Richards Rooter and Plumbing

Jim W.

I had rust colored water suddenly start filling the tanks of my toilets and the toilets were making sputtering sounds, which I have never heard before.
I called Richard and he calmed me down and told me what was wrong.
I appreciate the time that he took to explain the issue to me.

Rebecca F.

I regret not doing my homework and reading reviews before calling Richards Rooter and Plumber. He charges 250 up front before doing any work or even quoting a price for a job (that amount is then applied to the price of the work). I agreed to that fee and that is my fault. My normal plumber does not charge us anything until the job is complete and we are satisfied with his work. For most reputable plumbers, this seems to be the case.
The price quoted to us by RRP to test for gas leaks was 500. We had spoken to our plumber on the phone earlier in the day and he said it should be around 200. We decided to eat the 250 ""upfront fee"" and move on. I can't imagine what he charges to repair leaks. Lesson learned. We were without gas for several days while waiting for our trusted plumber. Always read reviews first, even when you are desperate.

S A.

WOW! This guy is a REAL SCAM ARTIST! Took me awhile to write this review, but I feel others need to know. Just like the others have stated he prey's on emergencies! He only asks for cash...I'm guessing his books aren't so clean.Quoted me $1500 to change a simple fireplace valve. I got a second opinion because I could tell he was ripping me off. Thank god I did! I got the work done for $500 including the pressure test for the gas line. Save yourself the stress and the scam. If your looking for plumbers you can actually trust in the same area call Affordable Plumbing or Mainland Plumbing. Both are extremely reasonable and honest- important qualities this guy clearly lacks.

Sam A.

Fly by night type of operation. Preys on emergencies. It was around 9pm when i called, we had a clogged main line, I had already called my trusted plumbing company but they could not get a man out due to the fact that they were busy (makes sense they are very reliable). So I googled for a 24/7 Drain service and found Richards, he was available and said minimum charge $250. I said no problem. He comes out looks at the clean out in the back of the property and comes back and says this will be VERY expensive due to the fact you have 3 to 5 steps to get to the back; it will be $750 and you have to pay me now before i start (thought that was weird but ok). The price tag shocked me but I succumbed to the fact that i thought i was stranded and had to pay this guy. He brings his machine and spends 20 minutes doing stuff and then he says done, go ahead and flush, i did, looked good, so he cleaned up a little and said that he went in 130 ft and was surprised he did not pull up any roots or anything. I thought my clogging nightmare is over, and he left.

Next day in the early afternoon, i go to the back to finish cleaning up from the previous night (something Richard should have done) and closed the clean out cap and started noticing water is coming out again, I freaked out called Richard but did not hear back. I immediately called my trusted Drain service company ""LA Hydro Jet"" and they came out right away, put in their snake and pulled out about 10lbs of roots from the main line, unclogged it properly, and cleaned perfectly after themselves, all that for $145. Incredible service and price, which is what I expect. Richard had called back a few hours later (basically he waited till it was after 5pm so he can stiff me again), I gave him a chance to make things right and perhaps give me a partial refund for not having done anything to fix my issue the night before and basically he said, ""i can come out now and unclog it for you again for $250, because during the first attempt i did not use a blade on my snake so maybe it ill work now on the second attempt""!! Are you kidding me? I was again shocked and told him I had already called someone who knows what they are doing and they did it for $145. He then said well the next time I will come out and unclog it for free. DUDE, I gave you a chance to make it right and you did not. There will not be a next time.

EDITED TO RESPOND TO Richard's COMMENT BELOW:
I never asked Richard for a full refund nor have i said anything about a bad review, i have the phone call recorded because i had a bad feeling about this guy. Richard needs to be honest and learn good business ethics and how to fix a mistake. I asked for a partial refund from him not unclogging my drain, I don't expect him to come at night for free or expect anyone to do anything for free.

Attached is a pic of the Root that the ""LA Hydrojet"" found at 40 feet that Richard claims he could not find by even going as deep as 130 ft.

Pamela B.

Knowledgable and efficient. Perhaps not the cheapest, but you pay for what you get. Richard has helped us twice now and he's not failed to deliver a quick, permanent fix for serious problems. I've used bad plumbers and cheap plumbers. It's hard to find one that shows up on time and gets it done without excuses. Highly recommend.

Jp M.

Warning, fairly long post...

Bottom line up front: Unclogged a drain line by removing a toilet and using a ""medium"" snake after given a precise description and diagnosis of the problem. called at 9:30PM showed at 10:30PM and completed work at 11:30PM for $500.

Preface and disclosure: I have worked construction in the past including working for an electrical contractor who made 24hr house calls. I have a lot of plumbing experience including troubleshooting clogged drain lines.

Got the call from the wife in the middle of the day that there was a foul smell in the house. Came home at 8pm and did the battle crawl and determined the root cause of the problem and attempted to fix with my meager arsenal of tools which didn't cut it. Not wanting to leave my family in the lurch until I was able to rent a machine from HD and un-clog the drain myself, I hesitantly called a ""24hr"" plumber. Richard was the second number I called and I got a answering machine. Hoping for a live response from a 24hr outfit, i decided not to leave a message and go back to trying to fix it myself.

30min later, Richard calls the house and says someone called here and didn't leave a message. I say, yeah, I have a blah, blah problem.
richard says, because of the time it will be $250 for the visit but it will be applied to the cost. I reluctantly say okay. He shows up in about an hour and the first thing he does is shove a clipboard with a page full of 4pt font and says, sign here! Oh, and he says he's tired. Like 4 times. After I tell him the exact issue he says okay, let me get the invoice and write it up. He tells me it will be $500 to clear the drain without a guarantee it will open. So I'm left with a choice- punt on this opportunistic plumbing grifter or get gouged and bet on the come that his ""medium"" snake will work to clear the clog that I already identifed. I say, you are gouging me at $500. And this is the best part.... He says, I know, it's late. This is classic... He's the freaking clown that called me back at 930pm looking for business. Go figure. Wait. the other best part, ""the wax ring is included.. ""Whoa, what an effing bargain!

More to say but whatever, lesson learned. If one person reads this and punts on hiring this clown then cool.

Oh yeah, what kind of plumber doesn't have his own towels and tarps...

Danny R.

Richard goes beyond what any plumber I've ever used . He's very diligent in his work . after using several plumbers to clean out a plugged main line that they claimed they cleared..witch they didn't ..Richard with all his vast knowledge and modern equipment, finally cleared it , using sewer video inspection camera , hydrojetting the line and later snaking it , I couldn't believe what he was showing and actually accomplished what no other cheesy plumber could do ..I was very please with his effort and professionalism.. Outstanding work.

A R.

DO NOT USE!! Only gave him one star because I could not give him less.
We had a leak in a main pipe out at the street. We had to turn all the water off to the whole home. Called Richards plumbing and they said they would be out by 2-3pm next day. I took time off work to wait but they never showed up. They finally called at 7:30pm and said they didn't have my address or number, yet he called me. I had sent him my name address and phone number that morning, with pictures of the problem.
If he did not get my text, how did he call me? He said he would be at my home in the morning. When he did show up he was upset because, I had told him the wrong size of pipe he needed to repair. He then threw out a price of 650.00 to fix the problem plus 100.00 just to look at a clogged tub. I wanted to hire a local plumber but it turns out this company is over 50 miles away. This company tries to intimidate you into doing the work. This guy began to get aggressive so I gave him 100.00 and told him to leave. I repeat DO NOT USE!!! The are out in Chatsworth.

Sharon S.

We used Richard for a drainage issue on our cement walkway. He came out promptly and diagnosed the problem with his camera. After cutting back a patch of concrete, he saw more of a problem with the roots. Since we were out of town at that time, he told us of the additional problem and the additional cost. All in all, he probably came to our house 4 times do and finish the job. He removed the plants that needed to be removed to do the job and poured the new concrete. He left the area very neat and clean. Richard provides great service and his prices are in line with most other plumbers. I would definitely use him again!

Jack L.

Beware!!!

Had worst experience with this company. Highly unprofessional and does a horrible job. Overcharging and horrible attitude are what you'll get with these guys. Creating issues and instilling fear in clients in order to up sell and rip you off!!! Look anywhere else for help with plumbing.

When he came out to my Home to help with a clogged pipe he charged me $250 just to come and look. Made something up about roots clogging the pipe but wouldn't put his camera in the pipe until I paid him another $250 bucks!! He put the camera in the pipe. Pulled it out 5 minutes later and told me the results were inconclusive but Pay me the $250 now. After some arguing and a fear of Richard possibly turning violent after some threats I paid him and asked him to leave my property immediately.

I then contacted a larger plumbing company who sent a plumber out and resolved my problem within minutes for $125.

Keep having this review removed and I will keep posting it.