Complaints

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/25/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 9/18/23 I called rooter right to schedule an appointment to get my tub looked at because it wouldnt drain. After explaining all the details to the owner on the phone I was quoted $249 to have someone come out and fix it & more and likely they will have to cut a small whole in the ceiling to access the pipes under the tub. Even with that he still quoted me $249, so I booked the appointment for the next day.
  On 9/19/23, two employees from Rooter Right came to my house around 9:30 am. After working on the tub for about 20 minutes, one of the employees comes to tell me they still haven’t been able to unclog the drain and it was more work than he thought & that the price now will be $375. Desperate to get the drain fixed, I agreed. Next he comes down and says that he still can’t get it unclogged so they have to cut a hole in the ceiling to get it & thats gonna be even more money, $500 plus tax he says. I asked him, once he cuts the hole if he knows he will be able to fix it, he says yes that he can for sure fix the drain once he cuts the hole, he just can’t repair the hole. Still desperate to get it fixed I agreed, even though this is way more money than I was originally quoted. He gets the ceiling open, gets the pipes open, gets smelly sewage water all over my bathroom and tracks it all through me house from his clothes and shoes. He finally comes down and says that even after cutting hole, he can’t find the reasoning for the stoppage of the drain and that in order to find it he would need to cut more of the ceiling -$400 more! I disagreed. I was told it would be fixed with the first hole. Not wanting to continue cutting, I was then expected and forced to pay $592 for nothing but more damage to my house than before. The only beneficial thing he did for me, was replace my drain. But the tub still doesn’t drain and now I’m out of $592 & I have a hole in my ceiling and my house reeks of sewage. When I expressed my concerns, I was gaslit into believing this was normal.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/12/2023

  9/18/2023 We received a call from a potential customer regarding some drain work. After getting some details over the phone she was indeed given an Estimated cost of $249.00 to replace her tub drain and overflow. She had already had another plumber out and this plumber told her that they thought the tub drain and overflow was broken so this is what she wanted a quote for. Upon arrival on 9/19/23 we discovered there were further issues beyond just the replacement of the tub drain and overflow. After replacing the tub drain and overflow for the quoted price we discovered that the drain line was also clogged. We adjusted the price up to include the cost of snaking the drain line. Unfortunately the line was unable to be cleared via the normal means using the snaking equipment. This was explained to the customer at which time we offered to open a section of the ceiling so we could see the layout and direction of the line. We open a section of ceiling simply because we cannot see through walls and there is no other way to identify potential issues with the line. The pipe was opened to attempt to snake it again with larger equipment that cannot be deployed through the tub drain and overflow (the normal method). Again we were unable to get cable to pass through the drain properly. At this time we again stopped work and explained we would have to go further and there would be additional cost involved. At this point the customer began to doubt our ability to fix the drain and wanted us to stop. At no time was she promised results with each proposal of additional steps. I think, understandably, she hoping that each step would be the last to restore the drainage issue but unfortunately it wasn't. This is something that is out of our control. We can only address issues step by step as they come up, we cannot always foresee issues and have to deal with them as they come just like any mechanic, electrician, appliance repair person, etc. Rather than walk onsite at the beginning and say all of this needs replaced we started trying to fix it and it was more than she had anticipated, and perhaps could afford, which made her upset. But just like anything, the more work we have to do in order to repair something, the higher the associated cost. Never did we promise results from any one step, we merely presented what needed to be done next and what the associated cost was. At each step she agreed and gave us permission to proceed. When further issues were discovered and more work became necessary she got upset and asked us to stop. We explained that this was an unfortunate turn of events but that it happens to people all of the time and we are often the bearers of bad news. We explained we were more than capable of completing the job but there would be additional cost to cover the additional work and additional material. She said no she wanted the opinion of another plumber, which would be the third to work this job. So we reconnected her piping, cleaned up, and charged her the agreed upon price for the work we had thus far completed. Not everything can be fixed for $249.00, even if that is the estimated price we give over the phone. Once we are onsite and have first hand knowledge of your particular situation things can change, we never surprised her with any charges, we stopped at every juncture and explained the current state of affairs, what we needed to do next, and what the associated cost would be. This is the unfortunate reality of home repairs, or repairs in general, they have the ability to increase in scope and cost as you get into them. We explained that if she wanted us to continue we would gladly return. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/12/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I paid $600 for you to not fix my drain and leave me worse off. Now my ceiling leaks. After speaking to multiple other plumbers, $600 and not fixing the problem is unheard of. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* ********

  Business Response

  Date: 10/17/2023

  The following is an acknowledgment of specific quotes from the customer's most recent response in our dialogue.  

  "I paid $600 for you to not fix my drain and leave me worse off”
  
  The total charge was $592.62; $249.00 of that went directly to the material cost and installation of the new tub drain and overflow, which was installed and is functioning properly. The replacement of the tub drain and overflow was the original request of the customer and it was fulfilled. This leaves a remainder of $343.62. There was an additional $77.97 worth of material cost directly related to and/or installed on this job, which leaves a remainder of 265.72. The 265.72 covered: multiple attempts to cable the drain via normal means, the removal or drywall in the ceiling, the cutting of the drain line itself, more attempts to clean by deploying the larger snake directly into the pipe from the area we cut and removed, the rebuilding of the drain line, and the large amount of cleanup associated with cutting open backed up drains in the ceiling and the removal of the drywall itself. This job overall took over five hours and included two trips to get material. This is what was paid for. The customer’s issue was larger than what $343.62 would cover. We would have ben glad to continue to the point where we could say the drain was “fixed”. The customer elected to have us stop before we got to that point; having us stop does not negate all of the incurred cost associated with what had already taken place. All steps taken were necessary and followed normal procedure when handling jobs such as these.   
  
  An important point to note is that we never tell customers we fill “fix” X problem for X amount of dollars. We simply state specifically what the job entails and what you can expect to pay for it. For example if we charge $225.00 to snake a clogged sewer main we say just that, “We will snake your sewer line for $225.00”. What we do not say is “We will fix your sewer line for $225.00”. The reason we choose these words so carefully is because snaking will not always “fix” the problem, but it is still always the first step. Some clogged sewers we encounter end up costing thousands to “fix”, which is why we don’t claim we will “fix” the sewer for $225.00; we snake them for $225.00. The same logic applies to this particular job. It may sound like just an issue of semantics but it is quite important when it comes to setting customer expectations.
  
  The customer’s claim that they are “worse off” is also inaccurate. They have a brand new tub drain and overflow. Two additional old fittings were replaced. They have direct access to the pipe that needs to be replaced. Finally, they are aware of what needs to be done to correct the issue and restore the bathtub’s ability to drain. They understand the details of the issue far better than they did when we first arrived. All the steps taken were necessary regardless of who showed up to do that job. Any plumber would have progressed through that job the same way we did. Start at the beginning with the simplest cheapest solutions and work your way through until the problem is resolved. I rarely encounter customers who want to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars fixing plumbing issues but the simple fact is people have to do it all the time. Not every problem is simple and not every problem has a low-cost solution.  
  
  “After talking to multiple other plumbers, $600.00 and not fixing the problem is unheard of.”
  
  A lot of time and a lot of effort was put forth into attempting to correct and properly diagnose the overall issue. Coming to the determination that a particular section of the drain line needed to be replaced was a process. Talking to several plumbers on the phone and having them voice their opinion on a job, which they had no involvement in, is meaningless. To take the description of a layperson over the phone and come to the conclusion that anything done by the Rooter Right technicians was wrong, inappropriate, or too costly is illogical. It took hours worth of work on-site to determine the proper course of action to fully resolve the issue. It is unreasonable to think these “multiple other plumbers” the customer spoke with were able to ascertain all of the pertinent facts and make accurate assessments based on the customer’s novice interpretation of what took place and why. 

  In closing, this job needed to go one more step, and we would have liked to have been the ones to resolve it for you. You chose not to have us proceed, which is your right, however your choice to not have us proceed does not negate the time effort and money we had already put into the job. This is especially true because we were more than capable of seeing the job through to completion, and every step taken to that point was necessary to get to the resolution. 

   

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/18/2023

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/02/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Our basement was having some water issues that we were of unsure if the cause or source of water. We called several plumbers on 1/31/23 to see if anyone could come out in the evening/overnight to look at the problem as the issue became worse.
  This specific company, Rooter Right, said they could not come out that night but would come in the morning to give a free estimate and take a look and if we chose to have any service completed a fee would be charged. A different company actually came that night to assess for free.
  Rooter Right came in the morning of 2/1/23, looked for less than 10 minutes without much knowledge, my husband knew more than he did. We were going to call insurance before making decision on getting any service. As the plumber left he said that would be $96 for the service we called for. He called his boss as this was not what we agreed on over phone or before he briefly looked and a shouting argument began between his boss and my husband. His reply was this is how we do business.
  We were getting opinions on what was wrong or how much work would need to be done while filing insurance claim. We would have never agreed or had someone come out to only look and not even give good idea of issue any more than we already knew from looking around ourselves for $96 which included no work at all. I understand service charges but this was not explained on the phone or before he walked into our home. The other companies looked for free and that was what we were told and expected with this company as well. We already had a free option from night before, we didn’t need another $96 uneducated option from new plumber.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2023

  We were contacted by Mr. ******* to help him with a water issue. I'm going to quote the first sentence of his complaint ...he called because "Our basement was having some water issues that we were of unsure if the cause of source of water." What he explained over the was that he was having some water issues in his basement he thought there may have been a leaking pipe but he wasn't sure, there was excess water in the basement and he didn't know why, he wanted some help tracking down the problem. This is not an estimate....this is a diagnosis. We don't come to customers homes and diagnose problems for free. The reason we don't do this is because often times people just need some direction and they will fix their issues themselves. We don't have a problem with this but our diagnoses have value, which is why we don't give them out for free. He called and specifically asked for help figuring out the source of this excess water, we told him we would be glad to and that there would be a $96.00 service charge to come out and take a look and that if he contracted us to do the work the $96.00 would be applied toward the overall cost. This is standard procedure for diagnosing problems for people. He was never once told it would be a free estimate because this doesn't qualify as an estimate at all. An estimate is a price given for work you know you want or need done.  Simply put, if you know the cause and solution to a problem, you're just looking for a price, then it's an estimate. If you don't know the cause or solution and you want a professional to come to your home or business, investigate, then identify for you the cause and solution, and then give a price to correct the issue, then it's a diagnosis. Diagnosing problems is often half the battle, and we have to pay for the truck and fuel it takes to get the location and the wages of the technician we send out, not to mention the lost time that the technician could be on a job actively making money for the company. It's a valuable service that costs the company money which is why we don't do it for free. This is company policy, it has been for years, and we are very clear with our customers about it so we can avoid situations like this. We knew over the phone that based on the information he gave this would be a diagnosis which is why he was told it was going to cost him $96.00 for the service charge, which he fully understood and agreed to. We would have never came out in the first place had he not agreed to the $96.00 charge, we would have ended the transaction right there. There are people who choose not to have us come out upon learning of the service charge and we respect that. What we don't do is show up and try to trick people out of $96.00, it's not worth the time or headache or potential backlash. However, once you agree to the service charge and have us come out and give our diagnosis and repair/pricing options we fully expect to be paid. He was never told it would be free; because our time is valuable we have very clear and concise procedures and policies for how we handle these matters, and they were followed as they always are. We didn't change the way we conduct business in the case of Mr.*******. He was clearly told prior to arrival that it would be $96.00 for the service charge which is why he ultimately paid.