Complaints

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

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• 

  Roto-Rooter

  2125 Montana Ave Cincinnati, OH 45211-2741

• 

  Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

  3603 Metro Pkwy San Antonio, TX 78247

• 

  Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

  1130 140th Ave NE Suite 305 Bellevue, WA 98005

• 

  Roto-Rooter

  5115 7th Ave Kenosha, WI 53140

• 

  Roto-Rooter

  1691 Town Center St Aurora, IL 60504

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:09/15/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Roto Rooter (RR) gutted the basement bathroom of my rental property located at **** ****** ***** Arlington, ** ***** without my permission/authorization and have not returned the bathroom to it’s status quo ante position. I contacted RR about some mildew in the basement bathroom at the referenced rental property. The RR associate explained that she would send some techs to conduct an assessment and provide a quote. RR did not provide an assessment or return my calls/text concerning what they found but rather proceeded to tear the walls out of the bathroom and part of the hallway adjacent to the bathroom without my approval. RR admitted they had proceeded without my approval and e-mailed that I would not be charged. However, RR’s unauthorized actions have left the bathroom unusable and my ability to rent the property adversely impacted.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/17/2022

  Roto Rooter spoke with Mr.*********** on September 17th, 2022 at approximately 10:30am and have resolved the aforementioned issues in his complaint. We are now awaiting on Mr.*********** to send us more information regarding the scope of work to be performed which will be confirmed by a site visit by Roto Rooter. We will then work with Mr.*********** on ensuring his satisfaction is met. 

  We will have a follow-up call within a week which has been confirmed by Mr.***********.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/23/2022

  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  This is in receipt to your online message regarding complaint number ********* The link in your email to respond online did not work. 
  
  Mr. ***** from Rotor Rooter agreed to pay to restore my basement. I am waiting for him to select a contractor to start the work.
  
  V/r
  
  **** ***********
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/15/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The plumber challenged himself to execute a task that he was completely void of the skills and tools necessary in accomplishing, leaving us now in a state MUCH worse than we could have even remotely imagined.
  The breaking of pipes that were functioning perfectly, to ultimately be left with parts of one another broken off inside the other due to hammering them as a result of being ill-equipped and trying to "make do" with whatever he had, which is unacceptable. Even after he went to Home Depot (which is 5 minutes away) to get something that took 45 minutes, resulting in more damage. And lastly, after my husband repeatedly told him, "Do NOT cut a hole in the outside wall", wherein after, my husband walked away to take a bottle of water, only to come back to find a hole cut in the outside wall of our house that before, he had at least 10 times, told him NOT to do.
  So now, not only do we still have NO WATER, we also have MUCH more pipe damage, blue glue, which is impossible to remove, all over our house and an incalculable hole in the front-facing wall of our home that has destroyed the front of our house. The abhorrence we feel in this moment is beyond measure and brings one to question the principles and ethics of a company that, for longer than both of our lifetimes combined has been known to perform skillfully rather than leaving homeowners with not only substantially more financial loss but even a greater loss, which is of one's time for which none of us has the ability to balance.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/16/2022

  Ms. ******* were in contact frequently yesterday and this problem was resolved to her satisfaction.  Please see the attached email from her. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/16/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  The business has resolved the situation promptly and have gone above and beyond my expectations. I would go so far as to request that this complaint be deleted from your files as this is the first time I have ever seen a company reply with such promptness and respect. There is not a company anywhere that could not learn from a company such as this. I am most grateful for having called them and they will always be my choice when in need of such services.
  
  
  Kind Regards,
  
  
  
  * *******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/15/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was in need of a plumber to fix a bathroom sink broken pipe and I called Roto Rooter, I have heard of this company before. I was told that there would be an $69 dollar charge just to come out to the house. I was told that they would be there on 9/13/2022, the plumber called my house and told my boyfriend that his truck broke down, this was a lie he, we found out on 9/14/2022 that he took the truck to have it emission tested. They rescheduled my appointment for the next day 9/14/2022 for the plumber to come out between 8am-10am, no-one showed up, I had to call them around 10:45am to find out what was going on, they had me down for the 15th, this was incorrect. He finally came out to my house and without even looking at the problem told my boyfriend that the cost will be $430 and that he could only give a discount of $100 and that it would have been $530. I will never use this Company again and most certainly NEVER recommend this Company to anyone. I think they should give me back at least 1/2 of my money back for all the problems they caused me.
  
  Sincerely, ****** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 09/15/2022

  This customer requested service at 12:50pm on 9/13. Roto-Rooter
  arrived onsite to perform service at 11:50am on 9/14. Our arrival, while
  delayed from the original scheduled time, was under 24hrs from the call-in
  request. The customer was advised of the delay and need to reschedule promptly.
  For the delay $100 was discounted from the final total. With the understanding
  Roto-Rooter still arrived within 24hrs of the original call-in request and
  advised of the need to reschedule promptly, we fully believe $100 is an above
  average discount for this situation and will offer no additional
  credits/discounts/refunds.

  
  It's also worth noting here, while the customer states in
  this forum the technician advised her of the $100 discount, she still contacted the
  offices on 9/14 requesting a discount under the guise it was not provided to
  them at the time of service. Roto-Rooter representative advised them a $100
  discount was provided at the time of service and no additional discount would
  be given for a delay under 24hrs.

  
  Roto-Rooter understands the frustration delays can cause and
  has already provided an above average discount of $100 to this customer. As we still
  arrived in under 24hrs we do not agree that a 50% discount, $265, is reasonable
  in this situation. We will offer nothing above the $100 discount already given
  and consider this complaint closed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/14/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I scheduled a Roto Rooter bathroom faucet installation online and received confirmation that the plumber would be arriving between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM and that Roto Rooter would call beforehand to let me know he/she/they were on the way.
  Roto Rooter indicated that if I didn't answer my phone within three minutes of the call, my appointment would be cancelled. To avoid this occurring, I took time off of work to assure that I would be available. I didn't receive a call until 12:53 PM indicating that the plumber would be running late. I was given no timeline as to when the plumber would arrive.
  I received no further communication until I called at 3:45 PM for a status update. I was told I was being transferred to a dispatcher would could assist me, but I got disconnected. When I called back, the agent was laughing and acting unprofessional. I dismissed it because I simply wanted the installation to be completed. I was finally transferred to a dispatcher who told me the exact same thing as my 12:53 PM call. At this point, I asked for a discount due to the inconvenience. The dispatcher agreed to a 10% discount.
  I received no communication until 5:52 PM when I called again. No additional help or timeline was given, so I explained the urgency of the situation and that we needed the bathroom to assist in getting my young child to bed.
  At 7:19 PM, I received a call that lasted one second before it switched to a "missed" call. I called back and was told the same thing as before. No timeline was given nor was any additional discount offered for the inconvenience.
  I asked to speak to a manager, who interrupted me when I tried to explain the issue for the fourth time. I told him that I needed the service done tonight with an additional discount or that I would need to hire another plumbing service. I let him know that if he was unable to do so, I would file a BBB complaint. He raised his voice, told me to find another plumber, cancelled my appointment, and hung up the phone.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/16/2022

  We have made contact with ****** ******** and are working on a resolution. We were not able to render service in the time window quoted. We are taking steps to assure that does not happen again.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/14/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had a sewer backup and sewerage came out all over the shower and into the bathroom.
  The plumbers had trouble fixing it, but to their credit they stayed a long time and fixed the blockage.
  
  However they left without cleaning the sewerage and the Roto-Rooter website clearly states "That's why Roto-Rooter is the company to call. We can fix any plumbing problem and we clean up water and sewage too. That's right, we do BOTH."
  
  Because of this I have had to pay an additional $1800 to a cleaning company on top of the $1250 plumbing bill. I called Roto and they said that they only clean up sewerage in certain cities, which I think is misleading and had I known that, I would have used a different company.
  
  I would like them to reimburse me for the cleanup costs, or at the very least refund the $1250 from their job, due to the expensive additional cleanup costs.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/15/2022

  I reached out to Mr. *** at 3:31pm PDT; he did not answer. I will also send him an email.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/05/2022

  At the time of booking any call our call center states that the Los Angeles locations does not offer water cleanup/restoration.  We do not have the certificates and/or equipment to provide these services.  The customer was notified back in September and customer understood the circumstances.  

   

  If the customer needed cleanup/restoration it would have cost the customer additional money to perform such services.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/07/2022

  Here is the contact you requested through the BBB. I also sent it as an email attachment.
  
  
  Please note that the workers told me they would clean up the sewerage as part of the process, but did not.

   

  Thank you,

  ***

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/06/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I moved into my current home in September of 2017. By January of 2018, I was in need of a sewage grinder pump after the pump that was originally in my basement had failed, causing sewage backup from my floor drain and from the pump pit itself. Several weeks after the installation of my new pump, I had sewage coming from my basement floor drain and from the pit area again. Since the pump was under warranty, Roto-Rooter was obligated to remedy the issue. Unfortunately, this has been a regular occurrence since the pump was installed, happening a few times every year. In November of 2019, I had to wait to have an AC unit installed because sewage was again in my basement. When the technicians are called out to my home, they never fix the issue. In one instance, I was told that I would need to open the pit, and manually manipulate the float so that the pump would work. The latest visit was yesterday. The technician told me that I would have to jiggle the pipe to get the pump to work. That is what he did to get the pump to kick on, before he left. A short while later, I had sewage coming from the floor drain and pit area again. The only true attempt that to fix the issue was after I contacted the regional manager in November 2019. That is when a technician cleaned the coagulation from the pit and reinstalled the pump. But even since then, the pump has failed several times. I've been told by their technicians that it is due to coagulation building up in the pit from grease being poured down the drain. However, we do not pour grease down the drain. So whatever coagulation occurs should be something that the pump should easily handle, according to other professionals. Roto-Rooter has literally years of documentation of this failed pump situation and I would like them to pay truly fix the problem.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/07/2022

  The customer has heavy grease buildup in the lines and inside of his pump. This customer has been told after numerous visits from our technicians over the 4 year span since the pump was installed that grease will cause the pump to malfunction. Customer states that they do not pout grease down the drains. We advised customer that they will need to have the lines repaired/replaced as the grease buildup is coming from somewhere. This pump was installed 03/28/18. It it out of our 1 year warranty. We are unable to assist this customer further until the grease being the lines is addressed. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/07/2022

  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 the pump failure is due to large amounts of grease put in the drain. However, Roto-Rooter acknowledges that we deny pouring grease down our drains. They installed the pump without clearing the coagulation from the previous homeowners. Furthermore, the pump initially failed only a short time after it’s initial installation and again after they cleared the pit of coagulation. This was well within the warranty time. This is a clear indication that the pump is inadequate to handle the load of my home with family members simply taking showers, brushing their teeth, using the bathroom and doing dishes regularly. This has been confirmed by not only a competitor company, but also the organization that handles the training of Roto-Rooter and other technicians. This pump simply does not have the required horsepower to pump the contents of my entire home against gravity and out to the sewer system. Nor does it have a high water alarm to alert us to failures. I have confirmed all of this with the aforementioned organizations. 
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/12/2022

  This customer has service done with us on 3/28/2018 to replace their sewage grinder pump. The customer was given a 1 year warranty on the labor for this install. The customer did not call us back until 9/9/2019 stating that the pump was having an issue. This was outside of the original warranty but being of service to the customer we went there to diagnose. The pump failed due to the float of the pump being stuck due to heavy grease build up. At this time the customer was made aware of the grease issues and that the pipes needed to be replaced. We will not be able to do any additional service for the customer without payment.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/02/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Roto rooter broke plumbing going into my floor and is not providing a solution for now five months. The repairmen said if the temporary fix did not work Roto rooter would replace After many messages over five months they now report they will not repair Repairman had us sign receipt on a mobile screen which Roto rooter now says was an indemnification agreement holding them harmless. I was not provided anything to read that explained this. We signed a receipt with payment and we’re given jo copy of any indemnification

  Business Response

  Date: 09/06/2022

  We cabled the mainline for this customer and discovered their was a problem with the line. The customer assumed we damaged the line but that was not the case. We sent a camera tech out to the customer free of charge to show them the line damage. The customer did sign our hold harmless agreement. We sent the customer a copy of that agreement and explained it in detail. The customer understood and I believe everything is fine now. We told the customer if they had any more questions to please give us a call. Rob C****** is the manager that had contact over the phone with the customer.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/06/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** *******
  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/12/2022

  We did send this customer a copy of the hold harmless agreement that she signed. It was emailed to her along with a copy of her invoice. Roto Rooter is not responsible for the damage to the pipe. Customer spoke with Rob C****** and told him she was going to have a family member fix the minor repair. Rob C****** told her if she has any more questions to reach back out to him. She has not reached out.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/13/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** *******
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2022

  We have spoken with the customer and explained our position. We are not refunding this customer for the service we did. This was explained to the customer by Rob C******. The customer can call me directly if they would like to discuss further. Jim B***** ###-###-####

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2022

  Rob C****** spoke with this customer and explained our hold harmless agreement. This is not a document that is electronically signed. Customer was given a copy of the hold harmless agreement. When we cabled the mainline an old pipe broke. Customer did not want to pay us to repair. She told Rob that a family member would take care of it. We explained to her that RR is not responsible for faulty sewer pipe and that is why we have the hold harmless agreement. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/05/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** *******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/02/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 7/3 we noticed our floor drain in our basement had overflowed slightly and called Roto Rooter. We had a technician come to our house the next day and confirmed he cleaned out the drain and confirmed we shouldn't expect any further issues, total cost was a few hundred dollars. Soon after the same floor drain had a major overflow that required us to tear down our basement due to health issues/safety. We needed Roto Rooter to mitigate and clean everything while tearing down the walls. In doing so they provided an estimate for the work of $3,400 - $5,400, which we agreed to. Roto Rooter returned with a specialist who confirmed the drain was not cleared properly prior, but cleared it himself and confirmed no further issue would occur. As we were about to start construction to rebuild our basement the drain overflowed for a third time. Roto Rooter sent another specialist with a camera who said we needed to get new pipes. They also sent mitigation out again to clean everything and confirmed for us we would not pay anything for the cleaning.
  
  We were pretty upset it took 3 times for Roto Rooter to get this right, specifically because they confirmed on the phone that they should have sent a camera the first time. We now have to pay $2,500 deductible to fix our basement, besides for our time, which we would never have needed if they acted properly the first time. We also received a bill for the first cleaning at over $7,600, significantly over their estimate. They also then charged us for the final cleaning which they agreed we wouldn't pay for. We talked to a supervisor (Bill) who told us to not pay anything until we come to an agreement for the $2,500 deductible, to reduce the original bill, and remove the final mitigation charges. We've received numerous bills and have called many times without a single response and just keep getting billed for this. We need Roto Rooter to contact us for a resolution that compensates us for the deductible and reduced/removed charges.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/06/2022

  The project manager who went to the home on the 2nd visit was told by the customer to add the secondary charges to the original claim the insurance adjuster. I am waiting for confirmation from the adjuster to clarify. We cabled a branch line on the first visit and the main line the second time. We ran a camera through the line showing significant scaling in the cast iron pipes. These were two different branches of the same.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/07/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  There is unfortunately a lot of information missing from their response. When the first technician came, he determined the cause of the issue was a blockage in the piping and confirmed he fully cleared it and there was nothing else wrong with our pipes (we asked this numerous times). We specifically asked if there was any damage or if possible flooding could occur which he confirmed would not happen. At this point in time there was no major water damage to our basement. After this, there was a major overflow from this same drain which caused irreparable damage to our basement. A second technician came and said the issue was also blockage in the pipes (that he said the first technician missed) and confirmed again that this was the only issue and nothing else was wrong with the pipes. He also confirmed that our pipes were fine and that we shouldn't expect any damage or future flooding, which proceeded to occur again for a third time. Only the third technician (after another flood in our basement) determined the issue was from damaged pipes. When we called the project manager (Bill) he admitted that they were supposed to run the proper camera the first time or even second time and Roto Rooter was at fault for that. If the issue was caught the first time we would not have needed to tear down our basement, which costs over $40,000 (requiring out of pocket costs on our end since it is not all covered by insurance) on top of all the hours spent dealing with this. This is a significant cost to us in both time and money that we are looking for compensation.

  Additionally, there are additional issues that have not been addressed in the business response. We have been trying to get in touch with the business over the phone and via email and have yet to hear back from anyone. The issues are as follows:

  1) Roto Rooter's mishandling of our pipes noted above

  2) When the last water mitigation team came, they informed us we would not receive any bill, which we now have in excess of $3,000.

  3) The estimate for the original work was between $3,400 - $5,400, but the actual amount was over 40% higher than even the highest estimate. It is ridiculous to be 40% - 64% over an estimate, which makes me question why the original estimate was so low to start.

  We have been trying to get in touch with the company in the hopes we could resolve this before needing to go to the BBB, but have yet to receive any reply despite continuous attempts to make contact.

  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/12/2022

  Spoke to the customer who is waiting on a decision from us. I told her I would call her back once I had a solution and spoke with all the involved parties.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/14/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  Spoke with Chris who informed us we'd receive a call back yesterday (9/13), but have yet to receive a call. Additionally, we were informed earlier that the disputed invoice will be sent to credit, which will impact our credit score. Roto Rooter has been dragging their feet for weeks on this and it should not take this long to hear back from the business.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/15/2022

  The first line that was cabled was a branch line. The 2nd was the main line. The back up would present as the same but they are separate lines. We do not run a camera through every line. If a customer requests, we do this. We have a charge for this but waived the fee when the 3rd tech was on site. The camera inspection showed scaling of the cast iron. The scale build up can cause paper to build up at these areas causing a back up. Our water restoration project manner said he was told by the customer that the insurance adjuster said to add additional costs to the same claim number. We have reached out to the adjuster and his supervisor with no response for over a week. When we hear from them, we should be able to give some resolution. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/21/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  Resolution offered was not satisfactory. We have responded via email and are waiting for business reply to our ongoing issue.

  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/21/2022

  Roto Rooter has not offered meaningful compensation for the costs incurred due to their lack of following procedure or handling our issue appropriately. Their offer consisted of not charging us what they were not supposed to charge us initially.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/23/2022

  I first off would like to apologize for the long drawn out timeframe it took to get to the bottom of this.
  
  After speaking with all parties involved I am able to resolve the account for $9,772.28.
  
  This amount is what the insurance company has agreed to pay out for both claims as they were a result of two separate blockages according to the adjuster.
  
  Roto Rooters total mitigation chargers were $10,985.95 for both separate backups, the $9,772.28 will be applied to the charges.
  
  Roto Rooter will cover the $1,213.67 for the difference between what the insurance company covered and the amount of the total invoice.
  
  The amounts above do not reflect any deductible that you may have as the insurance company advised that that is with held from the build back portion of your claim.
  
  As this claim has been paid to you directly you will be responsible for making this payment to Roto Rooter via check, credit card, debit card or cashier’s check.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/02/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  

  The amount Roto Rooter has offered as a resolution is the amount we are in disagreement on. The difference between what Roto Rooter charged and what our insurance is covering is solely from the final mitigation, which Roto Rooter originally said we would not have to pay. For ease of reference, our total expectation would be to pay $7,272.28 + any compensation for the second note below. If we are in alignment we will pay that amount in full immediately.

  We are looking to be compensated for the following:
  
  
  1. $2,500 for the deductible we had to pay out of pocket. Had the oversight not occurred, our entire basement would not have had to be remodeled. 
  
  
  2. Compensation for the amount of time, effort, and frustration we have spent trying to resolve this issue with Roto Rooter. We have been trying to contact and connect with Roto Rooter since August. Why hasn't anyone called us back until payment was due? Billing is eager and willing to connect with us - but no one from the Customer Service or Restoration teams. 
  
  
  All in all, what we'd like is $2,500 off our bill (~$9,700 not including portions insurance did not cover and should never have been charged to us) + compensation for the time, energy, and frustration of dealing with this. We trust Roto Rooter will find a reasonable amount to compensate for the latter.

  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2022

  ******,
  
  Thanks for your patience during this process.
  I presented your request to management and what I am able to
  offer is a $1500.00 customer satisfaction discount.
  So to sum up I am able to take $1500.00 off the mitigation
  losses, $10,985.95 - $1,500.00 for a total of $9485.95.
  This amount is the final amount that I am able to offer and
  will not be able to reduce any further.
  The insurance company agreed that this was two separate
  lines that were to be covered under one claim number.
  As this claim has been paid to you directly by your
  insurance company, you will be responsible for making this payment to Roto
  Rooter via check, credit card, debit card or cashier’s check.
  We expect payment in full by 10-21 or we will unfortunately
  have to turn it over to a collections agency.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/31/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I requested service to fix a venting issue with my hot water tank as well as a leaking pipe on the floor of my basement. The company sent out a plumber on 08/23/22 who claimed to perform the following : Properly reconnect vent pipe to upper apartment water heater / Reconnected gas line and tested for leaks/relight water heater. The work performed was not what was requested but I was told by the plumber was what was needed to be done, and after performing the work assured me that my water heater was functioning correctly. The following ( 08/24/22 ) day my carbon monoxide detector alarm went off and ******** **** was called out. They disconnected the gas to the water heater due to the same reason for the initial service call (hot water heater not venting). I contacted Roto Rooter and they arranged for a plumber to come back out the following day to fix the situation. Two plumbers came out on 08/25/22 and informed me that they could not fix the issue and recommended a chimney company come and fix the issue. I paid them $282.75 to fix this problem and had to pay a different plumber to fix the job correctly. After contacting them and explaining the situation I was told that they would not be able to refund the payment because the work was already performed. The work they performed was done incorrectly and even though I was assured it was safe to use my hot water heater the fact is that it was not and put my family and property in jeopardy. The customer service rep asked me "why did you agree to have the plumber do the work then?". I agreed to have the plumber do the work because he told me that is what was needed to fix the issue and although he did the work it was not done correctly and the plumber even agreed after the second visit there is nothing he could do to fix the situation. The plumber was already at my location on a service call for the other job with the leaking pipe which was billed separately to the tune of $668.82. This was a very bad way to do business.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/01/2022

  Roto Rooter responded to a call to assess improperly vented hot water tank and to also assess leaking water in basement. Plumber found hot water tank to be improperly vented and disconnected. He proceeded to properly vent tank and reconnect gas line. The following visit was to properly assess water leaking which was determined to be from an upper floor toilet which needed repair and was performed by both original plumber and branch Master Plumber. At visit team further determined that further issue with carbon monoxide was related to issues with Furnace airflow, at that time our Master plumber informed customer that there was nothing more we could do as that roto rooter does not service furnaces and suggested customer contact the appropriate type of service company 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/02/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* ******

   

  The businesses response in not accurate. The plumber claims to have fixed and properly vented the hot water tank as well as reconnect the gas but as the receipt I had uploaded in my initial complaint shows ******** **** had to disconnect the gas following the work they did due to the issue not being resolved correctly. The following visit was to come reinspect why ******** **** shut off the gas a second time after they claimed to complete the work. The second visit had nothing to do with the leaking pipe as they are claiming. In addition to the hot water heater venting issue not being fixed correctly the water leaking from the basement also continued and I requested to have them come back to fix that but they refused claiming the work they did was fixing a pipe from above and unless that pipe was leaking they would not come back out for that specific issue. Although i disagreed seeing I explained the water was coming from a pipe in the floor I ultimately decided not to file a complaint with this issue seeing I did agree for the work on the above pipe and that work did not show any issues. Fixing the pipe was only agreed on because their professional told me that was the cause of the leaking water which also turned out to be incorrect. I had to have another company come out and snake the line which is what I told the original plumber needed to happen but he convinced me on unnecessary work which did not fix this problem. Again, even thought I was told incorrect information,  I am not arguing the work on the leaking pipe and the fact that they are claiming the follow up visit had anything to do with the leaking pipe in incorrect. The proof is in the receipt I had uploaded from the gas company showing after they had claimed to correct the water heating venting issue it was not completed correctly.  
  

  
  Roto Rooter responded to a call to assess improperly vented hot
  water tank and to also assess leaking water in basement. Plumber found
  hot water tank to be improperly vented and disconnected. He proceeded to
  properly vent tank and reconnect gas line. The following visit was to
  properly assess water leaking which was determined to be from an upper
  floor toilet which needed repair and was performed by both original
  plumber and branch Master Plumber. At visit team further determined that
  further issue with carbon monoxide was related to issues with Furnace
  airflow, at that time our Master plumber informed customer that there
  was nothing more we could do as that roto rooter does not service
  furnaces and suggested customer contact the appropriate type of service
  company
  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/08/2022

  Roto rooter diagnosed the issues with the venting of the hot water tank and properly repaired the issue and also informed the customer of an issue with their furnace.  The leaking pipe also needed to be repaired and agreed to by the customer prior to the work being performed.  We will not be able to issue a refund since the work was needed and completed according to industry standards and verified by the master plumber.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/12/2022

  We did the correct work and fixed the issue with the venting of the hot water tank that needed to be done.  The only reason the issue with the furnace was discovered was due to us properly venting the hot water tank which exposed the additional problem with the furnace.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/12/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* ******
  

   

  The service call was to fix a venting issue in which ******** **** shut off service to the water heater due to improper venting. After claiming to fix the issue my CO2 detector went off and ******** **** returned to disconnect service and write a report stating it was still not venting correctly. Nothing was done except putting the vent tubes back in place which were already removed and in place. They required two screws at thee joints. It took the technician 5 minutes to complete this work which again did NOT fix the venting issue whatsoever. The technician should not have claimed it was fixed or should have said they could not do anything. It wasn't until the next visit by two technicians I was informed that they thought it could be a chimney issue and there was nothing further they could or would do. Regardless if the issue was the furnace I trusted and paid your company to fix the issue correctly and the job simply was not done. Your claim that venting the water heater to discover the issue with the furnace makes no sense. I paid your professional to fix the entire issue not put a few screws back that I had already removed. If they reassembled the vents and there was still an issue with the furnace this job would still not be considered complete. If I placed a service call to reassemble vents to the water heaters I would be satisfied with the work but the call was to fix the venting issue. They should have just told me they tried to do it without success instead of claiming to have fixed the problem and put my family in danger. Now your company would rather try to save a service fee of $280 for incomplete work when the work that claimed to be was done was incorrect and recklessly. National Fuels report after the service call shows in black and white it was not fixed.    
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/31/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Here is a redacted email account of our complaint:
  "The gist of the problem was we had a cleanout of our sewer and video inspection and was told the line was clean "all the way to the manhole." Within three weeks, the problem happened again. Since the initial repair was under warranty, your crew returned quickly to address the problem, The crew hooked two machines together and cleared the clog again. The city worker who had come out before returned because he thought our line did not go directly into the manhole, but instead was the terminal for the line and started the main trunk line. after seeing the result of the video inspection, his crew came out and found that our line was completely clogged with dirt. We feel we should not have been charged for the second visit since our repair was still under warranty." Initial complaint was filed with Roto-Rooter on 4/25, followed by contact on 4/26, 5/3--when I was told a refund check would be issued--7/19, 7/30 and 8/13. I have full copies of all communication with the company and photos.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/01/2022

  The customer was issued a refund via check and stated that someone on his end may have cashed the check.