Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

Jewel R.

This is my second time using them. Overall they have been great, but I must agree with the other reviewers, they are very very overpriced!!! First time I called it was September 2014 and they quoted me around $550 to unclog the downstairs toilet ( We dont have a basement or a clean out, so when the main pipe got clogged it backed up and came up through the main floor bathroom toilet. We couldnt touch any water... if we flushed the upstairs toilet, brushed our teeth, took a shower, washed out hands..... the water would overflow from the downstairs toilet into the hallway and onto the living room rugs, dining room rug and playroom rug ) I thought the price was high so I called another company ( I'll review them another day, but overall they were horrible and by the far worst experience of my life) So after that, I called Roto Rooter back and what the other company couldnt do, they did it in a few hours. It was a very large amount of hair stuck, he snaked approximately 50-60 feet from the house to reach it. ( And yes I know what you are thinking, hair did that, well with 5 women/girls in one house I am surpised it didnt happen b4 this, my family has been in the house for over 10 years...)

Now fast forward about a week ago, it happened again. So instead of calling around, the only call I made was to RotoRooter. They actually called and asked if they could come earlier then the scheduled time. Great! This time 2 techs came out and a supervisor. One of the tech shows me their price list and the supervisor says they had a price increase. For the same job as last year it would now cost $674. At this point I just wanted it done so I agreed and they snaked out about 90-100 feet. They showed me on the screen that they still didn't reach the clog. So my choices are -Option A: They can use a longer snake but it cost an additional $235 and if they still couldn't reach the clog I would owe $250 for their time and effort. Option B : They would dig up the pipe in the front yard, install a clean out and jet blast the pipe for $5,600. So I chose option A and the techs kept saying they wanted me to understand if this worked, this may only be a bandaid to a bigger problem. Anyway.. they cleared the clog at 130 feet. This time they found hair and tree roots. Overall great service. Yes I would use them again but I truly hope I dont have too!

Karl P.

I just bought a house in Edison, NJ, and the pipe under the kitchen sink was leaking. I called Roto-Rooter and Manny (Tech 525) showed up, and not only did he fix the leak, he found another problem with the strainer, and fixed that too! He was very professional, and knowledgeable about the problem and how to fix it. He worked fast, showed me exactly what he did, and I was good to go. It was genuinely nice to know when you need a plumber, Roto-Rooter will get a plumber out to you, and get the job done!!!!!!!! I compared what Roto-Rooter charged me to what another private plumber would've charged, and Roto-Rooter was cheaper by a lot!!!! I highly recommend them!!!

Christine G.

I'm only giving 3 stars even though they were fast, courteous, and did a good job but a total rip off at $420 to unclog a bathtub drain. The tech wasn't even there an hour. I will never use them again. I've had drains snaked by plumbers before for around $125. Next time my tub backs up I'll go a day without a shower to wait for a plumber rather than get hosed by Roto Rooter. Also note, when I called Roto Rooter I asked the customer service person for an estimate and she said they don't give estimates over the phone. They can't give an estimate to snake a drain?? I needed to get someone there fast because the water was not draining at all. I had them come out anyway not figuring I was going to be slammed with a huge price tag. What's a customer to do when you have a problem and they are there? I had to pay the ridiculous fee. Never again.

J C.

They arrived an hour and half late to the job and provided a ridiculously high quote. Over $1000 for a commercial drain cleanout with high pressure jet. The service typically runs $500-800 depending on area and relationship with contractor. Our plumber died and it was an emergency so we had no choice but to allow them to do the work. Never again. Don't use them.

Lauren G.

Manny (tech#525) did a great job clearng a severely clogged drain under my driveway yesterday. He was very respectful anf especially dilligent to get the job done right. He brought a drain camera and a giant auger. The camera showed everything going on inside the pipe, and even had a detector that showed where exactly the underground blockage is from above ground so we were able to dig out the back end of the buried pipe. The auger pulled a pile of roots out about the size of a basketball. The dirt was washed out with a garden hose and the impossible drain was cleared! Their 6 month full warranty goes a long way to ease my concerns with any possible reoccurance.

Ch H.

I used This company for many services in my home. They were fast and courteous however, I think they overcharge. They charged me $420 to unclog my bathroom sink drain. The tech showed me his price sheet. Their labor rate is $420 for the first hour. The tech was literally there for 15 mins to unclog my drain. I feel like that is just too pricy.

I also had a damaged shower faucet ( small piece inside broke and needed to be replaced) took about 30 mins and cost me $600

Basically good service just very very expensive

John F.

Called on Sunday afternoon of July 4 weekend because a basement sink was backed up and I was concerned that it might be a waste line problem. The guy showed up literally 25 minutes after I called. It turned out there was a clog in our sewage pipe and a cap had blown off in a basement storage room which is normally kept locked. There was sewage everywhere!

The technician went from easy sink clog job to full emergency mode without missing a beat. He cleared out the entire sewage line in our house from the furthest point from the street all the way out to the municipal connection. He replaced the trap caps and did some basic cleanup of most of the water.

The next day Roto-Rooter's Restoration crew came, first the manager to check everything out and then a few minutes later his crew showed up with their truck. It took them all day (arrived at around 10:30 and left at around 7pm) but they got the basement completely cleaned and sanitized. This included moving contents of the store rooms to an unaffected part of the basement and tearing up and removing a hardwood floor which had gotten contaminated.

They also dealt directly with our insurance company to get the claim started and will be here when the adjuster comes to inspect. All throughout this ordeal I felt like I was dealing with a professional organization with a lot of experience in dealing with this exact situation. The restoration crew explained exactly what they were going to do and gave me progress reports during the day. At the end they walked me through and explained what to expect next. They treated our belongings with respect and care.

As for the original service call to fix the clog and overflow, I felt that the price they charged was fair based on the situation and the amount of work the tech needed to do.

This review probably reads like an ad for Roto-rooter, but I'm just being honest. If you read some of my other reviews you'll see if I'm not happy with a business I have no problems in detailing exactly where they fail.

Mel B.

Drain clogged, called Roto-Rooter, Easy and Reasonably priced. Was on time and problem went down the drain. If I need help in the future I will definitely call Roto-Rooter again.

Maria B.

I had a problem with my toilet on Easter and Roto-Rooter had a technician at my condo within the hour to fix it. I only have 1 toilet at home, so it was a big relief to have the problem taken care of so quickly. Foster was the technician and he was very polite and took care of the problem immediately. Plumbing problems can be very frustrating and it's great to know that I can always count on Roto-Rooter to take care of the problem!

Doug B.

Called and arranged service between 5-7pm. By 9pm they were still saying 1 hour so I cancelled. Apologies don't equal customer service