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Project Completion 76%
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Professionalism 82%
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Experience 78%
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Price-friendly 72%
The city of Honolulu, Hawaii is home to several reputable Plumbers companies known for their expertise and exceptional service. Hiring the right Plumbers service can offer several benefits when it comes to addressing your Plumbers needs.
Our list of shortlisted companies are tested for professionalism, quality workmanship, friendly pricing, and reliable problem diagnosis.
To qualify for inclusion in the Plumbers category, a pro must have the following:
Yelp
Angi
Homeadvisor
Google
A-1 Budget Plumbing earns strong marks for professionalism, with the vast majority of substantive reviews praising courteous, communicative, and punctual technicians across many years and many different plumbers. Pricing is a genuine mixed bag: numerous reviewers explicitly praise the company as affordable and fair, while a meaningful minority report sticker shock — including a $1,400 charge after an $850–$900 high-end estimate, a $457 dripping showerhead repair, and a $1,700 sump pump replacement — pulling the pricing score down considerably. Project completion is solid overall but is weighed down by recurring issues: at least one no-show with no callback, a case where a plumber left a broken snake in a pipe, a misdiagnosed leak that required a second visit the customer had to pay for, a toilet repair that caused a flood, and a drain problem that recurred within a week with no warranty honored. Experience scores well on average — many reviewers describe skilled, knowledgeable technicians who solved difficult problems — but is tempered by several documented cases of misdiagnosis, incomplete work, and at least one instance where a non-plumber fixed what two A-1 plumbers said required a full toilet replacement. The review corpus spans from 2010 to 2025, and recent reviews (2024–2025) trend more positively, suggesting the company may have improved over time.
• 27 reviews contain no text whatsoever (blank or 'unknown') and were excluded from dimension scoring; they contribute only to total review count.
• A cluster of reviews dated 2025-05-09 and 2025-06-08 share identical timestamps across multiple reviews, which may indicate batch imports or platform aggregation rather than organic individual submissions — treat this cluster with mild caution.
• All star ratings are 4 or 5 stars with the exception of clearly negative reviews; there is no 2-star middle ground in recent reviews, which is a mild fake-review pattern signal, though the presence of detailed negative reviews across the full corpus reduces this concern significantly.
• Several reviews from 2013–2017 are extremely brief ('unknown', 'good', 'see above', 'Re-routed main line') and provide no scorable data.
• Pricing complaints are concentrated but specific and credible (exact dollar amounts cited), and are not offset by the volume of positive pricing mentions alone — the pricing score reflects genuine inconsistency rather than uniformly fair rates.
• One review (2022-03-23) alleges a flooded home caused by an overtightened toilet handle installed by A-1, with no management response or callback — a serious liability flag.
• One review (2012-05-06) alleges a plumber's snake broke off inside a pipe and was not disclosed or remediated — a significant workmanship and ethics concern.
• Recency note: The majority of detailed, scorable reviews are from 2021–2025, which is a positive signal. Reviews from 2010–2017 skew more mixed and are down-weighted accordingly.
This WW Score is based on a large and diverse review corpus spanning 15 years with HIGH confidence across all four dimensions, and should be considered a reliable representation of this contractor's overall performance, with the caveat that pricing consistency and project completion reliability remain genuine areas of risk that prospective customers should discuss explicitly before hiring.
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Yelp
Angi
Ali'i Plumbing receives consistently strong marks for professionalism, with reviewers repeatedly citing punctuality, friendliness, responsiveness, and same-day availability across nearly all reviews. Project completion scores are high, with multiple reviewers noting jobs were finished correctly and thoroughly, including one instance where the plumber stayed on-site rather than risk leaving a dangerous situation unresolved. Experience scores are similarly strong, with reviewers describing the owner Nardo as knowledgeable, thorough, and skilled across a variety of plumbing tasks. However, pricing is the most significant drag on the overall score: one 1-star review describes a bill exceeding $1,300 for approximately 4 hours of labor and minimal materials (3 feet of copper pipe and accessories), which is a serious red flag for value and pricing transparency, even though several other reviewers praised affordability. The single negative review meaningfully pulls down the pricing dimension and warrants caution.
• PRICING CONCERN: The 1-star review (2024-10-10) describes a bill of over $1,300 for roughly 4 hours of total labor and 3 feet of copper pipe — this is a significant outlier that suggests possible pricing inconsistency or lack of upfront cost transparency.
• RECENCY NOTE: The most recent negative review (October 2024) is the newest review in the dataset. This is notable because it may reflect a recent change in pricing practices or a one-off dispute, but it should be weighted seriously as the most current data point.
• REVIEW VOLUME: Only 10 reviews total. While the data is directionally useful, the sample size is small and a single bad experience has an outsized impact on scoring.
• MILD GENERIC PRAISE PATTERN: Several 5-star reviews use similar superlatives ('professional,' 'knowledgeable,' 'highly recommend') without granular detail, though most do include specific job descriptions which reduces fake review concern. No strong fake review flag warranted, but noted.
• RECENCY DISTRIBUTION: 7 of 10 reviews are from 2021–2023, with only 2 from 2024 (one positive, one negative). The negative review is the most recent, which slightly lowers confidence in current service quality.
This WW Score is based on a small but reasonably detailed review set of 10 reviews; the score carries moderate-to-high reliability for professionalism and experience, but the pricing dimension should be treated with caution given a significant recent negative outlier that suggests potential inconsistency in cost transparency.
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Yelp
Angi
Homeadvisor
Google
Mac's Plumbing demonstrates strong technical expertise and generally professional service, with most customers praising responsiveness, knowledge, and workmanship quality. However, the company shows significant inconsistency: while the majority of reviews (48 of 56) are highly positive, six recent or detailed negative reviews reveal serious concerns around communication reliability, pricing transparency, and follow-through on callbacks. The most recent negative review (June 2024) describes complete communication breakdown and ghosting. Pricing complaints appear in multiple reviews, with some customers reporting unexpectedly high bills or perceived price gouging. The company's score is pulled down by these reliability gaps despite strong technical capabilities.
• RECENCY CONCERN: Most positive reviews are from 2013-2017 (7+ years old). Recent reviews show deterioration: June 2024 review reports ghosting and communication failure; March 2024 review is positive but isolated. This suggests possible service quality decline over time.
• PRICING INCONSISTENCY: Multiple reviews mention unexpectedly high bills (2017, 2017, 2017 reviews) and price gouging concerns. One customer reported $5000 initial quote reduced to $1500-2000 for a simple meter install. Another paid $200 for 30 minutes of work that didn't fix the problem. This contradicts the 'fair pricing' narrative in positive reviews.
• COMMUNICATION FAILURES: Two 1-star reviews explicitly cite ghosting, failure to return calls/texts, and unavailability for emergency callbacks. June 2024 review states they 'stopped returning my txt' and 'GHOSTED' after promising Friday/Monday service.
• CALLBACK/FOLLOW-UP ISSUES: One 2017 review describes a faulty repair (toilet leak after installation) with no response to email follow-up. Another 2015 review mentions cancellations and attitude problems on callback.
• INCOMPLETE WORK: One 2017 review describes a $3500 job bid that was abandoned when another job came in, with no liability clause in the estimate.
• POTENTIAL FAKE REVIEW PATTERN: The overwhelming concentration of 5-star reviews (48 of 56) with generic praise language ('amazing', 'excellent', 'highly recommend') from 2013-2019 is atypical. However, the presence of detailed negative reviews with specific complaints and the recent deterioration in service suggests these are likely genuine historical reviews rather than fabricated ones. The pattern appears to reflect genuine decline rather than fake inflation.
This WW Score should be treated with CAUTION. While the numerical score of 76.8 reflects the aggregate data, the company exhibits a troubling pattern of service deterioration and inconsistency that is not fully captured by the score. The majority of positive reviews are 5-10 years old, while recent reviews (2024, 2018, 2017) reveal serious communication and reliability failures. Customers considering this company should weight recent negative reviews heavily, particularly the June 2024 ghosting complaint and the multiple pricing disputes. The company's technical skills appear solid, but professionalism and follow-through appear unreliable.
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Yelp
Angi
Homeadvisor
Google
Roto-Rooter receives consistently strong marks for professionalism and responsiveness from individual technicians, with hundreds of reviews praising courteous, knowledgeable, and prompt service. However, pricing is the single most damaging dimension across this dataset, with an enormous volume of reviews describing charges as excessive, deceptive, or wildly inconsistent — including numerous accounts of bait-and-switch quoting, undisclosed fees, and charges for incomplete work. Project completion is significantly dragged down by a substantial minority of reviews describing failed repairs, no-shows, abandoned jobs, warranty disputes, and work that made problems worse. Experience scores moderately well overall, as many technicians are praised for skill and problem-solving, but this is offset by recurring accounts of misdiagnosis, wrong equipment, and upselling unnecessary services. The aggregate picture is a company with capable individual technicians but systemic issues around pricing transparency, scheduling reliability, and quality control.
• DUPLICATE REVIEWS DETECTED: Multiple reviews appear to be exact or near-exact duplicates (e.g., two identical reviews from 'Paul arrived same day...', two identical 'Zach is the man...', two identical 'Based solely off customer service...', two identical 'Easy to schedule and a quick service...', two identical 'Great service. Would highly recommend!', two identical 'Efficient and effective...', two identical 'Excellent with Armando...', two identical 'Very prompt and helpful! Anthony...', two identical 'My name is Antoinette...'). These duplicates inflate positive scores and have been treated conservatively.
• FAKE REVIEW PATTERNS: A large cluster of reviews dated 1996-2001 consist of single-line responses ('NO', 'NOT REALLY', 'ON TIME AND DID THE WORK') with no detail, all rated 5 stars. These appear to be placeholder or fabricated entries and were excluded from scoring.
• BLANK REVIEWS: Approximately 100+ reviews contain no text content but carry 5-star ratings. These were excluded from dimension scoring as they provide no usable data, but their presence inflates the raw star average.
• EXTREME RATING POLARIZATION: The dataset shows a pronounced bimodal distribution — a very large number of 5-star reviews with minimal detail alongside a substantial volume of detailed 1-star reviews describing serious failures. This pattern is consistent with either review manipulation on the positive end or a company with highly inconsistent service quality.
• PRICING COMPLAINTS ARE SYSTEMIC: Pricing complaints are not isolated incidents — they span multiple years, multiple geographic locations, and multiple service types. Charges ranging from $200-$900 for simple drain snaking (15-30 minutes of work) are documented repeatedly. This is a structural business practice issue, not individual technician behavior.
• NO-SHOW AND SCHEDULING FAILURES: A significant number of reviews describe confirmed appointments where technicians never arrived and no communication was provided. This is a recurring operational failure across multiple franchise locations.
• MULTI-FRANCHISE DATASET: Reviews appear to span dozens of different Roto-Rooter franchise locations across the United States. Scores reflect the brand aggregate, not any single location. Individual location quality varies significantly.
• RECENCY NOTE: The majority of reviews with substantive content are dated between 2020-2025, which is within the relevant scoring window. Older reviews (pre-2015) were given reduced weight.
This WW Score of 72.4 is based on a very large dataset (1,456 reviews) and carries HIGH statistical confidence in its directional accuracy, but should be interpreted as a brand-level aggregate across many franchise locations — individual location quality varies substantially, and the systemic pricing and scheduling issues documented here may not apply equally to all franchises.
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Yelp
Angi
Malama Drains demonstrates strong professionalism, pricing fairness, and technical expertise across most reviews, with consistently praised emergency response times and problem-solving ability. However, project completion is significantly undermined by three critical failures: complete ghosting on a water heater installation quote follow-up, a no-show with no communication, and reports of shoddy work requiring repeated callbacks with additional charges. The business shows a troubling pattern of inconsistency, particularly around follow-through on non-emergency work and callback reliability. While emergency drain services are consistently excellent, the inability to reliably complete or communicate about standard jobs creates substantial trust concerns.
• CRITICAL: Three severe project completion failures documented—ghosting on water heater quote (2024-06-12), no-show with no communication (2021-02-07), and shoddy work with failed callbacks (2012-06-02). These are not isolated complaints but a pattern.
• RECENCY CONCERN: Most positive reviews are from 2019-2020 (emergency drain work). The most recent review (2024-06-12) is highly negative and describes current business practices. Older positive reviews (2012-2014) predate current ownership transition and show deterioration over time.
• OWNERSHIP TRANSITION: Business changed hands from Nelson to Kaleo (circa 2019). One 2012 review explicitly states work quality declined after grandson took over from Nelson. Current reviews suggest ongoing inconsistency.
• PATTERN ANALYSIS: Positive reviews cluster around emergency drain cleaning (Kaleo's specialty). Negative reviews involve non-emergency work, quotes, callbacks, and follow-through. This suggests competence in emergency response but systemic failure in project management and communication.
• CONFIDENCE QUALIFIER: While mention counts are high, the contradiction between glowing emergency reviews and severe failure reviews suggests business performance is highly variable or context-dependent. Score reflects this volatility.
This score should be treated with caution. While based on substantial data (22 reviews, 9+ mentions per dimension), the business exhibits a stark two-tier performance pattern: excellent emergency drain service versus poor follow-through on quotes, callbacks, and non-emergency work. The most recent review (June 2024) documents current ghosting behavior, suggesting recent issues are not historical. Customers should expect reliable emergency response but should not rely on this company for scheduled work, quotes, or callbacks.
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Yelp
This contractor demonstrates severe and consistent deficiencies across all dimensions. Professionalism is critically compromised by documented communication failures, no-shows, rude staff behavior, and refusal to follow up on permitted work. Project completion is undermined by incomplete repairs, abandoned callbacks, and failure to honor commitments over extended periods. Pricing shows poor value with customers paying for incomplete work. Only two older reviews (2004, 2007) mention positive workmanship, but these are heavily outweighed by three recent negative reviews (2024, 2019, 2016) documenting systemic operational failures. The WW Score reflects a contractor with fundamental business and customer service problems.
• CRITICAL: Three recent reviews (2024, 2019, 2016) document severe professionalism failures including no-shows, refusal to return calls, rude staff, and abandonment of permitted work for over 1 year
• RECENCY CONCERN: Two positive reviews are extremely old (2004, 2007 — 17-20 years old) and lack detail. Three negative reviews are recent (2024, 2019, 2016), suggesting deterioration in service quality over time
• PATTERN OF ABANDONMENT: Review from 2019 documents refusal to complete inspection callback on a permit for over 1 year, indicating systemic follow-through failure
• COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN: Multiple reviews cite failure to call customers, no-shows despite scheduled appointments, and staff rudeness — core professionalism failures
• LIMITED SAMPLE SIZE: Only 5 reviews total limits statistical confidence, though consistency of negative patterns is concerning
This WW Score should be treated with caution due to small sample size (5 reviews), but the consistency and severity of documented failures across recent reviews (2024, 2019, 2016) strongly suggest genuine operational and customer service problems that warrant serious concern. The contractor appears to have significant issues with communication, follow-through, and professional conduct.
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