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

  602 Ashford Ct Champaign, IL 61822-6601

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  Roto-Rooter

  1005 Clarence Danville, IL 61832

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:01/29/2025

  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.

  Roto Rooter repaired Frozen pipes in mobile home did nor finish work around water heater hot water froze 01/2025 was told by plumber what they had done was told it was not their job ti repair feel we were taken advantage of because of our age

  Business Response

  Date: 01/31/2025

  *******,

  I appreciate you taking the time to take my phone call today even though we aren't on the same page with your concerns. Unfortunately, the work we performed over a year ago wasn't to prevent your pipes from freezing - it was to fix the leak and repipe your drains due to the pipes being broke/bad pitch in some spots. On top of that you have the uphill battle of being in a trailer and the structure underneath creates a potential ongoing concern for pipes being frozen when temps drop.

  Below is a rundown of events.

  -1/16/24 called out to unfreeze pipes

  -1/17/24 waterline repair and replaced main shut off valve

  -1/18/24 called out to unfreeze the sewer line

  -1/19/24 sold/completed a repipe of the drains - replaced approx 70ft of ab to sch40pvc with tie in 2 bathrooms, kitchen, and washer drains

  -1/20/24 called out to unthaw waterlines again but did not charge to help the customer out in good faith

  -1/23/25 called about frozen pipes again but had another plumbing company come out

  -1/25/25 BBB complaint filed

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/30/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Called company on December 28th at 6pm because we had a sewer back up in our basement. Technician arrived at 12am on the 29th. Explained to the technician that we tried to clear it ourselves but were unsure where the outside clean out was connected to the main house because we have only lived there for 2 months. The technician proceeded to water jet the backed up drain in the basement but could not get his equipment into the pipes. He then proceeded to go into the bathroom of our basement, which did not have any water back up in it and took our toilet off and used his water jet to try and clear the drain. He filled that bathroom with two inches of sewage water but was unable to clear the drain. Then on the third attempt he went outside to the main clean out and cleared the drain in less than 10 minutes. After the water and sewage was left in our clean bathroom he then proceeded to tell me the company had a whole remediation team that would come to access the damage and quote me a clean up cost. I asked the technician if he should have used the outside clean out before taking our toilet out and he said probably yes. I spoke with the manager and supervisor the next day about my concern that this situation could have been avoided and I should not be left with the cost of clean up in that bathroom. They then claimed that their technician said we “advised” him not to use the outside access to our home. They are refusing to clean the area and denying any wrong doing.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/06/2025

  ****,

  We are sorry for the unfortunate situation you were dealt with the mainline backing up into your home for a prolonged period of time prior to us being able to get on-site. However, after reviewing the events that pertain to this job we will not be issuing a refund or be performing any work for free. This is due to the home already being effected by the mainline backing up prior to our arrival and us being turned down to use the OCO originally upon arrival (though the basement would of still needed restoration work done throughout due to this being labeled CAT 3 regardless of us using the OCO or not since the bathroom was already affected.

  Below is a rundown of events from this situation.

  - Customer called in at 6:09pm for an ER service on 12/28

  - Customer called in and the MOD called &  SM (Service Manager) spoke with the customer 5 times prior to the tech arriving.

  - Tech arrived roughly around 12 am on 12/29

  - Upon arrival tech was informed to not use the OCO (outside clean out) 

  - Tech noted widespread water & sewage backup throughout the basement (bathroom in question as well)

  - Tech worked inside before finally getting approval to use the OCO

  - Tech then worked outside to get the line relief and then let the customer know that we would have a Restoration Field Supervisor out to assess the overall situation in the basement

  - Restoration Field Sup was out the afternoon of 12/29 to assess but was turned down due to the customer feeling we should pay for the bathroom due to us causing the damage even though it was already backing up prior to us arriving

  - SM spoke to the customer on 12/30 to let her know that we would not be issuing a refund or performing any free Restoration work

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/06/2025

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  Technician was never told he could not use outside access.  We asked him if he would like to see where it was located and attempted to again after the first access was not cleared.  No discussion was made with us before removing the toilet and that area was not affected by the water backup in the basement prior to the toilet removal.  I also discussed with technician before he left that evening about my concern that the outside access was not used before removing our toilet and that this should be disclosed with his supervisor before assessing damage costs.  Technician admitted that the toilet was removed for no reason and the outside access should have been addressed first in regards to protocol.  I was also told that I would be contacted first thing in the morning in regards to remediation but never was.  I had to contact the company three times the following day before anyone would call me back in regards to damages or clean up.  I feel as though the technician knew he made a mistake and then failed to disclose that to his supervisor.  In return the company chose to completely disregard us when it came to their remediation efforts.  In the end, I feel as though this damage was caused purposefully to charge us exorbitant prices for remediation and restoration.  When the technician was confronted about my concern he chose to lie in order to prevent further responsibility.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/07/2025

  ****,
  The drain tech was told upon arrival that he should not use the OCO due to it not being connected and that they tried with an over the counter / rented snake on the OCO with no luck. Our tech took the information / guidance given to him and proceeded inside to try the basement access and then resorted to pulling the basement toilet which still gave no results. It was at that time he was then given approval to try to use the OCO and was able to get relief to the line. This was also confirmed when the Water Restoration Field Supervisor  arrived on-site. He spoke with both you and your husband about the overall situation and it was stated that the tech was told out of the gate the OCO wasn't connected / don't use it but then it was also stated that they aren't professionals so why would we take their word. On top of all this the entire basement was in the process of backing up with water/sewage for at least 6 hours - regardless of the extra excess that was created by trying to use the pulled toilet it would have still been affected by CAT 3 and need to be handled accordingly.

  
  Now in regards to the delayed communication / assessment with the Water Restoration Field Supervisor - we apologize for the miscommunication on our side. The tech was unaware that the field sup was out that morning of 12/19 and wouldn't be running calls until the afternoon of 12/29. Also, we do not create damage on purpose to turn around and charge for restoration - in fact we typically will address the area at our cost if it was our fault. Plus, a good chunk of restoration work is covered through insurance which would mean all you would pay is your deductible - in fact our pricing is done as a flat rate per the area and the average costs typically associated with said work via *********.
  
  The overall issue is that the tech listened to you, the customer, and tried to get relief on an alternative route but was not successful and added additional water/sewage to enter the backed up basement & bathroom that was already affected due to the previously ongoing 6 hour issue you originally called us about. We understand that this added to the already affected bathroom and overall stress of the situation but once again after reviewing the situation as a whole - we will not be performing any free work or refunding/reimbursing any amount.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/07/2025

  Obviously the company will not admit their fault.  We never told them not to use our outside access.  I would like the public to be warned about the workings of this company so this does not happen to anyone else.  This company preys on people in compromised situations in order to charge their insurance and the client restoration and remediation costs.  They have had class action lawsuits against them for this very reason.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/25/2024

  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 beginning of November I called with a leaking shower and toilet. The shower was leaking in to my kitchen which is right below the bathroom. I paid $5,300 to have a sewer clean out put in, when they filled the hole, which is in the middle of my laundry room floor, they did not level out the concrete, which puts me at risk for tripping. After this everything seemed to be working normally again. They came and tore out my bathroom floor and kitchen ceiling and a wall in my kitchen, with no intention of putting anything back. This was to dry out the moisture from the leaks. After they left, I noticed my shower was leaking again so I called them AGAIN and told them and they said they would have someone call me to schedule an appt, that was on December 16th. No one has contacted me and my shower is still leaking. I have paid over $5000 to this company, I should not have to contact additional people to fix the walls and ceiling and floor that they tore out. I feel like they completely took advantage of me because I’m a single middle aged woman. They were so pushy at getting things done.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/26/2024

  *****,

  It was a pleasure speaking with you this afternoon - once again thank you for taking the time to speak with me more in depth with your concerns. Per our conversation we will be out to asses the overall situation and begin working toward a resolution for you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/01/2025

  Roto Rooter came out on 12/31, but did not have the tools to fix the leaky shower. They have scheduled a different person to come out on 1/2. I do not want to close this out until I know the job is going to get completed. I am going on 2 months of dealing with this. If I must make my decision right now, it’s going to be that I am not satisfied yet. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/02/2025

  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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/25/2024

  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.

  In April 2024 I called Roto Rooter from a ****** listing that said they were located in Tilton, IL.
  I hired this company to put all new plumbing in at my sister’s home in Chrisman, IL located in Edgar County.
  It’s November 2024 and the job is still not done and they do not have a location in Tilton they came from Champaign, IL.
  The plumbing manager ***** ******* sold me the job stating he had 40 years experience. ***** never came out until the end to sell me a water heater & told me if I didn’t buy the water heater from him he was pulling off the job. That’s when I questioned if this job was state inspected. It was not and the state inspector came out & this job failed state inspection 5 times. I requested from Roto Rooter a list of the licensed plumbers on this job, no response.
  Note: All new plumbing must pass Illinois state inspection. All plumbing must be done by a licensed plumber.
  ***** the plumbing manager had his employee **** *******, who did most of the plumbing who I cannot find his plumbing license under the state of Illinois plumber license look up, get full payment on May 13, 2024. The job was not done, he demanded payment and wanted a credit card number and lied to my 86 year old mother that the job was done to get paid. This job is not done and Roto Rooter has held up my construction job and cost me money. Roto Rooter was paid $17,387.16. They coded the job as SPECIAL RESIDENTIAL SEWER AND DRAIN PROJECT, this was new rough in plumbing. ***** ******* told me he was going to take care of this and get it right. He was going to come out with a plumber they use for problem jobs. He showed up with newly hired plumbers. They didn’t have any. This is a franchisee and I don’t know if the owner knows this business is being ran like this but I have been scammed. This job cost me money and should not have taken 7 months. The owner needs involved in this mess. They need to refund the money so I can get licensed company out to get the job done right.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/06/2024

  ****,
  
  After reviewing our records it appears that **** ******** is the customer/homeowner at the listed address of ***** * ****** ** ********* ** *****. Now with that being said we would be more than happy to have **** reach out to us to discuss this in further detail unless the BBB authorizes a non-customer/homeowner to proceed with a complaint/issue. However, we will address a few non-job-related items you listed in this complaint below.
  

  Our franchise operating area covers Kankakee down to Effingham and then Bloomington over to Danville. We have small hub offices in every larger area we operate but all of those offices funnel to the main location in Champaign, IL. The way we code jobs is for internal purposes only and does not have an effect with what work is done or pricing.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/09/2024

  Roto Rooter in Champaign, IL office is fully aware that I am the person that hired them to install new plumbing at my sister's house. I am the only point of contact in their computer system which they received authorization from my sister via conference call, the only time the office spoke to her was for authorization. They emailed me the invoices at ***************. They texted and emailed me when they were sending a technician out, which didn't happen every time.  I am the only email and phone number Roto Rooter has for this job.  They emailed me the invoices, they would text me when they were sending a technician out, which didn.t happen every time. I'm the one that spoke to the managers ***** *******, ***** *********, ***** ******* and new hire ***** ***** the only one who contacted me with updates. There are all aware I hired Roto Rooter, and I was also the point of contact with Illinois State Plumbing Inspector which I forwarded ***** ********* into to him.  As I stated in the original complaint, this is a franchise, and I don't believe the Owners know what is going on at this location because the entire office knows including ***** ****** about this job and I'm the one who hired them.  I hope the employees are being honest and not lying to the owners and this is not the owners with questionable business practices. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/09/2024

  I would also like to add my sister disabled and I take care of everything for her. Roto Rooter saying I’m not their customer is a blatant lie knowing I was handling her business. They do not even have my sister’s phone number or email. Only mine *************** ************ is my info. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/10/2024

  Please see attached file. This is a signed letter from my sister **** ******** giving me authorization. Please note Roto Rooter was given the same authorization. Every time I call into Roto Rooter from my phone number ************ it would pop up on their computer screen with my sister's account.  They would say is this **** ********, I would say no this is ****.  They would say, oh yes, I see your name here.  They don't even have ****** email or phone number, my email and phone number on her account.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/17/2024

  ****,

  You were listed as a secondary POC for the account but there was nothing listed that you were also the POA. It looks like the BBB is going to accept the letter you submitted to speak on ****** behalf so we will go ahead and start addressing the concerns / overall job below.

  4/24/24 - ***** was called out for an inspection of work and he sold said work for $17,387.

  4/25/24 - We started the project

  5/13/24 - We completed everything that we could with the project until the GC (which we discovered was ****) squared away other portions that needed to be finished prior to us finalizing the project.

  7/25/24 - We were called out to complete the finishing touches but upon arrival it was discovered nothing had been accomplished to finish the job. We relayed that they still needed to finish items prior to our finalization of project.

  8/20/24 - We were called out again to complete the project but once again upon arrival it was discovered that nothing had been done. We once again relayed this information accordingly.

  9/20/24 - We were called out again but this time the needed work was completed and we were able to asses what we needed to do in order to finish our original bid. At this point in time ***** offered another bid to take on the next portion of work that would need to be completed. This discussion created an issue due to **** wanting to piece the remaining work to multiple vendors and ***** declined to do any further work which resulted in **** barring him from the property.

  9/22/24 - Finished remaining work on original bid

  9/26/24 - State Inspector ******** ****** was called out for inspection by ****. It was discovered that the lead Plumber we had on the project (****** ******) had not called in the inspection for the work that had been done. On top of that we were also issued a warning for 5 IL plumbing code violations (890.1210.b / 890.1210.f2 / 890.1450.b / 890.1470.d / 890.1470.f). After those fixes were to be made we would then be put through a smoke test for the drains and air/water test for the waterlines.

  October - we went back out to correct the above mentioned warnings and to perform the needed tests. We passed the smoke test for the drain portion of work and set up the air/water test for the remainder. We also threw in around $8,000.00 additional work for free while making our corrections to show good faith to the customer and our way of apologizing for the misses stated on the inspection.

  November - two separate occasions we went out to get the air test situated but every time the inspector went out there seemed to be a dip in the air that was holding. This resulted in another conversation because every time we were onsite to load the lines with air the lines would hold without fail but when we left and the following week the inspector would come out the lines seemingly dropped 20 PSI. After conversation it was agreed we would go ahead and just do a water test to pass the remainder of the work. We actually passed the water test the day (11/25/24) this complaint was filed.

  Unfortunately, after reviewing the overall timeline and details of the event we will not be issuing any sort of refund to the customer. The main delay/drawn out timeline of this project was due to the GC not getting the needed work done in order for us to finish the original bid. We also never failed an inspection - just issued a warning on 5 things that needed to be fixed. On top of that we also went ahead and did free additional work (that the customer accepted and did not turn down). 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/23/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  Roto Rooters response is filled with more false info. 
  
  I have always been the point of contact from the original call. The only phone number and email they have is mine. They need to provide the contact info they are claiming to have for someone else. 
  

  They said the job was done in May and demanded full payment. Only to find out it was not complete. The person they sent out in July and August was not a license plumber. He was an apprentice named ******* ********* who is no longer with the company. He did not know what he was doing. I have requested a list of licensed plumbers names and dates they were there from the company and they refused to provide. 
  

  They are claiming the lead plumber ****** ****** failed to call for inspection. He can only be verified as being onsite twice. He is no longer with company. The plumbing manager ***** should have been overseeing this job and made sure the inspector was out. 
  New hire ****** ***** started saying there should be a general contractor on this job and there wouldn’t be any problems. ***** ******* and ***** jumped on this as if they discovered where the problem is. A GC is not a licensed plumber and all they do is hire one, it’s the licensed plumber that designs the job and installs. The state inspector said Roti Rooter should have called him out at the beginning with the design and during install for inspection. 
  The only true statement is that I did call the state inspector and ***** the plumbing manager never called the inspector or oversaw the job to make sure someone else did. ***** thought he could just email pics to pass inspection. 
  ***** dropped the ball on this job and did nothing to oversee it and make sure it was done correctly as he holds the plumbing license. He was absent until the end when he came out to sell me a water heater. I told him I already have a quote and he told me he was going to pull off the job if he’s not going to do it. I NEVER BARRED HIM FROM THE JOB. totally false info and their other apprentice that was doing the plumbing job at the end ***** ******** can confirm because he told me ***** told him to finish because they were pulling off the job. 

  Roto Rooter did not do and extra $8,000 worth of work this is more false info. They put in a  manifold which any plumbing company that puts in new plumbing does. ***** ******* said they would do that and give me a refund. I’m asking for a full refund because Roto Rooter’s contract stated they are giving a 10 year warranty. They pulled off the job so I have to bring in a new plumber to finish and that starts a game back and fourth because they didn’t pass inspection right away shows they the plumbing wasn’t done roght. They didn’t use licensed plumbers on the job. They lied from the start and cannot be trusted. 
  ***** told me the first day he was there a vent has to go in the bathroom and he has to do it because he discovered it and a license plumber has to do it. They never did it. I have a voicemail from ***** another apprentice on July 24 that said he had to have a license plumber come out and do the vents. It wasn’t done. They also didn’t put metal plates over the new plumbing which must be done to pretext it behind the drywall. 
  Roto Rooter did a poor job with unlicensed plumbers and a plumbing manager who only took the job for the money. This job should never have taken seven months to complete. This has everything to do with the terrible plumbing manager and his employees that he can’t seem to keep. Very high turnover at this company. This has nothing to do with a general contractor. Roto Rooter is the licensed company and should have known what they were doing but they didn’t. They held up the job and its cost us money. They dragged this job out until the winter months when the weather changed. ***** ******* offered some money back. I’m requesting a fulll refund so when a problem occurs and the plumbing they did needs fixed I don’t have to call them to honor their warranty per their contract. They made a lot of mistakes. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/23/2024

  I also want to add on Friday November 8, 2024 I spoke to ****** White and told him not to send out a tech on Monday November 11 because nobody would be there because they had doctors appointments. When my sister went to the house on Tuesday November 12 they discovered Roto Rooter was out there on Monday. They entered the house without authorization and did not contact anyone. When I brought this up the manager ***** ******* he said they tried calling ****, they do not have my sisters phone number. This was a blatant lie. They never called me or my sister to get authorization to enter the home. Why would they go out there knowing nobody would be there? This company has questionable work ethics. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/20/2024

  Type:Product 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 11/20/2023 Roto Rooter installed a new hot water heater in my house and we paid them $2158.37. On 5/15/24 the hot water heater was leaking and water was all over the floor. It had been leaking for months but we didn't know because it is in a closet. On 5/15/24 ****** showed up from Roto Rooter and took all responsibility and said that a part should've been replaced when the hot water heater was installed but it was not and that is what was leaking. ****** did not have the part and was coming the next morning around 9 to 10 to replace it. On 5/16/24 he was a no show so I called the office of Roto Rooter and he finally showed up around 2:30. He replaced the part and said there is obvious damage caused by roto rooter and he had been on the phone with someone who would be contacting me. He stated that they were blowing him off and he was going to keep at them until they called me. On 5/16/24 I get a call from ***** who works at Roto Rooter. He told me they were going to replace my floor and walls since they are water damaged. ***** told me that he would do the construction himself and fix all of the damage. We agreed that would take place on 5/30/24 but that didn't happen because he forgot so we agreed on 6/6/24 but he was a no show. I called and told him that I am having a reliable construction company do the repairs and he agreed. ***** came to my house on 6/24/24 to see the damage and agreed it was their fault and it needed fixed ASAP and he sprayed the mold so it wouldn't spread. ****** ************ sent them a bid shortly after and ***** approved it and they would send me the check to pay the construction company. I have called ***** on 7/26/24, 8/22/24, 9/6/24 and 9/13/24 because I still haven't received a check. On 9/13/24 he told me it was sent out 9/10/24 and I can finally get my house fixed. I still do not have a check and I'm sure it hasn't even been issued. I have been dealing with a damaged floor, walls ants and mold since May.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2024

  ****,

  I apologize for the issue our plumber created with installing the water heater and dropping the ball on getting this check for the repairs sent over to you. I can confirm the check was cut last Friday and mailed out - which should be arriving withing 7-10 business days. We appreciate the business and patience with us on this matter and once again I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused your family.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/10/2024

  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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/06/2024

  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.

  In Nov 2022 I called Roto-Rooter about my downstairs bathtub (our 2nd bathtub) having water back up into it. On 11/18/22 a technician named ***** came by and said the pipe is clogged and offered to either use a cable machine or hydro jet. We opted for hydro jet. They said they freed the clog, but that the pipes were corroded and needed replaced. They said they could come back and try putting a liner in through it and said it would be around $4,000 typically. They came back the next day, I was working but my husband was at home along with my parents, and when I arrived at home the field supervisor named ***** * told me they cannot just line the pipe because its at an angle and will have to replace the pipe. I felt like I had no options, so I signed the paper. They charged me $21,929.78. They broke up my floors, replaced the pipe, and put concrete on the floor that we had to finish ourselves. The cleanout was crooked. We replaced the floors and called them back to install the toilet, like they agreed. We told that technician that the cleanout was crooked and he said he would let them know. When we tested the bath, we realized it was STILL not draining. We called them back and ***** said that they would have to break the bathtub and remove it, break the floors again, and replace a pipe under the tub and that it would be another $7,287.16 and we're responsible for the tub and floors again. When I told him that its sand under the tub because you can see from the tub access he replied with "Oh, really?" which confirms he didn't even check it.. I told him no for repair. We bought a bottle of drain cleaner and put it in the tub and it was magically fixed. I asked for an itemized receipt for the $22,000 that we paid and ***** said "We don't do those". We were completely scammed out of $22,000. This review is almost 2 years since the issue started because I did not know if I could do anything about it. We are first time homebuyers.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2024

  Dear *******,

  I'm sorry to hear that you're not satisfied with our quality of service for the plumbing work we performed for you. We have tried to reach out to set-up a meeting to discuss this further but were unable to make contact. We aim for nothing less than world class quality service, and it seems that you feel we missed the mark in your case. We thank you for bringing this to our attention and have dove into this service from start to finish in order to see what we can do to help rectify any potential misses on our side of things.

  We originally received a call from the customer in regards to an issue with the downstairs toilet bubbling up when the upstairs toilet is flushed and an issue with some water backing up in the downstairs tub. We jetted the mainline to clear the blockage and set up to have a field supervisor out to camera the line and go over potential options to fix the reason behind the original blockage. The camera footage (attached) from that inspection showed that their original line was compromised and it needed to be replaced. The proposal consisted of us needing to break up to 40 ft of cast iron and replace it with SCH 40 PVC bedded in gravel with put back of the concrete to a rough finish - also includes pipe and fittings, stone to bed pipe, installation of outside cleanout access, permits / fees, utility location, and inspection upon completion. We started the work on 11/19/22 and finished on 11/23/22 without any issues and the main line was free flowing after all work was completed.
  

  Fast forward three months later and we received a call from the customer stating they were still having some draining issues with the tub and that the outside cleanout we installed ended up being crooked. We responded by sending out a technician to cable/plunge the drain to allow it to flow properly but were unable to do so. Upon failing to get the drain relief we brought in our field supervisor again to assess the situation which resulted in an additional lump of work needing to be done underneath the bathtub. The customer declined the additional work to be done once discussing the solution to the remaining issue but we were able to later date setup to come out and fix the crooked outside cleanout issue in May.
  

  After reviewing all of the details on this service we do feel for the customer having an unresolved piece of the overall problem not be taken care of. It seems the customer was able to get relief from using an over the counter drain cleaner but this is not a long term solution to the problem. We would gladly come out to assess the downstairs bathtub issue and address it free of charge to show we do stand behind our efforts to provide world class service. However, we do not feel a refund is justified due to the overall state of the mainline we replaced. If that was not replaced they would still have all of their issues - especially the toilet concerns. We look forward to your response and thank you again for allowing us to service you!
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/19/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  Hello,
  
  Thank you kindly for your reply! I have not received any calls, voicemails, text messages, or emails from anyone regarding this. This the first reply I have received and its through the BBB. I still have the same phone number, email, and everything. 
  
  You are mostly correct in the regards to the initial work except for the fact that the tub had never drained since the repairs, until we fixed it ourselves. It was not free flowing and clear and then just stopped working again, it was never checked. This was a 2nd bathroom for us so we never checked it either initially. We just knew that water was no longer backing up into it, which that stopped happening after it was jetted on day one. Also the stone that was used was our own stone, which is why I asked the field supervisor for an itemized receipt and was told that I could not have one because "they don't do them". The technician putting in the new pipe even made the comment to my husband and myself that he was "just going to use the stone they dug out from around the existing pipe", which is why I asked for an itemized receipt because I was guessing that means the initial price was including a charge for stone.
  
  I was instructed to call after we finish the floors so the toilet can be put back. When the technician came out for that, we asked him if the cleanout was supposed to look like that because our last one did not and he said no. He told us he would send it in, he even took pictures. We never heard anything from anyone. 
  
  We turned the water on in the downstairs tub and realized it was not draining and that's when we made the 3rd call, but this call did not mention the outside cleanout. A technician did come in and try to snake the drain, but was unsuccessful. He called the field supervisor and the field supervisor came in and stood in my downstairs living room WITHOUT looking at ANYTHING and he already had a new estimate written up to send to me. He told me the total cost and what it would entail. I asked about replacing the bathtub and he said we would be responsible but he would send us a second estimate for them to put it in. He did not assess or look at anything at all. I talked it over with family and ultimately declined because we felt it should have been corrected for free considering it was the entire reason we called in the first place. When I mentioned that to the field supervisor on the phone, he simply said that "it stinks when things happen back to back like that", although he said a different word than stinks but it won't let me post it in my reply. I'm pretty sure I hung up on him at that point, or maybe I did say goodbye, because I knew he was not going to help us. That was when we used drain cleaner and it fixed it.
  
  The outside cleanout being fixed came about after that visit. We have pictures that we shared with some family and they recommended we call the city plumbing inspector, which we did and HE was the one who called the technicians back out to fix the cleanout. The technician stood on my doorstep and said that the field supervisor should have known that the pipes needed to be cleaned out after all that work because it could have pushed sediment into the pipe potentially clogging it. They did fix the cleanout and the technicians were very kind.
  
  I don't feel like a full refund would be appropriate because work was indeed performed. However there is no way of knowing if we would still have all of the issues, and I feel its unfair of someone to assume so, because after jetting the pipe the issues were initially fixed. The video in no way said we needed a new pipe, it just said we needed it jetted, which we had done. I do feel like we deserve a partial refund because the work was never completed for what we were told was being fixed and instead was going to be charged a lot more. Yes a pipe was replaced, but our issues were not fixed. That is very bad business practice.
  
  I'm not sure what you mean by coming out to assess the downstairs bathtub issue and address it free of charge? My husband was the one who got it to drain at the end of everything. The field supervisor, that never looked at anything, told us he would have to break the tub to do anything and we would be responsible for a new one plus an additional $7k-$10k, not to mention the cost of replacing the floors for a third time.
  
  I do appreciate the reply and hope we can get this resolved! I would much rather praise a company than ever have to say anything negative about them, especially when the technicians were very kind. Thank you.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/11/2024

  Mrs. *******,

  I appreciate talking and working with you through all of this. Per our conversation yesterday we will be cutting a check for $7k today to show good faith in regards on the oversight of not including the tub with the original work. The check should arrive between the next 7-10 business days. We appreciate the business we have done with you so far and hope you keep us in mind if any drain, plumbing, or water restoration needs arise in the future.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/11/2024

  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. ***** with Roto-Rooter was extremely polite, understanding, and I am satisfied with the outcome. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/31/2024

  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.

  I came home from work to toilets that were backed up and would spew all over the floor when flushed. I called around and rotorooter was the only one that could come that day. He tried to snake the clog with no luck. Was told he would have to charge more to remove the toilet. I said I would remove the toilet. He done it for no extra. Still no luck. Another guy comes the next day and says they will have to dig next week to put a clean out outside even though I have one in the basement. They come quote me a price, I say no I'll dig, they say no they can't get in a hole that I dig, they say they will use shovels instead of equipment to save $ I say no still can't afford. They say put the loan in my disabled husbands name. I ask about restoration they send another guy out, he says insurance will pay for this but you have to remember to say soft clog and nothing else. I say don't start working until I know for sure. Next day I come home from work to a crew digging outside with equipment and another tearing out drywall even though I said not to start. Tear out crew broke my basement window, cut up an antique cabinet on the opposite side of the basement that had no water damage, as well as threw away medical supplies that were in plastic in cabinets that didn't get wet, tore up so much and kept telling me to stay out of the basement cause it was category 3 contamination. Was told they would inventory everything for insurance, but I got no list, had to call numerous times for photos and call numerous times for window that was broken, only to have a guy come take a photo and never call back and they never paid for window. They didn't tear out the tub in the bathroom that they said had water damage, they busted the drywall in the laundry room that didn't have water damage, and I say stop they have the boss call me to talk me into continuing. They then have my incompetent disabled husband sign saying he agreed to repairs.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2024

  Good Morning All,

  I want to start off by apologizing for the customer feeling pressured. That was and is never our purpose - we strive to be the ones present in their time of need and assist them through these type of unexpected events to the best of our abilities. I went ahead and went through the financed excavation and the insurance covered restoration we performed for the customer. Below is a breakdown of what was found. I haven't been able to contact the customer but will reach out again on Monday to see if I can set up a time to come by and talk/walk through the whole situation for them.

  The customer opted to use the husbands information to obtain the financing through ******** in order to use our services. We lowered our price by making it a hand dig instead of a mechanical and even reduced the crew size to 2 vs the typical 3 for mechanical - we are a flat rate base company based on factors like these. Upon the completion of work for the excavation ******** sent out a text for confirmation/satisfaction of service at which point dictates us getting paid for said services. The number responded that everything was completed to satisfaction. The number listed on the account was ************ - which happens to be the same contact information we have for **** ***** on our side.

   

  The restoration work we did was all through insurance and was fully accepted/paid out - I'm unsure of why they did not pay back the customer on items lost because every plan is different in what qualifies for them for things listed in said policy. We would be glad to turn over our documentation again in order to help with that reimbursement process. The window that was listed as busted was never definitely identified in going through our records but in good faith we would gladly reimburse for the window replacement.

  As I stated earlier - I would love to set up a time to meet face to face at the property to go over all the concerns/issues. I will be reaching out again on Monday to try and set up a time that works for them.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/11/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:

  1.  The guy was here and quoted a price, I told him I couldn't do that, he said they would do a manual dig cheaper, I told him I still couldn't do that. I would dig it myself, he said they couldn't get into a hole that I had dug.  The hole was literally 3 foot deep, it wasn't like anyone was going to get buried alive.  He offered financing I told him I couldn't do that, as I was strapped due to medical expenses etc.  I told him I would dig myself and/or have a friend who done excavating work do it for me. He asked for my info anyway just to see what kind of financing he could get me (not taking no for an answer) I gave it to him, the numbers were crazy high.  He said whats his numbers pointing to my husband.  I gave them to him and of course they were better cause he hasn't worked or spent anything since he's been disabled and completely dependent on caregivers for 18 years at the time (19 now) I caved because this guy was not taking no for an answer.  Although I have a clean out in the basement and there was really no need to have a outside clean out in the first place.  He said it was because I would get contaniments all over the basement floor, well there already was so whats the big deal?  They ended up doing a mechanical dig anyways and there was always 3-5 guys here doing something except for the tear out and then it was 2-3 guys.  And they even started digging and had already started to fix the pipe by the time Julie got here to mark utilities.  I have included pictures of the cleanout in the basement as well as the leak that is currently happening.  This guy was a quick talker and even tried to make me feel comfortable by talking medical stuff about his son to me.  When I got him info for his sons situation he looked at me like he had no clue as to what I was talking about.  Blowing smoke basically.  

  2.  I was told by this same guy that I needed to answer the review so that the funding got released or there would be bigger issues since the work was completed.  Again pressured.

  3.  I have not received any call from Roto Rooter since this complaint nor do I want them on my property.  I am not interested in meeting any of them face to face so they can once again pressure me into agreeing to or accepting something i am not happy with.  I have included the text messages I sent **** asking for the inventory and pictures and asking about the window but no answer from him.    

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/14/2024

  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.

  March 2024 Roto-Rooter came to my new home due to leaking water lines under my newly purchased home. I was pressured into signing that very same day a loan with Roto-Rooter for $10,000 plus and promised that ******** would reimburse me, that this was needed to get the repair started asap, and that this is very typical of Home Insurance Companies. I was pressured to agree to the loan during the initial service call, not having time to fully understand what was happening other than my home had water damaged and my possessions were damaged.
  
  I was later told by my claims adjuster from ******** that Roto-Rooter scammed me into taking a loan out for the repair for over 10k, without ********* Approval for Repairs, which the Claim for ******** was only approved for 2k leaving me with a bill for 9K, which ******** says there was nowhere near 11K of water damage work done at my newly purchased home of a couple of days.
  
  I feel that due to me being a senior citizen, single African American women who was in a crisis, I was taken advantage of, due to the fact of both Roto-Rooter employees inquired about my credit score 10 mins after arriving at my home. This is a scam and very unethical and a bad business practice of capitalizing on a person's crisis. I feel like I was targeted and discriminated by the Caucasian Employees at Roto-Rooter who took advantage of me during this crisis.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/24/2024

  Good Afternoon,

  We received this BBB complaint on 6/18 and tried to contact the customer on 6/18, 6/21, and 6/24 but have yet to make contact with the customer. We have completed two jobs for the customer at ** **** ***** ***** ********* ** ***** - a $8,556.58 Water restoration/mitigation and a $11,591.11 Excavation. The Water restoration/mitigation was fully covered through insurance and the Excavation was split between $9,600.00 being covered through ********* financing and $1,991.11 through insurance. It seems there was a misunderstanding about insurance covering the excavation portion of the work we performed.

  The majority of the work we do out of our Water Department is covered through our customers homeowners insurance and we start/finish the job through them. Unfortunately, the majority of the work we do out of our Excavation Department does not get overed through homeowners insurance or only a small portion is. Prior to starting any of the excavation work we inform the customer that we will need to be paid directly or they will have to finance - which I have attached the copies of the signed estimate and ********* financing slip.

  I understand that the insurance only covered a small portion of the total bill but unfortunately that was up to / on the insurance company and not us. We did not have the customer get finance for any of the Water Restoration/Mitigation work we did at the same time because we knew and went through insurance. On the flip side we had the customer get financed prior to the work being started due to the fact of how insurance typically does not cover excavation work.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/31/2023

  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.

  The work they done was for *** ******* my son but I paid for it. Supposed to fix pipes under trailer and take old with him did not replace one pipe. 

  Business Response

  Date: 08/13/2023

  Our plumbing manager met with Mr. *******. All concerns were addressed and a $500 refund was agreed upon. The is now satisfied and agreed to update the BBB of the result

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/28/2023

  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.

  on2/22/23 roto-rooter came out told me i had broken pipe in crawspace they would have to fix an put in new clean out replace 8' of sewer line and it would cost 17,966.00 I asked why they would they just fix the pipe and roto from there ****** ask about home INS. and said they would pay 80% he said he had all the pictures to show them and knew what to say and show them. so like the lamp led to his grave I bit hook, line, and sinker they did work on 2/23/23 i paid that day took bill to INS. 2/24/23 they said no but roto-rooter is known for this. I called their company. they put me in touch with ****** now he tells me he never said that.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/09/2023

  I reached out to *** ******** on 3/6/23 to inform him that I would be reaching out to his insurance agent to see what they need from us to see if he has any coverage that would apply.  I called and left a message with the agent on 3/6/23 and on 3/8/23.  No response from them yet.  I informed *** ******** that I would be working with his insurance company on his behalf to get the documents that they request to see if his policy has any coverage.
  Thank you,
  ***** ********, Operations Manager

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/09/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
    I beleave they leid to me they are saying they never told me the INS. co. would pay 80% of the bill the only way for them to resove this is to take the 8,000.00 they have as payment in FULL