Northwest Drain Station

Had a back up-4 years after we had a sewer dug up and clean out installed. Was more roots and feline hygiene.
Northwest was quick to respond, send text updates and fixed the blockage quick.

Highly recommend-also recommend not living with women-they are REALLY expensive !!!!

Two Stars for running a snake through the main drain to get it flowing better, zero for shady business practices.

Our main drain line is 4 inches in diameter and has a 4 inch clean out in the floor. However, the technician chose to use a 3 inch clean out, which in turn restricted the size of a cutter he could use.

When asked why he wouldn't use the larger diameter clean out, we were told that it would probably stick. (He never even tried to loosen it). After several passes with the 3 inch, the drain was open but he said he wasn't sure if it was completely open because of the (deliberately small) cutter size. He then recommended that the drain be videoed to see the results.

When he returned with the camera setup we asked if we would get a copy of the video and he said no, because he didn't have a thumb drive. No problem. We have tons of thumb drives. My husband took off and returned minutes later only to see that he had already started videoing. When my husband attempted to hand him the thumb-drive, he refused it. He said that since he had already started the video, he couldn't record the video. Make sense to you? Yeah, us either.

Together we viewed the drain and the only area of concern was some grease build-up that was only partially removed due to the undersized cutter.  He then recommended Hydro Jetting and quoted $1200, which was refused.

So to recap: They deliberately used an undersized cutter that did not  completely clear the drain, charged full price ($300), claimed that a video was needed for confirmation ($200), refuse to make a copy that could be shown to another company, and then pushed a ($1200) service that most likely would not be needed if it the cleaning had been done properly in the first place.

If you don't mind unnecessary upsells, this is the place for you.

P.S. Five and a half weeks after their half-a$$ed drain cleaning, it's back to blocked. Good times.
P.P.S. For a FRACTION of what NDS charged to NOT fix the problem, the problem was fixed by a competent competitor.

Both our shower drain and basement drain were backing up--we had tried a couple DIY options with Home Depot but ultimately we needed to find professionals. Northwest Drain seemed highly-regraded already and they answered our message for a quote very quickly, first out of all the companies we reached out too. I like how responsive they are. They were on-time for the quote and for the actual job.

Johnny and Marshall were very helpful and chatty; they explained all the range of options and their pros and cons. They did think we should go with the more expensive hydro-jet option, which we would've chosen if it had been in the budget to go longer between drain cleanouts, but didn't push back when I explained that I could only do a regular clean out this year. They were thorough and cleaned up after. I wpudl definitely call them again next year and will update this review if there are any issues - but I can tell the shower is already 1000x better. So excited to take a shower without also taking a bath...

Johny was a great help in taking care of a plumbing issue. Called on a Friday night and called back in 20 minutes.  Came out the next day and took care of the issue. He was very professional and was respectful of the issue.

Definitely recommend Northwest Drain Station!

Just got off the phone with someone here who told me point blank they won't do after dark calls in Detroit. Can't even find the words to describe how racist, classist, and unreasonable this is. Find someone else.

We had water in the basement and called Northwest Drain Station late on a Friday afternoon. They made time for us the next day. They solved the immediate problem and even gave us a longer term solution. The price was very fair and he answered all of my questions with patience and detail. I would definitely recommend!

Quick response over the weekend. Very accommodating with scheduling repairs at our home.

John Lococo, owner of Northwest Drain Station, responded to my calls for a plumber on September 17, 2017, and October 14, 2017. In both cases I paid him $125 by check. I have bank records which corroborate my two $125 payments to this plumber.  I gave this business a poor rating because although I sent my brother (as my agent) across the street to contact the owner in an emergency on October 14, 2017, I was the customer as evidenced by the checks signed by me and cashed by John Lococo. The owner failed to respond to the call until mid-morning the following day. Then he asserted that I was not a customer and therefore my review should not be published. This defense does not even pass the giggle test. Yelp is apparently so easily manipulated that it bought this specious argument, which would be laughed out of court. I have bank records that corroborate payments by me to John Lococo, for the above dates, so Lococo's response to my review is dishonest and disingenuous. The business advertises 24-hour service, but it failed to provide it in my case, and then relied upon a laughable defense that I was not a customer because in the second incident, my brother, who resides with me in a home I own contacted the plumber. Records show a payment by me to Lococo dated October 14, 2017. Why would I have paid $125 if a service had not been performed for me by the payee? If Lococo's service and my payment don't make me a customer, what exactly is required to establish that I was a customer who transacted business with Lococo, not just once, but twice in the span of less than a month? The owner's new defense is as specious as the old one. My brother was sent across the street to attempt to reach this plumber at about 12:30 in the evening after we were unable to reach him by phone despite his claims on his website that he provides 24-hours service. He was too lazy to walk across the street to do a 5-minute job at 12:30.   The first time he snaked the toilet, he just showed up after I called another plumber, who sent this guy because he lives almost right across the street. I did not choose him, he chose to take somebody else's call because he lives across the street from me. Then when we had an emergency at around midnight, we attempted to reach him by phone. If you call after normal business hours, all you get is an answering machine which he apparently responds to at his convenience. Hardly what I would call 24-hour service. I have gone through numerous iterations of this review because the owner has misled Yelp, so the staff in San Francisco has a hard time knowing what should be published.  I am just trying to publish an honest review of a business I used twice and have no intention of ever using again. In the dozen or so years during which I have used Yelp. I have never reviewed a business that I have not personally used, yet that was the basis for denial of my last iteration. Because I knew Yelp had been misled, I checked my bank records and located corroborating evidence for two transactions with this business in the second half of 2017. The owner has obfuscated and cried foul in an effort to prevent an honest review from being published. This is simply an effort to set the record straight. I am sorry this individual chose to respond to a call I placed to another plumber. I have never spoken to this individual other than the first time he showed up at my house uninvited.  I allowed him to spend 5 minutes in my home and paid him $125. Rather than being grateful for the business, he failed to respond to an emergency a month later because he did not want to be bothered. I have given this review more time than it deserves because I am trying to set the record straight. This is an honest review of someone I consider to be a dishonest plumber, in my opinion. If you want to use him anyway, you are entitled to transact business with whomever you choose. I will say that I have Yelped any number of businesses in the last 10 or 12 years.
I always prefer to write five-star reviews, but I write whatever the experience warrants. Although this is hardly the first one-star review I have written, John Loroco is the only business owner who has whined like a big baby and attempted to discredit the review in any way possible. If that doesn't speak volumes, nothing does.

There is no pricing on their website.   I called to request a quote and they told me they can only provide onsite quotes.  Well that should have been a red flag right there.  Obviously if you have a flooding basement and you have taken time off work to let the plumber in, you won't be sending them on their way after quoting $548 for a drain cleaning.  This is a very underhanded business tactic Northwest uses and everyone should be aware of this.  The actual work done was acceptable hence 2 stars.  I've had the same job done for $250 or less.

I had the owner John come snake out drain in basement to find the old drain was bad and in need of replacement
Randy was sent out to dig up and replace drain pipes under floor. He had a new helper that started that day which was very friendly and helped move a few things out of the way. Randy used a jackhammer to brake up the floor which looked like a very hard physical job. The jackhammer had broken and Randy had to end up braking up with a sledge hammer, making the job even more difficult. Randy wanted to make sure the job was done right and worked until completion.
I would recommend this company to anyone

Had a slow drain in the basement laundry room, called Northwest, Randy L was at the house by 11:30am, snaked the drain quickly and even cleaned the laundry room floor

Will use Northwest again, and will Request Randy L

Honestly Johnny was very nice and sweet. I called him late last night because my son flushed his mouthwash cup down the toilet. He was prompt and very professional. The price was very reasonable as well. Thanks again Johnny for helping me in my time of distress!!!!

The price was fair and the job was well done.  All the staff were professional and experienced.  I would use them again without reservation.

Randy was fantastic.  Unfortunately we had much bigger problems with a bad pipe but he was at least able to give us a solution which we had other plumbers out and they just wanted to hydro jet us which wouldn't have solved the problem.  Thanks Randy for being so honest and giving us the information to fix our house properly!  I would recommend him anytime.

We called last night and were able to get an appointment today. Johnny was extremely professional, he took the time to listen to me and answer all of my questions. He went over his pricing and options with me before getting his equipment from his truck. He took his time and did a great job! Will be using him again for future needs! Highly recommend his services!

Hello, We recently had water backing up into our basement due to tree roots.
After receiving 3 rough quotes based on costs involved with our situation,
We chose Northwest Drain Station. Bottom line is we could not be happier!

I know, it sounds weird to be all happy over a plumbing company, but our overall
Experience was worth every penny. Johnny arrived on the spot (sorry, couldn't resist)
& diagnosed/repaired our issue within a short amount of time. He was kind, professional,
Willing to answer my dumb questions & explained exactly where the root issue was located in
The pipe that runs from the house out to the curb.

Johnny has earned a place on our emergency contact list, because when something goes
Haywire, it's a luxury to have quick access to experts who have proven they are dedicated to doing a thorough, reputable job at a very fair price.

We highly recommend Northwest Drain Station; ask for Johnny, he'll earn your business.

I was quoted $1470 (I could pretty much redo my drain pipes with that money) for solving a badly clogged drain, they claimed they needed a jetter. However I did no see a lot of effort on diagnosing the issue.

I opted to buy a professional snake and an armament of drano-like products, after spending $90 bucks I was able to solve the issue.

We moved into our new home and we wanted to get a fresh start drain-wise. Johnny came out with his hydrojet and cleared all the old roots and debris out of our sewer line to the street. Johnny was very patient and took the time to listen to our concerns, and he thoroughly explained the entire process to us as he completed each step of the task. Great job, and we will surely call Johnny again.

I was experiencing a problem with an occasional water backup in a floor drain.  I called my usual plumber, who snaked the drain.  |Unfortunately, the problem kept occurring.  That same plumber eventually used a camera in the drain and told me that, to solve the problem, they needed replace a long section of pipe that was buried deep in concrete running down a hallway and into a bedroom of the house.  That repair would have necessitated me tearing up carpet, having the concrete floor jack-hammered (lots of noise and tons of dust), having new pipe installed, and then having things put back together.  The estimate was for a few thousand dollars.  Before undertaking that project, I sought a second opinion and called Northwest Drain Station.

Northwest Drain Station was responsive and came out quickly.  They inserted a camera into the sewer line and noticed a lot of sediment buildup in the sewer lines that was likely causing the water backup in the floor drain.  Northwest Drain Station showed me the video and also explained in detail what they thought was causing the water problem.  Northwest Drain Station told me that they could solve the problem by hydro jetting the entire sewer line, which would clear out decades of sediment and junk that was partially clogging my pipes.  The great thing about hydro jetting is that it did could be done without any damage to my house.  Plus, it was substantially cheaper than the other estimate that I received to install new pipe in a concrete floor.  As a result, I decided to have Northwest Drain Station do the hydro jetting.

Northwest Drain Station performed the hydro jetting a few days ago.  They were professional and responsible and did a great job.  I was impressed with their communication and how they kept my house clean during the process.  They carefully explained the process and showed everything on camera.  It was impressive how clean the pipes were following the hydro jetting.  

Johnny is good person.  He is honest and very responsive and is fast to answer questions.  I highly recommend Northwest Drain Station to anyone!

Johnny came out quickly and solved my problem. His service was thorough and friendly.

Thanks

I want tp preface this with my rating is not based on the work, it seems fine, but with the interactions we had with the company.
They came out timely and gave us a reasonable quote. Johnny was nice enough. However once they started they ran into a problem. Instead of contacting us and communication the issues, they asked our nanny to sign documents, that she was uncomfortable with. When my wife called, it was explained to her, it was just consent to start. We were told this would take 1 day, but at 5 when we returned home, there was a huge whole in the ground and they had hit a main power line which took out the power in 1/3 of our neighborhood. The guys said they were hand digging, but we have witness that it was done in a bobcat. On top of not telling the truth, after a full days work, and not reaching out to either my wife or myself, Johnny said that they found the sump pump line to be at an angle which would mean an extra days work, and our cost went up almost 2000 dollars due to a permit needed and what not. To say I was pissed is beyond words. Isn't that what a quote is for, to asses all options? The biggest problem was there was no communication at all.  They also broke several lines including sprinklers and left a huge pile of dirt across our lawn. Didn't pack it back, which is just lazy. Then after talking to Johnny about the communication issue and our frustrations he agreed to cover 1/2 the cost of the sprinkler fix. I faxed a copy of the bill and followed up a day or so later. Never called back. Followed up again and he answered and tried to argue the price was too high so they didn't want to pay. I gave him all info to discuss with sprinkler guy. Followed up 3 more times, no response. At this point I am ready to go bbb and small claims. All that was required for decent customer service was a call for updates, and truth. I understand things come up, or can be different than originally thought, but if you can't call to advise your client so they can decide further action, that's unacceptable .

The guys seem nice enough but unfortunately the work they did didn't solve the problem and they seemed reluctant to do the full job; ie. to dig up sewer pipe and replace it. If you only need a snaking then they should be fine. They did charge me $1750 for a snake and camera so I do feel like I was ripped off. Especially when the sewer backed up a week later.

I am selling my home and the buyer had the sewer pipes assessed by his own company and saw debris and some roots. The buyer asked that it was taken care of which is reasonable; that is when I called Northwest Drain Station. Johnny came out the next day and did hydro jetting and cleared the lines beautifully.  He took before and after videos and provided a USB with the video and a warranty to give to the buyer.  He was friendly and professional. The buyer was not happy with the after video, as there was a small root that was jetted and floating down the line; Johnny was happy to talk to the buyer and explain that it was small and expected and that it was not a problem and that he felt comfortable giving a 3 year warranty. The buyer was not happy with the explanation.  Johnny came back and did another video showing the clean pipes from the house to the city sewer, he explained everything and took his time and provided a second video. With each phone call, he was quick to reply and very helpful. He also kept the working area clean. I would recommend Northwest Drain! Thank you!

Great plumbers.  We had them install two toilets for us the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  They were so nice and did a great job and cleaned up and hauled the old toilets away.  I would definitely call them again.  Very reasonable.

After using three other companies for snaking and getting sewer line replacement prices from a total of 5 companies we chose Northwest Drain Station to replace a large section of our sewer line and install an exterior clean out.  Johnny is very patient, experienced and knowledgeable. He spent the time to diagnose and explain the problem and how to correct the situation. The scheduled dig day occurred one day sooner than expected, which was nice and the weather held out so that the project was complete approximately 24 hours after beginning even though there was more digging than originally anticipated. (This does also depend on City inspector/City procedures for timely completion) Johnny made sure we were completely satisfied that the roots were cleared before he finished the job. We would highly recommend Northwest Drain for sewer issues in Royal Oak.

Very professional, they did a great job. I called them after a different company tried twice to clear my sewer lines without success. I highly recommend them.

Awesome. Had a clogged basement pipe line. Was able to come out same day (within 2 hours after my call!), Randy the plumber was friendly, knowledgeable, explained to me everything he was doing. Even gave me some tips to maintain the drain! Quick on the job. Would recommend!

Jonny provided excellent service to fix water shut-off valve problem in my home today. Before coming to my home, he communicated well with me via phone call, text message & email & he coordinated with city water department to come to my home to turn off water from my yard. After he arrived, he fixed the problem very professionally & patiently. After fixing, he also ensured water flow without dirts/particles.

These guys are fast and efficient, they fixed a leaky pipe in less than 30 min. Cost me $250, a bit pricey imo but they did have to cut a pipe and install a gasket. the leak is gone so I'm happy.

Great service affordable pricing and doesn't try to over sell! Would use again and recommend to other. Came to our house the same day that we called and had all equipment on site and ready to go upon arrival

Great service and very professional. Came very quickly and was able to diagnose the problem immediately and fix it in the spot. Will definitely call again if I have any plumbing issues in the future.

John the tech and owner, showed up promptly to 'jet' our sewer main. He was very polite, explained the process and cost of the job. During the work, John showed me on camera some of the 'problem areas' (roots invading the line). He was thorough and very careful to get the line clean. After the work was complete, he gave me a video copy of the work and explained the warranty. I will be calling Northwest for any future plumbing needs.

Very prompt. Very clean. Explained the process thoroughly.  They hydro jetted our outside drains as roots and debris restricted rain water to flow.

Do NOT use them! After scheduling an appointment and being given a quote of $125 to simply snake our drain, they called an hour before the appointment time to inform us it would be $165. When we reminded him they quoted a price of $125 and said we expected to be charged the promised price, they said Good Luck! and hung up on us. Nice! We ended up calling DJ Murray's and they were over within an hour and charged us $129! Highly recommend DJ Murrays.

Great service!  I had scheduled a Saturday appointment with another company and received a call after they were late showing up saying their snake was broken and they could not come until Tuesday.  I saw the NW Drain Station truck down the street working on a neighbor's line and walked down and asked if he could do mine next.  Even though he had other customers, Johnny came back after he finished those and took care of my completely clogged sewer line.  While he offered additional services, he did not pressure me into getting anything more than what I needed done.  I found him very honest and knowledgeable.  Even after a long day, he took the time to show me each step and made sure I was completely happy before leaving.

Johnny is a life saver! :)  He has serviced my house on four different occasions, including one today 11/23.  John is a friendly individual while also being quick and efficient with his work. He has always been able to answer any questions I have had and address any future concerns.  He really knows his stuff.  He has saved two holidays parties, and a new kitchen, and I couldnt be happier! I would recommend him and his company to anyone. :)  Thank you Johnny