Reviews

Review Details

• Review fromLaura P

  Date: 10/18/2024

  1 star

  Laura P

  Date: 10/18/2024

  Do not use this business. Our septic company recommended them when our pump went out and it was an absolute nightmare from day 1. We were scheduled for a Wednesday at 1p and no one came until end of day Wednesday. The person who showed said that he was not qualified to address the issue and said that we would hear from someone at the office first thing the next morning and that they would work on scheduling with an electrician and our septic company to all come work on our system at the same time. I called the office midday on Thursday to find out when someone would be coming to take a look at our septic, and no one in the office had any idea what I was inquiring about. I finally received a return call about an hour later and was told that they would have someone out there later that day. Once again, toward the end of the day, a different person arrived and said that we needed to have our septic pumped (something I had someone lined up to do that morning but was told by the guy on Wednesday that they needed to schedule), so our septic company came on Friday morning to pump and Roto-Rooter arrived in the afternoon, just before end of day again, and installed a pump. A month later, our septic alarm went off because the pump was not working. Turns out that they installed the WRONG pump. The correct pump was going to take time, so they just went with one that was available. None of this was communicated to us at the time. I was told that it would take 5 business days to get the correct pump in. I followed up a week later, no pump. I contacted the manufacturer, which they ordered directly through, and was quoted a 4-week turnaround on the pump. They put me in touch with a local supplier who had the pump on their shelf. I picked it up and had Roto-Rooter install it, but they are only offering a fraction of the $786 paid for the incorrect pump as a refund despite this being their error. Utter insanity. Do not use this company!

  Bloomington Roto Rooter

  Date: 10/24/2024

  This customer came as a referral from a septic pumping company. The original call came in stating that the homeowner was cleaning storm debris and found a wet spot in their yard. Upon further investigation, the homeowner found rotted 4X4's falling in around their septic tank and called Roto-Rooter for help. The homeowner was going to be out of town and when they returned, they were hosting a large backyard party. They did not want their backyard to smell like sewage, and because of this there was more urgency to resolve this issue fast. During the initial visit, the service technician inspected the electrical panel in the home to ensure the breakers were not tripped and then inspected the septic tank. He found that the wires to the septic pump were rotted and deteriorated and recommended that the homeowner call an electrician before having any plumbing work done. After the electrician repaired the wiring, Roto-Rooter went out again. They coordinated with the septic pumping company to pull the pump once the septic tank was pumped. Once the pump was removed from the septic tank the service technician began diagnostic services to determine why the pump had failed. He attempted to read the model number on the pump, but the casing was too deteriorated to read the full model number. All that was legible of the model number on the pump was what looked like L-51 1/2HP leading the technician to believe it was a ******* brand ** sewage ejection pump model LE-51. Therefore, that was what the technician installed. However, the technician made the homeowner aware that because of the urgency with this job to be completed due to their party we might need to revisit after the party to examine why the pump failed and the exact needs of the system. The septic system was functioning properly when the service technician left the residence. A few weeks later the homeowner called again stating that the pump was not working, and the tank alarm was going off. The service technician arrived and inspected the pump only to find the pump pumping very slowly. The service technician contacted his manager for assistance. The manager contacted the health department to pull records from the original pump specs to see what pump was originally installed in the septic tank only to find that the tank called for a Liberty brand 1/2HP FL-51A effluent pump. The manager then called the supplier to check the availability of the pump. The supply house stated that the pump that was needed would have to be shipped from the manufacturer and would require 5 days to arrive. Roto-Rooter placed an order for the FL-51A.When the service technician called to check the status of the pump that was ordered the supply house stated that there had been a delay in shipping and the pump was not going to arrive as promised. The homeowners took it upon themselves to call around and see if they could find a pump themselves. The homeowner did find the FL-51A in ************. Once the homeowner purchased the pump Roto-Rooter sent the service technician out to install it and cancelled the original pump order. Roto-Rooter made multiple trips to this home over the course of 6 weeks to assist this homeowner. The only charges that were made were for diagnostic work and for the pump replacement and the homeowner did sign the invoice stating that she was satisfied with the work performed. Roto-Rooter did not require a downpayment for the pump that was ordered and thought they were acting in good faith to keep the homeowner in service until the new pump arrived. However, after the FL-51A pump was installed, the homeowner called Roto-Rooter demanded a refund of the money spent on the temporary pump. Because the pump was used by the homeowner for temporary service, this pump cannot be returned to the supply house nor resold to another customer. *************************** offered to refund half the cost of the temporary pump, but the homeowner refused to accept this as payment. Before any settlement could be reached the homeowner placed a review on the companys Better Business Bureau business profile. Roto-Rooter prides itself on customer service and takes all customer complaints seriously. We are homeowners too and fully understand the frustrations that come with this. When we installed the temporary pump, our primary goal was to ensure that their system remained functional while we awaited the arrival of the new, permanent pump, but also so the homeowner could enjoy their party which was a top priority for the homeowner. The temporary installation was necessary to prevent any disruption in their septic system and provide them with continuous service during the interim period. The charge for the temporary pump covered the cost of labor, materials and the equipment necessary to maintain the septic system during the waiting period and the homeowner was kept aware of the situation during each visit. Once the permanent pump was purchased by the homeowner, we completed the installation as promised, ensuring their system was fully operational. Roto-Rooter did not charge anything for this service.While we understand the homeowner requested a full refund, we respectfully maintained that the charges for the temporary pump installation were necessary to provide uninterrupted service and the homeowner was kept aware during the whole process of the pump replacements.