A-Boy Electric & Plumbing

The best experience at a hardware store. My shower faucet handles leaked like a sive. I know enough to change washers –that’s it. I took the assembly in to find washers that actually fit. The assistant manager (Bill?) Tool a look and diagnosed a different problem. He took the assembly apart found new crush washer (?) Cleaned the treads and reassembled it. I woukd have never know to take it apart. It took like $ 4 in parts. I bought the house 2 years ago and the faucets have never felt this good. No leaks. I promptly brought him a 6 packs and returned.

Well, I searched all over Portland for the fixtures to remodel two bathrooms and found Aboys. Looking at the other reviews, I can only say I was helped immediately, had to return a LOT of times and found everyone to be thoughtful and to give me good advice. They were also more than fair with their pricing compared to other stores and the big box ones. I’ll be a return customer!

Absolutely love this place. A-​Boy tends to be where we go when we have some more specific work needed. They have most of the equipment and tools there, but more importantly, they’re very helpful in those regards. Anyone can paint a wall, but there’s a little fear involved when you start shutting off breakers and water valves. The A-​Boy staff usually gives me to confidence to know that I’m doing things right and that we’re using the right pieces for the job. Plus my shopping trips take me 10 minutes as opposed to 30 minutes walking around looking for what I need.

These guys are total jerks. They have the most smug attitude. I generally like to support small stores and not the big box ones, but I am happily going to the new Orchard Supply instead of giving these guys my money.
Boycot A-​Boy

Like, don’t they want to sell you anything? We had to come back to get answers. Totally unhelpful salesman saw only problems, not solutions. Like pulling teeth just to buy a faucet.

One star for location and that’s about it. I used to go there because it is right down the street, but after several trips with the same out come, I don’t even bother anymore.
Two reasons. First, nine out of ten times they are out of stock. This isn’t obscure or odd items either. Simple tools or parts are often empty on the shelves. Second, you are located in an area where 99% of the homes are turn of the century or early 20^th. Please carry some of the items that are needed such are glass knob rods, push button light switches, etc.
Luckily, Beaumont hardware is up the road and if they carry it, at least it will be in stock. If not, at least Orchard Hardware will be available very soon, which I believe will be the death knell for A-​Boy.

Old school shop that delivers on knowledge and customer service. Ben is great and essentially helped me figure out how to rebuild a complex plumbing assembly from inexpensive parts off the shelf. It’s like having a plumbing consultant at your disposal (no pun intended).

Nice to have a neighborhood electric and plumbing store that is not a big box.
However, I have rarely been asked if I need assistance even if I do try to make it a point to look lost or confused. There is frequently not a person at what I presume to be the customer service desk.
I guess if you know what you want this is the place for you even if the selection is limited.

Inexcusably poor service

The last few times I have gone in here the customer service and been nonexistent or poor, not sure which one is worst.
Today I went to get a fair amount of hose cut, I was going to be spending some serious money and where the reels of hoses were there was no one around, walked up to the front counter and asked for help and the kid said he would get someone, so I walked back and waited for 5 minutes, walked around and found someone and asked for help, he said he would get someone so I went back and waited another 10 minutes and no one came and at this point I was kind of pissed.
When I gave up waiting and started to walk out empty handed someone at the counter said he would help me right now and I replied with «No thanks you just lost my business and money I’m going somewhere else.».
If anyone at A-​Boy reads this I suggest you get your act together.

Local neighborhood hardware store. Went in to get replacement lightbulbs, (candle shaped ones). Lady behind the counter was friendly/​helpful. Good selection of bulbs and spent about $ 5 for the four 60W bulbs. Would come back here.

We stopped in to get a new Shower Water filter,
and the first gentleman was completely confused,
then Andrew stepped in and was a dream!
He took us through the store and showed us
everything they had, and explained how to install
them. He was an absolute doll!

I went in several weeks ago to look at their selection and pick something out for my shower and bath remodel. The sales lady showed me a broken model on the wall and described it and said it was the favorite, and it had a matching faucet set. She said it was already on order and would be there by that Friday. I went back in on Friday and they had not come in, so I talked to the other sales lady who was there. The second woman said that shower set did *not* have a matching faucet and wondered why I was told it did. We looked at other alternate models that had matching faucets and I picked out new sets. The sales lady made copies from her book for me to take home, etc. They didn’t have them in stock but that it would be tight but they should be able to get them in for my next Monday deadline. She said Carolyn (the first sales lady) would order them on Monday and may call if she has questions. Sounds great. Well, Carolyn left a message that Sunday and Monday asking if I wanted them ordered and said she wouldn’t order them until I called. Admittedly, I didn’t see the Sunday message, but what?! YES, I had told the other woman I wanted them and needed them before the Monday after! So I talk to her on Tuesday and she apologizes for the miscommunication and explains that they can have them in by the next Wednesday (8 days later) if she apples a $ 20 rush charge, but offers to knock some off the cost to make up for that. Okay, we can work with this. The contractor maybe can wait a day or two. So here’s the punchline. I check on Wednesday and the second sales lady futzes with her computer to look it up and says they aren’t in yet. My contractor moved onto another job and said she could start the Monday after, so I just need it by the following Monday now. I go in on Friday (two days after it should have been in) and after some calls Carolyn informs me the order never went in (even though she says she made the order), and that she would need to order it now and it would be in next Friday (7 days). She offers no apology on her part and doesn’t offer to next day it or to compensate in any way. She just says she ordered it and *they* (the faucet company) messed up. I say I need to cancel the order then because at this point I need a rough-​in by Monday and it’s Friday. She just says «ok» like it is apparently no big deal to not do anything to keep a customer or help them in any way. I’m not someone who yells so I just said I will be going elsewhere and left. I got a phone message several hours later (yesterday) from her apologizing and saying that they had already charged my credit card for stuff I never got and so would need me to call to get a refund to me. She also said that she knew I now needed something ASAP so to call and discuss that. Really? NOW you want to help me?! I haven’t called yet because if I do I may say things I would rather not. I’m certainly never returning nor recommending them. I’ll update this if anything new happens. I may try the A-​Boy on Foster and hope this sales person does not reflect on the company as a whole.

this is your place to go for DIY plumbing fixes! i just removed the broken parts and took them in and before i could even start looking, i mean within one minute, an employee was helping me find the parts, and they had everything i needed in stock. the previous time i went in was the same experience. these people know what they are selling and they will help you get what you need. i can only assume it is the same for their electrical items. you will not find this kind of knowledge at a big box store. thank you A-​Boy :-)

This store is a perfect example of why you should shop local stores. We walked in to buy some new bathroom fixtures because the old ones weren’t past their prime. Ben told us exactly what we needed to do in order to recondition /​upgrade the old parts without buying everything new.
Although we walked in just minutes before their closing time, we weren’t rushed and Ben kept looking up other solutions we were interested. This is what service is a ll about.
Try them out –and ask for Ben.

I like A-​Boy, sort of an odd little hardware/​plumbing/​basic lighting joint. I may be a little biased since I used to work for their parent company. Their inventory is pretty basic, but it’s nice to be saved a trip to Lowe’s or Home Depot.

This is the closest hardware store to my house and they are a great local company that has helped our area out a lot over the years so I WANT to shop here, but the repeated sub-​par service drives me away. If I know exactly what I want and that they are likely to have it I’ll go but if I need any assistance at all I’ll drive to Division or Parkrose. Pick it up, A-​Boy! I want to like you!