Penning Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric 584 44th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, MI 49548

"They did a water heater for me recently, and some ductwork. Good work, but seemed expensive. I had to nag them a bit to make sure the permit process was moving along, otherwise I would have give. 4 stars. Brad was a very helpful technician."

"COMPLETE RIP OFF OF A COMPANY. WE HAD AN EMERGENCY SUMP PUMP FAILURE OVER A WEEKEND, THEY REPLACED OUR OLD ONE FOR $4,600 WHEN THE AVERAGE REPLACEMENT COST IS BETWEEN $500 - $1,200. THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE A BREAKDOWN OF COST AND OWNER (JIM) SUGGESTED WE PURSUE SMALL CLAIMS COURT AFTER REFUSING ITEMIZED INVOICE REQUESTS. WE HAD OTHER PROFESSIONALS REVIEW THE WORK AND MATERIAL AND ASSURED US THAT NONE OF THAT WOULD COME CLOSE TO $4K WITH LABOR INCLUDED. TERRIBLE SERVICE AT BEST. SEE YOU IN COURT!"

"We’re currently shopping for a new furnace due to, at least in part, Pennings negligence with a wiring issue. We had a new humidifier placed on our furnace last year. This fall/winter when we began running the furnace, the humidifier was not working. Penning came out and determined it was the thermostat and not the unit malfunctioning so the thermostat was replaced and away we went. They mentioned that they put an old faceplate on the thermostat that would need to be changed out, but they were not carrying one with them that day when they came over. This past Monday, they came over to change the face plate, and one of the technicians decided he did not like the way that the thermostat was wired to the control board so he rewired it and from that day on the furnace ran continuously 24 hours a day. We called twice to let them know and try to troubleshoot how to get it to turn off after heating to the set level. We were told not to worry about it and they would be out on Monday. We were worried because the furnace blower motor was getting hot to touch and started making groaning noises so we had another company come out and he quickly noticed that the wiring was done in a way that it was constantly “calling” for the blower to operate. The capacitor had failed and the motor was now on its way out. This company highly recommended that we had Penning come back and “make it right” rather than try to sell is a new unit because it was clearly a wiring issue forcing the furnace to overwork. They changed the capacitor and rewired it to not call for the blower constantly but said it might only last a few days like that. Jumping to today, three days now with no heat, and feeling pretty miserable, Penning came only to tell us that it was not their fault and we just plain need a new furnace. Not a single sorry, explanation of why it might have been calling for constant blowing, and even tried to tell me that the single transformer in there and the wiring were correct. Well YES it’s correct because someone else fixed your mistake to buy is a few days. We will not be using them again. If you do, I highly suggest that you watch what they are doing as they do it."

"Earlier this year, our garbage disposal broke. I called Penning and explained that we needed it to be replaced and that we did not need a very big one because we don’t use it very often . I was told by the receptionist that certainly it wouldn’t be over 500. I felt better because I was also told we would have to pay $80 no matter what for a trip charge but less than $500 seemed OK. When the gentleman came out to give us a quote it was $1800. He tried to sell us a bigger disposal than the one we have even though I had said we barely use the one we have… He then came down to $900 which still seemed too much so we had to pay him $80 and bid him goodbye. We ended up having it done by another Plumber for 350. So expect the bid to come in high And be out $80 if you decide you don’t wanna pay that much. I would recommend you don’t call them at all. Call Godwin Plumbing!"

"Short story: I needed my gas lines inspected, per my home insurance provider. Penning identified 3 small leaks, and provided me with a quote of $2500-$4000 to fix the small leaks. The leaks were small enough to be a problem but not large enough to set off my explosive gas detector. My second opinion fixed the leaks in about 30 minutes for pennies on Penning’s quote, and the leaks passed follow-up inspections. Long story: Penning was manipulative, spoke poorly of competitors, and advised me to not notify DTE of the small leaks. Penning contractor told me that DTE would shut off my gas and lock it out unless I have the leaks fixed. They made me feel like they were on my side and that DTE/other companies were out to get me, I told them I needed to think about it because I don’t have $4000 sitting around. Penning called me 10 minutes later saying they have payment plans available Well, Penning then tattled on me and within 30 minutes DTE was at my house shutting the gas off. Panicked me was ready to call Penning and fork over whatever they need. I explained everything to the DTE guy, and he was pretty shocked so he did an inspection. He advised the quote was outrageous, and gave me the # for a local licensed plumber he works with, DTE guy’s recommendation arrived within an hour and fixed the 3 small leaks in about a half hour, having replaced a few valves and re-secured a few fittings. A separate 3rd opinion has inspected my gas plumbing system and has found no leaks and has signed off on the system’s function. I called Penning and explained the situation about how I felt I was manipulated, and I asked them how they would like to resolve the situation. The person I spoke with said they would pass the info along to their technician and get back to me, this was over a week ago and Penning Plumbing has yet to get back to me. UPDATE: Still a 1-star review. I did a CC charge back when Penning ghosted my follow up calls, and that got their attention because I got a call from them the day my bank approved the charge back. Phone call was frustrating, Penning refused to acknowledge anything and demanded payment. After lots of back and forth I told them to just charge me so I could never speak to them again, they agreed. Received an email a half hour later saying they would not be charging me."