Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Roto-Rooter's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Roto-Rooter

  2125 Montana Ave Cincinnati, OH 45211-2741

• 

  Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

  220 Demeter St East Palo Alto, CA 94303

• 

  Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

  1130 140th Ave NE Suite 305 Bellevue, WA 98005

• 

  Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

  1750 S Finley Rd Lombard, IL 60148

• 

  Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

  1310 Pacific Ave Ste 4 Everett, WA 98201-4244

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:02/15/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  This complaint is on behalf of my parents,
  ***** and ******* ******* – both over 70 years of age
  **** ********** ***, **** *****
  
  Parts and supplies: $725+
  Fee: 1.6% charged for him to get the parts
  Labor: $800+
  Total of Entire Work: $2000+
  Representative gets $800+ + $500 = $1300
  
  Here are the reasons for my complaint:
  1. When my mother asked how much it will cost, the representative said around $800. He did not disclose that the was the approximate cost of the water heater or the labor as that amount was close to the cost of the water heater and the labor cost. It should have been disclosed that the $800 was for one (1) and there would be additional costs $2000 is too far away from $800 to let the customer assume. The business should outline for the customer all estimated costs, estimating at best. An $800 estimation is too far from the $200 final cost. My mother should have been told that the parts are approximately $800. The labor is approximately $800, and there is a fee of 1.6% to get the materials.
  2. The representative NEVER disclosed the 1.6% fee to go purchase the parts. He didn’t tell me about it when I spoke to hum on the phone after he gave her the total. He didn’t tell until I wanted itemized information about the costs. I could have asked for options for that cost. There is a Home Depot approximately a mile from my parents’ home. I could have the major parts delivered and paid the 1.6% on the lesser amount. It is a percentage of the costs he had to purchase!
  3. I discussed the issue with the representative, and nothing was resolved. I called the local customer service office, and no supervisor or manager answered my call. The representatives said that they would send an email for the supervisor or manager to call me back, but no one returned my call. The time is currently 10pm local time. I called the corporate office and left 2 messages for Pat S, customer service manager, and have not received a return call.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/15/2023

  We have provided a $400 discount. Customers is satisfied

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/14/2023

  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 10/25/22 our toilet at * ***** ******* **** ** was clogged and we called ** ******** Roto-Rooter (*** ******** **** ****** ******* ** *****) to send a technician. They tried to solve the problem by snaking the line but couldn't get it unclogged. We were billed $1,354.40. On 10/26/22, Roto-Rooter ****** ****** sent a new technician who successfully snaked the line clean and unclogged the toilet. We were billed $1,360.94. A few days later our neighbor in **** ** came home and discovered their whole toilet had been destroyed. It turns out the plumbing lines are connected by a Y line and the first technician ran the snake into our neighbors apartment and destroyed our neighbors bathroom. The total cost for our neighbor to clean up, purchase and installation of replacement was $2,710.98. Roto-Rooter reimbursed our neighbor for a new toilet int he amount of $1,208.52 but refused to reimburse our neighbor the difference of $1,502.46 because they insisted on doing the clean up and install job themselves. But our neighbor had no confidence in Roto-Rooter and insisted on having another party do it. We also lost confidence in Roto-Rooter. In the end, Roto-Rooter never reimbursed our neighbor in full. Therefore we paid our neighbor the difference of $1,502.46 because we felt bad for them. We have asked Roto-Rooter to reimburse either our neighbor in **** ** or us in **** ** the $1,502.46. We have also asked for a refund of the original $1,354.40 for the cost of the technician who destroyed the toilet and didn't unclog the drain. Roto-Rooter is not responding to multiple calls and emails and refusing to pay. We think the total of $2,856.86 ($1,502.46 + $1,354.40) is fair for a reimbursement to us.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/14/2023

  We provided 3 services for unit **. We clear the shower drain and we cleared the bathroom sink drain 10/25/22. This is were our cable want thru next door unit **. On 10/26/22 unit ** had another clog in the toilet. 

  When we talked to the neighbor. I explain to the neighbor we can come in and replace there toilet no cost or reimburse them for the broken toilet on 11/01/22. After 2 mo. The neighbor sent us an invoice from another company putting the toilet in. 01/06/23. We was willing and able to put in the toilet.

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/14/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  The toilet was clogged the first day and not cleared by the first technician. We are not asking for a full refund of all the services. We are being reasonable. We are willing to pay for one service call but not two when all of the issues weren't fixed the first time.
  
  

  Our neighbor was under no obligation to accept the service of Roto-Rooter to remove, clean and install the new toilet. Roto-Rooter needs to reimburse the full amount.

   

  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** ********

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 02/15/2023

  The neighbor choose to get someone else. So they choose to pay someone else. We was willing and able to replace the toilet. The plumber Alex that you recommended would have came back. Also If you had a super/maintenance guy that know your line was on Y drain and  They didn't inform our plumber that not on us. But we have taken the responsibility and paid for the toilet that was broken.

  For your unit **. If the drain wasn't fully clear. We definitely clear it the next day. So What we can do. We will refund $250.00 back to you if there was any inconvenience for that day.

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/16/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  

  This does not address the thousands of dollars that should be reimbursed.

  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** ********
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/12/2023

  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 1/1/23, we had Roto Rooter (RR) come to solve raw sewage, sludge, and toilet paper backing up in our basement toilet and sink. It was decided that we needed to snake from our toilet and replace our toilet. We paid $1,700 to RR and purchased a toilet ourselves for $267.00. On 1/5 we had another backup, small in size. We didn’t think much of it, until we had a larger backup in our house on 1/13. We called RR on the 13th to request they bring a camera to look at our pipes. No one could come until 1/16. So, we decided to stop running all water in our house. We didn’t take any showers, no dishes, we used buckets to brush our teeth and to wash our hands, and we purchased camping toilets to use the restroom. 1/16 comes and we had a large backup of raw sewage, toilet paper, sludge, and water without us running any water or using any toilets in our house. We contacted RR in the morning of 1/16 to ask them to camera our property, came that afternoon, saw a blockage or collapse in our garage area right before our cleanout. The cost was $13,000 to remove the pipe and install a new cleanout. Contract was signed morning of 1/17. RR came out on 1/19 to install the new pipe and cleanout. They needed to come back on 1/20 to fill in the hole and cement the gap. Important to note, while the workers were installing the new pipe, water and raw sewage was coming out of the pipe outside of my garage into the hole. The morning of 1/20 there was a large backup of raw sewage, toilet paper, sludge, and lots of water without us running any water or using any toilets in our house for a week now. RR knew that this happened. We contacted the city to request they come and look at our pipes but needed video footage of our cleanout. RR took the camera footage on 1/20, but never gave it to us or to the city. Very important – we had a HUGE backup of raw sewage, toilet paper, water, and sludge on 1/21 that was like a river. We would like a refund from RR due to them not fixing the problem.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/14/2023

  Roto-Rooter was contracted to repair a sewer line on the customers property. We made the repair as contracted. Informed the customer that there was another problem on the city side of the sewer line. The city came out and acknowledged that there was a problem on their side of the sewer line. The customer called the city multiple times to have that problem resolve. Any backup of the sewer line was acknowledged by the city on their side and not due to the repair made by Roto-Rooter. Any damages caused by any backup should be submitted to the city of *********.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/18/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  Roto Rooter (RR) did indeed come out, but the lack of propriety for the customer, lack of human decency, and not needing to do the job in the first place is at play here. The men from RR acknowledged themselves on 1/20 that the problem was on the city side but did absolutely nothing to help us solve the problem. Once they received their money, they washed their hands of the situation – remind you that the video that was needed for the city was never supplied to us. One other detail is that we never received a receipt from the charge of the $13,000. If RR cared so much about the customer I should not have to beg and plead with them to 1. Receive the video and 2. Receive a receipt of payment, which I never received anyway. RR called the city on the afternoon of 1/20 to file a work order to come fix the problem on the city side. That phone call in and of itself acknowledged that the problem of the sewer backing up in our basement was never our problem caused by a blockage that we created, but rather a problem from the city. If RR cared about their customer, they should had made more of an effort to assist us with the city rather than letting us believe that the problem was on our property. Also, if they are supposed to be a “full-service plumber that knows how important our plumbing is to our home”; leaving us in the state they did, still not being able to run water and charging an outrageous amount of money for a poor job really goes against what they claim. Additionally, if “RR plumbers in ********* are trained to the highest standards – which means they can tackle any problem with knowledge and skill” they should have recognized that with us running no water in our house there should have been no standing water in our pipes. We repeatedly asked as to why this is happening, and no one could give us a straight answer. Even questioning the plumbers as to why we are having backups and the constant pressure in the pipes. The way they described it as “a hurricane of water underground”. This is not true and cannot happen. They used our materials (55 gallon trash can full of rocks and 2 55 gallon trash cans of soil meant for a garden) that we never got reimbursed for. If I wasn’t a gardener, how were they going to support the pipe with no rocks and fill in the hole with no dirt? The city came on 1/21 when we were having the flood. They cameraed our property and the sewer was filled with water again even after RR claimed they fixed the problem. If they were supposed to fix the problem, why are we filling up with water? Every day after 1/21 the city came and pumped the water out of cleanout in our garage. All RR was worried about doing was snaking our line, which did nothing. The lack of preparedness and knowledge of plumbing is beyond me. We are continuing to pursue a refund due to the lack of competency of the RR employees and showing no morals in the situation.

  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******** *******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/20/2023

  Roto-Rooter was hired to repair part of the main sewer line that ran through the garage. That repair was made. If that repair has failed, Roto-Rooter will fix that under the warranty. The later issue was due to an issue on the ********* city side of the sewer. The city acknowledged the issue was on their side. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/25/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  Please see the attached document that will state the facts as to why RR owes us a refund for the work. 

  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******** *******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/02/2023

  As you can see from the pictures of the city repair. We did our work, the customer had a flood after that repair and then the city comes out to fix the problem on their side of the sewer. Has the customer had a flood since? Roto-Rooter fixed the issue on the customers side. We told them that there was additional problem on the city side of the sewer. The pictures and the dates prove what we have been saying from the beginning. 

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/10/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  Please see the attached the reason why the rejection is warranted and the new picture submitted. 
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******** *******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/13/2023

  We fixed the issue on the customers side and told them there was an issue on the city side. The back up happened after we made our repair but before the city made theirs. The pictures show this. No back ups since the city made their repairs. This shows what we said from the start. The customer had an issue on their side and the city had one on theirs. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/19/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  This is what $13,000 has cost me. RR came and replaced a pipe that didn’t need to be replaced, closed up the hole using my supplies. Left to come back the next day to finish filling the hole with mortar mix. This is what I paid $13,000 for? That same day/morning 8 inches of raw sewage backup in my basement (remind you I wasn’t running any water or using any toilets in my house). They said that was a fluke supposedly after they said they fixed the problem. Again, this is what I paid $13,000 for? The whole time that Friday the cleanout in the garage was filling up with water and they said the city needs to come and fix it. BUT did not ever offer to lower the price knowing that my problem wasn’t fixed from what they did. Again, this is what I paid $13,000 for?  So, they hurried up (never seen workers work so fast), covered the hole, and couldn’t drive away fast enough. Again, this is what I paid $13,000 for?  Even though the cleanout in my garage was filling up with raw sewage and never offered to pump the water so we wouldn’t have a backup. Again, this is what I paid $13,000 for? The very next day, Saturday morning there was over a foot of raw sewage in my basement (how can that be if they claimed they fixed the problem and I wasn’t using the toilets nor running any water in my house). Again, this is what I paid $13,000 for? So, we were calling everyone, even Roto Rooter. They sent someone out to want to charge me an additional $8,000 to help me clean up the mess. Again, this is what my $13,000 paid for? Seem like it was all my problem the owner and they held no responsibility for their part at all. Is that fair? Again, this is what I paid $13,000 for?
  
  FACTS: Roto Rooter took a video seeing that the drain was full of water saying that it was my cause due to a collapse or breakage. Again, we were running no water and it was filling up with water (if I wasn’t running any water and they claim I had a collapse, how was my pipe filling up with water???). They said we had to replace our pipe. Came and dug a whole 5 feet and 2 inches in length and 4 feet and 3 inches in width and took a perfectly GOOD pipe out. Even with them trying to replace the so-called “broken” pipe there was a constant flow of water. Why didn’t Roto Rooter right then and there realize it was never my problem, but on the city side all along???? If it was my problem since day 1, that RR keeps claiming, why was there a constant flow of water?? RR claims they are supposed to be knowledgeable and professional plumbers. They proceed to change said “good” pipe even though the issue was still coming from the city side, which after changing my pipe should have solved the problem, but common sense says how is that going to happen when constant water flow was still coming into my pipe from the city side. Again, proving once again that I NEVER had a problem, there was NEVER no need to change my pipe, and there was NEVER no need to charge me $13,000 for something that I NEVER needed done. The problem from DAY 1 was on the city side and if RR really cared they should have investigated further, communicated with the city, and got my problem solved without charging me $13,000. 
  
  As stated before, it seems that WE WILL NEVER GET AN ANSWER for the replacement of the use of our materials or never receiving an invoice or the video for the city or explaining why basic human decency is not used in the RR company. So, this will keep showing up until we get an answer. They took my supplies, took my money and never got anything in return from them. The problem was never solved. RR keeps stating that “The customer had an issue on their side and the city had one on theirs.” THIS IS NOT TRUE. The problem all along was on the city side, NEVER on my side and RR knows this and will not admit it because they don’t want to admit that they took advantage of a terrible situation. It cost $13,000 to fix a small portion in my garage while the cleanout kept filling up with water. This is what $13,000 got me? This has been emotionally and physically draining to have to pay $13,000 for a job that was poorly done that didn’t have to be completed in the first place. RR took my supplies and never replaced or reimbursed me for my supplies. This is what $13,000 has gotten me. Never got an invoice, never the video that we needed, this is what $13,000 has gotten me. RR is the winner in this whole situation because they are sitting in their offices knowing that they took advantage of a terrible situation. Me the customer who should be thriving in this situation is dealing with the notion of being taken advantage of and paying $13,000 for job that I DID NOT NEED!

  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******** *******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/29/2023

  The customer did not need to give us any materials for this job. If they did, that is on them. Roto-Rooter would have gone and paid for any materials needed. The customer refused to sign our receipt. We do have copies of the contract stating Roto-Rooter was contracted to do the job that we did. 

  Business Response

  Date: 04/12/2023

  Roto-Rooters position has been explained multiple times. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/19/2023

  The technicians that came to our house made no indication that they were going to go buy materials. They asked what did we keep in 5 gallon trash cans. We told them soil and rocks. They proceeded to say how they would like to use them in supporting the pipe and filling in the hole. They told us we would get reimbursed and the technician Bill who came to look at their work confirmed that we would get reimbursed. To this day, no reimbursement. Pictures attached to show Roto Rooter how the materials were used with empty trash cans and clear dried up orange clay from the day the workers left it after they used it. And correction we did sign a receipt when we gave them our credit card information and to this day has not received that signed receipt of payment. We maintain that a full refund of the work completed from the $13,000 job needs to be issued to us, the customer, because Roto Rooter makes promises they cannot keep and we continue to suffer to this day from the poor job they left us that did not need to be completed in the first place. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/09/2023

  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.

  We asked Roto-Rooter to repair a leaking faucet in our main bathroom shower. On December 29, 2022, Roto-Rooter installed replacement faucets. We were charged $784.47. (Invoice #***********.)
  
  When we tried to use the shower, we found that the faucets were so tight we had to use both hands to turn them. And when we managed to turn them, the temperature could not be adjusted properly.
  
  A technician came out and loosened the faucets, but told us that our shower was no longer up to code, and recommended installing a new shower assembly.
  
  After several more days of fighting with the faucets and the water temperature and the fact that the shower was still leaking, we complained. Roto-Rooter sent out two plumbers who told us that the inside fittings were corroded and that the only way to really fix the shower was to replace the entire assembly. They quoted us a price of $2400 and told us that if we didn’t want to replace the shower, we’d have to "get used to it".
  
  We called Roto-Rooter, made a formal complaint. We received the following reply from a supervisor:
  
  "Hello ****, this is Ted at Roto Rooter. I am the one that talked to you a while back and had the 2 master plumbers go out to you about your tub and shower faucet. As we talked about. It appears that the valve is just to old and would need to be replaced. We did all that can be done with it at this time. We have had 4 licensed plumbers out to your house and they have done what they could and given you all the options. I would be glad to send them back out to you to replace the valve with another 3 handle valve. Which is not code but would do it since that is what you prefer. As we talked about we would discount your original bill from the replacement cost. Replacement would be about $1500 minus the $700 that you paid. So your cost would be about $800. That is the best I can do for you. Thank you."
  
  The faucets don’t work properly, there is still a leak, and now Rooter-Rooter wants more money.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/10/2023

  One of our master plumbers replaced what was leaking per customer request. The handles would not work right because she has another issue that needs replacecd and brought up to code she declined. We are going to give her back our labor cost to help fix the real issue.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/12/2023

  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.  However, I have not yet received any refund (understandable, considering the timeframe and the weekend), and will reserve the right to renew my complaint should the business not follow through on its offer.

   

  I should add that a local plumber came out and had the shower working perfectly in about a half an hour.
  

   

  Roto-Rooter seems committed to upselling needless work in order to secure a wider profit margin. Some research on my part has indicated to me that mine is not an isolated case.
  
  
  

  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** ********
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/09/2023

  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 on November 26, 2022 due to an overflowed toilet that caused a leak in the ceiling below the bathroom. The company used scare tactics to pressure us into filing an insurance claim immediately. We were quoted $4,500 – $6,500 for the water remediation work. Once we agreed to have the water damage fixed, the company took advantage of the situation to complete unnecessary work. Our bathroom floor, walls , shower, and carpet in the bedroom were ripped out. On our first floor, a large chunk of the main level floor that water had dripped on for approx. 15 mins (mostly into a bucket) was removed down to the subfloor, and an entire wall between the house and garage, plus the entire dining room ceiling was removed. Maybe some of this work was necessary, but overall, it seemed excessive. Our final bill ended up being more than double what we were originally estimated, $13,406. I am unsure how the estimate could be so grossly off from the final amount billed. Also, the difference in the amount was very poorly communicated. You would think that such a drastic increase in the cost of a service you are quoted should be discussed and a new estimate should be provided before the work is performed. Our insurance company sent the bill and scope of work that was completed to a third-party audit and agreed to pay $10,443, which we then paid Roto Rooter by a check in the mail on 1/9/23. Our insurance company said they used the 3rd party audit specifically because Roto Rooter has earned a reputation in the industry for overbilling for service outside of industry guidelines for advanced structural drying. Roto Rooter has so far not agreed to this amount and continues to send us late bill notices for the remaining $2,963. Nobody has been able to clarify why the payment from insurance will not suffice. We feel we have been taken advantage of and are filing this complaint in the hopes that a resolution can be reached.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/13/2023

  We have spoken with **** and we are working with the insurance adjustor to resolve the issue.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/14/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  We are awaiting another response from Rich at Roto Rooter after bringing up multiple issues/overcharges that we have with their bill.  We spoke on the phone on the morning of 2/13/23.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** ******
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/16/2023

  No - We filed a claim through **********, which is our homeowners insurance carrier.  The document we uploaded (***************************), is what was sent to us from our insurance company.  This is the audit report done by a 3rd party, ********.  This was sent to Roto Rooter but they are still trying to collect the $2963.28 difference from their final bill.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/16/2023

  We are still working with the insurance company to resolve this with them.  The work we performed was necessary and in accordance with industry standards.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/16/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  I spoke with Rich at roto rooter on 2/13 and he said he was going to look into the issues I brought up with overcharging / unnecessary work.  They are suppose to be reaching out to our insurance, but so far we do not have confirmation that has happened.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** ******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2023

  We are still working with the adjuster to resolve the claim.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/17/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  Roto rooter was originally e-mailing contacts that weren't working on our claim (i.e. Roy H*******), I e-mailed Ryan A** and multiple others at roto rooter on 2/16 and included the 3 contacts at ********** that we have been working with.  I have heard no updates from either side at his point in time.

  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** ******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2023

  we are waituing for the insurance to respond to us and once we do we will contact *** ******.  Until then there is nothing else we can do.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/23/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  We have not heard back from anyone since placing this complaint.  I addressed unnecessary work issues with Rich at Roto Rooter weeks ago.  I have not been contacted back yet, but we continue to get a bill weekly.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** ******
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/03/2023

  My insurance and roto rooter were in contact via e-mail on 2/24 - I have not heard any updates as of today (3/3/23)

  Business Response

  Date: 03/13/2023

  The amount of the bill went up do to additional damage discovered while completing the work which resulted in the need for additional equipment and extended drying.  The additional charges were discussed with the customers and there is a signed change in price that was completed with the customer.  The amount the insurance has paid does not meet the charges which were necessary to meet the standards put forth by the restoration industry to properly restore water damaged structures.  We are still attempting to get the insurance to take care of the additional amount on the customers behalf.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/15/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  I have not received any update from Rich (Water Mitigation Manager) from when we originally started this complaint.  There was plenty of unnecessary work done, which was brought up to Rich.  Our dining room, which was not affected by any water damage - for some reason had the entire ceiling removed.  There were no moisture meter readings taking on the unaffected ceiling.  When asked Matthew (who did the demo) why the unaffected ceiling was removed - the only reason he gave me was that it was easier for the person putting in new drywall, which was untrue.  We also were charged extra drying days - someone from the roto rooter office, came out and read 3 different dehumidifier readings, but she didn't take any moisture meter readings on any of the "affected" areas.  I have yet to hear any update from my complaint and/or any response from roto rooter directly.

  I have attached a layout of our 1st floor from the roto rooter documents - the area highlighted in yellow was unaffected, but the whole ceiling was removed.  The area in blue was where the water damage was at the ceiling.  It is called "Hallway" in the layout, but it is actually our dining room.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** ******
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/03/2023

  Hello - the .pdf that was originally uploaded is the mitigation report from Roto Rooter.  This was sent to my insurance company.  There has been a 2nd audit that was opened on the original mitigation report sent by roto rooter.  The company doing the 2nd audit is ******** and I was assigned a new adjuster from **********.  As of last Friday (3/31), my insurance, roto rooter and 3rd party auditor have all been in contact via email.  Hopefully everything is resolved sooner than later.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/07/2023

  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.

  1/31/23 - *********** - tristan #****
  
  Bill checked as commercial instead of Residential
  
  Repair Code 2203 - Attempt to cable from cleanout in basement. Couldn't clear going through dirt. Pipe is collapsed - Camara to follow.
  
  We were charged by 1st man and paid 905.00 I had coupon code for &75.00 I went on line and just for a snake job was over $500.00 less. We called for a snake job only.
  
  The 1st man that came out wanted to only give us a price for clean up. There was very little clean up and it was done. I told him i just wanted it to be snaked. (He did not have the equipment) we paid first man $905.00 for nothing !. Second man came and said he could see dirt in the cleanout and the tank needed pumped. He did not do any other snaking in the house as far as I know. He said someone would be out shortly to do a probe. The third man did not come till
  the next day and the second man never put the larger cover back on the large septic hole. (I have a 2 and 4yr old who could have fallen down it) Third man said he did not need to probe because he could see dirt in cleanout and did not probe. I asked him to put lid back on septic. He said it was the second mans job. I had someone help him put it on for safety. 3rd man only wanted to quote 6500 on pipe. We fixed it.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/11/2023

  Roto Rooter sent three different technicians to this property. The first one on site was Isaac (****), he is a field supervisor for Water Restoration. He gave a price to provide a water mitigation service. Isaac did not collect any money. Shortly after Isaac left, Tristian (****) arrived and provided a drain cleaning service. Tristian had attempted to clear the drain from the basement. After being unsuccessful, Tristian called a camera technician to get a camera inspection done to the line to determine what is causing the line to clog. Tristian charged the customer $905 for his time. Lastly, Sean (****) arrived to give a camera inspection. Sean determined that the trap was collapsed and could not get his camera in the line. Before Sean left he gave an estimate to fix the trap.  Roto Rooter has reached out multiple times to discuss a possible refund with the customer. Roto Rooter is willing to refund the customer $555.00 and only charge the hourly rate for one technician on site ($350.00). 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/12/2023

  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. WILL $555.00 BE RETURNED TO CREDIT CARD OR SENT TO ME ?
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ***** ********
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/06/2023

  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 January 13 2023 I contacted Roger Rooter (RR) to unclog a kitchen drain. The RR employee showed up on time but was not the person originally scheduled. He went over paperwork and the hold harmless clause. He asked how old the house was and the condition of pipes. Part of the drain pipe is exposed in the basement and has never leaked. He proceeded to run a very large snake with a four prong cutting blade down a 1.5 inch drain pipe. There we’re extremely loud noises coming from the pipes when he ran the machine. These noises literally shook the house. I checked on his progress concerned he may be damaging the pipes. He was struggling to get the snake down the pipe at turns. The banging and grunting kept going for quite a while. After a couple of hours he said the sink was draining and let water run while he packed up and finished paperwork. I then thanked him and headed to the coast for the weekend. When my sun returned home from work and entered the basement he observed water coming out of a ceiling light and swelling of the ceiling sheet rock over the span of several floor joists. I called RR and informed them they broke the drain pipe. Also contacted my insurance to get directions for filing a claim. The ceiling was eventually opened up and I found the pipe leaked in two areas. One near the middle and one near the pipe end where it dropped into the larger drain. RR tried to scope the pipe but did not succeed in finding any leak. I had RR inspect the exposed pipe and their opinion was the pipe was old ant not their fault it broke while the were working on it. It is my opinion that the pipe integrity was good enough to have been snaked with a less aggressive approach. Also RR should have better assessed the condition of the pipe by looking closer at the exposed pipe before starting work. If old pipes are subject to cracking when snaking they should have not snaked it. Should have gone straight to replace. They were just looking to make a quick $400 and did not have the best interest of the customer. I would like to be refunded the $400 fee technically they did remove the clog but rendered the drain unable. I also think they shop over my insurance deductible. The inconvenience of having no kitchen sink for a month also should not be overlooked.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2023

  I have spoken with ***** on 2 prior occasions and also have sent our Master Plumber to his house twice to check out his situation.  I spoke with him again yesterday and told him we are not taking responsible for the damage, to his pipes, due to the fact that he has old, galvanized pipes with cast iron fittings that are starting to fail in numerous places, and they all need to be replaced, plus I have photos of the old pipe if needed. We also
  have a hold harmless signed by him before we started the work.  Our Drain tech used the proper equipment when he was on site as well.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/07/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ** ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  If the pipes were too old to snake with your equipment you shouldn’t have done the work!   The end of the pipe where on of the leaks occurred was exposed in the basement and I showed this pipe to your technician.   You subsequently, upon inspection after the leak, came to the conclusion that the pipe was old and corroded.   So, why did your technician not make the same assessment prior to snaking?   Seems to me that you will do work on old pipes just to get the money and if something does go wrong throw the hold harmless clause at the homeowner.   Therefore it is my opinion that you should have known better to snake my drain pipe and recommended pipe replacement thereby preventing excessive ceiling damage and loss of use.  
  
  
  Regards,
  
   
  
  ***** *******
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/06/2023

  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.

  Hello,
  I called Roto-Rooter to my house to unclog a pipe. I left to go to work and my girlfriend was present when they arrived. It was a simple job to unclog the pipe, but they scared her into believing that they couldn’t leave the premises without a “water restoration job” which ended up being $4,500 (which was never communicated to her) they did the job and left and didn’t give a receipt or anything to indicate how much this was going to charge. We got a letter in the mail on Jan 27th indicating we now owe $4500 to them. I feel this was incredibly unethical and a bad business practice. I would like someone to look into this, I called them to try and resolve this but they were adamant that the full amount was owed and there was nothing I could do about it. This company needs to stop this practice immediately. Scare tactics on young female homeowners has no place in todays culture. This needs to be stopped.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2023

  Roto Rooter does not use its own pricing for water restoration. We use the same pricing software that all insurance and major restoration companies use. We can settle on this for $4,000.00 if it is paid within the next 5 business days. We also offer financing options. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/03/2023

  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 01/24/23, a Roro-rooter technician came to my home and snaked the pipes leading to the sewer through two outside ports. Another Roto-rooter technician followed up with a camera. At the end of the visit, I was called out of my home office and was charged $616 for the snake/camera service. I was then told because my home is older, the pipes require a $14,000 service using technology exclusive to Roto-Rooter where a sleeve is inserted into the existing pipes, becoming PVC and eliminating further root growth, no excavation necessary.
  
  I declined the service.
  
  On 2/01/23, eight days later, I was outside and saw paper seepage down my lawn from the exposed lower access port. Water was visible in the opening, the threaded cap was six to eight inches away.
  
  I called Roto-Rooter to return to my home and remedy the clog. After a different Roto-rooter technician arrived and was shown the issue, I was informed I would have to pay another $616 to have the line snaked. I was notably upset. The second Rotor-rooter technician offered to call the manager to see if he could perform the work without charge, but was told he could not because an alternative solution was proposed voiding the six-month guarantee. The second Rotor-rooter technician left.
  
  I called a local service who came to my home on 2/02/23. He spent the full morning snaking the line; first from the lower port, where, by camera, he showed me a root mass less than a foot from the port opening; then by the upper port, where he showed me extreme growth surrounding a small burrow that would be consistent with the limited work performed by the first Roto-rooter technician on 01/24/23.
  
  The local serviceman resolved my issue. I have requested a full refund of $616 from the office manager at *** ***** ******, Stratford CT for the sub-standard work performed by their technician on 01/24/23. I have not heard back.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2023

  Full refund of $616.00 has been processed to credit card ending ****. Email to customer has also been sent with refund details. Issue resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/03/2023

  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.

  Hi there,
  
  Here's what's happened: On Sunday, January 29, I had sewage back up in my basement. I called Roto Rooter, they came out Monday morning. *****, the employee who came out, used a camera to look at my lines and cleaned what he could. He called for his supervisor, ***** S, and he came out. They told me that they likely problem was near the end of the pipe, close to the street where it connected into the main line. They wrote me a proposal for $5,750 to come Tuesday or Wednesday and do exploratory digging and "jet to clear" to fix the problem. They talked over that it could cost more once they find out what happened and really were pretty great. I got a second opinion on Tuesday morning, and they agreed with the assessment but wrote me a proposal for $4,455 but couldn't start until next week. I decide to go on with Roto Rooter because not using any toilets in your house is awful, and the hotel costs would be more than the difference. Tuesday comes, no permits but they did have a two-person crew out to look at it. Wednesday, no one came and I had to track down what happened. Thursday it rained. Friday, they sent a guy here who said he couldn't do the job as proposed with only two people and instead needed four people -- but, ****** manager said they could if I paid $25,500. I said no, demanded my money back and scheduled the other company. ***** was great and I appreciated him being available on his day off. But, what happened is unbelievable -- it feels like a bait and switch, especially since they had someone out previously in the week to see the site and certainly should've been able to say whether modifications to the bid were needed instead of at the last minute on a Friday, which was the fifth day of no sewer in my house and I even told them I was pretty desperate to get it fixed at this point.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/13/2023

  Customer was upset over the cost of the repair. Our initial quote went up due to us having to adhere to our safety policies and keep our crew safe while working in the road. There was no way for us to safely complete the repair without closing down the road and blocking off the area. We issued a refund in full for the customers deposit.