Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

Robert Y.

Called Roto Rooter, nationally recognized brand, and they wanted $225 to unblock my kitchen sink on a Sunday. I had a $50 coupon off. I thanked Mr Roto Rooter for his free estimate and sent him on his way. I knew it had to be snaked but $225 an hour? Give me a break! Highway robbery indeed. Plus, he said it could possibly take longer than an hour. Then , he would start charging extra by the quarter of an hour.
Instead of Mr Ripoff Roto Rooter, we rented an industrial snake (75 ft) from Home Depot for $40, for four hours. It took about 20 minutes to 30 minutes to unblock the drain myself. The snake went 50 feet deep. Works like new now. My savings was huge by doing it myself. Buyer Beware, especially when it comes to Plumbers, Handymen, Electricians, Contractor's, etc. It is hard to find someone who is honest, hardworking, and charges a fair or reasonable price. I would have paid $95 to $100 tops, but $225, plus the possiblity of incurring OT at $225 an hour. No way!
There is a huge incentive for the consumer to do it yourself, or search long and hard for those rare individuals, who have integrity, character, and competence. Like on Wall Street, their are way to many charlatans, con artists, and plain greedy people out there, who will take advantage of you in a second, if you are not vigilant and an educated consumer.

Carol P.

I needed a plumber at the last minute on a Sunday and he was easy to book on line. The service didn't cost any more than any other day of the week and the price was very reasonable. The plumber arrived on time and was very flexible about rescheduling service for later in the day because another contractor was not ready for him to connect the pipes up in the bathroom yet. When he returned he worked longer than the time estimated because he ""wanted to make sure the job was done right"". He didn't charge me anything for the additional time. He was very corteous with me and the other contractors at the work sight. Great job! I used Roto-Rooter two times in the past and they were also very positive experiences. Thanks for a job well done.

Kirk G.

Just had them out for the second time in 3 years. I have a sewer line thats get clogged by roots periodically. Before started using Roto-Rooter, I had to do it once or twice a year but the last time they did it, it lasted 3 years. They have a ""Root X"" treatment that seems to work really well; better than their one year guarantee.

It was very easy to use the website to schedule. They called to confirm and showed at the scheduled time. Very professional. I would recommend them as a good plumber in the San Mateo area.

Garan G.

Excellent service at short notice, helpful technician
Roto rooter service 4/26/2012

JG T.

Got prompt, professional service from Luis (#0211), fixed a leaky trap under my bathroom sink that had been installed improperly as it turned out, and also replaced a leaky outdoor faucet. Came when he said that he would, got a call 30 minutes in advance, all in all, very satisfied.

Marilyn K.

Excellent customer service - they called to confirm my issue and make sure they had the correct information the day before the appointment. I got a courtesy call 30 minutes prior to the tech's arrival which was greatly appreciated. The service technician was on time, polite, efficient, and fixed the problem and made sure that all was in working order before he left. I was beyond happy with him and with the service. THANK YOU!

Noriko K.

Needed someone's help with changing a wax ring of a toilet. The good thing about a bigger plumbing company is that they pick up calls fast and provide same day service. The technician came in about 1.5 hours as they promised. However, the technician kept saying it might be a sewage problem and hoping to charge more because I am a female and seem to know nothing(?!). Since I knew what the problem was exactly, the technician eventually told me it was just the wax ring. The charge would be $260 for changing a wax ring.. I was like, WT*. I called other smaller plumbing services. Most of them charge $120-$160 per hour plus the material cost, and this is just a one hour job. I asked if he's open to negotiation/discount. He was like, no. So I said thanks and bye.

After he left, I found this $50 coupon on Yelp. Oops, why he wouldn't just give $50 discount while the company is actually offering it?

They deserve 1 star, but I would give them 1 additional star for picking up phone calls fast and being able to service on the same day. The other stars lost from the pushy technician who tried to exaggerate the problems and to overcharge, and the pricy service. If you need a plumber faster and experienced (I guess), you can give them a try with the coupon. ;)

Alexander M.

This particular (San Mateo) division of the Roto-Rooter company is expensive. You're better off with a cheaper city or other company.

I paid 400 dollars to snake the main and use Root-X on the main and get a one year's warranty. Two days later, the same clog in the sink persisted, and when Roto-Rooter came out for an inspection, they said that only the main is part of the services. So, the clog from the sink to the main persists. It would cost an extra 279 dollars to perform services on the sink. Other clogs that exist (e.g., in the laundry) are another 200+ dollars or so.

El Guapo G.

My tenant had a clogged kitchen sink. I didn't have time to address it myself so I asked him to call a plumber. He picked Roto Rooter. UGH!!

Roto rooter ended up replacing the trap under the sink because it was rusty. $600 for 2.5 hours of labor, and $90 for the trap. I just about passed out when I saw the bill.

I called and asked how they came to the $615 for labor and the plumber said that he charges $224/hour plus $50 to show up.

The $90 trap that he set up cost $12 at home depot.

A couple years ago, I remodeled my ktichen at home. The entire plumbing bill was $600 and that was for 8 hours of work.

This is utterly ridiculous.

John P.

Very satisfied with the service I got from Roto-Rooter in San Mateo. The plumber was professional and knowledgeable. He gave us a good rate and fixed the problem in less then an hour. He left the place very clean and gave good suggestions. Will definitely use them again !