Bob Oates Sewer Rooter & Plumbing LLC

Called in the morning to say the floor drain in utility room in the basement was clogged and water was backing up onto the concrete floor. Todd arrived mid-afternoon and inspected the situation. He discovered that the sewer was also backing up into the shower in the downstairs bathroom. He said it was probably the side sewer that was clogged and went looking for the cleanout. He discovered the sewer pipe in the downstairs bathroom descending vertically from upstairs had been fully encased and was completely inaccessible. He thought the cleanout was probably located somewhere along that pipe so he cut into the casing and discovered the cleanout was there but was turned toward the wall and therefore inaccessible. He recommended installing a new cleanout in approximately the same location but accessible. I agreed. Todd installed the new cleanout and snaked out the side sewer. All of this work was done in the downstairs bathroom. If the work had been completed successfully at this point, I would have been satisfied. However, the problems came after that. First, he left a mess behind with a lot of trash that I had to dispose of. Second and more importantly he did not check thoroughly to see that the cleanout was installed correctly. After he left, I noticed water on the floor and called to have him check it out. He returned but did not check for a leak from the new cleanout. I mopped up the water and turned off the toilet shutoff thinking that was where the water was coming from. It was not and sewage continued to leak into the bathroom for a long time. The bathroom was used only infrequently so I did not notice it for some time. By the time I did, water had soaked through the flooring and pretty much ruined it. I called again to tell them about this and they sent a different workman out who quickly determined that the leak was coming from an ill fitting collar securing the new cleanout to the sewer pipe. He installed a different more sturdy collar and the leaking stopped. I was pretty sure I'd have to have the flooring replaced so I asked if he thought Bob Oates would help to pay for the repairs. He suggested I call the office to find out. I left a message with the receptionist explaining the situation and asked for someone to call me. They never returned my call. I went ahead and had the flooring replaced costing several hundred dollars. So, I calculate that the cost of the sewer work amounted to the $821 I paid Bob Oates plus another approx. $400 for the new flooring. I still think Bob Oates might have taken some responsibility for their faulty workmanship but they did not.

In our laundry room, we suddenly had some water pouring out from under the toilet when running the washer. All the toilets in the house flushed, but when they did there were strange gurgling noises from all of the sink traps. Obviously we had a problem. Called Bob Oates, and they were able to accommodate our schedule and get someone out right away on a Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend. Rod Ingram was the plumber who came out, turns out he is the plumbing supervisor. Rod did a great job of finding and explaining the problem and getting it taken care of quickly. He was patient with my son who, being 4, had all sorts of questions about the cool tools. Overall a great experience. Professional, courteous service, with a human touch and a great attitude. We will use this company again, and recommend them to friends.

No one ever wants or expects the following event but in every homeowner's life a few unwelcome surprises will happen When it happens to you I hope you will call Bob Oates: On May 25 we discovered that our sewer had backed up through a drain in a seldom used bathroom in the basement. We found Bob Oates on Angie's list (wouldn't make a move without the list) like their ratings and coupon offer. Our house is old and had no access pipe. As a result, what we thought would be a simple fix turned into much larger job which involved removing a 5ft solid concreat block that was located over the sewer pipe in order to locate and make a repair. Greg came out and thoroughly explained all the possible scenarios we might face, the choices we had and the approximate costs of each so that there were no surprises. We cannot say enough good things about Mike, Jeremy and the rest of the crew that did the work. They are nothing less than "The A Team". We took copious pictures of the work zone during the week our back yard looked like a war zone. I'm glad we did, otherwise no one would ever believe it happened at all . The cleaned up and left no trace of destruction.We will plant lovely plants and shrubs in honor of these heros. to mark the spot where there used to be an unsightly cement slab. Thank you guys! You are the best!

I obtained an initial estimate from another company for replacing my old sewer pipe; I was quoted an astronomical price which I was unable and unwilling to accept.. Since I have used my Angie's list account in the past to find a dentist, and a furnace cleaner which turned out to be very satisfactory, I decided to comb Angie's list again. Again, my search produced a very satisfactory result. "Bob Oates Sewer Rooter & Plumbing" turned out to be a definite winner. I called up "Bob Oates Sewer Rooter & Plumbing" and was connected to Project Manager: Doug Ingram. Doug came by and ran a video camera through my sewer line. He also presented me with a DVD copy of the camera's view of my sewer line. He worked up an estimate which he e-mailed me soon after he was here. He informed me that he just came back from a Trade Show in Kansas where he acquired the latest state of the art equipment used for pipe installation. I felt very comfortable dealing with Doug since it was clear that I was dealing with a local family owned business. His quoted price was several times lower than the earlier quote I obtained from a nation-wide company. I decided to go ahead with Doug's offer and was very impressed with his crew. They were professional, courteous, and neat. The Work was done in part of a day. Due to the cold temperature we had to wait overnight for the new pipe to get set. This did not present any problems since the crew showed u p the next morning, while I was still asleep and finished the job. By the time I got up I was ready to use my shower and get dressed. The new pipe works fine and carries a 30 year guarantee. From the current experience, I will become a loyal customer of Bob Oats Plumbing.

We are very satisfied with the service we received. They were prompt, stayed on time, kept us informed about what they were doing, and tried to keep the disruption as limited as possible. They made it clear they wanted us to be satisfied and called us back after the job was done to see if everything was functioning well.

Prompt, got the job done efficiently, honored coupon and the price was fair.

It went was fine. It was a little pricier than I thought, but they were quick, efficient and they were in and out of here real quick. I spent $3000 on that work. They showed up on time, did what they what they were going to do and explained to me what they were going to do. It took a day to finish the work and they did it and were gone. It was a good experience and it just cost a bit more, but I realized that I was way out of touch about what things cost these days.

During the worse of the rain, we could hear the water pouring into the pipes and our basement stayed dry even if one of the wettest winters on record. So even if this was a expensive project, it was worth it. They were done within three days from start to finish and did an excellent job in communicating with me, working with the tank removal company, and answering any questions we had.

They were very good. We have used them in the past. They are very good at their job. They are very conscientious about how much the job will cost. Their prices were less than the competitors' prices. They got the job done.

I thought that they were professional, did a good job, and didn't try to oversell. They made a minor mistake, but they came out quickly to rectify it.

Absolutely fantastic, handled everything in one day. They worked with us and the landlord that lives in Bermuda.

I called Bob Oates Sewer service on the recommendation of a friend after my basement flooded and it was obvious it was not a simple rainwater flooding situation. They came out within several hours, reamed through and videoed the sewer system, and found that the whole sewer system had essentially collapsed -- the concrete pipe had slowly crumbled over the years and sewage was leaking out into the ground. I hired them to replace it and they started the job 2 days later. Because there are underground springs in my area and it was raining during the replacement job, they worked in water up to their knees; it was a horrible mess in which to work. But they completed the job within approximately 18 hours of work, including the whole sewer system, three downspouts, and a sump pump piping. The workers were extremely polite in explaining what they were doing and answering some really stupid questions from me, as was the project manager. I would highly recommend this firm to anyone who needs anything from a small job to a complete replacement.

Great! Arrived on time, completed the job quickly and left the bathroom as clean as when they started.

My problem is with the bill and the "oh, just one more thing" experience. I still can't get the Bob Oates staff to give an explanation I can understand of why the drains would need to be snaked and then jetted. Why not just jetted, as, they told me, that is the more effective method? So the snaking cost was an additional $475. I believe they said $350 of that was to pull a toilet. My regular handyman will pull a toilet to replace a seal for $40. The quality of the service appears to have been fine. But I can't help but feel I've been overcharged and taken advantage of. To add insult to injury: this time and once before, the bill didn't have the promised Angies List discount, so that's another minor headache on top of the bigger one.

I thought that they were very quick in getting things done. They came on time and they were clear on how much money it would cost. They cleaned up after themselves. They were very direct about how much it was going to cost. They were worried about how I would take having the yard dug up and so they put it all back the way it was supposed to be.

On Monday, the project manager showed up to evaluate the job and talk with us. He described the problem, what needed to happen to fix it, how much it would cost and the approximate timeline. We had a graduation party planned for Thursday afternoon/evening at our house for which people were coming from Germany, Hawaii and other areas around the country. We mentioned to the project manager that, given the problems with the sewer, we thought it would be a good idea to find an alternate location for the graduation party since it was such an important event (you may get married again but you only graduate from high school once). The project manager assured us that moving the party would not be necessary and that the sewer would be functional by Thursday afternoon. While we didn?t have high expectations for preservation of the landscaping, we were disappointed that the work crew trampled established shrubbery which would not have been difficult to walk around. The Thursday of the graduation party I arrived home from work early to help with preparations. Many people were frantically preparing food and finishing preparations for the guests who were due to arrive in less than 30 minutes. Then we heard some hollering from the side of the house and I went to investigate. There was a workman in the trench near where the line leaves the house. He told me that it was important for us to stop using the sewer line immediately because it wasn?t hooked up yet and everything was going into the trench with him (luckily we were only using the kitchen sink and not the toilet). I told everyone in the house to stop using all of the plumbing and went out front to find the project manager who was on site helping to finish put the pipe together. I reminded him that he had advised us NOT to move the graduation party and that the guests were expected to begin to arrive in about 20 minutes. Clearly, he had forgotten about the party and his prior commitment to us to have the house ready in time. He was quick on his feet. Without missing a beat he told me that they would route the sewer into the ditch out by the street for the party and return the next day to lay the pipe instead of finishing the job then. And he made good on his promise. The party went off without a hitch and we were able to use the sewer without difficulty. The sewer work was finished and we thought the sewer chapter was closed, except for paying it off. Then, over the course of the past couple of weeks, the drain pipe for the washing machine started backing up into the basement again. It didn?t smell or look like sewage so we concluded that the blockage was in the washing machine drain pipe. We immediately dismissed the idea that it could have ANYTHING to do with the sewer line because we had just paid a fortune to have it replaced. So, last Friday, we called our local plumber. As soon as I described the symptoms their dispatcher immediately told me that it was likely a sewer problem and that she could refer me to a sewer company. I was adamant with her that it would be impossible for it to be the sewer because the entire thing was completely replaced just a few weeks ago. They didn?t have a plumber available until Tuesday so we made an appointment for then and didn?t use the washing machine for several days while we waited. Imagine our shock and outrage when the plumber charged us over $200 to tell us that the drain pipe we just paid nearly $10,000 to replace was not installed properly!!! I feel like such a sucker for trusting the Angie?s List recommendation and, even worse, assuming that the job was done correctly the first time. Throughout the process it was our impression that the crew was over-booked and juggling so many balls that they couldn?t give an appropriate level of attention to our job. They showed up late nearly every day (10 or 11am), on at least one day a member of the crew told us that they hadn't sent the right personnel and consequently they were standing around waiting for that person to arrive. Overall it was disorganized, we felt like we a priority or given a level of attention to the job to make sure that it was done correctly. I've never spent so much money on something that was so poorly done. The one bright spot in the entire experience was Blaine. He was the guy on call on Saturday who initially diagnosed the problem and who mopped up the mess when it was discovered that they handn't done it right the first time around. Blaine is a consummate professional who communicated well and didn't over-promise and under-deliver like the rest of the crew.

It turned out well. It was a suprise expense for me. They worked well with me. I thought they were honest, fair and timely.

This was very disappointing and a waste of everyone's time. Whoever takes calls and makes the schedule should do some basic screening to see if the question is covered by the company. The guy who came out said that I was lucky because usually they charge $50 to go out to someone's home, but he wouldn't charge me. This directly contradicts the company's description on Angie's List. Though the guy refused to make a bid, he described what they could do -- build a 12' x 12' x 6' french drain in the middle of my back yard (lowest point on the property) for $6500. This is an inappropriate solution and a ridiculous price. I don't think the guy knew what he was talking about, and that's disappointing from a contractor. I was not treated in a professional manner.

We had Bob Oates come out to unclog a storm drain and a bathtub drain. While they were out I asked them to put a camera down our sewer line to see how things looked. I was anticipating the worst since many of our neighbors had to replace their lines over the last few years. As I feared, we had no sewer line in spots; sewage was just draining into the yard. We arranged to have our sewer line replaced ASAP because we had company coming. Bob Oates replaced the sewer line in short order, with little to no disruption of our lives or our yard. My only complain was that they weren't too communicative. They would say things like we'll be out on Thursday, then not show up, so I had to keep calling to find out what was going on. Having said that, everyone who we interacted with at our house was friendly and professional and the job was completed on time and at a reasonable price. I was quite pleased with the outcome and would definitely use them again.

They showed up in time and explained everything that was going on. Rooted the sewer but the problem was damage to the sewer line as it's very old. Did a scope and showed us where the sewer segments are coming apart. Suggested we replace sewer and forwarded information internally to contact us again regarding this problem. Overall, they were very professional. I did end up paying $25 more than quoted by the gal on the phone. The person on site explained that she must not know the difference between inside plumbing concerns ($150) and outside rooting ($175). In one regard I felt they could have done better, and that has been in getting a timely response regarding questions about fixing the sewer.

The service was good and they did what was required. The price was pretty good.

He did a really good job. We spent about $7500 with tax. It was the best estimate that we received. It was a big job; the whole side from the house to the street. He was excellent. He came right out the day we called and gave us an estimate. He always seemed to know what he was doing. He did the work faster than he had anticipated. There was no problem. We will use this company again in the future.

I was very happy with the fellow who did the work, I would call him again. He was here within 45 minutes. It was an expensive part and he really worked hard to find it so he could get the repair done the same day. I was really grateful that he took care of it as quickly and promptly as he did. They were prompt and explained everything so I feel like I got good service for my money. I am pretty picky but they deserve an A. I thought the price was probably the going rate and fair.

Called Bob Oates based on reviews on Angie's List and set up an appt for 3pm. Right about 3pm, Blaine Bart came to the house, listened, looked at the situation, quoted a price and went to town on the clog. I hovered over his shoulder hoping to learn more about what was going on and can report that Blaine was a complete professional--taking ample time to explain what he was doing (or what the machine was doing) and why and what issues might be present in the line. The scope of the line was free--as he explained that was as much for him as it was for me--as he wanted to know that he got the clog. We both saw some interesting things--mainly a little root invasion and some minor gaps in the line that could be addressed if we wanted to do it. For $100 he marked the problem areas and their depth with the scope and told us what could be done by him, us or someone else. Blaine also took a look at some other issues we were experiencing in the property and had some great hints and feedback. Overall, we were extremely satisfied with Bob Oates Sewer and with Blaine. I'd call them again without hesitation.

Excellent! Very professional and courteous from the beginning, would recommend to anyone. Was really good at explaining everything, and doing so patiently. Blaine was very friendly and from the start I felt that I was in good hands. Thank you Bob Oates!