Jackie P.
05/10/2015 12:00:00 SA
This is not a trustworthy company. Based on the yelp reviews, I called Rooters on Time to schedule a sewer line inspection for a house we had in escrow. Gary came out, and got the camera line partway down, but because there was grease in the pipe, could not complete the camera inspection. He suggested we install a clean-out in front of the house, and wrote an estimate for $550, which would include the cost of the clean-out and the sewer line inspection, which he hadn't been able to do. He billed me $45 for the service call (as opposed to the $150 it would have cost to do the inspection), and said the $45 would be credited toward the clean-out and inspection. So far, so good. I also mentioned that I had printed out the coupon for $15 on the company's yelp page, and he said I could use it, if we went ahead with the service. Gary seemed nice and knowledgeable, so once we had the keys to the house, I gave Rooters on Time a call to complete the job.
I spoke with Gary, and we scheduled the appointment for that Sunday morning, at 9:00. He said the installation and inspection would take about 2 hours, so he should be done by 11:00. Great. Gary left me a message the day before, to say it would be 9:30, instead of 9:00, and to give him a call if that would be a problem. Though I would have preferred 9:00, since my husband had plans at 11:30, I knew he could still make it, if only a little late.
Fast forward: Gary didn't show up until 11:00, and after he completed the service (in a little under two hours), he said that he would not honor the $45 credit, which he and I had agreed upon. My husband called me, since I was no longer at the house (having plans myself, and having waited an hour and a half for Gary to arrive), and told me that Gary was also not going to honor the $15 coupon I had printed, either.
Gary said that I would need to take it up with Leo, the company owner, so I gave Leo a call, to let him know what Gary and I had agreed upon. Leos' response was that unless I had the commitment in writing, they would not honor the $45 credit, and he'd have to call Gary to see whether he would accept the $15 coupon.
I called my husband (while Leo was on the phone with Gary), and was informed that they would give us the $45 credit (which they agreed to, only under duress), but that we couldn't use the $15 coupon, since it was for first-time customers only. They reasoned that since Gary had already come out to do the service call (even though he wasn't able to perform the service!), this would be considered a second appointment.
I'd like to point out that nowhere on their yelp coupon does it say that it's for first-time customers (or even first visits). The coupon states $15 off any plumbing service. Limit one per customer, not valid with any other offers. That, and the fact that I had been assured I could use it for the clean-out, only to have that commitment denied, left me feeling like $15 was more important to the company than honoring their word.
Gary left my husband with a $7500 estimate to do further work on the pipes, but because of this company's nickle-and-diming and shady dealings (at one point, the excuse they gave for not honoring the $45 credit was because it was Mother's Day), they will not be getting our business.
That $15 cost Rooters on Time $7500. We will be going elsewhere for that service.
An additional suggestion to the company, for any future clients: if you don't want to work on Mother's Day (or any other day, for that matter), I would recommend scheduling the work for another day. Telling your customers (after the work is done) that you won't be honoring a credit because you came out on a holiday is a low blow. I can understand not wanting to come out on New Year's Day or Thanksgiving, but the last time I checked, Mother's Day was not a bank holiday, and two other companies came out that morning to provide us with service for work that needed to be done, without batting an eyelash--or any complaints.