Reviews of local pros in South San Francisco, California

I had a leak from under my kitchen sink.Dominic arrived on time, quoted a reasonable price and installed
a new set of pipes. He cleaned up after himself and did such a good job. I used Smelly Mel's and Dominic
for further prophalaxsis work. And would use them again and will. The reception staff is also great phone calls,text reminders with Plummers pictures-well done.

Smelly Mel’s always provides the best customer service and the work is done to perfection. I’ve used their services for both of my homes for over 20 years. They’re dependable and efficient!

the guys from smelly mel's were great. our sump pump motor went out and made a huge mess in our basement. they were fast, efficient, super nice and had a smile on their faces, regardless of the mess they were navigating. i had a fantastic experience. the pricing was fair. plumping is hard work! i am grateful for their work.

Mike at Smelly Mel's just made my day.

Our garbage disposal was broken and for all the troubleshooting, I just couldn't figure out how to get it to work. We were trying to get by without it, but eventually our dishwasher got backed up. What to do?

First, I called the number on the garbage disposal and thankfully they could dispatch someone to my house the next day. Second, I looked up the company on Yelp.....and was a little worried about the single review at the time. They'd already agreed to come, so I figured I would give them a chance.

The problem was a 5 minute solve and just required having a special tool to release a clog. I thought....ugh, how much is this going to charge, and the answer was nothing because Mike said it required minimal effort. I was so surprised and frankly heartened that we still have some humanity in how we treat people. Smelly Mel's and Mike have a new fan and I will definitely call them first for plumbing problems.

Smelly Mel's Plumbing was introduced to me by my Realtor as she stated they are very responsive when you need their services ... BOY WAS SHE RIGHT!!! I have used them several times now ... Sewer lateral inspection, and a couple of tenant issues. From the starting line Hilda answers all the calls and will do everything possible to get a technician out for you. Text messages are sent to you to let you know your tech is on their way ... I love this! Just recently technician Issac came out to assess a flush valve issue ... he informed it it was a special order part and gave me the option of placing the order (which I did) and once the part arrived ... There he was, ready to take care of it for my tenant. Happy Tenant ... Happy Landlord! : )

It was a terrible downpour. Our sink was backing up and water pouring out on the floor. In spite of having many other customers, they managed to arrive reasonably soon. The plumber quickly identified the location of the blockage and he and his assistant cleared it quickly.

Travis and his team at Smelly Mel's were terrific. Very upfront about expectations and service options. Final recommendation was for the basic option and they did a fast efficient job completing the work and providing recommendations for future. No pressure, just honest insights and straightforward advice for a multi-unit buildings needs. Will absolutely continue using them.

Definitely would recommend your company. In the day of service, was sent email of picture of the plumber, Doug who would be coming over.

Doug was professional and quickly accessed situation and after agreeing with invoice started job. He replaced our water heater and put in a new faucet. He cleaned up after he was done. We are definitely happy with the service from Doug and Smelly Mel’s.

Smelly Mel's did a fabulous job.Though they were expensive, the service they offered was stellar. They were quick and efficient, showed up on time and did the job expertly.

We had a plumbing issue at our shop at Union Door. We called out a local company and they got our plumbing issue fixed quickly. The tech Mike C. that came out and got the job done! He was great to talk to and very friendly and informative. Great job Smelly Mel's!

I called them because they were close and I heard they were good. I'm glad I did. They sent Mike C. to fix my running toilet. He did a great job and cleaned up after himself to. He didn't take a long time or try to make me feel like I was not wasting my time in calling. He even gave me tips on how to possibly fixing some of the problems myself... within reason of course. I highly recommend them and will definitely use them in the future. Thanks Mike and Smelly Mel's.

I've relied on Smelly Mel's several times to fix up things around our new home, that have been left unchecked for decades. They're solid. Scheduling has been super easy and quick, and for every fix, they got it right the first time around. They've also given me advice on things to look out for, and general preventative guidance. Highly recommended all around.

Though technically good, and have had amazing prior experiences with Smelly Mel’s Plumbing - my last 2 calls are making me doubt I will call them again - my last call for a backed up floor drain in my garage, took 15 minutes to fix and cost me $530 - I was given an estimate and told up front that this flat fee structure was how this was done, instead of hourly - but that if it was more involved and took longer I would not be charged more than $530 - but really feel ripped off in retrospect. Similarly for the job prior to that, I had a slow leak from a copper pipe dripping in my garage - again I got an estimate but felt it was purposely inflated because they do use some new fangled pressure fittings.
So - though I was told up front and should have known better to wait when it is not urgent - I wanted to be done with it and agreed to be overcharged - not in the future. Shop around.

I had used Smelly Mel's for nearly a decade but recently had an unfortunate experience with them which will cause me not to use them again.

I had their plumber look at three jobs at our second home which my son currently lives at. We had one of them completed that day, and he gave us estimates on the other two jobs .

One of the jobs was to work on the upstairs sink, which is quite old. It was apparent the plumber had not seen that type of sink before and said the reason for the high cost was because he was going to have to remove the sink from the wall (the estimate was for $1795). After hearing the estimate later in the day, my wife told me that there's actually a screw directly underneath the cover and that it comes off very easily.

I had my son remove the cover and ask them if they can come back over again and give us a new estimate on the sink. Their dispatcher initially said there would be no change. My son asked if he could send a picture showing that the pipes were exposed and the plumber had complete accessibility now. They looked at it and still insisted that the cost would be the same .

I had my son call Roto-Rooter and they came over and fixed the job for $541. Their plumber also opined that he didn't get into the plumbing business to overcharge people.

I'm quite disappointed about this experience and in good conscience can't use their company again. Clearly not a good business move to cheat someone that has been doing business with you for over a decade. It's what they call being pennywise and pound foolish.
I'm also curious after having this experience how many other jobs I was overcharged for over the years.

Had a leak from the bathtub drain that was dripping down from the ceiling. Mike and Rolando professionally repaired the problem and did a great job cleaning up afterwards. Thank You, for the great service. Diffidently will use your service again.

I really appreciate Smelly Mel's for their professionalism. They correctly diagnosed a problem and suggested the right solution for it. They also tried to accommodate my needs and were flexible going between 2 ways of solving my problem with the sewer. Their pricing is fair and the technicians are hardworking and were great to deal with. I highly recommend Smelly Mel's.

Wonderful customer service (Mike on the phone) and followup. Dominic just installed a new water heater for me. He was very knowledgeable and efficient. Very competitive prices. The office staff is also very efficient, calling to inform me to let me know that Dominic was running late with a new estimate arrival time. Have used them in the past for various plumbing problems. Highly recommend Smelly Mel's.

Smelly Mel's Plumbing truly stands out in terms of professionalism and responsiveness. From the moment I contacted them to the completion of the project, their commitment to delivering exceptional service was evident at every step.

First and foremost, their professionalism was unparalleled. Their team exuded a level of expertise and competence that immediately put me at ease. They took the time to understand my needs and requirements, asking thoughtful questions to ensure they had a clear understanding of what I was looking for. This attention to detail instilled confidence in their ability to meet my expectations.

In addition to their professionalism and responsiveness, their customer service was outstanding. They went above and beyond to ensure my experience with them was positive and stress-free. This level of care for their customers is truly commendable and sets them apart from their competitors.

Overall, my experience with Smelly Mel's Plumbing was nothing short of exceptional. Their professionalism, responsiveness, and dedication to customer satisfaction were truly remarkable. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone in need of their services. They have set a high standard for what businesses should aspire to achieve, and I am grateful for the outstanding experience they provided.

Cedrick Velasco
Operations Manager
Vabrato Real Estate

Except for the price, everything about our experience from the initial phone call to repair to invoicing with pictures was exceptional. We had a leak under the kitchen sink in the P-trap area. It was an easy quick repair. No trip charge as other companies may implement.Yay! They charge by the job. But for our job, it was expensive. I wish they were more reasonable because I have multiple units and am in search of my Go-To professional. But they are a good family run plumbing company.

Technician was on time and extremely helpful. Friendly. Was called to clear a waste line at my mom’s house. Met him there just to make sure mom was comfortable with him being in the house. Was a perfect experience. Got the line cleared, fantastic job. Can’t recommend enough.

I had a clogged drain that I couldn't fix myself, so I searched and saw that Smelly Mel's was local and had good reviews. I filled out the online form (or at least, I think I did) but didn't hear from anyone by the next morning, so I called and someone was able to schedule a technician to come check out the situation. I asked what the price range would be, because I didn't know what to expect. She told me that the technician would give me a free estimate.

I would definitely recommend everyone to research prices before making an appointment, because I really didn't know what to expect and had a shock when I heard it would cost about $450 to clear out my pipes. Actually, the regular price is about $500 and it was $450 with a new customer discount.

The technician was punctual, very professional, and did a great job, as everything has been working perfectly since. It was also very easy to schedule service. I'm deducting one star because I think prices should be more upfront. There are no prices listed on their website, and as I noted earlier, when I called to schedule service I wasn't able to get pricing information in advance.

(Unrelated to this review, but maybe helpful to others: I found out later that my HOA has a service that could have done this without cost. Do your research!!)