Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

Set up an appointment and the plumber came out. He was very casual and took a look at the septic tank and had me run some water from the house and pointed out that it needed to be rodded out and cleaned. I said that the reason I called was a stuck drain and he gave an estimate of $400 dollars without even taking a look at the drain. When questioned as to how long it would take and how he would do the job to justify the cost he said that is just how it is and he became defensive in my opinion. He did not provide a time estimate nor tell me what he would use to clean the drain when asked. He asked ME about my experience level with such matters. Sounded like he was trying to shut me up instead of inform me. I said i was going to pass on the job and he politely accepted my response and left.

In my and several professionals' opinions, Roto-Rooter used inadequate equipment and then misused that equipment. Roto-Rooter failed to clear the roots. When they got their augur hung up on some roots, they panicked, revved their motor and bent their snake into a functional grappling hook larger than the drain pipe. When they could not yank their broken equipment out of our sewer, they cut their snake and abandoned it. Roto-Rooter then lied that our sewer had "collapsed" and refused to extract its equipment unless I agreed to pay Roto-Rooter $5,782 to excavate and extract their equipment. I refused. When I also refused to pay Roto-Rooter $430 for its incompetent and dishonest attempt, Roto-Rooter called the village "to get our house condemned," and lied that there was "raw sewage spilling out into the street." Needless to say, our public works guys were not pleased that Roto-Rooter attempted to involved the village in Roto-Rooter's fraudilent attempt to extort money from a resident homeowner. Worst of all, Roto-Rooter's personnel systematically lied to me about the quality of their equipment and the condition of my sewer. I share the widespread opinion that Roto-Rooter is not so much in the business of clearing drains as it is in selling extremely expensive sewer replacements - whether they are needed or not. The internet is replete with complaints about Roto-Rooter failing to perform, concocting emergencies, over-charging and generally engaging in deceptive trade practices. If you want to sadistically inflict great misery and expense on your worst enemies, persuade them to hire Roto-Rooter.

We've had them come out on a couple occasions. Very professional staff, and the gentleman that always comes out is friendly. I will use them again if needed.

Average service. Bit pricey but did the job.

Roto Rooter originally came out on 27 May to rod out the main sewer line. After a few set backs, a supervisor was requested. The supervisor who came out brought a camera and after checking the main sewer line, explained that there was a problem with "roots" in the sewer line. He stated that they could not access and clear up the problem from inside as they needed a wider access pipe. An estimate of the required work was drawn up and the work scheduled. They arrived promptly, secured the necessary permits and contacted the appropriate utilities and city inspector. The work, while quite an unexpected expense, was completed in a timely manner and the main sewer line was subsequently cleared.

We had the shower/tub diverter replaced because water can't reach the shower head. The technician suggested to replace the old galvanized piping leading to the shower with copper piping. Now we have excellent water pressure to the shower. We only open the valve half way and get the pressure for a good shower. We used to open the valve all the way and hold the diverter up until we get water to the shower. I will use Roto-rooter for future plumbing needs and have recommended them to my family and friends. I also get discounts for labor. We have used Roto-rootor in past jobs and are very satisfied.

The serviceman was requested to rod out the main sewer line and did so. Unfortunately, the serviceman stated that he was having problems getting through the main sewer line and after several attempts, requested a supervisor. A supervisor arrived at the house shortly thereafter armed with a line that had a camera on it. He proceeded to look through the sewer lines and then showed me where I had "roots" growing in the clay lines and that it would require additional work. Additionally, i was advised that the catch basin appeared to need cleaning out and that was also contributing to the sewer back up problem. The supervisor provided me with paperwork and figures on how much the additional work would cost to clean up the line. Additional they found where a few clay tiles which were on city property were not quite lined up and would make arrangements for a city inspector to come out and review. The work was completed several days later and aside from having the catch basin cleaned, the sewer seems to be working fine.

I had a great experience using this company. Jonathan was very personable and professional. He was able to explain everything to me and provide an estimate before he started any work. He also explained any questions I had during the process as well as gave me tips about how to keep it going good. Thanks!

I called the service and they said the technician would call within an hour. Technician (Yuri) called and verified the problem with me. He arrived on time and looked at the problem. He asked about my drain and I informed him of the access point in the garden. He quickly fixed the problem, gave me a gallon of drain shield and helped me contact a restoration service to clear out the problem in the basement. Very professional and courteous.

Jaime was fast and efficient. We received a call from Shawn to let us know Jaime's estimated time of arrival. Jaime was courteous and had excellent customer service skills. THANK YOU!

I got a flood in my basement and they now have a restoration division. They are working on the restoration right now. They are a nice crew of men and doing a very good job. I have used them with problems before. I like that they are friendly, helpful, and on time. I have not had any issues with the service yesterday. When I was in crisis, they were just very helpful.

The Roto-Rooter technician, Jimmy, was right on time and had no trouble finding where I lived. Believe me, finding my address is normally quite a challenge for first-time visitors, so, a good start. He worked on my tenant's bathtub first, rodding out both the overflow and the drum trap. I then asked Jimmy to take a look at the basement ceiling under my (first floor) rental unit because there had been multiple "water events" within the past year from various units in that particular tier and I wanted to make sure my rental unit wasn't causing any of these. From his inspection and explanation, I was reassured that my rental was not an issue...and it was also clear that Jimmy had a lot of experience working in older buildings. Jimmy then worked on my bathtub, which to my shock, revealed that the drum trap probably hadn't been rodded out for many years even before I bought the unit. In fact, the drum trap was totally full! On both jobs, Jimmy was very thorough and worked efficiently. He was also personable, which is very important if you, as a homeowner, are with a service provider for an hour or so. Jimmy understood the questions I asked and he explained various plumbing issues and drew supporting diagrams. I feel completely confident that I received excellent service and am so happy to have found this service provider.

The drain in the basement backed up. We called Roto Rooter and Leonard showed up at our door a few hours later. He had to be one of the nicest people that has ever done work in our home. He was very professional, explained exactly what he was going to be doing and somehow managed to keep a potentially disgusting job pretty clean. When he was done he took extra care to make sure that everything was as it should be and even had a person come out and inspect our sewer drain with a camera to make sure there were no holes in it. We are in the Gurnee area. If you need something like this done don't hesitate to call and ask for Leonard.

Our guys were quick. Within an hour of calling them to report massive sewage in our basement, they showed up and determined that out transfer ejector pump failed, which caused the back up. The first guy did the repair work, while another guy named Jake was the one who returned the affected area back to normal via steam cleaning, and large industrial fans and HEPA units. Both men were very professional and didn't waste any time fixing our problem. Needless to say, if we have any more plumbing issues, these fellas will be the ones I call.

Workman was here for 45 minutes, completed the work.

Went quick, gave do's and dont's for drains in the house.

From the start he was trying to sell a new water trap and connection pipe. When we bought this place it the plumbing was fine then as soon as we closed the kitchen sink would not drain. Roto Roter sent a guy out and he charged us $70 and still did not get the sink to drain. He told us to call back and get a licensed plummer to come out because we need new pipes. The licensed plummer showed up and immediately said we need pipes and it will be 4k. looking story short we called another plummer and the problem was fixed. i will not recommend Roto roters to anyone.

Danny, 2153, went above and beyond the call of duty. After he cleared the pipes, he helped wash the muck away. Our hose was shot so he carried buckets of water to pour over the mess. He swept the muck into the drain. He even gave us tips on not pouring bleach before we rinsed the basement floor with more water (fumes). He was courteous, professional. Told us the price before he did any work. I recommend Roto-Rooter. Even the operator was professional when I called to make the appointment. If you want honest work, if you want the job done right, call Roto-Rooter.

Howard was almost one hour later than the dispatcher said he would be. By the time he got here, my son had solved the problem with the hot water heater. I asked Howard to fix the bathtub faucets AND HE DID. This all amidst a houseful of 10 getting ready for lunch and to leave for the Monster Jam competition in Rosemont. Howard worked with and around all of us, left to get the parts he needed, returned and finished the job in good time. We had time to eat and leave for the competition in a blizzard. Good job, Howard. The faucets work great and the hot water feels wonderful! Sincerely, Barb Odean

work work, othere was 1 net lint filter in the washer line and Joe was able to rout it out and open up the line s we could do our laundry. he was punctual, professional, and kind, We had snow overnight but he still was here on time. He went straight to his work and got the job done. He also gave professional and timely advice that will not only save me money but misery in the future.An extremely professional, and customer service oriented experience. thank you Joe and Roto Rooter!!!!!!!

The plumber evaluated the supposed leak and there was none. The tenant had drilled into tiles in the bathtub area and the tiles were buckling. Every time someone would shower, it leaked in the basement. I wanted reassurance that a pipe was not broken in order to have the tile replaced or to fix the plumbing if it needed repair. Sean did a great job explaining especially to my tenant.

Absolutely terrible, unforgivable customer service for a supposedly 24/7 plumber. I had an appointment for a plumber to come out for an estimate between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. When I hadn't heard from their dispatcher by 6:45 p.m., I called to inquire, and all they could tell me was they had plumbers running late. Finally, around 9 p.m. a dispatcher told me the plumber who was supposed to show for my appointment was going to take at least two more hours at the job where he was, and they had no other plumbers available to fill the appointment. If you're going to bill yourself as a 24/7 plumber, you shouldn't have so much trouble making an appointment, since you obviously have multiple crews. How can a plumbing company not foresee the possibility a job will take several hours to complete, and have other plumbers on call or on standby, so you don't miss scheduled appointments. Then, they wouldn't even provide me any assurance they'd meet a new appointment window the next day.

When Jim arrived, he first explained what he would be doing to find the broken line so I knew what to expect. Once he found the leak, he showed me where it was explained the next steps, including suggesting a couple of things that I might consider doing, (along with the costs) because the water line was not up to code. Since he did not have the supplies and time to complete on Saturday, he made arrangements to come the next day - Sunday to complete the job. I was extremely pleased with these arrangements especially knowing that hundreds of people in the area were affected by the severe weather and in my same situation. The repair was done and when complete, Jim made sure everything was cleaned up. The next day I had a service in to help dry the basement and even they were impressed by the expert workmanship of the plumbing repair! I would definitely use them again any time I have a plumbing problem.

I was very pleased with Roto Rooter. I had another plumber here at a much cheaper rate, but he could not tell me where the clog was, and had a very open quote for cost to finish the job. Roto Rooter came and tried to rod, they could not get through either. They sent a field representative with camera and showed me exactly where the issue was, and wrote up a estimate on the work. Granted, they are very expensive, that comes with a 5 year guarantee. Also, the workers were very polite, and told me exactly what was happening throughout the time they took to complete the work. I did have to go one night with a hole in the driveway, but they put wood over the hole and caution tape/cones around it for safety. I also had full use of plumbing/sewer before they left for the day on day 1. Work and inspection done next day around 11 am.

Did not go well at all. He was unable to get thru the line. Left us with no usuage of toilets water etc. very frustrating . We called another company and they came and worked on line until they were able to get water and waste thru. Found out the person from Roto was trying to go the wrong way. Our plumbing lines went on a curve to the right and the Roto gentleman was trying to go left didn't realize which way line went. Was very upset they tried for a short while and said sorry can't break though. We had no working bathrooms luckily we found another plumbing company that was eager to assist just frustrated we had to pay for the same service twice. We will never use this company again .