Complaints

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/13/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was away for *** and had a house sitter. This person told me there was a backed up toilet and couldn't unclog it and felt we needed assistance. I authorized this and Rooter Man Plumbing came. They scoped the plumbing, blew the clog out and told us that there was a damaged pipe under the garage, that they would need to cut a 3 foot by 3 foot hole in the garage, sleeve the pipe, and re-cement. And all this work would be an additional $5200 tab above what we will pay for the work he just did. We came home, and immediately started calling plumbers we've used in the past. They all asked the same question: can we have pics or videos of their original scope? I called rooterman and asked for these files. They did not keep any recorded evidence of this scope and they, as a policy don't. I asked how they will know where to cut the cement and they told me they'd have to rescope-but don't worry-we won't have to pay for the rescope if we agree to use their services at the aforementioned $5200 price tag. I decided that these were sham artists and spoke to various plumbers, all certified, and hired one. They re scoped the house, from two places vs rooterman's one, flushed both areas, and spent a couple of hours investigating what the issues were. They did find some sediment, a rat, an issue with a flap (all of which they captured in video and on pic for us to keep. They diagnosed the problem, made a fix (they could not find any evidence of pipe damage and showed me the video of the whole line from two different entry points) and left for $400. $400 included the scope, the time and the fix. I'll give rooterman a little leeway, they came on *** so I imagine there should be an up charge. But they charged us $1000 for a scope and a cleaning and I believe used scare tactics to pressure us into a $5200 procedure that they showed zero evidence of us needing. I think they took advantage of a situation where we, the owners weren't home and the housesitters were panicked-so were we.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2025

  Rooter Man Plumbing was called out to the property December 31, 2024. The technician arrived and attempted to snake the line, the snaking was unsuccessful. The technician proceeded to recommend a Hydro jet in the amount of $1,000 the customer agreed and they performed the jetting service they were able to clear the line successfully. Once the line was cleared and no longer holding water they were able to perform a camera inspection while performing the camera inspection they did see lots of roots. The only way roots enter the pipe is due to a broken pipe or a dislocated joint. Only way to actually get rid of the issue permanently is by doing what was recommended by our technician. The customers issue will resurface if the root issue is not addressed properly.
  We didn't charge the customer for anything more than the work performed. We left a recommendation to the customer and they decided not to address the issue. We did our job as promised.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/28/2025

   
  Complaint: 22799750
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  They didnt provide visual evidence of damages pipes. The the new contractors were not able to find any photographic evidence of any damages in the system. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2025

  The customer was presented with a recommendation to hydro jet the line and he decided to move forward, for the amount of $1,000. The work was completed as promised. In regards to the customer's dissatisfaction that camera was not recorded, we would be willing to re-run a camera however the customer has since then had another company snake the line. Therefore, in an attempt to resolve this pending matter amicably, Rooter Man Plumbing will processes a refund for the customer in the amount of $300 in order to settle matter. 

  We can process that refund as soon as the customer responds in agreeance.

  Please advise on when to proceed with the proposed refund.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/10/2025

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  My toilet was clogged. I made appointment with this company and they came to my home the same day, unclogged the toilet with an auger/snake. I paid $125 for the service and they left. I noted what I thought was a stain at the bottom of the toilet bowl. I attempted to scrub it away and realized the plumber had permanently damaged -scraped and scratched - the white enamel of the toilet bowl. I immediately emailed and texted the company, with photos, asking them to remedy the problem, and did not receive a response, one way or the other. Interestingly, the plumber, himself, had emailed me a payment receipt with before and after photos of the toilet bowl, clearly showing the new damage.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/10/2025

  Hello, 

  We do apologize for any inconvenience to the customer. We have not received any correspondence, call or email, in regards to the issue with toilet. I do see the picture of the toilet the customer has attached.

  We will gladly go back out and address the problem. We have a special product that can be used to remove the scratches on the toilet.

  Please advise on how you would like to proceed.

   

  Best Regards, 

  ***** *.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/15/2025

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/10/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  Our septic tanks were not pumped, hydro-jet clean as promised. *** at Rooter-Man in ******, Ca also tried to fabricate an emergency, claiming the septic line between the house and inlet tank needed to be repaired immediately, for $9,600.00 dollars. *** also charged $3,710 to pump the two septic tanks. We found the septic tanks were not cleaned. We had to hire another septic service to clean the tanks, ***** gallons were collected which is full tank capacity, which cost a very customary fee of $718.00.Please note the Rooter-Man invoice does not specify how many gallons were removed.Please note *** used strong arm tactics against my wife who is a disabled senior, including trying to get her to sign a finance contract. My wife ended up in the hospital the next day.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/20/2024

  Hello, 

  We are in communication with the customer, he is aware that we are working on resolving this issue. We should be having a resolution very soon. I will be sure to update the BBB shortly.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Jan.29, 2024, I called Rooterman *** my kitchen sink was clogged. He snaked it and said it needs the ******. After the ******, he said there is more clog so he recommended to change a portion of the pipe for $3100.00. We agreed bec he offered a 15 yr warranty. After replacing the that section, he said more pipes need to be replaced for $21,000. The pipes were leaking but said the drain would still work. We did not agree to that so he forfeited the warranty. We did not use the sink much until Feb 2 and the sink will not drain. we called the company but they refused to come and resolve the problem. We called another plumber who snaked the pipes and was able to get the clog out and sink is draining without any problem.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/23/2024

  We are in communication with the customer. We are working on a resolution to this matter. We will update you as soon as we have come a mutual agreement with the customer.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/03/2023

  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.

  4/11/2023 I called specifically for a clogged shower drain. The online ad said in bold letters at top:$49 UNCLOGS DRAIN When they arrived, the quote was $125.I talked to the supervisor over the ********** would not honor that price.I agreed to pay $125, but told him I would file a complaint of false advertising. He instructed his workers to not perform the work and they left.What made matters worse was the mansplaining. I understood their explanation, but did not agree with their advertising claim. I explained that the ad was misleading to any layperson. They should be made to change the wording & not claim a $49 price and at the same time should train dispatchers to give some kind of estimate and disclaimer so customers know honestly what to expect. Thank you.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/15/2023

  I am sorry to hear that the customers experience with our company did not meet her expectations. Our coupon (attached) states the $49 special is to snake the drain through a clean out access. In this situation the customer had a shower stoppage which did not have a clean out designated for that drain.
  Our calls are monitored and recorded for quality assurance,and upon reviewing the call, the customer did not mention that she had a coupon for $49 drain cleaning. There was no discussion for the cost to snake the drain. Had the customer mentioned the coupon when booking, or asked about pricing our dispatcher would have automatically explained that the $49 special is to snake through a cleanout access, and $125 would be to go inside the home and snake the drain itself.
  Again, we apologize for the inconvenience and thank the customer for taking the time to provide us with valuable feedback.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/28/2023

  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.

  The property in question is a rental at ********************************************************************* See uploaded letter sent to business (with no response) for description of problem. Letter was originally sent to address on invoice, copy was sent to mailing address above.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/18/2023

  We have came to a resolution with the Mr. ******************** He has now given us permission to be on his property if needed. We spoke to him via phone and came to a agreement on the steps needed to take to accommodate his demands. We will be able to take the steps as soon as he or CSLB contacts us and lets us know the inspector from the ******************* inspected our work and lets us know what or if any plumbing work needs to be done. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/03/2023

   
  Complaint: 19600416
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the first sentence is true.  But we have not given Rooterman permission to be on our property.  Instead, we have reached a satisfactory financial solution.

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/30/2023

  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.

  They have one technician working for the them named ************************ and he is a well trained con artist. He comes to your home and diagnoses what he says is the problem regarding a clogged drain. After he is unable to open the drain, he comes up with another issue that *** be causing the original problem. He doesn't know what he is doing but does an excellent job of convincing you that he while the original solution didn't work the other solution will. After I signed off and approved of the second solution and it doesn't work , he then recommends a 3rd solution for of course more money. He originally snake my drain which did not get it opened. I paid him $330 for which I never received an invoice. He then explained that the clogged was between my toilet and the drain in the basement. He said that he would have to remove the toilet and snake it directly through that hole. He never removed the toilet but went to the basement and ran a cable through the clean out down there. He claimed that he got it open but after paying him another $460 the drain is still not open. I have not received an invoice for this service as well and the drain is still not open. Now he claims that he needs another $500 to camera the sewer drain to see where the problem is. So at this point I called the office number that I had gotten off the internet to see if someone at his office could explain to me what was going on with my situation and why I hadn't received an invoice for the work he had performed. I spoke with up to 10 different people who all told me that they would have a manager call me and also that they would contact the billing department to have them email an invoice for the work done. I have yet to receive a phone call or an invoice. ********************************* is not who he says he is. He is a con artist taking advantage of customers such as myself who know very little about plumbing. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/24/2023

  Rooter-Man is a Franchise. We service the Los Angeles County. This has to be the wrong Rooter Man. We do not Service **************, nor do we have a Technician by that name. Please have consumer remove the complaint and submit it to the correct Business.

  Should you have any questions please give ** a call at ************.

  Best Regards, 

  Aram Madoian

  Rooter Man Plumbing

  ********** County.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/01/2022

  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 had a main line backup in our basement but not overflow or really making that much of a mess initially. Rooter Man (New Jersey) sent a tech ***** out who had no idea what he was doing. Agreed to Jet and camera the line but was too incompetent to do either. Then tried to snake the line and could not do this complaining about the old equipment that you have to attach each length as opposed to ** ***** where he came from previously. He took the snake out but left multiple pieces of the snake in the main line which I asked him about but he denied and I only found out later I was correct! He tried to Jet line again when a second tech (*******) arrived but could not due to the pieces in the snake line that he claimed was not in the pipe. This got feces spraying everywhere in the home due to this as well making this a Cat3 insurance claim needing to rip out and replace tile, rugs walls and paneling because of Rooter Man!
  
  The tech even broke the flange on the toilet as well at the time since he had no Idea what to do so we cannot even put the toilet back without a repair of the flange. I eventually had to get another plumber from a different company to fix and this is how I found out ***** left pieces of his snake in the pipe and why the jet would not work. Long story short, I had to pay almost 3x as much becuase of this incompetence. The manager ****** sent out ******* (his cousin) to retrieve the snake lines from the main and he has not returned my call. ******* even agreed that this should have been an hour fix at most and I have visual and audio records of all of this ******* even agreeing to what ***** had done wrong. Unfortunately as the refuse to make this right, I will need to take legal action, as ****** will not take any calls to discuss. Very shady company that needs to have a BBB and Consumer Affairs case opened up as well. Luckily I have ample evidence in my favor to show the level of incompetence and why it cost me 3x to do a simple 1hr job.
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/17/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/09/30) */
  This is the wrong company. We service is the Los Angeles, CA area.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/30/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  6/29/2022 I called Rooterman to fix a backup of water to my house $ 1,100 to snake out the pipe to the house. After that was done another worker came from Rooterman and said he was going to use a camera for free to see the pipe going into the house. Then he said the pipe was broken and needed to be replaced. As I took pictures and the performed the work I used my Visa card to pay another $2,300 for a job completed as my Visa was denied. I called them and Rooterman tried to get 10,000 from my Visa?
  After that they said I could Finance with Synchrony bank and he ask for 15,000 limit which was declined. I was so confused as I am old and alone they took advantage of me with fraud. I am still getting a bill from The bank as 15,000 dollars and have opened up a fraud case with no resolve yet. I have pictures & letters from the bank that there is a Zero balance, than on the other hand on 9/28/2022 another bill came from Synchrony for a passed due amount of 15,000 dollars. This company Rooterman used fraud with a fake signature and receipt! My receipt says 2 withdrawals from my Visa. Their fake receipt says 18,000. Don't give Rooterman any financial information....
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/05/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/16) */
  We do not have specific records to the information provided. However, seeing the email provided we were able to confirm that the work being referred to is listed in our system as:
  
  **********************************************************
  
  Rooter Man Plumbing was called out to the property due to multiple drain stoppages. The toilet, the tub and the sink were backing up. We snaked the line by removing the toilet to snake the main sewer line and were unable to clear. We recommended a Hydro jet from the vent because there was no proper cleanout to access the main line outside the home. The hydro jet was unsuccessful due to a break in the line. We recommended to repair the broken section of the sewer line and install a 2-way cleanout, work came with 25 years warranty. The customer agreed and the work was completed. However, when trying the make the sewer connection, they noticed the remainder of the line seemed to be in poor condition. A camera inspection was ran of the remainder of the line and recommended to sleeve the line, the customer agreed and the work was performed and came with 50 years warranty. The total work performed was at a cost of $18,350. The customer paid $1,100.00 and $2,250.00 by Visa, and the balance was paid using Synchrony Finance in the amount of $15,000.00. In regards to the Synchrony finance the customer filled out the finance application, and it was called in for approval. There was then a sales slip to be filled out and that was signed and dated by the customer as well.
  
  A signature was obtained at every point, the customer was made aware of the work being performed at all times, we called her over outside the home to show her the work being performed and she was home the entire time. There are pictures of the work being completed at the customer's property. No fraud has been committed. Every signature collected was from the customer.