Business ProfileforMr. Rooter Plumbing of Greater Baltimore

I saw the advertisement online for Mr. Rooter Plumbing-Greater Baltimore area. I called on 11/28/23 to arrange for a plumber to give me an estimate to secure the gas line in my basement to the wall. This is needed to bring my home up to code in preparation for my new gas dryer installation next week. The rep that I spoke with was very friendly, & was able to schedule my appt for 11/29/23, 12pm-2pm. I asked the rep about the promotions that Mr. Rooter were offering online. She mentioned that I could speak with the plumber about them when he arrives. Rich B*** is the tech who was assigned to this job. He arrived promptly on 11/29 at 12:14pm. I explained to him the work that needed to be done. He asked me if this request was for a dryer being installed by **** *****. I said, yes. He further stated that he just completed a similar job for another customer & was therefore familiar with that type of job. We proceeded to my basement area for his assessment. He quoted me $356 & I shared with him the online coupon that was applicable to this service. Rich took a screen shot of the coupon and texted it to the owner for approval. Rich then called the owner. The owner responded to the text with approval, and Rich also explained the job to him over the phone. The owner approved the work and coupon. Rich stated that he was quite sure that he had the parts that he needed in his truck. He left my home to go to his truck. He was in his truck for a while. When he returned, I noticed that he was a bit distant. He stated that he had to go to the store to get the parts and would return. He left my home at 12:35pm. I received a call from the owner at 12:53pm. He stated that he could not honor the quoted price because he wouldn’t be making any money. He said the the parts were too expensive. He would need to charge me an additional $184 & would not be able to honor the coupon. Everything about this experience with the tech & owner were misleading.

Unfortunately, this job required a special part that we did not have available. We went to a supply house, and they said the price was almost $265.00 and must be ordered. We let the customer know that we can not do this work with initial price and since nothing was done there is no charge, and she can call other companies which may have the part and will be cheaper. We hardly have any issues like this, but the deal must have profit for us. I am sorry this happened and hopefully Mrs. H****** found someone to do the work.

The purpose of my review was to share the misleading advertisement and experience with Mr. Rooter’s owner and tech. As I mentioned before, it’s unfortunate that this contractor was not able to honor the estimate that they gave me. They also would not honor their promotion advertised online. As stated in my review, the tech mentioned that he had just completed a similar job. He, therefore, should have been more knowledgeable about the expenses associated with such a job. Perhaps the company can ensure that experienced techs are sent out to give job estimates. The owner should also be more knowledgeable before granting approval for the tech to complete a job. The tech contacted the owner for approval before he left my home to get the parts. I hope that the review that I provided is helpful to another potential customer if they should decide to proceed with any work with this contractor.