Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

They were friendly, and got down to business. They answered all questions and allowed us to make the decisions regarding the scope of work, providing us information and all estimates in writing. They stuck to their written estimates.

I had a backed up basement drain that needed immediate attention. I called Roto-Rooter and they arrived same day and on time. Worker was very cautious in keeping my basement as clean as possible. He checked all drains for problems, explained everything to me and make suggestions without being pushy. I will definitely call them again.

They came out and snaked our sewing line because we had a slow drain, this did not solve our problem (actually they didn't pull anything out). We then paid them to scope the line, they then gave us a quote of a little over $900.00 to replace the entire sewer line that involved digging up our basement floor (the room off our kitchen) which was not an option I was happy to hear about since I had a new born baby. I felt their quote was high and was not possitive that the situation was as dire as they were making it out to be. I then called for 2 more quotes from other companies and ended up using one of them instead because it was a third of the cost and I simply couldn't afford the option presented by this company. They were prompt, courteous, and never once talked down to me, but also couldn't give me an alternative that would involve a less invasive option that I could afford.

Back yard was turning into a swamp and my kitchen which is an add on at about 20 feet up on supports was beginning to separate from the main house. Drains were beginning to get really slow. I called several plumbers but no one called me back so after seeing commercials I decided to call rotorooter. They were there in an instant no problem there. Rob came in and talked to us gave us an estimate of $3000 and we agreed. When they actually began working the problem was a lot deeper than it looked. Rob came back and gave us a new estimate of $21,000, and at that point we had no other recourse than to agree. Our subbasement had already been dug out about 6 feet. All in all they had to dig 14feet in the subbasement and another 10 to 12 feet in the back yard. My problem is that they didn't even think to support the kitchen when they were doing all this digging. They didn't even backfill properly when they were finished. What they did do was to cause the kitchen supports to slip even more and now I am faced with an even bigger dilemma. I even had to call them back as the new pipe they installed actually broke from either the bobcat they used to dig or the way they back filled the yard. Again they dug 10 to 12 feet without any support to the kitchen. They also broke one of the steps to the backyard, smashed the windshield to my 70 Monte Carlo I'm having restored connected my hoses together so that now I can't get them apart and left 4 extremely heavy garbage bags in my back yard which my husband and I cannot even budge. Yes I called Mike Wetmore and voiced my concerns and all was supposed to be taken care of and it's almost Sept. and nothing has been done. I still have not paid them the last $5000 and honestly don't intend to. That has to go to fixing my structural problems with my kitchen. And don't let Rob in your door.

We had a leak in our basement just a week before our child was due. They responded very quickly and professionally and did a great job repairing our main valve despite it being the original 1895 plumbing. A little pricey but well worth it for emergency service.

Overall, I'm very pleased. I thought $400 seemed a bit high because as far as time goes, I'd say we were finished in less than an hour. However the service was prompt, and when raw sewage is backing up into your home getting it taken care of immediately is worth a spending a bit more, rather than waiting until another company can pencil you in. My home sat empty awhile before I purchased it, and I'd feared sewage problems. The rotorooter guys were prompt, and professional and best of all they explained everything and were happy to do it. Given their line of work, it was a pleasant surprise that they did it with a smile, and tasteful sense of humor. They cleaned the sewage line from every drain in my basement with a five point water jet, both directions, 2x each. Moreover, they stressed the 6 month guarantee, and stayed after the job was done while I ran water and checked the drains. Not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either. I couldn't had it done for half the price by another company, but I'd have had to wait nearly a week! A week with no shower or toilet or washing clothes? No thanks. In my opinion, it was well worth it to pay a little more for IMMEDIATE service and a job well done.

We had flooding in our basement during a recent downpour and decided that we had to get the exterior drains from the downspouts scoped to learn the status of the exterior drain pipes. We called another company who scoped the drains and we learned the clay pipes had collapsed or were filled with roots. They gave us an estimate that was extremely high. We then approached Roto-Rooter to give us an estimate for the same work. Their estimate was $4600, less than half the cost of the first company. Since run-off from storm water is an issue in Allegheny county, we asked Roto-Rooter to check with our local government to ensure that their plan for locating the drains was in compliance with the regulations. Unfortunately the plan for the backyard wasn't in compliance. We like on a hill with neighbors below us. The original plan was to run the drains out of the hillside. Instead, we had to dig 2 pits approximately 4' wide by 4'long by 4' deep, fill them with stone and provide an overflow pipe coming out of the top. Each drainpipe on the back of the house would drain into one of these. This additional requirement increased the cost of the job to $9100 (still significantly less the estimate from the original company). The Roto-Rooter crew handled this job very professionally. They arranged to meet with the borough official and arranged for 1-Call to identify the utility lines. They were considerate about the landscaping that they would have to dig up and identified the location of the pits to result in the least disruption to the landscaping. They had to remove part of a fence to get their equipment into the backyard. They reinstalled it and no one is able to tell that it had been removed. They reseeded the grass, including purchasing a particular brand of grass seed that my husband uses. The grass is growing and the basement has been dry. We are very pleased with the results of their work and will use them again.

They did a good job, but I thought that they were over expensive. They charged me $13000 for the job. Overall, the job was done. I was satisfied with their work, but not their cost.

Overall it went ok. I was shocked by the initial quote of $800, but was heading out of town and wanted the work finished. Their rep went shopping for the valves right after I ok'd the job. He worked steadily, but slowly. The total job took about 5 hours. It would have taken less if he hadn't gone out to the truck for smoke breaks every 20 minutes. I did not specify the valves, so he replaced them with the cheapest he could find. One of them broke in a freeze a couple weeks ago; the previous one was 30 years old and never broke. That said, all of the copper work was neat and well done. The rep was knowldegable and friendly. I have used them before with great results for a drain cleaning. I'm not sure what the deal was with this job. I would use them again for a drain clearing, but maybe not for this sort of plumbing.

They forgot to come on the day they were supposed to come, but they came out the next day. I have been having problems with water getting into my house. In part I blame them for some work that was done earlier, not the water coming in but the water not finding the cellar drain as it used to. They found that a downspout in one of the front corners of my house seemed to be going underneath the side porch and connecting maybe with the one in the back. It just wasn't doing what it needed to do. I am going to be getting a sump pump put in to take care of the water problem which occurs when it rains hard. The water problem is not from them. They ran a PVC pipe from my downspout out to the street and tapped off the part of it that seemed to be going under my side porch. It was quite a job. They generally come when they say they are going to come, but there was a miscommunication the last time. They were out the next day and it wasn't an emergency. There is a local plumber where I live who is excellent but who is also very expensive. I really didn't know who else to use for plumbing so I started with Roto-Rooter. I don't know if I can get a better price or not. They do come. They do the work they are supposed to do. They don't make a mess. They dug up my basement. They dug up part of my garage. They dug up part of my front yard for the sewer line. Every now and then you might find some grit on the floor, but basically the stuff was all cleaned up and back where it needed to be. They answer my questions. I don't challenge people that come out to my home, but I ask a lot of questions and they don't seem to mind answering my questions. They even make sure whatever they have fixed works. I had to have a new laundry tub put in. The man who came out to do the job was having a heck of a time because it kept leaking. He did get to the point where it was not leaking. It wasn't gushing but it was leaking. I had to call him back. They came out and worked on it until it wasn't leaking which was what they were supposed to do. When they worked on the laundry room part of my floor for the sewer line, I was convinced that they changed the slant of the floor. The trickle of water that might come inside in a heavy rainstorm and go right to the drain was not finding the drain. It was just spreading around. I called them back maybe four times during the last heavy rainstorm when I had standing water, though not too much. They came out and dug up the little patch again and re-cemented it. They checked out the downspouts, two in particular that could have been problematic. They snaked down the things to see where they actually went. They did not charge me for that. They weren't sure if the downspout pipe underneath was broken because they couldn't get too far with it. The assumption was that it was running under my side porch as opposed to raining out some place which could also be part of the cause for the water problem I am having. They explained to me what was going on. They didn't mind me hovering and watching. They certainly didn't mind giving me more information. When the sewer line was being done, I had to buy a new mail box, not because of them but because the old one had just rusted away. One of the guys put it in for me. I wasn't able to get to my snow tires and it was in November. The same guy did them for me. They were just nice about things as well as getting the job done. I don't know whether the price would be better if I went someplace else. It is possible it would be. I felt that I had some difficulty with the floor and I am not really sure about the pricing. I am certainly happy with them that I will call them back. I didn't have time to go shopping around for the price. Whatever they fixed so far seems to be working. There are other things that could be contributing to the water problem I am having other than the floor. They have come out at least four times to address the problem on the floor, so they are trying. The sewer line is still working and the pipes aren't leaking. Everything else that they have worked on is still doing what it is supposed to do. They are fine on responsiveness. I might ask the same question three or four times just to make sure I have got it and I don't hear that tone of voice to show that they are annoyed. They have been excellent in terms of answering my concerns and questions. There has never been a problem with that either on the phone or in person. Generally, when they say they will be out, they are out. They said they would be there in the morning and one of their trucks was out front at 7.45 when I opened the blinds. I might not know what they are doing, but they know what they are doing.

The tech came to my house did not clear the clog in my sewer and tried to convice me that the city insurance would not cover the expence of digging up and repairing the clog. He tried to convince me to have Roto Rooter do the job He was messy and did not clean up after, I gave him a bucket but he threw the stuff from the sewer on the floor, only after I told him to put the stuff in the bucket did he do it. When he left he damaged my one step with his machine. I called Roto Rooter the next day to complain and his supervisor did not get back to me. When I called 3 days later the supervisor told me that it was not the tech's fault even before he saw the problem. When the supervisor came out he was very nasty and said that the step was crumbling before his tech got here. He said Roto Rooter would NOT pay for the damages By the way the city cleared the clog at no expence to me.

The outdoor faucet would not shut off completely and neither would the inside shutoff. I'm pretty sure all they needed were new washers and packing, but he insisted on replacing the both entirely. I agreed and the nightmare began. The guy was nice enough, but it quickly became clear he had no idea what he was doing. The comedy of errors is too long to list but here are a few: 1) He decided to solder the outdoor fitting on from the inside but then realized it would would not fit through the small hole in the wall, 2) He takes that off but leaves a coupling on. It goes part way through the wall but not all the way. So he starts ramming it as hard as he can to increase the size of the hole. It still does not fit. 3) This destroys the end of the pipe so he now has to cut the end off and start over. 4) It was obvious to me that the proper way to do it was to insert the tube from outside the house. Unfortunately, the way he did it, the outside faucet is sticking about 8 inches from the house with bare copper showing. He told me I should yank on the indoor pipes and put a staple to hold them. I told him I did not want to put that sort of strain on the pipes. The errors went on and on and on and on and at that point I just wanted him out of the house and I would deal with the problem some other way. The laundry faucet had a leaking solder joint previously screwed up by Mr Rooter (the other Rooter). It should have been a simple fix, but the guy could not figure it out. It was clearly necessary to remove the water before reflowing the solder. He said he had no idea how to deal with the problem. The whole process took several hours. The guy was nice enough, but I would not let Roto Rooter in my house again.

not good customers are upset with our company

Called these guys to get a dye test done. They would not give me a price over the phone, and said the plumber who comes out will give me a price. Plumber showed up at the house over 5 hours later, then tried telling me the dye test would cost $600!!! I contacted another plumber who told me the price over the phone then came out and did the test. Final cost using the other plumber: $130. If you want to waste time and money then roto-rooter is for you. The plumbers first name that came out to the house was Alexander, I can't remember his last name.

Total rip off. Had the total job done for 188 dollars instead of the 533 dollars he wanted. Would not use again.

The clog was cleared, but the guy didn't seem to know anything about plumbing. He was late, and originally wanted to charge us 250.00!!! I got him down to 200.00 but that is ridiculous!!! This company overcharges big time. I will never recommend them to anyone; as a matter of fact I will make it a point to tell people to not use their services.

On a very cold Sunday morning, an inside sewer drain backup in our basement. We called RotoRooter - they gave us an approximate time - about a 2-3 hour wait, and advised they would call before arrival. They arrived in about 2 1/2 hours and did give advance notice. The plumber looked at the drains, gave us an estimate and was able to clear the drains. He also gave us some advice to avoid future issues. He accepted the $30.00 coupon and the work was completed. Very prompt, professional and while somewhat more expensive - it was a Sunday afternoon and I expected to pay a higher price.

They did finish the yard nicely, and were always punctual.

As far as I was concerned the installation went well and the work performed was fine. However, in April of 2008 I was informed that my neighbor had another plumber connect her sewer line to mine. Reason given: RotoRooter botched my job and, subsequently, clogged her sewer lines. Upon contacting Mike Wetmore, Supervisor, he agreed to meet me and provide a DVD of his job and what had trasnpired since but he never showed up. After repeated calls to him and faxes, he became abusive and lewd prompting me to report him to the BBB of Western PA. He, of course, denied all and blamed the entire sewer fiasco on my neighbor and her plumber, etc. While I've had not resulting sewer problems and will not invest any more time and money into investigating my sewers, I very strongly believe that RotoRooter (only contact was Mike Wetmore) first of all overpriced this job, second, my experience with this company at that particular address is dismal as far as customer service is concerned. Their prime objective was to sell this job and not follow up. In addition, RotoRooter has no customer-service communication skills other than gross lewdness and being insulting. Their disgusting behavior and unresponsiveness has been reported to the Mayor's office in Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Executive, the PA DEP, the BBB, the Allegheny County Health Department, Senator Jay Costa's office and numerous other entities. Furthermore, in the event problems with my sewers will ensue, I shall bring litigation against this company. BTW, the contact name listed in your ad means nothing to me. However, the address is still the same as it was when I contracted with Mr. Mike Wetmore!

Great communication and hand offs from main number to local office. Super nice CSR and Manager at local office. Two men arrived within hours, calling ahead, and were clean and professional. I needed it done ASAP, and did not check other companies for an estimate, but I thought $230 was a little steep for a wax ring and 45 minutes. In all, I paid to get it resolved, and may try another or get a few phone estimates in the future.

Call them or email when you notice your problem. A manager will phone back to determine exactly what the problem is. They have emergency service trucks that can be dispatched immediately. Or they schedule you flater in the same day or the next day.

They've been reliable, the come the same day I call. The men are polite and do a good job. I will continue to use them for my plumbing needs.

They were prompt, in an emergency situation. They got the job done in probably about an hour to an hour and a half. I would use them again.

We called them because we had a sewage back-up in our basement. We'd used them before for a clogged stationary tub. A technician came out the same day to give an estimate. He gave an estimate immediately and said that while he would clear the clog, it would be insufficient because the same problem would keep occurring. He provided options for short-term and permanent fixes. We opted for the permanent fix. He then explained the process of the repairs and who would be doing them. They agreed to do the work around our travel schedule. They used a fiber optic cable with a camera to check the pipe from the trap to the street main, and showed us roots and open joints in the pipe. He showed us a wad of roots that got pulled up on the cable. They ran an aircraft cable from the house to the street so that they didn't have to excavate the front lawn. They pulled the new pipe through the old pipe. They washed the sewage down the cleared pipe. They arranged for the inspection by the health department plumbers. They replaced the concrete slab in the sidewalk and put a cap in the sidewalk to provide access to the main. They left us a bottle of Roto Rooter pipe maintenance enzyme. They were tidy and used the basement door only to minimize tracking mud through the house.

First, a man came to clean out the line after the sewer backed up. He pulled out a lot of roots but felt he hadn't got them all. The next day some men came to pressure burst the line. They told us they couldn't get out all the roots and the whole line needed replacing. After that men worked for three days making a large whole in the basement floor as well as holes in the yard outside. They had to bring a back hoe into the yard but did amazingly little damage considering the size of the machine. They inserted new plastic sewer line and cleaned up well after the work. My only advice to someone facing the same problem would be to get a clear description of the procedures that might have to be carried out, with possible alternatives and estimated costs before authorizing the workmen to proceed. We were so much in shock that we did not do this but blindly trusted that we were being given correct information and good advice. It would have been better, I think, to get competitive bids on such an expensive job. We may have overpaid but I think the men did good work and I have nothing but praise for it.