Roto-Rooter

We were very unhappy to have thrown away $450.00 and still didn't know where the leak was so it could be fixed. The leader of the two-man crew was chatty to the point that it kept him from doing the work and going on his way -- maybe he didn't have another job for the rest of the day. The man who was with him was apparently learning the job but the leader didn't supervise or explain much to him.

I like them. They did a very nice job. We don't really care about costs. We pay a little up on stuff if it's done right. Price is not the key issue in repairs. It's getting it done right the first time. I did have a really good experience with them. I have used them probably 6 or 7 times on major problems over 15 years. They get it right the first time. You are going to pay a little more, but who cares. We are talking about major problems like line breaks and back-up problems. They do stuff that is really nasty. I will use them again. That's a category where there are a lot of players in it and a lot of people doing it, but Roto-Rooter stands out. I have been in business for 38 years and they stand out above all of them. You don't need a plumber very often but when you need one, you want it done right. You are going to pay the same amount of money with all of them, so why not pay the money to somebody who will get it done right. They have always got uniforms on. They are bonded. That's the only way to go anymore letting people inside your door.

It was a nightmare! After they tear into your yard they they ask you for more money even though there were 3 head supervisors that walked our yard and gave us a bid

I called to find what would be the cost to unstop a whole house line without a (known) clean out access. We were having sewage come up through bath drain and problems flushing nearby toilet, as well as water coming out from behind washer. I was told $119 for whole line unclog. Kerry arrived on time, about an hour after I called. He arrived and said there were a couple options? To lift the toilet and attempt to clean the line since the access through spout on roof was too small. He said another option was to go ahead and have their camera find the clean out access and try to rooter that way. It was going to be $408 to run the camera, or $104/hour to just dig and try and find the line. Kerry finished rooting 50 ft of line into the below toilet access. He said he STILL couldn't find the clog and almost didn't get his rooter back?? There was black sewage/bacteria all over the floor and in the grout when he finished. He then charged me $104 to run the cable into the toilet access, $76 to pull up the toilet, $6 fuel charge for a total of $240.26 for ATTEMPTING to clean a line. The next day I called MR. Rooter! (a referral from another local plumber that was too tied up over the next 2 days. That says a lot when an independent plumber is referring people to another business.) Within 10 minutes of being on my property, no exaggeration, the gentleman from Mr. Rooter found our clean out access. (By the way, their cost for running a camera is less than $200 vs. $408) He said he just took a guess as to where it would be if they were to install a clean out access. Sure enough his said "30 years of experience" actually spoke for itself. He ran his whip and got us back in running order. Total cost for MR ROOTER: $172.60. He also informed me his whip couldn't go past our riser, and that needed to be looked into. With that, I felt quite disappointed that another company had not only found our clean out access, but also got our house in running order for less that Roto had, and informed us there may be continued problems with our line. Mr. Rooter also informed me the cable Roto used through the toilet access was way too small for a line clog and that Roto's cable was most likely getting twisted up in the line and that's why Roto almost couldn't get the cable to come back. Sounds like they came to a gun fight with a knife! I called Roto Rooter to work something out since I felt it was quite unfortunate that another company came and fixed our immediate problem and made us aware of future possible concerns as well as found our clean out access and charged us less money to actually RESOLVE our immediate issue. (Sewer backup and no use of washing machine) Roto asked me to fax Mr. Rooter's invoice to them so they could see that the work did actually fix our problem. On Mr. Rooter's invoice it stated that there was an issue at the riser, to which the gentleman explained to me would need to be looked into for sure. Roto Rooter decided to come out and bring their camera and noticed I still had water in the line-meaning there was still an issue with the line. Roto basically reiterated what Mr. Rooter had already said to me as well as what was on the invoice that was faxed to them. The manager left and said he would speak with his owner and give me a call back. MR. ROOTER returned to our home that evening with a handwritten estimate (didn't need to even follow up with them!) of what the future line work would cost as well as details to the labor. I waited 8 days and finally called Roto. The manager was first defensive and said he was waiting on ME! His whole demeanor right off was shockingly distasteful. Wasn't sure how I was to know when to call him back if I didn't know when he would speak with his owner?? He then proceeded to tell me that since there's still a problem with our line and Mr. Rooter didn't actually fix the problem, there was no need to refund my money. Unless I felt the $12.50 for locating our clean out access that Mr. Rooter charged me was enough to appease my dissatisfaction. I was shocked that even after reiterating said issue with the line he never even offered to fix the line issue for a discounted rate for the trouble or show any desire to have a returning customer. I attempted to take it up with corporate, however I was informed b/c Roto is under franchise ownership, they can only relay my dissatisfaction to that owner, but it is up to the owner of that franchise on how to handle a complaint. I will NEVER use Roto Rooter for any future plumbing work. I think it speaks very highly of MR. ROOTER when their work speaks for itself, as well as their customer service and desire for customer satisfaction. Surprised when companies don't want returning customers-especially in the plumbing business. My advice to other consumers is to call at least 3 plumbers to get an estimate and even a possible 'diagnosis' over the phone. If they aren't lining up or sounds like they're trying to sell multiple services besides what is necessary to do the job the FIRST time, don't go with them. But my best advice would just be to CALL MR ROOTER FIRST and ask for Larry. :)

It went very well. I have used them numerous times before and I have always been very happy with them.

I understood that I was being billed 104.00 an hour for the service. When the plumber arrived he informed us that he did not know the furnace was in attic and he was too big (huge) to fit into the attic so a second plumber was needed and now the bill was 208.00 an hour. When I told them that I did not intend to pay that much he said that 2 plumbers WERE required for safety when they had to go under the house. I stated that I did not think I should have to pay for 2 plumbers the entire time just because he could not get into the attic. He told me that he would ONLY bill for 2 plumbers for the time needed (while under the house). Very little time was spent under the house as we determined that the entire system was bad and the solution above needed. An estimate for 1700-1900 was written and I agreed for work the next day. I reconsidered this later and called to cancel the contract as I wanted to get further estimates first. The plumber then called me and told me that I needed to keep in mind that I already had a 634.00 bill just for the work that morning. There was NO WAY 2 plumbers were required for that 3 hours work. As far as I am concerned I was LIED to flat out. My renter is a witness to the entire event and time. I am paying the bill as I do not wish to have my blood pressure raised fighting a losing battle. Keep these people on your sewer lines only and beware.

After calling other plumbers, who charged more, and did not fix the problem, my daughter and her husband called Roto Rooter Plumbing Sewer based on Angie's List A rating. According to my son-in-law, they fixed the problem, they knew what they were doing, and they were very professional. This is an older house, and the plumbing system is an old design.

They attempted to charge me up front to provide this estimate. I only discovered this as an accidental comment by the person calling me on the phone and I asked "what do you mean a trip charge?" and she explained they charge $104/hour to provide a bid for a job. I explained I was not calling them to unclog a drain but to bid on performing a trench drain installation. I already had two others coming to provide a bid and when I told her I was unwilling to pay them to provide a bid they became irate and explained they did not provide their services for free.

The work was okay. Another company that wasn’t available to come out recommended them. The price was average. Their responsiveness was good.

I was very happy with them. The workman was very knowledgeable. As a matter of fact, he explained some other things that might be of benefit to us in the future. He was timely and professional. I thought that the money that I paid was within reason.

They came out promptly, did good work and were very friendly. I would highly recommend them.

The main drain clogged and water from the washing machine backed up into the wash tub and the kitchen sink and overflowing into the house. I immediately opened the clean-out valve when I got home and this released the pressure but the line was still clogged. We bailed water using our rug shampooer and mops and called Roto Rooter to come and unplug the drain first thing Tuesday morning but they were so busy it was afternoon before the young man came. In the mean time Service Master came and started water damage control by removing baseboards, drilling holes and installing drying equipment in the affected areas. Once Roto Rooter arrived he was fast and efficient at his job. I thought it was a little expensive given the time it took but was satisfied with his work.

Although it was the Saturday after Christmas, they had an employee on call, who responded within 30 minutes. He was professional and courteous, and quickly cleaned our drain, explaining what he had done and giving information about the plumbing in our house and it's overall condition. We were very pleased with the work, and our weekend was saved!

I called for an appointment and they said they could send a plumber that night, but it was very cold so I said the next day was fine. They called the next day when a plumber was available and he showed up minutes later. The line they were working on had been cleaned three months earlier by another plumber and was already clogged again. I grilled the dispatcher about what equipment Roto Rooter would use (just a snake or with a cutting head) and compared their equipment with what was used by the previous plumber when Roto Rooter's man arrived. The previous plumber whose work they were fixing didn't use a cutting head and had to load snake in 15' sections. Because the line started to drain after he fed 10' of snake, he stopped and called it fixed. I didn't know any better at the time so I let him go, a costly and messy mistake. Roto Rooter uses a three inch cutting head and their machine has at least 100' of snake already loaded. Because the snake is already in the machine, it's no extra work to keep sending it down the line. About 15' in (just past where the other guy stopped) the snake locked up and we thought the line had collapsed. After a bit of effort the snake got past the blockage and he fed more in. When he pulled it back, about three feet of solid roots came up. The line still didn't drain though. He kept working the line and fed about 100' of snake reaching the city line. Even more roots and crud came back when he pulled it out. Finally the drain ran! Roto Rooter's plumber Joe was a seasoned pro who fixed the previous, more expensive plumbers botched job. Roto Rooter's work has a six month warranty against root blockages where the other plumber said "no warranty on roots". Roto Rooter's price was also much less and they quoted a price over the phone. Hopefully this is the last time that line will need work, but this time I have a warranty on the work and feel satisfied that the job was done right.

Complete house sewer was backed up. I called them at 10:00 p.m. after calling 6 other plumbers higher rated. No one worked after hours. When I called this one, a dispatcher answered the phone & coordinated the repair & kept in constant contact with me. He fixed the problem & all is well!

Worked perfectly. Actually drains better than ever.

Their staff is highly professional. They are very responsive. They take care of any problem we have. They are great and we always use them. I feel like the prices are reasonable.

He arrived promptly and set to work immediately. He kept me apprised of progress along the way though he eliminated the clog quickly. He was professional, knowledgeable, efficient, and friendly. He cleaned up after himself and left with the job well done.

The service was excellent. The technician was prompt, friendly and courteous. He stepped me through the entire service performed and why. Joe Jr.'s casual demeanor was great and put me at ease. He assured me he'd seen this kind of thing hundreds of times and that it should be no problem to fix. And it was. He was done and tested in an hour and had time to check a shower I was concerned with. It was GREAT!!! I will use Roto-Rooter every time from now on. To set the record straight. $39.95 of the bill was their monthly preventive maintenance product that should last about a year. With an older house, I think its worth the tiny investment. The actual repair bill was $111.94.

We are so pleased! No other plumber could see us the same day. Roto-Rooter originally told us it would be several hours, but were at the house in less than one hour. Other plumbers I talked to in town all talked about tearing up the yard just to unclog our line, Roto-Rooter saved us a lot money by trying to unclog the line through our vent before digging the yard.

The experience was very good. I've been using Roto Rooter for about seven years. They are very courteous and their equipment is excellent. Their employees are courteous.

The price for the work done was very high for us. Roto Rooter did do excellent work. I liked that they cleaned up after themselves and that they used professional language with us.

Basically I paid Roto Rooter for nothing. They did not fix the problem. It was almost humorous and unbelievable how much this guy did not know what he was doing.

I was very pleased. Roto Rooter showed up within an hour of the call and it was not even during business hours. They got the problem taken care of, and did not charge extra for not being within business hours. I would recommend this company to everyone.

Roto Rooter came out quickly the day before Christmas Eve which I appreciated. The young man who came out did a good job. I liked that he cleaned up after himself.