Plumbing services by Philbrick Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical in Portsmouth, Virginia

Service was good. Buffet was nothing to brag about. The sorriest dinner selection for a buffet I've ever seen. In there on a Wed, not sure if that matters.

My son-in-law requested a service call for a water heater pilot light issue. The charge was about 80. This is my understanding of the visit. The tech did not disassemble, inspect, or test anything. He checked the tank nameplate and said it was old subjective an could be replaced for about 2500. Or he could replace the burner for 400-500. I'm the family fix-it guy, although I don't have any gas water heater experience, so my son-in-law called for an opinion. So I did some research on my own. It appeared the thermocouple was the likely issue, so we did some more research, found the correct part number, bought one, and installed it ourselves for under 90 and in about 30 minutes. If Philbrick has tested the system and said they could replace the pilot assembly for a 150-200, that would have been good service. But instead they said the equivalent of your car battery is dead so you need to buy a new car. Sure, a new tank would have solved the problem, but I would like to find a company that says here's your problem and here's some "legitimate" options for repair, not the most expensive option that really isn't needed.