Bartlett & Steadman Plumbing, Heating & AC
Local business · 67R Village St, Marblehead, MA 01945, USA
Their work
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Verified record
- Not rated by the BBB
- 15 customer photosOf completed work
Highlights
- Fast response times — directories repeatedly cite prompt callbacks and clear explanations
- Deep review base — 619 Google ratings average 4.9 over many years
- Dual-trade coverage — recognized for both plumbing and full HVAC comfort work
- Wrongful-death lawsuit — names the company and owner over a CO poisoning death
- BBB out-of-business flag — listing is unaccredited with an unresolved alert
- Post-buyout scheduling — a review cites a missed appointment near the Townsend acquisition
Since 1954, Bartlett & Steadman has been the call North Shore homeowners make for a boiler that won't fire on a cold night or a slow bathroom drain. The company's own site says it has worked out of Marblehead for seven decades and now operates as part of Townsend Energy following an acquisition, running the same trucks and phone number under new corporate ownership. The volume of praise behind that history is hard to ignore: 619 Google ratings average 4.9, and independent write-ups on sites like BestProsInTown and Porch echo the same points — prompt callbacks, technicians who explain the fix rather than just do it, and enough repeat business that reviewers call it their go-to plumber. That's a track record built up over years across multiple sources, not something a single slow month resets. Two things are worth asking about directly before booking anything beyond a routine repair. Marblehead Current reported that the company and its owner, Michael Steadman, are named in a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging negligence tied to a carbon monoxide poisoning death — a serious allegation worth raising directly, including what's changed in gas-appliance safety practices since. Separately, its BBB listing is not accredited and currently carries an 'out of business' alert, which reads oddly for a company still clearly fielding service calls; that discrepancy is worth clearing up with them rather than assuming either way. There's also a report of a missed appointment with no follow-up call around the time of the Townsend takeover, a reminder to confirm scheduling reliability hasn't slipped during the ownership change. For a same-day heating or plumbing repair from a crew with decades of history in Marblehead and the surrounding towns, the review volume backs them up. Get straight answers on the lawsuit and on how the Townsend acquisition has affected who actually shows up at the door before committing to anything bigger than a single repair visit.
Read the comments
Most recent comments
- 1.0Dec 1, 2025
Unfortunately, it seems that things are changing at Bartlett Steadman since their recent buyout by Townsend. I called two weeks ago today and set a up a service appointment taking their earliest appointment which was for a full week out during a 1-4 pm time slot. My heating system is operating ok but has air in the system that needs to be removed so it’s not urgent and I expressed that, but it needs to be corrected. Well, my appointment date came and went , no technician, no phone call. I called their office at 4:30 and got the answering service. The next day I called and they couldn’t explain why no one completed the service call but that they could send somebody out another FULL week later which is today during an 8-12 time slot. Well , once again no one showed up…something has gone very wrong with the management of this company.
— David A.View on Google Reviews ↗ - 5.0May 25, 2025
As is often the case, an "emergency" happens at night or over the weekend. In our case, we lost heat and hot water on Saturday afternoon and after a cold night and waking up to a cold morning and no hot water, I made the call to Bartlett & Steadman for help.<br><br>Jason was very quick to call us back and very quick to come to the house. He quickly checked and identified the problem and was also quick in fixing it. All throughout the visit he kept us informed and reassured us that we would have both heat and hot water soon.<br><br>We are very satisfied with Bartlett & Steadman and especially with Jason and highly recommend them. Thanks, Jason, you saved the day and we appreciate your commitment to your customers.
— Frank KellerView on Google Reviews ↗ - 5.0May 7, 2025
Chris from Bartlett and Steadman helped with a few toilet repairs today. Chris was nice, efficient, and gave me a few options for repairs to ensure it fit my budget. I would definitely recommend!
— Meredith IrwinView on Google Reviews ↗ - 5.0Apr 2, 2025
Extremely knowledgeable and competent, and have caught multiple minor issues that would have turned into major repairs had they gone unaddressed. I highly recommend Bartlett & Steadman
— Marchetti HouseholdView on Google Reviews ↗ - 5.0Apr 2, 2025
Prompt service, helpful techs, our go-to plumber in the area.
— Andrew PurvianceView on Google Reviews ↗
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Update history
Added 464 new comments, added 40 new photos, established rating 3.9
- behind the score: Wrongful-death lawsuit — names the company and owner over a CO poisoning death