Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Service

Reviews 4

ME

Melanie Spurrier

My husband and I were big fans of Roto Rooter because they are so quick to respond to service requests. We know it costs more for their services because of that but its never been an issue (through 3 previous services) and we were happy to pay. Unfortunately, our most recent service has us feeling like we were taken advantage of. The tech arrived within two hours of calling. After evaluating the situation the tech told me what needed to be done. I didnt understand completely so the tech talked to my husband. It was explained to us that it would be $400.00 in labor to replace an overflow and drain, plus $175.00 in parts. There would be an additional $204.00 to snake the line for the tub. This is a total of $779.00. It was then explained to us that there would more than likely be an issue with the drain down the road and that we could replace everything for $300.00. my husband asked why it would cost so much to replace such a small amount of plumbing. It was explained to him that the overflow and drain for the tub cost $175.00 and then there would be a cost for the other parts. He said that seemed high for the part, but didnt argue. It was assumed the $125.00 left of the $300.00 was for all other parts. Essentially half a dozen PVC connectors, three rubber boot couples, and a 8 length of 1-1/2" PVC pipe. After agreeing to the service tech over the phone, my husband told me it would be $700.00 to have everything replaced, as that was his understand (and mine). However, the bill was just over nine hundred dollars. Apparently, the $300.00 was only for the labor and we still incurred $201.00 for parts (which actually seemed legitimate). More concerning is the idea that we paid $400.00 (after a 20% discount) plus $300.00 for labor on a job which took 3-1/2 hours. This is a total of $901.00 Essentially it came down to the fact that I didnt understand the billing, and thought that the service tech and my husband had come to an agreement over the phone. Unfortunately, I never asked the question "What will the final price be?" and I should have. But I thought I knew. My husband inquired into the bill and basically told him that they charge a flat rate for individual services. Regardless of the fact that it takes an hour or a day. I explained everything to him as described above. His request was to honor the price of $700.00. He told my husband that there is nothing he can do about it. As this may be the case, the one thing we will do about it is never use the service again. This is unfortunate because we truly enjoyed how quickly the company responds to requests and how service friendly the staff typically is. If you chose to use their services, just be very careful that you understand the pricing you are given!

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KE

Keith Stichtenoth

Chris Browning was very helpful with quoting and facilitating the replacement of the main water line into our home.  He did his best to get the job done quickly. On the day the water line was replaced Kyle and Gazzie were great!  They worked hard, cared about keeping our home clean, and found a creative way to complete the project without damaging the interior of our home.  They were determined to get the our water back on before they left and stayed late to make that happen!  They were my heroes! To this point, I have found it a bit frustrating that no one can give me the whole picture.  At most steps along the way I have been told someone else would need to quote that price, scan that line, or connect the pipe.....  Projects are  priced individually and as problems are uncovered there seems to be no consideration for the overall (very significant) investment made.  The price is the same as if each quote was a standalone quote, and not as an addition to the original pricing. When we agree to use Roto-Rooter for such an expensive, extensive job, and then smaller offshoots of that job come to light, and if they’re treated by the company as separate events from which the customer can be further bled, you’re not enhancing Roto-Rooter’s chances of doing future work with us or our neighbors, who will inevitably hear about our total experience with this project and the vendor.  In particular, the hourly rate we were charged for the Aug. 23 segment of the work, on top of the $7,000+ we committed to earlier, is indefensible, and we are openly inviting the company to address this situation.   So, some of our review is enormously positive (primarily the speed with which Roto-Rooter responded and the scope of the expertise, combined with the friendliness and work ethic of the people dispatched to the job), but some is negative. A company simply has to understand the nature of the entire situation as it’s viewed and experienced by the customer, and organize its approach, policies and pricing accordingly. Otherwise, the message is clearly that the company is looking to simply take advantage of a customer at his most vulnerable time, and I doubt that’s the message you really want to convey.

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PA

Paul Meyers

Original appointment with plumber on Saturday November 15. Plumber arrived within three hour window given when appointment was scheduled. He was friendly, courteous, and donned protective slippers to avoid tracking dirt into the residence. Unfortunately, a problem with the repair occurred and another appointment was scheduled for Sunday November 16. We were given a three hour window of between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. in which the plumber would arrive. He never did. We waited a total of eight hours before finally being told by the dispatch office that he would be not be coming. In several phone conversations with the dispatch office during the course of those eight hours we were told that we were next on the list and that the plumber would arrive upon completion of the job he was currently working on. At one point we were told that the plumber was en route and would be there within 15-30 minutes. That statement was completely false as he never did arrive. Finally, at 9:00 p.m. we were informed by the dispatch office that he would not b coming and that a plumber would be there on Monday November 18 at 7:30 p.m. Not surprisingly, no one showed up despite the fact that we received a call at 7:10 p.m. indicating that the plumber was on his way. Again. after several phone calls we were told at 9:00 p.m. that a plumber would not be coming and were assured that a plumber would be there at 12:15 the following day. He did arrive promptly on that day and again at 4:15 as he had promised after having to leave the residence in order to purchase parts. He again returned promptly at 4:15 and completed the job in very short order. Incredibly, after the plumber had left the residence on both of those visits we received calls from the dispatch office indicating that he had left his previous assignment and would be arriving in 15-30 minutes. The calls came after the plumber had already been there and gone! The dispatch office, which is located in Chicago and uses a local telephone number in order to convince customers that they are speaking with someone in their local area, has no real idea where their plumbers are or when and if they will ever be arriving at your residence.

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KE

Kellee Avery

Im giving 5***** for my review!!! I could not have asked for a more professional, courteous service technician than David Denton. He was a very nice technician who explained everything in great detail and answered any questions that I had. I was having some issues with my home warranty company covering my claim due to a dispute between the prior contractor (Thomas Melton Plumbing, Incorporated) who did absolutely NOTHING to repair by broken shower. Yet, I paid Mr. Melton a $65.00 service fee to my home warranty to come out and repair my shower that was non-refundable. However, I called Roto-Rooter because I refused to take the chance and waste my hard-earned money again on another mom & pop company who wasnt professional nor certified in what they were doing. Yes, Roto-Rooter was a little more expensive, but like the ol saying goes "you get what you pay for" and that was EXCELLENT service with Roto-Rooter. My broken shower was repaired like new within 45 minutes. Mr. Denton also went out of his way trying to convince my home warranty on the phone regarding the issues with my shower to no avail. Home warranties are a piece of crap nowadays, quick to take your money, but put you through loops and bounds just to get your home serviced when needed. I thank you Mr. David Denton from the bottom of my heart :) because you did a WONDERFUL job repairing my shower and restoring water back to my residence. My family & I had to go back and forth down two sets of stairs to access the main water line in the garage just to turn on water because my home warranty sent an unprofessional technician who wanted to put a hole in my shower wall in order to fix my shower, even told me as the homeowner I would be held responsible for the repair of the wall. Thankfully, Mr. Denton indicated that was not necessary and did what had to be done in a matter of minutes, which was AWESOME and a God send!!! I didnt really have the money, but with the help of family I was able to come up with the $400.00 to get my water back on and working properly so my family could take showers again!!! Thanks Roto-Rooter :) #YourALifeSaver4Sure

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