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Discount Plumbing Rooter Services vs Goodfellow Plumbing
San Mateo Plumbing Contractors Comparison · Updated March 2026
Goodfellow brings 15 years of experience but lacks workers compensation, while Discount Plumbing offers full insurance protection with only one year licensed.
| Discount Plumbing Rooter Services | Goodfellow Plumbing | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★ 4.9 | ★ 5.0 |
| Years Licensed | 1 years | 15 years |
| License # | 1140843 | 963098 |
| Workers' Comp | ✓ Yes | — |
| Bond Amount | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Location | Burlingame, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Website | discountplumbingrooterinc.com | — |
Key Differences
What Customers Say
Discount Plumbing Rooter Services
Discount Plumbing customers consistently praise prompt scheduling, same-day availability, professional technician conduct, and clear communication throughout diverse residential projects.
Goodfellow Plumbing
Goodfellow Plumbing customers highlight flexible problem-solving abilities and adaptive approaches when installations require creative solutions to technical challenges.
Key Takeaway: Discount Plumbing shows operational excellence across routine service delivery and communication, while Goodfellow demonstrates technical resourcefulness in handling unexpected complications during complex work.
Customer Reviews
Discount Plumbing Rooter Services
If all employees at DISCOUNT PLUMING are like OMAR I definitely recommend them. Friendly, knowledgeable, courteous, fast and left the place as it was found, clean and tidy.
Discount Plumbing, and Ricardo in particular, were fantastic. Knowledgeable, fairly priced, prompt, and very hard working. They helped us replace our water heater to a gas tankless unit, recut piping,...
My new apartment had a kitchen faucet with no water pressure. It could take upwards of 5mins to fill a pot of water. After enough time I finally decided to address this issue by contacting Discount Pl...
Goodfellow Plumbing
I highly recommend Noel with Goodfellow Plumbing. He had to modify his original plan to install a new gas line and instead of scrubbing the installation, he came up with a solution from a different so...
Consider Discount Plumbing Rooter Services if...
- ✓ You want full insurance protection and prefer not to assume liability risk if a contractor's worker gets injured during your project
- ✓ Your project is relatively straightforward such as water heater replacement, faucet installation, drain clearing, or standard fixture work where newer contractors regularly succeed
- ✓ Responsive scheduling matters to you, particularly if you need same-day or emergency service with reliable communication throughout the process
- ✓ You value transparent pricing discussions and clear explanations of work from technicians who consistently demonstrate professionalism
Consider Goodfellow Plumbing if...
- ✓ Your project involves complex problem-solving, unusual configurations, or technical challenges where 15 years of field experience provides significant advantage in diagnosing and resolving issues
- ✓ You're comfortable verifying your homeowner's insurance covers contractor injuries and accepting potential liability exposure in exchange for veteran expertise
- ✓ Your work involves gas line installation or other specialized systems where Goodfellow has demonstrated capability and adaptive installation approaches
- ✓ You prioritize a contractor's ability to pivot when initial plans don't work and find creative solutions rather than abandoning difficult installations
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
- → For Goodfellow: Ask directly about liability coverage and confirm with your homeowner's insurance whether contractor injuries are covered under your policy, and understand your deductible exposure
- → For Discount Plumbing: Ask for references from projects similar to yours completed during their first year, and inquire about how they handle complications beyond standard scope
- → For both: Ask how long their current plumbing crew has worked together and what their process is when unexpected problems are discovered mid-project
The Bottom Line
For most homeowners with standard plumbing needs, Discount Plumbing Rooter Services is the safer choice. Their full workers compensation coverage eliminates a significant liability risk that Goodfellow exposes you to, and their strong reviews across diverse project types demonstrate reliable service delivery despite being newly licensed. Choose Goodfellow only if your project involves genuinely complex technical challenges where 15 years of experience provides clear advantage, and only after confirming your homeowner's insurance adequately covers contractor injuries. For routine repairs, installations, and even water heater replacements, Discount Plumbing offers better protection without meaningful service compromise.
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Frequently Asked Questions
For straightforward projects like water heater replacements, faucet installations, or drain clearing, one year of licensing is generally sufficient as these are standard procedures. However, for diagnosing mysterious leaks, handling old pipe configurations, or dealing with code-violation corrections from previous work, 15 years of experience provides pattern recognition and troubleshooting skills that newer contractors are still developing. The experience gap matters most when complications arise.
If a Goodfellow employee is injured on your property, they could file a claim against your homeowner's insurance, potentially raising your premiums or exhausting coverage limits. In worst-case scenarios with serious injuries, you could face out-of-pocket liability if claims exceed your policy limits. Before hiring Goodfellow, call your insurance agent to confirm coverage specifics and understand your deductible and liability exposure.
Not necessarily. Their consistent review themes around prompt scheduling, professional technicians, and efficient completion across diverse project types suggest solid operational practices and technical competency. Being newly licensed doesn't mean inexperienced technicians; it means the business entity has been licensed for one year, though individual plumbers may have prior industry experience.
For complex whole-house repiping, Goodfellow's 15 years of experience navigating unexpected conditions behind walls provides meaningful advantage, but only if you're willing to accept the workers comp liability risk. If you're risk-averse, Discount Plumbing's insurance protection may outweigh the experience gap, though you should ask detailed questions about their approach to large-scale projects and request relevant references.
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How We Compare Contractors
License Verification
All license data is sourced from official California CSLB records and verified regularly.
Review Analysis
Customer reviews are aggregated from Google and analyzed to identify patterns in service quality.
Detailed Comparison
We analyze credentials, insurance, experience, and feedback to highlight meaningful differences.
Not all licensed contractors are created equal. While a valid license is the baseline requirement in California, contractors can vary significantly in experience, insurance coverage, and customer satisfaction.
- Experience matters: A contractor with 15+ years of experience has likely encountered and solved problems that newer contractors haven't faced yet.
- Workers' compensation protects you: If a contractor without workers' comp insurance has an employee injured on your property, you could be held liable.
- Reviews reveal patterns: Individual reviews can be misleading, but patterns across many reviews often reveal a contractor's true strengths and weaknesses.
- Bond amounts vary: A contractor's bond provides financial protection if they fail to complete work as agreed. Higher bonds offer more protection.
Taking time to compare contractors on these factors can save you from costly mistakes and help ensure your project is completed by a qualified professional.
Data Sources: License information from California CSLB. Ratings and reviews from Google. Last verified March 13, 2026.
This comparison is based on publicly available information. We recommend getting multiple quotes and verifying all credentials directly before hiring.
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