ARS / Rescue Rooter Houston South

Beware 5 years ago I purchased a hot water heater from Home Depot. HD assigned ARS Rescue Router the job. I was given a blanket receipt for $2341 by ARS, not Home Depot. Recently that HWH failed and I called ARS to ask for an estimate to replace it (still under warranty). Duane from ARS gave me an estimate of $1430+$250 for having to deal with exchanging it at HD (red flag). I called HD and they assigned another company for the job. When returning the WH I discovered ARS paid $514 for the initial WH. Doing the math, that didn't come out well with ARS 5 years ago ($1826 for install? or doubling+ the price of the WH). I called Aubrey(?) a supervisor at ARS and he told me the same job today would be $3300+. That's $1430 for the install and the rest for a $659 WH. Again, I purchased this through Home Depot, not ARS. I would hate to think the premiums they are charging their own customers. Make sure you get itemized receipts and know what you're paying for. I didn't and I got screwed.

Technician had no ides what he was doing. Tried yo sell me the wrong part. And now I'm having trouble getting my money refunded. I'm disabled elderly man and believe that are taking advantage of me

This company preformed such a bait and switch. Sent out a technician Brandon who promised my $22,000 drain pipe replacement job would be done in a week. I was never told I'd be with out water, but on 2 seperate days they showed up and cut all the water off with out telling me anything. Mind you with 4 kids in the house. Now after more than 2 weeks, they have stopped working. Brandon stopped responding to texts and calls. Even after I called the main office I still have gotten no response. They unwrapped the main water pipe to my house for absolutely no reason and now it some how has a leak. I had to patch it because no one from ARS will respond to me. This morning I realize that after they worked under my bathroom sink, it now has a leak that has damages the cabinet and drawer. They requested funding from my bank even before the city inspector had come out, which I thankfully stopped. Do NOT fall for their lies, they have left my yard a mess, broken 2 pipes, and won't respond!

I would give F--- if possible. First, we've used ARS/Rescue-Rooter in the past - probably way back before it became part of Home Depot and aggregated other small plumbers, and the plumbers that came out were always fine, if a bit pricy. Yesterday's experience ended with a plumber who fixed the problem, but as the 3rd experience in year, I can say it is the last time I will ever use them, and they burnt through all possible good will they may have accumulated over the years. What a TERRIBLE company. We had a leak that appeared in the ceiling over the weekend. At first I thought it was possibly coming in from an eave with some missing caulking (heavy, horizontal rain the day before), and it looked like it might dry, but we woke on Monday to see it was increasing. I removed some drywall and it was obvious there was some kind of pinhole leak. I called ARS at 6:45 AM and they said I'd be a "rush" customer and get the first available person. Around 9:30 an ARS vehicle pulled up, but it was a pickup truck with an empty bed, so I had a bad feeling. What they sent was a SALESMAN who tried to sell me $10,000 worth of water filtration and tankless water heaters for our house. Begrudgingly, he gave me an exorbitant quote for just the leak repair, which I agreed to BECAUSE he said someone would be out in the next hour to hour and a half. To keep the story short, this "hour to our and a half" estimate was repeated twice more when I called back after each previously given window had ended. On the 3rd call, I told the operator that I'd be calling back in an hour and a half. So that time, they called me at 1 hour to say someone would be coming in 45 minutes to an hour. Turned out that an actual plumber showed up in an hour and 15 minutes. So, from my first call to the arrival of a plumber, EIGHT AND ONE HALF HOURS elapsed, during which time the entire house was without water. To his credit, the plumber identified the leak, and it was in a difficult location, and devised a way to extract the bit of pipe through the attic and replace the piece with the pinhole leak. About 2 hours+ total time. He was nice, but also tried to sell me on water heater upgrades. We are seniors, who more than once explained our likelihood to be downsizing in a year or two, and a twenty year lifespan with 5 year warranty, when energy cost payback is about $100/yr has little value to us, but this math seemed to not dim the sales pitches. I can only attribute the time it took from the initial call to the plumber arriving to punishment by the company for not falling for the sales pitch. Really, CALL ANYBODY ELSE. NEVER, EVER USE ARS, A BAD COMPANY WITH A WORSE, IF NOT IMMORAL, BUSINESS MODEL.

Called out ARS to have them clear out a kitchen line leading to my main. The worker was friendly, did his part in attempting to clear the line, with an unsuccessful attempt at rooting it out. First problem, their call center had assured me my charge would be $69 since it tied into the main. The worker told me it would be $323, and I was able to get him to only charge me $200 ( still way higher than the $69 I was told I would be charged ). I run a business myself, and this is a terrible breakdown in communication. If a customer is told it will be $__ then a upstanding business will stick to that. Second problem, the main line wasn't cleared, and also I had been told that my main drain clean out would be rooted included in the $200 price. This wasn't done. In addition to this, when I asked if we could video scope my line to see the issue, I was told, in a friendly manner, it would do no good. Fyi, my home is older and instead of attempting to fix the issue for the $200, I was given a bid for over $16,000 to have my home replumbed. Third problem, after attempting to have a technician come and root my line, as what was told would be included in the $200, it was not done. I got a call from an Avery, who was slightly short and condescending in manner while giving a curt apology about the "misunderstanding". So I paid $200, got lackluster service, was bait and switched, and given some terrible sarcastic customer service. Flash forward, ended up clearing the line with an outside source. *Initially the tech told me he ran his equipment 40+ feet. About 15 feet down my line, were 2 big clobs of grease buildup. I call Avery today, Thursday, to attempt to get a refund or find some middle ground. He was very short, sarcastic, stand-offish, unbecoming, derogatory and ultimately not helpful (again) in customer service. I asked for the supervisor, Pam Thomas, and was told she was "out of the office until Monday" (today is Thursday). I asked if there was someone else to assist me, and he said no. Terrible customer service, the company team members aren't communicating about pricing, and zero effort to rectify anything. I HIGHLY advise to take your business to a professional organization with better services and educated staff in customer service.

It went GREAT!! Best experience I have ever had when dealing with anything repair related. When I called the owner answered the phone! Professional yet relaxed. Had a good laugh over semi truck lanes within parking lots. Haha

The group was very professional. They also cleaned up the mess thoroughly. From beginning to end, this was a very good experience. I would definitely recommend them to others and would use them again.

I have used them for years. They are very responsive. They always come when you call them. They may be a little pricer than others, but I have never had an issue with them. They were fine. They were very professional. They made sure they keep it clean. They got in and got it done. I think the pricing is a little high. We replaced a unit over at my son-in-law's house, earlier in the year, and it was not as much. It was an outside unit so I'm not sure. The prices are all about the same and about what everybody else charges. They are "Johnny on the spot."

I would give them an "A" all the way down the line.

They are safe, because their employees are all background checked. You do have to pay a fair market value price though. In terms of skill, they are above average. They send different people each time. We have used them for plumbing too. So far they have been fair, and relatively reliable. I pay them around $260 a year.

They're fairly responsive because they are a bait and switch organization. They're a bait and switch company that runs the special on the add and then comes there and tries to do what they did to me. I should have had no more than a two or three hundred dollar bill, maximum. I would never use them again.

They never showed and waited until a day after the scheduled apt, to contact me and at that point I told them I am not interested.

SEE ABOVE. Plumber also cleaned up the area he worked in. I will not hesitate to use again. I expected to pay $150. after coupon he told me about and ' senior discount' the company offers, the cost to me was $100.

They cleaned up after themselves. Call about 1/2 hour before they came. They did everything right.

I don't use them anymore. I cut them out of my life. I used them for years when they were a family operated company. But Rescue Rooter came in, bought them out and the prices jumped so high. I paid a little over $8,000 for an air conditioner. My son said I could have bought three for that price. He was really mad at me. It was the middle of summer time and it was hot and I called ARS because I've used them for years. I've been in my house for 38 years and I loved them. But, when they went corporate, their prices jumped. The people were nice. I told them. I said, "There is no way that I am going to use you anymore." This year, I canceled my home plan and I said, "I will never use you again." They did a fine job. I can't complain about that. The Techs that they send out are very professional. I don't have any complaints with the people that come and do the work. The other thing that used to gripe me was, every time they come, they'll find something else to do and I would have to make up my mind. It depended on how bad it was. When they came out the last time for just a checkup, in the spring, they pointed out a piece in the compressor that wasn't working at 100% It was only at 60. I said, "Leave it." I wasn't ready. It wasn't ready to be replaced.

A clog started in the kitchen sink on Saturday night. I called Sunday morning to inquire about the 24/7 ad to see when the next rep was available to work on my problem. Next available was Tuesday morning.. Apparently the tech was delayed. No call. I reconfirmed the appointment at 1:30 since it was betwen 9 - 1. They did have me marked and advised they would be there this afternoon. i am glad I waited. When my technician #601 arrived, he was courteous, knowledgeable and had the problem solved in a few minutes. Being a skeptic, I was expecting a fight or up-sell when I mentioned that I had a coupon. He honored with a smile and made me smile as well. Well done.

The water company had already told me it was a cracked elbow pipe but ARS insisted on replacing the pipe from the meter, under my driveway, to the front of the house for $3200. I called a local plumber (Lanco) who came out and replaced the plastic elbow pipe that was leaking for $137.00. BUYER BEWARE! They will rip you off if you let them!

I've been using them for the last 30 years. It started out as a family business but it was bought by a corporation and now the prices have gone sky high. They have great technicians but I think they are being told by the company to convince the owner to upgrade. When they were here for a spring checkup they tried to sell me a device that a friend of my son's discovered I already had and was working fine. They charged me $8,000 for a new conditioner last year and I will not use them again. I was angry because I felt so dumb. Other than that, I have a good report about them. They show up on time and their work usually turns out great.

I had to call them back because the line was still clogged. The price was too much. They were on time.

We have been using them for years. I have the plan where they come out twice a year. They check the furnace in the fall and the air conditioner in the spring. I have been with them for 20 years. They have done 90 percent of the work on my house. I am not pleased with their prices now. Their workers are great, I've never had a problem with them. They clean up after themselves, they will tell me if they have found anything. Most of the time I am happy with the prices that they give me. They are very professional and do good work. Their whole plan is reasonable. I will continue to use them. They come out when they say they're going to come out. They will call me before the come out.

Positive Update Alert (4/8/2015)>I added positive comments as an update at the end of this detail section. Following my experience, ARS was proactive in hearing my concerns, eliminating problems, and ensuring that my next service call is a positive one. Not sure how to handle ratings, however, and will check with Angie's. I changed "professionalism" from "N/A" to "A" based on ARS follow-up. I also changed "Would you use this provider in the future?" to "Yes". All comments are my opinions and reflect my experience and impressions. Call logs at company may give more exact call times, etc. Contact was made through American Home Shield home warranty. When first contacting AHS I told them I would check Angie list rating of their suggested provider before I would accept. First suggested provider was "F" rated across the board. The next one was ARS / Rescue Rooter Houston South - 9136. Mostly Angie rated with "A"s and "B"s with overall "B" with 17 reviews so I said OK. As promised, ARS dispatcher called ( same day and with in 24 hour AHS promise) and said I was scheduled noon to 4 the next day (well within the AHS promise of 48 hour service call). Service tech would call about 45 min before arriving. On "service day" no calls after noon time passed. Called 2:30 and inquired. We don't have tech assigned yet. ALARM BELL in head. I told dispatcher "I better not sit here all afternoon and then be told that "no one available and get you tomorrow"". Dispatcher: "get back to you". Called back " two ahead of you...and tech will call 45 min b4". ME: "so 2 ahead means probably 2 hours which puts your company past the promised 4PM latest.". By 5 no word. Called again (to say I was angry is to vastly understate my emotions). Dispatcher "get back to you" calls back "45 min away". (I may have the sequence slightly out of sync). Called about 6:30..."get back to you". I called AHS while waiting and raised some "heck" with them and told them I am on verge of canceling call and . since I was being asked to renew AHS contract, may not do that. Also mentioned I thought their contracted providers are bottom of the barrel providers whereas good company would not need the business! Call back from dispatcher about 6:45PM wherein she told me "tech is 10 min away". I told her " I have just set my phone alarm for 10 min. If tech arrives even 15 seconds late, the call is canceled" While talking stepped outside and saw service truck pulling up. I was initially not polite to tech. As we walked into the house, the alarm went off. 15 seconds to spare! I apologized to Greg the tech who was very good and very polite . Tech good and addressed problem. Plumber left at 8:15 PM...basically there for 1.25 hours, with no time wasted on tech's part. SUMMARY: In my opinion, as a former high level management person, this is a problem with the owners/management of company who allow customers to be abused by their dispatchers and system or lack thereof. In my opinion, they over-schedule to ensure cash flow and feel like customers are suckers to be manipulated and played with and strung along. Too bad the tech has to work for them. An overall "F" rating because my time is too important no matter how good the work is performed. Used N/A for price since cost was based on AHS contract and not subject to potential over-charging by a company that does not run too efficiently or professionally. Used N/A for professionalism since although tech Greg was great, the customer-service aspect was bottom-of-the-barrel sleazy. UPDATE 4/8/2015 (I was delayed in responding to ARS call back) ARS's J. R. (I abbreviated name because I assumed best) gave me a very gracious call on 3/16/2015 to apologize for the company's poor performance and we discussed communications, how these things can happen, etc. I was impressed that the company cared enough to call and J.H.'s attitude. He offered personal attention to my next request with a discount off that service call. I am not sure what to do about the rating since I have not had a need to use ARS again but realize my low rating will adversely affect the weighted overall ARS rating. Should I change the ratings of the one experience? I will check with Angie's on this but have put a "Positive Update Alert" at beginning of this detail section and will change rating as appropriate. I did change "professionalism" from "N/A" to "A" based on ARS follow-up. I also changed "Would you use this provider in the future?" to "Yes".

I asked them just to replace the elbow and they said they couldn't guarantee it. The original estimate was $3200 and they wanted to install new PVC pipe from the meter, under my driveway, to the front of my house. They said they would knock the price down to $2800. At the recommendation of a friend at work I called a local plumber and they replaced the elbow for $137.00!! That was almost 2 years ago and I've had no problems. BUYER REWARE, THESE GUYS ARE RIP OFF ARTISTS!!!! Not only are they high but they will do unneeded work if they can get away from it! Please note: I am not sure which ARS it was, but I will check (info at home) and update this information. I had reported them a year ago but I see my review was dropped, perhaps because it was over a year old. It is VERY important that people know how bad this company is and NOT to use them. I see they also have an AC division. I would not trust them either.

I had water leaking from the ceiling which to anyone would be an emergency situation. After logging in to Angie's List I found ARS who had mostly positive reviews. Talked to operator named Lisa who seemed friendly and got all of my information. She told me she couldn't say when a plumber would be calling exactly but I would get a "courtesy call" when he was near by. This was 5:45 PM. Luckily I stopped the leak (temporarily) shortly after getting off the phone. While this was no longer a emergency situation still doesn't excuse the fact that no one ever came by or called me. No follow up=no good. I finally went to bed and this morning will find someone who deserves my business to fix my problem. It would be interesting to hear their side of the story. She repeated my information back to me so I know they had the right address and phone number.

They came out the same day and within a couple of hours of me calling. However, price was outrageous. My home gets very hot because I don't have good air flow. Most of my windows don't open very well. I had to choose a provider quickly and could not shop around. I told them I would never use them again because the price was ridiculous. I have always liked their work and I have used them for many years. Any problems I had around the home, I always called them. I asked them why the price was so high and they explained the prices went up because they are no longer a family owned business. They have new owners. They did give me a $400 senior discount off the original price.

The work was performed in a timely and professional manner with one exception. The original quote contained a line item of $75.00 for a "building permit" which was to be taken out and managed by the contractor, followed by city building inspector's sign off. This was confirmed upon acceptance of the quote and the day before the work took place, I once again confirmed that the permit would be obtained by the contractor and presented before the work took place. Upon the contractors arrival at the home today, I requested to see the permit and was informed that the permit had been taken out but was in the contractors home office. I insisted to be given the permit number, as a condition upon which payment would be made, and the contractor agreed and began and completed the work. At the completion of work, I once again requested the permit number. The contractor advised that he would write up the invoice in his truck and get the permit number from his home office. Upon presentation of his invoice, he advised that since the home was "outside the county(?)" no permit was required and that he would subtract $50.00 from the invoice. I advised the permit fee was originally quoted as $75.00 and proceeded to write a check for the original quote minus the $75.00. At that point the service technician became quite sarcastic stating among other things that I was interfering with his ability to make any profit and that I was being unfair! Having been through this exact same scenario with other contractors, I'm convinced ARS never had any intention of securing a permit and was just looking to get an extra $75.00 for the work. I'm sure a review of their books would reveal many false, non-existent, building permits and associated fees. Now I've got a hot water heater that's been installed without the required permit and without a building inspector's inspection and approval. Last time for ARS Rescue Rooter on my property.