Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

David H.

I called Roto Rooter at my usual plumber's suggestion when they couldn't handle an emergency call on a Sunday afternoon. Matt was training someone else and they both came to check out what was going on with the outside sewer main. He snaked it and pulled out a tree root before realizing the snake wouldn't go any further due to an obstruction. His colleague Gabriel then used the camera and realized the line was broken and also blocked by a massive tree root and had to be replaced. Gabriel correctly diagnosed the issue and suggested the correct replacement (giving me three options with prices for each) but I ended up getting a second opinion and went with another company since their estimate was $6,000 less for the replacement.

It wasn't cheap but they told me the cost up front and it was reasonable for a weekend emergency call that took several hours to diagnose.

Matt was honest and friendly and did his best to resolve the situation. Unfortunately it turned out we needed a line replacement but I'd definitely call him again for a plumbing emergency.

julie w.

I needed a new water heater and they came out very quickly to quote the job and got the job done within a few hours. Very reliable service and knowledgeable technician. I would highly recommend them!

M G.

We had a simple clogged toilet drain at our rental house that needed to be snaked out. Since we had used Roto-rooter about three years ago and were happy with their work at that time, we did not check Yelp for recent reviews (really bad mistake on our part) and we called them yesterday for an appointment for between 9:00 and 11:00 this morning.

When the technician arrived, he told us that the job was just as we had expected: pop off the toilet, snake the drain, replace the toilet. What we had not expected was the price for this two-hour job: a whopping $989, more than double what we had expected. Since the house has only one toilet and we could not leave our tenants without a toilet while we got other bids, we had Roto-rooter do the job.

The technician did a very professional job. He explained what he was doing and thoroughly cleaned up the area when he finished. His actions raised our rating of Roto-rooter from one star to two stars.

After the job was finished, we checked online to see what the normal cost for clearing a clogged drain should be. To quote homeguide for Arlington, VA, in 2024: ""The average cost to unclog a drain is $100 to $275 for a simple sink, tub, or toilet clog. Snaking a main drain line or complex blockage involving multiple fixtures costs $175 to $600."" And Forbes says: ""The average drain cleaning cost for a toilet is around $225, with simpler clogs starting as little as $150 and complex ones reaching as high as $300.""

It's an old saying but it still applies: ""Buyer Beware.""

Melissa F.

Basement flooded with sewage waste. Not only did they charge an exorbitant amount of money to clear a pipe. They took a video of the issue with my pipe. Refused to give it to me and told me it would cost me $900
To get it. I paid $1300 to unclog the pipe. They were only willing to provide what I paid for if I used them for the repair. They were extremely rude. What kind of customer service charges you so much and refuses to provide you with what you pay for. Do not use them.

S C.

Our main line got clogged. Roto Rooter overcharged us to repair it ($900 to pull a toilet and unclog it), then they tried to sell us an even bigger repair that would have cost us thousands. Although their plumbers arrived promptly and were polite, we felt we'd been ripped off and will not use their services again.

Claudia Virginia A.

On Sunday May 1st, 2022, the individual who was called out to work on our water damage issue was to arrive between 8a-Noon.
Unfortunately, the individual arrived at 1358p!
That's unprofessional!
Today, Monday, May 2nd, 3022, the individual was to arrive at 10a!
I called to see where he/she was.
He said that he was on his way and that he was stuck in traffic.
My reply was: ""ok and.""
He arrived at 1013a.

Unprofessional and needs to learn time management!

At least the job was completed.

R S.

3.5 stars for overall service provided by the technician
1 star for untruthful supervisor

Our laundry sink got clogged with a few paper towels so we called roto-rooter based on a family member recommendation. $654 for what amounted to a straightforward snaking of a drain. The tech kept telling me how bad she felt about the excessive price, but that the company required that amount to be charged as a minimum.

After talking to several reputable competitors and performing market research online I felt safely confident that I was overcharged significantly based the average for the area.

After my research, I spoke with Purcell in the local office and addressed my concerns. He stated the following:
- Attempting to compare Roto-Rooter's prices to any competitor is 100% futile and impossible
- Roto-Rooter's quality of service cannot be even closely matched by any competitor in the country. I confirmed this point verbally with him and he reiterated with certainty that absolutely no other company could have matched the level of service I received from them, which attributed to this impossibility for comparison.
- Roto-Rooter offers a warranty for their work which other companies do not. I let him know that others I had spoken to and were using for comparison did offer a comparable warranty. There were some I spoke to that did not offer a warranty, but these were not factored into my final comparison. I made the mistake of telling him that most of the companies I spoke with offered a comparable warranty. His reply was, ""Most"" which he used to totally negate any of my findings.

Overall I found Purcell's justification not of sound judgement. I would have rather him just be honest and tell me that they charge that much because customers are in a pinch and they can get away with it.

Jenna V.

DO NOT EVER USE THIS COMPANY EVER!!!!!! They came out to check the sun pump and the guy stayed for a whole five minutes said everything was working fine. Come to find that it doesn't actually work and the whole family was outside in the rain shoveling water out of our basement. So now our basement has flooded and we went to another company to replace the sun pump. And not only did they do a shit job but they were also assholes, like it's not enough to suck so they have to be rude as well. Now our newly carpeted basement has to be redone yet again and we're out $6000 for a new sun pump system. Shout out to this company for screwing us over, we love that!

Raven C.

Roto-Rooter saved the day when we recently had an after hours plumbing emergency. They arrived swiftly and accomplished the job efficiently. Within an hour the job was done, and we back to business. They were kind and courteous and offered to follow up if anything further arose. If ever a need arises- there is only one place we will call! Thank you, Roto-Rooter of Northern Virginia!

Donna K.

Oh my God A simple plugged kitchen sink $675 They charge $300 an hour for labor I had to send Plummer away I just don't have that kid of money. Just another way to rip people off