Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

They fixed the problem but they are pretty much thieves charging $450 for an hours work. I will never use them again. Stay away unless completely desperate.

is time they said -I requested service to be done on a Saturday. They told me it would have to be done on Sunday. They would give me a 4 hour window. 8AM-12PM. They called me at 3pm saying that it would have to wait Monday. They gave me the same 4 hour window. Monday came and went giving me the same reason. They told me that in MA that a Master Plumber needed to do the job. They called me saying that they were very sorry. I was only free on Saturday. The plumbers did come one Saturday and did a great job. My only complaint was with the scheduling part. They kept saying they had someone coming but no one would come. The company needs to work on their scheduling department.

They totally lived up to their ad! They got the job done seemingly effortlessly with no mess! I would use them again if needed.

They came on time and did a good job

Our last water heater died, so we were anxious to get someone in quickly to replace it. Roto-rooter was the only responsive company, (after calling a couple other companies), so we went with them. They were very professional and prompt, and did a good job with the installation. My only complaint is the high price, which is why I gave them an overall B instead of A. If it hadn't been an emergency situation, we could have shopped around and gotten a more reasonable price, but at least they did the work quickly and professionally.

It was great. They cleaned out the line and everything was fine. They showed up on time and they did the job without a mess.

The person arrived on time but gave me an estimate which unlike a prior employee was a flat fee and not related to he time involved in the job. I should have said no the but I was stuck with the leak so I proceeded. Eventually the leak was detected and repaired. I asked about an estimate for a much more extensive piece of work and a number was thrown out and I was basically told it would be a nightmare. I am sure he just wasnt interested. After he left I realized there was no water flow just a trickle directly above the repair. I called again and this time asked if the prior employee could return, fix this and do a real estimate.They said he was available Monday morning and could come at 8 in case I decided to have the new work done . At 1015 someone called from the office to say he was delayed and would be there between 11 and 12 and that I was next on the list ( this seems to be there standard line as other people pointed out.) At 1230 someone else called and said I was next on the list again and he would be here by 200. At 215 after no one showed up or called, I called and was eventually transferred to dispatch and then to mike the employee I had requested. He claimed to know nothing about the Appointment and said he wasn't available. So now I have wasted an entire vacation day waiting for a repair and estimate that never happened. No one even apologized. After my first experience, I had recommended them to others. I will never do that again and will warn anyone I had given positive feedback to in the past. It is unclear if this was a scheduling screw up or not. It is hard to know who to believe. I also found debris from the repair in my driveway that I had to clean up.

I called Roto-Rooter to connect the gas line to my new stove and also check the mount itself as the fittings didn't match and I wanted to play it safe. My appointment window was from Noon-4pm, which fortunately enough for me, was a time I am normally home between classes. As of 5, when I had to go to class, I was told that I was "next on the list," but I couldn't stay any longer. My girlfriend came home around 5:30, and then around 6:45, Gregory showed up. I have used Gregory several times before over the past year on various plumbing projects which he had done quite satisfactorily, so I was completely fine with him doing additional work at my home. While he was there, I was able to communicate to my girlfriend via chat that he should also go ahead and install the toilet in the bathroom I had just finished tiling the weekend before. (I hate putting toilets in, and this one would have been a bear). He quoted me a price for both jobs of around $550. By the time I got home around 9:30, Gregory was still working on the gas line and couldn't figure out why the stove wouldn't light. I suggested that the gas was not turned on, but was told he knew what he was doing. I told him I would tinker with the stove and perhaps call the manufacturer the next day. I paid him, he left, and then I went and turned the gas on. Voila; the stove worked. Anyway, as I was pushing the stove back into place, I realized that the connection he used (copper elbows apparently) stuck out so much that the range would not fit flush against the wall as it should. I'm so disappointed in Gregory's work that I have decided not to use him or Roto Rooter again. UPDATE (10/15/2012): Someone in corporate just called me to see what they can do to make this right (apparently after reading this review), even offering to send out their licensed plumbing manager on 10/17/12. I shall update after that meeting. UPDATE (10/17/2012): Our appointment was at 1pm. The manager and Gregory both showed up at 12:50pm, so I will give them points for punctuality. After a brief discussion of the problem and showing how much the stove stood out against the wall, the manager told me it would be a simple fix and that there would be no charge. He left Gregory to fix the problem, which Gregory did in a matter of maybe 5-10 minutes, if even that. A very simple fix indeed. Gregory double checked that there were no leaks with the repair(safety first), and all was right with the world. I appreciate Roto-Rooter's follow-up and will say that even though I was not happy initially with the work done, they have upheld their warranty of service. Whether I will call them again in the future is uncertain, as I have had problems getting appointments soon enough, but I like Gregory enough to at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

I called Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Service the morning after my sewer line backed up at my Arlington MA home. A plumber (Stephen H) was at my home in 2.5 hours, and I received two calls prior to his arrival to keep me informed of the arrival time. Stephen was professional, courteous, and friendly. We discussed the problem, the likely root cause, the type/scope/cost of his work on the day of service, and follow-up recommendations for maintaining a functioning sewer line. Stephen completed the work in a short amount of time (~1 hr) and followed up with me at that point. Any object he had to move out of the way (e.g. washer, dryer) was replaced to its original position, and he even improved the dryer exhaust connection. The work area was clean when he left. I highly recommend Stephen H of Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Service for rapid, professional work by a friendly face. (P.S. He's kind to pets.)

We called Roto-Rooter in Natick because we accidentally screwed into a pipe at a customer's home while installing a garage system. They were able to send someone out right away, but by the time he arrived we learned that the homeowner too had called her own plumber. We called the Natick office back to apologize for the mix-up, and prepared to pay for the minimum service call. After explaining what had happened, the woman in the office said, "It happens...Not to worry and there would not be a charge". We thanked her and immediately wanted to let someone know how impressed we were with that service. Nobody sends a technician out without a charging. We will definitely call them again when we are in need of plumbing services. Thank you.

The price was way to expensive for what they did, it took them 5 minutes to do the work.

I was leaving town early on 6/25/12 and my bathtub and sink drain was completely clogged and not usable by housemates. Roto-Rooter would not send someone when I called on 5/23/12 in the evening. I had to wait until the next morning. When Roto-rooter man came he gave me an estimate of $377 for one hour's work to clear the drain. When I said that I wanted to get another estimate he tried to frighten me into using his service by saying that someone else might damage my pipes and require replacement costing me thousands. I would not recommend using Roto-Rooter.

Based upon the suggestion of Peter Horton from The Boston Globe, I contacted Roto Rooter to correct a clogged downspout. I used the website without issue and was able to secure an appointment for the very next day. I received a call 45 minutes prior to the appointment that the technician was on his was. Augustine arrived promptly and stayed for 2 hours. He cleared out the downspout and used the snake to clear out the line between the ground to the sewer. He did a complete and thorough job. The process was not rushed at all. The only drawback with the website are estimates are not provided, they are given once the technician arrives. I'm sure they need to survey the situation, but I had no idea if this would be a $50 or $500 job. Other Angie's list reviews had given me a very accurate ballpark. I was also able to use the coupon provided at the Roto Rooter site for $40 off. In the past, I thought Roto Rooter was just for internal pipe issues. I will recommend them for any outside issues as well.

It went well Tech was very thorough

We had scheduled with this company twice and both times they did not show up or call! After speaking to dispatch and a manager and getting no where, we decided to find another company. I AM SO FRUSTRATED WITH THIS COMPANY, I had used them in the past and was so pleased and now to be blown off both by a no show and on the phone was just more than I can stand!

My kitchen drain/garbage disposal clogged and not draining at all. I called the 800 number and set up an appt. When i asked about prices the operator told me that the 'tech' or plumber would provide prices before working. He arrived promptly in the appointment window and I forgot to ask and he didn't tell me how much it would cost to fix. He discovered that their was a crack in my disposal and it was leaking under the sink. He old me it was a cheap disposal, (my landlord installed it) and would need to be replaced. He had to use the snake twice to remove the clog in the pipe. He made a mess under my sink and did a half-hearted attempt to clean it up. (Using almost half a roll of my paper towels to do a messy job.) I did have a coupon from Angies List to save $50 for services, however the bill was $389 for less than half an hour work. I was told that was the standard price! When I said that was high, his response was "what do you care, your landlord will pay for it?" He was very opinionated (about a variety of topics) and wasn't shy about sharing his thoughts about kids, dogs and women. I was glad when he left my house. He told me that Roto-Rooter would install a new one for $585, my landlord did not approve the cost. I will shop around for a better price.

When I called for service the woman was friendly and courteous. One review here said they have a flat rate of $369, but others who used them say they paid less (one was $100), so I asked if they have the flat rate and she said NO. I told her that if there was, and if it was $369 like I read on Angies List, I wouldn't schedule and it would waste everyone's time. She said no, there's no flat rate. Ken arrived on time, friendly and professional. I feel confident he could have fixed the problem. But then he told me.there is a flat rate of $369. Ken said he works commission and kindly offered to drop the fee $50 but that still didn't work for me. I apologized and said they told me there was no flat rate. They probably think that once the plumber is here, a customer will cave in and pay the fee. I was upset my time was wasted and several hours were lost where I could have scheduled someone else.

They did very well. The guy who came was very polite and efficient. He did a really good job because it was no an easy drain to be unclogged. They also cleaned up very well. They were on time and offered a reasonable price. He made sure the problem was fixed before he left.

Everything was fine. They did a good job and everything was just as they said.

Went well and was a positive experience.

Our sewer backed up all over the basement because roots were growing in it, and then a plumber fixed a toilet and flushed vast quantities of toilet paper down the toilet to prove it was fixed, which plugged up the pipe the rest of the way. The next day we went downstairs and our basement was covered in raw sewage. Roto rooter came out quickly and cleared the drain, then recommended a clean-up company who ended up pushing me very hard to pay (thousands) for incomplete work. I paid part of it and said the rest would come when the job was finished. When they finished more of the job, they again pushed me for the rest of payment. I paid them some more, but I withheld the last $250 to encourage them to complete the rest of the job. They never came back -- I guess they decided it wasn't worth it to finish the job for that amount of money. There were other issues I won't go into, but I was not impressed that the guy from Roto Rooter would recommend a company like this. Four months later the drain backed up again. Roto Rooter came and cleared it and charged another $369. They said they would send a guy to have a look with a camera and check the status of the sewer since it backed up again so soon. But that other guy never came, so I hired someone else who came a day or two later. With the camera I could see that the 6" clay pipe was still full of roots, with a little 2" hole through the roots. I guess I paid $369 for that 2" hole. Perhaps they did the same thing four months ago, and this was the reason that the pipe backed up again after only 4 months. I called Roto Rooter to complain and they said they would refund the $369 since they have a 6 month warranty and I should not have been charged a second time like that. They said they'd send another guy out to finish the job. He never came. I called again and they sent out the original guy (the one who made that 2" hole through the roots). I spoke to him based on what the drain cleaner with the camera and another plumber both told me: I told him to use a 4" blade instead of 2" but he was reluctant. I insisted, and he did it, but I do not feel confident that he made much of a difference. Next time I will use the guy who came with the camera, who told me they charge $250 to clean out the roots, and sewer pipes are their specialty. The good thing about Roto Rooter is that they try to send someone out right away and don't charge you time and a half for it if it is out of ordinary hours. The bad thing is that the work they do is incomplete.

I used Roto-Rooter for plumbing and changing the faucet. We have used them two times. The first time the guy was nice but didn't really know what to do with the sink that came with the house. The faucet was from the 1950's that was built-in making it an unusual problem. Then the second guy was very good but didn't have the parts to actually change the faucet. He changed the under sink plumbing so that it would be separate. He did a good job. It was expensive, but it was worth it. The first guy did not charge them anything for coming to look at it because he could not fix it. The people are really nice.

This happened on a Sunday night, and it was a big mess. I called Roto Rooter and I believe they gave me a 2-4 hour window that night. They said we would receive a call when they were on their way. Well, I didn't get the call, but they did show up earlier than expected, which was a bonus. The man was there for about an hour, and completely snaked the drain, and it looked like an earlier tenant had flushed something they should not have down the drain. The guy was great....he was quick, efficient and thorough...and an added bonus-he cleaned/cleared up his mess. I was very happy with the service. Hoping I WILL NOT have to call them again.

They arrived promptly and left a mess in my home from spilled sewage. They hadn't prepared in a way to prevent the spill. This caused considerable damage.

Arrived on time, cleaned the drain in a timely fashion.