How to check a plumber's reviews and complaints in Portland

Reviews on Google and other sites are useful, but they are easy to misread. Use them to find patterns, then confirm what matters in official records.

• Sort by newest. A company can change owners, staff or subcontractors. Reviews from the last year say more than the all-time average.
• Read the one and two star reviews. Look for repeated themes such as no-shows, surprise charges, pressure to replace instead of repair, or warranty disputes. One angry review is noise. The same complaint five times is a pattern.
• Look for specifics. Useful reviews mention the job, the price, the part replaced or how a problem was handled. A burst of short five-star reviews posted within a few days is a reason for caution.
• Check that the review fits. Reviews that describe a different service, a different city or a different company name may not be about the business you are calling.
• Read the replies. A calm, specific response from the owner to a complaint is a good sign. Blame, threats or no response at all are not.
• Search the name with the word complaint. A search for the company name together with words such as complaint or scam can turn up problems that a star rating hides.

Oregon plumbing contractors need two licenses, and both can be checked online in a few minutes.

1. Search the CCB license. Look up the company in the CCB license search. The CCB's consumer tools page says a license check can tell you whether the contractor is actively licensed and has a surety bond, whether it submitted proof of liability insurance when first licensed and at renewal, whether it carries workers' compensation insurance for its workers, and whether it had any complaints or disciplinary actions filed with the CCB in the past 10 years. The CCB advises checking the license and complaint history before you sign any contract.
2. Check the plumbing license. Then search the plumbing license in the Building Codes Division license holder search. The BCD says plumbing contractors need both licenses and advises verifying them before work begins.
3. Match the name. Make sure the business name on your estimate is the name on both license records. A license held by a different company does not cover your job.

The BBB suggests checking a company's profile on BBB.org for reviews, ratings and any complaints on file. Read how the company answered each complaint, not only the letter grade. The BBB also suggests getting several written estimates, comparing what each covers, including whether materials are included, and being wary of prices that seem unusually low or high.

Ask for references for similar recent work, and ask whether those jobs passed their City of Portland permit inspection. A passed inspection tells you more about the quality of the work than a star rating can, and a company that avoids permits is a risk no matter how good its reviews look.

The CCB's consumer tools page lists warning signs, including:

• business cards with no CCB license number or a fake one, an 800 number or a PO box as the address;
• fast talkers who use scare tactics and insist that repairs must happen immediately;
• requests for cash up front;
• resistance to a written estimate or contract, or a price that is too good to be true.

The Consumer Protection Notice that Oregon contractors must give homeowners with a written residential contract adds: do not automatically accept the lowest bid, read the contract before signing instead of being pressured, and remember that licensing is not a guarantee of the contractor's work. In plumbing, also be wary of anyone who skips the permit for a water heater or sewer repair, or wants to replace a sewer line without showing you camera footage.

Start by putting the problem in writing to the company, with photos and the invoice. If that does not resolve it, the Oregon Construction Contractors Board runs a dispute resolution process for residential work. According to the CCB's consumer protection page:

• The complaint must be against a licensed contractor. For an existing home, it must be received within one year of substantial completion or the date work stopped.
• Before filing, you send the contractor a 30-day notice by certified mail to the address on record with the board, and keep proof of mailing.
• Once the CCB confirms it has jurisdiction, a $50 processing fee is due.
• Mediation is voluntary and free to schedule, and the CCB says about 70 percent of disputes are resolved that way.
• The contractor's bond pays only on a court judgment or arbitration award that the contractor has not paid, and bond amounts are limited, so the CCB says to file promptly.

The CCB lists bond amounts of $25,000 for residential general contractors and $20,000 for residential specialty contractors. More hiring advice is in our guide to choosing a plumber in Portland.

Portland Plumber Pros is an independent homeowner information website, not a contractor. We publish no reviews, star ratings, testimonials or customer counts, we never buy or write reviews, and we will not pay anyone for a review. The contractors listed on this site are listed without payment and without a rating, so the list is not a review or a ranking. Check each one with the steps on this page.

The rules on this are clear. The Federal Trade Commission's Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, codified as 16 CFR Part 465, was published on August 22, 2024 and took effect on October 21, 2024. It prohibits selling or buying fake consumer reviews and testimonials, buying positive or negative reviews or tying incentives to a review's sentiment, undisclosed reviews by company insiders, company-controlled review websites that present themselves as independent, and certain review suppression practices such as threats based on groundless legal claims.

If a page on this site is unclear or a fact is out of date, email hello@portlandplumberpros.com with the page address and, ideally, the correct source.