Ravinia Plumbing Review

I’ve had a little trouble over the last year finding a reliable plumber so one day, the Best Pick Reports (Quality Home Services Guide) came in the mail and some years I peruse and other years it’s recycled. In this scenario, I looked in the index to find highly rated plumbers. Interesting, the top-rated plumbing company on the top page was Ravinia Plumbing, rated at 4.9 out of 5 on the Homeowner Satisfaction Results. I did a little reading about the company but I had two strikes against me. One, I was a little desperate to get my plumbing job completed, and two, how could Best Pick Reports be wrong.

So, I gave them a call.

I initially reached out saying I needed two faucets installed in my spare upstairs bathroom. My contact at Ravinia suggested that I purchase the faucets first and then reach out to schedule an appointment. I also had several exam exchanges with Ravinia; nowhere did their email include a general or specific estimate.

About 20 minutes before Dan arrived, the office staff person, Samantha called to tell me he was on his way. Dan arrived, parked in driveway and he appeared attentive and competent. Before the work commenced, I asked him about my tight faucet handles in another bathroom, and after a little review, he said that particular issue would be roughly $300 to address. I thought, “That’s good money if you can find it.” Just to be clear, nothing was stated in writing on their website on the cost of fixing tight faucet handles. I then guided him to the bathroom as we stepped over the two new faucets that I had purchased. As he stood by the bathroom with a pipe wrench in his hand, he said the job will cost $849. I was quite surprised at the price, never knowing that it would be so expensive just for a quick job as he stood there ready to work.

Before the Dan had arrived, I opened both boxes to have them ready for install, I also cleaned the bathroom cabinets so he’d have ample space in which to work. It took him approximately 75 minutes to complete, 65 minutes with the actual install (going back to his truck three or four times), and 10 minutes to complete the paperwork.

As I gave him my credit card, I inquired about the $849 fee, because he had mentioned it earlier but at that price, I thought it would take him three hours. I then asked him, “Does your company charge by the hour or by the job?” He said they charge by the job, interesting. I have to be clear and say that nowhere in the Best Pick Reports was this mentioned company doesn’t do per hour, they bill by job. No where on their website is this stipulated.

This is part of one an email response I got from Ravinia:

“One of the biggest advantages to flat-rate pricing is predictability. Customers know the cost before authorizing the work rather than watching a clock and worrying about labor hours increasing throughout the visit. In many cases, flat-rate pricing can actually protect homeowners financially if unforeseen challenges arise during the installation.”

Yes, it can protect some homeowners from unforeseen challenges, I get that. However, it can also cost a homeowner much more if it’s a simple install. I suggest more transparency from them, and recommend per hour. If a job is simple, the homeowner pays exactly the service provided. If the job requires additional work, the homeowner pays more. Indeed, some technicians may think the job is straightforward, but may require additional work. Could this be a maintenance issue; the fact that they didn’t properly get their plumbing done in a timely manner? The fee for a service should be how much time and expertise were involved, regardless of the circumstances.

In retrospect, I became desperate for the faucets to be installed that I ignored the price and just wanted it finished. It was only hours later that I started to put the pieces together. I was charged an exorbitantly high fee for a little more than an hours work. I was angry and disappointed. Disappointed that this company doesn’t appear to engage in full transparency with the lack of pricing on their website. I can afford it, others, not so much. I’m angry that that Ravinia won’t budge on the price. They are legally able to confirm that I agreed to the install and even though I think it’s very pricey, they are not budging.

I’ve been emailing with a Ravinia representative. She’s staying by the book and not offering any refund whatsoever. However, she’s willing to give me a discount on my next service. She didn’t give specifics, but I was more than slightly amused. Does she not realize how disappointed I am with the entire experience with this plumbing company and the last thing I’ll do is use their service again? Maybe she had to offer that regardless how it was perceived by me. I’ve gotten to the point that anytime I hear “Ravinia”, I will think of the poor experience I had with them. Never again. Never.

So, if had taken him three or four hours to install, the price would have been the same as my straightforward install? I can’t imagine an attorney charging a client the same price if one situation was one hour long as opposed to three hours.

BTW, this was my first attempt at Ravinia Plumbing. Because I was not completely satisfied with my HVAC provider who I’ve had for over 10 years, I was considering Ravinia for my HVAC work too. Due to the excessive plumbing work, I will not pursue Ravinia for any of my other home repair or maintenance work.

I did buy the faucets and had them ready for the installation. In my mind, even Ravinia had supplied the faucets, the price may have still been too much for 65 minutes of actual work.

Addendum: I also sent correspondence to Best Pick Reports about my experience. Because their pricing model of flat-rate was NOT included within CBP, I wanted them to be aware. It is also important for Ravinia Plumbing to be more transparent -- to include this business model on their site. In addition, they fail to mention any specific prices for their category of plumbing services.

Ravinia Plumbing Review