Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

John Gleason showed up on time after calling first !BONUS! Looked at the drains. Explained everything and how it would be done. took extreme care with the White Carpet. Left the place cleaner than when he arrived and removed the giant hair clog.

The experience was fine overall. We still have a minor leak, but I haven’t had time to call them back yet. Their price was good.

The experience went well overall. The technician was awesome! He really tried to problem-solve and figure out an economical way to fix the problem, which he did. This problem had the potential to be extremely expensive, but he figured out how to fix it for significantly less and probably saved me about $400. He really did an excellent job.

They came out around 10 pm and fixed the leak in the basement. They have a 24 hour number you can call. They came out right away and the leak has been nonexistent every since.

I only used Roto Rooter on one prior occasion; I previously used Roto Rooter for repairs to a leaking water pipe in my basement. At that time (about a year ago), the total bill with materials was about $166.00. Hence, I was shocked when the Roto-Rooter technician initially quoted me $285.00 to clear the drain in my sink pipe. The plumber which I used less than two years ago, for that identical task, only charged me $90.00. The technician told me that "his price included a chemical treatment, but he would charge $229.00 without the treatment". I opted for the lower charge, but told the technician that I was entitled to the senior citizen discount of 10%, which he agreed to ($22.90). However, neither the technician, nor the dispatching office informed me that there was a $40.00 coupon available online, for service calls. In fact, prior to the technician arriving, Roto Rooter e-mailed me a confirmation, which stated that a 20% off coupon was available, only for a secondary job done at that time. However, at no time did the online confirmation also state that there was a $40.00 coupon available, for the primary job. I didn't notice the coupon until after the technician left. Hence, I would have paid $17.10 less for the service call, if I had been properly apprised. I sent a letter on Dec. 4, 2011 to the area manager of Roto-Rooter for the Columbus, Ohio area. To this date, I've never received a response from him. Roto Rooter required me to sign a disclaimer of liability, stating that in case there was damage to my pipes, it would not be responsible. The technician did not inform me of this provision, before I agreed to go ahead and authorize the work. It should also be noted that there is a work authorization/waiver on the original invoice which Roto-Rooter requires customers to sign. It states "if their equipment gets stuck in our pipes, we are responsible for the cost of repairs". Hence, if Roto-Rooter has that disclaimer of liability built into its contract, why does it make its customers sign a separate disclaimer of liability? Doesn't Roto-Rooter have professional liability insurance, as most contractors carry? The paperwork was excessive. The technician asked me to sign in two places, and print my name in two places, as well as initial in one place. Then, he printed out another invoice (using a portable printer), and asked me to again sign and print my name. When I inquired as to why this duplicitive process was necessary, he stated that it was for Roto Rooter's computer. Then, he asked to see a copy of my Driver's License, and wrote the license number on the check. He also attempted to write my telephone number on the check. However, I told him that my telephone number was unlisted, and I didn't want it on the check. According to Section 1349.17 (A) (2) of the Ohio Revised Code, "No person shall record or cause to be recorded either of the following: "The telephone number or social security account number of the other party to a transaction, when payment is made by credit card charge agreement, check, bill of exchange, or other draft". Regarding quality, my sink was satisfactorily unclogged. Hence, I will assign a grade of "B". However, I'm not positive if the two washers which the technician installed into one of the drain pipes were necessary, as the pipe was not leaking before the washers were installed. Also, when the drain pipe was reinstalled, I later noticed that the pipe cover did not cover the outside threads, as was the case before it was removed. As far as the price went, I am assigning a "D", as the total cost was about double what my regular plumber would have charged. Roto Rooter claims that it doesn't charge any additional amount for night or weekend work. Since Roto Rooter's rates are so high, it doesn't have to charge extra for night and weekend work. Regarding responsiveness, although Roto Rooter responded by e-mail and telephone in a timely manner, it did not inform me in either instance about the $40.00 off coupon. Hence, a grade of "C" will be assigned. Pertaining to punctuality, as only an hour and a half elapsed from the time that I called Roto Rooter, until the time that it arrived, I will assign a grade of "B". However, regarding Professionalism, since Roto Rooter still has not responded to my letter, in which I requested reimbursement of $17.10, I have no choice but to assign a grade of "F". NOTE: ON Dec. 19, 2011, I received a refund in the amount of $17.10 from Roto Rooter. However, they should have acknowledged my original letter of Dec. 4, 2011, and informed me that a refund would be forthcoming, since they have my e-mail address on file. Therefore, I will updgrade the "F" grade to "C" for Professionalism. ,

My experience with this company is that they are not reliable.

I called Roto-Rooter around 8:15 PM on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving--we had an ominously backed up drain that was keeping us from using any water (with overnight guests and a holiday meal to prepare). Knowing it was a holiday weekend I fully anticipated a long wait, and was told a technician would be available sometime before midnight. The scheduling side of Roto Rooter was more optimistic about timing than the overbooked technicians--scheduling promises an arrival time but this time really depends on how complicated the technician's field jobs really are. This is something that's difficult to predict, especially on a holiday weekend. The scheduling office kept us advised of progress, and kept asking hopefully if we'd like to reschedule and wait until Thanksgiving morning at 9:00...). We said we'd prefer to stay up and get the problem taken care of. Our service guy, John Gleason, arrived a bit before 2:00 AM. He was friendly, very professional, and a good sport about being out so early and being so busy on Thanksgiving. He diagnosed the problem, and was very careful and as quiet as possible while doing the work. The drain was cleared and the work area VERY clean when he finished. Mr. Gleason is an asset to Roto Rooter and I hope he is recognized and rewarded for his attitude as well as his competence.

. Aside from the price, this company was very responsive. They called a few times to confirm and then re-confirm when the 3 hour window given was moved. John showed up at approximately 3:30am, (in my service window) and was very professional. He was concerned about waking others in the house due to the hour, which I appreciated. He came in and gave me an estimate and asked if I wanted the work done. No tricks or gimmicks. John wore booties and even his electric snake had booties over the wheels as not to mar my carpeting. About 20 minutes later (a lot of which was simple paperwork and diagnosing the problem, my sink was clear and John was on his way.

The guy who came is very nice. They are always a pleasure to work with. I always call Roto Rooter.

They were able to unclog the pipe okay, but I am not sure about the long term fix. If I had my option I would make it trenchless.

Their work turned out fine. They completed the job and it worked okay.

Overall I was very happy with the service I received.

We called them because they had evening hours. I encouraged him to check the backyard. We walked out there and there was not a lot of water out there. He snaked the pipe that runs from the curb to the sumb pump. We found a lot of debris in the pipe. He indicated we needed to find someone to send out a camera to look and see where the breaks were. They quoted worst case for $6,000 with adding a second sump pump. We think he over- worried us.

Called and asked them about a negative report thru Angles List , they hung up on me. Do yourself a favor think about my call before you consider call them.

When unclogging the pipes, the pipe was cracked. They replaced the pipes. I was very happy with their services.

The other company came and dug to repair the line where Roto Rooter had marked as the blocked area. This company dug down 4 ft in two of the areas that were blocked but no drain pipes could be found. I called Roto Rooter to let them know the problem and they sent Rob back out with his camera to remark the break in the line. This time Rob found the break again, pretty close to where it was before. I paid Roto Rooter another $99 for their services. So once again the other company dug another hole , this time 5 ft deep. Once again, no drain pipes could be found. I called Rotor Rooter again and Rob came out again today to be here when the guys were digging. Rob at this point realized that the problem was not where he had marked but is on West side of the house. He said never before had he had this problem and was very apologetic. I called Roto Rooter to express my concerns and waned some sort of compensation from them. At least the refund of $350 that I paid Roto Rooter for misleading information as to where the break of the line is. I spoke to Rich Donovan and he certainly was on the defensive as soon as he took the call. He tried to tell me that Rotor Rooter do not diagnose problems for other companies and would not refund my money. I have to question why did Roto Rooter agree to sent Rob come out a second and third time? When I placed the call I told them what the problem was and they sent Rob back out. Rich Donovan could certainly had a different approach when he took the call. I now have a $700 bill to another company for digging three 4/5 ft holes and that now have to be filled in. I am now back to square one as we still can't be totally sure where the blockage is. The Camera guy Rob was very appropriate and he certainly dealt with the situation appropriately and professionally. It was the manager Rich Donovan that was so offensive. He did not even offer to research the facts before spouting off. I will NEVER use Rotor Rooter again.

They did an excellent job. The technician was very professional and did a great job. They were a little high in price. They were very punctual and I would use them again.

Overall I was glad to get it done and the job was completed to my satisfaction.

On March 21, 2011 Roto-Rooter came to clean out our downspouts because we could see where the water was coming out and not draining correctly. The gentleman was late from the original time frame. He took a lot of time cleaning out the downspout and I felt he did a good job. He showed me where the tree/bush roots had grown into the downspout. He recommended removing the tree and getting a camera scope to see the extent of the damage done by the roots. This job was $239. On April 16, 2011 Another gentleman from Roto-Rooter came out to run a camera through the downspouts. He was very, very late from the original time frame given. The camera found that our downspout had been "collapsed" by the tree. This job was $99. He provided a proposal for excavation that started at $2610 and could run up to $4210. He said that the downspout could be replaced without removing the tree. On May 17, 2011, I called and was connected to the excavation coordinator to ask if only the collapsed part could be repaired instead of replacing the whole downspout. He told me they would not do that but he offered a 10% discount if I scheduled in the next month.

They were very informative and helpful.

They said that they could replace it, or fix it. Since it was 70 years old, we decided to move to a 50 gallon water heater. The parts and labor wasn't that expensive, they gave me a $50 discount, and they added on $125 at the end saying that it was for a permit. I don't believe that to replace a water heater that that charge should apply.

The dispatcher on the phone was very pleasant and accommodating. It was 9PM on a Saturday night. I explained the problem and she said she could have someone there in an hour. Eric showed up in just slightly over an hour, and took a quick look at the problem. He gave us a price of $239.00 to snake the drain, which I thought was very high. However, since I had already run my 12' to 18' snake through the pipes with no success, we agreed to pay the ransom. Eric went to work with his rooter, and had to run it all the way to the stack (a very long run). Not something I could have done myself. As he was putting the PVC pipes back together under the sink, he noted that some of the plastic washers were broken and need to be replaced. He offered to replace them, but said he'd have to charge me to do it. Knowing that I didn't want to pay anything more than necessary, and that I am capable of replacing the washers myself, he said that I could get the washers really cheap at Lowe's or Home Depot and that would save me some money. I agreed! He put everything back together and cleaned up the mess. Eric gave me his card and said that his work is guaranteed and if I have any trouble with it to call him back. Overall, I would recommend Roto Rooter, and most especially Eric C. They don't charge extra for nights or weekends, but at those prices they don't have to. I had a problem, I couldn't fix it, They did! I used the $30 Angie's list coupon which took a little of the sting out of the ordeal.

They did a good job but the price was MUCH higher than we expected. They could have tunneled under our side walk but instead tore it up, which actually ending up costing us an extra $1000. I will not be working with this company in the future.

Their prices are horrible, but they did good work. I don't remember the price, but my wife and I were both appalled. They were very clean and did a real good job. They were courteous and they didn't hide the expense. They told us what we'd have to pay when they came in.

They were great. They said it was so easy that they were not even going to charge me. They were very ethical and very reasonable. They were very good. I would use them again.