JLS Plumbing

Due to the exclusive agreement between Lowes and the manufacturer of the water softener I ordered, I was required to use a porch.com plumber. I put in my info and was given 4 plumber names. None were BBB rated, and so I selected JLS based upon proximity, the master plumber certification of the owner, and the fact I could not find horrible reviews online like for so many of the others. (The plumber who plumbed our home when we built it is not a porch.com vendor.) Lance is very nice on the phone and assured me they could handle the installation of my new water softener and carbon filtration unit without a problem. I was quoted $400-$600 depending on the complexity. We made an appointment for the following Monday (this was a Tuesday) for the installation to take place. At 4pm Monday (after waiting ALL day), a tech shows up. He begins to tell me that he doesn't even work for Lance, just doing him a favor by installing my softener! As it turns out, we were missing a bypass value from the manufacturer, so I had to reschedule. Which, was probably a good thing because this first guy argued with me about which unit was the softener vs. the carbon filter. He was wrong and would have probably damaged the entire system! (It's amazing what matching up model #'s can prove!!) Anyway, the manufacturer sent the part 2 day, so I had it and rescheduled for Friday. The first guy was supposed to make a list of all the parts needed so that Friday it could all get done quickly without incident. Friday comes, a different tech comes out and begins. He installs the filter and softener incorrectly (not in a series where water passes from filter, then into softener, then into house...it was going into all the same like there were the same type of device). My husband noticed this after he got home from work. By this time, it was late (as in 8pm Friday night) and they cannot fix the installation. We reschedule for the next Tuesday afternoon.... Next Tuesday afternoon arrives...no plumber! They finally show up 5 pm. The tech corrects the errors from the installation attempt on Friday, and has everything to complete except the pipe insulation. We also asked him to replace a cartridge in a hall shower that had reduced flow and clear our two vanities. (While cleaning the vanity, he accidentally turned the wrong value and flooded my cabinet!!! Thank heavens my husband was watching and got towels and fans going right away to prevent mold and wood damage!!) All in all, they came back today (another Tuesday, a week later) to get paid. Then I got the final blow. $600 for the installation (even with all the drama) but at least that was within the range I was originally quoted. But the big kicker was an additional $185 to put a $30 cartridge and flood my bathroom. Total $785.... 3 days of waiting ALL day at my house, a bathroom flood, incorrect installation that my husband pointed out, and they wouldn't even set up the softener!!! My husband had to do that. But, then again, they probably would have damaged it since the first guy couldn't tell the difference between a softener and a carbon filter. I have not seen this level of incompetence in a long time and I will not see it from this outfit again. Avoid JLS Plumbing if you want your time respected and an actual plumber (not a tech) to come do the work. On the positive, they were all friendly and not "scary" to have around, which was nice, but I will not ever use again.