ARS / Rescue Rooter

Mike M.

I had a backed-up main sewer line that needed to be repaired, along with some foundation issues that likely caused it, come to find out later. I contacted ARS to clear the line, scope it and see what needed to be done. I also had the foundation repaired.

They cleared the line and upon visual inspection with their camera, they said there was a crack about 4 ft underneath the foundation. I contacted my homeowner's insurance company since this would be covered. Insurance company said yes and to contact them once the crack was found so they could verify it was underneath the house.

I told ARS to go ahead since insurance would cover most of it. They came out and started digging. They did find a crack, 18 inches outside the foundation but continued to tunnel 4ft under the house where the technician said the crack was. Guess what? There was no crack there, it was the one outside the foundation. Not only were they wrong, but they were also off by 6 feet on their estimation. How do you use a camera and miss by that much?

Now the repair is outside the foundation insurance would not cover it. It had to be done and I had ARS move fwd with the repair. I gave them my CC# and signed for them to move forward.

They did not charge my card at the time for some reason. I received a call months later that I had not paid and needed to settle up. They wanted to charge me for the unnecessary tunneling under the house based on their error. I told them they should have charged me when the work was done but since they didn't, I was not going to pay for their error. We did agree on a reduced price but still more than it should have been.

They gave me a 10-year written warranty which I have a copy of. Fast fwd several years later (still within the 10) and I have blockage again. I contacted them for warranty work and was told someone would call me back. No one did. I called another company to snake the drain. I called ARS again, I was told someone would call me back and yet again, no one called me back. I tried one more time, same result. Over a month of trying to get someone to discuss the warranty repairs and no contact from them.

Since I was getting no response I called another plumbing company, they came out, identified the issue, said it was a faulty design and repair by ARS as their joint failed, not a cracked pipe. It has been repaired again and I feel better about it this time.


I would recommend using your brothers' kids for plumbing repair vs ARS. (actually, get a good plumbing company unless your brother's kid is an actual plumber)

ARS did not do quality work and did not stand behind their warranty.

Harold L.

Recommended by Home Depot to replace an electric water heater in Dripping Springs. ARS broke a consultation appointment and after buying from Home Depot and bringing home a new electric water heater, ARS broke an installation appointment. Still waiting for a call back from ARS after complaining.

Donna S.

We hired ARS twice before and they did a great job but when I asked them to come out again to do the same job, someone showed up at 5:00 on. Friday, looked at my drain and told me he can't help me. He did not look inside my shower drain at all, only confirmed it was not draining. He called his supervisor who said he would call me the following day. Had to pay $152.00, told me that this amount would be applied to the work that would be done after his supervisor called. I never received any call back, called 3 times afterwards, finally called to request my money back twice and still no call back. The customer care lady was very nice and understood why I was so upset but as of today, two weeks after I paid, I have not receive one call back from this company.

Kaffy Z.

Went to Home Depot, they set up ARS. I called and scheduled a same day appointment. Guy came out, we wanted it same day. But since it had been 22 years since our last water heater, we had a lot of code requirements that needed to be done. Our pressure was high, so we had to have PRV installed at the street and an expansion tank, a drain line and vents in water heater closet. We were happy with the service we received and the installation was great. They actually came an hour early. The installation was neat, organized, clean, and thorough. They explained everything to us, like what to expect with all the updated code requirements and a new water heater. Plus we have a Home Depot warranty on top of the Rheem warranty. We are satisfied with what we paid...we paid for their experience and piece of mind. If a gas water heater is installed incorrectly, it can be deadly. We would recommend them and Home Depot.

Totally process was 2 days. They took care of permit and inspection request with the city.

Ike R.

I scheduled a Water Heater replacement estimate through Lowes and they assigned this company for the job. I received a text that they would schedule it between 8am-Noon on Monday. So I get a call at 10:30am on Monday that is it scheduled now for 2-6pm. I am glad I cancelled with the company. I should have read the reviews beforehand.

I would also leave a negative review at Lowes if you had bad service with this company.

Lee T.

After a lengthy wait to get a call back, I was told I would pay a "Saturday charge of $169" to have service provided on Saturday. Then she proceeded to ask if anyone in my home has Covid, to which I replied no. Next, I was given a window of 1-5 PM. When no one showed up by 5 , I called back and said where is the plumber? She responded, you didn't agree to our covid protocols so I cancelled the appointment. I called your competitor who doesn't have a ridiculous "Saturday fee" and will never contact your company again.

Scott G.

If you want to wait 72 hours for someone to show up please call this company I scheduled two appointments on two different days and they never showed. They say guaranteed excellence I did not experience this. There are a lot of better companies in the great state of Texas I chose the wrong one please do not do the same.

Douglas G.

We went through Home Depot process to get a quote for a Hot Water Heater installation, they of course use ARS Rescue Rooter in Austin. We had a quick first response within about 30 minutes of filling out online request. ARS set us up an appt for the next day between 9am - 1pm. We called at 2pm to ask for an update and we were told they could not reach our plumber to get an update but that they left a message and would get back tome. By 4pm still no update so I called again, this time the person transferred me to phone of plumber assigned to me. Of course no pick up from them so I left a message asking for an update. By 6pm I called a 3rd time and now no one answered the phones. It's now a day after my initial appt and have not heard anything from ARS. This let me to Yelp where I read this problem is not unusual, also read lots of complaints about cost and quality so in the end maybe it was a good thing they left us hanging.

Merab P.

Stay Away from ARS, I made an urgent appointment and they did not show up.
The tech called me and said," he did not know he had to be there".
He then insisted on how expensive the job would be and asked me personal questions like" how much is your budget" how long are you planning to stay with the house..etc. I called to ask for another technician and within 2-3 mins of setting up a new inspection, a lady called me from a random phone number and said they are not doing the job. I asked why since it's a drain repair and she said" because my manager said we are not. I asked to speak to a manager and I was put on hold and left there for 25mins. They are super unprofessional.

Sammy H.

We have an eco-smart tankless water heater. It is leaking. We contacted Home Depot who sells this model of tankless water heater. They sent out ARS/ Rescue Rooter. We paid the $59 service fee to get the water heater examined and diagnosed as to the problem. They came out and diagnosed the issue. The service technician completed an estimate for repair and/or replacement. We received an email showing the $59 service fee but we did not receive any email regarding the estimate. I know they have the correct email address because I got the service fee document. I have called everyday, (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), requesting a copy of the repair/replace estimate. I still have not received it. I am concerned that if they cannot get me a simple repair/replace estimate can they really do the job of the repair or replace. I just want to know if it is cost effective to repair the tankless water heater or to just replace it with a new one. I suppose that next week I will need to contact another plumbing company and see if they can let me know what I need to do. The tankless water heater is still dripping on the floor. I am trying to keep it dried up but at some point it could ruin my floor.