[CCristella]

BEWARE OF FRANK GAY PLUMBING!!
This Saturday morning , at 9 AM , we were faced with 2 toilets clogged , and the shower drain backing up. We immediately called Frank Gay, (we always heard their commercials). We were informed that the earliest someone could come would be between 12 and 4 PM. At 3:15, Frank Gay’s office called and informed us that they have a scheduling problem and we would need to re-schedule. Being Senior Citizens, and not having water or facilities for over 8 hours we were upset and needed the situation remedied ASAP. The service rep put us on hold for over fifteen minutes and informed us that a service person would be able to come between 6-10PM, however, since it is emergency hours we would be charged an additional $129 Emergency Assessment Fee plus the cost of service. At this point we were at their mercy and conceded. This entire fiasco appears to have been a scam on Frank Gay’s part to get an additional fee, even though it was not our doing to cancel the original service time and re-schedule. The technician arrived 11:15 PM and found and resolved the problem. I should be reimbursed for the Emergency charge!

[retiredguy123]

If your only complaint is about an extra fee of $129, you should feel very lucky. If you don't mind sharing, what was the cost of service? Next time call Mike Scott Plumbing.

[Kenswing]

I know you were in a pinch to get someone to come out but I sure hope the next time you’re able to do a little research before getting taken again. Frank Gay Plumbing are notorious for shady practices. I hope they were actually able to fix your problem.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by CCristella

BEWARE OF FRANK GAY PLUMBING!!
This Saturday morning , at 9 AM , we were faced with 2 toilets clogged , and the shower drain backing up. We immediately called Frank Gay, (we always heard their commercials). We were informed that the earliest someone could come would be between 12 and 4 PM. At 3:15, Frank Gay’s office called and informed us that they have a scheduling problem and we would need to re-schedule. Being Senior Citizens, and not having water or facilities for over 8 hours we were upset and needed the situation remedied ASAP. The service rep put us on hold for over fifteen minutes and informed us that a service person would be able to come between 6-10PM, however, since it is emergency hours we would be charged an additional $129 Emergency Assessment Fee plus the cost of service. At this point we were at their mercy and conceded. This entire fiasco appears to have been a scam on Frank Gay’s part to get an additional fee, even though it was not our doing to cancel the original service time and re-schedule. The technician arrived 11:15 PM and found and resolved the problem. I should be reimbursed for the Emergency charge!

You called at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning and you're unhappy because you couldn't get immediate service?

Working on a weekend, after 5 pm? Any company is justified in charging you at least double their going rate.

& did it occur to you, that perhaps they couldn't make the 1st appointment, because someone who called well before you did, turned out to have a bigger problem than expected and it took longer to correct?

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

You called at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning and you're unhappy because you couldn't get immediate service?

Working on a weekend, after 5 pm? Any company is justified in charging you at least double their going rate.

& did it occur to you, that perhaps they couldn't make the 1st appointment, because someone who called well before you did, turned out to have a bigger problem than expected and it took longer to correct?

I have called Mike Scott Plumbing several times and they have responded within a few hours. They don't charge extra for after hours work. As I understand it, Frank Gay charges $139 to just come out and provide a quote. I will pay for a service visit, but never for a simple quote. The charges that I have read about for Frank Gay's work have been more than double the going rate. In this case, the OP had an appointment that was cancelled by Frank Gay, and, apparently, the only reason the OP was charged an extra fee was because the company could not make the original appointment. That doesn't sound justified.

[CarlR33]

For my Midwest home I called Rotor Rooter on a Thanksgiving weekend and they charged a couple hundred flat fee for an emergency sink unclogging. Justified, IMO

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

You called at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning and you're unhappy because you couldn't get immediate service?

Working on a weekend, after 5 pm? Any company is justified in charging you at least double their going rate.

& did it occur to you, that perhaps they couldn't make the 1st appointment, because someone who called well before you did, turned out to have a bigger problem than expected and it took longer to correct?

Nah, just living up to their reputation.

[Michael 61]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

If your only complaint is about an extra fee of $129, you should feel very lucky. If you don't mind sharing, what was the cost of service? Next time call Mike Scott Plumbing.

I second Mike Scott! Punctual, reliable, professional and reasonable.

[Keefelane66]

Originally Posted by CCristella

BEWARE OF FRANK GAY PLUMBING!!
This Saturday morning , at 9 AM , we were faced with 2 toilets clogged , and the shower drain backing up. We immediately called Frank Gay, (we always heard their commercials). We were informed that the earliest someone could come would be between 12 and 4 PM. At 3:15, Frank Gay’s office called and informed us that they have a scheduling problem and we would need to re-schedule. Being Senior Citizens, and not having water or facilities for over 8 hours we were upset and needed the situation remedied ASAP. The service rep put us on hold for over fifteen minutes and informed us that a service person would be able to come between 6-10PM, however, since it is emergency hours we would be charged an additional $129 Emergency Assessment Fee plus the cost of service. At this point we were at their mercy and conceded. This entire fiasco appears to have been a scam on Frank Gay’s part to get an additional fee, even though it was not our doing to cancel the original service time and re-schedule. The technician arrived 11:15 PM and found and resolved the problem. I should be reimbursed for the Emergency charge!

You called them they didn't contact you. Next time do a little research.

[MrFlorida]

You agreed to the extra fee, so it's on you.

[tjlee500]

Had an AC issue as no power to units and thermosthat. $129 just to diagnose. They came out and quoted $350 more. It turned out just to be a partially blocked drain line. Toom guy 10 minutes to put a shop vac on outside line and turn it on while pouring a gallow of water down PVC pipe inside. Big ripoff and I called but they couldn't justify cost. Never Again!!

[Rwirish]

Why didn’t you call Mike Scott plumbing?

Regarding the additional emergency fee it is justified.

This is not a scam.

[spofford]

Another experience with Frank Gay, came out to solve a water leak. Estmates were $2200 for immediate fix and $10,000 to replumb the trailer. Bottom line they completely missed the issue a leak in the water line from street to house. They did return half the charges after only one phone call.

[jimkerr]

They have the worst reputation in The Villages. It’s all social media how bad they are especially with their high prices and lack of customer service.

Always research a company before calling them out.

[JanRoberts]

We just used Frank Gay before hearing about all this. We weren't charged an estimate fee, the service men were on time and efficient and friendly and polite, and charged us exactly what they quoted. We had a very small issue that was resolved the next day for free first thing in the morning.