Al & Robin Torres Home Services

Paul M.

I got as far as I could on my own attempting to fix a leak under my bathroom sink. But when I realized the galvanized supply pipe had corroded to the point where I might need to go behind the wall to repair it, I called Al & Robin Torres. They sent German & Derek to the house. These two servicemen were fast, pleasant, clear, and efficient. They tried to get the pipe out without breaking through the wall, but it just bent. They made a clean cut, opened the wall and replaced the rusted pipes with copper connecting to copper. They weren't cheap (almost $800) but it's repaired now and should last my lifetime.

The Truth D.

We've been using Al & Robin Torres for over 10 years and will continue to do so. They are always upfront before any work starts and stand behind all their work and product installed by them. They provide us with great customer service and have gone above and beyond every time. My wife loves Robin,Lori and Gabriel who are always available to help out. So, don't be fooled by the negative reviews that some people have posted. Try them out for yourself and judge them for the quality and service they will provide for. Guys and gals at Robin Torres Home Services keep up the great work!!

Jessica T.

My heater went out and I called al and Robin Torres spoke with gabriel and set up someone to come the next morning and take a look at my unit..A tech came out and diagnosed our unit informed us of a bad control board. They were back with the replacement in 2 days. No up selling just fixed what was wrong. I will definitely use them again especially now that I know they do plumbing and electrical as well.

Vince G.

I wish I had seen Donnie D. review before I went with Robin's service. I cannot agree more with what Donnie described in his review. I am also reporting this company to the BBB and Contractors State License Board. If you consider using their service, please make sure to ask them put down in writing and ask them to tell you what item they are installing or replacing. They would try to just call you without leaving any written evidence of what they said. Do not believe what they found and do not believe their quotes.

I am a landlord, so this service was recommended by the tenant. I normally use the vendors after reading their reviews, I will not make this same mistake again. First of all, I gave my contact phone number, my email address and stated that I am the owner. They avoided talking to me for almost a week, and just asked my tenants to tell me the total cost without any other information. I asked them which model of garbage disposal they installed to replace the old one and their license number SEVEN TIMES, and they refused to tell me until I told them I would report them to the BBB and California Contractors State License Board. They told my tenant that the original garbage disposal is the cheapest on the market, and that's why it didn't work. That's why I was curious which model they put in instead. They just wouldn't tell me after my repeated requests. It turns out they just installed a same brand garbage disposal with only 1/4 HP more power. So, only $40 more from the one they called ""the cheapest possible model on the market."" That's why they refused to tell me which model and manufacturer it was. I am pretty sure that they need to disclose the parts they installed by law. Apparently, California Contractors State License Board would not allow this kind of behavior. I am even okay with the original model or a slightly better model, it's the price they charge. The model they put in is priced at $195 on Amazon, but they charged $895. I asked them the price breakdown and they refused to answer. It's ridiculous. Their technician was supposed to call me (the landlord) when they decide to charge me $895 to install a part only costs $195. So, their installation fee for a garbage disposal is $700. My contact information (name, phone, email) was listed as the owner on the quote they sent me later. I even asked my tenant at the end of the day that they didn't contact me for the quote. After I tried to contact them, they avoid talking to me for days. They just want my tenant to pay, since he signed it. I told my tenant I will pay it, but they need to let me know the scope of work. I kept asking them which model of garbage disposal they installed, and they just refused to tell me anything. They said the tenant approved the order and signed the quote. I believe the law in California does not work that way. This is something the California Contractors State License Board should investigate.

I became suspicious when they tried to ask me to pay $2800 to service the water heater. I asked then exactly what is that $2800 for? They said it's for a circulation pump. It's not even to replace the water heater. I asked them which model of circulation pump is it and why $2800. No answer at all. They also want me to spend $2600 to replace the faucet. So, more than $5k just trying to address the water heater problem without even trying to replace the problematic water heater with a new one. I would not be surprised that later they said they still need to replace the water heater for $15k. The ""$2800 circulation pump"" cost from $150 to $450 on the market. So, they charged almost $2k to install a pump that still does not fix the water heater itself. The worse part is that they refuse to tell me any information about the parts and service they would charge me for. I am pretty sure that some people would just pay without asking not knowing that they charge about 5X to 10X of what other vendors would charge.
They know they are in the wrong, so they kept asking the tenant to talk to me. Do you really want to use their service knowing that they would not even want to talk to you directly? If they are very confident about the service they provided, why they cannot talk to the paying customer directly. Why withholding all information they charged me for. Why they did not contact the owner directly? Why avoid talking to the owner who paid the invoice?

Ann H.

They have done a lot of work here at my home, all of it done in a timely manner. Lori does a great job of communicating and letting me know where the guys are at. They have helped me numerous times and I am thankful they have been so good at fitting me into the schedule. All the guys are professional and very kind.

Update: I am updating this because I had an air conditioning ""emergency"" as it is 100 this week. I called Lori at 9:00 am and Bob is here at 10:00.

This is probably the 4th or 5th time they have done ""clean-up"" work for another company; plumbing, heating and now HVAC need. I really can't stress how much I think of these guys. Lori really is kind and is understanding. She has a great deal of compassion and empathy.

Taylor G.

There will never be another company that I will call for my plumbing needs. Due to my crazy schedule, I am able to rely on them coming out within the same day most often! The work they do is FANTASTIC & the staff are always nice. I also appreciate that they come out to see the situation before giving me a guess of price on the phone. Found that calling around for quotes is most often used for the old ""switch & bait"" and can count on them for complete honesty. Wonderful company!! Thank you Al& robin Plumbing for being one of the few honest, reliable companies out there today.
Taylor

Marie H.

We needed a rewire, Torres Home Services did an amazing job, the techs cleaned up at the end of the day everyday, they got the job done in the time they stated, patched up and painted the holes opened. Thank you for such a great job.

E Y.

I had a sewage back up and once I stopped gagging, I called around to have some plumbing companies come help. I got a lot of bids. I chose Al & Robin Torres Home Services to come out and install some back flow devices so that IT NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN. They handled all the permits with the city, and made the process as easy as possible. They were very careful not to dig up my new plants, worked around some old roots and were very courteous. Super nice employees. Very tidy.

Donnie D.

[[ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS - WARNING - DO NOT CALL OR ENGAGE WITH THIS SERVICE. THEY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HONEST PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH PLUMBING.]]

*Al & Robin Torres have been reported to the Better Business Bureau multiple times.

**They have changed business names as an attempt to not have any connection to prior complaints.

***They LIED and said I needed repairs and that I have a gas leak when I did not.

****If I would have trusted them, I would have paid $10K just because Craig, John and Robin Torres wanted to take advantage of the situation and make a quick buck.

* U N P R O F E S S I O N A L *

* U N E T H I C A L *

* U N A C C E P T A B L E *

D O N O T T R U S T T H I S C O M P A N Y.

Please see uploaded image(s).

Based on the negative reviews, CLEARLY there is a pattern.

The 5-star reviews look either fabricated or paid-for AND from my experience with these plumbers, I am NOT SURPRISED.

MY STORY, if you have time to read it:
I just bought a newly renovated house. I am a new homeowner.
I had a gas leak in my new house when I first moved in. The gas company directed me to seek plumbers to change a broken valve and hose as they disconnected the gas. Al & Robin Torres were recommended by a realtor.

I called them and someone came right away. What would have just been a simple repair from 2 plumbers, Craig and Rodrigo because an all day event with a manager, John, coming to my home.

John began to explain that there was a gas leak, however it could not be accurately identified where it was with whatever magic device this company had.

As a new homeowner, I took their recommendation and expertise seriously.

He said they would have to come back the next day to do a loading test but it looked like they were also going to 1) recommend to change all the pipes, 2) get the city plans because they were going to have to break down some walls, or 3) if we really wanted to find out where the gas leak was, they were going to have to tear open the new flooring in the house.

They did change the hose and valve that was initially recommended by the Gas Company.

John said, ""Do you make the financial decisions in the house? Or should we wait until you and your partner are together?""

I asked, ""Does it matter? How much are we looking?"" He said, ""Well, I will have to do the loading test and you know what, I will have to get back to you on that. Tomorrow, I'll get back to you with that.""

The next day, there was no loading test. The water heater was drained and left unsecured for multiple days.

I was given an estimate 2 days later with lacking information.

When I asked for an itemized receipt or some type of itemization for their recommendation of changing all the pipes and how much labor costs, the response I got from the owner, Robin was, ""We're a contracting company and we don't do that.""

THE ESTIMATE THAT THEY PROVIDED IS A SHORT PARAGRAPH OF THEIR PLAN (that doesn't explain or have any pricing as to how they come up with a total amount).

They quoted me $8860.00 (not counting breaking down the walls and getting the city permits).

I called the Gas Company again to reassess for a gas leak.

* * * THERE WAS NO GAS LEAK FOUND. * * *

This plumbing company, especially all the people I interacted with (Craig, John and Robin Torres) LIED.

Their recommendation was intentionally inaccurate.

This is UNETHICAL. I was with no gas, no heat and initially no water (they shut off the water for reasons that are unclear) for 1 week in a new home.

Robin Torres was rude at one point when I asked for the rationale of having the water heater not placed back and secured with brackets.

She said, ""Well, what are you afraid of, an earthquake?"" regarding the water heater that was left unhooked with no safety measurements reattached.

VERY CONDESCENDING and UNNECESSARY.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.

NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE THAT HAVE A HISTORY OF TERRIBLE SERVICE (price gouging, lying to customers and inappropriate communication/insulting behavior to customers).

ASK YOUR FAMILY OR FRIENDS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS FROM AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT WOULD NOT DO THIS TO YOUR FAMILY OR FRIENDS.

Jim M.

Zero stars. Steer very clear of these people. So they appear to be family run, responsive, have been in business a long time, and claim to specialize in older homes. This was my experience:
1) they came to fix a leaky toilet. It continues to leak. They came to fix again. It continues to leak again. The next plumber identified that they installed the wrong part
2) they installed a garbage disposal on the kitchen sink. They installed it incorrectly and then when it started leaking said it would cost $350 to take apart etc. The next plumber said the original installation was not correct, showed where they had not sealed properly
3) when they found some plumbing problem that was going to be over $1000, they were smirking and chuckling while giving me the news. Really funny
4) they scheduled a plumber to do an install . Guy didn't show up. When I told them I was disappointed, it was just a ""what am I going to do"" smart aleck response. They have about 30 trucks funded by the plumbing needs of the area. You'd think they could've sent someone else.

Be careful with plumbers. Inexperienced people do not know how to diagnose problems and can be seriously overcharged. But also, just a mis-exeution of simple tasks and a pack of professionalism