Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Services

In a pinch on a Sunday with a clogged toilet and a business to open in my home on Monday you came! Diagnosed the problem the cesspool company two days before did not. Grateful for your kind service. Would highly recommended your knowledgable company.
Lorraine

Horrible company! No one knows what goes on between departments. One person says one price, then some one else calls back and says it’s a different, much higher price. What a joke this place is. Used another company. Charged me 110 for the whole repair. Roto rooter was charging me 250 just to come and look Bc of the «area» I live in. Thumbs down roto rooter.

My elderly parents had trouble with the plumbing in the house. They were so worried that no one would be able to come help them quickly. After a phone call to Roto-​Rooter, they were so relieved to find that service would be here immediately! The two technicians came to help, and they showed my parents the video of the problem in their pipes. We were so impressed with that and my parents felt that they can trust this company. The service was done quickly and affordably. It was a pleasure to have these technicians in our home. I feel more comfortable knowing that this company is honest and efficient. My elderly parents enjoyed the friendly technicians who were both kind and personable. Thank you so much for your help, you really set my mind at ease.

We haved used rotorooter before and have always been satisfied. Most recently used them when we had back up during our thanksgiving dinner. Marrian, our technician arrvied in a reasonable amout of time, was very thorough in assessing the problem, and had us back to running smoth in a little over an hour. Would definitltly use them again, although hope I don’t have to.

This was the 2^nd time we have used Roto Rooter. We called them back in 2012 and they helped us out great with great customer service. We had a somewhat similar situation today where we needed them. I called around 6:30 am and there was someone there to pick up the phone. They were super nice to me and they worked around my doctor appointment no problem. They stated that they would give me a call before they actually arrived. They called at 12:59 stating they’d be here in 30 – 45 minutes. There were here in 20! They did what they needed to do and once it was all fixed, they showed me what they did and how to resolve it in the future. The guys that came to the house were very professional, knowledgeable and super friendly. I will definitely use them again in the future!
Control No. 51 – 390 397 Franz

To Whom It May Concern:
SHAME ON YOU for so effectively destroying the brand name of Roto-​Rooter in this customer’s mind — and likely in so many others. The completely ineptitude and basic incompetence of your staff, except for your very skilled technicians is a remarkable example that should be used as an example of how NOT to do business. — Simply Disgraceful!
HISTORY
I own a few rental properties in Astoria, New York. One of the units had a bathroom sink with a slow drain. On 8÷19÷15 around 1pm I completed an on-​line schedule for service for the following day Thursday 8÷20÷15. I did not receive an email confirmation until later, so just to be sure I call the (718) 263‑2360. The representative confirmed that my appointment was scheduled for 9am to 11am on Thursday.
I arrived at the tenant apartment on Thursday at 9am sharp. At about 10:30am I received a call from Roto Rooter stating that they were running late. «Ok», I said. At around 11:30am I realized that no estimated time was given on the last call, so I called the (718) number to get an idea of the timing. The representative told me 1pm. I informed the representative of my situation — ie: a landlord waiting in a tenant apartment — and that I did not want 1pm to turn into 3pm etc. In any case, upon hearing nothing at 1pm, I called the (718) number again. I spoke with the same representative that told me 1pm and now he claimed he never said 1pm and that now it was 2pm. I was not happy, so I asked to speak to a supervisor or somebody in charge. I was eventually forwarded to SAM (631) 457‑2797. Sam was pleasant and ran down the usual «I understand your frustration» script. He said he would call me back with a definite arrival time and when he called back, it was now 3pm, but he assured me that it was for sure. I informed SAM that I did not trust his confidence and predicted a no show at 3pm. I received a call at about 1:30pm from a representative saying that the plumber would arrive within 30 – 45 minutes. I was encouraged. When nobody arrived by 3pm, I was extremely upset and I admit irate when I called back SAM. He ran down the «I understand your frustration» script again but added that I was being unreasonable. He also stated; «How could I know that they would get caught in traffic». SAM sounded like he was from New York, but after hearing him say that he could not have known there would be traffic on a business weekday at 3pm, I thought maybe he was somewhere on a corn farm in Indiana — reading the Roto Rooter customer service script book. I asked SAM; «Do you have GPS on the drivers, can you tell me where they are?» SAM’s reply, yes we have GPS but he was completely clueless and finally hung up on me. I was admittedly very upset and I let him know that before he hung up on me. I called back the (718) number numerous times — getting hung up on numerous times. Finally a representative finally told me that the technicians were there and that they were looking for parking. I informed her, that that was not possible, because I had parking ready for them at the house, but that they were not here. She informed me simply that that is what the technician told her and that she had no other information goodbye. At 3:40pm the Roto Rooter truck arrives. I am visibly upset, but the technicians Kelvin #7136 and partner is very professional. He gives me a quote of $ 458 and I simply say; «Does that mean you will not leave until you fix it?» Kelvin says; «Yes». I agree. Kelvin in particular, but his partner as well, is an amazing professional and cleared the drain within ONE hour. They are out and on their way at about 4:40pm. I am happy with them, but very upset with the process.
To summarize, the scheduling, dispatching and SAM were completely destructive. They did nothing but given helpless lies and gave me scripted — «I understand your frustration». The technicians saved the day, but my guess is that they are the lowest paid of the whole bunch.
Here are my recommendations.
1. Fire EVERYBODY at the front-​end office and start from scratch.
2. Change the promise time on the scheduling form to a 6-​hour window (from the current 2 hours).
3. Offer the customer an option to move the schedule forward in days to gain a more accurate arrival time. — I would have taken this option. The problem was not an emergency … But if you do this YOU BETTER DELIVER!
4. Reward the Kelvin and his partner because they saved your ASSES.
And finally for SAM, I suggest moving to Indiana where he can do something more productive.
While I expect that this review will not win me the REFUND REWARD, trust me, it is the most valuable review you may have ever received.
Thank you,
J. Tar

After having my daughters 1^st birthday party with 70 guest, 30 were kids we Saw a problem. First thing in the morning they were at our door snaking the line. The tech left the work area as clean as it was before he got there! We were very happy with his work

responded very quickly to our problem, explained the problem fully and correct drain issue and cleaned up the entire area effectively.

Roto Rooter was here to deal with a blockage. All in all they did a good job getting us back to 100%. However he tech Ken G #3761 wasn’t too friendly. I know the job may be brutal and the weather conditions stink but good customer service goes along way to build repeat business and brand loyalty.

Did they come the same day I called them? Yes! Did they call ahead to let me know that the workers were on their way? Yes! Did they unclog the bathtub drain? Yes! Was it worth $ 440 for 15 minutes and an automated tool? Absolutely NOT! If I had known when I was making the appointment that it would cost that much, I would have looked elsewhere. I’m sure someone would have come on the same day for ½ that amount!

Had an issue with water backing up in my toilets. Called roto rooter they told me they could have someone there anytime today. The plumbers called 30 minutes before arriving and they were kind and professional. They snaked my line and used a camera to view the lines. The camera showed that the cesspool needed servicing the plumbers took the time to explain how the system worked. I told them I wanted to get another quote and they took the time to write out everything I needed to ensure I was getting. I could not have been happier with the service and professionalism of the plumbers that were sent out. Highly recommend this company to anyone.

We called Roto Rooter for a clogged drain at my dad’s house on Labor Day.
$ 340 later it was «supposedly» fixed.
When I had to call in another plumber 1 ½ weeks later, we found out that they did half the job they were supposed to do, & never tested their work afterwards.
We called the same day the plumber was here, trying to deal with Roto & expressing our dissatisfaction. All they did was argue with us.
We FINALLY got them to give us a $ 37.50 credit on a $ 340 bill.
But the most discouraging thing was to find out they were here for 52 MINUTES and that out of the total bill, $ 250.00 OF IT WAS FOR LABOR!!!

Great service. I have had a variety of plumbers work on my house since it is an old place with very old pipes, a little bit of a plumbing nightmare. The guy we had today was by far the best. His name was Marc and he is tech#331 if anyone wants to know. He not only fixed the blockage he actually took the time to take apart the pipes in a few problem spots to make sure there was no chance of build up. He even found some shoty work from the plumbers before and fixed it. He ran through all the pipes again before he left just to make sure. A very thorough job. Didn’t feel overcharged as I have with other plumbers who’ve spent less time on less complicated tasks. I was very pleased with almost never happens anytime a plumber or handyman comes over.