Complaint Review: Galinsky Plumbing and Heating Inc. - Haverhill Massachusetts

Stephen C. Galinsky, a part-time plumbing inspector with the Town of North Andover, MA and owner of Galinsky Plumbing and Heating, Inc. (“Galinsky”) committed perjury placing a fraudulent lien on my home.  He is attempting to exort money for work he did not perform.  I wouldhighly recommend to anyone that they do not hire Galinsky Plumbing and Heating, Inc.  Stephen Galinsky and his company, Galinsky Plumbing and Heating, Inc., performed subpar work, did not complete work they billed for (and were paid for), and is acting in an unprofessional and unethical manner to collect a debt he is not owed.

Galinsky submitted a bid to perform the installation of all plumbing, rough and finish in early 2014 for approximately $26,000.  Galinksy began the job in spring 2014 with the installation of the underground plumbing and for that portion of the job, Galinsky billed and was paid approximately $2,000 of the $26,000.

Galinksy specified in his quote that all fixtures were to be Kohler, Chrome finish and directed us to choose such from his wholesaler, Peabody Supply, in North Andover, MA.  There were approximately 6-8 Kohler Chrome fixture choices in the Peabody Supply Showroom and we choose one of them.

Galinsky installed the rough plumbing in the summer months of July and August 2014 for which he billed a total of $20,000.00 of the $26,000.  During this time his employees did not always show up when scheduled and finished later than we were informed they would, causing delays in getting other contractors in the home.  We paid Galinsky approximately $18,000.00 since we had already paid $2,000 of the rough plumbing a few months prior.  We received a lien waiver from Galinsky for the work performed to date in the summer 2014.

In early fall 2014 we requested Galinksy start the finish plumbing.  When his employees began to install the incorrect Kohler Chrome trim in one shower and a toilet, we requested Galinsky stop any further installation and to replace with the correct fixtures.  The employee said they failed to order the correct ones we choose from the wholesaler, Peabody Supply, in North Andover and that it would take a few weeks to order such.  Galinsky never returned to the job site after that minor, incorrect install.

When we tried to schedule him to finish the job he attempted to up-charge us almost a 1/3 of the quoate price for the Kohler Chrome fixtures we chose.  At this time we believed Galinsky was not ethical or professional.  Since he had not been reliable in getting the rough plumbing done in the time period we were informed he could complete such, and we did not trust Galinksy to install the correct fixtures without this up-charge, we cancelled the plumbing permit, informed Peabody Supply we would pay for and take delivery of the fixtures to avoid any delay and/or restocking fees, and hired another plumber to complete the finish work.

In late fall 2014 we were informed by a number of plumbers that inspected his work that that the rough plumbing Galinsky performed had a number of errors and many items in the rough plumbing were not completed (i.e., there was no gas line for the required generator on the plan, tub drain line installed incorrectly, incorrect valves placed in walls of two tubs, laundry room drain placed in wrong location, gas stove gas pipe installed in wrong location, no freezer ice-maker line, etc).

in early winter 2014 we were informed that Galinsky placed a lien on our home without ever sending us an invoice or attempting to settle any alleged payments due.  Further, he committed perjury deposing that the original contract was for an amount higher than the approximately $26,000 and alleged we owed for all the finish work plus an overage - for work he never did!

We are attempting to try and settle this matter, however, our efforts to date have been rebuffed. Galinsky has proven to be unethical, unprofessional, and capable of perjuring himself and maligning a homeowner's reputation and integrity to extort money.  In addition, the quality of his work was subpar and had to be corrected to be able to function properly and pass inspection.