Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/17/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They were hired to clean out the sewer lines in my home due to occasional toilet backups. I expected them to use their patented Roto-Rooter head that expands to the width of the drain line and cuts any roots causing the blockage. I did not supervise them. The employees who inserted the line told me they had cleaned the lines and they were now clear.They then told me their associate wanted to show me the video of the drain line. It displayed several significant roots projecting in the drain line. Again, the gentleman who operated the equipment claimed they roto-rooted and finished the job. Then they excitedly told me the senior technician wanted to show me the video he had taken. The video displayed several significant roots within the drain lines. Again, after they had completed the Totoroot in. He then advised me that I needed to have much more work done, by inserting a sleeve into the line for an additional $2,700+. I had already paid them $891 to Roto-Root the roots in my drain line. He continued to push more services that would require the removal of over $3,000 of 35 year old, 4 feet high shrubs to accomplish the sleeve installation.Two days after the roto-rooter work, the drains were more clogged than ever. Now we have to use the plunger every other day. Our problem is substantially worse than before they serviced my drain line. I called the senior technician. To discuss the failure of the service. He continued to push more services needed. Egregious.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/22/2025

  The customer originally called us to their residence because their toilet was backing up. We promptly responded to the customers issue by sending a technician to clear their sewer line and followed up with a camera inspection, which revealed significant root intrusion. We recommended necessary repairs to fully resolve the issue, but the customer declined the repairs. We are committed to customer satisfaction and remain available to assist if the customer wishes to proceed with the recommended solution. Our goal is always to provide the best service possible, and our team is ready to assist if the customer changes their mind about the suggested repairs.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/13/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Complaint Against Roto-Rooter **************** Nature of Complaint:Request for Refund Due to Misdiagnosis and *************************** Ticket #***-2690158 Details of the Complaint:On 06/09/2025, a Roto-Rooter technician visited my property in response to a flooded floor drain in the basement. The technician claimed the main sewer line was blocked and recommended an extensive repair costing approximately $13,000. I was charged $907.54 for this service visit, which included a camera inspection but no actual clearing of any drains or attempt to resolve the immediate issue. I have an invoice stating this.Due to the high cost and lack of resolution, I obtained a second opinion from a licensed, independent *******. He conducted a full scope of the main sewer line I also have his invoice and findings verifying the issue was not the main line to the city tap but a clogged peatrap. This directly contradicts Roto-Rooter's assessment.The second ******* correctly diagnosed the actual problem as a blockage in the floor drain. He simply snaked the drain, resolving the issue immediatelysomething the Roto-Rooter technician neither attempted nor suggested. I paid the second ******* $350 to fix the ******** appears that the Roto-Rooter technician either failed to perform a basic diagnostic step or intentionally recommended an unnecessary and costly repair. Resolution Sought:I am requesting a full refund of $907.54, the amount paid for a visit. RotoRooter refuses to refund the money and is making undocumented claims they fixed the issue.I've attached rotorrooter's invoice, the second *******s invoice three days later and a photograph which is digitally timestamped06/11/2025 at 12:46pm one day after rootrooters visit but before they send out another excavation team to test where they planned to jackhammer my basement floor.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/18/2025

  We have spoken with Mr. ************ We were called out to his property due to a blockage/clog in his drain.  Our technician was able to clear the line (Technician cleared both the floor drain and pulled a toilet to clear the mainline) and then called a FS out to camera the line.  Mrs. ***** was shown that the pipe that was cleared had a break running length wise directly under the slab in the house.  The customer was offered a solution that was $7500 (There is no proposal or service offer for $13,000) and the customer chose to go with that service and signed all documentation.  Because of the age of his home, we were required to have an asbestos test before proceeding with work.  The customer scheduled for the asbestos test on Wednesday June 11, in the afternoon.  We received the results back on the morning of June 12, letting us know the property tested positive for asbestos.  We alerted the customer and offered an alternative method to repairing the issue with the cost still staying the same.  The customer chose to not proceed, and we issued a refund for the job less the cost of the asbestos test.  During the that time frame, we did not receive a call from the customer letting us know the line had backed up again nor did the customer call for additional service to clear the line.  The water in the image sent was there on the 10th when we arrived.  The customer had placed equipment to dry the area but had not used a shop vac to remove the water or dry it up.  We would be willing to reduce the original drain cleaning from $907.53 to $707.53 (Removing the additional charge for clearing and additional line) due to the customers concern but service was rendered, and we confirmed flow and function prior to leaving the premises.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/20/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  March 5, 2025 the dishwasher overflowed overnight, flooding through the kitchen floor into the finished basement. Roto Rooter arrived promptly, and assured me that I didnt have to worry about the extent of their mitigation or the cost of their services, because they get paid directly by the insurance company. Theyve been doing this a long time, they said, and one of the reasons they are so great is because they are so great at working with insurance companies. I was told I would never see a bill, even when I specifically asked what happens if the insurance company pays less than they are invoicing for - youre not going to come after me for some unpaid balance from your inflated bill to the insurance company, right? No sir!Sure enough, Roto Rooter is now trying to charge me over $6,000 that the insurance company wont pay. Their total invoice is over $14,000, and they left a warped wrecked kitchen floor untouched, with rotting wood surely under it, and some water damaged flooring in the basement, too. They also assured me they wouldnt charge for the fans and dehumidifiers, which they brought back for extended time when I was concerned about remaining moisture causing mold. Another note: I have an industrial size dehumidifier in the basement, and my own fans, so if I had known how much they were charging and hadnt trusted them when they promised I wouldnt be billed, I would have been far more strategic and conservative about using their equipment.I was lied to and misled by their representatives, and they are now going so far as to proclaim this is the first time in their careers theyve seen the insurance company flat-out reject their additional costs submission. My insurance adjuster says it happens on every Roto Rooter claim.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/24/2025

  Branch agreed to settlement amount of $8379.08, which is the initial amount Nationwide agreed to pay. Branch is writing off $5901.43 in order to reach this settlement. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/01/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  Roto Rooter was agreeable in reaching timely resolution, perhaps due to the complaint filed here, but nonetheless, they were very immediately reasonable and responsive, and we came to resolution quickly. The resolution did include a release to confirm I would not be taking further action against them, so there is the concern they may be liable for damages yet to be found, but they wrote off the invoice overage, so we are happy with the resolution.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/12/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 1/19/25 I had a plumbing issue that was supposedly resolved but was charged to replace some pipe that did not get done. I spoke with someone at the company and they did refund me the over charge. In the mean time a mitigation team showed up and I did not know what that was but they explained that I needed to get the water issue resolved immediately so mold did not start to grow because then my insurance company would not cover to fix my bathroom. I had never had a plumbing problem before so I was not familiar with what would happen. They had me call my insurance company and tell them that I wanted Roto Rooter to take care of the water issue. They took out 2 ft of wall from the floor up, took out the flooring and the carpet in the hall out side the bathroom. They put fans in, left them for about a week and then took them out. They have been going back and forth with my insurance company and I finally was the invoice where the billed $419 for a dehumidifier in my garage that was not there and for 4 fans when there were 2.They billed to take out the toilet and clean which they did not. They also tore out part of my subfloor that needs to be replaced. Now they are trying to bill me the difference of $907, the insurance company will not pay that they over charged for. I then had to call a plumber to fix what Roto Rooter was originally out here for because a month later my toilets were clogged again. I think that they need to write off the over charge amount.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/14/2025

  Final bill has been settled with customer.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/17/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/30/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We called Roto Rooter because our kitchen sink was draining slowly. I told them that this was NOT an emergency. They came the next day and charged us an exorbitant amount for one half hour of work. I called them the next morning and complained and the woman who answered the phone said that the owner would call me. He has not.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/02/2024

  This needs to be transferred to the correct BBB account. This is for a Franchise location in ***********, ** ***** area. Thanks!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We contacted Roto Rooter because we believed that our sump pump line was backed up - we say water where the pump exits. Representative came out and said it was backed up. They were not able to determine where the line went and shared that they could clean the line but since it appeared to go underground, they could not tell how long the line was. Because of this, if they clean the line and it turned into a corrugated line, chances are their system would tear the line and the repaid cost would then be about $100 per foot to fix it. That estimated cost would be about $2500. So, instead they recommended a hydro line that would cost and additional cost of $1000 plus the plumbing cost of $400 - total around $1400. I agreed to this cost for the repair.They used the hydro line - blew the pipe out - which was about only 10 feet from my visible line and actually just under the mulch (not buried in the ground). It took about 5 minutes.On top of that, they found that the sprinkler line was leaking - and, that was the cause of the water - not the sump pump. I paid the guys and even gave them a pizza because we were relieved that it was discovered. I am filing this claim because I firmly believe that their scare tactics about the line tearing was deceptive. A trained plumber (like they say they are) should have been able to find this line easily.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We hired them for plumbing and then immediately after they sent someone over to sell us on mitigation where he quoted us $6k and promised to work with insurance on payment/cost. The worker who they sent out to do the work was actually working another job while he was doing our home and also conducting personal business while he should have been fixing our home. I know this because he stayed on speakerphone and I could hear him through my home office. The gentleman was actually fired for such. Because of this, the work took longer and actually stalled. One day a gentleman showed up, picked up the machines had me sign a form and left. They left all garbage and trash within my house that me and my wife had to spend two weekends cleaning up. When we received invoice the $6,000 quote was actually close to $13,000. No one notified us or insurance of when cost was exceeding the quote. The only time we ever heard from this company is when they were trying to work through payment but never for the work. I do believe that we're charged for time that really didn't need to be added because again, the technician that they sent over was double dipping with his own personal business and if he was focused on our house it would have been done in a much shorter time. Our insurance company agreed to pay $9,600 of the cost which we remitted to them immediately. They say that they were going to work with insurance for whatever cost they can negotiate on the back end. Just received the call from these people that there's a lien on my house for the balance and I don't agree with the services that were provided.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/15/2024

  I have discussed this with the customer and remaining balance has been cleared.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/11/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 3/19 Roto-Rooter came out to fix a plumbing issue. The first tech attempted to fix the problem and left without completely checking to see if the issue was resolved. The issue was not resolved. The second tech came out on the same day and snaked the pipe. He advised that he could not completely fix the issue and recommended a camera crew come out to determine next steps. ***************** came out on 3/20 and advised that extensive work would need to be done to fix the issue. He gave several options ranging from $10,000 to $2,500. He suggested full pipe replacement with pipe lining for $8,500, which is the option I selected. When the crew arrived to perform the work on 4/3, they advised that I did not need to have the pipe replaced. They were able to descale the pipe and clear the line. I discussed this option with *****, and he advised that the cost would be $2500. However he didn't feel that would resolve my issue. When the crew left, they would not provide any paper work on what was done nor any pricing. They advised that ***** would handle that portion. I called ***** and he advised he could get the price to $5000. I advised him that was too much and not what we discussed. ***** said he would speak with his management team. Shortly after ***** stop taking my calls. I then received a bill for $5000.This is not what we discussed and is grossly overpriced for the service. Other plumbers have advised that a descale would cost $1000 -$2000. Roto -Rooter needs to honor the original price of $2500 or reduce that cost for time, inconvenience, and poor service.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/18/2024

  After reviewing customers concern, we reached out to all parties involved to resolve the issue.  The customer and ********************** have a mutual agreement that the work is complete and the matter is resolved.  Additional documentation is being sent to the customer for her records.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/22/2024

   
  Complaint: 21561386
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Roto Rooter made an offer to reduce the bill, but still charged my credit card for the full price.  Although they were fully aware that they did not complete the work, they billed me the FULL price without my permission.  This is poor service at it's worst. Now I'm being charged interest fees for work that was never done.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business Response

  Date: 04/26/2024

  Customers Synchrony account that was used to pay balance has now been refunded and the agreed upon final amount for service has been paid by customer via credit card. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/16/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  There are two claims for water mitigation service provided by Roto-Rooter- 11/11/23 and 12/6/23.Review of these itemized bills reveals inaccurate claims of service provided, e.g. hours billed for, after hours billed for, type and quantity of pieces of equipment billed for.I provided the business detailed line by line comments within the attached pdfs of what and why I am disputing and requested billing adjustment.The business is not addressing my valid concerns, stating I signed a certificate of satisfaction and need to pay them. The point is that they are billing for services that were not provided, not necessary, and/or not authorized by me. I feel that even though I signed away my life, its still not ethical to charge for services that were not provided, not necessary, and/or not authorized by me. I understand I owe them payment, but I do not owe them the amount they are billing for.Please help. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/19/2024

  We have gone thru each line item with the customer to discuss. We did not have pictures of a couple of items, and we removed those costs. We then agreed to reduce each of the invoices additionally for customer satisfaction and resolve the complaint. The customer has paid us in full for the reduced invoices.