Mr Rooter Plumbing

Portnoy B.

Basically, I called MR Rooter of Rochester for a clogged pipe and in fairness, when they finished I did have flush. I would have been fine with the work and cost if it didn't suddenly jumped over 16% when it came time to pay

When it was finally finished Steve T. said ""the only difference in the bill is $500 to replace that 5 foot section of pipe. I questioned $500 for that especially since it was part of the original work that was included in the estimate. At that point he started coming up with a variety of reasons for the additional charge. One reason was that he had to remove an old toilet that was in the basement to try to snake the lines. That toilet was part of the history of the house and the only reason I let him remove it was to make things easier for him because he said he couldn't remove the cap on the cleanout. He did by the way eventually have to remove the cap anyway to complete the job and was only avoiding it to try to take the easy way out. His second excuse was to tell me that the 5 foot section of PVC pipe was over $100 itself.
(I checked Lowes and the most expensive piece of 3"" pipe I could find was $54 dollars for something designed for high pressure use and that was the retail price) His next reasoning was that they couldn't do things for nothing, time is money. I asked him how many hours he billed us for and he said they don't charge by the hour. I didn't even bother to mention that half of his day was spent teaching not working. His next plan of attack was to try to make me feel petty for worrying about the change in price. After all it's only $500 and in the grand scheme of things it's nothing. Another comment was that they hadn't even charged me for the concrete. (because of course they would bill an excavation job and not charge for the materials to repair it) He also told me that he tried to knock on our kitchen door to ask about the increased cost but we weren't home. That was also a lie. Every other time they wanted me for something I got a text.
There was also the issue of the gurgling pipes still existing. Steve said he'd have to come back to install an air admittance valve to vent the pipes. I asked him what that was going to cost and he gave me the line ""since we've already charged you over $3000 we'll try to work with you on price. I'll only charge you the cost of the valve and $150 an hour to put it in. I again asked how much that was going to cost and he refused to give me a set price even though he knew exactly what the job entailed. He then asked me where I was going with the questions and I said I want to know the cost because I didn't want another $500 surprise. At that point he told me I was ""pissing him off"" and he left.
I waited two days before calling the office and telling them I would not be having them come back to complete the job and would not even consider having them back to replace the sewer line and install a trap in my front yard that Steve recommended and told them why. (another job that he said would cost over $5000)
I received a call later that day from their office manager who asked what happened. After he heard my story he asked me to give him two days to talk to the tech and the owner to see if he could come up with come up with some form of a solution. I also let him know that I had a bucket full of tools that Steve had forgotten to take with him. Two days later I called to talk to the office manager again and he told me that the owner wanted nothing to do with any solution and was happy with the way the tech had handled things. I asked him what I was supposed to do with the tools. He was under the assumption that the tech had already dropped by to pick them up but since that hadn't happened, he offered to stop by to get them.
From my viewpoint, the only conclusion is that the owner must have a commission program set up with the techs and she is OK with anything that they do to bring money into the company. No matter how fraudulent.
My advice would be to avoid this company and find someone who isn't afraid to rob you blind.
Service: Repair sewer

Janibel A.

Please dont book this company!! , they broke my pibe working on my bathroom and they want me to pay for what they broke to fix it I paid $500 that time INSANE! Then they come and decide to not do a job with my plumbing and even charge me $89 dollars ok I pay for it, before they leave I request an invoice explaining me why they can't do the job to talk with the office of where I leave and I'm still waiting on email!! I've call and the said they'll send it and never received anything. Find other plumbing company!!

Michael W.

Beware - extremely costly!! I had a clog in a sink drain in a 20 ft section of pipe that is straight and very easy to access. While the technician was very nice and professional, they wanted over $400 to unclog it! Even with travel time that would probably take them an hour. How do they get away with that? If it was the main drain pipe, they would have charged over $600! I ended up buying a snake attachment for my hand drill, and did it myself. All in all it took me about 2 hours including travel time and cost $43. Even though Mr. Rooter was only over there for 15 mins, and rescheduled 3 separate times, they still charged me $86 for doing nothing and wasted my time! I asked if they would reduce that charge at least since I described the problem to them over the phone and they could have priced it then and saved us all the hassle but they refused. I don't think I will ever call them again. I recommend trying to do it yourself or find someone else.

Matt S.

Appreciate the quick response. Their technician Kevin was knowledgeable, helpful and prompt. He wore a mask due to Covid and cleaned up after he fixed our slow drain. I will continue to rely on Mr Rooter for our plumbing needs and recommend them to friends and family. Matt

Ashley C.

They charged me $2500 dollars because of misdiagnosis. Left me with leaking pipes after they got their money. Do not ever do business with Mr. Rooters. I bet I could fix your plumbing the same since the technician was on his phone calling people and googling everything. They are charging people on a whim. Very dissapointed in this company. I have nothing but bad things to say. Highly not recommend!

Paul F.

I called Mr. Rooter 2/27/2018 for them to fix a clog drain. They say 24hr sevice (NOT TRUE) they say will be out 3/1/2018 between 4pm - 6pm and we get 10% off (NOT TRUE) no calls no show. We called them. They said they will get back to use. 1hr later they called back just to say there not coming. They will come between noon to 2pm 3/2/2018 OK 3/2/2018 they call us around 9ish in the morning to say they are not coming today We told them we will find some place else to do it. I WILL BE POSTING THIS ON FACEBOOK so no one I know use this place ever. Will not recommend this place for any work. I will be giving them a review on Better Business Bureau too. I hope this helps anyone looking for work to be done

Makis H.

I called them out to take a look at our kitchen sink. When they arrived I explained what issues we were having and the technician said it would be an easy fix and should only take about 20 minutes. I asked how much and he told me it would be $391.00. I told him that I thought that was exorbitant and he said that I don't set the prices; I just go by what our system says. I called the office and asked for a manager and explained the same thing to him. He even seemed surprised by the price but then he asked someone else and they confirmed the same price. I explained to him that I thought the price was way too high for 20-30 minutes of work. He then asked me how I know it will only take that long. I explained to him that even I knew it was only a clogged drain and that his technician told me that's how long it would take. The manager then allegedly called the technician but could not get a hold of him. He then proceeded to tell me that they factor in the average price for jobs based on regional information. I told him I completely understand that but the price was still too high. He then told me that if the work only took 20-30 minutes then he would discount the job. Twenty seven minutes later the technician was done and requested payment. I informed him that he needed to call the office and he asked ""for what"". I told him that they said they would be giving me a discount. The technician goes outside calls the office and comes back in to tell me I would not be getting a discount and I needed to pay the full amount now that the work was completed. I cannot believe I allowed these people to come in my house and steal from me like this. Their process is likened to a scam. It's designed to drive up their profitability. They use the free estimates to get into your house. Then they bank on the fact that they are the first ones to come out and they are standing in your home and can solve your problem, sometimes. Call anyone but these people. Everyone I have spoken to after the job says it's a $200 job max.

Darbie J.

SUMMARY: We were charged callout fee and said they would return to fix. Employee called later that night and said his boss would not let him do replacement parts on a 6 year old hot water heater. We were promised a refund of the callout fee are STILL waiting for the refund. If we could give less than one star, I would!!

On Sunday July 2 at approximately 6pm, we called Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Rochester for repair on our hot water heater and was told a repair man would be out after 9pm that night. I received a phone call at 9pm by the repair man, Steve, who told me that he did not have any parts and that it would be a waste of time for him to come out. He then suggested I reschedule for the next day, Monday, July 3 when the truck that would come out would have parts. He never asked what brand, model, year or even the issue with our hot water heater. I called him back and asked him if he needed this information. ""Uh...yeah...sure.""

On Monday, July 3 at 3:30pm, two men (Andy and Dave) from Mr. Rooter arrived at our house to look at our hot water heater, he then called the technicians at American Hot Water Heater Company and called the FEW part suppliers that were open this late in the day on the day before a holiday. (This is why we wanted someone to come out on Sunday. The problem could be evaluated, the part, if necessary, could be located the next day and repair done before the holiday.) Andy proceeded to state the obvious that most places were closed. Andy also stated that Mr. Rooter could install a brand new hot water heater tonight. We REFUSED to entertain the thought even after he brought it up again. Andy said he ordered the parts and as soon as they were overnighted, he would be back to fix the hot water heater on Thursday. I paid the $64.75 callout fee and they left.

We received a call that night from Andy that the parts would be over $600 and that it would cost $250 in labor to replace just the flame sensor. **Our hot water heater is 6 years old and from what we researched, only needed the flame sensor cleaned or replaced ($122 part).** We balked on the price of the parts and he said that he would replace the flame sensor first and he would return the gas valve if it wasn't needed. He asked if we would like to proceed. We said yes. Approximately 10 minutes later, our phone rings again. It's Andy. He said his boss would not do or warranty the repair on a 6 year hot water heater - and ""best of luck to ya.""

So, now it's the night before July 4 and we are back to looking for someone to do the repairs and have been charged $64.75 for NOTHING. We demanded the $64.75 be refunded and Andy assured it would be (we have a screen shot of the text message). Even after a follow up call, the charge is still on our credit card. Mr. Rooter sent out someone who obviously was not even authorized to evaluate or perform the work. If the age or even brand of a hot water heater is an issue regarding repair, then this should be disclosed before a ""call out charge"" is forced on a customer.

As to our hot water heater, that night my husband decided to follow the YouTube video on cleaning the flame sensor. Literally - unscrew two screws; remove ¾ inch nut; pull out unit; sandpaper the sensor and put back together. Just like that, the problem was fixed. No new hot water heater or $400 in repairs as suggested. Mr. Rooter did not even attempt to perform basic maintenance, only recommended complete replacement of the unit or equally costly repair. 24 hour service? What a joke. What they do is lead you on, come out, waste your time, back you in a corner, try to sell you more than you need, take your money and you get nothing in return. Avoid this company!

Terrance A.

I used Mr. Rooter services on 12/7/2015. Forward to today. I was at my place where I volunteer when I received a call from my wife telling me it was a flood in the cellar. Upon arriving home there wasn't much water but nevertheless it was a wet cellar. So I opened the service plug and noticed standing water. This is the problem I had last year the water wasn't draining out to the main drain quick enough. So I called Mr. Rooter and was told that they only warrant their services for 30 days but will be out to investigate today 10/13/2016. Mind you I paid $455 for last years services. Will update when this venture is completed. Hopefully they will do right by me. Lest than 1 year and having the same problem. This will a good time to redeem themselves.

Alex L.

On the morning of 5/31/16 I discovered that I had a basement flood in one of my apartments, and took to the yellow pages to track down a plumber. I called 5 or 6 plumbers, only to hear voice mails. I was getting desperate. Finally, I got to Mr. Rooter Pluming and they said they had someone available. Hallelujah! The lady on the phone was very courteous.

I then asked if there would be a service fee because I was planning to get multiple quotes. They told me the service fee for looking at the pump would be $69. I think to myself, OK I'll be out $69 if I have these guys inspect the pump, but choose to hire someone else - I'll take the risk. How bad could their prices be?

I scheduled an appointment for the plumber, Kevin, to come out in the afternoon. Since I'm not actually at the property, I had Kevin meet with my dad. When he arrives, he sees that the pump was unplugged. He plugs it back in, charges us $69, and leaves.

That night, I discover the pump was faulty (which is likely why someone unplugged it). I think to myself, it's no big deal. It's not Kevin's fault that he didn't realize the pump was broken.

The next day I called Kevin to come back and we need the pump replaced. Kevin said that he did suspect that the pump was on the fritz, and looked like it needed replacing.

Kevin comes back that afternoon on 6/1/16, to replace the pump. I asked him how much it would total, and he said $656.56. Woah! At this point, I knew I owed him another $69 for the service call, and didn't want to waste time looking for another plumber - given these circumstances, I reluctantly agreed to the price. He took 45 min to install the sump pump.

The final price ended up being $709.08, in addition to my $69 paid the day before. I paid a total of $778.08.

That night, I looked up the prices because I wanted to know how much I was charged for labor.

The sump pump installed was a Liberty 257 sump pump. On Amazon, this costs $130 shipped.

Kevin spent 45min installing the pump. This means they charged me $579 for 45min of work. Or, $434/hr. I called around, and a few other local guys like Roger Geer and Son Plumbing charge $75/hr. Now I felt ripped off.

I wanted to see how they would justify their high prices, so I called them to ask for an itemized list. Their manager called me back and was polite for the most part. At times, he came off as a bit defensive. I essentially told him the story written above, and he said that he absolutely will not give me an itemized list, reasoning that they don't charge by the hour, and this is company policy. He said this is how their customers like it because it is easier to understand prices, and his equipment is superior to what others can provide. At this point I'm thinking, why are hourly prices hard to understand? I'm a customer too right? Anyway, I thanked him for his cordiality and hung up.

In summary, I can say that these guys provide quick service, but their pricing is significantly higher than the market average. Who charges $434/hr? I am not a satisfied customer, and would absolutely not use them again!