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

• 

  RR Plumbing Roto-Rooter

  280 Meredith Ave Staten Island, NY 10314

  
• 

  Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

  3 Alan B Shepard Jr Pl Ste A Yonkers, NY 10705

  
• 

  Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

  1130 140th Ave NE Suite 305 Bellevue, WA 98005

• 

  Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

  1060 Cambridge Sq STE D Alpharetta, GA 30009

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:08/01/2022

  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 contacted Roto router to come out and fix a plumbing leak in our garden tub before coming out we advised him what type of term we had and the exact tool That they would need to repair it. Luckily we had ordered the tool which is a 14 272 tool for a mowing faucet cartridge removal from Amazon. When the repair tech arrived he had no ideal on what he was doing I had to show him how the tool worked once he completed the job We noticed that it was still a small leak he said that should stop once we start using the water again so we paid him $325 . he made a comment that if it did not start leaking for us not to call the company about it because they would send a new plumber out and he would not get paid we found that very strange I took his word that the Fossett would stop leaking . The next day we noticed that the false did not stop leaking and contacted Rotor Rooter again and complained they stated they would send a new plumber out that had experience . Again my wife advised in what type of faucet and that we needed a experienced plumber that knew how to work on mowing faucets and they assured us they would have a plumber come out the next day this was over a week ago. Today my wife spoke with a representative revised and said they did not have a plumber in our area that was familiar with the **** faucet we have now been attempting to get a refund and cannot get anyone to return our call at the branch office we’re still stuck with a leaky faucet which is costing us more because we will have to find another plumbing company to stop the leak this was very bad business practices because we pacifically told the representative what type of faucet and that we need an experience plumber that was familiar with **** faucets in the company assured us that this person knew what he was doing and was well familiar with this type of faucet which is untrue and And very misleading to get her business

  Business Response

  Date: 08/02/2022

  Customer attempted to install the cartridge themselves and may have damaged them in the process. Our plumber attempted to use the same cartridges on the customers request and installed them correctly. The leak was most likely caused by damage to the cartridge due to the improper installation by the customer. Customer confirmed that they have ordered new parts and asked us to come out even though the parts had not arrived yet. After speaking with them on 8/1/22 we agreed to a full refund. Refund submitted/completed 8/2/22 and will take 2-5 business days to appear back in their account. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/30/2022

  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 November 9th Roto-rooter pulled a permit for sewage line replacement as I had requested. They proceeded to do work, and we were told we were just waiting on the county inspection to fill the hole then they would be done. The following day when returning home from work, their worker was filling in the hole, and from the previous conversation, it was assumed they completed the inspection, as required. According to the county website, the inspection never happened and I still have a permit pulled against this. I have attempted to contact multiple people, and always say something will happen when I do reach them but have still not been contacted any further. They did not complete the job they were hired to do and I was lied to and misled that it was completed.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2022

  I forwarded this information to the Excavation department they will look up the permit info and respond on 8/2/22

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/29/2022

  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.

  Initially called out the company to fix my pipes in my bathroom as I had no hot water coming to my upstairs bathroom. The initial technician that came out cut numerous holes in my walls (some of which were unnecessary). Once the job was finished it was discovered I had leaking from the initial repair not being tightened enough as well as from a pipe that was not hooked up at all. Had to call the company back out to do these repairs. When I asked about water damage I was treated very rudely by their water specialist. My kitchen rug was ruined when the new technician decided to place it in my kitchen sink. I had the new technician install a toilet. This resulted in waste from the toilet leaking around the flange and into my basement. I was very frustrated at this point and had to call out a new company. They fixed my toilet as well as the flange whereas the previous plumber told me to “shim” my toilet to keep it from rocking. My shower that was fixed upstairs was leaking constantly since the repair and I called the new company out to fix this as well. The original technician did not repair the shower correctly and broke handles on my shower resulting in the entire unit needed to be replace. All of this on top of repairs that need to be done to my house from the initial repairs. I have paid $2,000+ to Roto Rooter and ended up paying the same amount to a different company to fix the work that was initially done. I tried reaching out to the manager to discuss this and never heard back.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2022

  Spoke with customer and resolved refund issue.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/26/2022

  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.

  Roto-Rooter cleared a tub drain then sales, Tony L***** & Benjamin K***** showed up at my elderly parent's home & supposedly sent camera through failing drum trap & suggested that cast-iron pipe was broken/corroded & that they could repair the line before they had major problems. They bid $13000.00 & pushed for 100% payment upfront. My mother signed a contract & wrote them a check for $13000.00 on 6/30/22.An non-English speaking excavation crew showed up on 7/7/22 with an 8yo boy in tow, worked all day&attempted to leave w/hole wide open.My 86yo Dad found a piece of plywood4 them2 partially cover hole.Calls to sales, Tony L***** went unanswered & unreturned when I got involved 7/10/22,had all paperwork forwarded to me& consulted a master plumber that advised the price was exorbitant & surely incorrect.No one from *** ******* office returned calls so I assisted my mother with putting stop payment on check, called RR corporate, spoke with Travon, told him about problems&stop payment & asked that someone contact me to discuss my issues&was assured I would be contacted but was not. On 7/13/22 plumbers arrived&I asked Harry W****** who their supervisor was&he said Donnie M*****&gave me a ph #.Spoke with M***** the following day & said he was a contractor&how did I get his number. Very defensive & rude.I asked about whether they had been instructed to install a clean out as it was on original invoice. He said if it wasn't done,couldn't be done.I contacted RR 2 ask about refund of cleanout amount.He said that$725would be taken off bottom line,dumpster was delivered @8:45pm w/no explanation.I asked 4detailed invoice to reflect no clean out&was sent invoice that now included$975 charge 4dumpster.asked 2 have that removed.RR,GM Todd B****** entered call/very rude saying we just didn't want 2pay.Told him about 8yo on the job he repeatedly said,"tell me what's wrong with that?"I hired pvt lic.plumber2 check work,take pics/video.Rec'd pics of job from RR NOT from their home!

  Business Response

  Date: 07/27/2022

  We provided services in line with Roto-Rooter pricing including a 5 year warranty. Services have been rendered per the contract attached. There was a question of whether our dumpster was place on site and a cleanout could not be installed. We have agreed to refund $925 for both items. We are not in agreement with any other plumbers report as they were not on site when the work was done nor do we know their qualifications or reputation. We absolutely did not defraud anyone. The documents were presented and signed and services were delivered. We have attached some of the pictures of services provided and we have additional. Customers daughter agreed to sign and pay for services with revised amount, less the $925 mentioned above, but when paperwork was sent she made changes to the contract language and sent back unsigned.  

  Additionally, we have 1 missed call from customer to Tony L*****, their Field Supervisor who signed the original paperwork. 

   

  Michael M********

  General Manager

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/02/2022

  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.
  
  Regards,
  
  **** *****-**********

  Mr. M********, I appreciate your prompt response to our complaint to the Better Business Bureau and apologize for my delayed response but have neglected days of my own work attempting to resolve our concerns with this job and had time sensitive tasks to complete.
  
  First, thank you for the adjustments to the invoice so far that you referenced and those I received in text from Tony L***** Friday afternoon 7/29  "Inspection is complete and passed.  Backfield will not be completed until payment is received.  Any leftover dirt will remain where it is now.  Cost for dumpster was removed.  Cost for chainwall was removed.  Cost for cleanout was removed.  Final bill is $10,832.80  Please call office to pay Thank you, Tony L. " permit report and another pic of a p-trap meant to be under mom & dad's house was attached, AGAIN not their house!  (*permit pulled AFTER job completion and never posted on job site, Inspector Carl "Beau" D******** did not enter tunnel) Tony & Mr B****** removed the "chip chainwall every 10 feet" line item that was added during reverse engineering costs to $13,000 on an Excavation Worksheet when they finally providing a detailed invoice.  This was after I questioned cost of clean out as part of total.  Their home is 60+ years old and there is no chainwall.  We are still disputing the tunneling length of 20 feet.  It is only 13 feet per above ground measurement and the independent licensed plumber's measurement (he is the ONLY person to have entered tunnel to inspect work).  When questioned, Tony and Benjamin both gave explanations on variations of a need to tunnel to the right toward the sink 3 feet and 4 feet to the toilet to replace those lines when in fact that didn't happen-tunneling or lines.  There is simply a straight 13 foot tunnel from hole to tub drain and no access to sink or toilet.  By my calculations, that is an additional difference of 7 feet @ $375/foot = $2625.00 To clarify, I asked for and finally received pics but NOT from our job! They sent pics from someone else's job, not my mom and dad's house, apparently attempting to justify what they SAID had been done but had NOT (guessing this originated with subcontractor but who knows at this point?).  This has happened not once, but twice and I have still never received the inspection video. All of this has unfortunately left us with little to no confidence that anything we're being told is truthful.
  I would have loved to discuss these concerns with you, Mr. M********, before a complaint to BBB but Todd B****** told me he didn't have a supervisor and that he was it, the only Supervisor/GM short of the corporate office and share holders.  Even then, I only requested his supervisor when he was immediately rude and unreasonable once I was finally able to speak to him on 7/21 and when he repeatedly said "tell me what's wrong with an 8 year old on the job site!?!"
  
  I feel it necessary to ATTEMPT to TRY to outline the timeline highlights for this job as an explanation of how we've arrived here, as it has become VERY convoluted and complicated the longer it drags on.
  
  3/15 1st RR service call by Benjamin K***** $300 to clear slow draining tub with failing drum trap. Main branch warranty 6 months.
  
  6/28 2nd RR service call by Joe ?, cleared drain, free of charge, under warranty.
  
  6/30 Sales call by Tony L***** and Benjamin K***** urging my parents to agree to an excavation job to replace failing drum trap
  two days after tub drain line was cleared. It is my opinion that this is predatory sales practice which, according to Todd B******, supplies Salespeople with hot in-house leads for lucrative excavation jobs. My elderly parents were shown supposed inspection footage of their failing cast iron pipes despite the fact that no camera could navigate beyond the failing drum trap. I have requested the video inspection footage and was promised by Tony L***** and eventually Todd B****** but to date have not received.
  My mother was urged to "get the job done before there was a total failure and a bigger problem". She was pressured to write a check for $13000.00, 100% of the proposal for "dirt base hole in front of home for 20ft tunnel to replace cast iron lines under hall bath, replacing waste and overflow for bathtub, adding in cleanout in front yard, and a follow-up jet service and camera"...yet did NOT mention the one known problem-changing out the failing drum trap with a p-trap. *Tony approached both Donnie M***** and Todd B****** on 7/21 asking to have the driveway cleared, especially after they said that applying for the permit after the fact could add another 2-3 weeks to the job, and they both flatly refused.  I told Tony that put us at an impasse and that I knew he wouldn't do that to his own mother or grandmother.  He later, on his own time, showed up and spent hours clearing their driveway, making him the only man with an ounce of character of the bunch I've dealt with in my opinion.  I had hoped to pay 75% of adjusted bill after that but received bogus pics and a detailed invoice with mistakes that didn't reflect the job done--Tony had "reverse engineered" it to account for the $13,000.00 at Todd B******** direction.
  
  7/7 Non-English speaking day laborers arrived with an 8 year old little boy, the son of one of the men digging the tunnel.
  After a rain stoppage, they used a worn pump to pump water from the hole. My Dad noticed that the pump had frayed wires and called Tony L***** to voice his concerns for the workers' safety. It was relayed to the subcontractor, Donnie M***** who did nothing. *I eventually called Mr. M***** on 7/15 and he halfway apologized for dropping the ball with the child on the job site. He stated that he told the worker to bring the child when their babysitter cancelled and that he sent a babysitter to pick him up but her car broke down. When I asked about the pump with the frayed wires, he said, "there's nothing wrong with that pump, that's just the way it's made, they use it all the time."
  At the completion of the excavation, the workers were going to leave the job site with the hole left wide open. Using the child as their "interpreter", my parents relayed their concerns but the workers said they didn't have anything to cover the hole. My 86 year old Dad went looking for something to cover the hole and found a piece of plywood that nearly covered it for them to place over the site.
  
  8/2 *we were repeatedly told someone would cover entire hole appropriately and put up caution tape but to this minute, that's not happened and my parents are concerned about a thunderstorm that appears to have totally filled the tunnel.  My 86 y.o. Dad is talking about renting a pump to remedy that concern and uncovered dirt now washing mud back onto driveway so he's moved car back out so as not to get "trapped" under carport.  This is stressful and unacceptable!
  
  7/10 My mother called Tony to find out how long they would need to wait to get the plumbers out to do job and have hole backfilled. *The digging laborers piled dirt partially across the driveway, blocking one vehicle under carport and preventing the other vehicle from being parked under carport.  This was initially an imposition but my parents assumed that the job would be completed in a couple of days so didn't make an issue of it.  In the WEEKS that followed, my 80 year old mother was forced to get in and out of either a vehicle parked in the HOT sun or get into and/or out of her vehicle in the rain and lug groceries around the slick mud hill on the driveway just to go inside.   Tony L***** said he wasn't sure when anything would happen and would look into it, then didn't call back.  After phone calls went unanswered, I asked my mother to send me any forms or contracts they had which is when I found out the exorbitant looking price tag of $13000.00 and asked my mother how much she had paid so far. She told me the whole thing because it was that or put it on some kind of credit option. It was then that I helped my mom put a stop payment on the check until someone could return our calls and answer some questions.
  
  7/11 I called a (504) area code number thinking I was calling the *** ******* location but was routed to a Corporate call center with Travon. I explained the above concerns and that a stop payment had been placed on check and was told that a supervisor would call me back. They did not.
  
  7/15 Plumbers arrived unannounced and had to pump out partially open hole for approximately 45 minutes. I asked the plumber, Harry W****** who their supervisor was. He said Donnie and recited his phone number to me.
  After the plumbers left, it didn't appear that they had installed any clean out so I called Donnie M*****, who as it turned out was NOT a Roto-rooter employee but a subcontractor. He was very evasive and wanted to know how I got his phone number and as stated above addressed the child on jobsite and faulty pump. He repeatedly said he didn't know anything about Roto-Rooter practices because he wasn't an employee and yet also told me that he's subcontracted with RR for over 8 years. When pressed, he finally gave me Mr.B******** name and stated that they were working under his Master Plumber's license. I asked Donnie M***** if HE was a licensed plumber and he said yes.  I asked for his license number and he gave me what turned out to be Harry W******' license number.  Then I asked if Mr W****** was a licensed plumber and he refused to answer. I asked Mr. M***** if he knew when we could expect the site to be backfilled and he said he just needed to get someone to inspect the work the next day.  I assumed he meant the Parish Inspector connected to the permit.  When no one showed up, I called the Permit office and found out that a permit had NOT been applied for like the salesmen explained would be and according to the permit office, should have been.
  
  7/19 I was left with little confidence that the job had even been performed accurately and hired a local licensed plumber to inspect the work. He said that it looked like someone that knew what they were doing must have done the work. He measured the trench at 13 ft. The p trap and new tub drain were okay with. There was a 4 foot section of cast iron pipe replaced with 4 inch pvc and a few appropriate stainless steel hangers. He removed the cut out piece of cast iron, the old drum trap and the tub drain. The drum trap was corroded, the tub drain was in bad shape, the cast iron piece, however, had some scaling but was not at all broken or collapsed and had no holes in it. There was no apparent need for it to have been replaced. This entire inspection was performed on uncut video footage to prove the legitimacy of all observations.
  
  7/20  A dumpster was dropped in front of mom and dad's home at 8:45 p.m. with no notice or explanation.  My dad asked the driver who sent it and he said Roto-Rooter.
  
  7/21  7:30 a.m. A different group of non-English speaking day laborers arrived unannounced to backfill the hole.
  *8:00 a.m.  I put in call #2 to Donnie M***** and asked him to temporarily stop his 
  workers until we could reach Tony or someone from Roto-Rooter to answer questions and get them to actually inspect the sub-contractor's work before hole was backfilled.  Also asked what the dumpster was for.  Stated that it was for left over dirt, that about 30% wouldn't fit back underground and for 4 ft cast iron pipe piece disposal.  Asked if any stabilizer or sand would be used during backfill and told they don't adhere to that 'philosophy',that the sand would supposedly be heavier than the blackjack dirt that came out during tunneling and put stress on new pvc. (no fact to back that up).  Asked that dumpster be removed because it turned up on reverse engineered invoice at a cost of $975 and we felt it unnecessary.
  *8:44 a.m. Finally reached Tony L***** spoke at length about problems and lack of communication.  He said he texted my mom but she didn't receive any texts.
  +Asked if someone would supervise Day Laborers because we weren't confident that they'd be able to backfill blackjack mud around new pipes.  Tony said he'd try to, then said they'd take pics along the way.
  +Told him that Mom & Dad missed a funeral during the time when no one was returning calls, afraid to leave the house with open hole etc.
  +Questioned 7 days no call back and Tony stated he was out sick.
  +No response back on frayed wire concerns.  He pointed finger back at Donnie, subcontractor
  +Asked why there was no interpreter aside from 8 year old.  He apologized.
  +Donnie said Tony inspected work.  We knew no one had been out to look at the job, much less under the house in tunnel.  Then Tony said Benjamin K***** "inspected but didn't go under the house" which means he didn't inspect.
  +Asked Tony why he didn't let us know the dumpster was being delivered and he said because it was late at night.
  +I asked for pictures, inspection video and a detailed invoice again.
  +Tony said they couldn't complete the job since we put a stop payment on check.  I explained that it had been over 1.5 weeks since I informed Roto-Rooter corporate and that I wasn't trying to hide anything. 
  
  *12:25 p.m. At our request, Tony brought Todd B****** on to a 3-way call...Mom & Tony, Me and Todd B******
  +Mr B****** was immediately rude and adversarial making comments like, "you just don't wanna pay. You not going to pay because you say a blade of grass is out of place."
  +I expressed concern that no RR employee had inspected the job.
  +I expressed concern about the 8 year old little boy on the job and he kept interrupting saying, "what's wrong with that?  he didn't have a babysitter!  Tell me what's wrong with a 8 y.o. at the job!?!  What's wrong with that?"
  +I asked if he was serious?  Was he just being patronizing or was he just that ignorant?
  +I asked to speak to his supervisor and he said he was it and didn't have a supervisor.
  +Once again said it sounds like you just don't wanna pay.
  +I questioned why he didn't pull a permit and was violating codes and ordinances.
  +He got very defensive and said okay then, we gonna pull a permit and it'll be another 2-3 weeks before you can hope to get done.
  +He then threatened a lawsuit and reporting to collections.
  
  These details go on ad nauseum, written and in recorded phone calls (happy to go over them with you but going to stop typing for now in the essence of time and energy--2 things I've spent ridiculous amounts of since the start of this fiasco ). 
  Jump ahead to Mon 7/25 when Benjamin K***** showed up stating he was there at the request of the General Manager (who I still assumed was Todd B****** until receiving BBB response).  It was a relief that it appeared someone was going to attempt to clear up all of the miscommunication and confusion.  It started to rain before he could get into the tunnel and he assured us he'd be back 1st thing Tuesday 7/26 a.m. with a pump.  Not only did he not show up, he didn't answer any calls or texts.  Tony called asking for signed updated form and asking for payment.  When I told him and wrote on form that I couldn't sign something saying job was completed and completed to my complete satisfaction when it wasn't...the threats of attorneys started again.  I requested a call back from Mr. B****** AGAIN and when I didn't get it, I called Corporate Roto-Rooter AGAIN, left ANOTHER message (still haven't gotten a call back) and set about reporting all of this to BBB among others.
  
  Thank you again for your quick response.  We welcome paying (75% of total) now, once we have total reflecting actual job. Once backfill is completed and jobsite cleaned up, then final payment of (remaining 25%) will also be paid.  This has been unnecessarily difficult and stressful for us, especially for my elderly parents.
  
  **** *****-**********
  ###-###-####
  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2022

  My last communications with the customer indicated that she was very happy with our resolution. I have text her this morning asking if we missed something. I am awaiting a response

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/16/2022

  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. 
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  **** *****-**********
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/26/2022

  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.

  Business has not tried to resolve the dispute. Paid $2968.72 and missed 3 days of work, work performed in June 2022 Friday 7/22/22 Jesse- texted and he said he would come by He came by looked in bathrooms, plunged toilets, stuck a camera through the line and didn’t see an issue with work done Jesse sent 2 techs who sat outside after looking at a whole in the ground, nothing was dug up. Then said the whole was due to a missing cap and heavy rain could have filled the septic tank and caused back up, told me septic needed to be emptied ****** came out 7/25 @12:30 Dug up the septic and noted is was not full and still in operating condition Dug up lines leading to the tank and there is no connection from the restroom plumbing and roto ran pipe to the septic, it just stopped That pipe, since it wasn’t connected to anything was pumping waste into the ground which created the whole There was a $150 service charge for them digging up the pipe without having to pump septic Called the office and asked to speak with management about reimbursement Was transferred to a woman who asked to send details to management and tech and she would call back Buddy D***** called back asking for details, I walked him through all the details and asked about reimbursement for ****** service charge, he said he would ask management Almost 2 hours passed no update, I called roto and was hung up on during transfer after being transferred to what I thought was management, that man asked for me to hold and hung up I called back and spoke with Buddy D***** again. He state the manager wasn’t available due to a meeting. He reached out to the Tech and he May be on another work order, unable to reach him but sent message an hour ago I called back at 4:10pm and spoke Roth Buddy again. He said, Jesse is the tech and is off today, the issue and/or request was forw***ed. By 10:40am I called back for an ETA and was transferred to Buddy. He told me he shows my ticket was resolved

  Business Response

  Date: 07/28/2022

  ** **** called Roto Rooter initially because she recently moved into a home and behind the home a previous plumber did some work leaving some of her sewer pipes exposed. Pipes were visibly broken. Our contracted stated that we will fix the pipes that we can see on ground. Month later her sewer is backing up sewage coming from out of the ground near her septic tank. We informed her that her tank may need to be pumped.  Septic company comes to the home and digs up her septic line and after uncovering her tank notice that the tank added to her home before she moved in was never connected to the home. Since this tank and entry pipes were covered by dirt Roto Rooter did not know about her situation. Owner was provided a quote to connect her home to tank at a discounted price. Owner refused.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/31/2022

  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 to ******, Blayse and he said that he told them the issue was they never ran the inlet line (msl) to the septic and he guided them on what to do. He said he never said the issue was due to needing a new septic because I did NOT need a new septic. 
  
  
  I called Roto Rooter on July 26th 2022 and told all this to Buddy, Roto Rooter. He said he would have to speak with a supervisor as he is just a customer service rep. 
  
  
  I waited all day and no response so I called back that evening and they sent me directly to Buddy. He then informed me that he spoke with a manager/supervisor and they fulfilled their agreement and my ticket was closed. I asked how I would escalate this matter and he said through Jesse W***, who had never reached out. So I asked for another route and he said he wasn’t sure.
  
  
  I called Roto Rooters Corporate office, I got a female associate and explained my situation and how I just wanted a refund at this point to have my work completed the right way. She asked to place me on hold to contact the local office and try to figure it out. She never came back to the phone instead there was a male from the local office who told me that the extuvation manager, DJ would have to handle my issue and he transferred me. I got the voicemail and called back into the office and once again I’m sent directly to Buddy. I asked him for the local Roto Rooters zip code, I was tired of being transferred and going through the uncertainty so I just wanted to speak with someone in person to help me. He said he could not give me the zip code and that Jesse had been contacted, DJ was out of the office until Thursday and he was unable to help me.
  
  
  Late the same Tuesday (7/26/22) I get a call from the man who was out until Thursday. Manager DJ, he at first acts concerned and then when I voice my opinion and tell him I felt like my technicians and overseer didn’t know how to fix my problem but still took my money and now that I’m having issues their is no accountability he took offense and began to try and belittle me intellectually. He said he could “spruce it up for me” meaning that his technicians were only fixing visible pipes and the contract didn’t state they would be routed into the septic tank it said TO. He went on to say that he had to speak with Jesse W*** about his verbiage going forw***. I took that as them using wordplay to get out of an agreement. He offered to have Jesse and another technician come out and assess my issue and give me a discount. But not to fix my issue that clearly was a roto rooter issue. I declined. 
  
  
  My initial call to them was because of an issue with septic making it into the tank. Verbally I expressed this to Jesse W*** and verbally he agreed that he knew how to fix it and get septic flowing into my tank. I don’t see how this became an issue. 
  I ended up allowing ****** to complete the inlet line (msl) repair on Thursday July 28th 2022.
  Regards,
  
  ******** ****** ****

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2022

  **** was told that her contract was only to fix pipes that were visible to the eye. later on she finds out that the pipes in the ground were not connected to the tank. We did not know this, so she was provided with a quote to to fix pipes that were hidden in the ground. she refused.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/18/2022

  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.

  ask them to provide the quote that they provided me. Because they did NOT give/present me a quote. They mentioned it after they realized the “verbiage “ of their employee Jesse W*** was not correct reg*** my pipes. Into vs to. And saying this has nothing to do with an underground PIPE, this has to do with the pipe that was visible” not making it to/into my septic tank!!!! My initial issue was not only NOT fixed but made WORSE after Roto Rooter “repaired” the pipes in/into my septic tank.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** ****** ****
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/23/2022

  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 would like to see the quote they provided me!! And the exposed pipe that they fixed was broken which they knew but no one ever dug up the work to visibly see anything. Without my photos please ask that they provide the second quote that they supposedly proviso me and pictures from their post inspection AFTEr I complained about work not being done properly. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** ****** ****
  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/25/2022

  **** was told that her contract was only to fix pipes that were visible to the eye. later on she finds out that the pipes in the ground were not connected to the tank. We did not know this so she was provided with a quote to connect house to the tank. she refused..

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/28/2022

  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.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** ****** ****
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/25/2022

  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.

  The drain for my washer has overflown on 07/21/2022. I called Roto-Rooter and asked them to send a tech to snake the washer drain. The tech came and said that it would cost $500 (with a $60 coupon that I had from their website). I agreed and the tech snaked the washer drain, which improved the flow slightly. The tech then said that to resolve the issue completely I would need to clean the main sewage trap, which can only be accessed from the outside, and that he can send a team to locate the trap and clean it. He said that he will charge me $788.98 for the entire job including trap cleaning. He also gave me 3 bottles of Roto-Rooter's Pipe Shield concentrate, which I believed was a bonus. I asked him if I can pay after the job is completed, but he said that he wanted to collect the payment now and that the trap cleaning will be done free of charge. The "second team" comprised a guy who came on a Prius and who said that he needs to remove the toilet in the basement bathroom in order to access the trap. I agreed and he removed the toilet. After he removed the toilet, he inserted a camera into the sewage and said that I had a buried trap and that it needed to be snaked through the toilet drain. I said that I am Ok with that and asked him to finish the job by snaking the sewage drain through the toilet drain, but he said that he did not have necessary equipment with him and that the guy who came on 07/21/2022 would need to come back and snake the drain. He called this guy whose name was Jayson, but Jayson refused to come and demanded more money to finish the job. I refused to pay extra money because I had an agreement that the entire job would be done for $788.98. The tech left and left the bathroom with a removed toilet (see attached pictures). I had to hire a different plumber and pay him $250 to finish the job. I stopped the check I wrote to Roto-Rooter and believe that I don't have to pay for the job which was not completed. I also want to return Pipe Shield.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/29/2022

  After speaking with GM, he has agreed to a refund if the customer accepts the refund.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/03/2022

  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** **********
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/23/2022

  Type:Billing 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.

  I engaged Roto Rooter (RR) to replace my hot water heater & handle the water mitigation on 2/27/22 after my hot water heater broke. The individual who came out to assess the situation & initiate the insurance claim informed me that when RR sends the email to my insurance company with the photos of the damage, it will say we have absorbed the deductible. He advised that typically my deductible would come off the insurance payment to me but instead I will get the full payment from the insurance & they won’t withhold the $500. Instead, they will withhold the $500 from the payment they issue to RR. When the email was sent to my insurance, there was no mention of RR absorbing the deductible as I had previously been told. The individual who had come to my house was not returning any of my texts, calls, emails so I had to reach out to the office & was put in contact with the water restoration claims representative. She instructed me that this is not how claims work & the deductible is always applied to payments to the insured. My insurance company confirmed this as well. I have spent four months going back & forth with the claims representative trying to get this resolved & finally the gentleman who I initially met with reached out via text. He informed me that the $500 was applied to the hot water heater install which is not accurate. There were other issues that occurred with the water heater install requiring RR to have to write-off their labor charge due to an error in their price quote to me. I told him I didn’t accept the explanation that he was now claiming the $500 discount is part of the hot water heater bill. I don’t appreciate the story changing four months later just because RR doesn’t want to be out of pocket any more on this job. I am requesting that they make good on our initial agreement & issue me a check for the $500 that my insurance payment was reduced by which was supposed to come off the insurance payment to Roto Rooter instead.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/03/2022

  Spoke to customer. Apologized for breakdown in communication over the deductible. Refunded the deductible amount of $500 in a check to be issued. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/12/2022

  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/21/2022

  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 had a horrible experience using roto-rooter remediation service. We were made many promises and guarantees that were not kept. The workers they had completing the clean up completely gutted our basement and we were told over and over the insurance will cover any items or work they need to do. Needless to say, that was not the case. They did way more than was required because we were filing with insurance and they wanted to get a bigger payout. One of the workers could be overheard saying to another worker at one point "Anything that you see that would make us money do it." We were hesitant on a lot of the work they were doing, because it seemed over the top for the circumstances, but they used scare tactics to get us to comply, saying if we don't allow them to do it then the insurance may not cover our claim. Our insurance is not covering all the costs anyway and we are stuck paying the cost to repair our basement and replacing all of our items. The crew threw out several items without asking first leaving us to wonder what we did and didn't have to replace. When we asked if we needed to move things before they started working we were told no and we were charged an extra fee for them "having" to move our items. On the last day we were told to sign a document to confirmed to pickup the equipment but the document signed was a document saying everything was done to our satisfaction. Also once we saw Roto-Rooter finalized paperwork it says the homeowner was not available on the last day of pick up when we have proof we reached out to your company to pick up your equipment because we did not want to be billed extra. We have a lot of other complaints as well and fell that Roto-Rooter falsified documents and manipulated the whole situation in order to get paid at our expense.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/22/2022

  This is the first we have been made aware of any service related issues. There are multiple communications from the department manager and employees to help the ******* family. The original claim for this massive loss was denied by the homeowners insurance carrier. Roto Rooter has made multiple phone calls and emails with the insurance carrier to help customer out. Out of these communications Roto Rooter was able to successfully help get coverage accepted. This claim is still not resolved and no monies have been exchanged with the customer. Roto Rooter will not demand any monies until the ******* family is happy with the settlement. Management will reach out directly to the ******* family to resolve any and all issues. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/29/2022

  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.
    One we here from the company we will accept the response 
  Regards,
  
  ********* *******
  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2022

  We have informed customer that we have settled the amount with the insurance carrier to the price that all parties agreed on. We have also informed the customer to inform the company what resolution that would like to have happen. We are awaiting their response. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2022

  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.

  I hired this company on the holiday weekend, Sunday, July 3, 2022. They charged me $1149.60; plus I gave a tip, to snake my main sewer line. Plus they charged $149.00 service fee! Today, July 18th, my line is backing up again. I called the company, and they told me there is no guarantee. How can a company like Roto-Rooter not guarantee their work with prices like that? I am asking for the repair to be done properly, or for a refund of my money.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/19/2022

  Sending additional technician for work under warranty. Customer is happy with our follow up. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2022

  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 the morning of May 15, 2022, I called Roto Rooter because there was a big water leak in our basement from our 1st floor toilet to one of the basement pipes. Roto Rooter came and we thought the at the water leak was fixed and we opened a claim with our insurance Statefarm for the water cleanup and restoration. The representative from Roto Rooter was Lance Mayfield and he assured us that our insurance would cover the water cleanup and that the leak was fixed. BUT - after the water clean up was done, the water leak was never repaired and water was leaking again into our basement after Roto Rooter supposed did the water clean up. We had to pay Roto Rooter another $2950 to repair the pipe that should have been repaired before the water clean up and another $400 becuase the toilet was still clogged and they said that they did a snake to the toilet which was not done. Roto Rooter billed our insurance company for $10,752.48 which is absurd. After thorough investigation from Statefarm regarding our claim, Statefarm stated that the covered amount was for $6849.28. I agree with the Statefarm estimate as Roto Rooter did not do a 10 thousand job in my basement. Roto Rooter is threatening legal action and all I simply want from them is the adjust their invoice to reflect what Statefarm has agreed to pay since I had to come out of my pocket for $2950 plus another $400 to unclog our toilet becasue that was still a problem. I have videos of the water leak after the water clean up was done. Now Roto Rooter is threatening legal action against us because Statefarm adjusted their invoice because certain things they billed for were not warranted and I agree with Statefarm. I am agreeing to pay what Statefarm is covering (page 4 of the attached estimate), but the invoice needs to be adjusted to reflect what Statefarm has covered. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/26/2022

  Restoration department sent adjusted invoice to customer. Customer is aware of adjusted balance owed. 

  Business Response

  Date: 08/12/2022

  Came to resolution with customer. Collected final payment today. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/18/2022

  ****** ******** *******
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ** ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Roto Rooter has adjusted their invoice and my account is now paid in full and resolved. 
  
  Regards,
  ***** ********