Great workmanship and friendly team, but expect to pay double and be billed for every single thing.
I’m giving Baethke Plumbing 3 stars because while their technicians are genuinely kind, courteous, and do high-quality physical work, their billing practices are rigid to a fault.
It’s no secret that Baethke is expensive. You can expect to pay roughly 2x what an average Chicago plumber charges. Honestly, I didn’t mind paying a premium upfront because the professionalism and craftsmanship are clearly there. In my case, I paid over $4,000 for the diagnosis and repair of a corroded copper pipe, and the invoice specifically noted that the line was water-tested afterward to confirm the leak was resolved.
However, a week or two later, I still had water coming in and had to call them back out. It turned out there was another pinhole leak from corrosion just two feet further downstream on that exact same copper pipe. While I understand that their warranty only covers the specific section of pipe they replaced, they charged me an additional $800 just to diagnose and tell me that the exact same line still had a leak two feet away.
When you pay over $4,000 to a top-tier company to diagnose and fix a leaking pipe, including a post-repair water test, you expect them to verify that the rest of that immediate run isn't actively leaking before wrapping up, rather than assuming the corrosion stopped right at the cut. More importantly, charging a customer $800 just to point out a missed pinhole two feet down the same pipe feels inappropriate given how much was already spent. Had the remaining leak been coming from a different source, I could understand but from the same pipe is a different story.
Overall, Baethke is a good plumbing company with very nice people who do solid work. Just go in knowing that not only are their base rates exceptionally high, but they also bill strictly by the book for every step, even in follow-up situations where a little goodwill or common sense should apply.
Response from the owner:Mateo, thank you for taking the time to share your experience and for recognizing the professionalism and workmanship of our team. We understand your frustration with the additional diagnostic charge, particularly given the proximity of the second leak to the original repair. We appreciate you sharing your perspective on the situation, and your concerns regarding the follow-up visit and billing are important to us. We strive to provide quality service throughout every step of the process, and we appreciate you bringing this experience to our attention. I did review everything that Josh did and unfortunately, the untreated, Acidic Combustion Condensate that had been discharged for so long into that copper drain pipe has significantly thinned the pipe. It was 2 weeks later for that additional leak and we can't guarantee there won't be another unless all of the copper piping is replaced. That would be significant. If you would like to discuss this you are always welcome to call me either in the office at 773-276-5430, or on my cell at 773-447-4913. Thank you again.
