A-Boy Electric & Plumbing

Category:	Home Goods Store
Address:	7365 SW Barbur Blvd, Portland, OR 97219, USA
Phone:	+1 503-245-0714
Site:	aboysupply.com
Rating:	3.3
Working:	8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 9AM–6PM

Location

Photos 47

Reviews 8

K Kirkpatrick

Ive recently had to do two major DIY fixes on my 1911 bathroom, when both the reproduction surround shower and the vintage Sibley "J-pipe" toilet developed age-related valve leaks. Problems remained despite years of intervention from three plumbers, whod begun to shake their heads and say it couldnt be done, that those old things needed to be replaced (which would have cost over $1500 because the spacing of our vintage toilets connections meant wed have to buy a high-end reproduction to fit). So my only choice was to do it myself. The A-Boy staff at both the Foster and the Barbur locations were incredibly helpful. When the surround showers manufacturer couldnt be bothered to send a diagram, the A-Boy staff at Foster pulled apart a similar floor model to show me how the valves worked and what direction to loosen them (lefty-loosy and righty-tighty dont hold true on in-line hot-cold, which lie in mirror image orientation). When I wasnt strong enough to loosen the corrosion, and the replacement washers that came from the manufacturer were worthless, the A-Boy staff at Barbur taught me to soak the whole faucet assembly in hot water and vinegar, and went through boxes of spare washers to find an assortment that might work. When the new J-connector and Douglass valve on my toilet kept leaking, the staff at Barbur helped me find better-fitting wrenches and washers, and talked me through the basics of valve grease and "just keep tightening until it doesnt leak." We arent born knowing these things, yet the plumbers I hired wanted hundreds of dollars just to treat me disdainfully for not knowing that it "couldnt be done." What a relief to find a store with knowledgeable and helpful staff willing to help find workable, and sometimes simple, solutions. Im happy to report that both shower and toilet work perfectly, far better even than at their original "professional" installation. Total bill to buy well-fitting tools and replace 4 complex valves and 6 nonstandard washer assemblies: about $200.

Mike LaTorre

Pros: -Close to my house -Nice to dogs (free biscuits!) -Fun cheap tool section (not useful for actual tools) -Plants and garden section are generally well taken care of Cons: -Unhelpful staff -Restock and ordering is painfully slow -Expensive I have been coming to this A-Boy for the past 5 years for most of my house and yard project needs. I would say that 4/5 times that I go there I leave empty handed after having one of three problems: 1) A-Boy normally carries the item but the shelf is empty 2) They have a cheap temporary replacement part that would need to be changed again soon 3) The employee I speak with is so infuriatingly incompetent and/or condescending that I leave. I have learned my way around the store and have learned to avoid contact with the employees. When I do need help I go to Hippo Hardware or Westmoreland True Value. I should say that there are a few nice employees there who really want to be helpful. I would not recommend buying paint from them unless it is a painting emergency and all of the other local paint stores have burned down.

Ted Cerwonka

I have been coming here for over 12 years and always had great service until this year. My trip today was the worse and a total shock in customer service. Every encounter I had with the staff made me feel that I was a nuisance rather than a paying customer. The simple process of buying a basic light fixture took way longer than it should have and involved 3 different employees and all three of them making it known that they would rather not help me. After engaging in the staff a last time and waiting for someone to finish helping me for 15 minutes while the employees were talking among themselves, I commented on the long wait and was told "tell someone who cares" I was also told to go somewhere else if i wanted to. I camt remeber a time where i was treated as badly as today for trying to purchase sonething. I could hsbe easily gone to the big chain store but purpisely did not. As much as I want to support the local business, if youre not less expensive than other stores and you cant be nice to your customers, I cant see supporting them any more.

David Dixon

This is a great stop and they carry almost everything I need. The brands they carry also are top quality, such as the soil that Farmington Garden and Portland Nursery carries. Prices can be a little higher, however. This isnt something I should hold against them too, as some people will love it, but they adamantly refuse to put out christmas decorations until after thanksgiving. This was very unfortunate, as 2013 the Saturday before Thanksgiving was bright and sunny. I would much rather put up lights when it is clear than when it is wet and rainy out. Again, circumstances made this a more inconvenient thing than it should have been. Had to go to Fred Meyer instead. Still, love supporting these guys and the staff is very helpful. Also, nice and close to Multnomah Village. Much closer than the nearest Home Depot or Lowes.

D Reed

I have been shopping at the Barbur Aboy for years. In the last 2 months I have had 3 bad customer service experiences in 4 trips. Three different employees working the floor - each one acted like I was bothering them when I asked for help. Once to open the locked up spray paint cabinets, once to help locate some nylon nuts and bolts and another time to cut a 6 foot piece of 1/2" aluminum angle in half so I could transport on my motorcycle. Two of the interactions resulted in snarky comments. I shop at Aboy to get things I cant get at Home Depot. I rarely ask for help in a store but when I do all I expect is polite professional conduct from whoever is helping.

Bruce Barry

Have been going here since I was a child. Great employees, but that isnt the issue. 9/10 times I have gone in the past few years they have not had what I needed(cases in point: I needed tomato cages today, last month I needed 1 inch pvc pipe and connectors, winter I needed ducting tape, last October I needed replacement wall outlets... All times and more no dice). I really want to love this store, but I have left empty handed so so many times for basic things that I have stopped considering them as a vendor. Would give them 5 stars if they carried what I need even half the time. GREAT EMPLOYEES THOUGH!

Adam M

Really had a bad experience with this store, although the employee we worked with was helpful the ordering and follow up is where they fell short. We were promised the items I purchased would be in at a certain date but they were delayed two separate times, I waited which delayed my project costing me extra money only to find out it was back-ordered. Had to cancel the order and it was a nightmare to get a refund, did purchase an in stock toilet which was "on sale" only to realize two weeks later that it was over-priced garbage. Lesson learned Ill stick with Home Depot.

Jannae Palovich

A-Boy is the local home & garden store up off of Barbur and they have a lot of the same things that Home Depot offers just more close to home. Every time I have gone in here I enjoy wandering around to see what kind of goodies i can find! then usually i get lost and someone is always there to help point me in the right direction. Employees are constantly on hand and know what they are talking about, one guy spent like 15 minutes trying to help me choose the right connector for some tubing! Good place for outdoor & indoor needs!