Roto-Rooter

Called Roto Rooter on a Saturday to come clear a clogged drain line. The technician showed up quickly and quoted me $180 to clear the drain. (I was quoted $75 on the phone). He requested my signature before he started any work. He attempted to auger the drain for 10 minutes and then informed me that he couldn't get the auger down the drain line because it made a 90 degree turn. My house did not have a clean out so he told me there's nothing he can do unless I dig down to the drain and open up a hole in it. So, naturally I assumed I would not be charged. Wrong. $180 charge for a one-hour visit, 30 minutes of which was spent in his truck talking on the phone. He was an alright guy, but I don't agree with whatever policy he was following. Last time I checked, it's illegal to charge for a service you don't complete.

I called customer service to try to receive a partial refund and they had a supervisor call me. The supervisor informed me his technician did an amazing job and that I was being ridiculous in asking for a partial refund. The supervisor said that what I paid for was the "excellent professional advice of his technician". Last time I checked, you don't pay an auto mechanic for his "expert professional advice" on changing your brakes. You pay him to actually change the brakes. The supervisor actually argued with me on the phone for 15 minutes about how wrong I am. I cleared the drain myself by the way with a hand auger and a shop vac after he left. Worst service experience ever.

Side note: Just realized today that "someone" called my local building department and reported remodeling work being done with no permits pulled. Roto-Rooter has been the only entity besides my family inside of that house. I can't prove the supervisor did that, but you do the math.

Here's a letter to Roto-Rooter regarding my complaint against them that went largely unanswered... Don't ever do business with them!

I wanted to take a moment to tell you of my displeasure with your repairman David ** and the cost of his service. The invoice is ** accomplished in Schererville, Indiana.

On Friday, January 13, I discovered a blockage in my 1.5-inch sump pump discharge line. As a result, my sump pump couldn't effectively discharge the perimeter water around the house to the city storm line. My pump pits were overfull to the point of puddling around the pits. I needed to correct the problem fast, lest I have more water extending into more of my basement.

I called Roto-Rooter, believing somehow that your company was a fair, reputable, and honest company. Sadly, I know better now. When repairman David came to my house, he could see that I was in an emergency spot. I explained to David that I live next to an underground spring and I believed (and correctly so) the iron sediment had clogged a small portion of the discharge to the point of failure. I needed about 2 linear feet of the line cleared.

I was shocked when he quoted me a price of $380.00 to do the work which I knew would take about 20 minutes or less. I told him immediately I would not be willing to use his service considering the high price and the simple repair. He then dropped his price to $280.00! By his very offer to reduce the price, it told me the guy lacked credibility, and as such, he was dishonest. I should have told him to leave. Even so, the price was still astronomical, considering the small amount of work involved. I relented and agreed, knowing fully well he was screwing me; but I needed to correct the water problem.

He brought a simple electric rodding machine down to my basement and asked if I had an extension cord! Then I watched as he cleared the line. I could tell by the amount of iron oxide on his rodder line that indeed about 2 -3 feet of the line was clogged no more. He was done with the work in about 15 minutes. The total time at my house was no more than 30 minutes! For $280.00?

Again, I called your company as I've said, because of my feeling that you were an honest company. A $280.00 charge is a light year away from being honest and fair. I object to your man taking advantage of me because of my predicament... Shame on him. Overcapitalizing on someone's misfortune just can't be your corporate objective or mantra.

Perhaps, what he may not understand is that I knew I was getting screwed then, and I know now and from now on, I was screwed. I know you understand. In order to right this wrong, I'm asking that you refund a portion of my repair charge. Please feel free to call me at my cell number. In the event I don't answer, please leave a message with a number at which I can call you.

Basement drain backed up. Out the same day. Technician couldn't get through to street sewer. Recommended camera technician. Charges for that day $300. Camera guy came out three days later and said we needed to dig to replace pipe at curb, $4,500.00. Price could change with unforeseen complications. Camera fee $75. We said let us sleep on it. He seemed surprised. I called another company, Cardinal Services, Inc. He cleared our tree roots out of the drain, three hours later, camera showed clear drain. Bill for Job $440. Everything is running clear. No thanks to Roto-Rooter.

The sewage is backed up in the basement/carpets/bathroom etc. I do not have much time for "estimates" from several companies. Unfortunately, I called Roto-rooter,They did come out quickly and after an hour told me it would cost approx. $7,000 to complete the repair. What was I to do? After seeing what they did and the minimal time involved (total 5 hours), I complained but to deaf ears. I subsequently called three other plumbing firms and received estimates ranging from $450 to $1,600. What a total rip-off. I will never use this company, ever!

Roto-Rooter charged $468 to repair a toilet on August 31, 2011 and came back about November 15 because the ball in the toilet was leaking water back in the toilet and automatically filling 1-3 times per hour. A new ball was installed and the plumber left but the toilet continued the same as before. Since the toilet did not leak before August, I checked to see what could have happened. I found that the rod screwed into the ball was too short and the ball did not seat correctly. I unscrewed the rod in 2-3 turns and the problem was solved.

It's hard to sleep when the toilet in the bathroom next to the bedroom runs all night. My rate for the service call is $125 to start and $100 per hour for each hour or part thereof. This $250 will still leave Roto Rooter a profit of $218.

Received a $7400 plumbing bill from Roto-Rooter. Two separate bills received with one having charges for work done in the street. Main line pipes, etc. This bill has clearly caused a hardship for me. I am a senior citizen living on a fixed income and cannot afford this bill.

I had a blocked up main drain line called Roto-Rooter to auger it out. They came and did but had a hard time getting thought at about the curb but finally did. I had trouble there the last time they augured it out. I asked if they could use their camera to see what the problem could be. They did that for a fee and said the pipe was cast iron and broken or just deteriorating from old age. It looked like a section was missing. I said I would have to call someone to fix. They said they could do it. I wasn't aware they also fixed broken lines. Being 70 years of age, I didn't think I should tackle it by myself. I asked for an estimate and we agreed on $8500.00. That's lots of money when you are living on a pension, but can't get along without a sewer.

So they started the job. My sewer pipe is only about 3 or 4 feet down starting from the house. They said they would lower it down to about 6 feet so it would be below the frost line. I said go ahead and do what you think is right. So they started digging and laying the pipe down, it looked like a good job so far. Then things went bad. He said he had talked to the city engineer and the sewer pipe in the street was only down about 4 to 5 feet and that would incur more costs like about $900.00. They would have to raise the pipes they already had done and maybe cut the water main so they could get the pipe connected to the sewer main, also they would have to replace more black top in the street. It turned out that the sewer main was 6 or more feet down.

I didn't have to raise the line they already had in. they didn't have to cut into the water main. They didn't have to run a second pressure test on the line, So when it came to paying the bill when they were through. They wanted a check for the balance of the main bill which I had given them $4300.00 to start the job, and a separate check for the $900.00 thats when the ** hit the fan. That I wasn't paying the $900.00 because he didn't have to cut the water main or raise his pipe. But he said he had to but in 2 extra clean outs I told him he didn't put in two extra clean outs. He said there is two clean outs in the lawn and was going to take a look. I said I know there are two clean outs but only one is extra.

There was one clean out there to begin with. That was in the deal. Then he said there is the extra black top I said $900.00 for a 4 by 4 foot piece was a little high. I wrote him out a check $4200.00 and told him I would see him in court if he didn't agree with me, then I gave him back his gallon pail of sewer cleaner he gave me when I agreed to let him do the job because I thought he was a scam artist and I did not what anything to do with Roto-Rooter again. He supposedly got a permit from the city and should have asked for the depth of the sewer line then. They call themselves sewer solution specialists. I think scam artist should be in there someplace.

Beware of Roto-Rooter's contract fine print. It is very one-sided (aka: anti-consumer and pro-Roto-Rooter). Thankfully (for me), Roto-Rooter agreed that full payment would be due upon completion [i.e. $-0- paid up front].

Roto-Rooter proposed to replace our 50-foot long water service pipe (between a big hole dug by city workers at city sidewalk and the basement floor of our 21-unit apartment building). A job that Roto-Rooter's estimator said would be "no problem" to finish in one or two days.

Day 1: Thursday 11/3/2011 -- (a) first workers on site arrived without necessary equipment and [it turned out] did not understand what the job would require; (b) next, the wrong kind of underground boring equipment arrived - Roto-Rooter blamed that equipment's failure on site conditions that were known before work started; (c) late morning, some [but not all] proper equipment arrived [underground boring "gopher"]; (d) workers successfully used the "gopher" but opted not to attach a steel cable to it [bad choice]; (e) city inspector pointed out that the "gopher" did not go not deep enough below ground; (f) workers tried to pull in a cable using the "gopher's" rubber air hose but cable/hose got stuck in sandy soil; (f) water to building had been turned off since early morning, and pipes remained disconnected all day - city inspector ordered that pipes be reconnected so that renters in 21 apartments had water at night.

Day 2: Friday 11/4 -- (a) mid-morning a small backhoe [excavation equipment] arrived; (b) tried to pull rubber hose with attached cable through the sandy soil; (c) hose only stretched and the stuck cable failed to move; (d) a few hours later, Roto-Rooter gave up and said they'd return Monday.

Day 3: Monday 11/7 -- (a) same small backhoe returned; (b) workers successfully used a second "gopher" and this time attached a steel cable; (c) they attached the cable to new 1.5-inch copper pipe and pulled on the cable with the backhoe; (d) cable moved forward, the pipe started into the sandy soil and...got stuck; (e) the little backhoe was not strong enough to overcome the soil-to-pipe friction; (f) around 3:00 pm, Roto-Rooter gave up [again]; (g) Roto-Rooter blamed bad soil conditions and proposed [for an additional $2,400] to dig up my yard, sidewalk, and a brick retaining wall [they would re-fill the holes but would not replace the sidewalk or wall].

Finally: Monday 11/14 -- (a) I hired a Different Contractor who said they could finish in one day; (b) the new crew arrived by 8:00 am with a bigger backhoe and a third "gopher"; (c) they did NOT dig up the yard, sidewalk or wall; (d) by 2:00 pm, less than six hours after starting, they were 100% finished with the job that Roto-Rooter failed to complete in three work days plus a week of wasted wait-time. Bottom line- Roto-Rooter did not have the proper equipment and did not have the experience required for this job.

We have lived in this house for more than 35 years, and almost every second year, we need a drain cleaning, because of the big maple tree roots. This time, the man tried to scare me into letting them run a camera out to the street. And he told me the line was in terrible shape and would probably need excavating in the near future, because of a "bump" on the way to the street. I told him there has always been a "bump" in our line for 35 years.

He told me again that that indicated we would need excavating in the near future. He mentioned that they would be glad to arrange the excavating for us. I chose to ignore his pressuring, but I must say, it has left me very concerned about what terrible shape our line must be in. I mentioned this to my husband that I felt really pressured by this service man and didn't know if I should believe him or not. Roto-Rooter has never treated us this way in the past.

We called Roto-Rooter when our toilet would no longer drain. They sent out their affiliate Patriot Plumbing. The technician came and told us that he would need to remove the toilet, snake the drain, then re-seat the toilet with a minimum charge of $240.00. What could we do? So, we acquiesced. The technician was unable to clear the drain. So, they said the next step would be to bring out the camera, which the technician's boss had. That would be an additional $400.00 plus. They came out, ran the camera to an obstacle and said that would take care of the problem. They were going to have to dig down to the drain, place in a cleanout and then proceed from there. That would be an additional $1,200 plus.

My basement was flooded with water up to seven inches deep due to hurricane Irene. It knocked out my electric power connection and sump pump. I called Roto-Rooter Sewer and Drain Service located in 3300 Shafto Road, Suite B, Tinton Falls, New Jersey 07753 and the office telephone number is 732-222-1998. On 8-29-11, a serviceman arrived by 9:21 AM. It was just 25 minutes after I called. We had no electricity yet. We have a small, partial basement; the service guy set the pump inside the basement, and the hose was led out of the basement doors. Within ten minutes, our power was restored. Our sump pump began working right away, but he continued working for another twenty minutes or so.

My problem was the set price for the service man's coming out, which was not an emergency, as the damage was already done in the basement. He told me the price was $400 for the first hour. As he was working, he told me that the water could come back, if power connection was not restored. Fortunately, the power connection was restored ten minutes after he started working. He did not do an hour worth of work, and basically he just used his generator pump with no degree of difficulty. I was stuck with a $428 bill. I feel that I was taken advantaged of financially, in a vulnerable time.

We had them out on Wednesday to do a main sewer routing. With the price I paid, they said they include a videoing of the pipes. We scheduled them for Thursday at 4:30 PM to come out.

So Thursday at 4:45 PM, I called them to find out the tech never scheduled it. So we rescheduled for Friday at 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM.

On Friday at 5:10 PM, I received a call that they can't come out and if I had our village come out and video the pipes, "it's free through them".

On Thursday, I left work early for them only to find out they never had me booked. Loss of dollars and time. On top of receiving the call on Friday, it is the aggravation they put me through.

In talking to them, they did not care at all about my time or aggravation. They did offer $100 refund, in which I told them I think it was worth a little more than that. They got adamant that they went "above and beyond" for me and did get someone out in the scheduled time. I told them that was well after I had to call two managers to complain again!

We had a leak in basement and it flooded the utility room. I called Roto-Rooter and they came to repair the leak. At the time, 7/19/2011, the serviceman claimed there was a crack in the slop sink where the washing machine hose went into. The sink was always dry to the touch everywhere around and under and at the external crack. It was a few inches from the wall. I couldn't understand how that was the problem since the leak dripped directly under the valves, which was against the wall.

I believed what he said. So he removed the sink and capped the water line, which was against the wall and rerouted the washing machine hose out to an out going pipe. A few hours later, and every day thereafter, I always noticed a small puddle on the cement floor. I thought maybe it's a foundation crack. Finally, today, 8/2/2011, I noticed water dripping out of the valve just above the puddle. Obviously, this was the problem and it was not addressed the day they came. The water started going around the perimeter of the room as it did two weeks ago when the room was flooded and it prompted me to call.

I called back this morning and explained it and they told me there would be no charge. I took time off from work to wait here, and he came promptly. He said this was not happening the day they came and there will be a charge! I told him to leave. I called the manager, who was not available to speak so he would call back. Never heard back so I called again. Got the general manager and he insisted that the sink was cracked and that's what caused the flood! He wasn't even here, so how could he say that? He would have someone come again today and tighten the nut but not replace it!

If they replaced it the day they came, my slop sink, which did not leak, would have still been there, and I would not be writing this complaint. I told the manager that I now have to take more time off from work to wait again for a repair man to come to tighten something that at least could have been tightened the first time, or certainly tightened this morning. I paid $515.97 for a service that did absolutely nothing to stop the leak, which was the reason why I called on 7/19!

I want this problem resolved and a portion of my money back for a service, which did nothing for the situation!

We removed the toilet to snake ourselves due to not flushing. But we couldn't get the toilet to flush again, so we called Roto-Rooter. Bryan, a trainee who has been on the job for 4 months, came out and snaked the toilet too. We showed him a drain out back, and he said that it had nothing to do with our plumbing and that the sewer system is in front of our house. He was wrong on both points.

He couldn't fix the problem and charged us $144 for 30 minutes of work. How is that fair? When they were supposed to come back out the next night to try to jet flush the pipes, they cancelled on us an hour before they were to show up and were very rude about it. I called the manager Mike, and he was just as rude, telling me that it was too bad.

Roto Rooter is alleged in Superior Court in Massachusetts that they send unlicensed persons posing as plumbers to do work that requires a license in Massachusetts. They do this to the detriment of the Licensed Plumber and unlawfully enrich them selves by this practice. They are also being sued in Federal court for forcing these same plumbers to purchase the company vehicle and the gasoline and oil and insurance.

The consequences to the consumer could be dire. These unsupervised persons could possibly poison your portable water supply or fill your home with gas as they have not had the proper supervision and apprenticeship time necessary to work on these systems. The Licensed Plumber suffers as the work he is trained to do is given to other persons.

This branch of Roto Rooter provided the worst service I have ever encountered. I had a slow draining tub so I called Roto Rooter to fix it. Once the plumber named Pete arrived, he immediately went to work on the tub. After about 45 minutes, he came back and stated that he cannot fix it and gave me the number of another plumber! I thought that the Roto Rooter plumbers were supposed to be licensed plumbers, but I guess I was wrong. Not only did he not fix it, but my slow draining tub became completely clogged that it was not draining at all.

Then, he proceeded to give me a bill for $150 for doing nothing but destroying my bathroom! Once he left, I checked the bathroom and to my horror, it was in complete shambles. There was sludge sprayed all over my walls, toilet and vanity. There were also some deep scratches in my tub. He shattered our toothbrush holder and tracked mud throughout the house--very unprofessional!

I called to complain and the older lady on the phone (either Karen or Ellen, as she kept changing her name during our conversation) was extremely rude and very sarcastic during our conversation. She had to be the most unprofessional person I ever came in contact with. She rudely questioned my level of education when I asked her a legitimate question. She ended our conversation admitting that they ripped me off but since they are an independent-owned company that had the Roto Rooter name licensed to them, there is nothing I or the Roto Rooter corporate office can do to get any resolution.

After all this frustration, I called my local plumber and they were able to fix it in 15 minutes (using the same process of snaking the drain that the licensed Roto Rooter plumber, Pete, said can't be done) leaving my bathroom the exact condition they found it in and charged half the price of this Roto Rooter branch.

A 90-year-old mother was in an abode with stopped up drains, and with water and sewage backing up into her bathtub. The smell is horrendous. She called Roto-Rooter and they would not return the calls. She called 8 other plumbers in the area not one returned her calls for help.

Roto Rooter was called on 11/8 to clear the main house drain to the street with no apparent problems. The drain was again clogged on 11/24; however, my visiting family had no idea of the 11/8 occurrence and could not contact me as I was working. A competitive plumber was called who cleared the drain. Now Roto-Rooter will not stand behind their six month warranty saying that they should have been called even after the mitigating circumstances were identified. Company policy is damned!

Roto-rooter sent an unlicensed plumber to fix my clogged toilet. In two turns of his manual snake, he claimed the problem was fixed. He also replaced just the flap in the tank. My out of pocket was $207.00 plus a manufacture coupon of $30.00. The one-week warranty had this tech return and a requested different tech return with no results. Angel from the Baltimore office called after repeated calls and expired warranty to tell me the best they could do was to charge me a higher rate than already paid minus that amount and install a new toilet that I purchased. I have had to constantly plunge the toilet to prevent overflow which has occurred resulting in excessive cleanups.

In August of 2010, we had a sewer backup in our basement. I called Roto Rooter thinking we would be properly taken care. A tech arrived fairly quickly, which was promising, led them down to the bathroom closest to the backup in order to snake the line. At the time, the clean out for the line could not be found. Little did I know the former house owner walled over the clean out so the tech needed to snake from the toilet. Unfortunately, the tech couldn't figure out how to get my toilet up. These guys are plumbers but couldn't get the toilet up? Next, they located the vent pipe and broke into the wall to access the drain. Without putting any protection on my floors and walls, he began to snake the line which ultimately destroyed my bathroom by throwing waste product all over the floor and walls, further exposing my family to hazardous material.

The walls were destroyed by the snake digging into the wall as it spun deeper into the hole. It cost me over $600 dollars. I thought the problem was fixed and the snake cleared the line. But boy was I wrong. Two days later, the drain backed up again. I called Roto Rooter again. This time, the tech actually put plastic down, but again, used no "tent" device to protect the walls (I found out about the tent device later on). He proceeded to snake the line again. The problem seemed to be fixed for the moment, but had to wait a day for a line camera to be used to fully diagnose the issue. The next day, a tech came on site with a camera snake. Hoping the issue was resolved, the camera told another story. According to the tech, there was an issue with the pipe and needed to be replaced at the tune of $4500. Apparently, there was a dip in the pipe causing water to collect in the pipe preventing a proper line drain. This was causing the backup in my basement as it was explained. It seemed to be logical, so I opted for the work.

About a week later, the work began to replace the pipe. It took two days to complete the job because a hot water heater was needed to be moved in the process. Again, Roto Rooter took no precautions to quarantine off the area to prevent the caustic dust from circulating in my home. Also, their definition of cleaning up only included broom sweeping. I had to hire a professional cleaning company to clean both my bathroom and basement after their work. I thought the nightmare was finally over. But it wasn't.

About a month later, a contractor who was providing me with an estimate for rebuilding my bath and basement noticed I had drain work done and inquired about it. I explained the extent of the work and he asked if they installed a "back flow" system because it's code in MD. I didn't have a clue so I reviewed the paperwork and found no such reference. I contacted my local water works (WSSC) and found out that in fact, there was code established in 2009 that requires a "back flow" system to be installed. I contacted Roto Rooter about this and was advised that they would have to investigate the matter. A day later, I got a call at 7:00AM stating they wanted to come by and install the system. I guess this means they acknowledge the fact that they completed the work incorrectly.

Unfortunately, I could not accommodate their time frame as I wasn't given any notice. Then they made me wait. Finally, they scheduled the work after I began to complain. This time, I advised that plastic needed to be hung and the mess completely cleaned up. I was given assurance this would be done, however, knowing their work in the past I began to hang the plastic myself. This time, the work took about half a day. The tech who installed the system asked me if I wanted them to disable the system, which would prevent the back flow from working? Huh? Why in the ** would I go through having the system installed, just to have it disabled? No sense at all.

After all was said and done, I began to file complaints about the whole ordeal. Although my insurance company took care of the clean up and rebuilding the bathroom, I felt as though Roto Rooter owed my family some form of restitution for all the trouble and unprofessional work and treatment from start to finish. Unfortunately, the manager did not see any problems with the way things were done nor support my idea or restitution outside of covering wages lost. They do work without permit nor complete the work to code. Are you kidding me? If my insurance hadn't covered the bills, I would be out more thousands of dollars. Poor work, no permits, not completing work to code = stay away from Roto Rooter. My complaints are being filed with corporate as we speak.

My wife was doing laundry and the toilet in the laundry room started bubbling. I knew there was a clog so we called Roto-Rooter. They came out, removed the toilet and used the auger for about 15 minutes. They said it was cleared and re-installed the toilet. I paid $375.00. A week later, the same thing happened. So I called them back. They returned and said, "We need to photograph it." They photographed it the next day and also one of their technicians went under my house. When the technician came out, he said there was a "belly in the pipe", basically a "V", so that meant the pipe was bent.

He quoted me a price of $3,700.00 to replace 20 feet of pipe. I said come back tomorrow and do the work. Once they left, I crawled under my house and inspected the pipes. To my surprise, the pipe was perfectly straight, no "V" or belly. I called the main office and was told you only had a 10-day guarantee and you are out of luck, we can come back for a new charge. You could imagine I told her where to go. I called a local plumber. He got the auger all the way through, and voila, plumbing is fine. Do not use Roto-Rooter ever.

Our condo association called out Roto Rooter to stake out a clogged kitchen pipe. They came and did the job; however, we discovered weeks later that the equipment that they used had created two large holes in one of the kitchen pipes. Water had been flowing freely through the holes and into the walls and insulation for four weeks. We had a second party plumber come out to fix the damage and his professional opinion was that Roto Rooter had caused the damage and estimated the damage at around $15,000.

We submitted a claim to Roto Rooter for the damage and they responded with a boilerplate letter concluding that they were not liable. They provided no reasoning for their claim of non liability, unsurprisingly, since there was no other rational explanation for the damage. In addition, their charges for the work done were between about 2-10 times more than second party plumbers. For example, the Roto Rooter's work to snake the pipe was $360 and we had another estimate for $160. Roto Rooter also estimated $1600 to find and repair the source of the leak and the second party plumber estimated $175. All in all, it has been a nightmare dealing with Roto Rooter and in my opinion their denial of the claim is fraudulent and in completely bad faith. Avoid Roto Rooter at all costs.

Service was done for a clogged toilet in my parent's (ages 87 and 94) home on 8/30/2010. The charges were excessive: $178 for a clogged toilet and while the serviceman was there he "fixed" a slow draining tub for a price of $349. Please note that the toilet did not have to be moved, a simple unclogging was all that was necessary.

To these inflated prices, they applied a "senior discount" of $132. The total before taxes was $388 for the two procedures. Thrn the serviceman sold my mother a container of a Draino type solution for $52. I felt that the charges were excessive for two simple procedures. Ironically, there was a need for a plumber at their house today for an unrelated issue. (I did not call Roto Rooter.) He saw the bill from Roto Rooter and confirmed for me that the two procedures should not have cost more than $200. He also said not to use the solution. They were sold because it would cause more problems to the old pipe system. I called Roto Rooter, but did not receive any satisfaction. I could stop the check but decided against that. I truly feel that two older people were taken advantage of by this company.

I called Roto Rooter for my cesspool backing and figured it would not be cheap. When the plumber got here and spent 10 minutes for $435.00 to run a snake through the pipe; he then told me he unclogged the pipe but my cesspool was full. When I told him I would handle the problem, he became irate and said I have to have the problem corrected. I again told him I would handle it. He still insisted that it had to be corrected immediately. He carried on for approximately 30 minutes making me feel guilty for not doing as I was told. Then came payment and said his phone was not working for Visa payment, but I could pay with a check, which I realize now he was lying so I would have a hard time to dispute a farce of a job.

He began to also tell my wife and children how they would not be able to use the water, which was also a lie. This is my first time ever complaining about a service, but I have never been so **. I was an aircraft mechanic for 20 years and he assumed I did not know anything. Also, when running a camera through a pipe, only he understands what he is seeing. And he then tells you to look at all those problems, like a civilian reading an X-ray. Of course you can't see what an outdated camera in a pipe is showing you. Please use all resources available before using this company. The plumber gets a large cut the more he ** you. I spent $436 not to correct the problem, but was told he fixed a clog that would require thousands of dollars to fully fix.

I called a plumber to fix a kitchen faucet leak and install a new faucet, which I purchased. After checking the source of where to turn the water off and on, he found no valve. For his work and half hour visit, he charged me $350.00 plus sales tax, is that a fair price?

I had a garburator that had popcorn in the chopper gears. I called on Sunday and a worker came from Roto-Rooter and went at the garburator with a Philips head screw driver and jabbed at it through the drain. When he couldn't dislodge the popcorn, he turned to the motor underneath the sink which he took off and announced that we need a whole new machine. This is after he said that this would only take a few minutes and that it was an easy fix and that I could do it myself next time. He finished with, "I'll be back between 9:30 am or 10 am tomorrow." I foolishly paid $200 for the day's visit and waited.

The next day, I waited, waited, and waited and no visit. I called at 12 pm to ask where my new garburator was. There was lots of excuses and "hms and haws" even when I explained my situation of waiting with two little toddler boys for 4 hours inside on a beautiful day. I was told that I would have someone very soon and they would call. It is now 2:40 and when I called back, I was passed from customer service representative to customer service representative with more excuses. It is now their nap time and I told the representative that I needed this fixed right away where I was given the, "Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

I asked for a manager who just made more excuses and when I asked her if she had called the worker, she had not. I had given them the head's up as to the name and the number of their worker at 12 pm. There were no follow up calls, no apologizes, no offer of any assistance whatsoever. I will not suggest this company to anyone!

On May 12, 2010, I had some plumbing work done by Roto-Rotor. The workers told my husband that the total was going to be around $5700. When I got the receipt it did not have any of the work itemized. I want to know how they came up with the total of $5700. My invoice is for $5764.00. There are no figures for labor, parts, products etc. I have called several times and requested an itemized statement. The owner, Art said that he would send an itemized copy. To date I have yet to receive it. I thought the law stated that companies were required to provide that information. How do I know that I was not overcharged for the work completed?

My experience with ROTO-ROOTER Services Company in Tampa, FL, did not leave me with the impression that the company was interested in anything but fleecing its customers. Two of my toilets were not flushing completely. I had augered them myself, but did not determine that there was a clog. I called the Roto-Rooter number in the Clearwater phone book and was told by Duke that there would be a charge of $155 to fix the toilets, and that the warranty would be six months.

A service technician named George B. showed up and augered both toilets (as I had done) and told me the warranty would be seven days, instead of the six months promised by Duke. All Mr. B. could say is that Duke should not have given me a quote over the phone. I told him that if I had known that was all he was going to do, I would not have scheduled the appointment. Also, when George had completed augering, he simply removed the auger from the toilet, allowing it to drip liquid on my flooring and carpet. He told me that the one toilet needed to be replaced and that he could come back to do that, at additional charge. When he was leaving, he reached out to shake my hand with his, yet he had not washed his hands after handling the wet auger.

Total charge from Roto-Rooter $178.44. Repair Status INCOMPLETE. Since the downstairs toilet still did not function, I contacted another plumber from Bob Frank Plumbing, Inc. The technician, Randy, noted that the water line in the tank was low, augered the trap and proceeded to ream out the mineral deposits that had clogged the rinse ring on the bowl. Within minutes, the toilet was flushing like new. He did this to the other toilet, as well. Randy also had a large bucket into which he placed the wet auger. And, he was wearing disposable rubber gloves to do all the work. Total charge from Bob Frank Plumbing...$96.50 Repair Status...COMPLETE AND STILL WORKING

Contacted the Roto Rooter to come out to clear drain at my father's home, We explain to the gentlemen what the problem. His diagnosis of the problem did not make any since as we were explaining to him that sewage was backing up from the basement to the upstairs bathroom. We informed him that the lower bathroom had not backed up. That we felt like it was a main line problem. He rodded out the toilet main in the lower bathroom. Informed us to kick the sump pump on an sewage again came out sump to the upstairs bathroom. He went up stairs and rodded the toilet in the upstairs bathroom, and told us to kick the sump pump on an sewage again came out sump to the upstairs bathroom. He stated that the line was clear but we could not use the washer down stairs or any water on the lower level.

We are saying if you cleared it then why cant these items. This means that you did not clear the drain main line as the problem still exists. He is busy trying to sell us camera views and additional services instead of performing the services that he is being paid for. ROTO Rooter is a very poor plumbing organization, and if you are in need of plumbing services do not use them, as they are only trying to take your money, and perform no work. I believe the gentle who was our service provider was lazy, and in a rush to get home. More interested in passing out hold us harmless forms instead of performing the service requested.Buyer beware do not use this organization for plumbing or you are going to spend double the money that you have to by having someone else come out to rectify the problem.

Be careful dealing with this franchise. The owner finds it ok to tell your business to other customers without your permission. He is also verbally abusive and angry...threatening me with a lawyer (I should be suing him), as well as name calling and insulting. I would not do business with him or this franchise. There are others out there, even in Monroe. Sorry Troy, you will not bully me and I am not finished...many more people to tell.

called roto rooter for back up problem, they sent out a guy who was a crook, he said he fixed the problem an asked that the check be ,ade out to him, well problem started again an when i called back said repair man had been fired for this offense, they refused to fix problem an take any responsibility an said call someone else to handle it, they wouldnt even come out, horrible company they hire crooks an send them to your home to rip you off an come back an rob you when your gone cause they have been in your hom

I paid Roto Rooter $449.50 for so called rebuilding total toilet system including under the base, but only work he did was changing flush valve flapper kit and a small metal tube under the tank which was still shiney.He said water around here was acidic (which was false since I checked with OWASA and was told just in some months slightly basic) so he installed special kit coated with antiacid agent, charged me $51.10, the same kit I found later in a store priced $6.68. He also caulked around base,but he didn't do anything more,he did nothing so called rebuilding of system which should include under the base, or under the building. Total work was done in less than 15 min.I paid as I was charged since I was ill at that day with fever, but main reason was since Better Business Bureau rated Roto Rooter as "A plus" when rated from A to F, and also BBB accredited.I trusted BBB completely so I signed whatever I was asked, paid I was charged, unaware BBB to be privately funded and not a "Consumer Report".

Later I found in Google by keying "Roro Rooter ripoff" that it has been accused as ripoff for years by using BBB as a shield. I didn't need plumber actually. I changed flapper kit not too long ago myself but didn't tighten screw well,so around toilet was slightly wet.I was going to tighten but forgot. One day I didn't feel well and noticed around toilet was wet and I was panicked,forgot I didn't tighten the screw yet,since I was ill.There was nothing wrong with toilet system. After I paid $449.50 for 15 min work and when I recovered from illness and found I was ripped off. I emailed Roto Rooter and protested. A man called me to offer me $50 but I rejected. Later they mailed me a $50 check.Roto Rooter was in CBS reality show in April,which infuriated me.CBS and BBB are promoting a company known for ripoff and fraud,especially targetting elderly and foreign born like me. Roto Rooter itself advertised on web that it charged $99 for 15 min, so he should not charge me more than $105.68, not $449.50. I talked to a local plumber and was told it shouldn't cost more than $94. I would pay I was supposed to pay, and I would like to recover whatever they overcharged.

The sewer line outside my house was plugged. I called for an estimate and explained that the access to the sewer line was easy to get to and above ground, that the distance to the main sewer line in the alley was about 65' and that my sewer line was a straight shot through a 4" line that became 3" after it went underground. I also told them that it was probably clogged by tree roots and they would need to use a blade. I was quoted $170 to clean it out. Roto-Rooter sent two people out. It took them two hours and I was charged $368 plus tax.

The assistant did very little, turned the water on and off a couple of times, retrieved a knife from their truck and helped drag the electric snake on wheels back to the truck. For that, I was charged $80 for the second man and $279 for the guy operating the electric snake. He didn't use the blades the first time he put the snake into the pipe so he had to do it a second time using the blades. I saw the tree roots that were removed. This job was a one man job. I was charged for two men. It is twice the amount that I was quoted on the phone. It was a one-hour job that they managed to stretch into a two-hour job. I was charged over twice as much as I was quoted for a very easy job.

Bathroom drain clogged, estimate is $600. The tenant paid the final bill for $838.15 after an hour and a half''s work from the ground clean-out PVC in front of the kitchen. I called and was told a Roto Rooter manager would get back to me, it hasn't happened. I called several other plumbers and was quoted $300-$400 to jet out and degrease the sewer line. Roto Rooter comes in at over twice everyone else's price with an estimate 40% above that quoted. Think twice before you decide on Roto Rooter, they are a bad deal.

After an estimate of $1400 to replace field lines for a washing machine, Roto-Rooter said we did not require a permit since it was a repair. So they neglected to obtain a permit from the health department, then when digging had already began, they decided they needed a permit after all, stating "We ran into a problem."

The inspector, Diane, seemed irate that no permit was obtained. We had to pay $100 and wait two weeks. Then she decided the ground held too much water, and she also said the system had to have a pump, so these "plumbers" then dug a sixty-foot trench, then upped the price of the job to $7400 and dug the entire yard up in order to put in three more lines, a pump, and an alarm system. All of this drag on for over a month from the initial start date, partly due to rain and partly due to the relaxed work ethic of the company plumbers.

Results, the entire yard is mud-trenched and uneven and will now require a landscaper, every single tree and shrub was dug up or dug beside with root damage to all trees and loss of shrubs and grass. (One of the rose bushes he uprooted was just left laying beside the porch like a corpse.) We feel the plumbers were negligent, unconcerned about our home and property, and extremely unprofessional.

We were also shocked to discover the price they gave us did not include that the system would be a working system. They 'forgot' to tell us that we would need additional service of an electrician. This was told to us two weeks into the job.

All of this for a slow-draining washing machine field line that the health department would not okay for the permit that Roto-Rooter should have acquired in the first place. I would never recommend the Huntsville Alabama franchise Roto-Rooter to anyone who values their property. The manager we contacted came out and leaned on the fence and seemed more concerned about getting paid than the work to be completed in a way that was satisfactory to us.

The whole experience has left us bewildered that anyone could be so negligent in doing a professional service. How this plumber can be proud of his work is a mystery to us, and we hope as his journey in life continues, he will do better work for those that put their trust in his ability to perform his job. We are left to repair our yard, spend additional funds to complete what he promised but neglected to do. There are deep uneven ruts and mounds, and the entire yard now has to be graded and replanted. We certainly do regret ever hiring this well-known company. We thought since it was a nationally known business, they must be trust-worthy; we were very mistaken.

My wife had an issue with our plumbing backing up so she called Roto-Rooter thinking they were the experts. I had been out of town working. The man came and proceeded to snake out the main drain line. He left, saying, "Your problem has been fixed." Not long after, my wife started smelling something nasty coming from our crawl space. She thought maybe the drain was clogged again, and being embarrassed and not wanting to call the "experts" again, she dealt with the smell for about 90 days until she could stand it no longer.

She called Roto-Rooter again, and while he was en route, she took a look in the crawl space. There was a clean out for the grey water lines with a cap that was laying on the ground. She screwed it back on, not thinking much of it. Mr Roto-Rooter arrived and proceeded to snake the main drain line again. After finishing, he handed her an $89 bill, saying her problem was fixed. It seems to me that a screwed on cap doesn't magically become unscrewed by itself. Either the first "expert" unscrewed it to investigate and didn't put it back on, or the snake unscrewed it. It didn't happen by itself.

Needless to say, all the grey water from the system was draining into the crawl space for 90 days. I removed the nasty, existing vapor barrier, applied 100 lbs. of garden lime to the affected area, and am running two fans to exhaust the moisture from the crawl space now. Mr. Roto-Rooter claims no responsibility and has no idea how the cap could have come unscrewed. He said himself that sometimes there is a lot of build-up pressure in the lines, but didn't consider that maybe it could unscrew or blow a cap off. Hmm, it seems to me that in the future, especially when older homes are concerned, that maybe the company should check and make sure that they haven't damaged anything before they hand you a bill and leave.

My parents (both in their 70's) had a toilet leaking water. They called Roto-Rooter of Cincinnati and the service tech (John, #27-1581) came on 1/5/2010 to address it. On this visit, the charge was $296.68 for what was termed a major toilet rebuild and parts (parts=$52.68 of the total). The work was supposedly completed.

Later that evening, my parents discovered that the toilet was still leaking and called Roto-Rooter again. The same service tech came and supposedly performed work that involved removing and resetting of the toilet (including new wax ring). The charge for this effort was an additional $182.40. Over a two day period, for a toilet water leak, Roto-Rooter charged my parents a total of $479.08.

My parents called me because the toilet was still leaking. Upon examination (I've installed many a toilet and repaired as a homeowner) I learned that basically Roto-Rooter charged $52.68 for tank repair kit that I can buy at Lowes/Home Depot for $15, Roto-Rooter, as they have claimed, did not stop the leak from the tank and didn't understand the problem.

I subsequently removed the old toilet, installed a new one including new water line for under $100 and about 1 hour worth of work. I remain puzzled at how and why Roto-Rooter can do all of what is described above, at significant expense over two days and not fix the problem. My conclusion is that they/the tech saw an opportunity to take advantage of an older couple.

I have contacted, on several occasions, the General Manager of the Cincinnati Roto-Rooter Office, only receiving an initial response that they would look at it. That was 4 days ago and they have not returned any of my calls to see how the situation would be addressed.

As a result, I have decided that I would lodge a complaint with Roto-Rooter Corporate Offices in Chicago, The Ohio Attorney General's Office and with the Better Business Bureau.

Since June 4th, this is my 4th time getting the snaking done for the water back up in my rental property and this Homeowners Mgmt does not do anything about it even though the tree/s routes outside my home keep interfering with the sewer line which causes this problem. I have rented the snake from Home Depot twice and got it done from a professional plumber twice, the renters did it once on their own, I paid straight three hundred dollars to one company (receipt avialable) on June 4th and then I paid $663 the night before (10-13-09)to Roto Rooter who showed me a video that there are roots interfering at 61 feet from my line which are obstructing the water flow but he was not willing to give the video for less than $495 or so which of course I cannot afford.

This complaint is basically about the Roto Rooter. The guy Carlos (as shown on the invoice, I am not sure) started to get my signature on the blank invoice writing the prices on the back of his invoice and original is with him telling me that he would snake 100 ft for $425 and then Extra $160 some if addional length reqd. and would give 30 days warranty. Then when he started working, removed the toilet seat from the downstairs bathroom of my 2-level home, snaked 100 Ft which was showing on his machine, spent couple of hours going back to the yard and then coming inside the bath.

Damage Resulting

As I have described that twice I have spent about $100/ea. then, $300 to one Company, $663 to Roto Rooter who was a jerk, agreed to 30 days warranty and in the end left the toilet seat w/o installing because he said it was broken and should be replaced and when told in the end, would not give us time after 2 hours that we could go buy and he should replace and all that (please see a separate complaint on him) I need this to be paid as well as problem taken care of by our Management or FF County who ever is responsible for it. Please investigate and help. Thank you.

Have Lawyer Contact Me

I needed to have out dated gas line valves replaced in the basement connected to my water tank and furnace. After services rendered the water tank began to leak. The leak wasn't visible till hours later due to it being a drip of water from the front area from one of the legs....hours later a puddle has formed under the tank. I was not there watching, but I did hear a few very loud bangs. The service guy broke a piece of piping connected to the water tank pipe and had to go to home depot to purchase an extra piece. The same pipe that the service guy fixed the broken piece and valve on is now not parallel its slightly concave. If the pipe needed to be cut down or a threaded piece screwed in further..it should have been done, poor workmanship. This pipe is adjacent to the very leg that leaks in front.

Contacted customer service about the leaking water tank and they sent out the same service man. I showed him the water tank that is now leaking..he did agree the tank didnt leak before. He took a look at it and thought it was odd that the tank leaks from the front of the leg, not the bottom; the tank was dry inside as well. I showed him the pipe and he said that was normal. He explained that when the gas gets turned back on it should stop leaking, metal reacts to hot and cold and sometimes they leak. The gas guy said the same thing when they turned the gas back on, but the tank has been leaking to date since 8/28/09, the gas was turned back on 8/31/09.

The pipe was parallel before services were done and my tank did not leak. The tank is not new, but it has been very reliable and with no signs of malfunctioning due to rust at the bottom as most due with age. It leaks from in front of a leg not the bottom. Something happened during servicing on 8/28/09, the tank worked flawlessly before and now it must be replaced. I feel very strongly that any company that damages your property should be held liable, as anyone would.

My husband and I have attempted a resolution with them with no success, all they will offer is to come back and fix the pipe properlyThat doesnt fix my initial problem of a now leaky water tank. We have experienced enough financial damage and are not interested in their services, will find a reliable company to fix it properly. We would however be interested in a partial refund to cover some of our cost, we paid them $600.00 for this mess and would be happy to recoup half back.

Beware of Roto Rooter is an understatement!

I first used this company to pump my flooded basement in December 2008. They sent a guy who didn't know enough wear boots, or to submerge the pump in the water, went out to his truck and slept for a few hours with the engine running. He finally snaked through the drain pipe and supposedly found a broken pipe. I think he broke the pipe smashing a crowbar into the ground. In any case, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and used the company in May 2009 to replace the broken drain pipe from the point of the break to the road. After describing many fancy details, such as lining the ground with gravel, painting the pipe white so it would always be visible, and considering various angles to send the pipe for best drainage -- the job was done in 1/2 the time the estimate was based on. When finished the careless operator had badly damaged every maple tree in the vicinity with the excavator.

Within weeks it became apparent that the whole job is a disaster. The pipe exits into a small hole in the ground that they dug. It is now constantly filled with stagnant water that has no place to drain. They should have extended the pipe all the way past the spot next to this hole ( the ditch along the rode is completely blocked and the pipe should have run under that). I have complained to the BBB, have repeatedly spoken to and emailed the main Roto Rooter office, and have received only a letter from Bruce Moore filled with untruthful descriptions of the job. I am shocked that the main office has washed their hands of this. It is entirely up to me to get the franchise to make good.

Beware of doing business with Roto Rooter. The national name means nothing, and they have proven they don't care at all about customer satisfaction, quality, or apparently honest work. I now have a stagnant breeding ground for mosquitoes thanks to this outfit. Beware of Roto Rooter.

Roto Rooter charged me $ 150. to turn my water heater pilot on. That is RIGHT OUT OUTRAGEOUS I will never use them again.

As a friend and contractor I discovered Roto-Rooter had not only outrageously over-charged my senior citizen friends the amount of materials they claimed to use was impossible to need under any circumstances

On 7/8/08 we called Roto Rooter. Our toilet was backing up into our bathtub. Roto Rooter Came and said our main line is clogged and needed to be snaked, which they did and charged us $497.45. After he snaked the line and charged us he told us that our cesspool was full and needed to be cleaned. He didn't check to see if it was full, but we figured he knew what he was talking about.

On 8/2/08 the same problem happens again. Roto Rooter comes back and says cesspool needs to be cleaned (without checking again). They located cesspool but never opened cesspool entirely up to see if it was full, instead they punched a hole in the lid and put a hose in to clean out cesspool. Then they put a pvc pipe in hole with a rock and some dirt over it. They charged us for full service at a cost of $1,031.94. We were told that we should not have any more problems for a long time.

However 4 weeks later water in tub starts to drain out slower and slower each day. Until the same problem starts to happen again, toilet starts to back into tub. Called Roto Rooter they said all work is guaranteed. They came back and snaked the main line again and this time put a camera down pipe, to see why it keeps getting clogged. According to Roto Rooter our pipes have two crimps in them. He then proceeds to tell me that our pipes need to be dug up and replaced at a cost of $1,500.

If this was the problem from the start why didn't they check with a camera the first time they snaked our line. We called and spoke to a Michelle who then relayed the message to field manager named Sal. At this point we called another plumbing company for a second opinion. They told us they would charge us only $650 to replace pipes. We told them what Roto-Rooter had done already and they told us we were ripped off. The first guy from Roto-Rooter should have checked to see what the real problem was after he snaked the line.

Also, the company that we called said Roto-Rooter should have taken the lid off to see if cesspool was truly full. (which they never did). Perhaps it wasn't and the crimp in the pipes was the problem the whole time. Also, they told us the only way to give a full service cleaning Roto Rooter must take off entire lid, not just put a hose down a 4-6 pipe. So more then likely our cesspool probably isn't totally cleaned out.

We already spent $1,500 to solve problem, now Roto Rooter wants $1,500 more to solve the same problem. Would like to get some kind of compensation back so we can have it done properly by another company.

With the economy the way it is today and struggling to keep head above water it's a sin a large company like roto-rooter is taking advantage of a situation that should have cost at the most maybe $1,500 and now trying to squeeze another $1,500 for a total of $3,000 to fix a clogged pipe.

I was informed bymy air conditioning service that I had a gas leak. I called National Grid and was given 3 warnings and was told to call a plumber. The only plumber I know of was roto rooter. I called and told them what I was told was necessary. They came the next day at about 9:30. I was given a price for the repairs and agreed to it.

I was told after the work was done I had to have a gas pressure test and if it didn't withstand 5 pounds of pressure I had a leak and he would have to look for it at $150.00per hour. The next thing I know he haas my stove moved and is checking those pipes. He spent the whole day here . When he was done we were talking and he told me the parts only cost a$160.00. He said they have to bring in $1700. a day acording to roto rooter in order for them to be doing their job. When he first said it it didn't register with me. I just wanted him to go. I waisted the entire day.

The bill came to $1,788.41. I gave him a check. When I actoally looked at the bill I couldn't believe it. I was charged $166.41 for parts, $120.00 to go get the parts and $1,480. in labor. Apparently he made his quota for the day. I can not believe they can take advantage of someone like this. I am at a loss. I can not do the job myself and so I am at the mercy of these people and they know it.

This is a mortgage payment for me so now I am going to be behind on my home. This is truly a hardship