Discount Plumbing Rooter

Torrpedo T.

This is for a review for services that happened on April 25, 2020, that I inadvertently posted on another company's Yelp page.

we called Discount Plumbing & Rooter (Discount Plumbing, Inc.) to come out to inspect and snake the plumbing on a NON-emergency basis after a well-meaning tenant attempted to fix the problem themselves by partially removing the garbage disposal and dismantling the plumbing on his own. DP&R's plumber, angelo, arrived, inspected the area, made grim assertions, and showed us two estimates for possible repairs. i made the mistake of not following up with my request to have the two estimates emailed to me when i asked because i had to return to a conference call i was on, and i agreed to have the line snaked first, and then, if that didn't fix the issue, more aggressive troubleshooting, and repairs, and he began working. from memory, i recall that the price was to be $178 to snake it (only), and $378 to dismantle the (newly-installed as of Aug 2019) garbage disposal and repair because it appeared to be leaking. turns out it was weeping because the tenant removed one securing nut on the collar connecting the garbage disposal to the sink. a simple error that a skilled plumber would spot almost immediately. there was NOTHING else wrong with the garbage disposal.

the plumber made grave assertions before beginning and after the snake job about how he would personally remove it if it were him because tenants will always put things down the drain that don't belong or they'll overload the garbage disposal too much. the additional cost to remove the garbage disposal per his recommendation was $434 after snaking the line. his said this astonishing amount was justified because he needed two items he didn't carry; one being a ""specialty"" plumbing piece (the plumbing piece to tie into the drain the dishwasher) and the sink basket strainer...both, turns out are VERY common and i later found out from another plumber that they cost LESS THAN $40. DP&R's plumber said they don't install 'cheap' components and that's why it costs so much. since the job was snaked and the line was flowing as it should, i instead opted to have everything restored as it was.

two things i cannot stand in a vendor providing a service similar to this: 1. telling horror stories of what 'could' happen in a worst-case scenario, and generally over-sharing when he/she could simply fix the issue, and most importantly, 2. do NOT discuss the issue or corrective measures with the tenant who is NOT paying the bill!

COVID-19 and WFH: on this day, i couldn't give my complete attention because i was in the middle of my workday, conference calls, work obligations, and having to step out to meet with the plumber and discuss actions, costs, etc., while also dealing with my tenant was a bit of a nightmare. i also asked the plumber to step outside with me and refrain from discussing with the tenant any issues with the work or what he discovered during the job.

all told, we were charged $378 for what turned out to be a simple snake (rooting) of the line. this is approximately double what it should have cost and was the charge to disassemble and fix the garbage disposal, when in fact, it was only missing a securing bolt, NOT broken, and would have required removal to snake the line as it was which would have been included in the original charge.

note to this company: educate and remind your plumbers that, aside from simple questions, they should NOT be speaking with anyone who is not the person responsible for paying the bill, period.

FOLLOW UP: considering my first review and how we felt completely over-charged, DP&R had the audacity to attempt to charge us for another visit to fix the weeping (very slow leaking) seals we had on the garbage disposal. after speaking with your plumber, he told you he didn't touch the garbage disposal, except that i have pictures of it removed so the line could be snaked! he even insisted we buy a new garbage disposal (this one was new in august 2019) because you stated you didn't have the parts and they only come with a new garbage disposal kit. you finally agreed to send angelo back out to fix the job he didn't complete in the first place. so far, so good (one star), but zero for your greed in a time of high stress and confusion.

customer beware: steer clear of this business unless you know plumbing and you obtain pricing BEFORE they arrive.

Fred A.

I want to say right off the bat, this review is about Fred. I've been on Yelp for over a decade &this is the first review I felt the need to type out & it is a journey.

My dad owns a 3-floor complex. He's not currently home so he asked me to look over it. Of course, a week after he leaves, trouble.

Last night, one of the units said all of their bathrooms are backed up. 2 bathrooms - tub, sink &toilet in each. After a long day, I went over there to look at what was going on. My dad has a friend that does housework &my dad told me to contact him. We were there for 3 hrs &he was not able to fix anything.

My dad's friend called someone w/better tools but he wasn't going to be able to help until 9am. I didn't know what else to do. I had to tell the tenants that we weren't going to be able to do anything until the morning. Understandably, they were worried about going through the night w/out a toilet &bath. This was also my 1st time dealing w/anyone in the apt. It weighed on my mind the whole night.

This morning. I thought my dad's friend was set w/ meeting at 9am. Nope. The earliest he was free was 1pm. After the night before & this first thing in the morning, you could understand my frustration.

I went on Yelp to search for plumbers. I landed on Discount Plumbing Rooter. They said they would have someone out in the next half hour. Having a pro there earlier than I thought I would was a big weight lifted off my shoulders.

The plumber, Fred, came shortly after. Being a fellow Fred, I already knew he was going to be awesome. Little did I know, that would be a total understatement.

He took a look around, asked me to show him where things led, assessed what he thought was going on &gave me a quote within 15 minutes. After agreeing, he went right to work.

The unit that was having the problem was on the 2nd floor. If you've seen equipment that plumbers use, you know that getting them up a flight of stairs is work. I asked if he needed help &he politely declined. I sat at the stairs by the unit while he went to work.

There were many difficulties that happened through the job. He said there was a lot of toilet paper in the unit's pipes. It took over 1.5 hrs to get everything clear. He got the unit's pipes clear, but there was still something making the pipes back up. He instantly knew it was a main pipe problem.

He asked if we had roof access. This is a 3 story unit. The roof would be the 4th floor. The only way to access it is with a stationary ladder from the 3rd floor. Without hesitation, he grabbed his pipe camera &made his way up. I know how much work he had done already &once again, asked if he needed help. He declined again..

After half an hour on the roof, he asked me to come up &look at something on the camera. He found a piece of cardboard in the pipe &it was causing the backup. He had been trying to dislodge it for half an hour &had no luck. The cardboard &toilet paper that was stuck on it was stuck to the pipe. He told me that the pipes were clear for now but would be backed up again within the next few days. I asked him what he thought I should do. He began to explain it to me but I think I zoned out as the anxiety of having this ordeal be extended started to set in.

I'm not sure if he sensed me zoning out. Maybe we have a telepathic connection since we're both Freds. After I just looked at the ground silently for 10 secs, he said he had one more idea.

After over 2 hours, this was the only time he asked for help.

He called me on my phone &made sure we were both able to hear each other. He asked if I could go down to the unit, turn on all of the sinks &bathtubs &wait for instructions. He told me to flush one of the toilets when he said to. 3-2-1-Flush.

Over the phone, he said WE GOT IT. I was in disbelief: IT'S OUT? He said yes, it's cleared.

While I was standing there silently on the roof, his mind ran &came up with the idea of running all the water to increase pressure in the main pipe, flushing to add more pressure while hitting the clog with the camera at the same exact time.

You do not know how much of a relief it was to know it was over.

Fred worked hard for almost 3 hours, climbing up/down stairs/ladders with heavy equipment, not complaining. Fred did not know what I went through the night before or this morning. It was just another job for him. But, if he does every job with this much perseverance, ingenuity & stride, he deserves praise. If I was in charge of his check, I would give him a raise &a bonus just based on this job alone.

I have no knowledge of plumbing. He made sure he used his knowledge to help me. I am EXTREMELY grateful.

This was my first time dealing with a plumber &I hope, if I need another one, the plumber is Fred or is as good as Fred is. My only fear is that there isn't one.

Fred, thank you so much. Although I paid for the job, I still feel like I can never repay you. You have given me peace of mind.

Julia M.

I was able to get an appointment before Thanksgiving by the friendly representative who took my call. Brian came by on time, located the problem and quickly resolved it. He was courteous and professional. I have used this company for my plumbing needs without disappointment. Thank you.

Paul M.

Called d dispatch n within 30 minutes, Arrived on time n got d clog snaked from the garage to the home sewage line. All cleaned n cleared-up within an hour. Ask for Conner. Very knowledgeable, reliable, friendly, n cleaned-up thoroughly. No problem. Returning customer for sure. They would b my first call.

Rachelle G.

Super helpful and with great service! I made an appointment easily over the phone and got someone to come take a look at my leek on the same day!

Erna M.

After a failed attempt to get a plumber from another company, we decided to give Discount Plumbing Rooter because it's close to where we reside. I requested a quote via Yelp and I got an immediate message instructing me to call to schedule an appointment. Marcus was the worker who came out to evaluate our running toilet. He was very professional and was prepared to put on booties over his shoes before entering our home which we really appreciated. He assessed both of the toilets in our home, replaced the parts that was causing the constant running, and all within an hour. Reasonably priced although we've never had this issue so unsure if it really was but Marcus was amazing so it was worth it.
A couple days later, we had to call the company again because the toilet started running again. Marcus literally came back to fix the defective part and it's been running like new again. Thank goodness for the warranty they provide with their service that we didn't have to pay for the second visit. We definitely recommend Discount Plumbing Rooter and hopefully we won't be needing them anytime soon, but at least we've found a company if we ever do.

Mason I.

Carlos was so helpful with unclogging my bathtub and sink. Friendly and very knowledgeable.

Oliver H.

Fred came out on a last minute call on a Sunday to snake our bathtub which was clogged! He was here within the hour and took just about under an hour to complete the job... we will definitely use them again!

Trudy C.

Noticed my water heater leaking in the early evening on a Friday. I called Discount Plumbing and they were able to drain the water heater that night and move it to the street. The next morning Fred arrived to install the new one. Yay! So thankful they took care of it promptly. They were very professional and gave excellent service.

B. C.

All out toilets were clogged and the situation was not looking good. Carlos came in, upfront with pricing and worked through it. An hour later all was good. He spent time to clean up and was wearing mask, gloves and booties. Made a stressful experience turn into a positive one. Thanks Carlos!