Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

Kaitlin T.

Livermore, CA location.
Dealing with them has been the worst experience of my life.
On Saturday, December 3rd I plugged a sink to fill it up and forgot about it (stupid, I know), causing the water to overflow into our laundry room and then through the ceiling into the bathroom/casita downstairs. I called Roto Rooter and they had someone come out to assess the damage. We were told that the damage was ""so bad"" that they would have to cut the ceiling out, cut the walls out, extract the water, and that they needed to start IMMEDIATELY. Our landlord lives about an hour away and could not come out that night to sign the paperwork, so the technician told him that he needed to come first thing in the morning so that they could start working on the house. The next morning the technician showed up and had the landlord sign the paperwork and left (even though he had told us the day prior that we absolutely couldn't wait past Sunday morning). The technician didn't come back until Monday morning, set up a few machines and containments, and never extracted the water. Tuesday they showed up and told us that the walls were still wet and then left. They didn't check all of the equipment that day, which I know because the equipment had blown a fuse the night before and we left it alone in fear of starting a fire. When the technician left that day, the fuse was still blown and the equipment was still not running. Wednesday the technician never showed. Thursday the technician told us that everything was dry and that they would not be cutting the walls or ceilings. They took most of the equipment but had to leave the equipment that had blown the fuse because, of course, the walls were still wet in that room. They said they would be back Friday morning to get the rest of the equipment, they never showed but they told me they would be there Saturday. They did not show on Saturday. Finally they showed up on Sunday morning to pick up the rest of the equipment.

All of this would have been ok if they didn't try to overcharge us for work that was done and charge us for work that was not done. Overall they spent 7 hours in our house from Monday-Sunday. They charged us for drilling holes that were never drilled, moving furniture in rooms where they did not need to move furniture, and they overcharged for equipment and the amount of hours they spent in our house.

The landlord received the estimate on 12/14. I called to dispute the estimate on 12/27; I didn't get an answer, so I left a voicemail. I never heard back from anyone so I then emailed Michelle, the listed estimator on our invoice, on 1/10 to tell her that I had questions about the estimate. She responded and cc'd Claudia and Britton, saying that they were the ones to talk to. So I called Britton. Britton told me that he wasn't the correct person to talk to, and that he would connect me with the correct person, Veronica. I never heard back from him. So then finally on 1/25 I reached out to Veronica on my own. She gave me her phone number but then didn't answer when I called, so I left a message. She said she would call me the morning of 1/26 and then never did. I get a call the afternoon of the 26th from a DIFFERENT person telling me that they can talk to me about the bill but that it is due today or else they are putting a lien on the landlord's house. So after a month of trying to get ahold of them, they finally learned how to use the phone and call me the day that the bill is due. Convenient. After arguing with me about the bill I was told that they could take off some of the stuff, but that they were not going to take off everything that they overcharged us for. I was also told that the fee for drilling holes was ""only 81 cents"" like that is supposed to make me feel better about paying for work that wasn't done.

Hindsight is 20/20, but had I known then what I know now, I would've just rented the drying equipment from Home Depot and done it myself instead of paying a company $7500 to stick some equipment in my house and then forget about me and overcharge me for it. Fucking crooks.

Diane A.

Avoid doing business with Roto-Rooter Excavation - Brisa St, Livermore

Camera footage may be deceiving if you are not used to looking at sewer lines. The technician helps interpret what you are seeing and may make you think it is worse than it really is. They can claim that they did not mislead you since you were looking at the camera picture.

We scheduled a pipe burst for our long sewer line at $54,000. The Central San Inspector inspected the preliminary work. He looked at the camera and then knocked on my door to tell me there was nothing wrong with my pipe that would require a pipe burst. He diagnosed the fix to replace a pipe section in one area and add a clean-out. The cost of that job is ~$10,000, which was never suggested as an alternative to pipe-bursting by Roto-Rooter.

When the Central San Inspector told me this, he gathered all the other crew members around to agree that there was nothing wrong with our pipes. The Roto-Rooter crew stood around looking sheepish and I felt taken advantage of. They looked like a bunch of kids who got caught in a lie. The Roto-Rooter field supervisor took off before the Central San Inspector talked to us. Before he left, he told the Central San Inspector, ""They know that there is nothing wrong with their pipes"". Well, most people would not pay $54,000 to fix pipes that have nothing wrong with them.

I got a second estimate from Roto-Rooter for $25,000 for the new work to replace the $54,000 estimate. During that time, I got another estimate from a more reputable company for $8,000 to finish the work which is less than $25,000. We decided to go with the other company, so Roto-Rooter is now charging us $9, 593.92 for their presence while the Central San Inspector diagnosed our problem. But even paying the $9,593.92 and going with the other company, the cost is less than continuing with Roto-Rooter.

Eduardo T.

When they come they seem to do their job OK although they charge you exorbitant prices. Unfortunately you can't really work with them. Last time I scheduled an appointment they did not show up and did not let me know they would not come. I rescheduled for a second day and they did not showed up again and did not let me know they would not come again. Then on the third attempt they promised they would come but they did not show up again, and did not called me to let me know either. Finally they asked me for another chance and they did not show up on the fourth time either, nor called me back to let me know. Anyway, they can't commit to anything. It seems that for them, you are lucky if they make it to the appointment. Their dispatchers book appointments without checking any technician availability and the burden is on customers to make sure they are available all the time. Not very reliable or professional. I tried someone else and it did work great.

Gary L.

They were complete waste of time. They said they do not give quotes over the phone. They said that person could come out give us an estimate and we wouldn't have to use them if we didn't want. For a simple unclog they wanted $475 which is crazy. I waited around for them and would never have used them if I'd known there was anything near that price. A complete waste of my time.

Steve D.

My wife called them to have a shower handle replaced that was leaking. They told her they would be at the house between 3-7 pm. They never showed up. We called again at 8pm, they said it would be another couple of hours. They never showed or called. Terrible service and totally unprofessional.

Mike M.

I was told that the minimum service charge is $479; even for a simple 10 minute clog removal.

John L.

I called in for service regarding issues with toilets backing up, a bit of an emergency. Was told there is a tech in the area and could be there within the hour. RR called after 1 hour and said it would be just a little longer. We called back 1/2 hour later for a status. They did the dance with dispatch and had no record of it. Then said they'd have a tech shortly. 2.5 hours later called back and person was cold and short...""we have no status. Called someone else and and came on site within 20 min.

I get that every company needs business, however don't lead the customer on. At the very least initiate the call back at a regular intervals to keep customers updated.

Chaz N.

There is More than Phishing on the Web to Worry About

While I was away on business, an exposed PVC pipe in my sprinkler system broke - the problem was plainly visible (see photo). Once the water was shut off, my wife called Roto-Rooter. After failing to be there later that day, they arrived the following day and - without looking at the problem - quoted her $1,975. Not knowing the extent of the damage, she agreed.

Here is the breakdown. $220 for parts (their choice to replace PVC with copper). $1,730 labor for one plumber and an apprentice. Total time at our home - including the time they left for lunch - about three hours, maybe a little less.

When I called and complained, the supervisor's defense was that my 77-year-old wife agreed to the offer, which is true. I'm guessing this is not the first time he justified a grand payday in this manner. As for the parts, he told me he did not have a breakdown available.

Never in my life have I treated a client in this manner, which is why they stay with me.

This is Roto-Rooter Plumbing and Water Cleanup based in Livermore, CA. It has a one-and-done business model. Know this if you choose to engage anyone who works there - or maybe any Roto-Rooter franchise.

S. K. C.

Fast service, repairs were done quickly and the problem hasn't resurfaced. Wish they were a bit cheaper but I guess the reliability is worth the $$$$.

Anurag B.

Called them in November 2021 for emergency slab leak. Out of 20 different plumbers I called, roto rooter were the least professional ones, never called back, kept missing appointments to even give an estimate and I never received the actual estimate. Their initial range was 3 times of what I actually paid to another plumber. Please avoid and save yourself unnecessary stress.