Ongaro & Sons Inc

Provided me a quote to replace my water heater of about $7,000. Seemed expensive to me. Was told bid was needed to support their large field force. Also, was told two technicians would be there all day for the job. I found another company who sent one technician and completed job in two hours for $2,600. Be careful of their excessive overcharging!

We had to switch out our dangerous fuse box. It wasn't cheap, but Ongaro made it easy. They got right back to us when we called, arrived promptly to diagnose the problem and it was easy to schedule the work. Again on the installation day they arrived on time and did a great job replacing the box and installing a surge protector. They had a very quiet generator so the power to our fridge and computers stayed on during the six hour install. Professional, knowledgeable, friendly and neat. We couldn't be happier or feel safer.

Overall, the plumbing service was great. The plumber was knowledgeable and polite. BUT I feel that I was completely scammed. I was charged $430 to clean ONE standard drain. I checked with some other plumbers in Marin who quoted prices between $150 and $250. When I called to make an appointment with Ongaro, I was told it would be approx $75 for the initial visit. I asked approximately what cleaning one drain would cost since I knew exactly what was the problem with my drain. But the person on the phone refused to answer my question and merely beat around the bush. That set off alarm bells, and I should have just hung up the phone right then and there. But I have seen their trucks around town so I figured they would at least be within a reasonable range. Boy! Was that a mistake. $430 compared with $200 elsewhere. Unbelievable! Lesson learned. Won’t be calling them back ever again. I don’t mind paying for a service. I just don’t like to be completely ripped off. And this is exactly how I felt. So BUYER BEWARE! They do a great job. Nothing wrong with the guy who showed up at all. But be ready to pay a very steep price for admission.