My friend had a plumbing issue in their basement - used google and Reddit to vet local plumbers as best they could. Friend went with John the Plumber based on rave reviews for both emergency and simple issues.

Plumber comes and uses a camera, says they have a collapsed pipe and it will cause $25k to repair, and said they should do so or there could be septic leakage into the ground and the city will sue them. Plumber did not give my friend the video which is supposed to be included with cost of using the camera. The quote & insurance report had no mention of “collapsed pipe” - only updating galvanized pipes. When asked, they said they would try to find the video and it sometimes “gets lost”, and that they would come back and take another video if they couldn’t find it. They also said they would fix the report. Of course neither of those things happened.

Friend went to 4 other plumbers for quotes - all said they could do the same job for $10-15k less. Anecdotal, but other plumbers did suggest that John the Plumber pays for Google reviews.

At the end - it was baby wipes from the previous owner who had clogged the pipes.

Wanted to share as I have seen many people suggesting them. Not sure whether it’s a company wide practice or it was just that specific plumber (Eric).

EDIT: I sent my friend the post and asked if I missed any details and she informed me that they eventually provided the camera footage….AND IT WAS FROM SOMEONE ELSES HOUSE!!!!

First, the date was wrong and they told her it’s because their equipment wasn’t calibrated and they could sign a document saying it’s the video from their inspection. My friend reviews the footage and brought it to other plumbers who came and inspected their house and all agreed it’s a completely different house. When my friend confronted John the Plumber, they waived the $1,200 invoice. Businesses don’t usually do that when they’re in the right…