Roto- Rooter Plumbing & Drain Services

Be wary of Roto Rooter Water Restoration services after basement flooding This is a negative review based on misleading tactics used by the water restoration representative, and is not a review of the quality of work. I had my basement flood due to a sump pump failure. My basement is unfinished, except for vinyl flooring that covers most of the space. I used Roto Rooter to come out & replace the pump, which they did after hours. They charged me ~$300 for the pump & ~$400 for the labor, ~$700 for one hour of onsite work. They sent a water restoration representative out the next morning. The rep talked to me & ensured me that my home insurance would cover the cost of any work. We placed a joint phone call to my insurance carrier & opened a claim, but no analysis is done at that time to actually ensure insurance coverage. The rep then had me sign & initial an iPad in one place, which I found out later actually replicates my signature & initials to a full 8 page contract that I never was able to read before signing. In my scenario, it turns out that I did not have insurance coverage for flooding due to a sump pump failure (only in the case of a utility line bursting). The insurer eventually informed me that most people do not carry that extra coverage unless they have a fully finished basement. I called Roto Rooter & told them I wanted to be conservative in our approach, since I would now be responsible for all costs. The rep ensured me that the cost would be minimal, going as far as to say that the cost could be "offset by coupons for future service", and "don't worry, we're not trying to get you out of thousands of dollars". This set an exepctation with me that the scaled back service approach would likely cost $500 or less. Long story short, they placed 2 industrial sized units in my basement for 1 week (1 dehumidifier & another unit). They also sent techs out daily to check moisture levels. I was never updated on what it would cost or what charges I was incurring, & I was trusting in what the rep told me previously. I was eventually billed ~$1,700. I complained & explained the entire interaction, & why I had certain expectations for a lower bill. They leaned on the fact that the contract stated the cost could be between $3000-7000, even though that was signed before I knew I didn't have coverage. They asked why I didn't ask it to be changed, & I told them I called the rep & reset expectations as soon as I found out. They also said their pricing for services provided was fair & based on industry standard software pricing estimates, & that $1700 is nothing for water restoration services. They would not budge off of adjusting the costs, and I told them they lost my future business (as a younger homeowner) for life. I also told them I would write this to share my experience with others so that they don't feel cheated. In summary, be careful with Roto Rooter's Water Restoration Services. They know it is a time sensitive situation, & that it is convenient for you to use them - especially if you already used them for sump pump repair due to flooding & the company can just send someone out the next day. The rep that comes to your home will tell you anything to get you to sign a contract, & then they are nowhere to be found & are of no help when you end up being overcharged for the service. Knowing what I know now, I could've likely taken a similar approach by renting drying equipment on my own for half the cost or less, but I made the mistake of trusting in what I was told.

Asked for ball-park quote over the phone. Would not give any numbers, but technician would come to the house for free and give a quote. Technician arrived within 45 minutes of first call - very fast. Put 'booties' over shoes before coming into house - thank you. Showed him the issue in the basement, where he promptly stepped into the raw sewage mess I was in the middle of cleaning up with his fresh 'booties' and then proceeded to walk around my basement - not cool. Gave me a quote of $349, but I could use a $50 off coupon - no thank you. I new Roto-Rooter would be high, but that price is ridiculous. Technician left with no work done, and I continued to clean up my (now bigger) mess.

Roto-rooter was very prompt in scheduling the service, and I coordinated the schedule with our tenants as we live out of town from this property. The service was performed as scheduled 2/21/18, and the technician called me with the quote. Later after I received the receipt from our tenant I realized there was no information on the actual equipment installed. I called Roto-rooter and was given the name of the disposal. When I looked up the average price online and saw that the price range varied over $200 I asked for the receipt of the disposal as my tenant told me the technician had to leave to purchase it. I was told it is against company policy to provide a copy of the actual receipt. When I then questioned that 1) I as the customer need to have documentation of what was actually installed and that 2) the parts charge could be well above what the actual cost was to Roto-rooter, I was told some form of written documentation could be emailed to me for our records. This was two months ago, and after calling several times over the past two months, I have spoken each time to a very nice woman at the local Dayton Roto-rooter office who has been unable to explain why I still haven't received this documentation but told me I should receive it soon. I verified both my email and mailing address. This is such a simple question that should have been documented on the original receipt. I have already provided this feedback to pass along to the technician, Roody G. This has been a frustration and inconvenience, and for our future service we will simply contact a local repair company. I have always thought that going with a national reputable chain my experience would be more streamlined. This has not been the case for Roto-rooter.

They are very fast, great, and upfront. They tell you exactly what they are going to do, and how long it will take. They also give an estimate ahead of time before starting.

I wouldn't give them an A because I think they could have probably done a little bit better, but they were good. I can't complain too much about them. The work was very good. They were very prompt. They came right away. They didn't make a mess or anything and they got the work done quickly. I would recommend them. This was our first time using them.

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They do good work

unknown

They made the clog go away. I was happy with that. They took care of everything. They were professional and did a good job.

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