Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

My many thanks to Rotorooter for your quick response to my plumbing problem.  You came to my property in Amherst, NY, at our time of very great need.  During an extremely heavy snowfall with two or more feet of snow already on the ground, we were sorely in need, as our one bathroom was very plugged up and overflowing.  There was no way we could use it; nor could we venture out of the house to use other facilities elsewhere.  

Your serviceman arrived within an hour to survey the situation; and, after discussing the problem in detail, explained what caused it.  He showed us the pipe in the basement and the leakage at one of the joints caused by the stoppage in the pipe outside of the house.  After plunging out the toilet and using a snake, he then had to bring some heavier equipment from his truck into the house, using it to try to open the pipe in the basement.  Working at this for some time without success, he then brought still heavier equipment from the truck and how he got this down the basement steps is beyond me, but he did!  All his hard labor brought success to our severe problem

The serviceman (Jim) was very polite and explained everything in laymen's terms so I could understand him very well.  He was very considerate and attentive to our needs.

Expensive repair, but it was an urgent repair, and from the time I called until the time they left, it was less than 5 hours total. They cleared my kitchen sink drain (I'd already cleared everything under the sink but they used their equipment to push a clog down through the sewer lines). And they replaced a faulty garbage disposal. After they left I discovered a small leak from one side of my sink, but I think I'll be able to get it to stop on my own. However, for the price I paid, I'd hope I could count on the repair being leak-free. I might be inclined to give three stars because of this, but one other reviewer wrote a glowing review and then gave one star, so to counteract that reviewer's confusion, I'm inflating the score a bit.  Super nice guys, (Matt O #103 and Ken C #2826) who were professional throughout. Just disappointed in the small leak and the price tag.

We have had the worst experience with this company!!!

On August 15th, we had a huge rain storm and our sump pump stopped working and it flooded our basement, so we called Roto-Rooter to fix the issue. It seemed that the sump pump that the previous owner put in was too low and it died because it got dirt and rocks in it. So they put a new sump pump in and drained our basement.

We told them that we were also interested in getting our drain pipes checked out to make sure that there's no roots in there that need to be cleaned out, so we made an appointment. The first time they cancelled on us, so we rescheduled. The second time the guy came out and said, Oh, I probably need (something about a tool with a camera to look in the pipe). He said that he didn't have it and left. So, we didn't bother calling them back and figured that we will just look around elsewhere.

On September 13th (less than a month), the sump pump that Roto-Rooter replaced stopped working, so they came out and replaced it with what they said is a better, more powerful sump pump. Which according to reviews online was said to be true.

Almost two months go by and we are very happy with our sump pump. It's very quiet and it works really well. But then on November 10th, we noticed that our new sump pump has stopped working. It's running, but not pumping any of the water out. So, we have to cancel our plans and wait for Roto-Rooter to come out and fix it. The guy determines that it's a faulty check valve and replaces it. He tests it out and it works. So, we were happy that it was just something simple.

Two days later, on November 12th, it's raining outside and once again our sump pump is running, but not pumping water out. We once again cancel our plans for the night to wait for Roto-Rooter. I spoke to the guy and asked if we could have someone come out sooner than 9PM (it was 6:30PM at the time) because I didn't want to have to clean up a flooded basement and also this should have been fixed two days ago when we called them then. He said he can try to have the next available person come out--probably around 7:30PM. He didn't come until 8:30PM. Luckily, my husband bought an electric pump to manually pump the water out earlier. The company does not seem to care about their customers to be honest. When the guy came he took everything apart and tested it and put it back together and the sump pump worked. It called it an anomaly and bid us a good day. We didn't have high hopes for the sump pump...

November 15th... it's not working AGAIN. What a surprise. We call them and make an appt. They have been talking about how odd this situation is and decide that maybe the pipe needs a hole to let the air out. This seems to work. The guy also said he contacted someone to come out to look at our sewer drain and give us a free estimate. He said that they should be out today and if not, then they will call today to set up another time. Nobody called or showed up.

Today, November 19th, it rained last night. I go an check out the sump pump. It's sitting with water above the water line. My husband pours more water in to test it. It's running and water is coming out of the pipe with the hole, but the water level is not getting lower. It stays like this for a couple minutes, then finally drains the water out. This isn't normal. I just want new sump pump that works for however many years for which a sump pump is supposed to work. The only reason why we keep going back to them is because the sump pump is under warranty and we paid enough money the first time. I am not paying for a new sump pump just because of their faulty equipment. I want to job done properly. But I guess that it too much for which to ask.

If I could give this company zero stars I would. Awful company to work with, they overcharge for work that they did not even fix but made worse!!! When I first called they said they could have someone out in 2 hours from when I called, I then get a phone call when they are already supposed to be there that they are delayed 3 hours...Came out to unclog a drain in the basement and could not complete the task but actually made it worse and basement keeps flooding. Manager was extremely rude when I called to address the situation. Will never use this company again!!!

Rich was courteous and friendly, explained ahead of time exactly what it would cost, and did the job to my satisfaction. Couldn't have asked for anything better.

Called them and set up an appointment.  They called me and said that they would be late.  Three phone calls from me to them.  No callback and finally after being over three hours late and still no answer so I canceled the call. I will never use them again

At 2pm on 2/14/21 I requested service for my main drain that was backing up in my basement, I received notice that someone would be there between 4-8pm and would call a half hour before arriving. At 7:50 I hadn't received a call so I called them to make sure someone was still coming, the person I talked to couldn't give me an answer and said someone else would call right back. At 8:30, having still heard nothing, I called again this time I was told the technician was finishing up a job and would be there shortly. At 9 I received a final call saying sorry we're not coming. So thank you for wasting an entire day of my time waiting for someone who was never going to show up, by the time I found out there were no other plumbers available until the 16th now I'm stuck with a clogged main drain for the next 2 DAYS!! I will never EVER call you when in need of service again or recommend your company to anyone. This is some of the worst customer service I've ever experienced, 24/7 365 just doesn't mean what I thought...

We had a blocked sewer drain.  Making the appointment was a snap.  They were very polite and accommodating.  I needed service after business hours.  They communicated extremely well throughout the entire process.  The technician showed up just a tad late which was fine.  He was very polite, informative and took care of the issue in no time with an auger.  My whole experience was great....aside from the price.  It was a bit expensive in my opinion.  I gladly paid it for the prompt and professional service but all in all it was over $250 for under an hour of work.  Not to say it wasn't fair, I just feel I could have found it much cheaper elsewhere.

I'm a relatively new homeowner with no experience or knowledge of plumbing systems, but I certainly learned a lot from your tech today. Obviously knowledgeable, courteous, and truly cared about our issue today and even called the town for me. We've had some issues with service in the past with other contractors and today's roto rooter experience was extremely refreshing.
Thank you so much!

Called to instill sub pump, guy who showed up wasn't qualified, asked him to fix running toilet said didn't know how, fixed a broken chain on toilet since he was there, broke next day. Paid 150 dollars, would have given him 300 just to get out of my house, honestly unbelievable terrible experience.

The gentleman that came out was named Chad. Their service was unbelievably fast (came within an hour). Chad was very thorough on the work that needed to be done, the cost associated with the service/work to be performed, and even offered to help clean up the mess that was left behind. I've used your service a handful of times and always received quality service. Plumbing is never cheap, but you can't put a price on your pipes! Thank you guys so now my wife can do the dishes (just kidding...I have to do them)

Price - 1 They are expensive as heck.  
Service - 1 the first two times that I called them they were late about 2 hours I did not want to call them again.  

Recently my kitchen sink  was getting clogged up  and  I wanted it fixed that day. They were one of the only companies that had availability another company said that they charged to come after  4 p.m.

So I decided to give Roto-Rooter one last shot. They gave me a time from 7 p.m. to 9 and the guy showed up at 10:45 p.m. I told him nevermind and called Mr. Plumber the next day. They came and they were $125 is cheaper. I will never call Roto-Rooter again.

They kind of put a bandaid on the situation.... Was asking for a fix the issue and also fix the problem so it doesn't happen again. Didnt happen.  Still waiting for a quote so I went to another company

Great service but it seemed very expensive for just replacing a kitchen faucet with a faucet I purchased.

The service was very prompt the technician was dispatched before I even got home from work!Ken (#2826) was very polite and understanding that we had a 7th month old home sleeping and was so quiet and only made noise when he had too and really didn't wake her until he had to snake the drain!It was just hard because it did take a while and the price had DOUBLED from when we used RR 4 years ago for the basement. I also had a 40 off coupon printed out but was so tired when everything was done I just paid and forgot to use my coupon! But Ken was very nice and understood I was  tired mom that need the sink to work to clean the baby bottles! Just wish I used my coupon!

We had roto rooter recently fix our shower drain and while ridiculously expensive for a 10 minute job, it was done right. So we called them back for our hot water tank recently which had the pilot light out and basically wasted 2 full days of cold water bc they gave us the run around. Came out (late), and said we needed a part that they couldn't get til the next morning, and they'd come right back and get it done. Fine. Next morning, a different plumber than who we talked to came out and said what that other plumber was completely incorrect and they actually couldn't fix it. No communication at all.

Going on 3 days with cold water which could have been fixed by just not calling Roto Rooter.  Called another plumbing company which diagnosed a completely different and correct issue, so they didn't even know what was going on and we would've wasted our money if they stayed.

Simple drain plugs, call them. Anything remotely complicated, don't waste your time.

There were some communication issues between the dispatcher and the technician.  The technician did not show up with the water jet system that had be requested.  He then returned to the shop and returned with the water jet truck.  Once he started the clean out everything went quite well and I can definitely say that the water jet was able to clean out all drain lines.  Hopefully this clean out will do the trick and reduce some of the water backup issues I have been having.

Thanks RJ and Rich

The good: It was easy to get a hold of the company and to schedule an appointment.  I also like that there is no extra charge for weekend/late work if needed.  The plumber that was sent was professional, knowledgeable, and able to fix the problems.  He even took the initiative to clean an unrelated really gross surface clog I had been meaning to tackle on my own out.

The bad: I called the company twice to confirm my appointment time as it involved shutting off water to multiple dwellings.  Despite this they sent the plumber out more than an hour early to the job site with no warning phone call and I had to have him sit in the truck and wait.  I had just woken up and could not turn off water to the other households ahead of the notice that had been given.  Charge on the first job was within the realm of reason.  Charge for the second bathroom repair though was extremely excessive given that it turned out to be minor and only took him less than 10 minutes and what seemed to be a few dollars of materials to fix.

Verdict: If I have an emergency repair or need work on a night/weekend I may use them again.  However if the work is minor or planned I would shop around and find a handyman who is more flexible with pricing.

They are a Top tier company in plumbing and drain service! They advised me on the root cause of my drainage issue. Scotty offered a very precise and easy way to prevent future blockages, Scotty was also able to advise me on several other issues in my plumbing system that I had not yet realized that could be major issues in the future. I'm glad that he brought these issues to my attension as it may have ended up becoming a major issue in the future.