Pweyo G.

08/09/2021 12:00:00 SA

Responsive! Couldn't help but Jacob was great! Dispatchers on point!!
Try them out. Worth trying out if you have doubts!

M. P.

7/21/2017

Lal was fantastic!(#2036) A rare find! Best plumber...EVER! Our plumber showed up at the agreed upon time. Accurately assessed the problem. Explained how he was going to fix it and the price. Fixed the problem for the price agreed upon. He demonstrated the fix to show us it worked. He did all of this in a professional, patient, and kind way! He even took a minute to explain things to our 8 year old son who insisted on watching him work. The plumbers name was Lal. Thank you very much Lal!

Y A.

3/23/2016

Using their website, I scheduled online to have someone from Roto Rooter service an external drain that was causing my basement to flood whenever there was heavy rainfall. The drain was just down the stairs outside my basement door, and there was only a two inch rise before water building up would seep into the basement.

The appointment I set was between 8-10am, so naturally I was expecting someone to show up late, like around 11am, as many service technicians do. Not only did a service manager call me that day at 7:30am to confirm the appointment, but the technician actually arrived around 8:20am! Off to a good start!

The technician (named Nyi #2408) politely took a moment to explain the inner workings of external drains, and how some are simply sumps (i.e. a hollowed out pit filled with gravel that simply collect excess rainfall, but doesn't actually drain the water out to the sewer). Apparently, it depends upon when the house was built. So, I started to think the worst, that snaking this drain may not do anything to relieve the flooding from excess rainfall. Nyi brought out a giant sized industrial snake, wet vac, and some other tools. Clearly, he was prepared. Another set of bonus points!

He started snaking the drain, and kept at it for approximately 45'. That's 45 feet, not inches. Along the way, he used the wet vac to suck up some debris that had accumulated over the years. After approximately 10-15 minutes of snaking, he retracted the snake, cleaned up the small mess pulled from the drain, and looked up with a smile: Ok, now we need water to test it!

So he filled a large unused plastic garbage can that I had with water. We're talking a 12-15 gallon, kitchen size can. Yes, size matters. I wasn't interested in seeing just a pale full of water trickle down the drain. I wanted a biblical flood to ensure the drain was clear!

And the moment of truth...as fast as he poured the water down the drain, it all went down and out. There was no backup! He filled the large bucket and second and third time. Each time, the water went down the clear drain without any hesitation! It was a beautiful sight.

This was the second time I used Roto Rooter. The first time was perhaps 5 years ago when I had an internal drain that I couldn't unclog with my handheld snake. As for the price, this is the way I see it: I could shop around and get estimates from half a dozen plumbers, some of whom will charge a service fee just to come out. And, I understand that. Every business has to make money. Or I could simply accept that for a rush/emergency job like this (i.e. not a bathroom remodel, etc.) I'm going to pay a little more for the convenience of picking a scheduled time (online!) and having someone reliably come out, without the possibility of telling me Sorry, I got stuck on another job. I'll be out later today or maybe tomorrow.

Would I use Roto Rooter again? Absolutely. Thank you Roto Rooter and thank you Nyi!

Brenda B.

1/23/2017

I really liked our plumber. If I could find the receipt, I'd give him a shout out. Great guy who explained exactly what was wrong and showed us how he was going to fix it. Upsold us on the plumbing cleaner, and we didn't even mind.

They are a little pricey, but we were desperate, it was 2am, and it was worth it.

Autumn H.

8/25/2016

Plumbing crew-Scott-2522 Joe-1381 was awesome he was very knowleable, patient with all my questions, concerns and kind. Very pleased thank you so much for such professional service.

Water Restoration Crew- Justin 2582&Justin1859
We're both very sweet they got in and got out. They were on top of the job & didn't take all night to get us setup !!!!

Will most definitely use Roto Rooter again!

Marcia M.

05/07/2017 12:00:00 SA

Weekend repair/replace service was great! Conrad (#1635) was very professional and got my new hot water heater installed without impacting my work-week. However, despite radio ad, there is a visit charge applied for some areas.

Rick W.

4/21/2018

We discovered a water leak in the bathroom plumbing at 10:00 pm one evening that had leaked into the basement below. We were able to get Roto Rooter on the scene within an hour, and they proceeded to mend the plumbing, and then followed up in the morning to coordinate the flood remediation. The project manager was very helpful and coordinated directly with our insurance company to help manage the claim. Their crew returned promptly to place drying equipment, which stayed on location for three days. Then they promptly removed when the equipment once drying had been completed. Project manager Josh(M-638) was helpful throughout the process. Would recommend in a similar emergency situation.

Mark S.

7/19/2018

When you call, they answer quickly, and are quite kind on the phone. They can usually send a plumber out VERY quickly--within a few hours. And the plumbers are nice, too. Yes, it's fairly expensive. But most plumbing services in DC are pricey (I know from experience). We had major water flow problems in both bathrooms, and Roto-Rooter fixed the problem in less than an hour for about $150. That seemed relatively reasonable to me.

Thelma S.

11/22/2017

I had a slow-draining toilet so I called Roto-Rooter. At first, I was told that the tech would come between 1 pm and 3 pm. Then the company called me at 2:30 pm and let me know that the tech would come in 30 - 45 mins, but he showed up much later. I guess it's due to Thanksgiving eve. The tech Ram was very courteous and and did the job effectively and efficiently. I appreciated that the tech Ram cleaned up after his mess. However, I think the price was outrageous for a fifteen minute job.

Jodie L.

06/01/2015 12:00:00 SA

I normally avoid large chains as I think that people in business for themselves have more incentive to do good work. However, this evening, I was welcomed home by a mini-flood lapping at my back door caused by a lot of rain and a blocked drainage pipe. My regular plumber was not available, so I called Roto-Rooter. They picked up the phone immediately, told me that someone would be by within two hours, called back within 10 minutes, and said that someone would arrive within 30 minutes. Which is exactly what happened. Kam snaked the blocked drain in the rain and then a fastidious job cleaning up afterwards. He was polite, clean, and efficient. I was more than surprised and very appreciative with his work.

Kate C.

08/03/2016 12:00:00 SA

We have a building with four units and sewage in a basement got clogged. As a treasurer for our condo association I called Roto-Rooter and asked for their assistance. The lady on the phone was very customer oriented and informed me that they can send someone right away and provide with the free estimate. In one hour we had a service provider by our doors. Wow! Quick! He fixed the drain and sold us fluid to put once a month in a sink of upper floor units. In two weeks our drain clogged again. I thought it is weird as we just paid $546 for fixing it. I called them back and the service provider came the same day and fixed it again at no additional cost. They do provide warranty for 6 months which is great. It's been 3 months now and no issues so far. My only recommendation is to keep their service receipts as they ask to show it for their warranty jobs. Overall it is a very good experience and I would use them again no doubt.

Alan K.

3/25/2022

One of our condo's bathroom toilet and shower line share the same drainage line and was previously snaked for 200-300 dollars by a different company (which for the life of me I wish I could remember). On a scheduled next day appointment, the tech arrives 40 min after the initial 30 min heads up, comes up and demands to have a space to park because he can't find street parking, complains about having to bring equipment up from the car, flushes the toilet I had just told him was already backed up causing it nearly overflow, says it's going to be a 1000 dollars to snake a 15 foot section of pipe out of my condo unit and then laughs that no one would do this job for less than a 1000. It's like he was looking for a reason to not do the job. What a waste of a morning.

Edit: Digging through my records, it was actually Rotorooter who did the last job as well. For an emergency same day appointment it was actually 695 not 2-300. The last guy was awesome. He was on time, did the job, made it seamless. I guess you're going to have hits and misses depending on who shows up.

P R.

1/22/2016

Roto-Rooter did a fine job on repairing a toilet that was leaking water into a floor cavity. They were punctual and very professional. The plumber also replaced some valves on the bathroom sink that were leaking. My only complaint is the price. Seriously, nearly $1,000 for repairing a toilet and replacing valves at the toilet and sink is excessive by any measure. (This is why I do plumbing work myself whenever possible -- and, to tell you the truth, I wish I had just hunkered down and did it myself this time too). $500 would have been A LOT but I think I could have swallowed that price. $1,000 is just too extreme.

Carrie H.

01/09/2012 12:00:00 SA

Just received great service from Roto-Rooter. The dispatcher was super friendly--when I asked Do you have someone available to come out as soon as possible? he replied, It wouldn't be acceptable any other way! He told me that they'd have someone there in an hour to provide a free estimate for our clogged bathtub drain. My past home service experiences (not with roto-rooter) taught me when they say an hour, expect them to arrive in 3 - 5 hrs. The technician, Mal, was there EARLY--he arrived in 40 minutes. He was extremely nice, efficient, and most importantly, successful! Based on the service I received from both the dispatcher and Mal, I'd definitely recommend them to others.

Nina S.

12/15/2009

I couldn't agree more with the other reviewer. This place can be summarized in one word. RIPOFF!

Ginny N.

6/15/2016

LK (1540) did an excellent job. However, I was thoroughly impressed by the whole experience. I was contacted originally to ask if I wanted to take advantage of an earlier time slot, and then again to tell me approximately when my technician would arrive. He did a very thorough job, quickly resolving the issue and cleaning up after. Would highly recommend.

Charles H.

5/17/2015

Van, the technician, was polite and professional. While he was a little late, he seemed competent and straightforward. My toilet is back in working order.

James M.

8/17/2020

Absolute robbery! $650 for 50 minutes of work to snake my floor drain. The tech was very nice though. The guy gave me $100 discount but still astronomical price for the work.

Tiffany W.

5/29/2021

Beware!!! Don't be fooled by the coupons or the discounts. If you have an emergency plumbing issue consider looking elsewhere. I had an appointment scheduled between 8am-12pm. I called at 11:30am to check the status. A rude and unprofessional dispatcher called Lincoln stated that he called me at 9:44am which was completely false. I asked why was there not a voice message left if he claimed to have called. He said I didn't give him the opportunity. Really, you need an opportunity to leave a message. Interesting if I called to request a service. I reviewed the phone history on both my residential and mobile phones and there was no such call. I have used them several times but this is completely unprofessional. Potential customers look elsewhere.

Melina C.

04/03/2016 12:00:00 SA

The technician who came to my apartment to fix the problem was great! He was polite, honest and explained everything to me--I felt confident in his ability to fix my drain and disposal. My only complaint is that the prices are ridiculously high; however, it was 10pm on a Friday and I needed someone to fix my leaking sink ASAP. Had the problem occurred during the time the maintenance program is available in my building (M-F 8am - 4pm) I would have had them do it for half the cost.

Michael G.

05/04/2011 12:00:00 SA

They simply do not show up for the job, despite being told I would be contacted, I was simply ignored. I am not sure they actually exist in DC. Ghost plumbers...

Bethany H.

4/26/2018

Terrible. I made an appointment on Monday for Wednesday from 12-4. At 4:10 I received a call stating the tech was running late. At 5:03 I received another call stating the tech was enroute and would be there in 30-45 minutes. At 5:58 I called and asked when the tech was coming and I was told he or she was stuck in traffic, but would definitely be there and if it got dark he would still be able to work. At 6:17 I received a call that the tech had an emergency and had to leave early. I asked in the last five minutes? I was just told the tech was stuck in traffic and on the way. When did he or she leave early? I get the uuuuuhhhh. Someone was lying. I get that things happen, but don't make up lame excuses because, you probably, over booked the day. Use a local, non-national plumber.

Will V.

02/09/2017 12:00:00 SA

When you have a 5 month old baby and your sewer line backs up you need fast, professional help. We called two other providers who said they would come by but 4 hours later still hadn't even called us with an ETA. Then we turned to Yelp and found Roto-Rooter. Jacob (#4534) was here in less than 90 minutes. He was friendly, courteous and considerate of our sleeping baby. The service was 5 stars but I chose 4 only because this isn't cheap. Still, when you have a backed up sewer line it's worth the price.

Dana A.

6/14/2018

Our company called the Roto-Rooter in Jessup because of some issues with our sinks in the ladies restroom and kitchen. We wanted to get an estimate of the work that needed to be done. Scheduling the appointment was easy and quick. We were placed in a 2-hour time slot and although the technician, Trevor, called within that allotted time, he arrived about 30 minutes after. He was professional, informative, and friendly; however, there seemed to have been a little miscommunication because Trevor seemed surprised when I told him we just wanted an estimate. It was sent to me within 3 hours and although we ended up not using them, I wouldn't hesitate to use them at another time.

T W.

12/15/2015

Our home basement ceiling had a water leak recently. We called Roto-Rooter around midnight and they were very responsive. They sent out a technician first thing in the morning to fix the leak. Khiangte, who was very experienced, knowledgeable and friendly, came around 8am and checked out the leak. He gave a reasonable estimate and got our approval before staring his work. He quickly opened the ceiling, identified and fixed the root cause of the leak. Afterwards he also cleaned the area nicely.

Khiangte also recommended Roto-Rooter's water damage mitigation service and told us they can provide a free estimate for the service. We said why not. Within minutes, Josh showed up and he assessed the damage, provided a comprehensive strategy to dry out everything and prevent mold, and a very competitive offer for the mitigation service. Josh also was experienced with working with home insurance company and even recommended a contractor for the ensuing repair work. After we agreed to initiate the mitigation service, Josh sent a message and within minutes, two pleasant technicians (Justin 2582 and Zau 3473) were at the door. They got right to work and set up several fans and dehumidifiers which would run 3 days to dry out the area. They were very efficient but also careful not to damage anything, and cleaned up after they were done by noon. Justin and Zau even came back two days later to check all the equipment and moisture levels in the area to make sure everything was going as expected. Truly great work by Justin and Zau!

After the drying was done, Jason (1599) and Matt (1247) came to our house to pick up the equipment. They checked all the moisture level again and compared with previous readings to confirm that the area was all dry. They took away the equipment carefully. They also gave tips on choosing a contractor to do the repair work.

Overall we are very pleased with the responsiveness, efficiency, and quality work the Roto-Rooter team provided. All of the people we interacted with were very friendly and respectful, and they were very knowledgeable and skilled too. Also we were impressed with how well the 2-person team for each task worked. All these were particularly helpful for us knowing we were in good hands when dealing with an unpleasant situation at home.

Michele E.

01/07/2017 12:00:00 SA

Our technician #2964 was incredibly friendly, helpful, and diligent. He worked hard to solve our shower problem and was very patient in figuring out what was making the problem occur. We definitely will call for their services if there are any issues with our pluming!

ChoZyn W.

7/31/2021

They would not provide an estimate over the phone and then quoted me a price that should be considered highway robbery. The tech showed up with no mask and wanted 4 bags just to put in a garbage disposal. And another 4 bags to replace pvc pipe and p-trap... craziness

Jeff H.

11/15/2015

When my main sewer line backed up, I called Roto Rooter and within an hour, a plumber was there to unclog the line. And also within an hour, the Restoration Team was there to assess the damage. Within 2 hours, the Team, lead by Jason N. (1599) was there to begin the cleanup. Jason and Hming did a great job cleaning the mess and making sure that the basement was safe and sanitary. I couldn't be more impressed.

J F.

8/18/2020

Rotorooter's Technician, Kima, is the ultimate professional, and a first class technician. He provided excellent service, repaired plumbing fixtures, and undertook a toilet installation. Kima explained the repair options and estimate very comprehensively, and he was incredibly kind and patient as he walked me through the best options. He hauled a new toilet upstairs and disposed of the old toilet (as well as the new toilet's boxes and packaging!). When Kima completed the repair, my bathroom looked spectacular, clean, and new. He took additional time to go over how certain pipes and fixtures operated, and what routine maintenance would be best. Kima is a first class professional, and I hope he is commended for his service and representation of Roto-Rooter. (Note - Kima is a five-star technician, but the company gets four stars, because their service is above average, based on other estimates. However, their technicians are always first rate -- and the peace of mind knowing they get the job done perfectly is worth it.)

Omri L.

4/28/2017

I have had the misfortune of a busted pipe in my basement, which causes some serious water damage.However, in return, I had the pleasure of receiving service from the amazing employees of RotoRooter: Matt (#1247), Ding (#?), Robert (#895) and Patrick (#2013) all of which were very professional, amazingly serviceable and all around great, honest hard working people! Thanks RotoRooter, I'll never use anyone else.

Kathy L.

11/03/2016 12:00:00 SA

I had a gas leak today and needed a plumber (got me). Roto Rooter front desk was awesome and had someone to me within 20 minutes. The professional plumber that came to my house was Van. Tech 3628. He got to work right away and had to check all the piping. He found 2 leaks which was incredible . Van was so polite and professional I couldn't have been happier. I really was in a jam. Washington Gas checks things and then say you need a plumber (after turning off the gas). I had no one to call but i found Roto Rooter and they couldn't have been better. Thank you thank you Van (and the lady that scheduled them)

Wenisha J.

05/05/2017 12:00:00 SA

Great service provided by Jason Nelson and his team (Mike #3603), and (Zau #3473) today! The first floor room in my home toilet was clogged and sewer water was overflowing on the floors. These hard working guys immediately resolved and cleaned up this issue. They timely provided estimates, assisted in my insurance claim, repaired water damages, and nicely cleaned up the issue. They were very knowledgeable, professional, positive attitude, and worked cohesively to resolve the issue. These guys turned a bad day into a good day. I greatly appreciate their hard work and exceptional customer service and I will definitely recommend use Roto Rooter services again!

Lennon E.

12/07/2016 12:00:00 SA

Melvin did an excellent job! He was fast, professional, quoted a fair price, and got me out of the house in time to celebrate my birthday. I wish Melvin and Roto-Rooter the best of success! Thank you very much! I'd definitely refer your services and if i need your services again I'll request Melvin by name. Effing great job!

Sam R.

5/18/2017

Excellent service! Lal did a perfect job and went above and beyond during an off-hours emergency.

Jessica M.

7/13/2018

Our family spent a ridiculous amount to snake a drain. Overpriced.

Sona M.

6/15/2016

Frankly, I'm at the point where a business that answers the phone and responds to your needs within a couple of hours and in a very competent and honest manner gets five stars. That kind of service is quite rare these days. On June 8, I had a backed up drain in the basement. Min came out and not only cheerfully solved the problem, but gave me advice that turned out to be just the ticket. It meant getting the city involved for follow-up, and the DC Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) people came out and solved the problem permanently (so far). But here was the impressive part: they said the plumber's advice suggested he was an honest man - another service might have recommended all kinds of expensive, unnecessary work. So, yup, five stars for Min and Roto Rooter in DC.

Reed Q.

2/29/2016

Ram arrived on time, removed the toilet and snaked my drain clearing the clog. He's very nice as were both the ladies I spoke with on the phone. He cleaned up after himself and was very respectful of our home. The pricing was a bit weird and I thought the price was a bit high for an hour's worth of work. All in all, the job got done in a timely manner and I'd use them again. There is value in having plumbing service available 24/7.

Nina F.

04/09/2017 12:00:00 SA

I thank Dama(#1503) for coming out and resolving my issue. He was professional and explained the process as he moved along. He placed everything back as he found it. I appreciate the fact that there is not an extra charge for a Sunday visit and therefore; I didn't need to wait an extra day because of the expense.

I did have an issue with there being a trip fee meaning that whether something was resolved or not I am still charged for this $149.00 fee. Normally, this fee is deducted from the service fee with other services so I was disappointed there.

All in all, even though expensive, I am back in business thanks to Dama. A nice guy.

Thank you very much!

Nina Frazier

Deborah S.

5/15/2018

I called another plumbing company and he said to repair my toilet it would cost me $395. I said it was too high. So I had to pay him a service fee of $45. Then I called my mother and said she always use rotor-rooter. When I called them, it would 10-1:00 pm. They called me back and they arrived at 11:00 o'clock. The technician was finished by about an hour. He charged me $245. His technician # is 5363. When ever I need a plumber, call rotor-rooter first.

Jenae K.

5/24/2017

Came in to fix our sink after the supply line broke the night before and flooded the floor. They were able to come right away the next morning, were on time, and at a decent price.

John Z.

4/28/2019

In the past 1 1/2 years, we've used RR twice, and we do not recommend this company (which charges an exorbitant amount of money for 'labor', such as it is.) Their 'technicians' are either incompetent, barely speak English, or are dishonest. One technician failed, without any explanation, to tell us why he voided the warranty regarding toilet parts replacement. Normally, all parts are guaranteed for one year. A second technician tried to provide the least length of warranty possible on a toilet part replacement. (He also did not know the difference between 'commercial' and 'residential' service on his own company's receipt.) A dispatcher failed to notify us when a technician was to arrive at our secure building which could have resulted in a missed appointment after we had waited for him for three hours. Finally, the second RR technician charged us $314 for 'labor' which took about 15 minutes. The part was extra.
On the brighter side, the experience with the second RR technician sort of reminded us of an episode of 'Seinfeld' sans the commercials or the laughs.

LaTanya B.

5/17/2017

UPDATE!! I REALLY APPRECIATE this company. They came through on Monday, and took care of removing all of the property that was destroyed in the flood. Justin and crew were efficient, kind and understanding. They installed fans to dry everything, and ll of the removal was clean and neat. I don't wanna EVER GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN!!!! But if I do, I WANT THIS EXACT TEAM from START TO FINISH!!!

Larry H.

07/02/2015 12:00:00 SA

The guys at Roto Rooter were incredibly quick to arrive to our home once we called them about a sewage line issue. We have been living in our new home for five days and discovered the sewer line back up this morning. After the call, they arrived within the hour with the gear to clear the drain and the camera guy to see what was wrong with the pipe. Although we're not happy that we may have to replace the sewer line, both technicians were extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and took the time to explain everything to us.

If we have any additional issues, I wouldn't hesitate to work with these guys again.

Vic H.

06/12/2017 12:00:00 SA

My mother (who lives in Seattle) had a clogged drain and called for an afternoon appt. The plumber arrived at 8:30AM. My mother is 90 and was sleeping at the time. He put a camera in the pipe and stated that it was blocked at the foundation and that the pipe had likely shifted so he needed to dig down 7' in the yard at a cost of over $8,000. My mother said OK and the race was on. My sister called me soon after and I cancelled the excavation, even though less than 2 hours later they were on their way.

I called the plumber and he stated the problem was he could not get his roto snake down the stairs. I asked if he had a smaller one and he said no. So I called an honest plumber and he had it cleared several hours later for under $500.

This is nothing less than taking advantage of the elderly and RR should be ashamed that their employees (or contractors) are allowed to behave like this without any supervision. Never again.

Jessica K.

3/21/2017

My fiance and I have had a plumbing issue with our up stairs bathroom since we moved into our house in October. Putting it on hold to fix other things in the house, finally this weekend after hosting several guests it was time to get it fixed. We called Roto-Rooter based on other great yelp reviews. We called expecting to make an appointment sometime that week, however to our surprise they said they could come out in a few hours. Dama came and assessed the situation, went back to his truck get his tools and worked for about a half hour fixing and cleaning out the sink drain. When he was done he called us upstairs to show us what the issue was. We had a drinking straw in our drain and of course some hair. Now its draining perfectly and the services came with a six month guarantee. I would recommend Roto-Rooter, it was fast great service and they solved the issue.

Dawn M.

02/01/2017 12:00:00 SA

I have to say that the price seems high. I was trying to change out a faucet in my bathroom when I got stuck with parts that were stuck. I did not get the price from the gal who made the appointment. It would have been awkward if I could not afford the fee after the technician came out. That is why I didn't give R-R 5 stars.
The plumber, Kam, was very good. He gave excellent service and got my bathroom squared away quickly. We also asked him to change out a heating element in our water heater. He did everything he could think of to fix our heater but in the end suggested simply replacing it. The price in the book is very expensive. We will be comparison shopping to get the best bang-for-our-buck.

Anya Z.

10/22/2022

This is the first time calling Roto Rooter and the good news is that the job was done (I hope. We will see in a few days). The tech was very courteous and covered up his work area before starting, which I appreciated. I know the job was done and that I should be happy, but I just can't get over how expensive that was. It was waaay too much. So much so that it negated the positive stuff, which is why I'm giving them three stars. I think the company knows that when people typically call them, they are likely desperate. I can't help but think that they prey on desperation, which is not good business practice. Before the tech left, he suggested that I call back for a camera inspection. In reading other reviews, it looks like that service costs another $1K. I think I'll call my regular plumber for that.

Sarah S.

8/29/2022

Our main water line to our house busted early on a Saturday morning. Called Roto-Roooter immediately since they advertise as a 24/7 service. We got on their schedule to be seen that same afternoon. 8pm rolls around & still no word. So I called to see if I could expect them the next day (Sunday), which they said I could. A tech came to our house Sunday afternoon who was not licensed to assess our problem since it was and outdoor plumbing issue. He called his team and requested that someone from their outdoor excavation team come by that same day. No one ever showed up.

I called Sunday night and again on Monday morning - Each time I was bounced to different departments and people who very obviously did not care to help. I've tried to remain calm an understanding that things are busy. I've also expressed my concern that we have now been living 3 days without water in our home where an infant and a pregnant woman are living.

I'm SO disappointed with the lack of customer service, communication, and empathy from everyone I've interacted with at Roto-Rooter.

Christopher D.

7/18/2018

Horrible company. They will rip you off. They will charge $600 for 15 minutes worth of work. Avoid at all costs.

Stephaney F.

2/28/2014

Though typically having to call Roto-Rooter is not a really for a great thing, I ended up having a really great service experience. Van was able to come within what I thought would be short notice as it was not only same day, but within a few hours. He was polite, timely, thorough, fixed another drain issue that I wasn't aware of, and cleaned up well behind the grime. I made my appointment online and was initially surprised to find a time slot available within 4 hours close to the end of a business day. Even though the regular price was more than one ever wants to unexpectedly spend, it comes with the territory of living in a home. Luckily, I even got a discount on my service. Problem(s) fixed in less than 45 minutes from start to finish. I'm a happy showerer again. Hopefully, I am good to go for a while now. Nonetheless, I was very pleased with the service.

Michelle B.

4/20/2016

I am surprise to see the Reviews but I disagree with it. I called the Roto-Rooter for unclog sink at bathroom, they supposed to come to my condo two weeks ago, I waited for 4 hours because of he never showed up, I waited for other two hours. He finally came but he can't do it, he called other Tech to come other 2 hours but I said No I have to go to errand and important thing. I asked him other time. He said Okay. Other tech came to clean unclog but not success. I asked him if he can replace faucet at my kitchen (lot leaking). He said that okay other time. I made the appointment but tech never showed up, I called them but no answer until next few days, Tech asked me to be at home next week for one day to wait for 8 hours. I have to take off work but I said no way. I think that's worse and I am not impressive with it. Don't My Waste! I called other Company anyway!

Simon B.

7/31/2017

Fantastic service - right from the first person i called with an emergency. Roto-Rooter got me a plumber the same day in a severe rain storm and helped save my basement from flooding by restoring my sump pump to working condition.
The technician who came, Chris, was brilliant. He was relaxed, knew his stuff and upgraded previous work we had done and got us up and running. He came back today and helped unclog my sewer line and also my sump pump exit line. Absolutely 5 stars. I am so glad I called them as it was a gamble in an emergency and boy did it pay off. Will definitely use again.

Brian G.

11/21/2017

Liars and Thieves.

Calling Roto-Rooter is the worst mistake I've made since becoming a home owner. I had a small sewer line backup pooling water above a drain just outside my back door. Roto-Rooter sent out a plumber. He spent some time rooting out the backup from underneath my kitchen sink and charged an obscene, shocking, MASSIVE amount of money - much more than quoted.

A few days later the backup reappeared. I called a different plumber and showed them where the Roto-Rooter guy had been working. That plumber explained why it was not possible to reach the backup from under the sink - at least not with a tool of the appropriate size. Roto Rooter had maybe poked a tiny hole in the obstruction just big enough for the water to recede below the drain. This plumber actually fixed the problem, and charged a fraction of what Roto-Rooter charged.

Do yourself a favor and NEVER call Roto-Rooter!

Tyler B.

10/09/2020 12:00:00 SA

I did not realize how poorly my toilet was working until it became totally non functioning and I had to call a plumber. They came out and used a contraption called a snake. Ut wound through the pipes and a loud whooshing sound followed as all the water drained down there floors if pipe . When I started using it again I realized it had likely bit been working properly for the five years I have used it. My gratitude is owed to roti rooter.

D B.

1/21/2017

John #1275 did an excellent job. He exceeded my expectations and was very knowledgeable. I had a laundry line stoppage and he cleared the block. The water and waste really flows now...

I would recommend him to anyone with plumbing issues. Yay!!!

Frank C.

07/12/2016 12:00:00 SA

The technician from Roto-Rooter, Tin, arrived shortly after the phone call indicating that he was on hush way. Tin provided us with an estimated and then went about his work. He completed the job successfully in a reasonable length of time. He was polite and informative.

J F.

03/04/2017 12:00:00 SA

Awesome! I had my hot water supply line burst! on a Saturday evening and needed someone here ASAP to have it fixed so I called Roto-Rooter and i'm so Glad i did (SAILO #873) was very professional and was very knowledgeable, I really appreciate him coming here as fast as he could on Saturday and having everything fixed! They are number 1 in my book Thank you!

Michelle S.

7/29/2018

THANK YOU WILL! After having a competing company out yesterday with all kind of crazy estimates and expensive options we decided to call Roto-Rooter today, a Sunday by the way. Will came out and took a look, kept it super professional and after being in there about 10 minutes he came in and said it was clear. We were so impressed that he was honest and said it had cleared itself that we requested a camera inspection to confirm and for some peace of mind. Will gave us an estimate for the camera inspection and called his manger, who will be out later today with the camera (again on a Sunday). We will never call another company!

Sharon C.

2/21/2019

632 DOLLARS TO SNAKE A SLOW DRAIN???!!!! ABSO-FUGGIN-LOOTLY NOT! They're crazy overpriced and there are plenty of local businesses that will resolve your plumbing issue for less. They tried it though.

B K.

11/05/2016 12:00:00 SA

Kap arrived on time, very polite and friendly. Running toilet problem Saved me money by telling me what I needed, but also, what I didn't need. Job was done quickly and professionally, at a fair price. Will use Roto-Rooter again when needed.

Deb H.

11/26/2015

Backed up drain on Thanksgiving. Roto-rooter saved the day. James Llan the technician was out within an hour, super nice and got the job done quickly and efficiently. Thank you!

Maryam R.

05/11/2017 12:00:00 SA

We recently had an unfortunate plumbing issue causing backed up toilets. A call to Roto-Rooter was all I needed to do to ensure my house blues are addressed. The Roto-Rooter technician, John was fabulous. He was very thorough, courteous, and overall a class act.
I am happy to recommend John and his Roto-Rooter team to anyone.

Ali B.

6/14/2022

They are expensive! It cost me $850 to get (not a lot of) gunk in a gutter drain pipe cleaned.

Dan D.

1/25/2016

They came pretty quick and were able to identify the problem (bad tub/shower diverted valve). Only complaint is the price of labor, which was about $200/hr, not including cost of parts, and this wasn't an emergency rate either. Over all, good work, just really expensive.

Shamik T.

03/01/2017 12:00:00 SA

Jason and his team (Mikey #3603) and Nick (#1577) were prompt, courteous, and relatively efficient in mitigating our bathroom emergency. They worked hard and quickly and explained exactly what they were doing, and assisted with our insurance claim. These guys work hard, and its evident. Sadly, none of them took me up on an offer of a beer, but I guess it's probably better they didn't!

Overall, I'm satisfied, though the work is not quite finished yet.

M D.

06/02/2015 12:00:00 SA

do not use Rotor_Rooter, We called them today out of the yellow pages.. We have a drain that needed snaking. we know what drain and why. our septic backed up. The guy told me it would cost 695.00 to snake the drain and he would have to break a connection inside the house to get into the sewer drain. This is complete hogwash and was not necessary. I told him to leave. We had our septic pumped a few days earlier and another plumbing company came out to do that. we thought it was fixed with it being pumped.. but needed a snake from the floor drain back out to the septic because it backed up. I got from the tech we can't do it through that floor drain because our equipment is too big. I was told to tell them to leave immediately that they just wanted a reason to charge us 450 more dollars. the cost of this job should be 200 dollars normaly. Im really annoyed that a company such as this can do that to some unsuspecting consumer.

Jonathan B.

11/11/2016 12:00:00 SA

After my father and I tried our best to clear a blockage in my drain, I reluctantly called Roto-Rooter. James (2629) came right within the hour I called for help. He and I talked through the entire issue, I pointed out all the entry points we tried, and left him to his devices. He went straight for the newly-installed cleanout my dad and I put in last weekend and patiently fed the snake into the drain. Seemed like the drain went for miles until we finally saw the clog evacuate. Let's just say we had a tremendous amount of grease buildup and not treating the pipes. He suggested using the pipe shield, so I took him up on the offer. Great work. Great attitude. No complaints!

Iz X.

05/10/2016 12:00:00 SA

Roto-Rooter you're my hero! Thank you so much for cleaning up the disaster! Every other plumbing service in the D.C. area was closed after I got off work, but technician L.K. arrived within 30 minutes of my call, and cleaned up the whole thing within 2 hours. They really know what they are doing. Professional, friendly and thoughtful! I highly recommend Roto-Rooter for any working family who needs a quick fix for anything!

Natasha G.

10/12/2018 12:00:00 SA

These guys are liars.....I asked to connect a dishwasher. The plumber came and told me it will be a 3 hour job and the cost is $850! Then he said he will rush and get it done in 2.5 hours and will give me a discount. Total cost: $570+ DC tax. In the end, he was done within one hour (but charged my card before he started). I called customer service and explained the situation - they use trackers and can tell when the plumber starts and finishes.
TOTAL SCAM -- stay away! I was offered $75 to re-funded back to me. Will never use their service again.

Michelle L.

04/09/2016 12:00:00 SA

Roto-rooter customer service was unbelievable. I called on a weekday evening, and they came by in less than an hour and with all of the equipment they could possibly need. My problem was a clogged main drain line; the plumber (James Lian #2629) used 100 feet of snake to unclog the toilet, and was extremely thorough in making sure that the line was open.

They are definitely pricier than most, but in case of emergency you couldn't ask for a better plumber.

Zehra P.

05/12/2022 12:00:00 SA

Toilet flushing very slowly. Fixed it but said have to hold the flusher down until everything goes away because it's old. It would have cost just a wee bit more to have the entire toilet replaced! A very expensive lesson for me.

At the same time, snaked my kitchen sink. Both jobs together: about $1000!!!

Oh, and they also texted me the morning of my appointment that they would be at my place around 10:15 (it was a 10-12 appointment), although they didn't show up until noon and they just left at 1:35 (veeery slow in all things--took almost a half hour just to write the estimate...I guess the technicians get paid by the hour).

I hope I remember never to use them again if I need plumbing done.

Jesse S.

12/22/2016

OKAY SO WE ARE A BUSINESS, NOT A RETAIL LOCATION BUT RATHER A WAREHOUSE FOR A SERVICE COMPANY.

To start I actually booked an appointment with Len the Plumber (I thought they were local) they said they could not have anyone here until way later that day and they had a trip charge of $49 (which was okay I didn't mind) As an employee of a service company myself I then looked at their reviews on Yelp.....I was horrified to say the least!!!! They had the worst reviews ever (possibly worse than Comcast.....lol) Needless to say I called and immediately cancelled the appointment with them (which they gave me a total attitude about when they asked why and I said your reviews all they could say was well we get the job done WHAT!!!!! (I run a 4.5 star company so I know that if you just treat each customer with respect, be honest, and offer fair pricing then a great rating is NOT hard to attain).

I then called Rotor-Rooter.......soooooo happy I did! They sent BT and Rick out who were here within the hour (no trip charge.....completely FREE), I told them what happened (I had dropped a small tube of ointment in the toilet at the precise time that it was flushing and woosh....there it went). BT explained my 2 options to me and let choose based on the price and what the fact that what I flushed was NOT biodegradable. I made my choice they said it would be about 45 minutes.....well to my wonderful surprise they removed the toilet, got my cream out, put the toilet back in all within about 20-30 minutes!!!!!! So fantastic!!! They were kind, respectful, kept me informed the whole time, accepted my credit card on the spot, didn't add any extra charges, and they cleaned up their work area VERY WELL!!!

Not only would I highly recommend them to anybody that asks, but I will use them again here at our business and at home (I live in DC), wonderful company to deal with (and I normally prefer the local guys, I like to support small businesses) but in this case Roto-Rooter is the way to go!!!

Paul L.

3/29/2021

We had an issue with a common sink drain line get clogged and was causing backflow into our sink. Called Roto Rooter for a quote but they insisted that they would need to send a tech to look at it and give a quote here. Fine by me. After they drove an hour here they quoted me over $680 to snake the drain and stated it was a flat-fee and would take 2 hours. If it was a flat fee then why couldn't a quote be given over the phone? Not only did you waste our time but you also wasted your techs time. No snake job takes 2 hours unless you're snaking the catacombs of Paris. Denied the service there and the tech got visibly frustrated and upset.

Keith S.

1/24/2016

First of all, they came out within an hour's notice the day a huge snowstorm was about to hit and when every other plumbing company said they were shutting down till Tuesday bc of the storm. Secondly, the plumber I got, Van, was awesome. He was very clean wore booties and put a tarp down where he worked and gave me tons of advice about how he was doing the job and things to look out for in the future. It was the best plumbing experience I've ever had with any company, and I own three properties and have experienced plenty.

Don B.

01/03/2017 12:00:00 SA

New Year's Day - a clogged toilet! Called around 2pm and told a tech would arrive between 3-7. About 5, got a call saying having trouble getting a tech, so they'd be late. Several calls followed with updates, but no tech. Finally, around 11pm, a tech became available and I was told he'd arrive by 11:30, which he did. By 12:30, all was finally well!

Why four stars, you ask? I was surprised and pleased that my tech was willing to work past his 10pm quitting time; he was courteous, friendly, and professional; and, finally, he did the job thoroughly and completely. And it was New Year's Day! The rating is more for him than the company, but I'll use them again, if needed, because of him!

Eric T.

8/21/2016

My outside drain was clogged 48 feet under the house and causing water to back up into the basement when there was heavy rain. They snaked the drained and cleaned the outside area to prevent debris from getting in again. One heavy rainfall so far and no issues.

Gloria B.

09/09/2016 12:00:00 SA

Excellent customer service when I called to schedule. Khiangte#7909 arrived right on time the next day , accessed the situation and explained what he needed to do. Job was done quickly and he sold me a product to use every month in hopes of the outside drain not clogging up. All was good, but the price was a real shocker. I paid $570 for about an hour and a half of his time and skill. Hopefully the problem will be fixed.

Todd S.

02/12/2017 12:00:00 SA

This company is amazing! We had our ONE toilet clog and flood the entire bathroom. They had someone come within 2 hours of us calling and had it fixed within an hour. The woman who scheduled the appointment was incredibly kind and helpful, and the plumber (Salai) was also a really nice guy!

Thanks for the quick help!

Jean L.

12/21/2022

The original service manager seemed great and was timely but everything went downhill from there. Supposedly a plumber would come and then water mitigation in that order but not a single time frame, window, or series of logistics was adhered to. No matter how many calls to try to understand who would be coming and when, the whole thing was a slipshod, you're on our schedule and we will make you wait 4-14 hours no matter what situation for multiple days. And once the service manager (aka sales guy) convinced you to use them you get stuck with them for the multiple services.

Dion S.

11/01/2017 12:00:00 SA

James #2629 replaced my hot water heater in a difficult space situation. Requiring his patience while floor supports were moved. Additionally he was professional, courteous and answered all my questions. His expertise never gave me doubt. I'm calling to get two radiators installed now!

Cynthia T.

08/07/2015 12:00:00 SA

I had an emergency issue with a backed up sewer drain in my basement. Roto Rooter not only took care of the problem but really worked with me regarding my budget and dealing with WSSC.

Marcy S.

01/06/2018 12:00:00 SA

We have had a call out to Roto-Rooter since Monday. Now all of our pipes are frozen and we haven't had running water in over 24 hours. Yesterday when we called they said they could get someone here between 8-12 the next day. Last night we called and they confirmed they would be here between 8-12 today (Saturday).
Well, this morning they called and said they won't help us until we have burst pipes and that they wouldn't be out today, but maybe tomorrow.
At this point we are so frustrated. Terrible customer service. And Kelly who just told us they were not coming was extremely rude and unprofessional.

Paul R.

6/21/2017

The plumber directed to our call, Mr. Lal Sailo, was fantastic. He arrived app. 45 minutes after our initial call, even though we had only been promised an arrival within the next 2-2.5 hours for our emergency situation. He was friendly, helpful, and proficient. He quickly diagnosed and fixed our underlying problem. We will certainly call root-rooter again when plumbing needs arise.

Nancy P.

11/20/2015

We just had a major sewage back up last week and we used Roto- Rooter to deal with it. They were great. We worked with Tony and Derrick and many other men. They gave us an accurate estimate, explained the whole process to us and showed up when they said they would. Tony, who did the jetting, was great. He explained the whole process and what we could expect. We would highly recommend them.

Matthew H.

08/02/2018 12:00:00 SA

If I could give them zero stars, I would. Called rotorooters to help with a leak - they claimed the leak came from 'brown' water pipe (ie dirty water), so striped the walls of the basement back without a further examination and the manager called a 'trusted' contractor to give a quote to repair. Of course the water turned out to be clean water, from the shower and so the walls didn't need to be stripped back at all. All at a considerable - and ultimately unnecessary - cost. And of course, the 'trusted' contractor that provided a quote is now suing me for not using them to do the remediation work, even though their quote was 20% higher than the company I actually contracted to do the remediation work. Seems dangerously close to fraud.

Brandon B.

3/16/2022

Good work, but they charge an insane amount and don't really explain why or what they did to earn it.

We had a problem with a toilet's fill valve. A guy came out, said it'll be $450~ to fix. He fixed it, and I asked him to explain what he did. It was a minor rebuild of your toilet. What does that entail? I rebuilt it. Yeah, but what exactly did you do? I rebuilt what was in the tank. Why did you do that, and what exactly did you do? On and on until I said fuck it, and paid. Still have no idea what he did to fix it.

A week later, our friends have a toilet problem. They call a different plumber. That plumber replaces and installs a new toilet for $300~ all in, and explains every step of the job, which our friends relay to us.

So, Roto gets the job done, but they kind of rip you off and obfuscate.

If you need a plumber, call someone else.

Elizabeth M.

5/30/2017

The technician was very prompt, courteous and neat! He explained what he was doing and went beyond snaking our drain to point out some problems with the AC unit! His number was (LD #2158). I hope if we have this problem again, we can request him to come back and help us. Extremely satisfied!

Peggy T.

07/06/2016 12:00:00 SA

Called this morning at 7 and had a polite, professional plumber at my house by 8:20. He fixed my garbage disposal and had me on my way by 9. Great experience!

Matt P.

5/27/2017

RotoRooter,
Technician L.P. 2158 answered a service call to my home around 7pm on 26May2017. A little background on my plumbing problem. I arrived home late the previous night from a cross country trip to my wife telling me that the basement toilet and shower were backing up every time we did anything with the upstairs water. The next morning, my wife was taking a shower and I went down stairs to see the lower toilet and shower over flowing. We immediately stopped using all water. We called a local plumber(Hunts) and after 6 hours of work with the last two hours having two plumbers, thier pipe machine broke. The whole time, I had the impression that he was incompetent. After a heated negotiation, I paid him $150 for his time but nothing was fixed. I did a google search and found RotoRooter late on a Friday evening before the memorial day holiday. I couldn't believe that they could send a technician on a Friday night before a holiday. Had to pay a $149 out of area fee which they let me know up front. I live in the country and am on a septic system. On his arrival, I was very impressed by his professionalism and confidence after I had told him of the other plumbing companies failure. In less than an hour he had the clog was cleared which I verified from my septic tank. He gave me a $150 discount for the toilet already being removed which covered my loss from the incompetent plumber. This man went above and beyond the call of duty by cleaning the mess left by the previous plumber, installed the toilet with new flexible lines and even cleaned the backed up shower which was outside of the normal plumber duties. This man deserves a promotion!! A great credit to your company! I will recommend roto rooter to others by the quality of your service.

Thanks,
Matt

Yessiell P.

07/03/2015 12:00:00 SA

Go to company. Second time I have had an issue with plumbing and they always respond in a quick timely manner. Technician number 1425 was great he was quick precise and very customer friendly. He diagnosed the issue/fixed the issue and left the work area cleaner than it was when he first arrived. Thank you once again for a great experience.

Cecilia Andrea H.

8/27/2019

I'm following on this request as the issue hasn't been resolved yet and we are very frustrated. We are planning to reach to the BBB of we don't hear from Benjamin until the end of this week. A few weeks a go he reached to us and made all type of fake promises. Exactly two months later, we are still where we stand at the time to write such an angry reviews against Roto Rooter. I guess I just need to expand them.

Carrie B.

4/18/2016

Roto Rooter responded with a technician at my door within 2 hours. The technician was courteous and went above and beyond not only to fix my sewer line, but left the area where we had the backup clean as well. I know this was not in his job description. He also provided tips on how to shield the drain from falling leaves to prevent future blockage and reminded me to lock the gate behind him for safety.

Angel M.

1/26/2017

I definitely did not appreciate being lied to on the phone by their customer service rep. I asked how much would it cost to clear a slow tub drain. She said she didn't know and had to send someone for a no cost estimate. I said sure , but can I get a range and she said it's not possible. Within an hour, a nice man by the name of Jacob came. He said the prices were fixed by the book and he was going to charge me about $460. I said no thank you. Poor guy mentions he drove all the way from Frederick to me in dc, which not sure if it's how they try to get business , but what a waste of time for everyone. Do better guys and your price was twice as high as the next person I called. Jacob mentioned he could negotiate with me , but I just wanted one fixed reasonable price. So much effort for nothing.

Cynthia H.

12/05/2014 12:00:00 SA

I'm giving this review 4 stars mainly because of the price. I had to have a $7,310 job done replacing the sewer line as well as adding two clean outs. However, the guys that did the job was able to save my porch by tunneling underneath it rather than breaking it up which would have caused my pocket to burn some more in the spring to get a new porch done. They were courteous and very open to questions... and me taking pictures of the progress. I'm deaf so writing back and forth was the only option - they were more than happy to do that with me which is more than what I can say about the other plumber that came out last year.

Aside from the price, service was fast and professional. Pleasant people! I would use them again.

Luke W.

6/27/2017

Was quick, courteous, explained what he was going to do and why he was going to do it. My only gripe was that I knew exactly where the issue was and what the issue was, but didn't have a snake to clear the pipe. The charge for just getting the drain snaked seemed excessive.

Alan S.

8/23/2013

He said it was $320 dollars flat rate and said he would give me a $40 dollar discount if I did it. I agreed and he later went back on it and charged me $320 after the faucet was installed.

Update: Jason Carter from Roto Rooters, is making this right for me, so I'm glad there are people at RR that care about their customers.

Rebecca A.

03/07/2019 12:00:00 SA

Did the job, but soooooo expensive. I was told that there is a flat rate of $623 for snaking a drain. Will never use this company again.

Karin H.

04/08/2017 12:00:00 SA

Khiangte #7909 is deservedly a senior technician. He was 100% professional, courteous, and knoweledgeable, trouble-shooting the source of main drain back-up. Not only did he solve the problem, he also explained how to avoid it in the future. In short, he turned what might have been a nightmare afternoon into a genuinely interesting learning session about how my house works.

Gino W.

09/01/2015 12:00:00 SA

Called Roto-Rooter and they had someone in my area who arrived within 30 minutes of my call.
Very professional. Got the clogged drain clear and working in no time.

Alexa A.

07/12/2023 12:00:00 SA

They came to replace a valve and water line on my washer and charged me $1,500, seemingly way too much for what the job was. A few months later, I noticed an issue with my washer, so they agreed to come out free of charge to let me know if it was related to the work they did , but to fix it I would have to pay. When they got there they refused to even look at the washer without charging me at least $400, and then it would be more to actually fix it. I refused and called an appliance repair service who came and confirmed the issue was that the valve was incorrectly installed and the water line wasn't placed correctly either. I've since been on 6 calls and sent several emails to Pat Swanson, customer service manager, to get this resolved and she has yet to respond. Anyone I have gotten ahold of refuses to fix the job the did incorrectly unless I pay them, or forwards me to Pat who will not contact me.

Constantine P.

11/24/2017

We had a small sewer line back up on Thanksgiving morning with company expected in a few hours. I called Roto-Rooter and Khiangte was at our home in 20 minutes. He pulled out our basement toilet, brought in the 100 foot electric snake, unclogged the backup sending the line all the way to the street, put everything back, and cleaned up within two hours. Yes, it was on the pricier end, but I would rather pay a little more and get the job done right than having to call someone else to come back and do it.

erica m.

11/17/2016

They were fast and they fixed the problem fairly quickly. Dama (1503) was great.

Sawsan S.

7/13/2017

Jose , technician # 1566 is awesome. He arrived within one hour of calling the company. He is extremely professional , polite , and knowledgeable. He diagnosed and fixed the problem right away. I had a backed up sewage in my basement. He took care of the problem efficiently and tested to make sure the problem is totally resolved. He explained the problem to me and showed me what he did.
I will definitely call them again and specifically ask for Jose # 1566.

Lesley O.

6/13/2013

Worst, most unprofessional service I have ever encountered. When our pipe burst and we had no water, we called and scheduled an appointment for between 7-8:30 that evening. Around 11pm our tech finally showed up, or should I say stumbled into our house reeking of booze, only to say after all of 2 minutes that he could not fix the issue. He proceeded to pretend to tinker with it, since I was fuming, and finally just left the house (I thought he was going to get more parts) without saying a word, got in his truck, and left. I called and filed a complaint, to which all they said was they would follow up with us in 48 hours (no apology of course)-this was over a week ago, never heard anything from them again. Meanwhile, another plumber (a completely different company, obviously) came the next day and fixed it that afternoon.

DO NOT use this company. They do not deserve anyones patronage and will completely waste your time.

David P.

5/19/2015

Crooks. With these kinds of services, you always prepare for a scam... but even with very low expectations, I was shocked at how this company gets away with making ridiculous estimates (telling us that we have to change the entire piping structure on our shower which will cost more than $1000 and be a 2 man job... when all it really needs is a small mixing valve replaced, ahem less than a few bucks - and covered by lifetime warranty by the manufacturer!) and then having the cajones to charge over $400 to have one slow drain fixed?!? My advice is stay away unless you really need some serious plumber work... you're better-off going with a general handyman.

Why 2 stars instead of 1? I do have to give them credit for being quick and easy to schedule with... but I should have know that was a bad sign.

Anna S.

8/18/2018

Be sure to tell the plumber if you have a coupon ahead of time or they'll give you an excuse about why they can't use it.

They're decent plumbers, but expensive (as most are). They showed up after the designated window and when we called to ask about their arrival, the office didn't pick up the phone. They completed the service quickly, but then refused to accept a valid coupon when presented at the time of payment. Apparently we had to mention it as soon as the plumber walked in the door, even though we left it right next to the sink he was working on. He then blamed us for not knowing the company policy.

Nowhere on the coupon did it say that you had to present it before service, just at some point during the service. They tried to say that most of their customers don't use coupons or don't want to use them. If true, that's fine, but not everyone has that money to burn and as someone on a budget, saving that $55 goes a long way.

In fact, they even admitted they don't ask for coupons because they want to charge people as much as possible.

Use a different company. These people are not that good (or cheap) that they can be as condescending as they were. I'd rather use a company that actually respects their customers.

Diane D.

4/13/2017

Very helpful and quick to respond in an emergency! When the basement bathroom sewage backed up and spilled out all over the floor and rugs in the next room (yuk), Roto-Rooter had someone out within an hour of calling. Khiangte (#7909) was sent to the job. He was prompt, courteous, and very efficient at mitigating the sewage backup. Josh Mitchell, restoration lead, came by right away and explained damage and helped with the insurance claim (still in process one week later). For clean-up, he recommended RR services and since we needed clean-up asap, we agreed. Justin (1859) came later that evening to power-vacuum the mess and then power-wash with disinfectant. He brought a dehumidifier and air scrubber. Two days later, Jimmy came and put a camera in the line, identifying what he said is a break in the city pipe.RR said the camera work is included in the price of the mitigation. These guys work hard and it is evident they are experienced and knowledgeable. Overall, we are satisfied, definitely. The high cost of services is a concern, though, We are giving a four-star rating because of high cost; they are so expensive. We did not take the suggestion to cut the drywall in the room 2' up and dry out inside walls to prevent microbial growth and prevent mold, While their damage repair suggestion is probably valid, we would suggest keeping a level head in an emergency situation like this by second guessing their additional services to prevent what could become astronomical damage repair costs.Overall, we are very satisfied with Roto-Rooter. We don't use them for regular plumbing needs or small jobs (way too expensive) but you will be in good hands in a big emergency.

Pam H.

10/19/2016

Kap from Roto Rooter Came at 3 o'clock in the morning when sewage was overflowing in my bathroom. He was incredible! He was kind and patient with a very tired customer and he fixed my problem beautifully. It took him two hours to get the problem solved but he did it! . I am so so grateful to him !!

Mark H.

01/12/2018 12:00:00 SA

AVOID!!!!! I used them so many times but these guys are horrible. My room mate and I had a major flooding situation which was an emergency. They said a dispatch was coming out in 30 min and they'd call me. I didn't get any calls so I called back an hour and they said they accidentally made a mistake but they couldn't come anymore and would now come the next day!!! Why make someone wait till the next day in an emergency when you promised them at first they were coming? I don't mind honesty but I can't stand dishonesty. To top it off after I complained the customer service guy over the phone was incredibly rude to me. I will not be using them ever again.

Janet C.

09/05/2021 12:00:00 SA

Roter Rooter said someone would arrive 8 to noon. How inconvenient. He arrived at 12:35 clueless what he was sent for to examine. Since he said everything was OK, or needed an electrician, he could not write an analysis for the HOA of what he saw. He was unqualified to give an opinion about the usefulness of existing drain off pipes, or how to connect sump pumps to a generator. All in all a waste of time with this unprofessional plumbing service.

Frank M.

02/03/2020 12:00:00 SA

Called them to snake a shower drain. The guy wanted $760!!!! What a ripoff. Called another company, and was charged a reasonable $145. Avoid these scammers at all cost.

Jamie M.

11/27/2017

I had a kitchen sink backup Thanksgiving weekend. We didn't know whom to call, so we called Roto Rooter based on reviews and their website showing 24 hour service. After calling Sunday nite at 9pm we had someone out to us at 8 AM on Monday Morning. Mr. Maung Nu ( Service technician # 1146) came out. First he made sure to put on booties and put down towels to protect the area. He found a major blockage in the line and was able to clear it in about 30 minutes. He explained everything clearly that he was going to do, and gave us a clear itemized bill that was easy to understand. I would not hesitate to call Roto-Rooter again, and I would definitely ask for Mr. Nu again.

Marla M.

1/15/2018

Previously used this company for kitchen disposal and decided to use them for what i assumed was a minor job, a clogged kitchen sink . They are extremely overpriced. The price started at $599 for snaking. After doing some research, i foind some reputable companies charging a fraction of the cost. I will NEVER use this company again and will not recommend to anyone. Total rip-off

Jayson W.

1/25/2016

Plumber came quickly and within the timeframe as they said. Plumber was quick and efficient. We required a follow-up and the additional plumber came out within 2 hours of the guy leaving. We appreciate their work and coming so quickly, especially in the snow storm.

Douglas K.

12/14/2018

When you break an agreement with a company, companies penalize you. But when the company breaks an agreement with you, the good ones compensate the consumer.

Last week, I scheduled an appointment with Roto Rooter to install a new toilet in my house. I asked for the morning and they gave me a window of 8am to 12. Since I scheduled it a week out, you would think that you would be seen at 8am, or at a minimum be seen during the agreed upon appointment. Instead of receiving a call at 8 telling me that they could meet the window, I received a call at 10am telling me that they will call me when a plumber is available but that they could not guarantee they would be there by noon. To insult me as a customer more, I was told that they do not compensate consumers for breaking their agreed upon time, even though they have you tied to your house all morning waiting. At noon I received the call telling me that they would not make my agreed upon 8-12 window, but they would send someone out. I successfully used Yelp at 11am to find another plumber that responded within 15 mins and had a plumber in route that is scheduled to arrive at 1pm. I canceled RR and during the cancelation I was offered a $50 discount and then was asked if I had an internet coupon which was for $75. Then the manager tells me they are sending me the next plumber and he is on his way from Manassas. It's Friday afternoon and I seriously doubt I would see the plumber within a couple of hours. Not sure where the discount conversation was leading was leading, but since they broke the scheduled agreement, I don't trust them and canceled.

They were great 3 years ago when I used them, in fact they were outstanding, but this was the polar opposite of that experience. Horrible scheduling experience today. If you value your time and want a plumbing company that appreciates your time and you as a customer and will keep you informed on the schedule and compensate you when they can't meet you, then remember my experience and do what I am doing....never calling Roto Rooter again.

Bob B.

06/11/2016 12:00:00 SA

Came when they said they would. Fixed the problem without hassle and gave good advice.

Diana L L.

6/22/2019

N.BG Had woken up to water All over my garage wow had excellent service from these plumbers will recommend them to anyone. Thanks excellent and quick. Omar

Ryan W.

9/15/2018

DC Roto Rooter Prices are 3x what others will charge you.

I called for a simple drain line clear, that was further than 6 feet but well under 25 feet and they wanted to charge 599$. The DC area average for the service is 100-250$. Roto Rooter said their price was the same 7 days a week 24/7.

That is why they want to tell you the price after you wait hours. It's a sales trick because after you wait hours for something people are significantly less likely to tell them to go away and then wait more time for another person. So even if the price seems very high they go with it because they already waited to get to this point and they just want it fixed.

The salesman tries to tell me that there is a 6 months warranty, but if you look at the details it basically just covers them for doing a bad job. Any new problems are going to be charged for a new fee.

Complete rip-off AVOID!

Carlos S.

11/21/2016

Jacob came byon a Saturday night after business hours to unclog a stubborn main sewer drain. He kept me updated on his ETA and when he arrived he was courteous and professional. He went above and beyond and worked for 2 hours to unclog the drain. He did a great job and would recommend him and Roto Rooter unconditionally. Thanks Jacob #4534 !!

Skorp M.

07/10/2017 12:00:00 SA

Quotes should be created before services are rendered. Labor charge was absurd, the technician was professional and did a great job but was only at my home for less than 2hrs.

Haley V.

6/20/2020

My garbage disposal was clogged and I attempted to unclog myself by plunging the sink which did not work. I called Roto and they sent someone to provide a free quote within 30-40 minutes. He quoted me $700 to unclog the disposal. I asked him to leave because that is robbery. I then looked it up on youtube and figured it out within 10 mins. They were going to charge me $700 for a 10 minute job. Honestly have no idea how theyre in business.

Jennifer T.

5/21/2020

Incredible company. Super responsive and great customer service. I am grateful for their after hours service. Very honest and a pleasure to work with.

James J.

01/01/2016 12:00:00 SA

Outstanding service. Our tech, Nye, was professional and personable. He completed the job quickly and left the work area spotless. Thank you!

Tracy W.

6/13/2018

Called Roto-Rooter to snake a drain in my garage. That with the heavy rains lately in Pittsburgh has been backing up. The person who showed up I could not really understand and it was obvious he had no idea what he was talking about. He said there is no use in snaking it and needs to have a camera take a look=$300+. I was on not going to do in and within 5 minutes another Roto-Rooter person shows up. Its like he was waiting around the corner and I was talked into it for $200. The couldn't get the camera through that drain and proceeded to look at the fresh air drain in the drive way and said the trap is broke and that's my problem. I would be eventually get sewage in the garage. Well that has not happend-not even the smell and that job to fix=$6.228!!!. He did look at drain in back corner of my house and offer advice. I text Scott later and told him I felt taken advantage of after calling a plumber my husband knew who couldn't come over and he explained how this is not tired into eachother sewage and fresh water drain. Roto-Rooter did send someone else over the next day who tried (not very hard) to snake that drain and said he coulnd'tummm that means it's blocked and tried to sell us a bottle of liquid at the discounted price of $96. He mentioned nothing of sewage or the other drain.
Roto-Rooter and it's employees have no idea what they are doing. Do not call them

Jamie B.

01/12/2019 12:00:00 SA

Horrible!! Do not use!! They wanted to charge us $623 to snake a shower drain. We got two other estimates for $225!! DO YOUR RESEARCH!! He then offered to charge $295...WHAT?? NO THANKS!! I think they only do in home estimates so that you decide to accept the ridiculous price because they are already there.

Fabio T.

6/25/2017

We had an unfortunate plumbing issue causing backed up toilets in our basement on a Saturday afternoon. We called Roto-Rooter and in less than an hour Jacob #4534 and Jason promptly showed up and were able to assess and solve the clogged pipe caused by a root infiltration between the main and clean-out sewer.
Jason helped me assess the problem and claim with my home insurance and in no time they also set up what need to be done the days after to mitigate the damages from the backed up water.
Later on the same day, other two technicians part of the water restoration team (Larry #2553 and Than #1469), came in to install a big dehumidifier to tamper down the water infiltration damage.
The day after (Sunday) the water restoration team (Larry #2553 and Than #1469) came back to rip off the basement floor and drywalls needed to be sanitized and clean up.

The Roto-Rooter technicians are very thorough and very professional.
I am happy to recommend the Roto-Rooter team.

Alix J.

11/10/2017 12:00:00 SA

I had to schedule an asap call online after our floor drain backed up last night, and Kam arrived this morning. He spent hours carefully assessing and treating the problem and even followed up with DC Water to make sure they had the information on what might turn out to be a damaged city sewer pipe. From the moment he walked in, covering his shoes with plastic booties, to the moment he left, Kam was most professional and efficient. I can't recommend him highly enough! Thank you Roto Rooter!!

Aletheia D.

10/15/2022

Service was high-quality and relatively quick. The main issue with Roto-Rooter is the price-tag: nearly $1000 for less than an hour of work snaking and re-patching our main line, on next-day service.

Y L.

11/19/2017

Very impressed with their 24/7 service. Kitchen sink drain got stuck over the weekend. Tech showed up 1:45 am. The clog was so serious, he needed to snake it twice before water was finally starting to flow.

Aaron F.

9/24/2017

To be honest, my wife and I are ones to support small, independent contractors when we can - especially here in DC. Unfortunately, though, we've been the victims of some pretty shoddy workmanship from independent, licensed plumbers in the two years we've been in our home, and we decided it's time to go with someone that's backed by better guarantees, even if it means we pay a touch more.

We noticed a water spot on our living room ceiling on a Saturday night, and by Sunday afternoon, Roto-Rooter - specifically Conrad (#1635) - was here and the problem was fixed. Come to find out, the joints around the main water line in our ceiling were only fitted 1/4 over the pipes and were cracked and leaking. Conrad was quick, patient, and took the time to explain both to me and my wife the problem and how he fixed it. Upon completing the job, he showed us his work and, again, explained why we had the problem and how he's preventing it from happening again. The work was like night and day. You can really see the difference.

The best thing about Roto-Rooter is the no-obligation visit for an estimate. Conrad clearly stated how much money it would cost if we wanted him to cut into our wall, and then the additional amount should we decide to do the work with Roto-Rooter. They may not be the cheapest, but they've been the best we've had so far. And there are always coupons on the website.

All in all, we couldn't be more pleased with Conrad, Roto-Rooter, and the entire team that helped us fix our plumbing issue correctly and promptly.

THANKS, YOU GUYS!

Francis S.

9/22/2017

I am an avid DIY person. Last Saturday I attempted to install the waterline for my refrigerator and accidentally drilled into the hot water line. To make matters worst,I went to a local hardware store and after talking to someone I thought knew a thing or two about plumbing, purchased Shark Bite as recommended by the store employee (don't ever purchase one. They don't work). To add insult to injury I crimped the cold water pipe while installing the saddle for the waterline.

It was late Saturday evening and in my head I knew it was going to be a horrible evening. I called Roto-Rooter. The person who took my call demonstrated excellent customer service skills. I actually felt at ease talking to her. Within thirty minutes a plumber was at my door. James L the plumber was very professional, courteous, and knew his trade. Not only did he make the necessary repairs, but he also ensured that my waterline to the refrigerator was working properly before leaving my residence.

I highly recommend their service

Chris R.

4/22/2019

I called for a simple kitchen drain clog that caused water to back up into the dish washer and subsequently all over the floor. The plumber RR sent out quoted me over $600 to do a simple drain snake. I declined and found a different local plumber and he did the job in 30 min and charged $180. Roto Rooter is absolute highway robbery.

Judy S.

10/20/2018

Called the emergency number and received extremely disappointing services. At first call, the dispatcher told us someone would get back to us in 1-hour, 2 hours later when we called back the dispatcher explained someone would call as soon as possible, the next morning when we called, we were told that the service provider we needed would not be available until next week. I understand that there are not always providers standing by, but it would have been professional for someone to give us that news last evening. Rather than leading us on to wait for hours, without sewer, expecting that help is coming. Had we received the information last night, we could have moved forward to address our plumbing emergency.

Denise T.

11/10/2017 12:00:00 SA

I called four plumbing companies on a late Friday evening. I only received a call back from Roto-rooted. They had someone out in less than two hours. Sailo was professional and super helpful. He got the job done quick and efficiently.

I was scared to call Roto-rooter because I assumed their prices would be too high. I'm glad I made the leap of faith.

Scott H.

1/26/2019

Pros: friendly operator and repairman arrived within two hours when other plumbers I called had multi-day waits; the plumber was knowledgeable, professional and resolved our issue within 90 minutes (a clogged kitchen sink that needed to be 'snaked,' and was happy to apply a $75-off coupon that's available online through Roto-Rooter's website. Con: even with the $75-off coupon, snaking the line cost $585 (after tax), which was about double what we paid to resolve a similar issue in the past. So, it's expensive, but you're paying for a quick response by a good, experienced plumber... as they say, you get what you pay for.

Collin K.

02/03/2010 12:00:00 SA

The good thing is that they do have an emergency service-- typically responsive. Unfortunately, wicked expensive. We had them out in the spring to repair a leaky valve on the water shut-off to our outside hose. Well, they repaired it, but apaprently removed all theinsulation in the process, never mentioning it. Come winter, we now have a pipe burst, and of course 1) the don't guarantee their work past 6 months, and 2) they refuse to admit responsibility for removing the insulation. The manager was beyond patronizing- yeah, I know exaclty why you have a pipe burst, because you had an uninsulated pipe. If I could have hit him through the phone I would have. Hopefully the insurance company will extract revenge on our behalf.

Kimathi T.

12/16/2016

I learned my lesson about using small or lesser known plumbing companies. I own a four unit apartment building. On a Tuesday afternoon, I received a call from one of my tenants. Apparently DC WASA had turned the water off around midnight for some regular service. By the time they turned the water back on the main water line into the building, the pipes had frozen resulting in a massive leak.

I called around frantically. Lem the Plumber was the first company to answer. Roto-rooter was second. I should have gone with the brand I was familiar with. Lem the Plumber showed up before Roto-rooter the next morning, so I went them. Long story short, he worked on the water line all day on Wednesday without fixing the problem, which meant my entire building was without water. I was patient when he said he'd come back early to finish it the next day.

He showed up at 10:30 on Thursday, worked for another 4 hours, and said the issue was fixed. I should have been more thorough in inspecting the work, because there was now a leak in a new place (at the valve near the water meter). The tech told me that valve was the responsibility of DC WASA, and that they would have someone come out to fix it. I believed him, which was again my mistake. When I got in touch with DC WASA, they informed me that the valve was not their responsibility.

So I call Lem the lumber back. It's difficult to get an actual employee from Lem on the phone (i spent most of my time talking to the messaging service and waiting for someone to call me back). By the time I got someone on the phone, they told me the earliest someone could come out was the next day (Friday), and that I'd have to pay them to fix the new leak that wasn't present before they started work. At this point I lost it. I went ahead and scheduled an appointment for the next day.

After I scheduled the appoitnment, I called Roto-rooter on a whim. I guess I was just hoping at this point. Not only did Roto-rooter have a plumber come out THURSDAY EVENING (instead of the next day), the plumber completely repaired the valve within 90 minutes.

I've learned my lesson. From now on, I'll only go with established, reputable companies.

Lee W.

12/27/2016

Our sewer backed up on Christmas morning, of all times. Roto-Rooter came right away. Paul (2496) cleared the sewer line and Justin (2582) and Justin (1859) took up the flooring and cut out the affected dry wall. They were all courteous, efficient , knowledgeable and diligent.
My family and I could celebrate Christmas as planned thanks to their hard work. When my floor contractor arrived a few days later, he was relieved to hear that I had used Roto-Rooter. I highly recommend them.

Meg C.

2/26/2015

I had a great experience with Roto-Rooter recently. We had a pipe that burst and another one that froze. Their customer service was great to schedule someone to attend to our mess. The technician was punctual and super attentive. He did an amazing job in fixing our issue (which was not a good!). He also replaced everything that he had to move in order to fix the pipes and was extremely courteous in cleaning up his work area. Overall, I'm just really impressed. Every touch point with the company was good - everyone was extremely nice and helpful. I highly recommend their services!

Carlos G.

4/17/2016

I think they did a good job. they were here in a timely manner they did a great job with the toilet and did a ok job with cleaning. But I believe this was extremely expensive, I did some research and the average cost for a plumber in the DMV area is about 125 an hour here it was more then double that per Hour in labor $275 to be exact that is crazy. Thanks you

1 day later
Well I have an update from this review. I received a very pleasant call back from their office. It was nice to know that they are following up with their customers. After a nice conversation we worked out our differences. I will up the review to 4 stars because of the fact they reached out.

I also want to be clear here the price though expensive was what they quoted me from the beginning they were up front, I just think that charging more the 125 an hour is still very high. At the end after all is said and done if you want good service and a quick response this is the place to call. That said I ended up paying about 240 an hour on labor plus parts.

Carrie C.

06/03/2017 12:00:00 SA

Khiangte is a master plumber and definitely knew what he was doing. He diagnosed the problem with my kitchen sinks and fixed dit. No fuss/no muss. Polite, professional, neat and effective. Thank you RotoRooter and especially to their crew.

Yvonne M.

12/17/2016

Happy with the overall service and manner in which repairs were made. The plumber, Dal, was prompt, professional, and patient. He was clear in providing an estimate before beginning the work and answered all my questions along the way. My leaking pipe is no longer a problem and the drop ceiling tile has been replaced. I'm definitely SATISFIED!

Julia L.

01/05/2023 12:00:00 SA

A sink was leaking in my DC apartment so Roto Rooter came out to assess the situation. Initially it was easy to schedule an appointment. They required a credit card # prior to service which seemed reasonable to secure an appointment (although they had not yet done work). They didn't have all the parts needed to fix the sink so they were supposed to schedule a later follow up date for service. No date was scheduled and my father followed up 3X with the office manager trying to schedule a service time. They were not responsive. In the meantime they deducted $675 from his bank account and never fixed the sink. We had to hire another plumbing company to do the job. Super shady!!!!! In the process of filing a formal complaint and will try to contest with my father's credit card company.

Mercedes A.

04/05/2016 12:00:00 SA

Conrad, our plumber, quickly fixed a clogged drain that was backing up our toilets. He was friendly and clearly very good at his job. The only reason they don't get five stars is because when we originally called their emergency line at 10:30 p.m., they sent a plumber who, despite trying the same thing that Conrad tried, could not fix the issue that evening and told us we would need to take some more drastic measures (removing and snaking the downstairs toilet). We had AirBnB guests staying with us and did not want to disturb them more than necessary, so we opted to continue the fix in the morning rather than at 3 a.m., and it's a good thing we did because Conrad was able to fix it without removing the toilet, just by snaking the pipes from outside the house.

Wendy N.

6/15/2013

I have used Roto-Rooter twice in the last month because of freak drain issues. Each time they came quickly and as scheduled. The staff were very cheerful and upbeat even though it was raining on one trip and they had to pull a dead animal out of the drain on the other. Nothing fazed them and each time the drain cleaning worked like a gem! Nice to have a service that does what it says in the time frame promised! Thanks Roto-Rooter!

Dem T.

03/05/2017 12:00:00 SA

John #1275 did an excellent work. My drain was clogged ... 1hr later he found paper towel down the house pipes!
He was extremely professional respectful of my home and very polite! I recommend this company for to anyone!

Mark R.

11/24/2017

Had the kitchen outflow clog on thanksgiving day after heavy usage. Roto-Rooter is definitely the quickest to respond. Other places are difficult to figure out when/if they're open and available. Roto-Rooter had someone out to my home in 2 hours.

Only downside was price. I don't frequently compare plumbing prices but $500 for a drain snaking seems far too expensive. Necessary and likely up because of the Black Friday premium.

Donna F.

07/03/2017 12:00:00 SA

Update: I am amending my review of earlier this week. Roto-Rooter called after they saw my post and agreed the charge was excessive. They refunded me an amount we both agreed was reasonable. Thank you to Andrew for his response to my complaint and his offer to rectify it.

Original Review: $269 for a 1 minute fix for a toilet clog? I admit I should have found my plunger before I called RotoRooter. And I should have said no when the repairmen quoted the price. But I was lazy that day and just wanted the darn thing fixed. It took all of one minute for him to fi it. He gave me a $40 discount. Still, $229 for that repair was not close to worth it. If he'd given me a significantly bigger discount I'd be writing a much better review right now. My fault for being lazy/stupid. Their fault for being greedy.

Lo R.

9/22/2020

***Updated review:

Thank you to Pat Swanson and to Lisa Foster for taking their time to correct the misunderstanding. It is, therefore, my experience that Roto-Rooter do, in fact, value their customers. I have to say that I never had any problems with personnel. My concern was strictly a matter of a misunderstanding of additional payments for a canceled service which was properly handled and corrected. My interactions were always professional and courteous, and thankfully, never became unprofessional in any way, shape, or form. The technicians are professional and know what they're doing. The finance office tried everything they could to help, and were understanding. Management got involved to correct the misunderstanding. Plus, I was given a one time discount for any future water problems I might face. It is only reasonable that I update the rating. Pat and Lisa, thank you for working with me.

***Below was the initial review before Pat and Lisa reached out to correct the problems I was having:

Terrible service. Get ready to be robbed. These people are all about taking your money away charging extra for poor service. I had a situation where I tried to cancel the service and was told by their finance office that I would only be charged for the service that was done. Turns out that after the fact I was charged extra and more for a cancelation. Offices are all over the place and it becomes and he say she say game really quick, with straight up lying involved and everything. Not straightforward people at all. Again, they're all for charging extra and taking your money without regard to good service. JFYI.

John L.

2/13/2017

We called Roto Rooter for service for a clog in the drain of our dishwasher. Our service technician Min did a fantastic job and completed the work quickly. We are very happy with Min and will continue to call Roto Rooter for any future issues.

Barker A.

10/13/2017

Van (I believe his name was) was awesome. Backed up sewer line = gross and frustrating. Your plumber was incredibly professional, thorough and went above and beyond the call of duty by cleaning up the space. He diagnosed the issue, took care of the immediate concern and left me with greater piece of mind. Would definitely recommend.

KZ M.

1/28/2017

A gentleman named Lal came and fixed my clog drain. He was great -- on time, friendly, quick, and did a good job. By problem was the price. The service was very expensive for a simple drain unclogging. Were this to happen again, I would have followed the steps I saw in a YouTube video to do it myself. Still, if you need something fixed in a hurry and you aren't handy, this will do the trick.

John G.

3/19/2019

We had a leak under our bathroom sink and Roto-Rooter was the only service that offered to come Sunday (the same day that I called) without charging for just the visit. Ram was extremely professional and went above and beyond. He cleaned out the bottle trap, replaced the washers on the pipes, and resealed the back pipe with sealant. Everything is now as good as new. The total service cost was 233.20 after applying a $75 coupon from their website. However, the cost was well worth same day Sunday repair, a great fix, and professionalism. I would ask for Ram.

Miriam M.

5/31/2015

We called on a Sunday morning at 8:30, and by 10:30 someone was out here.
He was knowledgeable, and did the job fast.

We paid a tad more than I think we would have paid with another plumbing company, but it got done fast and well.

James S.

12/12/2016 12:00:00 SA

This was my first using Roto-Rooter. I had heard about them before, and found their number on their website. Upon calling, I was pleasantly greeted immediately, and was able to schedule an appointment the same day. As promised, I received a call 30 minutes before the appointment to reconfirm. The technician, Rosiam (4450) arrived on time and wore shoe covers to protect my floors. He was very courteous and professional. He got the work done quickly and completely, and provided diagnosis on where I may need future work. I really appreciate Rosiam and Roto-Rooter, and look forward to doing business with them again.

Rosa C.

10/01/2017 12:00:00 SA

I had a clog in the shower so I made an appointment via Roto Rooter website and the next day which was a Saturday, a plumber named Khiangte #7909 came to fix the problem with his assistant. Khiangte was very professional, explained the problem thoroughly, and opened up the drain.

P S.

11/19/2016

Had a great experience! Kap was easy to work with and did the job quickly. He was professional and friendly. Thank you!

Aliecia S.

2/15/2022

Our main level toilet became clogged on Christmas Eve, 2021. It was very concerning since this was around 8 PM at night, and we had no idea of the nightmare ahead. After 20 minutes of plunging, my husband realized that the issue was more than meets the eye when an upstair's toilet was flushed and the water began overflowing out of the toilet he was plunging.
We figured that there was a clog somewhere in our sewer line which he hoped he could correct by using a 75 foot snake. After spending 6 hours outside on Christmas day with no success snaking our line, he gave in and called rotor rooter. We were worried about a holiday surcharge due to it being Christmas day and the fact it was around 7 PM at night when we he called. A tech arrived about 1.5 hours later and after about 3 hours of trying his best, was unable to correct the issue because he didn't have enough cable in his snake. We kept the cap off of our sewer line cleanout and went on about flushing toilets, washing clothes, and taking showers...a huge no no since Christmas Eve due to our issue with the overflowing toilet. Due to not having the ability to correct our issue, the tech removed about $150 from our bill leaving us slightly under $600 for the emergency call...a lot less than we expected being Christmas Day. Thankfully, due to his inability to correct our issue, we were then scheduled for the 26th, to have another tech with at least 200 feet of cable dispatched to our home who found success that day. Rotor Rooter was also great in sending out a guy with a Camera to view our line to see if he could figure out what the problem was. We were grateful for this correction, but the nightmare wasn't over...just a slight reprieve from our fears to allow us to have a nice winter vacation for the remainder of our break.

Six weeks later, we heard gurgling in our kitchen sink which was an initial sign to our issue on Christmas Eve that we overlooked. My husband immediately went outside and removed the cleanout cap in our yard and surprise surprise, there was water back in our line with a small explosion upon removing the cap.

Since Rotor Rooter guarantees their work, they sent out another tech who worked all of the night on February 12th, and all of Saturday with the help of a trainee. Unfortunately, they were not able to clear the sewer line and were worried that it was collapsed somewhere in the 300 feet it ran to the main sewer line! Due to the amazing techs inability to correct the issue this time around, even though he had the 200 feet of cable, he informed my husband that since this was a callback, there was no charge for this visit. We were grateful and appreciative of the help Rotor Rooter gave us during our crisis. We were able to find another company with a different technique who had success, but we are still grateful to Rotor Rooter for being available during our crisis, and giving us a temporary worry free six months from our issue.

Sabrina N.

6/17/2017

We were desperate to have someone fix the clogged drain in our tub. At first we tried another, cheaper plumber and he tried but couldn't get it. He even though we might have to spend thousands of dollars to have a contractor come in to cut open the walls! But Roto Rooter fixed it, no problem. Hming (#4696) did a great job, fixed the clog and left the place cleaner than he found it. I will definitely go straight to them next time.

Yohance F.

6/16/2019

Two technicians just came to my house and quoted me $600+ to snake a kitchen line. I diagnosed the issue, and literally just asked him to snake the line.

Darc L.

12/09/2015 12:00:00 SA

Rotor-rooter came out on thanksgiving when I had problems with my kitchen sink. The response was quick and I was able to finish my dinner in time. Khiangte was the plumber who came out. He was professional and efficient. The four stars is for the price. Very expensive, double what my normal plumbing company would charge. I was told this was the same price they would have charged if it wasn't a holiday..yikes! Too expensive for regular non-emergency plumbing situations.

Richard M.

07/06/2023 12:00:00 SA

I requested for 2 toilet installations, sink and bath unclogging and garbage disposal. We agree on the price. He does the unclogging on the 1st day and returns on the second and does the garbage disposal. He then claims he can't do the toilet installation because it will damage the foundation. When he consults his colleagues they advise him to continue but he sticks to his story. So I therefore don't get the benefit to complete the work with the agreed price and have to now call another company. This is result in a few hundred dollars of extra cost. The manager doesn't have the decency to even call and discuss the issue. Would not recommend this company to anyone. They are probably using their past accomplishments to fool new customers.

Chris B.

11/24/2016

Quick and friendly service. Would use again in a pinch! The service techs were knowledgeable and quick to assess the problem. I can't emphasis the speed of service they were out within an hour of calling.

Thomas N.

11/10/2017 12:00:00 SA

Dal (#2570) was great. He was very courteous and professional, and figured out exactly what our problem was right away and fixed it on the spot. I'm not giving more stars because I think that Roto-Rooter is way too expensive. A base fee of $485 to snake a sink is ridiculous. But their representation through Dal was very good, and if every one who works there is like him, I would call them again.

Keith F.

8/19/2018

They did a good job un-cloging my drain. In fact I used them twice about three years apart. The first time they charged $390, the second time asked $599 for the same work (took about 1.5 hours of standard work). Good work but value just isn't there. I will shop around next time or will rent a snake from Home Depot.

Matt B.

7/19/2016

John (1275) was great - personable and fixed the issue!

Thomas W.

03/02/2016 12:00:00 SA

Service was very prompt and much appreciate, but the cost to snake the main line was high at above $700.00 for less than 2 hours work. Water restoration folks promised to email me the bill and pictures of items that were trashed on Feb 17, 2016, but I have not received the bill or pictures over the past few weeks in spite of approximately 10 phone calls and several messages being left. Their cost to replace my main cast iron drain lines below the basement floor was also the highest by thousands of dollars out of 5 estimates.

Leo A.

11/05/2016 12:00:00 SA

I contacted Roto-Rooter late Friday night to have them fix a plumbing emergency that the original plumber that I contacted did not fix and within a couple of hours they were at my house working on the problem. Within 2 hours I was back in business, no more plumbing emergency. Excellent service and work! A true life saver!

My plumber was L.P. #2158. Soon after I explained the problem he realized what needed to be done to fix it. He then gave me the quote and I went with it. L.P. did great work and came through with what he said he was going to do.

Thank you L.P. and Roto-Rooter!

Jasmine M.

2/16/2016

My plumber was Zaw. I had a frozen pipe in my that basement that burst. He was very knowledgeable and walked me through the process before cutting into the drywall. He even identified a separate leak in the kitchen and fixed that on the spot. Additionally, I didn't have a separate shut-off valve for my outside pipe, (which is the one that bust), so he installed one of those as well. Before leaving, he educated me about what to do next winter to prevent the frozen pipes from happening again.

Fortunately, I was able to use a $75 off coupon I found on Roto-Rooter's website to help with the cost. The total for all work performed came to $525.

I would use Roto-Rooter again for my plumbing needs.

Ben S.

12/16/2016

Just had a great experience with a blocked pipe... the plumber removed the old toilet, snaked the pipe, put on a new toilet that we picked up at home depot.. and was a pleasure to work with. This is the 2nd time we called this same plumber from Roto Rooter to help us. We'll call him next time for sure.

Bryan _.

7/13/2015

Main sewer line was clogged and sewage backed up through the floor drain in the basement on a Sunday morning. I called RR and Kam (Technician 855) showed up within 2 hours. It cost $700 to snake my main sewer line - first attempt through the toilet line (unsuccessful) then through the main sewer line (but first having to cut out the 60-year-old cast iron plug). Not a simple job and unpleasant odors. Kam was able to reach the clog and then he kept going with the snake for the full 100-feet. That should clear anything all the way to the street. He was professional and courteous and he cleaned up everything before he left. I can't say I'm thrilled with the price, but it WAS a Sunday morning and I could not use any water or toilets unless this was fix fast. Everything was resolved and back to normal.

Jeffrey C.

11/30/2015

I had Jeff Hatridge and Jake Davis come out to do a pipe repair. They were on time and worked efficiently to take care of the repairs that I needed. I would trust Roto Rooter to come out and make any repairs I may need in the future. The team did a great job for our extensive repair.

Chanda H.

10/19/2015

just hired roto rooter to come service my outside drain in Washington, D.C. I called and a technician was available to come within an hour the same day. The plumber came in a timely manner and fixed my problem within 1hour. I had two other plumbers come to snake out my drain and was not able to fix the issue.
I have never used roto rooter but I will contact them for any future issues I have with plumbing.

Jill V.

07/12/2022 12:00:00 SA

I would rate them a zero if I could. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!!!!! They will quote you 2-3 times the typical rate. This is predatory pricing preying on owners who either don't know what things should cost or are in panic mode. Don't even bother calling them for a quote. Makes me think their plumbers are on an incentive plan and get a cut of the overcharging they collect. It's robbery and someone needs to investigate them. I sent them away after quoting me three times the going rate to clear a sewer drain blockage. I live out of town and could buy a round trip airline ticket, rent a machine from Home Depot and do the job myself and still have a couple of hundred dollars in my pocket. Price gouging big time. Buyer beware!!!

Valerie M.

9/21/2016

They came very quickly and snaked the blocked sewage line (John #1275 and Jacob #4534). The price seems to be market price, but with overall a good deal because they also provide a camera service to verify potential causes to the blockage and a water reparation service (Jason N. #1599) to help deal with the rest of the damage. It's great for the one stop shop!

Lucy P.

10/29/2020

Our kids threw wipes down the toilet and clogged it all up. We called RR who sent a tech out who quoted us $750 to remove the toilet and snake it. Even during COVID, that's highway robbery. The tech said he could discount $50 and when I said that's still way more than we've ever paid (our kids throw lots of stuff down the toilet), he said, bye bye. We will be going back to our neighborhood plumber when they can squeeze us in.

Navendu S.

06/02/2017 12:00:00 SA

Sailo from roto rooter came by. Very professional, knew his stuff and was very transparent with the pricing. No fuss in accepting discount coupons. I have used some independent plumbers before but prefer Roto-rooter for their prompt service (they were here in 1 hour and out the door in 2 hours since I first called). Will use them again.

Paige E.

9/20/2016

Timely service but incredibly overpriced. Guy came out to fix our clogged kitchen sink and leaking garbage disposal, in total quoted us over $1,000. Knowing that price was absurd I asked how much it would be to just unclog the sink (the more pressing issue) and he said $460 for that. I told him thanks but no thanks and he dropped it to $240. Still way more than 20 minutes of service should cost but we needed the clog fixed and he was already there. We are going to replace the disposal ourselves for a much more reasonable total of $175.

Update: After writing this review the company contacted me to resolve my issue. According to them I should have been charged by the hour, not service. They refunded me about half of what I was originally charged so I ended up only paying for the ~30 minutes worth of service I received. I added an extra star for this, however the company should make sure their employees are charging customers fairly up front.

V In T.

11/26/2011

I don't know how to rate them because I ended up not using them. They offered a free estimate, and on a friday night, they were here in an hour for a clogged line. The guy was very nice, and I'm sure everyone's experiences on here are totally going to depend on the service person you get. My issue was not with the guy at all, who really did try hard, but how they structure the fees.. it was way too much money, and they're paid by the job, rather than by the hour. Seems to me they should be able to give you a ballpark idea or frame of reference on pricing over the phone before sending someone out when you have an idea of what you need.. but Im sure putting someone on your front door step when your desperate plus whatever guilt you may feel for dragging them over adds up to many people feeling pressured into paying them whatever they are asking on the spot, and in the long term is a good biz model for them.

To the plumber's credit he did try to work with me on the price and he offered to do a basic snake (really, the probably needs to be cut for better access and they charge more) and I'd only pay if it worked, so that if he did fix the problem he would not have wasted all of his time coming over. I'd already tried it myself earlier so was pretty sure it wouldn't work. In the end I just felt really bad, because it didn't work and he was paid nothing. If they'd been able to tell me ahead I'd be looking at $450-550 for a snake, I would not have wasted that poor guy's time. Or mine.. because now it's the weekend and I'll have to wait until Monday to get someone else over here.

Maria J.

05/10/2016 12:00:00 SA

Gas was leaking & we immediately called Washington Gas to come turn it off. A pipe had rotted that went from the side of our house to the basement.

We called Roto-Rooter, explained the situation, and requested a specialist letting them know an excavation was needed. They sent someone to come check it out the next day. He told us we needed a specialist for excavation (confirming what we already knew), permits, and that a specialized technician would call us the same day. They never did, so I immediately called the next day and once again explained the situation of replacing our gas pipe. They told us a proposal was already submitted with an estimate which surprised us because no one ever let us know. I told them I'd call back once I discussed the estimate with my family. I called back to accept the proposal & to schedule an appointment. After speaking with 3 different operators/dispatchers, having to explain the issue to each of them, and being put on hold numerous times they finally told us, Sorry ma'am we don't do that kind of service.

This company had completely wasted my time! It was VERY CLEAR from the beginning that our gas pipe needed to be replaced. Spoke to their company several times about it, and after everything their excuse was, Our employees didn't know we do that kind of service.
How can both your technicians and customer service employees NOT know what kind of services your company provides? Thanks to their extremely poor service all us had to suffer longer with no heated water, or a working gas stove to cook (we have kids in our house)!

Had to call another company & got it fixed within 2 days.

A. B.

07/06/2012 12:00:00 SA

I thought that because Roto Rooter had a recognizable brand name that they delivered a certain minimum level of service and competency. I was mistaken. My toilet stopped flushing. They sent plumber #1 out. He got the toilet to flush, but due to whatever he did, the toilet began running every 3 minutes. He didn't know how to fix the new issue of continuous running, and he didn't speak enough English to provide recommended next steps. I called back a few days later with the hopes that they would send someone new out who spoke English and was competent to fix the problem. Plumber 2 came. He recognized the problem. Said I needed a part. This was Memorial Day weekend. He said supply stores would be closed. He would try to find the part, and he would call me when he returned to work the following Wednesday. Wednesday came and went. In fact, two whole weeks passed. I didn't hear from Plumber 2 or Roto Rooter's administrative staff. So I gave them a call. They said that their system showed that the part had been ordered, and they were waiting for it to be delivered. They said someone from their administrative team would call me back after 1 p.m. to provide me with more details about when I could expect the part. A week later, I had not heard from anyone. So I called back. This time, they connect me with Plumber 2, who confesses that no part had been ordered because he hadn't even followed up with the supply company to make sure that they even had the part! He then asked me to take pictures of my toilet that he could send to the supply company to see if they had the part. Within a few days, he emailed back saying that they did have the part, and they were delivering it. A week and a half later, the part gets here, and Plumber 2 comes to install it. THIS IS FIVE WEEKS AFTER PLUMBER 2 SAID HE WOULD GET THE PART AND FIX MY TOILET. That means that my toilet has been running (LOUDLY) every 3 minutes for 5 weeks. And Roto Rooter essentially lied to me about the progress that was being made toward fixing my problem, refused to call me to keep me updated, and didn't even have the decency to return my calls, even when they said they would. I asked for a discount, and the manager, Mike, provided me with a 30% discount on my labor charges. The administrative person said they would let Plumber 2 know to apply the discount. No surprise given their track record, they didn't inform Plumber 2 about the discount. So of course, he's upset when we are talking about the final bill. He didn't want to apply the discount. He calls his manager. And they end up only offering me a 30% discount on one portion of the labor charges, which is NOT what we had negotiated a mere three hours prior to Plumber 2's arrival. Don't be fooled. Roto Rooter's competency and service is far below average. You could find equally inadequate service on Craigslist for half of the price, and they would get the job done in 75% less time. Pass on Roto Rooter.

Kevin D.

11/14/2016

I'm always impressed with Roto-Rooter. Kam did a great job explaining and fixing the issue. I wonder if I should have gotten another estimate, though. Kam was there for just under 2 hours and the bill was $600 to open and replace pipes and snake out the pipes under the house. But at least the problem is fixed.

Irene K.

11/21/2016

Rosian was great. Clean, fast and knowledgeable. I would definalty use RotoRooter in the future and ask for Rosiam!

Karen W.

03/03/2019 12:00:00 SA

Do not call Roto Rooter. I called to get an estimate for replacing a hot water heater and was given an outrageous price when compared to other companies in the area. I received estimates for $1000-1800 from other companies but received a quote for $2300 from Roto-Rooter. This company will rip you off please be careful.

Silvia E.

08/06/2020 12:00:00 SA

Love the fact that they showed up in a mask as well Mr Khuma was very professional and explaint what he was going to do before he started the work on my basement sump pump. he asked if I had any questions after he completed the job. he gave me a great discount and then a supervisor came by to do an estimate if there were any damages or free. Thank you Guy's

Katie F.

02/09/2015 12:00:00 SA

Kam (my technician) was really nice and did his darnedest to give me my money's worth (which is hard with their prices). There was a clog in the main stack coming out of my kitchen - which meant I could not use my sink or dishwasher. I tired to snake it myself, but my cheap snake could not get the clog out. Kam snaked the clog out and then for good measure went down further (to 60 ft) to get any other junk out of my drain lines.

He then cleared my floor drain by my back door. He swept away leaves and dirt (which I thought I had stayed on top of) and cleared the trap using my garden hose at full blast (trick I now know about).

Would it have been cheaper to buy a better and longer snake and do it myself? Yes. But I called at 6:30am on a Monday morning and my technician arrived by 8:15am (I live in DC, so that's about how long it takes to navigate through morning traffic). I paid for the convenience.

David M.

01/05/2010 12:00:00 SA

I'm not sure this is the same place as Leah reviewed or not. The phone I used was 202-291-2113. Anyway, we called Roto-Rooter because we had a problem with our hot water valve not turning off in the bathtub. I give them three stars for coming out and giving a free estimate-- that was much appreciated, regardless of anything else. The guy who came out was very patient and waited with us for over 30 minutes as we tracked down the manager and turned off the water in our building. However, first he started talking about having to drill through the tile and ultimately he said they couldn't fix it at all because he didn't have the part. It turned out to be a standardized $3.99 rubber washer replacement that I found myself at Home Depot. Ultimately, not impressed with the knowledgeability or the response, but I don't know if another place would have done better or not.

Ligia M.

10/06/2017 12:00:00 SA

Conrad, our plumber, quickly fixed a clogged drain that was backing up our toilets. He was friendly and clearly very good at his job. The only reason they don't get five stars is because when we originally called their emergency line at 10:30 p.m., they sent a plumber who, despite trying the same thing that Conrad tried, could not fix the issue that evening and told us we would need to take some more drastic measures (removing and snaking the downstairs toilet). We had AirBnB guests staying with us and did not want to disturb them more than necessary, so we opted to continue the fix in the morning rather than at 3 a.m., and it's a good thing we did because Conrad was able to fix it without removing the toilet, just by snaking the pipes from outside the house.

Maggie H.

8/26/2017

Great service, friendly repair man, amazing that they came on a Saturday. Prices seem a bit expensive compared to others in the area. But got the job done. Thanks!

Malini S.

7/23/2017

Bathtub was not draining and came to a complete still on a Sunday. They sent a technician over within 2 hours and he was extremely professional and took care of it within a hour. Thankful for the efficiency and advice in how to prevent this in the future.

Matt K.

02/07/2018 12:00:00 SA

Roto-Rooter is a complete rip off. They quoted me over $600 do snake two drains. I had my licensed local plumber do the job he charged me $260.00 I would stay away from these guys!

Terri G.

5/13/2017

Lal Sailo great technician from Rotorooter. Easy to schedule, online. Great hours. Lal was friendly,and efficient.

Suzy B.

1/13/2017

Needed a plumber to help fix a problem for one of my family members. To start, they had discount coupons on their website and they were available on the weekend. All the other places were closed and so this was very helpful that they were open. John 1275 was very professional and he was able to fix the problem. No hidden fees, the bill was very reasonable and fair. Highly recommend him, thanks John!

Susan H.

04/12/2016 12:00:00 SA

Vera #1007 was prompt, thorough, clean, and very polite. He was careful not to mark the stairs as he lugged a heavy piece of machinery to the second floor. I would definitely call him again.

Su M.

09/09/2017 12:00:00 SA

Just called Roto Rooter for a midnight emergency - dirty water flooded all over the kitchen floor from the dishwasher.
Min came out from Roto Rooter and troubleshooted the problem efficiently. He quickly investigated all possible causes, narrowed it down to one, set to work on it, and within 1 hour of having diagnosed it, fnished implementing the solution. Amazing. He was friendly, took the time to explain the issues, walk me through how to prevent a reocccurence and saved me thousands of dollars in future water damage repair. I'm so glad that I called Roto Rooter. Thank you so much Min!

Adi K.

01/02/2019 12:00:00 SA

I gave Roter 2 starts based on positive experience I had 3 years ago. In the last two years though I have invited them to provide quotes in few small plumbing issues (clogged toilet etc.) Unfortunately the quotas were double or triple compare to other plumbers I eventually used. I don't like greedy service providers who take advantage of their customers.

Stephen T.

8/26/2015

Water Heater burst and they came next day. Diagnosed the problem, gave estimate and replaced old water tank in eight hours. Because we had an 11 year old water heater they also brought the pipe work up to code before installing the heater.

Great Job would highly recommend them and will use them for future plumbing/water heater problems.

Zau (1409)
Bret (2921)

A N.

12/10/2021 12:00:00 SA

We had a horrible run in with a private plumbing company. I wish I called roto rooter from the start. They were incredibly thorough, helpful, professional and they saved my home. We had clogged toilets, clogged showers and water completely filled up my ceilings and walls on two separate levels. They were right over and fixed everything. No matter what time of day. Highly recommend. They're affordable and have 6 month warranty.

John B.

5/21/2018

We needed our shower faucet replaced, the quote was around $800. We also had a pipe under the sink in the vanity that was dripping water, as it drained, the quote was $289 to fix that. We went with just having the sink pipe fixed for $289. That was completed at the end of April and now May 21st (not even a month), it is dripping water again. We went with another plumber and it was not even 40% of the quoted cost given to us with this rep.

Jeff J.

4/16/2016

I had a clogged kitchen drain and plumber James Lian responded to the call. He entered into my residence on a Friday night at 11pm. He snaked the clogged kitchen sink drain and the work was completed within an hour. I appreciate James's work and the additional recommendations that he provided to try to maintain an open/unclogged drain (i.e. run hot water very often, etc.). James was very polite and was very knowledgeable with the work that he performed. As Michelle noted in her Yelp review, Roto is not the most inexpensive but on a Friday evening, no other plumbing company responded to the work that I needed to have performed.

Ngana A.

10/13/2015

My food disposal unit went out at 8pm on Columbus Day. By 830pm, Mr. Van, their technician, was at my location ready to work.
Van, a refugee from Myanmar (Burma) went out of his way to help, to include fixing my food disposal unit (which he told me was fairly new and did not need to be replaced), as well as fixing other plumbing issues at no extra charge.

Lisa L.

11/24/2016

It was the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the house, were the sounds of spouses fighting over who clogged the kitchen drain! Potato peels and grease apparently are a bad combination. Thank goodness for Roto Rooter and Jacob (#4534), who arrived promptly (within the time frame stated over the phone -- very speedy service on a pre-holiday night) and worked diligently for hours into the night to clear the drain. It was expensive, but significantly less than the price quoted by a competitor. Just make sure to discuss the cost when your technician arrives because they don't give you a price until they take a look (the person who took my initial call was absolutely clueless about potential costs, which is the reason for the one star loss). Jacob did a great job. Our kitchen is up and running again, just in time!

Joe M.

04/06/2015 12:00:00 SA

I highly recommend using Roto-Rooter. They came to my house in Annapolis, MD after hours and stayed past midnight to ensure the job was done correctly. Nyi (my technician) was courteous, knowledgeable, professional, and provided excellent customer service. He carefully explained how the main pipe can become clogged and stated the steps he would take to fix the problem. I will always call Roto-Rooter if I ever have any future plumbing issues.

Keith E.

04/08/2022 12:00:00 SA

Do not trust this company. When our sewer line backed up several weeks ago, we called for assistance. The first time they came, they up charged us for a service that was not done (and still haven't refunded that despite saying they would), made a mess of our walls, and cleared the lines with sub-standard equipment (every other plumber and city work we've spoke to told us how ineffective Roto-Rooter's equipment is). The fix only lasted two days. Despite having the city come out to tear up our front yard and sidewalk to mend any city related issues we are still having backups in our line. We have made countless calls to Roto-rooter. Most of the time we are told someone will call us back and no one does. Sometimes someone will call us back, but they offer no solution despite their supposed guarantee. Call the city first or another plumber.

Christi D.

09/10/2016 12:00:00 SA

Weekend service needed to unclog a blocked line that was causing a toilet to back up. They are more expensive than other plumbers, but the plumber (John #1275) today took his time to diagnose the problem and you can't beat not having to miss work or not use your water for a whole weekend to wait for a plumber.

Caramin H.

11/14/2019

Awful customer service , they were suppose to meet us between 9-12 am , no one showed up after 2-3 phone calls and 4 in the afternoon still waiting. Called to cancel and they were not even sorry for their poor service

Dean S.

01/04/2016 12:00:00 SA

Got my bathroom sink snaked.
The work and availability were both great.
Make sure to get price quote before making the reservation.

Erin S.

10/27/2016

Matt (1247) and Mike (3603) of the Water Restoration team at Roto Rooter did an excellent job cleaning up a main sewer line overflow. To say it was a dirty job is an understatement, but my basement is now sparkling clean, as well as SAFE - which is the most important thing.

They arrived on time, were courteous and thorough. I recommend them highly!

L. W.

6/21/2017

Roto Rooter came by to fix my emergency plumbing situation and did an excellent job!!! He explained everything he did and made sure I understood everything. Once he was done he did one last quick check. I plan on calling them again if anything happens but with the great work I don't foresee any issues. Thank you Roto Rooter for your service!

Jay J.

08/02/2017 12:00:00 SA

We had a very slow running kitchen sink. We already had a plumber came and he ran manual snack -but it didn't fix the issue. I called roti-rooter and they did solve the issue. The technician ran electrical snack for good 40 minutes and to all the way to main drain connection. Was very happy with the service. The prices are in high side compared to there plumbers. But they will solve the issue.

Donna B.

6/26/2017

Our daughter was home alone and she called scared that there was a loud noise (lasting at least 3 minutes) coming from the toilet and the bathtub drains sounding like an alligator was in the pipes trying to get out. I came home from work but the sound had stopped and was gone. In a panic I called the Rockville, MD number for Roto-Rooter and spoke to a young man I believe his name was Jerome. He was very professional and polite and told me things that he has heard it could be but that a plumber needed to come out to assess the situation. He looked up our address and assured me that there was no service call fee in my area and that I would get a completely free assessment and that I could decide from there what I wanted to do. He said a plumber would be at my house within an hour give or take a few minutes. I was so happy to see the roto rooter truck pull up within a half hour. Mr. Lal Zaua (#2036) was the plumber that I was dealing with. Again, Mr. Zaua was a very pleasant and polite young man. Before he entered my house he made sure he put booties over his shoes to avoid walking into my house with dirty shoes. I explained the situation of what happened to him and he asked me if there was any water or backup at any drains or the toilet in our house. After we spoke he explained to me two options I could take. One was to snake the drain from the inside trap out to the street (which was quite expensive, but I do have a contract with another company if this becomes necessary) or we could purchase from him a drain cleaner that you put in the drain once a month and see if this will push any blockage trough and maybe our problem would be solved. I decided to go with the solution and if that does not help I will contact the other company that I have a contract with to come out and check out the situation. Mr. Zaua put the solution in our bathtub drain and in our bathroom sink drain to show me how to do it and he answered all my questions about the solution which really helped me to understand what was possibly going on and how the solution will help and if not how to proceed. I will, if and when it may become necessary, use Roto Rooter again and of course I would request that Mr. Zaua (#2036) be plumber that is dispatched to my house.

T N.

5/17/2015

While plumbing problems are never fun and one of the last things you want to spend money on, Roto-Rooter made the whole ordeal as painless as possible. I scheduled an appointment late on a Saturday evening for a two-hour window the following morning. I received a call in the morning verifying my appointment and providing a more specific time of arrival which proved to be accurate. Van arrived on time, was pleasant and polite, diagnosed the problem and provided an estimate. The work was completed efficiently and the final price was as estimated - no surprises. Van kindly answered all my questions. Communication was excellent throughout. Very satisfied.

ellen p.

10/27/2013

Sunday afternoon. Water buckets being emptied into the utility sink in the basement is coming up in the toilet and shower of the lower level bathroom. Freaking out time. Tried my regular plumber. Can't get here until Tuesday at the earliest. Called another plumber that he recommended. Voicemail full. So I called this Roto Rooter and they had someone here within an hour. Snaked out the drain for 45 feet - all the way to the property line. Took about 2.5 hours total. Cost was $559. I can't complain - they came out fast on a Sunday afternoon when no plumbers are available and now we can use our washing machine, take a shower, etc. without having to worry. They are sending someone tomorrow at no extra charge to send a camera down into the pipe to see what might have been blocking it because we are concerned about the tree roots from a tree on our neighbor's property and the clog was out by those roots.

What exactly do people expect by way of prices from a company that offers 24/7 service? Obviously, it is going to be high at night or on a weekend. You have to be realistic.

Barbara B.

7/22/2016

James Lian #2629 was great! He was courteous and efficient. He explained what he was doing and why. He gave us advice to help us avoid future problems.
It was wonderful to deal with this business. They provided great service very promptly.

Adam E.

10/06/2017 12:00:00 SA

Khiangte came out to fix a cracked and leaking garbage disposal the same day. Very professional and courteous. Job well done!

Lynsey W.

03/03/2017 12:00:00 SA

Khiangte was very courteous and professional. I appreciated how he and his team clearly explained everything as they went along. Unfortunately, our problems were too big to be resolved on this visit, but they very clearly explained all of my options for moving forward. I very much appreciated that they cleaned everything up before they left too.

Nicole C.

4/18/2017

I used Rotorooter today and the service was fantastic. The call center was nice and the technician was prompt and affordable. The also have great coupons on their website. I would definitely use them again.

M F.

4/22/2017

We had a great experience with James from Roto rooters! Shortly after we requested for a service for clogged drain, James came over and did an excellent job finding the root from the tree which caused the problem. He cleaned the root and drain perfectly. He cleaned up around the drain after the job and gave us some discounts!
We have always used roto rooters when we have a plumbing problem and been satisfied with their service.

Navi B.

5/16/2014

I had a sewer line replaced. Don and his partner were on time, professional and courteous. Don explained what the problem was and took care of the work. The basement is happy, and so far so am I.

Rachel V.

8/31/2018

Called this morning to request emergency service from the Arlington, VA Roto Rooter. I was scheduled for a 1-5pm time slot. Waited all day after taking off work and it's almost 6pm and no one has come. I talked to multiple dispatchers with varying responses throughout the day ranging from, 'no there are no emergencies ahead of you you will definitely have a plumber out by 5pm' to one hour later being told their are multiple emergencies ahead of me and roto rootet does not guarantee appointments. I would have appreciated honesty and more accurate timing estimates. If they had been upfront with me this morning that there is no guarantee anyone will come out today despite having an appointment, I would have called another plumber.

Mara M.

2/26/2018

We called Roto-Rooter to help with a blocked drain in our basement. We were given a window from 8 to 10 pm, the tech showed up at 1:30 am. They charged us for the service. The problem returned one week later because the work had not been properly done. Roto-Rooter says there was no guarantee on the work and so we have to pay them again! No thank you, Roto-Rooter. We'll be taking our business elsewhere.

Brandon D.

4/19/2016

James [Lian] was my service technician and did a great job. I had my garbage disposal crack, and unbeknownst to me, was leaking water under my sink. I called Roto-Rooter and they were very helpful in getting someone to me.

My only complaint was, that due to a backlog, he showed up at 9:30 and not 6:30 as originally promised.

Mary Jo D.

2/17/2016

My plumber was Tin. He was very thorough and professional. I'll use Roto-Rooter again and would be happy to have his service.

Marla V.

5/16/2017

I cannot say enough about the service I've consistently received. Most recently, the main drain at our apartment building was overflowing into the tenant's basement bedroom. Roto-Rooter came out within hours of my call, identified the problem and fixed it that same day. James (#2629) was thorough, professional and incredibly helpful. I've also had two different service providers at my own residence -- both of those jobs went beautifully. They may be a bit pricier than some others, but it's worth the quality of the work and the quick response times. I will also say that the customer service peeps are really nice and a pleasure to talk to.

Angela H.

6/17/2017

I called Roto-Rooter this morning around 9:30 and they gave me a 1:30 appointment. Within the hour they called back saying that techs were on their way. My techs, Van and Kima were par excellence!! They were so friendly, cheerful helpful, and informative! And the price they quoted was fair. They worked quickly and were able to clear the clog in my toilet in 15-20 minutes. AND, they even cleaned my toilet afterwards, which was a rather unpleasant mess from the nasty clog. I would've never expected to receive such excellent service from a franchise. I will certainly keep Roto-Rooter on speed dial for any other plumbing issues.

Kamyar F.

2/25/2023

Worst company ever. 2-3 weeks ago I scheduled with them they told me between 12pm to 6pm I stayed home for 6 hours and at 6:30pm they called me that they can not make it because they are busy and today when I called them back to reschedule, the agent said the reason for cancellation is that you canceled the appointment (so ridiculous) anyway, today I scheduled again and 1 hour before coming they said they cant come because its an apartment and they need to talk to maintenance first and I told them today is weekend and nobody is here and why you didn't tell me the first time and I waited 6 and half hours, so they canceled for the second time for a different reason. Worst worst company ever

Kelly f.

9/17/2017

Our plumber, Conrad, was very professional and friendly. He explained the problem and fixed it timely. Would definitely recommend.

Chris E.

1/15/2018

I called Roto-Rooter Directly after I noticed an issue with my pipes. The technician, David, showed up about 10 minutes after he was projected to arrive by dispatch. Nevertheless, he was professional, competent, and didn't try to oversell me.

BE WARNED: I have heard of Roto-Rooter techs deliberately trying to oversell customers by insisting that the problem is worse than it truly is. Perhaps I lucked out. Anyway, David even offered a $75 discount after I balked at the original price.

Including tax, I paid about $222 for basic unclogging work. For an emergency plumbing service that is professional and effective, you can't go wrong. Just be wary of their tactics and convenience pricing.

Melissa G.

1/23/2009

Don't use them!
We called them last week when our water pipes froze. The plumber didn't know what he was doing and went to the far end of the house from the freeze and used a heat gun to warm the pipes in that area - which weren't even frozen. I am not sure if this was because he was lazy or poorley trained. After 2 hours, he gave up, and told us to wait, and over night the heat that he generated would defrost the rest of the frozen pipes. Well, it didn't. Instead, we woke up and the freeze had extended the entire length of our crawl space (40 feet). So the plumber charged us over $300 and made things worse! We eventually fixed it by calling other plumbers who gave us advice over the phone and didn't charge us anything. Long story short, don't bother with Roto Rooter!

Susan M.

5/19/2018

My basement was flooding- the dispatcher I spoke with was kind and reassuring- I think his name was Jimmy. However, not all of them are.
Isacc arrived -replaced my sun pump was kind and helpful- angel from heaven. Wonderful experience over all.

Joya Y.

04/11/2021 12:00:00 SA

Horrible! They take advantage of you if you're in an emergency situation. The second day after moving in, my house flooded so I called them. Their program manager Jennifer Bowers mislead me and told me the cost for everything (remediation of my home and repair) would be max 10k. Once I got the bill they charged me 10k JUST for remediation and tried to send me to someone else for the repair who quoted me 40k. Be careful who you hire!

Moshe N.

2/29/2016

Excellent customer service and timely professionalism. Van was a delight to work with even given the late night hour.

N P.

9/30/2015

One week out from finishing a three month renovation (and moving into the house with our newborn) our contractor called to inform that the sewer main was backed up. Fortunately, Roto-Rooter was at our house within the hour of our call. The technician (Van) was quick to identify there was a blockage in the line leading to the street and cleared the blockage.

During this stressful time, it was great to have a service call successfully completed as quickly as it was and the six month guarantee on the work was a bonus. We'll be using Roto-Rooter for any future plumbing issues.

Mati V.

8/26/2015

Just hired Roto-Rooter to come service two toilets at my establishment. Zaw and Bret came out and fixed my problems in almost no time. My location is in Ellicott City, MD.

I have always had a favorable experience with Roto-Rooter in the past, and I will continue to use them in the future.

Judy K.

12/05/2018 12:00:00 SA

No one wants to have to call a plumber when their toilet does not flush, but I was so pleased with the service technicians that I will certainly call Rotorooter again! They were courteous, knowledgeable and left my house very clean. As it turned out I did not have a drain clog- just a 40 year old toilet that they helped me replace and even picked up a new one for me. Joseph #5423 and Emmanuel #4907 were absolutely wonderful and a credit to their company. I will absolutely ask for them again if I need assistance.

Walter B.

10/14/2018

We called Roto-Rooter to unclog our master bathroom shower drain which is the third time we've had Roto-Rooter do this service for us over a three year period. They came on time and did a good job. My only grievance is the outrageous price they charged. It took the plumber around 25 minutes using a motorized snake to unclog the drain. They charged $527.92 after deducting a $40 coupon. This is an OUTRAGEOUS fee for a pretty simple job. I am a senior citizen recently retired. It is my fault that I used them again. My recommendation is to shop around because this job should have only cost around $150-$200 for less than 30 minutes work.

Isaac C.

01/10/2018 12:00:00 SA

Van did an excellent job. He was prompt, very knowledgeable, and very friendly. I was very impressed. He worked super hard.

kate s.

10/01/2015 12:00:00 SA

I can't say enough positive about this company! They saved us recently when we had a clogged sewer line. Late night service, affordable rates, and friendly tech (Freger was his name...he was awesome). We will be loyal customers from now on! Thanks so much for helping us!

Ann B.

07/03/2016 12:00:00 SA

Ok, when was the last time you had someone say- you tell us the day and any 2-hour window and we can schedule. And they were right...met my scheduling needs. Kam was on time and very thorough, giving us tips on how to improve outside drain performance. It took him awhile but he finally found where the drain came out of the ground and cleaned that end out too; found a huge clump of roots and clay tile failure. Price was not cheap, but with this kind of performance it is worth it.

M F.

08/02/2016 12:00:00 SA

They were GREAT! I rent out a condo. There was a leak from the bathroom to my neighbor's closet below. Called Roto-Rooter and they gave me a two hour window which was extremely reasonable in comparison to 6 hr windows I was given. I needed someone there fast. They kept me informed of in route and arrival time. Quick to repair ! Done !! I will no doubt call them again for plumbing services.

Thomas B.

6/25/2016

I had a pipe burst in my bathroom. Water was all over the place. I called Roto-Rooter and with in a reasonable time frame John #1275 came out to the house. He was quickly able to identify the issue, develop a plan to resolve said issue and within a few hours the pipe was fixed. John was polite, efficient and professional. I would recommend John and Roto-Rooter highly based on this experience.

Will A.

04/04/2022 12:00:00 SA

I paid $1000 to have a clog cleared from my sewer. The plumber found tree roots and promised to follow up with a camera. It's now been over two weeks. I've called 20 times and been promised a callback from a manager six times, but still haven't heard anything. My sewer is still backing up and I still can't get a camera scheduled.

DC water and sewer informed me that the snakes rotorooter uses should not be allowed by code because they're too small to properly clear a 4 line.

Ariel D.

03/03/2020 12:00:00 SA

Do NOT HIRE ROTO ROOTER! They are scam artist of a company. I had someone come out to take a look at my toilet that was running. They say they have free estimates but they just quote you a price then triple that amount once they attempt to start the work. They will say we can REPAIR this REPAIR that. Then halfway in they will say oh repair does not mean fix. He sat and looked at our running toilet for a good 45 min then said oh this is going to be more money to fix. What?? It took him 45 min to tell me that??? I was scammed and luckily I have everything on camera. Nothing was repaired/fixed. I told him to leave. Waste of time! Never do I want anyone from ROTO Rooter in my house again.

Mimi F.

6/18/2019

They are NOT 24hours as advertised!!! I had an emergency and they don't live up to what their website says as far as them being round the clock! Very disappointed!

David G.

3/20/2016

They have been to the house several times. They are tidy, clean, on time and polite. They retain their employees. They get the job done. You probably pay more for the short wait times but it is worth it for showers, sinks and toilets.

Ishaan K.

05/11/2017 12:00:00 SA

Had a leak in a pipe under my kitchen sink, which flooded my cabinets and covered my kitchen floor with water. Called in to Roto Rooter and they said they can send someone in the same day, within a few hours of my call. The technician arrived promptly within the window they gave me. He was extremely knowledgeable and identified the issue immediately. He said they were 2 options to fix the problem and provided me with the cost estimates (his quotes were comparable, if not cheaper than the other places I talked to). In less than 1 hour the pipe was replaced and he even cleaned my cabinets and kitchen floor.

I am very satisfied with the quality, efficiency and cost of the whole repair and I would definitely recommend using their services.

Stewart C.

02/12/2017 12:00:00 SA

Definitely not impressed with this service. I do have to give it one star in part because you can't give it zero, but I guess also because they were able to come immediately. With that said, their quick turn around time makes sense seeing as I doubt they have a ton of return or repeat customers.
The guy didn't quite explain what he was doing, the prices were high and he was obviously up selling other services that were not necessary after saying that we didn't want to do his second service, he then offered us half off. He then asked us to use the toilet that he just fixed which to me seems a bit unprofessional. You're coming to someone's house, you overcharge them and then act completely unprofessional.
It's like if someone came to fix my stove and then asked me if they could make their lunch in it.
Do yourself a favor and use anyone else. I used them because ever one else was busy, but looking back, I would have been better off waiting.

L F.

01/10/2013 12:00:00 SA

I called Roto-Rooter because I had 2 drains that needed to be snaked (bathroom sink and tub). I asked the woman on the phone to give me an estimate on how much this would cost and she said that they only give estimates on site. Again, I asked if she could just give me a ballpark and she said she would have to send a guy out to give me an estimate. We made an appointment within a 1 hour window and the guy showed up right on time. After checking out the tub and sink he gave me the estimate... $798!!!!!! I made it very clear that it was WAY too much money to snake a drain and he agreed to bring the price down to $399. When I said that it was still too much money, the plumber said that he really didn't want to lose the job and that he would do it for $350. Of course I felt bad for the poor guy, but I know that $350 to snake 2 drains in the same room (which probably share the same clogged pipe) is too much money so I had to turn the guy down. So after wasting an hour of my morning and being late to work, I called a few other places and found out that the average charge was between $150 and $200. I had a guy come out and for $150 my drains are working great! I guess being a single woman in her mid-twenties, I look like an easy target, but I really don't like getting taken advantage of. To be charged almost $800 is insulting, and if that is the going price for the company, they should tell you that over the phone instead of sending the poor plumber out to waste his time and not make any money.

Ray E.

3/18/2019

Roto-Rooter charged us several hundred dollars to misdiagnose a sewage problem in a house we were looking at buying, and we literally purchased the house under the understanding that a leak was being caused by water coming from outside, just to find out months after our purchase that it was a sewage issue after all. They also never reported an issue to the city they were supposed to which is going to cause us an extra headache.

Without going into a lengthy review, two people misdiagnosed the problem. The third (the only reputable person we've worked with) fixed the problem - it was a little expensive but not outrageous.

Then Roto-Rooter offered a free camera inspection and free estimate for the sewage issue we wouldn't have had to deal with had they not misdiagnosed the problem. The free camera inspection resulted in a brand new sewage spill and the free estimate was about $1000 more than multiple other quotes and kept changing based on how much the salesmen (who couldn't answer basic questions about the clean up process) thought our deductible was - fishy.

We really trusted Roto-Rooter based on the name, and we were so so wrong. Avoid at all costs.

Harry A.

04/10/2017 12:00:00 SA

These guys came out really quickly - within an hour of my making the call. They are not cheap, but they (Dama - Tech #1503 was the main guy) seem to be very knowledgeable and competent, and they resolved the problem quickly. They went the extra mile - throwing in a little minor caulking without a charge.

Tia G.

6/23/2017

The call center and technicians are not on the same page. Pricing and product knowledge are key with a company. I had a technician come out to quote a price on a faucet repair. The tech told us one price before leaving to get the part that was needed to fix the faucet. The tech came back and started the repairs. After he finished we ended up paying an additional $135. I wouldn't recommend this company at all. Total ripoff.....

Kendall L.

07/09/2017 12:00:00 SA

Jason, Maung, and the RR team were prompt, and knowledgeable. Appreciated the quick turnaround on a holiday weekend.

Greg B.

12/10/2017 12:00:00 SA

My Roto Rooter tech, Conrad #1635, arrived within the promised time period and he did a great job. Very polite and helpful.

Maureen L.

11/23/2015

Roto-Rooter helped fix a stuck pop up drain in our bathroom that was inaccessible due to a faulty remodeling job. The best part about the service was that they came very quickly and when you need a plumber, you really want them to come ASAP. They are a little pricey, but that's because they are quick.

We used the Yelp deal that you get for checking in, but you have to let the dispatcher know before the person is sent or it's slightly harder to get the price adjusted.

They give you an estimate once they get to your house and there was some back and forth on the pricing at the end, but overall very worth it for the peace of mind of having it done and done well.

Ulric B.

08/04/2020 12:00:00 SA

ROTOROOTER DOES NOT CARE ABOUT ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL! I am very disappointed in Roto Rooters service. My background is I am a physician and was recently diagnosed with covid 19. While quarantined last night, my living room in the basement began to flood during the storm. I called Rotorooter and requested their services, as I knew the flooding was due to a clogged drain behind the house, hence the problem could be fixed without any interaction with me. I explained the situation to them clearly as the flood levels continued to rise. At the end of my very specific explanation that they could fix the problem while I stayed inside therefore putting no one at risk, they said sorry, we are not coming, and won't come for 2 weeks. no alternatives or anything. My place continued to flood for 5 more hours ruining all of my furniture and floors. Another local plumbing shop came and fixed the clog in 15 minutes without me stepping foot outside,saving my house from even more damage, and I was able to pay them over the phone. I strongly recommend against rotorooter, as they clearly do not care about our essential personal and the struggles over continuing to do your job despite the risks covid provide.

Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup