ComplaintsforRoto Rooter

• Initial Complaint

  01/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We had a technician from RotoRooter come to our home the week of October 29th to evaluate a master bathroom shower that had had water backing up. When the technicians came they ran the shower water for several minutes and didn't see water accumulating. I told them that just the night before and for several days prior when showering the water had been backing up significantly. They said they didn't see anything based upon running the shower for several minutes. The shower continued to back up over the weekend -we scheduled a technician to return to the home. He said he cleared the line and we paid them. When I came into the master bedroom I immediately noticed water damage to the carpet along the side of the wall in the bedroom and to the master closet adjacent to the bathroom. I called the RotoRooter and the technician reported that indeed "a little" water had come out behind the toilet while running the line and he had cleaned it with a towel. This story didn't correlate with the amount of damage. Due to the water damage we had a carpet cleaning company come and RotoRooter agreed to reimbursed us for this cost. They said they thought it was an issue with damage to the water seal from pressure build up and would send a technician to repair it. When he came he said he fixed the issue The next day we saw water again leaking from behind the toilet.. We called a 3rd party company and they found the wax seal was inappropriately placed and the flange was noted to be broken. I have contacted RotoRooter mulitple times via phone and email since November 2023 with these issues but have yet to speak with the owner or get a response. We request reimbursement for the expense we had to pay for a third party company to fix the issues they initially told us they had fixed. We were never reimbursed for the cost of the initial service by RotoRooter or the additional cost of hiring a third party to pay for the broken flange and incorrectly placed wax seal by their company.

  Business response

  02/02/2024

  BBB Response
  February 1, 2024
            The homeowner contacted our office on November 1, 2023 stating that the shower was backing up. We dispatched Technician #1 to the home that same day. Tech #1 ran water through multiple drains and found that there was nothing stopped up at that time but, advised customer to call back in the instance that it backed up again. Tech #1 also advised homeowner that the trip lever stayed in the down position after flushing. The homeowner confirmed that they were aware of the issue. Tech #1 did not charge for the visit due to there not being a stoppage at the time.
            The homeowner contacted our office again on November 6, 2023 stating that the shower was backing up again. We dispatched Tech #1 the same day. He tested the drains and found that the main sewer line was backing up. Tech #1 noticed a very small amount of water at the base of the commode and wiped it up with a towel. Tech #1 ran the sewer line and opened the line towards the house and pulled roots. When re-testing found no water at the base of the commode. The Tech then wrote up a ticket for $175.00 and collected payment via check. Shortly after the Tech left the home, the homeowner called the office stating there was a leak. The office contacted Tech #1 and had him head back to the job location. The Tech contacted the office and spoke with the manager. The manager was advised that there was water on the carpet in the master closet and Tech has stated that there was no water at the base of the commode. The manager spoke with the homeowner. The homeowner had stated that the carpet had just recently been cleaned and if Roto-Rooter would be covering the cost of another cleaning. The manager advised customer that they would have to get with the owner. The homeowner also wanted to know what could cause water to leak from the base of the commode. The manager advised that there could be several causes. One being, if a sewer line is clogged, it could build pressure in the drains and bowl wax under the toilet, due to the line being clogged, it can cause the bowl wax to lose its seal. The bowl is designs for a drain, not pressure. The manager then spoke with the owner who agreed to replace the bowl wax and trip lever at no cost to the homeowner. The owner also agreed to re-imburse the homeowner the cost to have the carpet cleaned at after hour prices. The manager contacted the homeowner and advised them of what the owner had stated. The manager scheduled for the work to be done on November 9, 2023 between 3:00pm - 5:00pm.
            On November 9, 2023 Tech #2 was dispatched to replace the bowl wax and trip lever. Tech #2 pulled the commode in the master bathroom and proceeded to replace the bowl wax. He then reset the commode and proceeded to test it by flushing it multiple times and checking the base of the commode with a flashlight. He detected no leaks. Tech #2 wrote up a ticket at “no charge” and the homeowner signed off.
            On November 13, 2023, we received an email from the homeowner inquiring about how payment for the carpet cleaning will be handled. The email also stated that they had an issue with the commode and that they decided to contact a third-party and wanted reimbursement for that bill. A copy of the receipt and pictures were attached. To clarify, we had never received a phone call or any contact about an occurrence after Tech #2 was there on November 9, 2023. If the issue would have been brought to our attention, we would have been willing to help.
            We feel/believe that since the homeowner chose not to reach out to us and decided to go with a third-party, that we are not responsible for the additional cost that was incurred. In reference to the bill from the third-party, there is not a single report for the reason they performed the work they did. Regarding our initial visit when we charged and collected $175.00, we only charged for running and opening their main sewer line. On the subsequent visit, unrelated to the stoppage in our initial visit, we chose not to charge for labor, parts, and tax. 

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