Business Profile

Plumber

Roto-Rooter

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Pattern of Complaints

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Roto-Rooter's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

791 total complaints in the last 3 years.
262 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

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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:03/03/2024
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.
work was done on May 7,23.The same problem happened again on March 2,2024. I sent a copy of my bill and how unhappy I was that i pd 701. 10 months ago and am facing the same issue to their corp office. A Pat S****** contacted me that she was the liaison between the branch and the customer. And ask me to please give them a chance to correct this situation . I explained i had called another plumber but she insisted said she would have someone there within 2 hrs or less she said if its the same issue they would correct it. I told her i was not paying a dime and she said ok. Well we must of spoke to 10 different dispatcher. They couldnt make the 2 hrs, then the had the wrong address. then when they called I missed the call at 12:43 called them back at 12:45 they dispatched the technician to another job . then finally called me back they were sending someone. then the mention of money came up and my husband came unglued . We told them that Pat S****** said this would not cost any thing for them to look at it. And they said your bill states 30 days guartantee . I told them i understood that but Pat said and they informed me they did not know any Pat S****** I told them to flip their bill over her info is on the bottom. still they insisted we would have to pay so we canceled. Now it 2:30 to late to get the other plumber. now I have a renter without water and use of a toilet till Monday . And after all this a technician shows up after i canceled .A district manger called me this morning and i explained all of this and he said it's not under warranty and they did nothing wrong.. I understand what the warranty said but Liaison Pat S****** set this up and she had a copy of the bill at that time.
Business Response
Date: 03/04/2024
To whom it may concern,
Roto Rooter did perform a successful drain cleaning job at the ****** rental property located on High Street in Covington Ohio. The job was completed on 5/7/2023. The job was to cable the sewer line through a pulled toilet in Apt. *** of that location. Roto Rooter pulled the toilet, cleared and removed the blockage and returned normal flow to the sewer line. The toilet was reset with a new wax ring and supply line and ****** ****s. The customer was provided a $75 discount on labor at the time of service. Mrs* ****** signed the work order authorization agreeing to the scope of work, the price, and the warranty coverage on the job that was to be completed prior to any service work beginning. Once the job was completed, Mrs ****** signed the completion portion of the contract, again agreeing to the terms of the contract (including warranty coverage) and acknowledging they were completed to her satisfaction. Roto Rooter provided a 30 day warranty on commercial rental properties. This is clearly stated on her contract (please see the attached document). The same issue occurring three hundred days after the job was completed is obviously out of the warranty period by a long amount of time. It does not cost anything to have a technician sent out to the location to provide an inspection and estimate to perform future work, which we did in this case but that technician was turned away when he determined (correctly so) that the job was nowhere close to being covered under the 30 day warranty from 10+ months ago. While it is unfortunate Mrs. ****** is unhappy that we were unwilling to perform the work for free, we completed the job properly for the price agreed upon. Had it occurred during standard warranty period, we would have gladly performed the work at no cost. Our position is final, and no refund will be provided for the original scope of the job.
Customer Answer
Date: 05/02/2024
Please see attachments
Business Email
Second Opinion Estimate
Business Response
Date: 05/06/2024
To whom it may concern,

This is a duplicate complaint from 2 months ago. So to reiterate, Roto Rooter did perform a successful drain cleaning job at the ****** rental property located on High Street in ********* Ohio. The job was completed on 5/7/2023. The job was to cable the sewer line through a pulled toilet in Apt. 119 of that location. Roto Rooter pulled the toilet, cleared and removed the blockage and returned normal flow to the sewer line. The toilet was reset with a new wax ring and supply line and ****** *****. The customer was provided a $75 discount on labor at the time of service. Mrs. ****** signed the work order authorization agreeing to the scope of work, the price, and the warranty coverage on the job that was to be completed prior to any service work beginning. Once the job was completed, Mrs ****** signed the completion portion of the contract, again agreeing to the terms of the contract (including warranty coverage) and acknowledging they were completed to her satisfaction. Roto Rooter provided a 30 day warranty on commercial rental properties. This is clearly stated on her contract (please see the attached document). The same issue occurred three hundred days after the job was completed is obviously out of the warranty period by a long amount of time. It does not cost anything to have a technician sent out to the location to provide an inspection and estimate to perform future work, which we did in this case but that technician was turned away when he determined (correctly so) that the job was nowhere close to being covered under the 30 day warranty from 10+ months ago. While it is unfortunate Mrs. ****** is unhappy that we were unwilling to perform the work for free, we completed the job properly for the price agreed upon. Had it occurred during standard warranty period, we would have gladly performed the work at no cost. Our position is final, and no refund will be provided for the original scope of the job.
Initial Complaint
Date:03/03/2024
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 December 2020 the sewer line in my house blew we called roto rooter they came out and fixed it. Then on 3-2-2024 the main sewer line in the basement blew again. We called roto rooter to come fix their mistake they said they would have a plumber out to fix it in 3-4 hours. Two hours later they called us to inform us that no plumber was available til the next morning between 8-9 am and we would be put as a priority. They called us the next morning ( today) informing us that no plumber was available and we would have to wait until the next day because their dispatcher made a mistake and there are people ahead of us and have no plumber then hung up on me while asking a question. How is a 24/7 emergency plumbing company with 24/7 plumbers available not have any plumbers able to come out not want to fix their mistakes
Business Response
Date: 03/11/2024
There have been several attempts to reach the customer, she wants a full refund, and the branch is aware.
Initial Complaint
Date:02/29/2024
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 had roto rooter come out to clear my main sewer line and their snake is not long enough to reach the clog which is at the road. They told me their snake is a 100ft and I'm 125ft. They must have got to some of the clog but my sewer is now getting ready to back up again after 3 weeks to a month after the cleaning so they came back out after the Megan told me they have trucks with longer snakes not telling me I would have to pay again so when they got here they told me it was going to $1,000.00 and some odd dollars. I told them no. I called and talked to a secretary and she told me they're not a charity when I told them I don't have that kind of money and it's not my fault they only have 100ft. I told her I wanted my money back and I think it was Devin who said he was going to try to get my money back so I can go somewhere else. I told the secretary I was contacting the BBB for help with this and she said I was threatening her. This is a very poor company, there's no satisfaction unless you want to pay an extra 1000's of dollars. They put a camera down telling me it's roots that's the problem and they would need to go in cut them out and line the pipe for another $2,000.00 and some odd dollars. All I want is my money back to pay someone else to snake my drain. I've lived in my house 22yrs and probably had the drain snaked 5 times and never had a problem like this before.
Business Response
Date: 03/12/2024
All of our drain cables are 100 feet in length. We cleared the line to that length. Anything beyond was not able to be reached with a cable. Typically, a water jet is used to clean lines longer than 100 feet. We offered to take the amount paid for the cable off the cost of a water jet. When the customer did not want to pay the MOD sent a jet tech out to do it as a courtesy (2/28/24).
A free camera inspection is offered with all drain cable jobs. We informed the customer of root penetration in the line which is going to cause further issues down the road. A no obligation estimate was given to take care of that issue. There is no warranty on this line due to the fact the line has a root obstruction.
Customer Answer
Date: 03/18/2024
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,

********* *******
Customer Answer
Date: 03/22/2024

I called Roto rooter about 3 weeks after they were originally here because the sewer was getting ready to back up again so the lady told me they have trucks with longer "snakes" and sent them out. When the 2 guys got here it was the jetting system which was going to cost me another 1,000.00$ but the guy said and I think his name was Devin he could call someone and ask if they could take the money I already paid off the price of the 1,000.00$ and it would make it like 600.00$ and some dollars. I don't have that kind of money. So then he said he was going to see if he could get my money back so I could go some place else. So then someone called me from Roto rooter and was asking me what happened and said he could refund me 100.00$ and he did. He said he was going to see if he could get my money back or jet the line and he was going to get back to me and never did. I had to hire a second company for another 500.00$(about 35$ of that was to cap off the toilet drain) about to clear the line. There was a second clog under the floor in the basement. All I want is my money back because never in my 22 years here have had a problem like this that a company couldn't unclog my sewer line and I had to hire a second company.
Customer Answer
Date: 04/01/2024
called consumer back spoke with *** *******

the consumer said she called and gave information it would be applied on 3/18

but now she has something else needing more information consumer not sure what is needed

explained to the consumer what additional information is needed

since consumer explained in her last reply that she wanted her money back but she had to hire a second company to get the repairs done so the consumer wants the money back

consumer confirmed that the business gave her back $100.00 already and the tech

said that he would see if could just gave her the rest of the money and/or come back out to clean the jetting system but the

February 28th they said they would see if they could give her half and or come back to fix the issue

the consumer said they never came back but then she receive money in her account

she never talked back with them and she kinda let it be what it was and accepted the $100.0

but she wants the rest of her money

March 4th the consumer accepted the $100.00 deposit into her account then they call the consumer again because the business was looking to see if they could come back out

explained to the consumer that she did accept some money and that if no communciation with business that not sure if they may think that took care of it

express that tje copy of the second opinion paperwork is important

the consumer said she explained to the secretary of the business

and she paid the business to clean out a drain that was clogged in 2places underneath the basement and the road of the street the consumer lives

the consumer said that the business said they put a camera down their it was full of trees and shrubs

but the second company said that it was not way a camera could go all the way down to see if it was trees and shrubs blocking it

the consumer said that she still wants her money back at this point the total left is $286.00 which that is all she is asking
the consumer said she will send the second opinion information per email
Initial Complaint
Date:02/28/2024
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 2/4/2024, Roto Rooter came to my house to address burst pipes from freezing weather. The tech said $550 to find the leak in the wall. I signed and agreed to pay that amount. He fixed the 1st leak and found another in the kitchen sealing. He said $2/3k to fix this. He then called for help. They fixed that one an found 2 in the upstairs bathroom. He then said 5k and then towards the end, it was $7,500. They knocked off $500 if I gave them a good review. I had to spend most of that time figuring out how to pay them that much for something that was initially quoted at 2/3k. My adjuster came, and was disgusted that they charged me 7k and said that it shouldn't even had cost 2k for that fix. Even everything I have researched puts the worst pipe bursts fixes at 5k max. My adjuster and I called Roto for answers and none of their customer service reps could explain why 3 hours of work was $7k. The invoice was sloppy and had the $7k as labor. I sent a demand letter asking for atleast 3,000 back, as I had been grossly overcharged and their manager called and told me that I'm lying about the call my adjuster and I made on speaker and we got into an argument. I told her I'm going to take this to small claims court. I would much rather just resolve this than go to court but I'm willing to go that far if there is no compromise.
Business Response
Date: 03/01/2024
Roto-Rooter repaired 20 leaks, broken/burst pipes, in multiple/separate
locations throughout the property, requiring removal of walls and ceiling to access.
It must be understood that the scope of this type of service is a large-scale
job requiring 2 plumbers to complete.

According to the complainant’s own statement here, as more
broken/burst lines were located [after removing more drywall/ceiling],
Roto-Rooter plumbers continued to provide new/updated cost quotes for the additional
repairs with approval given by the customer to proceed. This is further substantiated
with his signature for Satisfied Completion on the contract for service. Contract
copy included in this response. Of course, the cost of service is going to raise
as more work is approved to be performed. Labor charges are a direct relation
to labor performed. More labor = more charges. This is standard business practice.

Per the customer’s demand letter, he stated his insurance company
only reimbursed him for $2,000. He attempted to claim this was due to incorrect
pricing by Roto-Rooter. Roto-Rooter explained insurance reimbursement is solely
determined by the policy coverage/limits. The higher the coverage/limit, the higher
the coverage/reimbursement. At no point was the customer called a lair nor was
it insinuated.

While Roto-Rooter sympathizes with the financial situation
of our customer, the condition of a property, and the cost to repair it, is the
sole responsibility of the property owner. The extent of the repairs and their
costs do not change this. It is unfortunate the property’s plumbing was in such
disarray that 20 leaks were present requiring repair/replacement of the pipes,
but the cost of those repairs were quoted accurately and approved. A refund is
not owed merely because the cost of a large-scale job is large.

To confirm, service performed was a large-scale job.
Roto-Rooter repaired 20 leaks, from multiple broken/burst pipes throughout the
home requiring removal of drywall and ceiling to locate and access. Complainant’s
own statement confirms Roto-Rooter continued to quote in real-time as more
leaks/burst pipes were located with his approval given to proceed. Signed
contract also confirms service was completed to his satisfaction. Customer is
not due a refund of repair costs merely because it’s a large job with a large
cost, nor is a refund due simply because the customer does not have enough
insurance coverage for a full reimbursement. Threats of litigation do not
change the customer’s responsibility for payment of his service nor will
threats of litigation result in an unwarranted refund from Roto-Rooter.

With this response, Roto-Rooter considers this complaint
addressed.
Customer Answer
Date: 03/01/2024
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.
There are a total of 7 leaks that were fixed. I am more than happy to have someone come and count, as my walls are still open. Your plumber racked up the price and made up 21 leaks to make the cost higher. You're literally reading a reciept written in half effort and not even signed by a clerk or the plumber themselves. He asked for another plumber so he can cut the water on or off. Anybody can look up and research how much to fix burst pipes. 7k is even high for below the slab. I'm just going to take this to small claims court, I'm done debating with this shaddy company. I'm sure the judge will agree that 7k for 3 hours of work is much too high. By the way there was alot of shaddy stuff about that reciept, he didn't even write the 21 pipes until after they left. Two plumbers splitting a commission. It's also very odd that he cut up many parts of the ceiling and walls to find a leak instead of using a moisture detector.
Regards,

*********** *****

Business Response
Date: 03/16/2024
The is no change in the response from Roto-Rooter. To recap, Roto-Rooter repaired 20 leaks, broken/burst pipes, in multiple/separate locations throughout the property, requiring removal of walls and ceiling to access. It must be understood that the scope of this type of service is a large-scale job requiring 2 plumbers to complete.

According to the complainant’s own statement here, as more broken/burst lines were located [after removing more drywall/ceiling], Roto-Rooter plumbers continued to provide new/updated cost quotes for the additional repairs with approval given by the customer to proceed. This is further substantiated with his signature for Satisfied Completion on the contract for service. Contract copy included in this response. Of course, the cost of service is going to raise as more work is approved to be performed. Labor charges are a direct relation to labor performed. More labor = more charges. This is standard business practice.

Per the customer’s demand letter, he stated his insurance company only reimbursed him for $2,000. He attempted to claim this was due to incorrect pricing by Roto-Rooter. Roto-Rooter explained insurance reimbursement is solely determined by the policy coverage/limits. The higher the coverage/limit, the higher the coverage/reimbursement. At no point in any conversation was the customer called a lair, nor was it \ever insinuated.

While Roto-Rooter sympathizes with the financial situation of our customer, the condition of a property, and the cost to repair it, is the sole responsibility of the property owner. The extent of the repairs and their costs do not change this. It is unfortunate the property’s plumbing was in such disarray that 20 leaks were present requiring repair/replacement of the pipes, but the cost of those repairs were quoted accurately and approved. A refund is not owed merely because the cost of a large-scale job is large.

To confirm, service performed was a large-scale job. Roto-Rooter repaired 20 leaks, from multiple broken/burst pipes throughout the home requiring removal of drywall and ceiling to locate and access. Complainant’s own statement confirms Roto-Rooter continued to quote in real-time as more leaks/burst pipes were located with his approval given to proceed. Signed contract also confirms service was completed to his satisfaction. Customer is not due a refund of repair costs merely because it’s a large job with a large cost, nor is a refund due simply because the customer does not have enough insurance coverage for a full reimbursement. Threats of litigation do not change the customer’s responsibility for payment of his service nor will threats of litigation result in an unwarranted refund from Roto-Rooter.

With this response, Roto-Rooter still considers this complaint to be fully addressed.
Customer Answer
Date: 03/20/2024
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,

*********** *****
Customer Answer
Date: 03/20/2024
I'm done going back and forth but I recommend anyone with burst pipes to shop around and do not go with Roto, I PROMISE you will pay less than $2000 for work done over the slab with any other company or just go on ****** **** and pay the $750 they charge.
Initial Complaint
Date:02/28/2024
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 Wednesday 2/21/24, 2 plumbers from roto rooter came to my home 1*** ************ ****** **** ** ********* ** ***** and caused damage to the pipes underneath my kitchen sink and caused water damage to my island and my kitchen floor. I filed a complaint so another plumber from roto rooter came out on Saturday 2/24/24 to diagnose what was wrong but he told me that he didnt want to get involved and that i would have to talk to management going forward. He said he forwarded my complaints to the manager. He told me I would hear something that day. No manager reached out to me. Now it is monday and i called roto rooter 3 times. The first call a woman relayed my message to management and she told me the manager has to reach out to the plumbers to see what they did but that he would call me back today. 3 hours go by and no call. I call back a second time and the same woman tried to call the management office but then she said they weren't picking up their phones. She also said she escalated my complaint and that we would hear something within a hour and if i didn't hear anything by 5pm for me to call back. I called back at 5pm tonight and of course everyone is gone for the day. I'm absolutely digusted and angry that I am being treated this way. This is beyond unprofessional. I'm unable to utilize my kitchen because of the damages done by incompetent plumbers.
Business Response
Date: 03/01/2024
Spoke with the homeowner and sent new tech out to fix issue. Issue has been fixed.
Initial Complaint
Date:02/28/2024
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.
Searched online 12/20/23 for an appointment to look at my tub which was draining slowly and loudly. Roto Rooter ad said book online and get $75 off the visit. 2 employees came out 12/21/23 and could not figure out what was going on and had go outside to "talk to someone that knows more than me" a few times. Told us that they could snake it or that someone else would have to come out to tear out the sheetrock to look for "clogged bath vent pipe". We elected to snake it based on their advice. Employee had to borrow supplies from me to complete the work. They snaked the drain, gave me a bill for $418 and left. Absolutely no improvement for weeks. By chance a friend came over who knows about plumbing. We mentioned that we had the tub draining issue. He took off the drain stopper, and within a minute diagnosed it was a broken spring on a $10 drain stopper. We bought a new stopper and the problem is 100% resolved. Called Roto Rooter to tell them about the experience, how the crew weren't properly trained, overcharged for unnecessary services and borrowed our supplies. Also mentioned that the $75 online ad discount was not applied. Call was escalated to a manager who said it was too late and they would only send a check for the $75 discount that was not applied. Promised to refund the $75 and as of today, still no refund. We are now asking that the full amount be refunded based on the lack of responsiveness, improperly trained staff, overcharge for unnecessary services and unprepared staff.
Business Response
Date: 03/07/2024
Spoke with the customer and provided a refund.
Customer Answer
Date: 03/12/2024
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.

Regards,

******* ********
Initial Complaint
Date:02/27/2024
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.
Roto rooter came in to help provide an emergency sewer rodding service Tuesday 2/20.
They stopped rodding as soon as they hit a blockage. After charging $1260 for the service they then provided a high pressure fear based proposal for excavating the line with inaccurate depth readings. We did not proceed with this project.

Upon review from multiple other plumbers including camera inspection, they were able to complete the rodding of the line on Thursday 2/22 for which the regional manager Dave K*** confirmed via email they would refund the rodding service as it was not completed. As of Tuesday 2/27/24 they are refusing to refund anything and their customer service representative was hostile in her discussion with us.

We have disputed the charge through our credit card company, but based on their deceptive interaction, we want to ensure this is reported so it doesn't occur with other new homeowners.

Their invoice states they rodded the main sewer line, which they did not complete.
Business Response
Date: 02/29/2024
Rodding service was performed 2/20/2024 at this property.
Prior to performing service, the property had no sanitary flow, flooding the 1st floor bathroom and basement. After rodding services, flow was restored. The
restoration of flow fully evidences rodding service was completed. Footage
confirms line was cleared and flow was restored.

During rodding services roots were identified in the line.
Due to the significant lodging risk presented by root infestation, and the
restoration of flow already achieved, per the contracted terms, Roto-Rooter did
not continue to rod. Signed contract included in this response, listed below
for convenience.

“We are not responsible for defective, damaged, or deteriorate
lines… or unexpected or undisclosed conditions…. If we encounter such a condition,
we may stop work and you will pay us a reasonable charge for the work performed.”

After flow was restored with rodding, a camera service was also
performed. The scope identified not only root infestations in multiple
locations, but also multiple offsets and a crack in the line where cast iron
meets original clay. A proposal was given to repair these compromises. As the
property has not 1 but 3 issues, in not 1 but multiple locations on the sewer
line, it was advised these compromises will result in another backup. This is
not a “high pressure/fear-based proposal” as claimed, rather, this is a professional
plumbing company advising on the significant and heightened risks associated
with a heavy root presence throughout the sewer line, multiple offsets, and a
crack.

Roots present a significant lodging risk with no negligence
association. To explain, performing rodding is not a negligent act nor is the
root presence the fault of the service provider, it is an existing condition of
the property. Who is responsible for the property condition? Property owner or
service provider? Should a cable/blade get stuck on a root, unable to be
retracted from the line, the condition of the property’s sewer line caused the
cable/blade to get lodged; therefore, the property owner is solely responsible
for the costs of excavation to retrieve.

Roto-Rooter will NOT take these unnecessary risks with our
customer’s property/finances. Finding another company to take this risk does NOT
evidence the superiority of their service as the customer is attempting to claim.

Additionally, the customer’s statement to Roto-Rooter’s
response to these concerns is incorrect. Roto-Rooter did not offer to refund in
full, the offer was to review for processing a refund with invoice copy. After
review, due to footage confirming rodding was completed all the way to the city
tap with flow restored and multiple compromises present, charges were not
refund eligible. However, at 2pm on 2.27, a courtesy refund of $400 was
offered, appx 48% of the rodding charges. The offer was refused, requesting
instead to further discuss a refund in full.

Corporate management then contacted the customer directly to
explain footage confirms the line was cleared with rodding, only root infestation/lodging
risk remaining, with flow restored all the way to the city tap evidencing
services were completed despite the claims otherwise. For those reasons rodding
charges were not refund eligible, but the courtesy $400 refund was offered and
refused again, replaced with threats to dispute credit card charge untruthfully
as “a fraudulent charge” in an attempt to coerce a full refund from
Roto-Rooter.

To confirm, footage evidences rodding service cleared the main
sewer line and restored flow all the way to the city tap with only the root infestations/lodging
risks still present. Link to view footage included in this response. As it is fully
evidenced flow was restored, it is fully confirmed rodding service was
completed. This evidenced completion confirms rodding charges are not refund
eligible. Due to the customer’s dishonest attempt to illicit an unwarranted refund,
Roto-Rooter has withdrawn the courtesy refund offer of $400 and reserves
the right to pursue collections activity for payment of this contracted and
completed service, including but not limited to, lien placement on the property.
It’s worth noting here, because of the multiple inconsistencies in this complaint
statement, Roto-Rooter also believes the customer may be attempting to utilize
this consumer reporting agency fraudulently, similar to the dishonest credit
card charge reporting, in an attempt to utilize the BBB reporting to facilitate
their unwarranted refund.

With this response, Roto-Rooter considers this complaint
addressed.

Link for viewing footage of line after Roto-Rooter’s rodding
service:
*Please copy and paste into browser to view

****************
Customer Answer
Date: 03/06/2024
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.

In
furtherance of our complaint against Roto-Rooter, we wish to provide the
following information:
When we
initially called Roto-Rooter on 2/20/2024, they assured us they were able to
come and rod the blocked line. Soon after they arrived, the technician rodded
the line until he hit the blockage. At that point, he requested his supervisor
to come and scope the line with a camera. His Supervisor, Tony, inserted a
camera into the pipe to investigate the source of the clog. After Tony found
the clog, we were told we had a damaged line that needed to be dug up.
According to
their camera video, they rodded to about 33’ 8” into the pipe and then stopped.
In the video, the technician, Vangelis, clearly states he cut a 1.5” hole
through the blockage. Tony then states in the video that where the cast iron
pipe ends and the clay pipe begins, the roots presenting are normal due to the
transition. Tony then advised us that they had to replace a four-foot section
under the porch to put in a clean out. After completing the camera review, Tony
brought out a diagram which compared the depth of digging needed for the
excavation project to the respective price. He said that he would have to dig
down about 12 feet, which correlated to approximately a $19,600 project. He
then stated that he could fudge the numbers and show only 11 feet of digging to
provide us with an over $18,000 estimate, but if asked, he would claim that his
equipment needed calibration or batteries needed replacement. Tony then went to
put the camera equipment in his car. Meanwhile, Vangelis was pressuring us to
agree to the excavation project by stating there are no other companies that
will dig that deep.
When Tony
returned inside our home, he advised us that they would have to do extensive
digging and he quoted the aforementioned 11 feet of digging price around 11:25 p.m.,
stating he could get a crew to us first thing in the morning. We agreed to pay Roto-Rooter
for the work they allegedly did that evening with a rodding machine and advised
Tony that we wanted to think about his quote of $18,000+ for what he described
as necessary digging. At this time, both Tony and Vangelis were stressing that
we should not put any toilet paper in the toilet to flush, should not take
showers, should not run any laundry, etc. until they dug.
At 11:36 p.m.,
Tony and Vangelis were using their depth finder equipment to mark our yard with
white flags to guide the potential excavation project. When measuring this
final time, Tony mentioned that the measurements were 2 feet off in depth from
the initial measurements he had taken, making it a 9-foot dig. He then quoted
us a final price of $13,586.00 with the “newest measurements,” stating that
this price would include permit, parts, labor, tax, excavation, backfill and
inspection and he could get someone out first thing in the morning. Tony left
around midnight and Vangelis left at 12:21am on 2/21/2024.
Thankfully,
we had a second and third opinion obtained from two plumbers within 36 hours of
Roto-Rooter’s service. Through their investigation, we learned that Roto-Rooter
committed deceitful business practices, including the following:
Their employees misrepresented the extent of the work done on 2/20/2024. Although they claimed to have completed the rodding out of the pipe, Tony advised us that they were able to restore the flow in the pipe but then instructed us to not use toilet paper, not use the dishwasher, not take a shower, and only use the faucets in that bathroom. Clearly those admonitions were inconsistent with the representation that they had re-established flow. Through our plumbers rodding out of the pipe, they were able to establish that, contrary to Roto-Rooter’s representations, the work done by Roto-Rooter’s technician on 2/20/2024 had not rodded out the pipe and established flow.

Roto-Rooter claimed the extensive excavation was necessary to replace a broken water pipe. The two plumbers we retained advised us through the course of their camera investigation that there was no broken water pipe. At most, there were minor cracks in the bottom of the pipe through which roots had gained access. They advised us that those types of small cracks are normal and do not impair the function of the pipe. Unlike Tony’s representation that they were not able to get through the pipe with a 3” or a 2” rodding blade but were only able to rod with a 1.5” rodding blade, one of our plumbers was able to fully rod out the line and reestablish appropriate flow which has allowed us normal functionality of our water facilities. Accordingly, our plumbers advised us that there was no need to dig up the area recommended by Roto-Rooter. The equipment Roto-Rooter used should have been able to rod the line to get rid of all the roots at the blockage, as this is advertised as a core competency of their business model.

Roto-Rooter engaged in deceptive practices seeking to influence us to agree to allow them to do the unnecessary excavation work at a tremendously high cost. The manner in which Tony described it by showing us the digging depth/cost sheet then telling us that he would try to fudge the numbers so that it would cost us less was clearly an attempt to acquire our confidence so we would agree to the recommended work. Additionally, this type of high-pressure/quick turnaround sales tactic on an excavation project deemed unnecessary by two other experts does not meet state law requirements in ********. The ******** Underground Utility Facilities Damage Prevention Act, 220 ILCS 50/11, requires those involved in excavation to provide at least 2 business days advanced notice to a notification center (i.e., JULIE) to mark out all applicable gas, electric, water, sewer, and telecommunications lines prior to digging. The emergent need we had involved rodding our pipe for root build-up – there was no emergent need for an excavation project once the line was properly rodded by an external expert. As a result, Roto-Rooter would have violated such Act had they begun the excavation project the following day.

The work invoice provided by Vangelis states, “Rod main sewer line through clean out at the basement. No other access available.” There is no notation of any inability on the part of Roto-Rooter to accomplish the rodding out process. When we initially contacted Roto-Rooter regarding our concerns with the service, we were told by their Regional Manager, David (Dave) K***, that they would refund us $835.00 of the total $1,260.00 bill due to incomplete service. However, upon contacting them again to follow-up, they quickly reversed their position saying that they would not refund the $835.00. They did offer to refund $400.00 but stated they would have to pull their warranty for their work - the warranty that was a selling point touted by Dave and Tony for their company’s services. When my wife and I received a call back from the customer service team, we attempted to arbitrate our concerns and the unfulfilled promise of the rodding refund due to incomplete work. The woman on the line instead told us that the incomplete rodding was “intentional” and when asked why we were not told that, she did not provide us an answer.

In the initial response from
Roto-Rooter on our claim through the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Roto-Rooter
claimed that they were unable to rod after a certain point due to the risk of
“lodging” of their equipment. However, Roto-Rooter’s website boasts the
following ability:

TO HELP CONTROL TREE ROOTS IN YOUR SEWER LINE, HERE ARE A
FEW THINGS TO TRY:
Schedule Sewer Cleaning
Plumbers can mechanically clean your
sewer with a sewer cleaning machine equipped with long
spinning cables with blades on the tip. The effectiveness of the cleaning will
depend on the type of equipment the plumber uses and what type of pipe you
have. Clay tile, plastic, concrete, and cast-iron pipes can be effectively
cleaned this way.
Deep-rooted trees can cause serious damage to your
residential plumbing when root intrusion occurs. A plumbing professional from
Roto-Rooter uses the industry’s most powerful and capable machines to cut roots
out of underground pipes and any type of or size of drainpipe.
Use a Root-Killing Solution
A few times a year, specially formulated root killer solutions can
be flushed down a toilet into your sewer to kills roots inside the pipes
without harming surrounding trees. Discuss these products with your Roto-Rooter
service technician. He can recommend products that are safe, environmentally responsible,
and legal for use in your area.
**Website Source: ****************
The website additionally states the
following regarding their Roto-Rooter machine:
HOW TO
USE A ROTO-ROOTER
The famous Roto-Rooter
machine was invented to cut through sewer clogs caused by tree roots and other
debris then clean the entire length of an underground sewer pipe to get it
flowing like new again. The machine was invented in 1933 and was patented by its
founder, Samuel B**** of **** *** ******* ****.
In 1935, B**** built a
company around his invention and Roto-Rooter Corporation was born. Today,
Roto-Rooter is North America’s largest provider of plumbing and sewer & drain cleaning
services. Its famous electric sewer cleaning machine has been improved
markedly over the years and the company even introduced smaller versions for
clearing smaller household and sink drains. Its machines are not sold to the
public and are only licensed for use by genuine Roto-Rooter branches and
franchises.
Like any great design, the
Roto-Rooter machine inspired many copycat designs, usually of inferior
construction and capability. Some tool rental companies rent sewer cleaning
machines to homeowners trying to save a few bucks and resolve their own sewer
problems. But operating an electric sewer cleaning machine without proper
training has proved to be dangerous and sometimes fatal.
Tool rental companies will
require you to sign a waiver stating you won’t hold them responsible if you cut
off a finger or hand while using their machine. This is because these machines
feature a stiff but flexible cable, housed on a reel that is turned by an
electric motor. The cable itself has a spring-loaded C-shaped cutting blade
bolted to its end. To use the machine effectively, the user inserts the blade
and cable into a sewer cleanout access port, then pushes the cable several feet
into the sewer pipe before turning on the Roto-Rooter machine. Tough work
gloves need to be worn to protect the hands since the user is required to hold
onto the cable as he feeds more into the pipe. This
video shows a skilled operator using the machine in a transparent pipe.
WATCH A
ROTO-ROOTER MACHINE CLEAR A CLOGGED PIPE
The electric motor spins the
cable and blade like a drill bit. The blade is sharp and sometimes serrated.
Being spring-loaded, the blade is designed to rest against the pipe walls so
that as it spins, it cuts away roots right down to the pipe walls. The user
must proceed cautiously, letting out a little more cable in a gradual process.
The dangerous part comes when the blade meets thick roots or a hard
obstruction. The cable often shutters as the blade struggles to cut through the
clog. If the user is not careful, the blade can get stuck while the cable
continues to spin. This can cause the cable to wrap around itself in a big
knot. Or worse, the cable simply builds up torque until the blade finally cuts
through the root mass. When this occurs, the cable can release its torque and
if the user isn’t gripping it right, it can get loose and wrap around the
user’s finger, hand or arm.
Like any power tool, a
Roto-Rooter or other electric sewer cleaning machine can be dangerous for a
layman to operate. That’s why we recommend that homeowners leave this often-dangerous
job to the professionals at Roto-Rooter. Call ###-###-#### or click here to schedule fast,
residential or commercial sewer and drain service 24/7/365.
********* ******* ****************
In
reviewing Roto-Rooter’s own website, there is no indication of any possible
problems with their ability to clean the sewer or cut roots out of underground
pipes. There is additionally no mention of any risk of “lodging” of their
equipment which might prevent them from cleaning out the pipe. Instead, they boast
that their powerful Roto-Rooter machine combined with their highly skilled and
trained Roto-Rooter pros can cut through roots and provide solutions for
homeowners like us. Their technicians used scare tactics by claiming we had to
allow Roto-Rooter to excavate or else the problem will occur in the future, yet
Roto-Rooter failed to tell us about their “formulated root killer solution”
mentioned on their website as an option.
In
summary, over the past couple of weeks since Roto-Rooter came in, we have had
three additional experts from different companies come in to provide their
assessment of our clogged sanitary line/pipe from 2/20/2024. Through their
reviews of the footage Roto-Rooter provided in their response to our BBB
complaint, as well as through their own cameras and assessment, all three
experts confirmed that there was no evidence of a crack or collapse in our line
where the cast iron pipe meets the clay pipe. They also confirmed that this was
a normal blockage caused by roots. Their assessment confirmed that the
“rodding” completed by the Roto-Rooter technician was insufficient and
incomplete in “restoring flow,” as Roto-Rooter claimed.
On
2/27/2024, we asked our credit card company to investigate the $1,260.00 charge
paid to Roto-Rooter and provided available evidence to support their review.
Upon initial review and discussion, our credit card company has ruled in our
favor, citing that they would credit us the $835.00 for the rodding portion of
the service that was previously promised to us by Roto-Rooter’s Regional
Manager in good faith, yet unfulfilled once we submitted the requested proof of
successful rodding by an outside company. This refund was what was previously
promised by the Regional Manager, Dave K***. We are satisfied with this as a
financial resolution, as it was what was promised to us, and as such, should
not be contested by Roto-Rooter. We are requesting our BBB formal complaint be
reviewed and kept on record, as the public has a right to know concerns about
Roto-Rooter services. When we filed our complaint, there was a survey asking if
we would like to be contacted by the media. We would be open to sharing our
experience to prevent other trusting homeowners from being taken advantage of
in a high-stress, vulnerable time.

Regards,

**** *******

Business Response
Date: 03/16/2024
There is no change in the response from Roto-Rooter. Rodding service was performed 2/20/2024 at this property. Prior to performing service, the property had no sanitary flow, flooding the 1st floor bathroom and basement. After rodding services, flow was restored. The restoration of flow fully evidences rodding service was completed. Footage confirms line was cleared and flow was restored.

During rodding services roots were identified in the line. Due to the significant lodging risk presented by root infestation, and the restoration of flow already achieved, per the contracted terms, Roto-Rooter did not continue to rod. Signed contract included in this response, listed below for convenience.

“We are not responsible for defective, damaged, or deteriorate lines… or unexpected or undisclosed conditions…. If we encounter such a condition, we may stop work and you will pay us a reasonable charge for the work performed.”

After flow was restored with rodding, a camera service was also performed. The scope identified not only root infestations in multiple locations, but also multiple offsets and a crack in the line where cast iron meets original clay. A proposal was given to repair these compromises. As the property has not 1 but 3 issues, in not 1 but multiple locations on the sewer line, it was advised these compromises will result in another backup. This is not a “high pressure/fear-based proposal” as claimed, rather, this is a professional plumbing company advising on the significant and heightened risks associated with a heavy root presence throughout the sewer line, multiple offsets, and a crack.

Roots present a significant lodging risk with no negligence association. To explain, performing rodding is not a negligent act nor is the root presence the fault of the service provider, it is an existing condition of the property. Who is responsible for the property condition? Property owner or service provider? Should a cable/blade get stuck on a root, unable to be retracted from the line, the condition of the property’s sewer line caused the cable/blade to get lodged; therefore, the property owner is solely responsible for the costs of excavation to retrieve.

Roto-Rooter will NOT take these unnecessary risks with our customer’s property/finances. Finding another company to take this risk does NOT evidence the superiority of their service as the customer is attempting to claim.

Additionally, the customer’s statement to Roto-Rooter’s response to these concerns is incorrect. Roto-Rooter did not offer to refund in full, the offer was to review for processing a refund with invoice copy. After review, due to footage confirming rodding was completed all the way to the city tap with flow restored and multiple compromises present, charges were not refund eligible. However, at 2pm on 2.27, even though clearly RR was not at fault in any way, a courtesy refund of $400 was offered, appx 48% of the rodding charges. The offer was refused, requesting instead to further discuss a refund in full.

Corporate management then contacted the customer directly to explain footage confirms the line was cleared with rodding, only root infestation/lodging risk remaining, with flow restored all the way to the city tap evidencing services were completed despite the claims otherwise. For those reasons rodding charges were not refund eligible, but the courtesy $400 refund was offered again and refused again, replaced with threats to dispute credit card charge untruthfully as “a fraudulent charge” in an attempt to coerce a full refund from Roto-Rooter.

To confirm, footage evidences rodding service cleared the main sewer line and restored flow all the way to the city tap with only the root infestations/lodging risks still present. Link to view footage included in this response. As it is fully evidenced flow was restored, it is fully confirmed rodding service was completed. This evidenced completion confirms rodding charges are not refund eligible. Due to the customer’s dishonest attempt to illicit an unwarranted refund, Roto-Rooter has withdrawn the courtesy refund offer of $400 and reserves the right to pursue collections activity for payment of this contracted and completed service, including but not limited to, lien placement on the property. It’s worth noting here, because of the multiple inconsistencies in this complaint statement, Roto-Rooter also believes the customer may be attempting to utilize this consumer reporting agency fraudulently, similar to the dishonest credit card charge reporting, in an attempt to utilize the BBB reporting to facilitate their unwarranted refund.

With this response, Roto-Rooter still considers this complaint addressed.

Link for viewing footage of line after Roto-Rooter’s rodding service:
*Please copy and paste into browser to view

****************
Attached Files/Documents
******** * ******* *************
******** * ******* ***** *********
Customer Answer
Date: 03/25/2024
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.

We do not accept the response from Roto-Rooter as they are
proposing taking further action externally and per our previous response our
request is for Roto-Rooter to accept the refund($835) that has already been
credited back to us as part of ********** preliminary investigation into this
dispute.
Roto-Rooter is insisting that they performed adequate
service to restore flow, for which I reject their conclusion as their
technician and service manager advised us to not use our plumbing unless we
were to excavate and replace the line.
This does not constitute a completed service, rather a
service that was left incomplete. As
stated in the email from Dave K***, they stated they would need to pull their
warranty for the Rodding service, of which is irrelevant as the service was
never initially completed.
We have had 3 separate plumbers review footage of the blockage
in the line who were able to show us what signs of offsets that present as a
compromised sewage line for which are not present in our line. As for restoring flow, these plumbers also confirmed
that the blockage should have been easily removed with a normal 3” blade and
not restricted to cutting a small hole with a 1” blade as stated by Roto-rooter. They also stated that the roots in the line
were not excessive, and that they were typical for what a rodding machine is
designed to cut through. One of the
plumbers was able to clear the entire 115’ of our line to the city main with no
issues cutting through the roots that were present in the line.
Our request remains unchanged from our previous request
which is for Roto-Rooter to not appeal the refund that has already been
processed by Discover for the amount of $835 which is a fair compromise of the
$1,260 we initially paid for their service on February 21.
We have already contacted an attorney regarding this matter,
and will involve them further if necessary.

Regards,

**** *******

Business Response
Date: 04/17/2024
Rodding service was performed 2/20/2024 at this property. Prior to performing service, the property had no sanitary flow, flooding the 1st floor bathroom and basement. After rodding services, flow was restored. The restoration of flow fully evidences rodding service was completed. Footage confirms line was cleared and flow was restored.

During rodding services roots were identified in the line. Due to the significant lodging risk presented by root infestation, and the restoration of flow already achieved, per the contracted terms, Roto-Rooter did not continue to rod. Signed contract included in this response, listed below for convenience.

“We are not responsible for defective, damaged, or deteriorate lines… or unexpected or undisclosed conditions…. If we encounter such a condition, we may stop work and you will pay us a reasonable charge for the work performed.”

After flow was restored with rodding, a camera service was also performed. The scope identified not only root infestations in multiple locations, but also multiple offsets and a crack in the line where cast iron meets original clay. A proposal was given to repair these compromises. As the property has not 1 but 3 issues, in not 1 but multiple locations on the sewer line, it was advised these compromises will result in another backup. This is not a “high pressure/fear-based proposal” as claimed, rather, this is a professional plumbing company advising on the significant and heightened risks associated with a heavy root presence throughout the sewer line, multiple offsets, and a crack.

Roots present a significant lodging risk with no negligence association. To explain, performing rodding is not a negligent act nor is the root presence the fault of the service provider, it is an existing condition of the property. Who is responsible for the property condition? Property owner or service provider? Should a cable/blade get stuck on a root, unable to be retracted from the line, the condition of the property’s sewer line caused the cable/blade to get lodged; therefore, the property owner is solely responsible for the costs of excavation to retrieve.

Roto-Rooter will NOT take these unnecessary risks with our customer’s property/finances. Finding another company to take this risk does NOT evidence the superiority of their service as the customer is attempting to claim.

Additionally, the customer’s statement to Roto-Rooter’s response to these concerns is incorrect. Roto-Rooter did not offer to refund in full, the offer was to review for processing a refund with invoice copy. After review, due to footage confirming rodding was completed all the way to the city tap with flow restored and multiple compromises present, charges were not refund eligible. However, at 2pm on 2.27, a courtesy refund of $400 was offered, appx 48% of the rodding charges. The offer was refused, requesting instead to further discuss a refund in full.

Corporate management then contacted the customer directly to explain footage confirms the line was cleared with rodding, only root infestation/lodging risk remaining, with flow restored all the way to the city tap evidencing services were completed despite the claims otherwise. For those reasons rodding charges were not refund eligible, but the courtesy $400 refund was offered and refused again, replaced with threats to dispute credit card charge untruthfully as “a fraudulent charge” in an attempt to coerce a full refund from Roto-Rooter.

To confirm, footage evidences rodding service cleared the main sewer line and restored flow all the way to the city tap with only the root infestations/lodging risks still present. Link to view footage included in this response. As it is fully evidenced flow was restored, it is fully confirmed rodding service was completed. This evidenced completion confirms rodding charges are not refund eligible. Due to the customer’s dishonest attempt to illicit an unwarranted refund, Roto-Rooter has withdrawn the courtesy refund offer of $400 and reserves the right to pursue collections activity for payment of this contracted and completed service, including but not limited to, lien placement on the property. It’s worth noting here, because of the multiple inconsistencies in this complaint statement, Roto-Rooter also believes the customer may be attempting to utilize this consumer reporting agency fraudulently, similar to the dishonest credit card charge reporting, in an attempt to utilize the BBB reporting to facilitate their unwarranted refund.

With this response, Roto-Rooter considers this complaint addressed.

Link for viewing footage of line after Roto-Rooter’s rodding service:
*Please copy and paste into browser to view

****************

Attached Files/Documents
******** * ******* *************
******** * ******* ***** *********
Initial Complaint
Date:02/26/2024
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.
ROTO ROOTER replaced the inlet pipe from our house to our septic tank in 2018 and provided a 25 year guarantee for their work at that time. The improperly placed the inlet pipe at that time, resulting in recurrent back-ups of wastewater into our home. We learned that they inserted the inlet pipe in 2018 below the operating level of our septic tank and damaged our septic tank beyond repair in the process. We informed them of their mistake and asked them to live up to their guarantee. They refused. We were required to replace our septic tank on or about 10/24/2023. I have provided supporting documents as an attachment including a picture of the inlet pipe inserted below the operating level of our septic tank as ROTO ROOTER installed it.
Business Response
Date: 03/01/2024
Roto Rooter Excavated the sewer Line that comes out the house and goes to septic tank. Roto Rooter replaced as much pipe as possible and ran PVC pipe to septic tank. PVC was run with enough pitch to tank. Existing pipe (Cast iron) that went into the tank was loose, so Roto Rooter pulled out pipe and inserted PVC pipe into the same hole and then water plugged cement around to help seal any gaps between pipe and any existing hole. We camera pipe after and in video you can see camera gets to the end of pipe once inside the tank. No water is seen on video. To say 5 years later that we installed pipe "below operating Level" is absurd. If pipe was installed "below Operating level" they would have had a backup within days not years. Customer could have waited until tank was full and then yes, solids will clog pipe up in any instance. If pipe was installed any less pitch and hole has to be raised, they would have had issues with no pitch or back pitch. If existing hole is used, we aren't liable for a tank failing. House was built in 1961. Most likely original tank and to say we are responsible for 57-year tank failing is not acceptable. We preform scope of work per contract with replacing old bellied back pitch line to tank. Installing new PVC pipe and using the same hole as original cast iron, went in and camera video shows no water at the end as accused.
Customer Answer
Date: 03/02/2024
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,

****** *******
Business Response
Date: 03/04/2024
Roto Rooter Excavated the sewer Line that comes out the house and goes to septic tank. Roto Rooter replaced as much pipe as possible and ran PVC pipe to septic tank. PVC was run with enough pitch to tank. Existing pipe (Cast iron) that went into the tank was loose, so Roto Rooter pulled out pipe and inserted PVC pipe into the same hole and then water plugged cement around to help seal any gaps between pipe and any existing hole. We camera pipe after and in video you can see camera gets to the end of pipe once inside the tank. No water is seen on video. To say 5 years later that we installed pipe "below operating Level" is absurd. If pipe was installed "below Operating level" they would have had a backup within days not years. Customer could have waited until tank was full and then yes, solids will clog pipe up in any instance. If pipe was installed any less pitch and hole has to be raised, they would have had issues with no pitch or back pitch. If existing hole is used, we aren't liable for a tank failing. House was built in 1961. Most likely original tank and to say we are responsible for 57-year tank failing is not acceptable. We preform scope of work per contract with replacing old bellied back pitch line to tank. Installing new PVC pipe and using the same hole as original cast iron, went in and camera video shows no water at the end as accused.
Customer Answer
Date: 03/08/2024
****** *******

Good morning, **** ***********,
I wanted to update this complaint by including the fact that I learned yesterday from the ********** ****** Health Department (****). According to ****, ROTO-ROOTER is not licensed to perform the work involving the pipe and our septic system in 2018, which is further supported by the fact that they did not obtain proper health inspection at the time. **** is investigating this issue independently of this complaint.
We are now claiming that ROTO-ROOTER knowingly performed a job and charged us for work that is outside the scope of their company.
Respectfully,
**
Customer Answer
Date: 03/12/2024
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,

****** *******

I do not believe that the response from the business contains any new information. It also does not contain information that contradicts my claims. Per your own paperwork, you removed the main drainage pipe from our home to our septic system. You created a new hole into our septic tank, which irreparably damaged our septic tank in 2018. We required frequent pumping of the line and tank since that time until you and two other companies identified the source of the problem, a problem that you created. Further, the ********** ****** Health District has no record of an inspection of the replaced pipe from the time you repaired it in 2018, which is required of all licensed individuals and companies that perform this nature of work. I checked *********** State licensing and find no record of ROTO ROOTER having a license to perform sub-surface sewage installation. I claim that either ROTO ROOTER does not have a license to perform this nature of work or that they failed to obtain the proper permit/inspection at the time that they did this work. If they produce an inspection of their work from ********** ****** Healthy District, then that will prove that they performed the work correctly. If they cannot produce that inspection, then I believe that they performed the work as they described in their own paperwork that described the re-penetration of the septic tank resulting in a lowered pipe, a patched hole over the new insertion site and a pipe that is submerged partially (mostly) below the operating level of the septic tank. This would cause problems only when the tank fills to the correct operating level. As a result, we ended up having more frequent drainage of our septic tank than typically expected and frequent clogs. Yes, the tank is old; however, when it was inspected and subsequently removed due to the damage you caused, we were told by septic tank experts that it was in reasonably good shape and would have continued to operate for more years if the pipe from our house to the tank was not damaged due to faulty installation. An inspection at the time of installation would have caught this error immediately. Further, by not properly supporting the pipe that you installed, it sagged. You diagnosed this problem in Fall of 2023; therefore, you identified another problem with your own work, work that you "guaranteed" for 25 years. This exacerbated the backups and clogging of proper drainage.
These are reasonable complaints. This is a reasonable request for your to honor your guarantee. It is reasonable to request payment for the damages that you caused.

Customer Answer
Date: 03/19/2024
Thank you for your attention to this matter, *******. Here is documentation to support my claim that ROTO-ROOTER is not licensed to perform the job that they performed. First, a search of ** License database (License Lookup (******)) for any business with "rooter" in its name yields no license for sub-surface sewage installer. Two screen shots are included here for your reference.

**********************************

Second, the business should be able to produce a license if they have one. Third, if they had a license, they were required to obtain an inspection from the ********** ****** Health District; the ********** ****** Health District has no record of a request for an inspection from ROTO-ROOTER for that type of work, and anecdotally, they are not aware of ROTO-ROOTER every having an inspection with them for work of this nature because they are not licensed to perform it. ********** ****** Health District has performed inspections on our property over the years as needed, including for installation of the new drainage line and septic tank. Our property falls under their jurisdiction, and they are easy to schedule with. There is no reason to not have had an inspection, if they were properly licensed for this work. Either way, they either do not have a license, or failed to have their work properly inspected.

Further, through searching through old receipts, we recovered an additional drainage of our septic system between 2018 to 2023, adding to the high frequency of blockages and drainages we encountered after ROTO-ROOTER improperly installed the drainage pipe from our house into our septic system, which they irreparably damaged during the course of their work. We had no thought that we were taken advantage of until the backup became excessive.

They responded recently to my latest message. Please feel free to post this as a response or include in our communications. If you would prefer that I do, please let me know. I will wait to hear from you before responding to their latest message.

Respectfully,
**
###-###-####

Business Response
Date: 03/19/2024
Roto Rooter Excavated the sewer Line that comes out the house and goes to septic tank. Roto Rooter replaced as much pipe as possible and ran PVC pipe to septic tank. PVC was run with enough pitch to tank. Existing pipe (Cast iron) that went into the tank was loose, so Roto Rooter pulled out pipe and inserted PVC pipe into the same hole and then water plugged cement around to help seal any gaps between pipe and any existing hole. We camera pipe after and in video you can see camera gets to the end of pipe once inside the tank. No water is seen on video. To say 5 years later that we installed pipe "below operating Level" is absurd. If pipe was installed "below Operating level" they would have had a backup within days not years. Customer could have waited until tank was full and then yes, solids will clog pipe up in any instance. If pipe was installed any less pitch and hole has to be raised, they would have had issues with no pitch or back pitch. If existing hole is used, we aren't liable for a tank failing. House was built in 1961. Most likely original tank and to say we are responsible for 57-year tank failing is not acceptable. We preform scope of work per contract with replacing old bellied back pitch line to tank. Installing new PVC pipe and using the same hole as original cast iron, went in and camera video shows no water at the end as accused.
Customer Answer
Date: 04/02/2024
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,

****** *******

The business response provides no new information. I have already provided proof that the installed pipe is below operating level in the form of pictures. The pipe was installed when the septic tank was empty; therefore, it would not start malfunctioning until the tank filled up over time. That is exactly what happened. Further, the pipe is not completely under the operating level (about 1/4 of the top of the pipe remains above the operating level as shown in the picture) and is not pitched at an inverted angle; therefore, there would not be a complete blockage but a partial blockage that would cause recurrent blockage intermittently over time, culminating in recurrent total blockages. This is exactly what happened. We required several drainings of our septic tank and numerous removals of blockages of this pipe (including several by ROTOR ROOTER) before this problem was identified. We provided documentation to support this. On the most recent visit to our home, your own company diagnosed the problem that you caused, and your supervisor acknowledged that it was your fault. Yet, you refused to help us fix it or reimburse us for the work that you performed incorrectly. We also showed that you did not obtain proper health inspections of your work.
I am offering proof in various forms that you made a mistake. I have your documentation stating the work you did that multiple other companies in the industry state is an inappropriate fix. My health department states that it would not have passed inspection as performed, which I assume is why you did not have it inspected. I have come to learn that you do not appear to have a license to perform the work that you did, that it exceeds the scope of work that you are licensed to perform. You are responding with repeated statements that I am "absurd" and providing no evidence to contradict my claims.
To quote our local health inspector, "You were taken advantage of by a disreputable business." We ask the the business either acknowledge their incompetency and unwillingness to honor their guaranteed work or that they refund us what we paid them and subsequent damage they caused. Further, I do not appreciate being called "absurd" on multiple occasions and would request that the business respond in a professional manner.
Business Response
Date: 05/17/2024
Roto Rooter Excavated the sewer Line that comes out the house and goes to septic tank. Roto Rooter replaced as much pipe as possible and ran PVC pipe to septic tank. PVC was run with enough pitch to tank. Existing pipe (Cast iron) that went into the tank was loose, so Roto Rooter pulled out pipe and inserted PVC pipe into the same hole and then water plugged cement around to help seal any gaps between pipe and any existing hole. We camera pipe after and in video you can see camera gets to the end of pipe once inside the tank. No water is seen on video. To say 5 years later that we installed pipe "below operating Level" is absurd. If pipe was installed "below Operating level" they would have had a backup within days not years. Customer could have waited until tank was full and then yes, solids will clog pipe up in any instance. If pipe was installed any less pitch and hole has to be raised, they would have had issues with no pitch or back pitch. If existing hole is used, we aren't liable for a tank failing. House was built in 1961. Most likely original tank and to say we are responsible for 57-year tank failing is not acceptable. We preform scope of work per contract with replacing old bellied back pitch line to tank. Installing new PVC pipe and using the same hole as original cast iron, went in and camera video shows no water at the end as accused.
Initial Complaint
Date:02/20/2024
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.
We had Roto Rooter out to complete water mitigation following a pipe breaking in our home on November 21. The field supervisor assisted us in calling in our claim to insurance and we were assured that they were extremely well-versed in the claims process and would maintain all necessary documentation and work directly with our insurance company to ensure full reimbursement. The estimate we received was $4,000 - $5,000, the final bill sent to insurance was $9,180.73. My insurance company has already issued payment to me in the amount of $6,725.12 and I mailed a check to Roto Rooter through my bank as soon as it cleared. That payment is scheduled for delivery on 2/22. In dispute is the remaining $2,455.61.

Insurance is willing to pay the remaining balance, but has requested drying logs for extra days of drying beyond what is typical, which I understand is a fairly routine request. They are also willing to meet in the middle even without the drying logs. RR refused either solution and are coming after me for the remaining money.

When they came to remove the fans a few days after their initial visit they left some behind stating that one of our walls was still reading damp and needed to be dried more. They came back a few days later to remove the equipment and pull up some of our flooring. They did not maintain drying logs for those extra days, they didn’t even come to our home those days. Instead they are claiming we insisted on extra days of drying for our floors. They have provided logs from the technician claiming to prove this but even the logs say the fans were left to dry out a wall. Communication from their billing dept states they are waiting to hear back from management on our concerns. Meanwhile they are sending me threats to put a lien on my house and I have received contact from a collections agency.

I would like RR to provide documentation to my insurance for reimbursement or adjust the bill if they failed to maintain standard documentation.
Business Response
Date: 02/23/2024
Roto Rooter made several attempts to reach out
to ******** ******* thru letters, phones calls and email. Jennifer never
responded until we placed a lien on her property and sent her to collections.
Roto Rooter tried to resolve this issue and now it’s out of our hands and a
collection company has this account and we have provided the customer with the
collection company information.
Business Response
Date: 05/18/2024
Please note our AR Representative has spoken to the Collection Agency that the account was sent to and they have confirmed they received payment and will be releasing the payment to us by end of month. We will move forward with the release of the lien and update our account once we receive the payment collected from the Collections Agency.
Customer Answer
Date: 06/25/2024
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.
To my knowledge the lien was released and I have not heard from Roto Rooter again. This was not the request in my original complaint or the multiple responses I made that went completely unanswered by the company. Roto Rooter charged us for their mistake. The original complaint and multiple responses can be reviewed, I have already written my concerns at length.

Regards,

******** *******
Initial Complaint
Date:02/19/2024
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.
We had a leak near our water heater and worried that is was failing. We also wanted out water softener disconnected because it was old/not doing a great job/was leaking. Roto-Rooter came out and fixed the water heater leak, which they said was just a loose connection. They also disconnected the water softener. However they failed to test the water pressure before or after taking the water purification system out, which is standard practice when dealing with leaks. When they reconnected, we started having water leaks in multiple faucets and water heater. I had another plumber come out since I did not true Roto-Rooter since they cause the issue. The other plumber is ****** who discovered the water pressure was 180 psi vs. the recommended 80 psi. They had to replace the expansion bladder in the water heater and several faucet cartridges as well the the pressure control valve (PCV). ***** let us know the PCV probably failed awhile ago and any plumber should have checked that first. The water purification system was not only cleaning the water but also acting as a pressure regulator. Had Roto-Rooter checked the pressure before and after reconnecting the plumbing, they would have seen that something was wrong and replaced the PCV before turning the plumbing back on. I called Roto-Rooter asking for a full refund of the $630 service fee as well as paying for the damage they caused of $4963 that ***** had to fix.I sent a note and spoke to Jay G*****, Roto-Rooter manager, requesting reimbursement for the service charge and cost to repair the damage, which totalled $5593. Jay said it was not their fault and refused to pay for anything. He even refused to refund me the service charge. Jay may some excuse about their tech's do not test water pressure, which is ridiculous because every plumber that has come to my house first checks the pressure, before they start and before they finish. I'm out over $5000 due to their incompetence.
Business Response
Date: 02/20/2024
The work that we provided was to adjust the temperature on
the hot water heater and to remove/erase an existing filtration/softening
system that was leaking, which we did. At no time did we adjust the PRV. It is
standard policy to not adjust a PRV after its initial installation and there
was no reason to based on the job we were commissioned to do. Since there was
not evidence that you had a PRV issue a pressure test was not required as part
of our work.

***** replaced the existing PRV, which tells me that the PRV
had failed and needed to be replaced. My plumber alerted me that he was
advised, while in the home, that the PRV had been replaced within the last two
years. So, either the PRV was faulty or was improperly installed and the
pressure set.

It is our professional opinion that the water
filter/softening system was tempering the city water pressure and the PRV was
already faulty hence why it needed to be replaced and why your water pressure
was reading 180. The PRV’s primary job is to reduce the city water pressure to
60-80 PSI. The company that installed your PRV 2 years ago would be at fault in
this situation.
Customer Answer
Date: 02/21/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ** ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
Roto-Rooter states that we had the PRV valve replaced 2 yrs ago. That is completely false. I have not had the PRV valve replaced in the last 2 yrs and never stated that. It says nothing about it on the Roto-Rooter order or the in-take call notes when we first called Roto-Rooter. Roto-Rooter refuses to accept that their technician never tested the pressure before and after taking out a critical component (the water filtration system) of the plumbing system. That is their mistake. I hire certified plumbers because they are SUPPOSED to follow certain procedures to ensure the water pressure does not damage the plumbing when changes/repairs are being made. Roto-Rooter has stated the water pressure had nothing to do with the repair. We called them with a leaking water heater issue. Any plumber I've used before (and the ***** plumber who ultimately repaired the damage that Roto-Rooter caused) always checks the water pressure before and after the repair and shows it to me. This Roto-Rooter plumber acted like he was in a hurry after I told him I did not want to buy a new water filtration from him. I have presented irrefutable proof that I had damage cause by Roto-Rooter, documented by the fact that Roto-Rooter came out, my plumbing system was damaged, and the new plumber, ****** documented what was broken and why.
Regards,

******* ********

Business Response
Date: 02/22/2024
The damage claimed was due to a faulty PRV, not from the work that Roto-Rooter performed.

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Roto-Rooter is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.