ComplaintsforRoto Rooter Services Co.

• Initial Complaint

  05/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Date, May 14, 2024. Called Roto Rooter to snake a clog in bathtub plumbing. Came out and told me that he couldn't complete the job because there is something stuck in the pipes. Called a "manager" to come out and assess. "Manager" came and sent a camera though the pipes and recommended that we spend $8000.00 to replace all of the plumbing under the house. Tried to make me feel good that they didn't charge me. I said i'd get back to them.When my husband came home from work he thought that the quote didn't seem right because he is very familiar with our plumbing. Went into the bathroom and looked down the drain and had to spend about 1/2 hour prying the head to their snake maching out of our drain. It was VISIBLE to the eye. Tried to scam an older lady. Reprehensible. I want an admission and an apology.

  

  Business response

  05/31/2024

  Roto-Rooter when to ********************* because she had a clog in line,  We also had a field manager on site who ran a camera and found that *************** had issue with her sewer line.  The Field manager show *************** the video which clearly show that there are issues with the sewer line.  Roto-Rooter gave *************** a proposal to replace the sewer line which she declined.  Roto-Rooter is not in the business of  scam customers, ************** claims that *************************** left a snake in the sewer line is False.  The camera and video doesn't lie.  Below is the link for you view the video for yourself.

   

  To view the report, please click the link below:
  View Your Report
  
  Reason for call: 23867293--*********************

  Customer response

  06/01/2024

   
  Complaint: 21714247
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  after they left the premises a PIECE OF THE ***** MACHINE was found in my bathtub drain by my husband.  I have attached a photo.  They are lying because they left the site that THEY MADE WORSE.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  

  Business response

  06/03/2024

  Roto-Rooter didn't leave a broke snake in *************** home.  Just look at the picture  it's rusted and corrode.  Roto-Rooter using inner-core cable to prevent this from happening.  This is not an inner-core cable.  We don't  know who snake it is, but it's definitely not a Roto-Rooter cable.  If you view the video you can also see that is the mainline *************** also another broke piece of snake that is corrode in her line.  Roto-Rooter is not in the business of scam customer that why we camera sewer line.  We didn't even charge *************** for the camera service.

  Customer response

  06/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 21714247
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  roto-Rooter is now saying that I have another piece of snake in my drain, if they had been able to seen that when they came out with their cameras, why didnt they inform me of that? Why did I find a broken piece of snake only inches below the drain in my tub after they had been in my house when it wasnt there before? Im sorry, but that is a lie. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  04/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  MULTIPLE TIMES THEY HAVE COME TO MY HOME TO FIX A BROKEN HOSE BIB AND ****. THEY HAVE DISRUPTED THE WATER FLOW TO MY KITCHEN SINK, AND CHARGED 851$ FOR THE REPAIR, PUT A HUGE HOLE IN THE SIDE OF MY HOUSE AND USED INCORRECT FIXTURES FOR THE REPAIR. i BELIEVE THEY HAVE DAMAGED THE **** FURTHER IN AS THE FIRST REPAIR ALLOWED THE **** TO SPIN 360 DEGREES. THE REPAIR IS VERY SUBPAR AND IN FACT MORE DAMAGE WAS DONE.

  

  Business response

  05/31/2024

  Good morning,

   

  We send a field manager to address *********** concern.  Our field manager repaired all the issues that *********** had concerns with and he also told *********** and if there were any other issues that she just had to call.  All repairs were done under *********** warranty with Roto-Rooter.

• Initial Complaint

  01/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We hired Roto Rooter for leak detection on 10/20/23 and paid $750.00 for their leak detection services. We showed the technician where we thought the water in our home was coming from in our kitchen, but after inspecting everything, he told us the leak was coming from inside the wall from our master bathroom stack drain. We were told that in order to repair and stop the leak, we had to have our pipes rejuvenated which required excavation, cleaning and descaling of the sewer line, for a cost of $15,500. We inquired if there were any other alternatives, but the only other options provided were even more costly, and would require more destruction that would later need to be repaired in our home. At this point, based on their expertise and our belief that they were operating under honest business practices, we moved forward with this as we were told by the Roto Rooter technician that this was the best and most affordable option to fix the leak, which was necessary before we could move forward with the necessary water and mold mitigation that we needed due to the water damage in our home. After they completed the pipe rejuvenation, we had a separate team that we hired to do the necessary water clean up and mold removal. During this process one of the workers found and alerted us that the leak had not stopped. At this time, Roto Rooter sent another technician back who determined the leak had been coming from the connection to our ice maker in our refrigerator the whole time, which was able to be fixed within minutes, and it turned out the digging up of our lawn and $15,500 worth of services they told us we needed and we paid for, was entirely unnecessary in order to fix the existing leak. Thus, we reached out to the merchant numerous times to refund the costs that were clearly not needed. They refused, stating the work was already done so they would not refund us, even though the work was never necessary and incorrectly prescribed by their team to us. After doing more research I have found that this seems to be a business practice that the company as a whole regularly employs and is completely fraudulent. See here for just one example of a past class action lawsuit against the company for doing exactly this to their customers- ************************************************************************************************************************** For these reasons, we have disputed the charges. We reached out to the merchant to try to resolve this amicably, and Im also uploading that email exchange in regards to this. They reached out via phone to me and refused to refund a fair amount even though verbally they admitted that they understood this wasnt needed, but would not take financial responsibility for their ******************** mistakes and/or lies. They apologized that this happened and was wrongly prescribed to us, and even admitted verbally that the process prescribed was never a fix for the leak, but would not refund us even half the amount, which would have been more than fair as almost none of this expense was actually necessary. They tried to claim that we would have needed these services eventually, unrelated to the leak, but that was never disclosed with us nor was it their right to decide what additional services we needed without telling us this wouldnt fix the problem we hired them for. Because of this, at this time we are disputing the amount in full based on their fraudulent and unfair business practices.

  

  Business response

  02/05/2024

  ******************** call Roto-Rooter on 10-20-23 because he had a leak in home.  When Roto-Rooter went to his home there wasn't an active leak and no visible water .  We determine that the leak was coming from the waste arm.  We also ran a camera in the sewer line and found the sewer line had serious channel rot and scalings.  We gave ******************** a proposal to fix the leak and also  to descale the sewer line to avoid future issues with his sewer line.  ******************** called us back on a week later that he  wanted to move forward with the repair and descaling of his main sewer.  Roto-Rooter completed all the work in our proposal and also provided ******************** before and after videos of descaling of his main sewer,  Also, we repaired his waste arm and our Tech also showed ******************** what his issue was doing the repairs.  ******************** is asking for a refund for service that Roto-Rooter complete in good faith.  Roto-Rooter completed the worked and provided Mr.  ******** with the videos and pictures.  Roto-Rooter will not be processing any refund.

  

  Business response

  02/06/2024

  ******************** call Roto-Rooter on 10-20-23 because he had a leak in home.  When Roto-Rooter went to his home there wasn't an active leak and no visible water .  We determine that the leak was coming from the waste arm.  We also ran a camera in the sewer line and found the sewer line had serious channel rot and scalings.  We gave ******************** a proposal to fix the leak and also  to descale the sewer line to avoid future issues with his sewer line.  ******************** called us back on a week later that he  wanted to move forward with the repair and descaling of his main sewer.  Roto-Rooter completed all the work in our proposal and also provided ******************** before and after videos of descaling of his main sewer,  Also, we repaired his waste arm and our Tech also showed ******************** what his issue was doing the repairs.  ******************** is asking for a refund for service that Roto-Rooter complete in good faith.  Roto-Rooter completed the worked and provided Mr.  ******** with the videos and pictures.  Roto-Rooter will not be processing any refund.

  Customer response

  02/06/2024

   
  Complaint: 21190170
  
  I am rejecting this response because the description of the events by Roto-Router is not correct. They either intentionally or not mis identified the leak as coming from the sewer line and let me know this would need repair in order to stop the leak and water from pooling in my kitchen. Once the work was done there was still a leak and standing water in the kitchen, which they then came out a second time to fix which had nothing to do with the sewer line.

  The actual leak took less than an hour to fix and therefore the sewer line work was not need and was either intentionally or not defined to us as the source and cause of the leak and that this work would fix it. 

  Roto-Router did the work but under false pretenses that they found the cause of the leak. As professionals I trusted their advice, if they did not know where the leak was coming from they should have stipulated that along with that the sewer work had nothing to do with the leak which was the reason for the service call. 

  The bait and switch is not a good business practice especially when you are relying on the expertise of licensed professionals. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

  Customer response

  02/14/2024

  Myself and Roto Rooter have come to an agreement and can close out this complaint. Thank you very much for your time. 

   

  ********

• Initial Complaint

  06/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Tuesday 5/23 I called Roto-Rooter due to sewage backup in my bathrooms and the toilets not flushing. Roto-Rotor came out that same day and cleared the backup, and I was charged $481.00.( TICKET #: ********) I was told that I would need a Roto-Rooter specialist (Excavation team)to fix the root issue so this would not happen again. On Wed 5/24 Roto- Rooter was at my home and informed me the cost to fix the issue would be $4,500. The same day the work was complete (Everything was supposed to be good to go they flushed the systems and they ran the cameras through the pipes, and I was told it was good to go) On 6/3 I called Roto- Rooter due to sewage backup in my bathrooms and the toilets not flushing, an issue that was supposed to be fixed. Roto-Rooter shows up the same day and clears the back-up, and I was obviously not charged for this. On 6/3 the Roto Rooters Field Supervisor shows up and runs his Cameras through the pipes( which was already done on 5/24) and now says that to fix the issue the cost is $5,000 due to a tree blocking the pipes.On 6/3 I emailed Roto Rooter and Filed a complaint On 6/5 ************ a local Manager at Roto-Rooter called me and offered no solutions but made it clear to state they did not defraud me. I was charged $4,500 and told that would fix my issue when that is/was not the case. Also, I am being told if I pay $5,000, and this will really solve the issue. This is an obvious case of fraud or gross negligence. As per the ***************** Roto-Rooter no other Plumber can not fix my issue as the City has to perform the job.

  

  Business response

  07/18/2023

  Please see attachement

  

  Business response

  07/19/2023

  ********** call Roto-H31363131373231**3534H because he was having a main sewer backup.  Roto-H31363131373231**3534H send a
  technician out to his home to clear the blockage, we also send a field supervisor with a camera to
  look at his issue.  We found that ********** main sewer line  had an offset and the line was holding
  water.  We showed ********** his issue which he saw for himself on the camera monitor.  We gave Mr.
  Vaz a proposal for the repair which he accepted and Roto-H31363131373231**3534H completed the work and provided
  ********** with pictures and video.  Couple days later Mr. ********* experienced another backup which
  Roto-H31363131373231**3534H send out a technician and Field supervisor at no cost to look and correct his issue.
  Roto-H31363131373231**3534H clear the blockage and ran the camera again and found no issues with repair that was
  completed earlier.  Roto-H31363131373231**3534H did find two issues on  our second visit.  1.  The blockage due to
  excesses amount of toilet paper in line.  2.  Roto-H31363131373231**3534H ran a camera toward the City Side and
  found there was root infiltration on the City side.  Picture 3 show the tree on City Side where roots
  where coming from.  We informed ********** about the roots and that he needed to call the City to
  repair that issue because it wasn&#**;t on his side of the property.  And only the City could work on their
  side.  We also send the link below to ********** showing him his issue and Roto-H31363131373231**3534H repair before
  and after.  We want to be very clear that ********** was showed the issue before Roto-H31363131373231**3534H started
  the work and Roto-H31363131373231**3534H  provided ********** all documentation and pictures he needed.  Please let
  us know if you need anything else from Roto-H31363131373231**3534H.
  To view the report, please click the link below:
  View Your Report
  Reference: 2326**44-***********************
  **************************************************************************************
  dw

• Initial Complaint

  06/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My tankless water heater stopped working, I called Roto and they sent 2 technicians.They came, barely looked at the water heater, and told me that they already know the problem I have is related to the water and that I need to install their filtration system that costs $ 4000,00.I asked them how did they know about the water, so they used a test that came out normal but still told me that they think that's the problem.I asked them about the water heater and told me that I need to find the warranty and call the manufacturer.I spent $ ****** to have two people coming home telling me that I need to spend $ ******* for no good reasons.I called another plumber who charged me $ ****** to buy and install a new tankless water heater and he did that in less than 2 hours.This company just tries to push their filtration system that they are heavily advertising.Sounded like a scam.

  

  Business response

  06/02/2023

  You have sent this to the wrong Roto Rooter.  We service ******* ** and surrounding area.  Please remove this from our profile and send it to the correct Roto Rooter.  There are many different franchises, owned separately.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2023

  The recommendation to get a Water Filtration system is just that, a recommendation. The reason is because most Water Heater manufacturers void the warranty unless there is a Water Filtration system in place. The reason for that is because City Water most times do have hard water, which contains minerals and calcium which affects the performance of the Water Heater, and ultimately fails internally due to these elements. Based on this, the Plumber did nothing wrong but just attempted to educate the customer on the matter. In addition, the company does charge a diagnostic fee if we have to touch an equipment, in which in this case the plumber has to be hands-on to ensure the Water Heater is in fact faulty beyond repair, and the customer agrees to this fee upfront and signs it. The Plumber could have just replaced the Water Heater but he did the right thing trying to educate the customer. 

  Customer response

  07/19/2023

   
  Complaint: 20136234
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the plumber - if he even had such qualification which I doubt-  should have offered solutions and ultimately fix the problem instead all he did was just trying to sell that filtration system that this company was heavily promoting, and left without even trying to understand the problem. You could clearly tell he didn't even want to try to fix it, he just said I needed the filtration system. After I told that the water was fine he insisted and performed a test to prove that the water was hard. The result came our absolutely normal and still he insisted on selling the filtration system. And I was willing to buy a new heater if needed, but instead he said that I had to install the filtration system. So I spent $ ****** just for having 2 guys trying to push a product that was not needed. I called another local plumber and the problem was solved the same day with $ ******, he fixed the heater and install it in less than one hour. You should educate yourself and try to be a professional and reliable plumber, not a scammer. I don't care about having $ ****** back, you can keep it, but I will write any possible review to alert consumers not to be scammed like I was. Educate... please....even an attitude now...shame on you.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************************

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