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Alewife Company
Category: Home Services Plumbing Plumbing [Edit]
256 Prospect StCambridge, MA 02139
Neighborhood: Inman Square
(617) 864-2550
- Nearest Transit:
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Prospect St @ Hampshire St (83, 91)
Prospect St @ Gardner Rd (83, 91)
Prospect St @ St Mary Rd (83, 91)
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
About This Business:
Air Conditioning, Boilers, Furnaces, No-Heat Calls, Water Heaters, Toilets, Drain Cleaning, Emergency Service, Appliance & Fixture Installation Boston… read more »
16 reviews for Alewife Company
16 reviews in English
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Review from not t.
Belmont, MA
1/17/2012
I came home after a day away to a cold house and a thermostat that was turned off (who knew that thermostats have batteries that need replacing??!).
After replacing the battery the heat still would not come on so I called my regular plumber, who did not pick up the phone and who's mailbox was full, which brought me to Yelp (my failsafe resource) where I found Alewife Co.
They were at my door an hour after I called -- the culprit: frozen pipes. They fixed the problem and the heat came back on, but shut off again later that day after they left. After a second call, the same technician came back and stayed until he was satisfied the problem had been resolved. He also gave me his personal cell phone number to call him that night in case the problem returned.
I'm thrilled with their level of service. It's so nice to actually get a person on the phone and such a quick response time, not to mention such dedication and professionalism. A rare thing these days!
Thank you Alewife Co. You are now my #1 choice for all plumbing needs. -
Review from Jake W.
Somerville, MA
4/27/2012
They're our go-to plumbers. We'd tried a few others, but we've found Alewife Co.'s promptness, quality of work, pricing, and willingness to explain options to us to be unbeatable. In the past year, they've handled drain issues, a Christmas morning boiler repair, and a water heater replacement for us, and we've been thrilled with the experience. Their professionals are exactly that, and we'd highly recommend them to anyone in need of plumbing or heating service.
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Review from Tony B.
Randolph, MA
4/26/2012
We use Alewife for all of our plumbing repair needs and they are excellent. They can get things done quickly and are tremendously responsive.
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Review from Katie R.
Cambridge, MA
3/8/2012
It was a positive experience from the first phone call with the patient and courteous staff (I asked alot of questions) to the beautifully replaced faucet and stop values in our bathroom sink. Rob was fantastic. He was upfront about the costs and what would need to be done. He worked SO EFFICIENTLY and cleaned up after the sink repairs even taking the trash with him. At the end of his visit, he took the time to create an itemized receipt and explain everything that was done and what it cost. I'm making them a permanent contact in my phone--I wouldn't use another plumber!
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Review from Emily S.
Cambridge, MA
7/12/2011
Really good experience overall. My toilet was running, and when i called Alewife, Victor recommended a a quick fix for me to try to see if i could fix it on my own. When that didn't work, i called back and he told me the hourly rate up-front ($92) and sent someone over right away--within 15 minutes. That was probably just good timing, but the fact that they're local definitely helps.
Within an hour, my toilet was fixed. The problematic parts and functionality were clearly explained, and the plumber also fixed my leaky faucet while he was here, taking extra care to make sure my loose little H and C decals would finally stick. Good attention to detail, and a reasonable price in the end.
I also asked about a bathroom renovation, and the plumber said if i called the office, Victor could come by and provide a free estimate. Free estimate = customer friendly.
Thanks! -
Review from Sachin S.
Cambridge, MA
12/15/2010
I'm not normally one to give out 5 stars, but after dealing with Addario's 0-star quality, fat-ass-plumber-butt-with-skid-marks-included shit show , the service from the Alewife Company was like a getting a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, personally bearing a gift basket of beer and brats wrapped in bacon, showing up on my doorstep lookin' for a good time. No joke.
Now if they only actually had a real Dallas Cowboys cheerleader...
Seriously though, the service was not only beyond the call of duty, but also priced far far below what something of its quality should get. In other words, great service, even greater value. I gotta hand it to these guys, they know the Cambridge clientele and speak the speak. I think my plumber may have had a PhD, he was that intelligent.
I don't know what else to say - they were courteous, professional, punctual, and most of all, HONEST.
Til next time. -
Review from Cher K.
Allston, MA
3/23/2011
I had an ongoing problem with a leaky bathroom tub faucet. I had it fixed twice, but the drip would start again about 6 months to a year after each fix.
Mark from Alewife came and found the core problem and replaced ALL the right parts.
Both the office person and Mark the plumber were nice, professional and intelligent. I called on Wed and they came on Thursday.
Standard pricing, $92 for labor per hour plus parts; but it is worth it to have to job done right. -
Review from Elizabeth L.
Cambridge, MA
2/23/2011
When my apartment's one toilet was clogged beyond my abilities, I needed fast and reliable service. I called Alewife one weekday morning (around 10am) and they had someone come out that afternoon. They were great about giving me a warning call about an hour beforehand so that I could run home from work.
The plumber who visited my house was friendly, polite and got the job done quickly. Their flat rate for a plugged toilet (including travel) is $135, which for Cambridge is definitely fair. They take check, cash and card.
Would definitely recommend, and will definitely return if I need any more plumbing done! -
Review from silvina g.
Cambridge, MA
8/7/2011
awesome, Awesome, AWESOME!!! I wish I had found them sooner - would have saved me at least $2000 on my kitchen and bathroom renovation. Bought my place in Cambridge 7 years ago and the boiler had a big sticker from Addario's Plumbing (now my ex-plumbers) on it so I called them when needed work done which wasn't often until the past year. Did not hire a specific company to renovate my guest bath and kitchen so I called them when needed plumbing. I was shocked when they charged me $600 to replace the old toilet with the new one I bought online and had delivered and waiting for them and another $770 to connect the new bathroom sink. They charge per "task" no matter how long it takes them and they bring a book with the prices listed for each specific task. The plumbers charge was more then the new tile, the sink, the vanity, new toilet, new fan, and lights all put together! The carpenter, electrician and tile installer worked way more hours their bills seemed reasonable.
So I decided I had to look for a new option because I was going to need my new kitchen sink, faucet, disposal and dual-fuel stove hooked up and did not have several thousand dollars in my budget to spend on couple hours of plumbing work. I swear, am not exaggerating about their prices.
So I turned to yelp looking for a plumber with excellent reviews and hourly rate and I found Alewife Company.
This is where there should be an icon I could insert that would play the sound one hears in a cheesy movie when a miracle happens or an angel appears from heaven.
I called them, told the guy on the phone I was getting countertops in the morning and wanted to know if they could come after 12 to connect everything. He said no problem and to call him day before when I knew exact times for counter installer. I was skeptical because was a week away but when I called to confirm times, he remembered the job and made it happen. Donald - my new plumber sent from heaven - arrived 15 min early and had to wait for me because I ran out for coffee.
He was super nice, explained things to me and was done in 2 hours. Total price? $232!!!!!!! If I had called Addarios, just hooking up sink would have been $770.
This review is already way too long so I won't go on about the emergency repair Donald did on pipes previously worked on by Addario's in a different part of my house. I have told everyone I know about my new awesome plumber :-) Now hoping for a second miracle because need a roofer... maybe Donald has a brother? -
Review from A D.
Plymouth, MA
4/21/2011
I love Alewife plumbing, they are everything you'd want in plumber. Great response, clear explanation of the work to be done and the cost, on time, very fair on their pricing and professional!
I had a different plumbing company out before them that said I needed a $260 repair, that Alewife did for $10, while taking care of another major problem.
I can't say enough good things about them, after having all kinds of services on my older home, I wish they were all run like Alewife. -
Review from San D.
San Francisco, CA
4/21/2008
Replacing boilers suck! Especially when it's cold out (we did ours in April). They did a great job of completing it quickly, professionally and we always had hot water when they left. They had to fit a big thing in a tiny little closet space, and did a great job of getting it to work all within the state requirements for safety, etc. It only took them about 4 days to complete the process, including having the inspector come by.
It's always spendy to replace a boiler, but shop around. At least contractors will call you back, since this won't be a measly paid job. Also check your home warranty (if you have one)...ours reimbursed us for it. -
Review from Mona M.
Boston, MA
Updated - 4/21/2010
I can officially comment on the cost now. One plumbing company (Boston Standard) told us it would be $1,200 to fix our leaky bathroom sink. Alewife came out, charged $85 an hour for labor (1 1/2 hours), and instead of selling me their new faucet (which was roughly $80), they gave me a heads up to go to Home Depot and buy my own ($30). They installed that one for me, and I escaped with a much lower bill than Boston Standard.
And again, everyone I've encountered there has been amazingly nice.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/22/2010
I had a lake happening in the cabinet under my kitchen sink, and after a quick scroll through Yelp… Read more »
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Review from Marty V.
Medford, MA
1/13/2012
Highly recommended, very honest, respond quickly and professionally to phone calls. We talked to several plumbers about a pretty straightforward kitchen sink replacement job. We got some surprisingly high quotes, but not from Alewife. Will be calling them again for the next plumbing project!
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Review from Adam L.
Cambridge, MA
7/29/2008
I, and our condo association (6 Units), have been using Alewife for years and we've always been happy with them. (And I've said as much when they called later for a phone survey)
But they've likely just lost me as a customer in one fell swoop.
We had to get our hot water tank replaced. I called and spoke to a very nice woman (Cheryl?) who quoted us a price based on our tank being under warranty (which she confirmed via phone after I read her the serial number off the tank).
Later that day she called back and said that she was sorry, but she was mistaken - the tank wasn't under warranty after all. But she'd adhere to the quoted price even though she'd have to use a stock tank. We agreed, scheduled an install and I thanked her.
Days go by and the morning of the scheduled installation I get a call from someone else at the office saying that they need the warranty information to get the quoted price. I explained my conversation and he responded, "I can't honor that price."
He dropped the price a bit, but it was still almost two hundred dollars over what was quoted. I had already planed on being home for the day for the install, talked with the other members of the building about the details of getting the tank replaced and started to collect the reimbursement.
I was in a bind and had them do the work because if not we'd have to start all over again and it had already been weeks w/o hot water for the laundry.
They've always been really nice on the phone and the plumbers who come out to the house, which is why I gave them two stars instead of one.
But now I know I can't trust quoted prices from them and know that they don't review these things until the last minute, leaving the customer in a "what do we do now?" situation. I felt screwed.
That few hundred bucks to them just cost them my business and potentially the other 5 units in my building.
I don't think Alewife is malicious or scamming people out of money - I think they just did the wrong thing when it came to taking care of their customers.
I'm planning on going to Banner Pipe next time. I met the owner at a business meeting in Somerville and he seemed really nice and very customer focused. -
Review from Jennifer C.
Cambridge, MA
12/18/2010
Really responsive team, had someone here within 40 minutes of calling. Other companies in the area could send someone in 2-6 hours or not until the next day. The hourly rate was 60-70% of competitors' rates, and the man (Jim) was really nice. Explained everything he did, was nice to our dog and toddler, and was extremely professional. We will always call them from now on.
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Review from Jon S.
Cambridge, MA
10/13/2010
Highly recommended. Just bought a condo in an old house in Cambridge - needed someone to check out the boiler and the steam-heat radiators before the winter hits. Made an appointment with Alewife based on Yelp. The guy showed up 15 minutes early, did a thorough assessment of the boiler, draining it and checking it. He waited for the steam heat to kick in and get to each radiator. He replaced 3 vents, showing me in each case the steam leaking and thus the need for replacement. He was very thorough, going through all the radiators. And the total bill was $180. So in summary: prompt, professional, thorough, and reasonable. Will definitely use them again.
