Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

Brian G.

Complete rip off. $818 dollars (gave me a $50 discount) to come to my house and snake a main drain that took all of 1.5 hours total from time they got there until leaving. Then when i got my invoice receipt there was no break down of labor/material/service etc. Just $818 to clear a main drain. So that is approx $400 an hour. Other plumbers I spoke with after say average rate is approx 65-75 an hour for licensed plumber. Then when i emailed management for an explanation they said they are a flat rate company. So highly DON'T recommend using these guys for anything.

Anna W.

I needed a quick switch of the water line from the Reverse Osmosis System in the unfinished basement doing to my fridge to go instead to the kitchen sink area. It should have been a relatively quick job. I called Roto-Rooters and asked to send someone who knows Reverse Osmosis Systems. They sent a guy who didn't, who could not figure out the easy way to do a job. He had to call in and get a quote from his boss on the phone. The quote was $1,473. I was surprised it was that high. I asked for breakdown of the quote, the guy said: ""Boss told me that, I can't provide the breakdown"". They charged me $69 to just come in and provide this ridiculous quote. I knew it was a simple task so I asked another company come and quote and they did. They got a job done for $600, $847 LESS OF ROTO-ROOTER'S QUOTE. See photo or what Roto-Rooter quoted on top in yellow and how much the job actually cost (the white invoice from another company below) when done by another company. What a shame. I always wanted to try Roto-Rooters given they were so publicized by Grant Wilson at the Ghost Hunters and I know Grant well.

Jenny L.

Had a scheduled appointment from 10-2 today.
We were called at 11:15 to let us know the plumber was finishing up a project nearby and they'd be there soon. At 1:50 I called to see where he was since it had been a while and he was supposed to be there by 2. The dispatcher let me know that the plumber was behind and he wouldn't be able to get there for over an hour.

They're just like every other company- give you a huge window so you're whole day gets thrown off and then is extremely late without ever giving you the decency of notifying you. Your time means nothing to them.

They aren't professional, they don't care about the consumer, they care about money.

Find a local plumber who can do the work you need.

Robert H.

First Roto Rooter is out to squeeze every dollar they can out of the situation, fixing the problem is a distant second.

Robert S.

WAY OVER PRICED!!! More than twice the price I was quoted by other plumbers over the phone to replace an outside faucet. I scheduled them since they could get to my house a day before the other plumbers. It wasn't an emergency but I wanted to go ahead and get the job done and I just assumed they would be somewhat price competitive - BIG MISTAKE. The plumber glanced at work and tossed out a crazy $ amt and reminded me I'd be out the $69 service call fee if I didn't do the work. NEVER AGAIN!!! That said, the plumber was nice and but they are not making a true assessment of the work and just following a price sheet. BE WARNED and don't even make the call.

Jonathan S.

Roto Rooter is consistently my last choice when I have plumbing needs. I know it. They know it, and they charge their customers accordingly.

Lets start with the good. This Roto Rooter office has showed up every time I have called them. They have given me a price for the work, and done the work that I hired them to do. That is a big deal in a world where getting a trademan to show up even once can be a challenge, let alone consistently. If ever I choose Roto Rooter for a job, it is typically because they are my plumber of last resort.

The problem is that their pricing is prohibitive. Their plumbers say that they have a list of standard pricing for a job, and just throw high numbers at you when looking at your problem. There is no way to know in advance what the numbers are. They will not estimate over the telephone, even though these numbers are supposedly standard. If I have the leisure to hire some one else, I typically will, but some times I just need to go with it.

I will say that Roto Rooter is not a bad choice when you know that you have a large and invasive job. Just buy a snake, because Roto Rooter are overpriced for simple clogs, but they can be competitive with other plumbers with larger jobs like drain and pipe replacement. Then their prices start to make more sense.

Just keep that in mind when you call them. It is no fun to hear a catchy jingle on the radio, call up to get service with a smile, and then also get a high bill for the work, but it becomes much more palatable when you know what you are getting into.

Joseph C.

Called because of a backup in the sewer system on July 4, was told a tech would be here between 5 and 7 PM, finally showed up at 9:15pm. Talked about the problem and tech refused to try to solve the problem because it was dark out. The re-evaluated situation and told us we needed a high-pressure solution and took a deposit and promised a tech would be here on the 5th at 12:30. By 3PM when no one showed and things were getting very dicey, we called again and was told that the unit would not be available until 5 to 7 again. So we CANCELLED and demanded a return of our deposit (almost $1000 to clear a drain?) and hired a local concern who was here within the hour, took less than a hour to clear the problem, and cost lest than a third, and didn't have an attitude like they were doing us a favor. Never again, Roto-rooter.

A J.

If I could give Roto-Rooter zero stars, I would. I had a main drain block and my maintenance person called Roto-Rooter. What should have been a simple clearing of roots was complicated by Roto-Rooter into an extremely complex and nerve-wracking situation.
Instead of unclogging my drain, Rotorooter technician got his snake stuck, left it in there for good, left the drain plug and hatch to the pit open, as a result of which I had sewage pour into my basement, thereby creating a very expensive and hassling situation out of a simple one. They showed up 7 hours late. They had multiple people call in to sell their clean-up services. They were more interested in the cleanup than clearing up the clog, because they could bilk thousands of dollars in cleanup service from my insurance. They took advantage of my situation, and wanted a prepay for their jetting service at the rate of $950 for the first hour, and then $450 for each hour after. Their technician was extremely rude to my folks, and left in a huff. Their plumbing and cleaning service are in cohoots to rip customers off. It was very clear to me. They wanted to do cleanup with the drain still clogged, even though sewage would continue to pour in. Severity of the sewage spill was their creation because they left the hatch open. They assured me that they would work with my insurance, and yet when I wanted them to put it on paper to limit my exposure they balked and took offense. Finally they refused to do cleanup and unclogging both, even though they had taken my credit card for the jetting service anyways (something I am thankful for, because I got the drain unclogged for $350). I took severe offense to the treatment meted out to me by this company. Worse still, they were unapologetic and still do not believe that they are responsible for sticking the snake in my drain and making the situation extremely bad for me - something we will be seeking a judgement over in court very soon.

Ivan T.

NeveRR Again

My 50 gallon gas water heater (WH) started leaking in October 18. Roto Rooter was one of the plumbing companies I called for service. Their availability and timing to come out and take a look was better than anyone else I've called in the area. (2 other companies)

The technician took a look and gave me an estimate. The estimate included labor (I found it to be expensive, but reasonable), parts (water heater and pipes), town permit, and tax. I was explained at the time that due to the modern water heaters being shorter, some of the plumbing will have to be replaced. So not knowing how much the extra plumbing would cost, I trusted the quoted $1131 was ok. Even though, the tech was a bit shady about what heater I was going to get and its PSU rating.

After the work was completed, to my surprise, the 'modern water heater' was the same dimensions as the old one. So I was generously offered a $50 discount for unused parts. So the parts ended up being $1080. The heater was purchased at the nearby Republic Plumbing Supply. I looked the model up after the tech left and the same heater costs only $719! (Most likely companies such as RR pay even less) So was a 50% surcharge on the cost of the WH.

I called the Roto-Rooter multiple times and each time I was told to either wait for someone to take a look at the quote/ receipt or some busy manager to call me back shortly, and etc. 14 calls and a week later, their manager called me. He said that RR is not going to reimburse me any difference, as their company policy is to surcharge 1.67 times on cost of the materials. He also basically advised me to buy my own materials next time since it would be cheaper.
It would be nice to find about the surcharge policy upfront and thus have a better insights into quote pricing. This could leave more satisfied clients that would call RR again if they have any plumbing and drain work in the future.

Well I really doubt Roto-Rooter will be at my house next time something happens. Sad because their tech did a very decent and quick job replacing the WH and cleaning after himself.

Sioban S.

Absolute joke. ""Free Estimates"" are a lie & totally overpriced.
I called for an estimate on a sewer line replacement. I already had someone camera and try to unblock it, so I had written documentation of exactly where the block was. I also already had 2 other companies come give estimates on the excavation and replacement, so was doing my due diligence in costing and had an idea of what to expect.
They refused to come out without me paying them $500 to put a camera down the drain again.
2 other companies - worked off the marked blockage area, didn't charge me to provide an estimate and the original guy (who sadly doesn't do replacements, or would use him in a heartbeat) charged me $300 for FOUR HOURS of unclogging the pipe, camera, disinfectant and clean up.

KEEP LOOKING - RIP OFF.