Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Services

the plumbers who installed the hwh were very professional and thorough. They explained what they were doing and gave an estimate of when they would be done and approximately how much it would cost.
the scheduling agent, Chad, kept us up to date of where we were on the list and was diligent in finding someone who could come immediately.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Roto-​Rooter attempted to charge me over $ 1,100 to take care of a slow drain that was fixed by a different company for $ 98.00. Moreover, I could have had a new garbage disposal installed for around $ 250.00, but I paid Roto-​Rooter $ 400.00.
THE BACKSTORY: I called the Roto-​Rooter that serviced the Overland, MO area. My mom’s house had a slow drain in the kitchen sink and a clogged drain outside at the bottom of the basement steps. A technician came out and stated that the slow kitchen drain was due to the garbage disposal needing to be replaced. He advised that the outside drain problem was due to the old metal trap that had rusted and needed to be replaced. Adding, that he would need to send one of their plumbers out in the next day or so to take care of it. I was charged $ 400.
After he left, I asked myself what was it that we just paid $ 400 for if nothing had been repaired and neither issue resolved? I attempted to contact a manager to inquire about this concern. It took several phone calls and a couple of days to finally connect with a manager. He agreed to apply the $ 400 charge towards the garbage disposal replacement when the plumber came out, stating that it was normally around three hundred and something dollars to do.
One of their plumber’s came out and told me it would be around $ 450 to change out the garbage disposal, which was a price even higher than what the manager stated. I said, «No, I spoke with the manager and we have a credit of $ 400 to cover the entire cost. He went ahead and did the work and applied the credit.
Nonetheless, I could have purchased the disposal and called a plumber to install it for a total cost of around $ 250-​$ 275.00. Since, Roto-​Rooter already had my $ 400 and wasn’t going to give it back, I went ahead and had them do it, so as to get something for the money instead of being out $ 400 with nothing in return.
HERE IS WHERE IT GETS REALLY UGLY. The Roto-​Rooter plumber that came out advised that the tech couldn’t even get the equipment to push through the clog in the outside drain at the bottom of the basement steps. Adding, they have a piece of equipment that has a heavier type of blade, but that wouldn’t even be able to work.
The Roto-​Rooter plumber said we would have to replace the trap, which involved busting out the concrete, putting in a new trap and replacing the concrete. The ESTIMATED COST for Roto-​Rooter to repair the problem started at a minimum of $ 1,100. Yes, that is one thousand and one hundred dollars. I opted to get a second opinion.
In the following week, my mom happened to find a business card in her files for a plumbing company (Bore’s Sewer Services) that had done some work for the house a year or so ago. I called them to come out. I did not advise what Roto-​Rooter had informed me. I simply told them that I had a clogged drain outside at the bottom of the basement steps.
The plumber with Bore’s Sewer Services came out and fifteen minutes later he walked back into the house and said «With your $ 20 coupon the cost is $ 98.00. I said you were able to unclog it?! He responded that it was no big deal, the drain was clogged with pine needles and muck. Yet, Roto-​Rooter attempted to scam my mom and I out of at least $ 1,100.00. That is shameful, to say the least!
Moreover, if I had called a plumber in the first place and they were unable to resolve either issue at the time of the call as was the case with Roto-​Rooter, I would have only been charged for a service call of $ 100 or less, NOT the $ 400 Roto-​Rooter charged.
CONSUMER BEWARE! For us this has been a lesson learned. We will never use Roto-​Rooter again. You are far better off to call an actual plumbing company who sends out licensed plumbers, not technicians. You will not only receive quality service by a skilled plumber, it will save you a great deal of money. In our case, it saved us from being scammed out of more than one thousand dollars!

Had a slow drain in the basement, and I knew it was likely due to roots growing though the clay lateral tiles. Contacted Roto Rooter since they took care of our kitchen sink problems less than 6 months ago. I have a pretty crazy schedule, so I thought getting an appointment on short notice was going to be a problem, but it wasn’t. They were able to set up a time exactly fitting my needs.
They sent out Maurice to provide out service, and we received a call informing us that he was on his way. The entire time he was here, we has very cordial and polite. He explained everything that he was doing and answered all of my questions. He quickly worked to open up the line and had us back in order in a short amount of time. He even spent time cleaning up the mess left from our backup in the basement which is more than I was honestly expecting of him.
I would definitely recommend them to others and would contact them for further needed problems in the future. They even have coupons available on the website for discounts.

The water was starting to back up in the pipe from my washing machine and spilling on to my basement floor. Had a similar issue a few years ago. Also had a curious odor coming from my bathroom sink. The customer service rep was very friendly. Offering to send someone out within two hours of the request. The service technician was on time. I didn’t have to wait around all morning for him. He was friendly and he knew exactly what to do quickly and efficiently. He took my web coupon and suggested using the Roto Rooter product for my smelly sink. Worked like a charm. Would recommend for all my South St Louis neighbors and will use Roto-​Rooter again.

The best part about Roto Rooter is that I called at 9am and they came and left by 9:45am. No two hour window, no real advanced scheduling. The only downside at all was that it was a bit more expensive than I was anticipating. I found a $ 40 off coupon their website which helped, but it was still over $ 200 for 20 minutes of de-​clogging!

I chose Roto-​Rooter to evaluate and repair a clogged downspout drain that’s causing erosion near my house in South city. The tech arrived within the scheduled window and even called thirty minutes prior to arrival which was a pleasant surprise. First, he used a wet/​dry vac to vacuum out some of the debris in my drain. Then he tried to snake the drain but couldn’t get farther than about 1 foot into the pipe and that was that. Even after his «discount» I ended up paying just south of $ 200 for 20 mins of work (tops) that did absolutely nothing. I was dumbfounded! I’m sure he just saw it as easy money from a non-​savvy consumer but as a single mom and first-​time homeowner it feels like I lost a small fortune. To add insult to injury I’m no better-​off than I was before! Actually, I’m worse-​off because I’m 200 bucks poorer and that much further from having my problem solved. I can’t shake the feeling that the tech pulled a fast one on me (literally and figuratively.) Plus, as nice as he was, he didn’t really seem interested in fixing my problem. He could have at least given me a full hour of effort since that’s what I paid for. The whole experience was stressful, unpleasant, and unproductive. I would not recommend this company to anyone I care about.

The manager of the St. Louis office asked me to update my review, and I told him I would, so here we go.
The company still gets one star. There are many reasons for that, but I have to be fair and say that they did indeed send someone out who was congenial and fixed my problem. However, that was two days after the original missed appointment and me asking a technician to get out of my house on the second day of this odyssey when he told me he wasn’t going to wait around while I moved some plastic tubs out of the way so he could get his machine to my drain.
I spoke with the manager of the St. Louis office one of his assistant managers and people in their corporate office in order to get my drain opened. It took a lot of time and aggravation, and I certainly could have found someone else to do the work, but I had used this company in the past and was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
As a consumer who was inconvenienced and treated badly by this company, I expected that they would come up with some sort of compensation for the missed appointments the two days before and the way the technician treated me on the second day of this situation. But that wasn’t exactly the case.
A very nice plumber came out and finally spent about 20 minutes and charged me $ 264 (minus a $ 40 coupon from their website) to do the work. What they did was give me a bottle of enzyme drain treatment solution which retails for $ 61 but must cost them much less than that for my trouble. Then when I spoke to the branch manager, I asked him why they didn’t come up with a meaningful compensation and he told me they would give me $ 50 off my next service with them. Then he asked me to revise my review. Which I’m doing now.
Something else Unilocalers should be aware of is that when the technician leaves your house they give you a piece of paper asking you to give them a review and once a week they draw 1 name of someone who’s reviewed them and gives them a refund on their service. I don’t mind a business asking for reviews, that’s just part of the world today. But I think all the reviews NOT recommended by Unilocal might be people trying to get free plumbing.
What I use Roto-​Rooter again? I don’t think so. Do I consider the work they did for me adequate? Yes, but it took far too much time and effort to get it done. Am I satisfied with the work? Truth be told no, I overpaid, was inconvenienced, and should have been treated better by the people both in the local and corporate offices. I still haven’t heard from that Pat woman who responded (or had a bot respond) to my first review, and one would think she might have followed up to see if I was taken care of
Take my reviews for what you want. Maybe I’m a little extra miffed at the situation. Maybe I’m just willing to tell it like it is. But I always believe that forewarned is forearmed.

Roto Rooter saved my Easter! My sump pump backed up the day before and I called the company that installed it to come out. They said they would call me when someone was on their way. 3 hours later I called back and they said no one was on call, oops. Now, it’s past 8 at night and I googled Roto-​Rooter. Someone answered the phone right away, and made an appointment for me first thing in the morning on Easter. Don, the service technician, found the problem in less then 2 minutes. Don got it drained immediately, and offered to hose it out since it smelled awful.
I couldn’t find a hose, so he went out to his truck and got his hose and cleaned the entire thing! He showed me exactly what the problem was, so I would know what to look for if it happens again. So grateful that Roto-​Rooter was able to come out on a holiday morning. Needless to say, I deleted the other plumbing company from my phone. I will only use Roto-​Rooter on Washington Avenue from now on!
Jessica Stovall
Ballwin, MO

I had a clogged kitchen sink drain. I tried using Drano. I snaked it with a 25 ft. cable. After the third try, I decided it was time to call a professional. I called Roto-​Rooter on a Monday afternoon, they offered a time window between 6 and 10pm. Steven arrived around 8pm. He was friendly and professional. He snaked the drain a few times to make sure the clog was completely clear and he was finished and out the door by 9pm. For those emergency situations that require a professional, it was a good choice.

Called at 7 pm because our basement drain is backed up and we have standing water in the basement. Dispatcher promised someone would be onsite within 3 hours. Now 3+ hours later I called and was told they don’t know when someone will be available. After reading the other reviews, I’m thinking I should cancel the service. Sounds like the company isn’t that reliable.

Excellent. I called with an emergency. A pipe in the basement had sprung a leak and was spraying onto the wall and an electrical outlet. I called Roto Rooter. They gave me a 3 hour window, but actually made it to my house within 30 minutes of my call. Don appraised the situation and had it repaired within the hour and it was less $ 50 less than he had originally estimated – though what he originally estimated seemed pretty fair. Don was friendly, honest, and fast. Whew! I thought it might be a big bill and I’m so relieved!

Same day service — A
On time — A (service window between 9 – 12. Rep called around 11am to state they had not forgotten about me). 20 minutes later the plumber was at my door.
Plumber Service — B
Follow up customer service — A+
Overall — A

Mike came out earlier today and was awesome to work with. Very knowledgable, professional and friendly.

Recently, I purchased a washing machine that puts out more water per second than my last one. When the drain pipe overflowed, I realized the incredible output was too much for old pipes gunked up with decades of slimy food, the washer sharing the same drain line with the kitchen sink/​garage disposal/​dishwasher, one floor above. After making a mess snaking out the pipe myself, and running into a gunky fibrous clod at about 25 feet in, I decided it was time to call Roto-​Rooter, which, I imagine, contracts with a network of drain-​cleaning people across the nation. It was a Friday night, but communication was good. By Saturday morning, my roto-​rooter representative was on site with his equipment, and kindly reamed out the drain pipe to the main line not once but twice. I was so happy with the result, I gladly paid $ 50 extra to get a gallon of pipe maintenance enzymes to pour down once a month. Not sure it will do much good, but it can’t hurt. When you have a problem with your pipes, call Roto-​rooter. Most of the time, and if your line hasn’t collapsed somewhere, they’ll be able to fix it.

FINALLY! A plumber I actually trust! Don was awesome and fair when it came to repairing my sink. This is the first time in fifteen years of owning my home that I have not felt ripped off or taken advantage of, especially being a single mom. I am so grateful to find a company that met and exceeded my expectations on all marks.
Highly recommended!

My son complained of a clog in the bath tub. After several months of a temporary fix using DRANO (which can harm your pipes) I decided to contact Roto-​Rooter. Their website is easy to use — I scheduled an appointment at 11:00pm at night. The website gives you a 2-​hour window to choose from and they contact you 30 minutes before someone arrives. A friendly person came to my door, with a van clearly marked who they were and a uniformed worker talked me through the process.
He quoted me a price for three different strategies for fixing my problem.
They were careful to use a tarp in case of a mess — which there was none.
I found a $ 40 off coupon their their website which they gladly honored and they were in and out in less than one hour.
I was quoted additional work that could be done — but only because I asked for a quote. I always recommend Roto-​Rooter.

Horrible. I live downtown. A guy from here comes to my place and can not fix my garbage disposal. My mom spoke with the lady at the reception on phone. They agreed for NO CHARGE because Access company could not fix my problem. The guy with this company told me i had to pay $ 175 for seevice charge. Alone. He did not fix a thing.

We live in South St. Louis county and have had Roto Rooter at our house many times. Whether you call for an emergency or call to schedule an appointment for the near future, they are always on time, are professional, and clean up after themselves. Our service technicians have varied over the years and they are all great!
Would recommend!

Had a sewer back up due to a clogged drain. Roto Rooter said someone would be out between 8 and 10 a.m. Service Tech was out at 8:30, and within an hour had the problem cleared. Yes, you can probably find the service cheaper, but I’ve found Roto Rooter to be very quick and efficient.

Woke up to water coming out of my kitchen base sink cabinet Tuesday morning. One call to Roto Rooter St Louis and I had an appointment an hour later. I received a call 30 minutes before my technician’s arrival. Shawn was polite and professional, providing me with an estimate prior to initiating services. We have a new disposal with a 1 year warranty and a new spray head (thanks to a thorough checkout of our plumbing). We will be utilizing Roto Rooter again soon as we switch out our bathroom sink faucet!