Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

We called Roto Rooter at 6:58 pm on Sat the 15th and were given a window of 7-9 pm for the tech's arrival time. That window closed several times but dispatch called frequently to keep us informed as to the delay and to assure us that the tech was coming.He arrived at 2:00 am Sunday morning and cleared the drain. He hit something in the pipe during the clearing process and told us that a field engineer would come on Monday to expect the pipe for damages. The field engineer did come on Monday and expected the pipe for damages and advised us that he didn't find any damage. We are satisfied with how Roto Rooter handled our situation and the solved the problem. We would recommend them to others.

Arta (#220?) did a fantastic job for us. We had tried to install the two faucets ourselves, which ended up causing more harm than good. He had to re-do what we had tried doing and then was able to start the repiping, which (after trying to do it myself) I knew was going to be tricky. After 2 trips to Lowe's for supplies and 3 hours of labor, he could've given up - but he didn't. 6 hours later it was done. The best part was that he only charged us for an hour of labor (in addition to the $79 for $250 Storefront we purchased). We'll definitely be using the company again!

They provided an estimate to fix a problem with our well. They were over $1,000 which was too expensive. Therefore, we did not use the service.

Needed to have a garbage disposal replaced. I purchased a replacement disposal and purchased a $250 coupon from roto rooter thinking that would be more than enough. Most other plumbers charge about $100 for this service. Lowe's charges $119 to have it installed. They completed the work and charged $349 for the same service. With the coupon and the addon, the total was $228, more than double what any other plumber would charge for the same service.

Needless to say, when you flush a commode, and the water refuses to leave your house, you want to get it handled fast. I called Roto-Rooter on Sunday at 1130 AM, I was told by a very polite lady that a tech would be out between 3-6 pm, and he was here at 3PM. Dave was very friendly,, knowledgeable, and courteous. He explained exactly what he was going to do, and set right to it. When finished, he cleaned up the area, went over the bill and guarantee with me, and was on his way. Overall, an outstanding experience.

Drew did a great job. Was very polite and professional. We was also very quick and was done in an hour.

The plumber himself was very nice and did a good job. However, I am extremely displeased with what I was charged and will never use this company again as a result. I was even further disturbed with how I was treated by Randy the manager when I called. Back story: I made several phone calls and sent several emails of the course of the 2 months between when I purchased this deal and had the service scheduled to make sure they could do what I was requesting and to make sure I was getting all the necessary parts. I had several conversations with people at Roto Rooter that tearing out the sink and vanity would be a job of 3-4 hours and that was giving extra time if something didn't go as planned. I also had several conversations about the addition of a sprayer I wanted installed next to my toilet. I was told what parts to get and that it shouldn't be a problem to install. Today: My plumber got here at about 8:45am and spent the first hour discussing with my husband and I what we wanted done and looking over the supplies we had bought, etc. Before he even started any work (just before 10am), he made a trip to lowes to get shut off valves, which were not a necessity in my opinion, but a nice to have. When he suggested we put new ones on, I assumed he had them in his truck and had no idea until I realized he was gone that he was going to have to make the first trip to lowes. (I would have said to do without them if I had known he didnt have them and as it turns out, he wasn't even able to install the bouda sprayer we had requested and that he was suggesting the shut off valves for to begin with). He was back 30 minutes later and tore out the pedestal sink without any incident, which took an hour from approximately 10:30am-11:30am (so at this point, he has done an hour of work). At 11:30, he said he was going to go make some phone calls about the bouda sprayer and get his lunch while the floor dried. He came back at 12pm and worked on installing the sink until 1:30pm. (1.5 hours for a total of 2.5 hours of work). At this point, he was done except caulking. He expressed a little concern that the floor may not be 100% level and if someone climbed on top of the sink, it could put strain on the wall bc of the slight gap between the vanity and the floor. He suggested he put a few shims of wood under the sink before caulking. Again, I thought he had this wood in his truck and I agreed. He left and made a third trip to Lowe's at 1:30pm and came back at 2:30pm with a $5 package of wood shims, caulked the sink and cleaned up. He was done by 3:30, spent 30 minutes in his truck making phone calls and writing out the bill and was gone before my kids came off the bus at 4pm. so total time actually spent in the bathroom working was about 3.5 hours. total time at Lowes or doing other stuff (talking on the phone, for example, as his phone was constantly ringing) = 2 hours. I was charged for the full 5.5 hours (3.5 hours of work and a total of 3 trips to lowes that took over 2 hours total) at $215 per hour = $1182.50 - $250 for my coupon + $112.32 in parts (in addition to the parts I had already bought). Total charged by Roto Rooter = $1052.68. Add to that, the cost of the vanity ($99 at Lowes on sale), faucet ($112), parts I had already bought and supplied (let's say another $50 for sprayer, supply lines, plumbers putty, etc. for a total of an additional) and the fact that I didn't even get the sprayer I had asked for, and this job cost me $1314 to have a $100 vanity put in, which I think is a little steep. I don't feel I should have been charged the time for 3 lowes trips to pick up non essentials, nor were the lowes trips necessary. I am also disappointed that I didn't get the sprayer installed despite my numerous calls to explain what I wanted and make sure I was getting the parts needed (in the end, his boss would allow him to install it bc the sprayer was a "kitchen sprayer" and they couldn't guarantee the work bc we weren't using it for the purpose it was intended for. I know several ppl who have these sprayers in their houses and they work just fine). Furthermore, when I called and expressed my concerns to Ryan, the manager, he was extremely rude and never even offered to adjust the price in the slightest. He instead continued to split hairs with me about how long the guy was here or there or at lowes (I would say an hour and he would say 50 minutes, it was worth splitting. So maybe the guy sat in his truck and talked on the phone for 10 minutes...who knows). Anyhow, as I said, I feel like I was ripped off, taken advantage of, and robbed. The end. Update (2/9/16): Despite the response from management below and my filing a claim with the BBB, I never received a phone call from this manager and I paid the $1052. DO NOT EVER USE THIS COMPANY!!!!!

He did the job that he was expected to do.

I was extremely pleased with their promptness and their service. The technician was extremely knowledgeable, and he explained the pros and cons of the type of faucets that we had, and got our issues resolved. I couldn't be any happier. They were very prompt about the issue. We paid an additional $76 for the part.

Fantastic job by Ken. Work was done quickly and he answered whatever questions we had. I would definitely recommend Roto Rooters for Plumbing works.

Mike showed up and promptly put on shoe covers to protect my flooring, which I appreciated. I told him what I needed done, plus asked him if he could show me where the main shut off was, as I just purchased this house. He showed me my shut off valve and explained what to do if it did not completely shut off the water. He then got an estimate for the parts for my valves and had me approve it before starting work. He continually whistled which made me feel he was really happy doing his job. After he completed his work, he told me ways to maintain my new dishwasher and my corner toilet so that they last a long time. He was truly professional and I highly recommend him and Roto Rooter. I did purchase the Angies List deal and the 53 dollars was in addition to that. This is what I consider a real deal!

It went really well, and was done quickly. It is two months later, and everything works great, no leaks. So I would definitely use him again. That being said, he did show me the "normal" pricing for the jobs he did, and Roto Rooter normally charges almost $200 just to change out one shower head. I am very glad the service man who came here was reasonable, and did the jobs I needed done for the $250 I had of services, especially since it took him less than an hour.

The plumber showed up on time and was able to clear out a very bad clog in the sink. He was very courteous and was able to get the work done quickly.

Ken was friendly quick and efficient. Had everything done within an hour. Thanks for the great service. I would recommend them to someone else. They were also able to get us an appointment within a few hours on a Saturday!!

The communication was wonderful and prompt. The ability to work with my schedule could not have been better. I switched my schedule to the next day from having it scheduled out for three days. RR worked with me - showed up on a Saturday morning - installed everything beautifully. I'm not sure if things could work better than that. Plus there is a one year labor warranty to back it up. Do not hesitate to call them.

I'm unhappy that they ahvent got the line cleared.

They are pricey, but sincere and follow up when the first fix doesn't work.

They cam in and made quick work of our leak, a little pricey but done in one go.

I cannot remember the service techs name but he arrived in the window time of when was scheduled. He ascertained the problem as a leak coming from an upstairs joint in the master bath. Said he will probably have to open the downstairs wall to get to it and said the entire job would probably cost 800.00 to 1000.00. I told him to do what he must and he started measuring to find exactly where the pipe was to try and reduce damage to my house.He came to me about 15 mins. later with a small piece of drywall that he had cut out and showed me that it was all wet and then showed me where the leak was. It was caused by a previous owner mounting a toilet roll hanger and screwing into the drain instead of the stud which was 2 inches away. He told me that he had to go to lowes and buy two clamps to fix the leak and that the total job would be about 99.00..I was really happy that they sent an experienced tech and he tried this possibility first instead of tearing up an entire wall first. This is the kind of professional I would always like to be doing work at m house!

One of the worst experiences I've had with a plumbing service, ever! I will not use these guys again and in fact, I probably won't buy any "big deals" as this one was such a ripoff. The technician sent out was prompt, groomed and polite. He was about 10 minutes into trying to clear my laundry sink (in the basement) when he made a call to his office to go ahead and send another guy out - with a camera to take a look. This was my first red flag. After all, I had told him that the laundry and sink issues had not happened concurrently, so though both problematic, I didn't really believe them to be related, as in a major backup, etc. AND, the worst part was that I had to explain about three times that only ONE side of the laundry sink was clogged, leading me to believe it was something clogging only that particular trap (call me crazy, but maybe lint that had escaped the mesh lint filter on the drain hose and gotten bogged down with detergent, dirt, etc.). I assured him that I had been doing laundry in a makeshift fashion by allowing the washer to drain into the clogged sink and then just using a bucket to move it next door, where it drained via the working sink. But, the other tech came out anyway. Here's where it gets interesting. The first tech ran the auger and was able to get to about 70 feet, so pretty much to the street where my main empties to the city main - or so I was told. "At that point, there is water and the camera cannot see further," said the second tech. Some small tree roots and debris were removed from my main, but the laundry sink was still not properly emptying. Hmmmm...again, isn't that because the problem is actually more local, as in at the sink trap itself? I kept getting told about how there was water standing near where my main is against the foundation, how the external clean-out that was installed in 2010 is leaning, and a bunch of other "problems." Let's add this up: IF I had gone with the kitchen sink offer, I would have ended up paying $360 to have BOTH drains cleared. That does not include, of course, the suggested $550 for the "jetting." Today, I had my usual plumber, Hope, come out to handle the kitchen sink. Their tech spent about 20 minutes, cleared the drain completely without a big discussion of "possibilities" - it's a kitchen sink, duh! Total cost $169. So, had I just gone with Hope for both drains, my total cost would have been $330 - though probably less because I don't think this is a "flat fee" for draing cl But wait, let me digress a bit... The second tech who came out spent several minutes making crude comments about what he could "see" in the clean-out. It was NOT funny and really, quite embarrassing. Sure, every homeowner knows that there is waste and yuck in their sewer lines, but who wants to have somebody remind them of that, let alone try to poke fun? And yes, that's exactly what the tech said, "Oh, you don't want to look? You're ruining all my fun! I mean, this is how I have fun - sure, it's at your expense, but this is the fun part of my job." EXCUSE ME???? I was so shocked at this behavior that I just tried to go along and chuckle a little and hope he would stop. But, all I really wanted was for these guys to finish and get out. Some words and phrases that came up during this little interlude: "toilet gumbo" "I'm hungry..hmmm." and "Yeah, when he looks down there, he gets hungry for meatballs." I have no clue what the purpose was for this type of talk, but it was completely out of line and inappropriate - period. So, after about two hours of this circus - I think - and the camera, auger, etc. shtick, I am told the laundry still isn't quite draining and they're trying to figure it out. I once again say, "Really? Because IT HAS BEEN DRAINING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SINK - I've just been using a bucket to move the water over." Boom, not 30 minutes later, the clogged sink is once again working. I was never told how that was fixed. But, I assume that one of these guys finally decided to try and approach the problem from the drain trap in the sink vs. the external clean-out and main line. Hmm... It gets better! After the successful clearing of the basement sink, I find the first tech in my kitchen, dismantling the p-trap and starting to work on that clog. He tells me that, unfortunately, the $250 credit from the $79 "deal" was all used on the laundry sink and the clearing of the kitchen sink would be a separate job - but he can give me a discount. I ask how much and he says $236. So, I told him to stop, but the pipes back together and we're done here. Now, in addition to the $79 for the deal from AL, I also had to fork over $45 for some other "labor" charge - apparently the second tech with the camera? So, I actually paid $124 to have only one drain cleared, be told a lot of scary "could happens" about my plumbing AND be completely put off by the disgusting "plumbing" humor (I use that term very lightly). To boot, somewhere along the line in the almost three hours of this debacle, tech #2 had told me I needed to have my main line "jetted" out with high-pressure water cleaning - for ONLY $550! Had I gone with Roto-Rooter for the kitchen sink, too, I would have shelled out $360 on a so-called $79 deal. Hope Plumbing came by today and cleared the kitchen sink in less than 30 minutes for $169. Had I just stuck with them, for both sinks, I would have paid $330 (or likely less since it was a single service call) for both sinks, with NO special deal - and NO crude commentary. I doubt I will get it, but I'd like a refund of my extra $45 charge and an apology from Roto-Rooter for their technicians' off-putting behavior. Roto-Rooter, before you write this off as just another "wacky" female homeowner who knows nothing about plumbing, you should know that I am a PR consultant by trad. So while I may not, in fact, know plumbing all that well, I DO know customer-facing PR - good and bad. Contact me if you'd like some help training your techs who need to improve those skills.

We had a drip that we were not able to fix ourselves. We purchased the AL special ($79 for $250 worth of labor). Ended up paying $73 on top of that. $34 for part and rest for labor. Plumber came on the same day we called them, which was great for us as we had guests coming that evening. He went to get a part from a store about 20miles away. He charged total of 4 hours labor that included the 2 hours he spent going to and from the Avon store to get the part. I have not experienced that with any other plumbing, electrician or handyman service. I have never been charged for the time spent to procure the part.

There was to much extra cost on top of the $79.00. I didn't feel comfortable with what the rep was saying. I felt that I would need a second opinion to confirm everything that was needing to be fixed.

Drew was punctual and very professional. He made it a point to show us what he was doing every step of the way. At the end of the project we discovered the toilet phlange had cracked and the bolt was loose, so he repaired the phlange at no extra cost. All in all, a very pleasant experience.

very friendly, honest, Dwayne Bruce. stayed until drain was clear and clear flowing. approx. 2 hours of work time. used Angie's List coupon. Saved significant money.

We called and they said they will have someone in 2 hours, no one came. We called 3 more times and no one ever showed up.