“
★☆☆☆☆
I do not recommend Bill Howe after having a negative experience with a seemingly dishonest and predatory plumber who came for my initial inspection before performing work. He tried to upsell me on a completely unnecessary water heater replacement and refused to discuss diagnostics and repair. I called and reported it to the company on February 13, 2026, and requested to speak with a manager, but it's been over a week and I've receive no calls back, so here is my review.
I called Bill Howe for three specific projects: a water treatment system consultation, a garbage disposal replacement, and a shower arm repair. They sent a plumber to do the initial inspection and consultation, and during this time, I didn't express any concerns about my water heater. The projects I ultimately contracted for (the garbage disposal and shower arm) also did not call for any inspection of the water heater. But for some reason, the plumber took it upon himself to stop at the water heater closet outside my front door while he was headed downstairs to prepare an estimate for the work we verbally agreed on, which was only going to cost about $500 or so. He called me outside and told me that my water heater wasn't installed according to code compliance, that it was missing some valve connections, and that I had a gas leak. Notably, I go into that closet about once a month to check for insects and because I keep a broom in there, and I had never smelled a gas leak before this plumber showed up. He proceeded to tell me how "urgent" it is that I replace the entire water heater, and when he came back with an estimate, he quoted me a minimum of almost $3,000 just for the water heater alone. I pointed out that it looked relatively new and when I asked him about repairing the valve connections and other parts that weren't installed correctly, he just kept pushing for me to replace the whole thing and wouldn't even discuss repairs. He didn't even try to locate the source of the "leak" to fix it temporarily, which leads me to question his competence and believe that he intentionally caused the "leak."
The next day, I called a different plumbing company for a second opinion on the water heater, and the second plumber who came out was excellent. He showed me how to locate the gas leak, and he repaired it simply by tightening a metal nut, and just like that, there was no more gas leak. Unfortunately, calling the second plumber out for that tiny repair cost me $180, but I suppose the education he offered during the visit made it worth it. He showed me how to find the age of the water heater (which is still under warranty) and he told me that although there were some missing valve connections, it was a simple fix that I could do myself as opposed to paying him or anyone else another few hundred dollars. He also explained that although the water heater installation wasn't code compliant, I didn't need to replace it right away, and he estimated that I still had at least 2-3 more years with it. He also explained that the water heater replacement would cost roughly $2,800, but he explained why it was so expensive and made the price more transparent and justifiable to me, unlike the Bill Howe plumber who was just interesting in making a sales pitch based on a false sense of urgency. Guess who I'll be going to for a water heater replacement in a few years?
If it was up to me, I'd give Bill Howe zero stars for sending a plumber who seemingly tried to take advantage of me and unnecessarily cost me several thousand dollars. Shame on that plumber, and shame on Bill Howe as a company for doing nothing to remedy the situation after I reported it to them. But to their credit, they sent a different plumber to actually perform the garbage disposal replacement and shower arm repair, and he was professional the entire time. However, I will be going to the second company I called from now on.
Buyer beware.
Price assessment
Reasonable price
Price
$500–600
Services
Garbage disposal installation, Shower repair, Plumbing leak repair
“
★★★★★
This morning, Guillermo came over to fulfill gratuitous service provided by Bill Howe when you buy your heater from him… They are going to be returning in the fall to do it again and it’s a scheduled maintenance timeline free of charge… Guillermo the service provider was so professional you could tell that he loves his job… He is articulate and detailed and explained everything to me things I didn’t know about even from two years ago when I bought this unit… Guillermo was clear and patient and he starch his shirt. He was so clean and so immaculate and so professional and right on time Bill Howe is so much better than “the guys with the white gloves.”
Price assessment
Reasonable price
Services
HVAC system maintenance
“
★★★★★
Alex Rojas was an amazing professional worker - He was super informative, respectful, knowledgeable, quick acting while still being on top of his job and getting everything done in a timely manner. He not only satisfied us with the quality of work but I now have more reassurance my plumbing issues can have a solution + I was shown and given the solution! If I had to recommend a company + worker it would absolutely be Mr. Alex, Thank you!
Price assessment
Reasonable price
Price
$1,000+
Services
Drain cleaning, Plumbing
“
★★★★★
I highly, highly recommend Bill Howe. We’ve experienced a couple of issues over the last year or so, and Bill Howe always comes through. One time there was a water leak, second time was with our tankless water heater. Both technicians were super knowledgeable, friendly, and the pricing was reasonable. I want to give a shout out to technician Ron who shared a wealth of information regarding our tankless water heater. Thank you, Bill Howe, for sending the best techs who do a fantastic job!
