George S Patey and Sons

Nine decades in one trade, and the clearest trace of it isn't reviews — it's permits. BuildZoom's permit files list 1,131 permitted jobs for George S Patey & Sons, the plumbing shop at 215 Bridge St in Dedham. Its BBB page dates the business to 1932, incorporation to 1968, and puts the payroll at about 14 people. What customers have written down is far thinner than that history. Eleven Google ratings average 4 stars, and only two of them carry any text. In a January 2022 review, a homeowner who wanted the whole house looked over said the plumber came on time and worked through everything, tightening as he went. A December 2021 reviewer had the opposite experience with the bill, calling the service charge out of line with what was actually done. Boston Consumers' Checkbook's listing reports that 39% of the raters it collected gave a superior overall rating. The licensing picture is mixed but readable. Its Massachusetts plumber licence is active in the state registry, held of record by John Pichette. BuildZoom separately lists a sheet-metal licence plus plumbing business and plumber numbers under the company name, and alongside them a Massachusetts refrigeration contractor licence and an older plumbing business record, both marked inactive after cancellation. The BBB grades the company A+ and notes it has not sought accreditation; the only category BBB files it under is heating and air conditioning, while the permits and the reviews describe plumbing. Two things to settle on the phone. Ask what the service call costs and what it covers before anyone is dispatched — that is exactly what the one negative review objected to. Then ask for a recent reference: the written comments run from December 2021 to January 2022, so it is the permit volume, not the reviews, carrying the recent story. For routine residential plumbing from a long-established shop with an active state licence and a heavy permit trail, this is a reasonable call — with the price of the visit agreed in writing first.