Guy showed up and took 15 minutes to change the cutter head, then after a couple attempts to clear the line, ran a camera down, but couldn't see anything (surprise! the line was full of water) and said I could either call the jet machine in at $900 or possibly dig up the sewer. So I called another company, within 20 minutes they had the line cleared! No more BOB OATES

Far and away the worst experience I've had with a plumbing company in 10+ years of property management.<br><br>Tenant called them the day after Thanksgiving - she was told $550+ tax to fix a sewer backing up. This included their $100 "emergency" fee (later they tell me it's actually a "Holiday" fee since they don't work on the day after thanksgiving?!) Ok, fine. She paid - they didn't fix the problem. But she did pay them.<br><br>Instead they said we had a break in the pipe 7' underground and they want another $7k to fix it since there's "so much digging." So I called Action Jackson for a second opinion. They charged $125 for the service call and under $3k to fix it. Why so much cheaper? Bob Oates Plumbing lied about the depth of the break so they could charge more!<br><br>I called Andrew after I'd learned my tenant had paid them. He admitted that they had "over charged her $100". I told him he needed to give her check back and he said he would. I told him then they could bill me.<br><br>On Monday John P from Bob Oates emailed my tenant telling her he wouldn't be giving her check back as promised. I called. Talked to him and to Reya and BOTH of them promised to send the check back and said they'd email to confirm.<br><br>John P also said they had over-charged by $100 and that his "equipment" must have been off to account for the difference in depth of the break. This is total BS. They were 100% trying to gouge me since I was not on-site the day of, and honestly, I'm sure a large part of it is because I'm a woman. So is my tenant. John spent a long time "man-splaining" to me how no plumbing companies in Seattle come out for a $125 service call fee (but WAIT! Action Jackson did! So why is this dude telling me my experience is wrong?) and then he tried to convince me that Action Jackson was trying to gouge me. I told him that we weren't dealing with how other companies do business, we were dealing with how he does business and that I'm the one he needs to deal with right now. He apparently doesn't like mouthy women since he hung up.<br><br>Then he sent an email later in the day to say "I will hold the check that your tenant gave to us and not deposit it until we receive your check in the mail." NOT THE EMAIL HE PROMISED. So now he's 1) over-charged us, 2) exaggerated the depth of the problem to inflate a bid for repairs 3) repeatedly stated he would return the check and then gone back on his promise -- in other words, lied. There's absolutely NO WAY I'm sending him another check for $500 to give him TWO checks that total over $1100 combined that he can just decide he's going to cash? It' completely absurd.<br><br>Bottom line: This place will over-charge you, lie to you, verbally abuse you, and then you'll stay up late writing reviews for them. Definitely not worth the hassle.<br><br>Who should you call instead? I really liked Action Jackson. They were very nice, respectful, prompt and did good work at a reasonable price. I'll write them glowing reviews tomorrow!

I can't say enough positive things about these guys.. honest, dependable, talented people with lots of integrity. They removed and replace a section of sewer line that had settled and developed a low point. I also had them install a new main line sewer clean-out on the outside of our foundation wall. Their prices are fair and reasonable. This is team of awesome people.

We did have a straight forward, obvious problem with the plumbing in our house. The team at Bob Oates didn't give up until the solution was found.

I love this team! So great to work with. They have solved all my plumbing issues! I really appreciate their flexibility and responsiveness. They make it very easy to get plumbing work done- which is harder than it sounds! I always refer them when people ask.

Bob Oates installed the rough-in plumbing for my small bathroom remodel. The estimate was very fair and it was thorough—no need to work out details later and I had a very clear vision of what to expect from them. David and Christian were on time and professional. They treated my husband and I and our home with respect and when they ran into some troubles they never complained, working well past 5:00pm on a Saturday to get it right. I would hire Bob Oates again in a heartbeat!