Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

John K.

We had a late evening bath tub drain backup that was preventing us from using the shower.
With all the social activities coming up for the weekend, we needed someone quick.
We typically have a local plumber take care of our issues, but they could not show up until Monday. That was when we went ahead and reached out to Roto-Rooter.

Pros: We were given a window of 6 PM-10 PM for our plumber to arrive.
However, within an hour of calling, Elvir (#3962) showed up at our home.
Elvir was courteous, clean and went right to work rodding out the tub drain line.
After 45 min we were back in business and able to take showers without having the tub back up. The work area was kept clean and Elvir left everything as it was when he first arrived.

Cons: The initial price quoted was a bit high ($449)
We normally pay our local plumber $100-$200 for previous similar rodding.
The good news is that after some further discussion, we were able to knock the above price down to $300.00 (still high)

So as you can see, Roto-Rooter is quite a bit more expensive than what our local plumber charges, but you do get quick same day service. The price increase may be worth it for some to get out of the plumbing nightmare they're in.

Overall, we're satisfied with the work performed but took a slight hit to the wallet.
But If we were in a serious bind again, we would probably reach out to Roto-Rooter again.

David O.

Don't use these guys - seriously, call someone else...DONT USE THEM.

Found my sewer drain in basement backing up...in a bind because it was Friday afternoon for a holiday weekend, so had trouble finding anyone available to come...Roto Rooter said someone would be out between noon-4pm....the guy showed up at 5. He didn't bring any tarps or mats, and his equipment dripped all over my house...and it was not a good substance to be dripping. I was cleaning his mess for an hour after he left...had to scrub some of the carpet too. Anyways, the guy tried rodding my lines for hours and hours, and said he couldn't get it through. He finally called his supervisor who came and said he'd have to dig up my front yard at a cost of $8000, which he said was a 30% discount of what the cost should be. The guys were both incredibly shady, so I said thanks but please get the f**k out of my house...I called around to a few other plumbing companies and was quoted prices a quarter of what Roto Rooter was going to charge me. Needless to say, I went in another direction with my business. I was stupid for calling Roto Rooter to begin with, and will not make that mistake again. DONT USE THIS COMPANY, even if you are in a severe bind.

Christy E.

We had a clogged drain on our main floor called for service. Our service tech came out within the time frame given and provided quick, courteous service. He took the time to explain the problem and also verified that there were no other issues. Thank you
Evergreen Park, IL

Butch W.

had appt from 12 to 2 pm 1 they called running late, at 10 to 4 I called them they said I was next and tech was in my town, by 430 called again still not on way at 5 asked for manger call back which didnt come till 5:55. Tech never arrived , spoke with manger who admitted breakdown in comm. 4 to 6 hours late is overbooked day in my opinion. Will NEVER call them again. TO bad used them once before and although they were outside promised time window tech was great.

Paul G.

After a different plumber came to our house a month ago to fix our sewer, I could not have been happier that I called roto rooter instead the 2nd time around.  Jemo (5415) from roto rooter really went above and beyond to fix our problem.  I could not have been happier, and definitely recommend them to anyone.

The original plumber was trying to get us to pay a few $grand to have them put in an access to our outside sewer.  When Jemo from roto-rooter came, I told him where our sewer was (where the original plumber had thought they were looking) and he did some quick check and realized that the sewer was actually going in a difference direction.  Since we live on a corner lot, that can be tricky to find.  He then looked around outside and found a sewer access on the other side of the house that was already.  Once everything was roded out of the sewer they even did a check with the camera to make sure there was no roots left in the sewer (and did a 2nd round of roding to get a spot the originally missed).

If he had not taken the time to learn what was going on with our sewer this problem would have continued.  Jemo really went the extra mile for use.

Carrie V.

We had backup in our basement right before Christmas. It was a Saturday. It affected several houses on the block and one of the neighbors called Roto-Rooter. We hired them to do the cleanup, we signed a few pages of contracts. While we were discussing the work, we made a claim on the phone to our insurance company, and the RR reap was well aware that our claim limit was $5000. RR rep repeatedly assured us that the bill would not exceed $5000, but it would be more like $2000. We should have insisted on this quote in writing. Workers came the next day, many of them, they left many drying machines and left them running for 3 straight days after, which drove up our electric bill by hundreds. The final invoice came on a Saturday for, $7000!! $2000 more than our claim limit and leave us with no funds for repair. then 2 days later, on Monday, the RR AR person called and demanded to know when they will be paid, and that they know we have the paid claim from insurance. RR was very dishonest since the rep should have told us, that the equipment costs alone (without any labor) would already exceed $2000 quoted. We paid $3000 which is already 60% of our insurance claim and leave us with less for repair. The RR people threatened with liens and were very rude. We just got the collection agency's letter today - of course they want the rest of the $7000, I have no doubt they also put a lien on our house. Off to the lawyer we go.

Anitha P.

We should have looked at the reviews before we called them. Bad on me for not checking up. They are always late when you call them, upto a day late. We have had two job with them so far and they have always been late, consistently calling and letting us know but upto a day late. For the second job, after two days we realized water was leaking to the bottom floor adn when called they delayed again. I would never ever use them again and advise people not to use there services. Not sure about other locations but when i called to find out which area the plumber was dispatched for our locations, they said ElkGrove village. So obviously they seem to have an issue with time. No respect whatsoever for clients time.

Jonathan O.

I don't often write reviews, but in this instance I feel I may be able to help someone in the future.
We had a root problem causing sewage backup in our basement. We were having other work done at our house through a trusted contractor, so we asked for his help.
He and his crew tried to get the roots out but were unsuccessful with the device they rented from Home Depot.
The contractor then called Roto Rooter to come out and take a video of what was in the pipe and try to resolve the issue.

One good thing about the experience is that Roto Rooter was out at our house right away with our contractor. (My wife and I were at work). After taking a video and looking at the footage, Roto Rooter tried to clear the roots for about 30 minutes to no avail. This charge was $550.

Then, according to our contractor, the two gentlemen were very bold saying that this should be taken care of immediately and that they will be back this afternoon to rip up the driveway and clear out the roots. The price quoted for this was $8,000. Luckily our contractor didn't agree and sent them off and called us immediately and advised us to get another opinion.
After 3 attempts to have the video footage emailed to us, we received it and reviewed it with a couple local plumbers who were not pleased that Roto Rooter wanted to rip up our driveway.
We hired one of them and they cleared the roots within 15-20 minutes with a 3"" blade, then went back through with a 4"" blade. They had the issue resolved within less than an hour and guaranteed their work for a year and advised us to have it cleared at least every other year to prevent this from happening again.

Long story short, get a second opinion. It could very well save you thousands of dollars.

Mary B.

Roto Rooter done a great job! I experienced water flood damage to in my basement they came cleaned and removed the damage to the the area. The guys were professional, patience, prompt and took the time to explain everthing they were doing..I am very pleased with their work. I highly recommend them I hope you will not need them but if you do they will definitely take care of you.

Tom T.

We called roto-rooter in lake Zurich today for clogged drain. It was not an emergency call...so no dead of the night up charge needed. The guy showed up, snaked it in less than 30 minutes (which gets the one star) and charged $400+. What a screw job! It is so hard to find reputable plumbers and I would definitely say the lake Zurich franchise is not reputable. I would stay away from these guys if you want someone who isn't going to over charge.