlico came highly recommended by two reliable and trusted sources and as such my husband and I had high expectations of Pimlico’s workmanship and customer service. However, based on our recent experience with Pimlico we do not believe they are as dedicated to their customer as they claim to be: 'Our dedication to fulfilling our customer's needs has always been central to the way we operate and we adapt our services in order to achieve this. We work with the intent that once a customer uses Pimlico they become a customer for life.'
When Pimlico were originally contacted they were (i) given extensive background information regarding the drainage issues we were experiencing and (ii) informed that two other plumbers had been called in before them to fix the problem. Two months after Pimlico’s initial visit the problem not only started recurring but worsened. Pimlico were contacted again to fix the problem that they had originally been called out for and almost £2,000 later Pimlico fixed the issue on their second visit.
Our dissatisfaction with Pimlico is based on the following two issues, first, why should the customer have to pay for TWO visits to a fix a problem that should have been fixed in ONE visit? Based on this rationale we thought it was a reasonable request to ask Pimlico to pay for the first cheaper visit and for us to pay for the second (three times more expensive) visit. However, Pimlico refused to do so saying their engineers were not at fault. This is not an issue about ascribing ‘fault’. This is an issue about honouring Pimlico’s brand promise and treating one’s customer fairly.
The second issue we have with Pimlico is the fact that the engineer did not pay any heed to the information he had been given about the history of our plumbing problem. Had he listened to the customer’s problems from day 1 he would/ should have conducted a more thorough inspection of the drainage pipes in his first visit; instead, we had to pay for two visits for the problem to resolved.
On the day I spoke to Pimlico’s Marketing Department I asked them to clarify what they meant when they state on their website 'For your peace of mind, we guarantee most of our jobs against faulty workmanship for 12 months. Due to the nature of certain works or repairs, such as drain blockages, we are unable to provide the 12 month labour guarantee.'
When I read this I get the impression that a guarantee (albeit partial) is available to the customer if the customer comes back before the 12 month mark. If this is not the case, would it not be clearer and fairer to the customer to simply state that Pimlico do not offer any guarantee on drainage problems. I find the wording of Pimlico’s brand promise misleading.
Finally, in the same conversation with the Marketing Department I was never told about Pimlico’s customer loyalty program. See Pimlico's website where it states: 'Our Customer Loyalty Discount allows return customers to get up to 25% discount off hourly labour rates.'
When the engineer was asked specifically about a discount for the second visit he never mentioned that this program existed nor was this discount offered to me when I spoke to the Marketing Department.
Given how much Pimlico talks about the importance of fulfilling the customer’s needs and the fact that over 78% of its customers are returning customers, we were surprised by how poorly we - an existing customer, was treated by Pimlico. Had they shown us that they were willing to meet part way Pimlico would have had us as a long term customer but the company’s shortsightedness has sadly precluded this as an option.”
“Don’t use Pimlico!
We rang Pimlico on Sunday as we had a leak in a visible pipe. The company sent a plumber and it took him 15mins to change the pipe cap that he brought from his Van. He then spent another 15 min in his car writing the invoice. He charged £196, and left. 15 min later the cap started leaking so we rang the company back, as We were told that we had one year warranty on the same job, Paul from customer survive answered the call after explaining the situation, he asked us to pay upfront for another hour, claiming that the plumber didn’t mention that he provided us with the pipe cap. And rejected to sent someone to investigate.
Our friend suggested a professional Plumber who came and spent 15 min with a new cap that he provided and he charged £40.
We will never use Pimlico again and will never recommend them to anyone.”
“10 minutes visit to quote for indoor door replacement cost £120, was not told this on call. Quoted £800 in Total to replace doors. I said no thanks. Now Pimlico charged me £120 for 10 minutes quote. May they rot in Hell.”
“10 minutes visit to quote for indoor door replacement cost £120, was not told this on call. Quoted £800 in Total to replace doors. I said no thanks. Now Pimlico charged me £120 for 10 minutes quote. May they rot in Hell.”
“Now well over a month since engineer John answered my
booking on the 17/12/21. And ample time to confirm my
boiler itself, as having no real problems. And paid £144 for
relatively nothing. And as a vulnerable couple in our mid
80s we could ill afford. Now the issues in my review:-
*John arrived at 6pm when already dark. I pointed out this
was no time to call, for non emergencies, on vulnerable
customers - most of whom would not answer the door. He
did offer to leave.
But, I reluctantly allowed him to continue - Big costly m
mistake !
* He even had to use his own light source.
* Removed the boiler cowling.
* Spent some time checking the flue outside with comments.
* Pointed out that there was a pinhole and slight leak from
the fan housing which I could not see as it was so faint.
* Proceeded to condemn the boiler outright. While pointing
out a bit of rust on the cowling. While asking if I wanted to
keep it on, which, being unconvinced of the fault, and our
vulnerable situation, I said I would.
* The boiler continued to work on and off, which it had been
doing for a long time anyway. And which prompted me to
call on Pimlico Plumbers in the first place to fix.
* It was not fixed.
* Called a local recommended engineer (should have done -
had I known of him - in the first place)
* He diagnosed the problem was not the boiler but the
timer/controller/cylinder water temperature thermostat.
Which were sending false signals to the boiler. Hence the
erratic boiler function.
* He showed me how to manage the situation via the
water temperature thermostat while he locates a
replacement unit. Which will be arranged for a date after
Christmas. I was not charged a penny for this kind
assistance and time.
* John did not refer to anything else other than the boiler.
So missing the real reason for the erratic working of it.
* At the present time I am managing quite well.
* In conclusion, with my experience, of P.P. is that I was
virtually robbed of most of £144, as having not received any
service with a satisfactory result.
* While promised I would receive an email with the price of
what it would cost for a replacement fan. EVEN THIS
NEVER MATERIALISED. (in retrospect it was just as well as
a rough estimate would have been in the hundreds).
But having no message, what does that tell us !
* As a consequence, I certainly would not recommend
Pimlico Plumbers, as, excessively expensive, with poor
service, in my case, to boot.
Yours
A dissatisfied customer”
“Hours worked on invoice fictitious, materials costs fictitious, work done not up to regs - all agreed by Pimlico. Remediation offer was a refund but then I'd have to pay again to get them back to fix work that was botched in the first place.
No showers or full heating for 3+ weeks now and they couldn't care less!”
“Hi,
They missed an appointment because their engineer just parked the car near my building and tried to reach me by phone (I was in a conference), but he never try the belldoor (my wife was in the flat waiting for them). Now you are trying to charge me anyway, so I disputed the bill. Fortunately me building has CCTV, and the concierge sent an email stating that no plimlico car was in the building at that time. Instead of giving me an apology they are trying to charge this disputed bill with a "nice" 10% discount. This is totally unfair, what should I do?”
“Very poor experience of customer service! Paid £700 for fixing a non working shower and replacement of thermostat. The shower stopped working a week later. Solution given to me was that we will have to pay for another visit as the work was not guaranteed (apparently was written on invoice)!
I wish I had read all the reviews here before calling them. Will not be using them again. You are lucky if your problem gets resolved, if not, you need to keep paying £120 per hour for work that is not always guaranteed!”
“I agree I was completely over charged £1700 to install a hive hub. One person arrived and called in his friend who could have done what was needed and left but he stayed and they both charged me. Do not use this service. Their minimum charge is £1000- and each charged you separately as if you are paying for two jobs. Beware they are very friendly and lull you into a false sense of security.
By the way after spending the entire day they left without synching up hive with the app.”
“I was shocked to be charged £703 for replacing the seal around a bath, as the job apparently took 4.5 hours. Pimlico Plumbers were pre-advised that the gap between bath and wall was large and silicone wouldn't be sufficient. The plumber removed the old silicone and concluded that this was indeed the case, so had to go and buy some bath seal trim - at my expense. The whole job of removing the old sealant and applying the new trim took 4.5 hours, which seems an extraordinary time for a relatively simple task. Pimlico Plumbers refused to acknowledge that they were insufficiently prepared for the job, at my expense, and that the time taken to complete the work was excessive, again at my expense. I was shocked and disappointed with the whole experience.”
“I just had a horrible experience with a carpentry job with Pimlico Plumbers. I asked them to fit engineered wood floor and skirting on the ground floor in the kitchen area. The job ended up being 2x as expensive as alternative providers but I needed to do it urgently. As a result, Pimlico Plumbers did such a bad job that I have to redo everything.
Among other issues: the wood was not cut to size so that there are horrible gaps under the door.
The parts of skirting and steps are coming off.
The underlay is sticking out.
There are gaps between the floorboards.
There are gaps between floor and skirting.
Of course I submitted a complaint and now they claim that I don’t have any guarantee on the job (not sure how it is legally possible) and that as a gesture of good will the same engineer who did such a horrible job will come to fix some bits. I wonder who is going to pay for the damaged floor boards.
It just looked so incompetent but my main hope was that Pimlico Plumbers is a reputable company who will do a good job and will fix a problem. Apparently I am mistaken.
Maybe good for a small job, horrible for anything else. Terrible customer service.
Of course will be taking further legal steps.”
“£1800 to change just 6 metres of guttering! Yes that’s right but luckily I pulled out before I went ahead with the work following this exorbitant estimate from Pimlico Plumbers. However, I had to pay them £120 for an assessment. Pimlico Plumbers charge £100 by the hour plus VAT for any job they turn up for, whether or not any work is carried out. One man arrived and he said he needed scaffolding and it would take him a day and this is how Pimlico Plumbers arrived at the astounding figure of £1800. Another firm quoted me £220 including VAT for the work. I expected two people to turn up to change the guttering and because it was just him I had to hold his ladder. Pimlico Plumbers later said that on reflection it would have been better if two workers had been there but by me helping I made things more safe. I take this to mean that Pimlico Plumbers find it acceptable to ask customers to take responsibility for the safety of their employees.”
“TERRIBLE SERVICE. Do not use Pimlico Plumbers. Unprofessional service. Extremely poor customer service. Massively over priced. Failed to carry out repair properly and left toilet completely broken. Requested urgent fixing of the problem. No apology just tried to charge even more money then didn’t even bother to turn up to fix it. Phone service was rude, unhelpful and unprofessional. No explanation for failures just made excuses. I would never use Pimlico Plumbers again. Not professional. Not recommended.”
“Beware! Very smooth customer service when you phone to book. The pattern is then a catastrophe scenario where attending plumber blasts you with a list of things wrong with the boiler, quotes some exhorbitant fee to fix , but “ can’t guarantee “ it will solve the issues, and the punchline is, the only guarantee to solve is to replace the whole boiler at an even more exhorbitant fee. It’s a well rehearsed patter. AVOID at all costs!”
“I would not recommend this company to anyone, behind their attractive front is a cleverly designed rip-off scheme. They would quote low (don't forget to calculate VAT). Next, you will be convinced to pay a booking fee and then their engineer would ambush you with an exorbitant bill on arrival. Beware. Avoid this one. There are better options in the market. Be always clear about the final price you will have to pay.”
“My boiler was fixable but the guy came round and said it wasn't worth fixing due to age. He then gave me a quote for a new boiler for more than £4,000. I got several alternative quotes for about half the price. I paid a Saturday rate of £190 to be told my boiler wasn't worth fixing and then to be given an outrageous quote. A few days later another plumber came round and replaced the gas valve and serviced the boiler for £270 and told me the boiler was in good condition. I would never use Pimlico Plumbers again... very expensive and very disappointing service”
