Smithsplumbing Reviews 17

What can I say good about this company. NOTHING!. I have been stressed & had sleepless nights over the experience I have had with this company. We have 2 dwellings on our property & both had toilets overflow at the same time. It was a Saturday so I googled after hours plumber's near me & called a number. After paying over the phone to get them to come the same day $180 we had Taylor arrived within 90 minutes with a tablet in one hand & an eft machine in the other. He put camera down the septic pipe & cleared it out. That took less than half an hour & he charged us over $1200. Then he proceeded to tell us the pipe had collapsed & needed to be replaced & the quote was over $12,000. I nearly had heart failure. He gave me this big speil about recurring problems & not knowing how long or when it would last before it happened again. My husband said we will get another opinion & he became quite defensive & I felt bullied into signing . He just thrust the tablet & pointed sigh here I will start today. He went out & started digging. Was only there for a short time then said I got another job to do someone will come & keep going. I asked him for a breakdown of the quote 3 times & kept avoiding the issue & how long will it take. He said 2 - 3 days. I said its a lot of money & I want to know the full cost of materials & labour. He said we can do a payment plan. He left. No one else came that day. On Monday 2 young men came to do the job & again I asked for an itemised account. No response. They were there for about 3 hours, left for 2 hours then came back to finish for the day. They asked for 50% progress payment. I gave them $6000. On Tuesday 1 Young man came back with Taylor & I again queried a breakdown of the quote because I still couldn't justify the cost & asked him about the payment plan. He said let's do that now & get it out of the way. Well I was unable to access some paperwork required to approve it & he said he will come back tomorrow after I go to the bank. That very same night there was a story on A Current Affair about rogue plumbers & Prestigious Plumbers parading around as Smiths Plumbing got a mention. BOOM. The next morning I contacted Consumer Protection went to the police & contacted the credit company he tried to sign me up to. I then waited for him to call me to say he was on his way & told him i have sought legal advice & he will get no more money from me & not to come to my house. He is very convincing & took advantage of my vulnerability. I feel stupid that it went as far as it did. I said his reviews were 1 star & if I had known would never had chosen them. His reply was we have 4.9 stars. I think they are all in his head. I will be contacting Prestigious in the morning & may even contact Allie Langdon .

We engaged Smiths plumbing to look at our toilet which wasn’t flushing properly. We were charged a $120 call out fee and were told that there was an issue with our inlet valve. They quoted us $780 to replace this. When I questioned the price “he said well how much did you want to pay”. We then asked for an itemised quote, which they never sent us. We received quotes from other companies, all of which were between $200-$350. Would not recommend and wish we had of seen their 1.8 star rating on google before engaging them.

I am ashamed to have to write this review, as I have been just recently a victim of Smithsplumbing in Perth that operates under the umbrella of Prestige Plumbing. I have since learnt, but too late after spending over $6000 for the replacement of a small apartment hot water system, that Prestige Plumbing aka Smithsplumbing, had lost there license to operate in NSW for the practice of providing ridiculously over inflated quotes combined with unethical behaviours pressuring potential clients to accept the quote. It should be said that I engaged there services to fix a leaking valve in my small capacity hot water system. They were prompt at replying and a site visit fee would be waved if I accepted the quote. The site visit fee, not called a 'callout fee' because they don't charge a 'callout fee' was around $200 to $300. The young man that initially attended, examined the hot water system, then after 5mins, gave me a verbal quote to just change the valve in the order of $1500 to $2000, however the unit would not meet current regulations or such thing. He suggested they could replace all the valves, place a plastic tray under the hot water system to make it comply with current regulations, change the rod in the middle of the hot water system that stops it rusting and this would meet the regulations for a small high $4000s to low $5000 or simply have it all replaced for a small extra $6000. At the time, my partner was laid out in bed with a chronic back injury, and I was struggling to breath due to a yet undiagnosed cause. I knew the quote seemed high, since it cost me $2500 to have a large 250lt hot water system replaced in the property I previously owned not more than 6 months earlier by a different company, but I reasoned in my head that it must be more expensive for a small unit to be replaced in an apartment block.. don't ask, I was not well. The young plumber, I assumed he was a plumber, seemed to be guiding me to accept the quote which I did. Long story short, Smithsplumbing aka Prestige Plumbing, are carrying out the same high inflated quotes for plumbing jobs that had them barred from operating in NSW. Why are they allowed to operate anywhere in Australia? I had a 'plumber' come around this morning, to check the temperature of the installed hot water system after many attempts to do so. Over the last few weeks. i finally agreed, but was confused as to why a company called Smithsplumbing was coming the check the temperature and not Prestige plumbing. That's when I did my search on these companies and found out they were one in the same. I am angry at them for preying on an ill retired person but feel stupid for accepting the quote. I had a gut feeling something was wrong when in accepting the quote, the young guy with his tablet in hand had me sign two sections of the contract without offering to let me read them . It turns out that they were important. When I received the invoice, there was 1 page describing in absolute fine detail what was done, eg loosened nut, and the other 5 pages was legal stuff, indemnifying the company and putting all responsibility back on the client, much the same as a lawyer would do. Anyway the 'plumber' that came to do a final check of the temperature, told me I had an outstanding amount to pay, note I had already paid them $5000 and when I said I would pay them when I could, he responded that the company wouldn't allow him to leave my apartment until he received final payment. You can imagine how this made me feel. I ordered him to leave and he kept asking what ' what should I report back'. I said tell them I will pay in 2 weeks. He still didn't seem to think he could leave. This is boarding on intimidation. This company should be banned from working in Australia. There is I hear plenty of plumbing work to be done in the middle east.

My experience with Smith's Plumbing (WA)/Prestigious Plumbing is very similar to those comments already posted. No callout fee but a $49 +GST "dispatch fee" to be deducted from the total cost which was the ridiculous amounts of $1000+ for a complete service of the toilet (necessary because the toilet was more than 5 years old!) or $500+ to fix the leaking outlet. Not likely. Yes, lets tap tap tap away on our iPad and read from a spiel then offer to call the boss for a discount then show photos of sodden carpet, blown out flexi hose, condensation on a mirror etc. That's the scare tactics used by Taylor, the plumber who attended. He was shown to the door but wouldn't leave without the "dispatch fee".
He arrived in a plain white vehicle with no logo or branded artwork on the vehicle.
To demonstrate the level of professionalism, on an invoice received the plumber's description of the work was "Couldn't not get her over the line. she was getting angry". I contacted Prestigious Plumbing (located in NSW) the following day to address this incident and after some to and fro emails they agreed to reimburse my payment - which they did.
Rather than let it rest I described my dealings with the company to the governing body of plumbers, DEMIRS now LGIRS, in Western Australia. My aim was to draw attention to these unscrupulous traders so perhaps they could be investigated and hopefully be delicensed.
Elderly people are being being ripped off!
I included a link to Trustpilot comments as well.
I received a verbose cut and paste reply most of which didn't apply to my complaint. In a nutshell - prices are not regulated by the ACL and a trader can set their own price. Their recommendation is to obtain multiple written quotes (at what cost?) Any dispute should be taken up with the supplier or taken to Consumer Protection or taken to the Magistrate's Court.
No response to the price gouging, elder abuse & scare tactics ...to which I will now add intimidation & passive aggressive behaviour.

They are scammers they charged us huge amount of money to find plumber problem they should not be in buissness

These guys said they would send someone to quote installing a new toilet (customer supplied). When the plumber arrived, said the cost would be 1800 aud, which is crazy, I said I’d get a few more quotes and they said they needed the callout fee which I was told over the phone would be waived. These guys are scammers, stay away!

I find this company an absolute joke and hope no one else has to experience what I did. It seems the rest of the reviews have similar experience. I had a leaky valve on the hot water system. I was quoted around $2500 to fix. I asked to think about it and paid for the call out fee. They would not provide the quote to me unless I accepted and paid for the quote. Then tried pressuring me to accept by telling me they are booked out the next 2 weeks even though they were supposed to come out the following day. Also told me I shouldn't be complaining paying around $50 for a callout. Normally I wouldn't complain and willing to pay but not for a ridiculous quote trying blatantly rip me off. I refused to accept the quote as that Is a ridiculous amount of money for the valve and labour. I was quoted by my local plumber that I used before under $400 to fix.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS - CONMEN - SMITHS PLUMBING AKA PRESTIGIOUS
AVOID AT ALL COSTS - CONMEN

They advertise online as Smiths Plumbing in Brisbane however are actually Prestigious Plumbing Pty Ltd ABN 44 153 421 615.

We seem to have a simple blocked drain / sewage pipe. Two lads came around and looked for a few minutes and then droned on and on and on about how there is no access, went into micro detail about how the toilet needs to be dismantled etc etc etc and it would cost around $3k.

I asked them to email me the quote and I will get a second opinion as thats high for a blocked pipe...that's when the laughable and poorly executed high pressure sales tactics came out such as searching for discounts, asking me my budget, calling his supervisor (who also tried it on). I told these two around 6 times to email the quote / get out of my house...they kept going. My wife and kids found this highly amusing as they just would not listen.

I had to practically push these clowns out of my door.

These people no doubt prey on the elderly etc. I have reported them but stay well away from them.

I wish I can give negative review. We contacted Smith’s Plumbing Perth WA via a Google search, specifically because it stated no call-out fee, which was important to us. However, after the visit, we received an invoice for a call-out fee from a completely different business — Prestigious Plumbing NSW — which was never disclosed beforehand.

The plumber inspected a leaking hot water pipe and quoted $4,666 + GST, which we felt was extremely high. We calmly explained that we could not proceed without obtaining a few other quotes. At that point, the plumber became visibly angry and repeatedly pressured us to disclose our budget, despite us clearly stating we were not proceeding with the job.

When we declined to go ahead, he demanded immediate payment of a call-out fee before leaving the premises. We asked for the invoice to be sent so we could pay appropriately, only to discover it came from Prestigious Plumbing NSW, not the business we contacted. L
Later we called another plumber who finished the job for $250. The man/company is dodgy. a job of $250 but asking for $4666, Can not believe someone can ask for that much difference.

Overall, this experience felt misleading and unprofessional. The lack of transparency around business identity, unexpected call-out fees, aggressive sales behaviour, and pressure tactics are concerning. We would not recommend this service and suggest others proceed with caution.

Our Hans Grohe kitchen island tap/sprayer was only dribbling, all other taps in the house were working normally. Plumber arrived without any tools clutching a tablet which he constantly tapped into. After taking a glance beneath the bench he said he had to go to his vehicle to update his tablet. Back in the house he proceeded to read us a long spiel of the diagnostic work necessary and quoted us approx. $1,200! Any repairs to be on top of this! We declined as it was clear he was investigating the whole house plumbing commencing at the street mains. He relayed our reaction to his boss who came on speaker phone giving us their sales pitch justifying the quoted price. As per other customer reviews there are two names for this company: Smiths Plumbing & Prestige Plumbing. It is apparent they are targeting the elderly, we are in our 80's. Our advice, DO NOT use them!
We subsequently contacted another plumber who came with his tools (no tablet) and spent approx. 2 hours trying to fix the sprayer of our kitchen tap as this was the problem! Unfortunately, as it couldn't be repaired we purchased a new tap. He will install this for $200.

If you could rate a company zero instead of 1...
Bullies, charlatans, elder abusers.

82yo mum needed a dripping shower head fixed. I called them.

The "plumber" turned up and said to mum "hey, you look like you have arthritis. (No sh#t Sherlock, she's over 80). Are you having trouble turning on the taps?" Not the reason he was employed, but.. mum said yes. He said she needed her taps serviced.
The guy quoted $1650 to start.
He said he would need to go to Reece to get supplies.

We kept saying it was too expensive. He would not leave. Whatever I said, he had an answer for everything.

He went 3 times into the car in the driveway and said he was "calling his boss to get a discount". It went down from the original price, 3 times, to $650 after mum and I said she couldn't afford it.

He tried to come in the house, left his boots outside her door, parked in the driveway for an hour staring in at her.

I threatened to call the Police unless he left. He left.

Do you know what?

We got her dripping shower fixed for $100. And the kids fixed her shower for free.

Lesson of the story? I should always use GA (Great Plumbers) as I've always done, except when I'm a D.....

Firstly - you will pay a call out fee.
My elderly mother was pressured, bullied, and deliberately left confused about how much she was going to be charged.
The invoice was issued under the name Prestigious Plumbing, however the company that actually attended her home was Smith’s Plumbing. This lack of transparency alone is concerning.
My mother’s issue was simply that hot water was continuously running from her shower. She was told her entire hot water system needed to be replaced. A new 88L hot water system and the replacement of a couple of washers ended up costing her an outrageous $6,500.
Taking advantage of an elderly, vulnerable person is disgraceful. Shame on Smith’s Plumbing for preying on people who trust you to do the right thing.
* Please note the web address has wa included.

I hired Smith’s Plumbing (invoiced as Prestigious Plumbing Pty Ltd) to repair a leaking toilet. While their website advertised “no call-out fee” and a $65 first-service discount, the actual experience was very different.

The technician quoted $801 upfront, but after dismantling the toilet, he insisted a part was “broken” and demanded an additional $2,220+ immediately, claiming all plumbers would charge the same. I was pressured to pay a $1,000 deposit on the spot and monitored while completing the bank transfer. The behavior felt intimidating and coercive, leaving no opportunity to seek a second opinion.

The pricing for the replacement part was grossly excessive—more than the cost of installing a brand-new toilet. There was also a complete lack of transparency regarding the business identity, as the invoice was issued under a different company name.

I felt misled, pressured, and treated unfairly. I cannot recommend this service, and I strongly advise caution if considering hiring them.

Avoid this company, the most ridiculously priced rip-off ever.
I shouldn’t have signed the ridiculous quote but it was made out to sound like it would be hours of work. 1.5hrs and $1600 later to fix a leaking toilet. You seem to deal with a lot of different business names through the whole process, Starts as Smiths Plumbing, then your dealing with Prestigious Plumbing.

I was charged over $1600 to fix a leaking tap... in the urgency of getting the issue resolved, I accepted the quote, which I aknowledge was my decision. However, I later realised that the same work would have cost around $400 with other, more reasonably priced plumbers... I'm writting this review in the hope that it helps others take the time to seek alternative quotes before engaging this company

Charge to replace four taps came to $600.00 per tap! Utterly over the top. Some confusion over who you are actually dealing with as invoice came from another entity ABN 44 153 421 615 and tradie seemed to come from yet another, neither of which have a web presence. Strongly suggest you avoid this business.

These bullys came out to have a look at a water leak for my 80 year mother today which has been sent to her by the council.

They quoted $1600 to detect the location of the water leak. They were arrogant and dismissive of my mother and just a terrible double act.

Their business model is a $0 call out fee to quote.
When she said no to there over the top quote just to find the leak, they got quite pushy and aggressive and insisted she would have to pay a call out fee.

Stay away from these idiots. Their website looks like a nice family run business but they would rip off anyone they could, especially older people.

They dont have any social media which is a massive red flag as they obviously do not want anyone to see what dirt bags they are.