Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

Contract for work was to replace downspouts from the sump discharge to the corner of the house up to 25'. The quote was for $1200 and I used a coupon from there website for $40 off. I paid in 2 check installments of $580, signed on 3/2/13 Work was done on 3/5/13 or so I thought. I noticed when I got home the only part of the ground that was dug up was right at the pump discharge. I called Scott Hamilton(guy who wrote the contract) the nite of 3/5/13 and told him they did not do what I paid for. He did not know anything about the actual work that was performed he needed to talk to the guys who did the work and he would call me about 9 the next morning. He stated if they did not do the work it did not need to be done then. At that point I said if they work did not need to be done then I was due a refund. On 3/6/13 no call from Scott as promised. I went to the Roto Rooter website and put in a complaint with service done which went to Pat Swanson, she replied and said a General Manager would contact me within 30 mins. George May called me and we talked about the work that was done. At that time I thought the broken pipe that was bubbling up from the ground had been replace to begin with which was very close to the sump discharge and the sump discharge itself was replaced. He said ok I will send the 2nd half $580 back can we agree on that,. I said yes since I thought the work that was important was done. The next day 3/7/2013 it rained like h*** I came home from work and was talking to my neighbor and noticed the flooding between the houses. The dirt that was used to cover up the broken pipe was now flooded and water was bubbling up from the ground again. Lots of water worse than before. Sump pump was running non stop. Obviously the pipe that was cracked in the beginning was not replaced just covered up with dirt. I went back on the website and did a complaint which went to Pat Swanson and insisted someone contact me immediately. I called Roto Rooter and said they would put in a work order for someone to come out that nite ASAP. Recvd a call about 9pm from Mathew he stated he was just finishing up and he would be out. I explained I would be leaving and would be right back and then going to bed and I asked him if he needed me and he said he did not need me to see what was going on. Mathew called again about 11ish, he said he could come out to night but its late and people really don't like someone messing around there houses after dark so he could come out first thing in the morning on 3/12/13 but he would still come if I wanted him to. I said its ok come tomorrow and he said he would call me first thing when he figures out what is going on. He called later in the day on 3/13/13 and stated that he could not get his camera up in the line from the road that it was full of roots. That he pulled some of the roots out (not sure where the roots went to there was none in the trashcan or laying around). I told him that I would like the work that I paid for to be done and he proceeded to tell me that no he would need to replace the the line up to the side walk, no he just got thru telling me that the other side of the side walk was full of roots. He also said he really did not want to have to get into the sidewalk area that really is very costly and the city has to be involved and its a whole lot of trouble. He stated the cost for them to replace the line from the sump discharge to the side walk they would need $1900 more. I said in addition to the $1160 that I already paid? And I already paid for part of this line to be replaced and that did not happen. Mathew said that is in addition to the $580 I paid since half was refunded, and I stated that I did not receive that yet. I told Mathew that I was not comfortable with giving Roto Rooter any more money since what I paid for and what the contract said they have not done yet.. That I want to get some other estimates. He said you have my number if you decide to go with us and get the work done. I sent another complaint on on the Roto Rooter website on 3/13/13 and basically said that i was completely unhappy with the work that is done, the situation with the water is worse than when I started. What I would like to have done at this point is have another company come out to give me a estimate and I am going to give me a separate quote on the work that was done, sump discharge pipe and I would like the money back if there is a difference from what I paid. I think that would be a fair solution. If I can't get this resolved then I will file a compliant with the BBB and go that route. Once again I feel like I have been scammed by a larger company. Seems like the smaller companies take much more pride in there work and much more appreciative of there customers. George May emailed me back on 3/13/13, Mrs. Vinyard. Thank you for taking the time to write and offer an insight into your perception of the work we performed at your home. It is always nice to hear both the positives and the negatives as it relates to the various services that we provide. While it is upsetting that you feel as though the work performed was not worth the price you paid, we feel as though the adjustment to your original bill was more than reasonable considering our costs of doing the task. As such, our position is that we do not feel compelled to offer you any additional consideration from a monetary standpoint. If you should have any issues that relate to the workmanship as described in the original proposal, please feel free to contact our Excavation Manager Doug Stram and he will address those concerns at that time. I wrote him back and stated it's alright. After I get the estimates of a fair value of the work done then I will proceed. If it is under what I paid I will go ahead with my complaint with the BBB. Not someone at Roto Rooter.That is obviously not the way to go. If they give me a quote that the fair value is more I will accept what is what and move on. On 3/13/12 I received another estimate and talked to him about the work that was done. He clearly stated the work that was done was about $100 job. And I proceeded to go with another company to get the work done and have the problem repaired which was not to just replace the line that the slope needs to be corrected or the same problems are going to keep happening. In the mean time Roto Rooters contract clearly states that if there is any diversion of the work described above (on the original contract) is required or customer requests additional work to be performed, the parties will agree and sign new written work description before Roto-Rooter begins new work. (This did not happen). It also states that If we provide a service guarantee (up to 1 yr) it covers only drainage failure in the line serviced and defective plumbing, workmanship, during the guarantee term. . I am wanting my money back due to the work that was signed on the contract states the sump discharge and up to 25' of downspout to the front corner of the house was to be replaced. (This did not happen). There is a year guarantee on the work that was signed for on the contract for the workmanship that was done on the contract that was signed. It's failing miserably. I did receive the $580 check from roto rooter in the mail. At this point Roto Rooter still has $580 for work that was not done that was on the signed contract. I have found Roto-Rooter one of the worst experiences I have ever had with any company here in the Columbus, OH area.

Easy and simple. I called and they had me already in their system from the last mishap. I was given a window of about 2 hours (mind you I called at 9:30pm on a Sunday). I asked if they would accept my Angie's List coupon. They said yes and the tech would also have some coupon suggestions. about an hour prior to the tech showing up, they called to advise he was finishing up a job and should be there soon. 30 minutes out, they called again to confirm the tech was on the way. Tech shows up and I explain the problem. He asked what I paid last time and when I told him he said the prices had gone up about $20 dollars but said there was a $40 coupon online at their website. Nice - better than the AL coupon I had. Same experience as last time. the tech covered his shoes and brought in the big boy snake. $209 dollars and an hour later, he was gone and everything was everything.

Overpriced, over quoted and the seriousness of the problem was overstated in order to pressure us into the repair.

Our drains backed and we called Roto-Rooter. We paid $249.00. However, two weeks later they backed up again. Another tech came out and discovered out septic tank was full. We paid another $325.00 to have that done with them. However, they refunded the $249.00 we paid for drain clearing because that tech had mis diagnosed the problem. I was extremely pleased about that.

They were excellent. My toilet was leaking and I wanted to upgrade it and so that's what I used them for. I think both the service gentleman that came to my house did an exceptional job. They are reliable, personable and I felt that they are trustworthy.

The seal under my toilet broke after forceful use of the plunger. Shortly after the Roto-Rooter technician arrived he flushed the toilet knowing full well it had a bad seal at the bottom. Then he stood there and asked if I had a towel as water came gushing out the bottom. I frantically cleaned up his mess because water was seeping under my wood floor in the hallway which was less than two feet from the toilet. A few more minutes went by and he flushed the toilet again and for a second time I had to hurriedly clean up his mess. Then he spent a considerable amount of time snaking (without a camera) my drain through the toilet, but kept sending the device up my sewer vent which was making a loud clanking sound. I went outside and saw the device (which he identified as a "wiggler") sticking at least 1 1/2 feet above my sewer vent waving around in the air next to my antenna. After quite some time he finally got the thing to go in the right direction until he ran out of line at 110 feet. The field supervisor then joined us and tried to send his camera down the same drain to see if he could see anything. However, he was not able to feed his large camera through the line to properly inspect it. Instead, both the technician and the field supervisor told me I needed to install a cleanout and have the lines jetted. The field supervisor handed me an estimate for $4,260. The technician had earlier estimated it would cost between $4,500-$4,600. After 3 1/2 long hours, the technician put the toilet back in place, but he didn't refill it with water. He warned me that I should use very little water. I was left with the impression that I would never be able to use my toilet again unless I shelled out over 4K. And -- I was told it was a really good deal. In addition, the technician never replaced the bad seal under the toilet and he ruined one of the wooden slats in my hallway next to the bathroom. Coincidentally, the clump of roots he had pulled from my drain was found alongside a brand new wax ring which he had thrown away in my garbage can. After I complained to the company about this whole ordeal, Roto-Rooter refunded the $99 and offered to send a "qualified crew" to do a camera inspection and video the lines for free. I accepted the refund but declined their other offer because I was so appalled by their initial service and their sales tactics. I am a single female and have no expertise when it comes to plumbing and drain issues, but at least I know enough not to flush a toilet if it has a bad seal. Fortunately, I got a second professional opinion instead of going ahead with the very expensive cleanout.

We had an emergency situation in our basement with sewage back up. We called and they came out within hours. No extra travel charge or same day services. Nick the technician was awesome. He worked for hours to determine the cause and fixed it. We were so satisfied and thought it would cost a lot more but didn't. Everyone was so nice. Would use again for sure.

I was very unhappy with this company's professionalism, and price. My bad experience with Roto-Rooters began after my basement flooded with 3 inches of water, and after trying to remove it myself, I wanted a professional to help identify the source of the problem. On Friday evening, a women over the phone assured me it was OK to leave standing water in the basement, and that as soon as the workers cleared the drain, it should empty through my floor drain. The next morning a representative called me asking if I had removed all the water from the basement yet, becuase she could not have her men working in standing water with their equipment and possibly be electrocuted. This was exactly in constrast to what the women on the phone had said the night before. I finished emptying the water from my basement, and Roto-Rooters came out later that day for an estimate. THe initial plumber did a quick assessment and told me he believed this problem was coming from my toilet, and asked me if I was putting tampons down the toilet. I promptly informed him that this was not the case, but found this question pretty offensive, as I am a young, single, female homeowner. After unsuccessfully snaking my drain, he stuck his hand down there to pull out rocks and dirt. He excalimed "this is crazy!" and told me my drain pipe was crushed, and his area supervisor would be over later that day to do an estimate. It didn't have to do with the toilet, after all (not entirely, anyway). The Supervisor arrived and began to talk about the trouble another client was having with this same young man, exlaiming he didn't understand how anyone could have a problem with this man, and he was one of his best. This was inappropriate to share, but I let him know about the trouble I had with him, and that i COULD see why another client would have a problem with his attitude and professionalism. The superivsor agreed that he had a strange demeanor. This was all very weird to me. During the estimate, I believe he tried to use scare tactics on me, telling me about "sink holes" in Calfornia and foundations caving in due to broke drain pipes. Then, he assured me while my problem was not this serious, it could cause more cracking the cement and so on. Finally, he gave me an estimate upwards of $2,000 to fix a drain pipe, which wouldn't have even began to address the main issue that I MIGHT have with my main line (main stack). He would have charged me $300 JUST to take alook at the main stack (and send a snake down the main stack) since my cap was rusted shut and it would take someone to pry this off, before doing a camera inspection. Overall, and after speaking with others in this business, I feel this was over-priced and found these employees (and even supervisor) unprofessional, misleading, and uncomfortable to work with. THe only good thing I can say is that the supervisor took the time to explain how my drainage system worked, though I can't be sure this was a totally unbiased account.

I had a contract with them and they took care of me all of 2012, and I had an added dilemma that Gene the GM there helped me with and I am very grateful.

They are very prompt. They communicate well. I just feel that there pricing is a little high but they do get to your problems quickly.

Noticed a leak coming down a water supply line into our basement. Couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Called several contractors on a Saturday afternoon and had no response. Finally called Roto-Rooter who said they would make it that evening. Received call they were behind and agreed to put off until next day. Was given a three hour window from 9 AM -12 AM, ended up 2 hours late but once here Adam was able to figure out the leak was behind a wall on the 1st floor wall. He repaired the water lines withen an hour and considering it being a weekend and needed to be fixed was very happy with the result. Adam was very professional and knowledgeable and cleaned up after he finished. Overall experience was good and glad to find someone on short notice and still believes in customer service. I did have one contractor tell me to wait until Monday when rates are cheaper and just turn off my water, I guessed he didn't want to mess his day up watching football. I don't mind paying for service and Roto-Rooter came through.

Their service was excellent. They were very professional and extremely on time. They did work as expected.

My 79 year old mother in law called Roto Rooter for a backed up floor drain in the basement. She had standing water. Tech Dave gave her estimate to dig up main sewer line and replace for $4450. Worse they snaked her floor drain and told her the pipe was collapsed. The even charged her an extra $100 to use their camera (they did not leave a tape of that event). They wrote quite a bit on their estimate, however they did not clear the line. They gave no guarantees. Called another plumber, waterworks. They snaked the main line, hit a number of roots, and opened the line. My mother in law is always afraid of being taken advantage of. You decide.

We had a little sewer backup so we called roto rooter to clean the pipe and check for the reason. They had pretty quickly a guy sent out to snake the pipe and then the Field supervisor Matthew came to do the camera inspection. So he put his camera in the pipe and told us, that our pipes were bellied under the basement floor and that to fix it it would cost approximately 7000$. Since that's quite a bit of money we got a second opinion. We told the guy what we had seen on the camera and he said, that without seeing the actual footage he would think that most was not necessary and that the job could well be done for 300$, but to be sure he wanted to see the DVD. So I called Matthew and told him, that we needed the DVD, and he said that this would be approx. 4$ but he would have to call the guy in the office and get back to me. Guess what, now they want 99$ for the DVD. Is this DVD made out of platinum or what. Do not hire them for anything but snaking your pipes, which they do well but others will do it equally well. For everything else they are trying to rip you off! Worst experience I had in my whole life!!!!

Took about 10 minutes but we got charged a flat rate. If you use them, beware of the pricing!

Called on Saturday morning, could have scheduled for same day, but opted to schedule the next day instead. They gave me a 2hr window from 10a-12p. They called at 11a saying they were running about an hour behind and that they'd be calling again soon to give me the name of the tech and let me know they were on their way. They called again at 1pm which I guess is technically an hour late of the 2hr window... he arrived within a 1/2hr of the second call. Good thing I hadn't planned anything around the original appointment window! The actual experience once he was there went fine. He was able to bust out the old toilet flange and installed a new one. Toilet was put back and all is well so far with regards to the leak which prompted the original call. He cleaned up after himself and was polite and courteous through the whole experience. I would definitely call them again.

They were very honest and knowledgeable. They told us what we needed to do to prevent more leaks.

.We had a sewer backup problem due to clogging, ultimately caused by a roots in a broken segment. Responsiveness was very good. The company cleaned the sewer once with a snake for about $275. They later inspected the sewer with a camera, and it was still clogged. The camera was low quality and running out of power. They proposed a second cleaning by jetting, for which we had to pay again another about $220. The camera inspection cost about the same. Even before discovering a faulty segment they proposed a roughly 5000$ solution to the possibility of subsequent backup. At that point, the broken segment had not been noticed. Later they noticed the broken segment and proposed a $9200 solution involving digging through the basement cement and other complications, not clearly guaranteed to work. At all times we had the impression that we were being rushed into expensive decisions, and pressured to make act quickly based on a prediction of sewer collapse in the near future that would further increased the costs. It was quite stressful, and we were not impressed by the quality of the work and assessment of the pipe problems, nor with the proposed solutions.We later hired CPR Drain Cleaning who did the repairs for $2100, solely by digging in the yard. By the way, their camera was incomparably better, and they saw that there was no imminent pipe collapse; however, we hired them to replace it nonetheless.

It was a pleasant experience working with Vince. He was knowledgable, professional, and understanding, and worked until job was done. The problem was evaluated and he proceeded to set up equipment and begin to clear the drain. We found the clog approx. 15 ft from street and Vince continued to work until dark to get the job done.

Overall it was really great, or as great as a clogged sewer can be.

Their service was really great. Only thing is that their services are a little expensive as compared to the other Plumbing companies. However, I am extremely satisfied with the job done at my house. Their technician was extremely helpful.

Called Roto Rooter at 4:30 on a Friday, after one other vendor said they would have to charge me overtime rates starting at $325. Another vendor closed at 5 pm and my call went to voice mail. Roto Rooter answered promptly and said they could send someone out for a free no obligation estimate within two hours. They called at 6:00 to let me know the technician was delayed. Shortly after they called to say he was on the way. Ray was fantastic! He looked at the problem and worked hard at getting at the obstruction, which turned out to be construction debris. He stuck to the quoted price and honored my Angie's List coupon. I cannot say enough about Ray, he was personable, polite and serious about solving my problem.

He did a really good job. He was polite and on time. He took his time and analyzed our issues and provided detailed infomation of what was causing the problem. He was outstanding and really provided us with great customer service. He eventually resolved all of our plumbing issues.

They just did the job correctly and I don’t know if they were overpriced or not. I really have no idea about that. They just did what I wanted them to do. I’m having a hard time remembering them. I will use them again in the future.

They had to come several times because the toilet was not working properly. One plumber came twice on December 16 and on December 20 and another came January 13 because we were still not happy with the faucet-it was still dripping and was difficult to turn off. Both plumbers were very timely. The one who came in December was very polite, worked slowly and tried to remedy the situation, however, I am not sure why he wasn't able to fix it. The second plumber who came in January was on time, but he had no "people skills", he also told us that he was not going to take care of the issue that we needed and suggested we would need to replace the entire apparatus including the hot water, cold water and shower faucets. He was going to charge us over $1,000 so we said, "No, thank you." The quoted price was with a coupon, normally it would have been $280.