Reviews of local pros in South San Francisco, California

Walter from Smelly Mel's is amazing. He speaks only Spanish so we had to use apps to communicate, but he was so friendly and his customer service was amazing. He and his partner were kind to my family and cleaned their mess without being asked. Best service I ever received, hands down.

The team at Smelly Mel's are organized, friendly, helpful, thorough, and consummate professionals. I had to deal with a tough situation, in which my sewer lateral was shot and needed to get fixed per city requirements. Other companies quoted me really high prices in comparison to Smelly Mel's. So the value was good for the service that they provided. On top of that, their work was thorough. They came on time, they put out good street signs, they paid the deposit to the city, they were responsive to all my calls throughout the process, and they did a very fine job repaving the property line clean out, on top of that, they got the permit signed and completed because they had good communication with the city and the public works division. I was just really fortunate to have a friend who referred me to Smelly Mel's because other companies were trying to basically rip me off. Overall, Smelly Mel's was honest, effective, and they gave me a guarantee on the pipe that was installed. No complaints, and lots of good feeling to what they accomplished.

Our sump pump located outside our garage had stopped working at the end of the rainy season this spring. We were in need of someone to check the pump,. I called early Monday morning...the plumber was here by 4:00 in the afternoon. Mike worked on the pump for a short while...had it all cleaned out and running shortly after. He said it was going to be fine -- did not need a new one.
We were so thankful for the same day service and the great job Mike did. Call Smelly Mel's -- our first time and highly recommend them for future needs.
Joyce Q.

Excellent and very fast service to an emergencycall. Very knowledgeable craftsmanship and courteous professionals.

Will and Isaac did a great job clearing our sewer line!

Ask for Ed Montelongo. Never have I met a more congenial, warm hearted person who showed up and helped me solve some plumbing issues I was having. Super satisfied with Ed and Smelly Mel's Plumbing. Yvonne Gero

Smelly Mel's is a great company. I hired them to replace my entire sewer line several years ago, and I hired them again to replace the sewer line at my kid's preschool. These jobs were seriously tough jobs. Both sewer lines were old, nasty, damaged, and required digging them out completely. They cut through asphalt, even digging through concrete and rock. Then they replaced and installed the sewer line with total expertise.

Because of their hard work, our sewage systems will survive many more decades. Some cities like San Mateo have a rebate program that will refund up to $5000 of the job, and Smelly Mel's has always come in with the best pricing. If you have sewer problems, go with Smelly Mel's. Total pros.

Friendly service! While plumber was on-site, for same price, my clogged sink and flooding toilet were both worked on.

Isaac performed an inspection for us. This job was very complicated due to sewer line. He was very nice and got the job done.

Isaac was great. inspected thoroughly and wad upfront about what we need to do and the costs. Thanks.

What an incredible experience last week with Smelly Mel's. Their technician--Steve Bailey--was knowledgeable, patient, and even taught valuable information as he performed our kitchen faucet and garbage disposal replacement. He was especially conscientious about quoting and recommending the right path forward. It was our first time using them and highly recommend for anyone in need of honest, solid, and dependable plumbing service. Great job Steve and Smelly Mel's!

Mike was amazing! Worked efficiently and gave me some tips to alleviate the issue if it ever happens again. Highly recommend.

Ed M. & Will were great. Appt was made a day before. They came out on time. Gave me an estimate same day. Very professional and thorough explaining all my options. Highly recommend.

I had another company (I will refrain from using their name). That company could not clear my drain and told me that my sewer would need to be replaced for the tune of $20,000 because they said my sewer had collapsed. A friend metioned how they had been using Smelly Mel’s for many years so I decided to call for a second opinion, and I’m so glad I did. The $20,000 problem that they said couldn’t be resolved without total replacement was resolved in less than a hour by Smelly Mel’s. I will use no other company from this point on. Many thanks to Smelly Mel’s

The team at Smelly Mel’s are really good. Whoever trains the plumbers really prepares them well as my technician troubleshot the problem with my tankless water heater extremely precisely and fixed a surprising manufacturer’s defect that I can’t imagine other plumbing companies would have discovered. These guys are experts and saved me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars and I couldn’t be more appreciative.

We’ve worked with Smelly Mel’s for a house trap replacement, a refrigerator line issue, and a main valve upgrade. Jim and Michael were empathetic and knowledgeable. Identified issues quickly, laid out options clearly, finished on time, and all at a reasonable cost. Highly recommend.

Smelly Mel's is fantastic. I've worked with Isaac, Ed, and Jim, on fixing pipes and installing a tankless water heater, and can't recommend them enough. Very relationship-driven team, as they listen and observe, before recommending a course of action, and really make sure that you are getting the right level of service.

And they're here to fix your problem and make your life easier, unlike other companies, who offer over-the-top, expensive "solutions." They are incredibly friendly and competitive in pricing, and bring a personal, white-glove approach to a job that others have commoditized.

Smelly Mel's is (should be) your first and only call.

We had a major plumbing issue at our restaurant, and Smelly Mel’s Plumbing did an outstanding job from start to finish.
Ed, who was our main contact and plumber, was especially helpful throughout the entire process. He was professional, honest, and always responsive. He clearly explained the problems, provided realistic timelines, and made sure everything was handled properly.
Large commercial plumbing projects are never easy, but Ed and his team managed everything with great care and responsibility. They worked hard to minimize our downtime and get us back in operation as quickly as possible.
We truly appreciate their dedication and support during a very stressful time. Highly recommend Smelly Mel’s Plumbing for any commercial plumbing work.

Shower faucet was leaking non-stop. I didn't know how to install the new cartridge so I called the pros. They made this job look easy. They were highly communicative, sending emails/texts to let me know when my appointment was booked and when the technician would arrive. Ed Montelongo showed up on time and worked with his team to quickly resolve the issue. Now that the shower turns "hot/cold" in the proper direction and no longer leaks a single drop, my wife is so much happier. Glad that I called the easiest to remember phone number (415-PLUMBER) for Smelly Mel's!

The workmanship lacked attention to detail and the cleanup was unsatisfactory. Specific issues:

Concrete work mess: Fresh concrete was applied up against the old concrete, but they did not properly finish or clean the joint—excess concrete and splatter were left on the older surface.
Poor finishing on new concrete: The new concrete sections show rough, uneven edges and unfinished seams between pieces. The edges were not neatly troweled or sealed, leaving visible gaps and inconsistent profiles.
Incomplete cleanup and denial: After I first raised the issue they cleaned some areas, but a lot of dirt and soil remained. When I asked them to return and finish the cleanup, they denied that the remaining mess was caused by their work.
Overall I’m unhappy with both the quality of the concrete finishing and the company’s handling of the cleanup. I would not recommend them based on my experience.

Quick response and easy to schedule a next day appt for a non-emergency issue, Billy solved the shower plumbing issue quickly