Holmes R P Corporation

RP Holmes is one of the worst local business with which I have attempted to work. My steam boiler was broken so I called them because they were close to my house. They drove less than 2 miles, spent about 4 minutes in my house only to tell me they couldn't fix it and that I needed a new boiler (but that they wouldn't be able to install for a few weeks).

For this they charged my $150. Yes, it's their policy, but everyone else should be aware that they offer no flexibility on this policy. Plus, every time I spoke with their office, they made me feel as if I was a major inconvenience to them. I ended up having a new boiler installed that week from another Newton company (Y.G. Services) that was attentive, worked with me on cost, and went above and beyond. There are dozens of other options in the area. Choose anyone else. Not worth the aggravation or the cost.

This company has serviced our home for MANY years. They always come when scheduled, offer the best advice and service! Many times their workers have gone beyond the call of a service call. You can't go wrong with calling RP Holmes!

They have done several plumbing repairs for us in Newton, and also for other family members in the metrowest area. They do a good job, they are always punctual and polite. I especially like working with Allan, who is a wizard with old pipes.

Very disappointed and no longer recommend Holmes after being happy in the past. They fixed a running toilet for us, a simple job. Two months later it's running again and we are 1 month past their warranty of 30 days. We're told we have to pay them to do the same job again.

Do not use this company. They informed me it would cost $750 to warranty my water heater (still under warranty). That's for "materials" and "labor" COD too. What is it 1989? Am I ordering a skateboard from transworld? Cash on delivery means one thing. -We don't stand behind our work and when you find out you've been ripped off you're not getting refunded. - The old heater failed.still under warranty, so they would receive $750 for an easy install (unless they're daft, it couldn't take more than an hour to install.

Two max ) Then they'd be credited for turning in the old heater. Who knows how much they're credited for that. I was all ready to write The heater manufacturer a bad review when I decided to call them. "Just have a plumber call us to verify the leak and they can pick up the new heater, no charge ". Jaw droppingly easy

I had a good opinion about Holmes having been a customer for over 20 years, but the latest encounter made me change my mind. I called them to take care of a blocked kitchen sink. I later called them to let them know that the sink was dislodged while trying to use a plunger to clear the blockage. So now there were two problems, the dislodged sink and the blocked sink.

When their plumber came and saw the dislodged sink he said he would not touch it until sink was repaired and left. I was able to find someone to repair the sink and then called Holmes to clear the blockage. A second plumber came and sink blockage was cleared. Holmes charged for the first visit even though they knew they wouldn't work on the sink until it was secure.

They claimed they never received the call telling them about the dislodged sink and that I would have to pay for both visits. I cannot trust a company that denies the facts. They did not seem to care we have done business with them for 20+ years. They seemed very fixated on getting paid for both visits with no compromise. If you are going to use Holmes, proceed at your own peril. George Newton, MA

I've used them for 20 years. They are not cheap but then again they always come fast, on time and they have always done the job right. You get what you pay for.

Called and left a message after I discovered that my water heater was leaking. Got a prompt call back right away and assistance in switching off the water and the gas to the unit and an appointment set for a few days after the call. The plumbing team arrived on time and finished the inspection and installation of a new unit in about two hours. They pulled all the permits. I was satisfied with the service.

They charge hourly rate but charge work hours NOT honestly. They even charge half hour from their office Newton to LaGrange at Newton for this job. The plumber came late and went out so many times to bring his stuff and take long time to come back.

I have a medical practice in Chestnut Hill. R P Holmes was hired to fix a drain issue in my office. One person showed up and assessed the situation and said they needed to have another person help with the job and the machinery that was needed. They fixed the problem and charged close to $1200.00 (outrageous). I phoned the office and a snippy woman said that was their fee for the job. (I asked a friend who is also a plumber and he told me that it should have been under $600.00 for the work that was done). NOW a month later I am having the SAME problem and I called the snippy woman to ask if the job is warrantied and she said "NO we do not warranty drain work". I cannot understand how they can NOT warranty their work in such a short time period and get away with charging such outrageous prices for a job NOT well done!

My family has been using RP Holmes for over 30 years. We have had good experiences in the past with knowledgeable plumbers and industry standard rates. However, I used them recently to unclog a drain and reset a toilet (the flange). The plumber didn't come prepared for the job that was explained to the office. He had to make two separate trips to get the needed equipment (a snake and flange) which should have been on the truck.

I didn't need to ask for a quote because I have had this job done many times prior with other companies at rental properties I manage. I got the bill in and was charged for 8 hours (1 hour over the time the guy was actually working on my call, including travel time). It shouldn't have taken more than one to two hours TOPS. This was the most outrageous bill I have ever received.

I spoke with the owner of RP and she was incredibly rude. I explained to her the scope of the work and the fact the parts should have been on the truck and that we've been working with them for years. She told me to never use them again and take my business elsewhere and that's just what I have done and have told everyone I know that has used them to do. We no longer use or recommend RP Holmes. There are better plumbers out there with better rates and customer service.

We had a technician come to do maintenance work on our furnace after a previous inspection showed that our furnace was emitting high levels of carbon monoxide. The previous inspection also showed that none of the carbon monoxide was seeping into our house, still, we wanted to do the right thing and fix the problem so we called R P Holmes. After the technician from R P Holmes corroborated the previous findings, that our furnace was emitting high levels of carbon monoxide, he shut it off.

He proceeded to notify us that we would need to replace our unit and that they would send us a quote. When we called the next day they told us the quote was sent over snail mail. It was 30 degrees outside and our home was freezing. I understand that by law the technician cannot turn the furnace back on but at least let the owners know what you did to their equipment.

We had to call them the next morning and ask what was done and finally figured out that they had shut off the gas valve. I was able to turn on the valve and light the pilot, however, the furnace is still not working and now our family and our 4 month-old baby are freezing. I can't wait to receive the quote (if it ever gets here), so I can use it as a heat source. Thanks again for ruining our previously working furnace. We will never do business with you again and will alert everyone we now here in MA.

Spent thousands on a new gas heating system. Had one year warranty. Only lasted one season (one year and 2 months). Owner charged me 300$ to fix it. Would not budge on price. Now she's suing me. A real sweetheart.

This company refinished a bathroom for me. I would not use them again - not because of the product - the workmen were fine - the tile guy excellent - but they way overcharged - about 25% above estimate although there was no upgrade from what was initially discussed. Part of the fault was mine for accepting a shabbily itemized estimate, but I didn't know enough about what was required for a bathroom - counted on them to educate me. I've never had this problem in the past when refinishing a kitchen and then later a bedroom. A friend who also used R P Holmes also felt they were dishonest and overcharged her on a lesser job.