Mr Rooter of Pittsburgh

Review: We were having issues with our laundry tub and also mentioned we were moving and needed to get a video of our pipes as required for inspection for the borough. We called Mr. Rooter with the advertised special of blockage for $95 and [redacted] (that is the name of the employee who came to the house) attempted to snake the drain and said he could not and proceeded to tell me my pipe was broken under the house and would become a severe issue. He then proceeded to write me an estimate of $6,000.00 (yes $6,000) for the repairs that would clear up my issue and get my video test. We called another plumber who snaked my drain ($75-that's all he charged me and was done within 20 minutes) and that it was fixed. That plumber doesn't do video testing so he proceeded to recommend A-1 who came out and charged $299.00 for the video and our pipes are perfectly fine! He was able to get the video inside the pipes as its required so nothing [redacted] mentioned was correct. Their representative [redacted] and company tried to scam me and also tried to scare us into the agreement by stating what would happen if it doesn't get fixed immediately. [redacted] also arrived while we were eating dinner so I was polite and offered him some. He accepted and proceeded to eat what I offered (only pot roast) and then had the nerve to give me a $6000 quote when only my tub needed snaked and I still had to pay the $95 service fee for nothing.Desired Settlement: Refund of the amount paid of $95.00

Business

Response:

Dear Ms. [redacted],

Mr. Rooter Plumbing strives to achieve exemplary customer service in all aspects of our company. We acknowledge the fact that our technician was not able to satisfy your personal customer service expectations as well as fall short of our high company-wide standards for customer service. In acknowledgement of this, we would like to refund you the $95 that you paid.

However, the address that you have filed this complaint with does not match up to any of our records. Could you please provide the proper address at which service was completed so that we may refund you appropriately?

Thank you,

Mr. Rooter Plumbing

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Hello Mr. Rooter,

The address your representative came to was:

However explained in the complaint we have moved as we sold our home so my new address and where the refund needs to be sent to is:

Tina Yankovich

313 Kennett Drive

Elizabeth, PA 15037

Once this correct address is noted I can approve the issue.

Regards,

Tina Yankovich

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted],

Thank you for your reply. The check for $95 will be refunded to your new address and should arrive within 3-5 business days.

We greatly appreciate your patience in this matter and just wanted to ensure it is sent to the proper location.

Thank you,

Mr. Rooter Plumbing

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: Company charged $4,800 in May of 2014 to dig and replace in-house sewer trap, hydro-jet and camera sewer line as well as back-fill and re concrete area. Contractor who completed sewer replacement work on outside of house also completed replacing trap and refilling on inside of dwelling. The only work required of Mr. Rooter to complete job was reconcreting inside. It was agreed upon that a credit of $780 ([redacted]) would be issued to the original credit card used for the project because of the work they did not need to preform. After several phone calls, I received a letter in October confirming that a credit would be forthcoming within 7 days. This being approximately 3 months later, a credit still has not been issued.Desired Settlement: Refund of $780 as was agreed upon.

Business

Response:

[redacted]Check number [redacted] has been mailed from our office today, 2/24/15, in the amount of $780.00.Once this check is cashed, we will consider this matter closed and resolved.Thank you,Mr. Rooter Plumbing

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: Of 3/8/2015 I called Mr. Rooter for service at my Laundromat at roughly 12:00 am. The first service responder called promptly and arrived approximately with an hour of our first correspondence. He was very professional and knowledgeable. He snaked our drains to the best of his ability. He advised me the next service individual would have to bring special truck. Before he left my property at roughly 5:00am he made sure to contact said individual in my presence. Upon his departure he informed me and my crew I had employed for the night, to expect the next truck at 7:00 am, 7:30am at the very latest. So being understanding that it is Sunday and the weekend I patiently waited shutting down my operation. 7:00 am comes around no tech no calls, 7:30 am still no contact. 8:30 I contact Mr. Rooter, I ask where about is the tech with the Hydro Scrub? I am told he is on another emergency call. I then ask why I was not informed surely within an hours time someone can call to keep me informed. The individual on the phone tells me I was just about to call you. At this point I know I am being feed a line to justify ineptitude. I ask now to speak with some supervision she leaves said supervisor a message and tells me it will be about another hour before my truck shows up so I can open my business. 9:30 am truck arrives I have the parking lot cleared for the trucks ease of access. He shows up is not here more that 20 minutes and is gone. A few days pass no issues, then Wednesday drains back up again. In my frustration I call another drain service [redacted] who fixed the problem. I call Mr. Rooter Back since I had no correspondence from management ever, and ask directly for management. He apologies for the issues says and offers to credit the bill roughly $400. He wanted to send techs out again, I refused due to the managements inept. I receive the bill and it is not credited, I try calling Mr. Rooter's management left a message with the secretary and have had no contact since.Desired Settlement: I will pay this bill in full and warn any customer who comes to my establishment of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh. They will never receive my business again nor be recommended.

Business

Response:

Mr. Rooter is refunding the customer $450.00 dollars.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: I had sewer back up 01/30/ 2015 I was told by [redacted] who works for Mr.rooter plumbing that they have to excavate by backhoe ,dig down and remove bad section of pipe hydro jet line to remove existing rocks from line replace a new pipe ,I paid $6259.75 got my job done with a lifetime warranty by Mr.rooter .during the job they broke the water line but fixed it right the way .,02// 14/2015 my neighbors had a sewer back up too , They hired ROTO-ROOTER did same job as mine paid $3500 with no mess .When they doing their work they called the [redacted] township municipal authority for some reason .around 9:30 am 02/14 I was told by THTMA they found a lot of rocks inside of my pipe , this caused [redacted]'s sewer back up .I called Mr.rooter a lady said she will send a crew .Around11:00 am, one person showed up said this is not their problem and then left . 02/16 I called Mr.rooter they told me I have a appointment at 1:00pm but I don't even know that . I was at work not sure if I could be there so I called them back after 15 minutes told them I'll be there, but the lady told me they can't come . I asked when they can ,she said she doesn't know , Their manager [redacted] will call me . I didn't get any phone call from [redacted] , I called them again finally made a appointment at 8:00am to 10:00 am 02/17. Nobody showed up , I called them ask why they didn't come, she said that they were too busy can't made it ,but they'll be there between 5:30pm to 7:30pm ,again no one came .same day at11:00 pm [redacted] left me a voice message said they will come over 02/18 at the same time .no one showed up .02/19 same time again nobody showed up .03/10[redacted] had very bad sewer back up again ,I called Mr.rooter and was told by a guy that [redacted] will call me , no one called .it's a nightmare , Can't trust them even for two weeks how could I trust them a lifetime .I decided hiring ROTO-ROOTER for $3500 fixed the mess, we found out when Mr.rooter did my job they broken another pipe which is belong to homeowner associate ,they paid $6300 to fix.Desired Settlement: I canceled my translation to pay Mr.rooter on 03/11/15 . I don't know what are they going to do to me, they may sue me. But they made me have no choice ,I have given them so many chance to make it right ,they just keeping lied to me .I don't want their lifetime warranty ,I can't even trust them for two weeks how could I trust them for a lifetime . If I have to pay them I'll pay but only the part that they deserved.

Business

Response:

In response to Ms. [redacted] Ms. ** was quoted a scope of work to be completed by Mr. Rooter Plumbing with an authorization signature and 100 % satisfaction signature. This is noted on invoice #[redacted]. As far as any matter of any additional pipes that could have been broken during the excavation process, we feel that the [redacted] Twp. Municipal Authority would have made light of any additional broken pipes during the inspection of the work Mr. Rooter performed, which passed the Municipal Authorities inspection process. Mr. Rooter takes no responsibility for the neighbors line having similar issues. Once again, I will note the [redacted] Twp. Municpal Authority has passed the inspection. As far as the neighbor calling a different plumbing company and having work done at a different charge questions if there charge is comparable to the exact scope of work. As far as communication and arriving on the job the customer actually stated that Mr. Rooter had attempted to contact them several times. We have made several attempts to have excavation crews as well as a manager contact the customer via phone as well as in person. We at Mr. Rooter also contacted the Municipal Sewer Authority as well to contact the customer both by telephone and in person. All services performed were complete in correspondence with invoice # [redacted] and all work passed inspections, therefore we will stand behind all of our completed work.In conclusion, Mr. Rooter Plumbing has completed the scope of work in accordance with the invoice and passed the Municipal Authorities inspection. We have given the consumer many chances to make this right however, she has not made herself available for communication. All work was completed and agreed upon therefore we believe our work is trustworthy of a "life time."On behalf of all of us at Mr. Rooter we consider this matter resolved.

Joe was very well organized and diagnosed the problem quickly. He performed the work and explained clearly what he did and why. He suggested a change in the plumbing that will prevent the problem from happening again.

You do the math! (sorry this was so long, but everything is relevant)

Last week my garage drain backed up with sewer water. (fortunately I caught it early and there was no damage to anything!). Anyway, I figured that I would call Mr. Rooter (HIC# [redacted]) for the $95 drain cleaning special that they advertise. The technician arrived within the hour and was very polite. The water had recessed at this point so he went back to the sink in the rear of the garage and ran water until he saw the sewer water come up from the floor drain. He did look at the exposed 4" standpipe located next to the sink and looked down and observed the clean out plug at the base. I told him that there are two toilets connected to that stand pipe. He quickly went to work running a snake down the garage drain for about 10 minutes. He had a very small auger bit on the tip of the snake and the snake was only going down about 7-8 feet and stopping (note that I live in a split level house and this particular floor drain goes straight down approx. 6 feet before the trap). After 10 minutes he told me that this was the worst clog that he has seen in a long time. He told me that the line had to be broke and then went to his truck and brought his price book out. He told me that he would first suggest running a reverse water pressure machine from the air vent located in the driveway (about 10' from where the garage drain is located) back up towards the drain and that would cost $875. He then said that probably wouldn't work, but that he would try it if I wanted. He then said the package that Mr. Rooter offered to fix this type of serious blockage would be to break up the garage drain, dig down, tear out the trap and then figure out what was causing causing the backup and repair it. Not only would they replace the drain that they had to break out, but they would also fix the issue that was causing the blockage (that was obviously within 2 feet of the trap). They would fill the dirt back in and repair the garage floor. He said that he would (do me a favor) and also run a camera snake through the rest of my drain to make sure it looked ok. He then turned the page on his price book and this service would cost $4,975.00 (YES - FOUR THOUSAND, NINE HUNDRED, SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS AND ZERO CENTS!) He said that they would apply the $95 clean out fee to the cost of the repair. To say the least I was speechless. I asked him if he should run the snake down the main stand pipe clean out at the rear of the garage and he just shook his head and said that wouldn't do anything. (Um, that is the same stand pipe that the toilets are connected to that are backing up and overflowing the garage drain that is the lowest open point of this line). I went to talk with my wife and she said that she thought we had the insurance offered by the local water company and went to find an old bill. She quickly told me we did have the insurance and I told the technician. He said if I have the insurance then definitely use it. He cleaned up and gave me the $95 bill, which I paid, and left (He was a very nice guy and was very polite).

I called the local water company and was quickly put in touch with the emergency service team who opened a ticket and told me that a local plumber would be calling me shortly. The local plumber technician called within an hour and made arrangements to come out first thing in the morning (only half of my house was affected by this blockage so I still had one bathroom and the kitchen functional so it could wait). The tech arrived early the next morning and went to work clearing the line. He brought out a snake that was twice the size of the snake that Mr. Rooter used. He spent about 10 minutes going down through the garage floor drain. After the third attempt he pulled up dirt on the end of the snake which he said indicated a break in the line right below where he was working (note: This is the first time that dirt came up on either Mr. Rooter's or the local tech's snake). Then he told me that he would have to go in through the stand pipe clean out at the rear of the garage. He had to hook up a second longer line to the snake and it took him two tries to clear the blockage. (the size of the clean out heads that he put on the snake was much larger than the one Mr. Rooter used). He said that I would need to file a separate claim with the water company to have the trap repaired, cleaned up and left. I called the next morning and the insurance company informed me that we only had the basic insurance that covers unclogging the lines and that line damage that is under the foundation is NOT covered, which my line was. I called the plumbing company that came out the day before and asked how much it would cost to make the necessary repairs to my drain. The owner of the company said that it would probably be around $500 but may be more because of the depth on the line. I said ok and the same tech and a assistant came out the next morning, dug up the line, found another break in the line about 1 foot from the garage drain trap (this is what caused the backup), repaired it all, filled the hole back in and poured cement to repair everything that they cut out. Everything was done within 6 hours and I ended up paying $600 because they had to continually use the jack hammer to dig down the 6 feet to get to the problem.

Yikes - Mr. Rooter $4,975.00 - local plumbing company - $600. Hmmmmm..... You do the math.

PLEASE NOTE: This is only my personal experience with Mr. Rooter. I don't know if all customers are given the same pricing sheets that I was shown. My advise - Please call local plumbers for price estimates. Or better yet, get the premium insurance through your local water company.

Great quick service. Affordable priced. Satisfied with the work that was done

Review: We had a frozen pipe due to improper placement and planned to have Mr. Rooter put the pipe in the proper area at the correct angle on November 30, 2013. Due to a legal issue, we cancelled the work within Mr. Rooter's cancellation policy. Even though we cancelled the work they processed our credit cards and cashed my check (which made my account have insufficient funds etc). I have now been contacting them everyday since December 15, 2013 for them to refund us our money and give me the proper bill for the minimal work that they did do. The last bill they sent was incorrect, they once again over charged us. I was told via email that they would take care of this issue on January 2, 2014 and I am still waiting.Desired Settlement: I would like for them to send me a correct bill and to refund my money by Friday January 10, 2014

Business

Response:

Mr. Rooter has refunded Mr. Moore $12,512.00 over two months ago. This matter is closed and Mr. Rooter has no further obligations with this issue.

Review: I am filing this Revdex.com complaint because I have called Mr. Rooter multiple times and have been unable to get resolution or a phone call back. On June 20, one of the technicians was sent to a property to perform both a lateral camera inspection and a dye test for a home that we were considering purchasing. Prior to scheduling the appointment, we made numerous phone calls to your customer service to verify the appointment and requested services. The technician was #[redacted]. Our reason for calling multiple times is that the technician failed to show up at all after six hours on the first scheduled appointment day, although our repeated calls were met with, "you are next in line."When the technician arrived, he informed me that he had no idea what he was supposed to do and when I explained the lateral camera test and the dye test, he told me he needed to leave to get the materials for the dye test, but that he couldn't do the camera test because he didn't have a camera. He left for 45 minutes and returned with another technician. He suddenly remembered that he had the camera and in 15 minutes, they completed the camera inspection of what I think was the neighbors sewer line. After I asked multiple times about the dye test and the forms required for the borough of [redacted], he said he wasn't allowed to do either and he left. I was charged $550 for a lateral camera inspection of the WRONG sewer line and the dye test was not performed. Also, the paperwork I presented was NEVER returned to me or to the borough of [redacted] I have called multiple times, requesting to speak to a manager.Desired Settlement: I would like a complete refund of the $550 that I paid. First, I was not quoted a price when I called although I requested a quote multiple times. I was told it would be "ballpark $200" and obviously, it was much more than that.I am making this request because the work was NOT performed as requested, it was not performed in a timely manner and I was unable to get resolution or a return phone call from the management.

Business

Response:

This customer will be refunded the full requested amount of $550.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I am very pleased with the response I received from the company owner, and I hope that they are able to use this as a way to improve the actions of their technicians.

Regards,

Review: A Mr Rooter Plumbing employee came to the residence to hydro scrub the main sewer line on 1-10-15. The employee took approximately 1 hour and said the sewer line was cleaned. I made payment of $804.75 at that time and was told the work was guaranteed with one free cleaning and camera scope. The sewer line backed up into the home again on 1-30-15. Mr Rooter Plumbing was called and they hydro-scrubbed the line again on 1-31-15. At that time the employee said that the sewer line would need dug up and replaced. I requested a camera scope and was told they could not do it until the following Monday 2-2-15. On Monday 2-2-15 a Mr Rooter employee put the camera in the sewer line and found that it was not clean and water was already building up inside the line. At this time the Mr Rooter employee told me the line would need to be dug and replaced. I informed that my plumber would perform the work and wanted him to locate the area in the yard. He told me he would not locate it if they were not doing the work. I called [redacted]. They told me that before they would dig it, they would clean and camera the line to locate the problem. Tree roots were found and cleaned out (A root chemical applied) and I was told the line did not need dug and that the sewer line was in great shape. The cost was $650.00. Since 2-10-15 I have called 3 times and no one from Mr Rooter will return my call. I want a refund.Desired Settlement: Full or partial refund due to them not completing the work as described.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],As noted in the customer's statement, Mr. Rooter provided hydroscrub services on January 10, 2015. We came back as a recall or a call back on January 31, 2015 for the same services under warranty at no additional cost. We then dispatched a camera technician to the [redacted] residence which discovered a root intrusion to the sewer line. In agreement with the customer's second opinion of [redacted] confirmed that there are roots that have intruded the main sewer drain. Mr. Rooter quoted a price to repair the drain. If roots have grown inside the drain then it is very clear that the sewer line is broken. The roots must have broken into the sewer line to have intruded the inside of the pipe. Therefore, Mr. Rooter cannot warrant anymore services to a broken sewer line. The customer was charged $804.75, two hydroscrub treatments have been performed, and an evaluation by an underground sewer camera and second technician to replace the sewer. The other plumbing company may have put some type of chemical into the drain to kill the roots, however, this is a temporary fix. As stated above, if the roots intruded the sewer, the only way for them to get in would be for them to actually break through the piping. Therefore, this is a temporary fix to a broken pipe. Mr. Rooter has completed all services promised and agreed upon and we consider this matter resolved and closed until the broken sewer line is replaced.Thank you,Mr. Rooter Plumbing

Consumer

Response:

Review: I hired Mr. Rooter to install laundry hook ups. They showed up on the scheduled date to give us an estimate. We paid them and arranged for them to return the next day to install them. The man shows up completely unprepared to do the job even though it was the same man that did the estimate. So we scheduled for him to come back two days later. He returned on the scheduled date and installed the hook ups. He also explained to us that we had a one year warranty. When we put our washer and dryer in we realized they did not put the standard fittings on that we had asked of them. We called them that night and they said they would send someone out the next day. At this point they have rescheduled with us on 4 different occasions. I've contacted them and they are no longer answering my emails. After the 4th reschedule, I had to go out and spend more money and time buying the parts and having my husband fix their mistake. Not to mention the time wasted sitting around waiting on them when it doesn't seem like they had any intention on helping us.

Business

Response:

We at Mr. Rooter Plumbing in good faith are giving the customer a full refund of $427.31. Please see a copy of the attached refund check. We at Mr. Rooter Plumbing consider this complaint closed. Best Regards,Mr. Rooter Plumbing

I highly recommend Mr. Rooter and their products. Excellent service and honest service personnel.

Matt P[redacted] came to my house late at night, did a great job. Trustworthy, polite, considerate and very professional. Thank you Mr. Rooter!

Review: Mr Rooter Plumbing has a A+ rating with the Revdex.com so I went with them to install a sink & faucet. The sink & faucet were corroding badly & looked like crap. Like a dumb xxx I gave a $1000 deposit thinking I would give most up front while I had it & when all done pay less in the end. That deposit was 1-8-2014 almost 5 months ago. They said the special order of the sink would take 6 to 8 weeks so about that time I called to check on the order, after a few called I finally talked to the manager [redacted] no clue how to spell it. He asked if I wanted the deposit back, I said I'll wait a little longer. After about 3 months I kept calling asking for my deposit back & couldn't get hold of a manager. Four times the secretary said we have an appointment for Friday without informing me. I asked are the parts in? She said it looks that way, so Friday comes & goes. This same thing happened like I said 4 times, so weeks go by & no calls or anything. My friend said email the manager so you have a written record if you have to goto small claims court. Say I'll stop up at your office in 3 days to pick up my deposit & if it is not there I will contact the Revdex.com & take you to court. The PROBLEM is they would not give me a managers email address. There web sight does not have any emails on it just an appointment section with a box you can type stuff in, so I did that & hit submit. Two minutes later a female manager calls to set up an appointment for service. She wanted to hang up fast, I asked hew can I ask you a question, she said she has to go & doesn't have time. She didn't want to help at all. The managers name who deals with refunds is [redacted] I barely got that info. I pushed for a email address but could not get one. Please help me, I cannot do what I really want to do. It is very hard to control my anger with these SCAMMERS!!!Thank You Very much!!!Desired Settlement: I would like to have my deposit back of $1000.

Business

Response:

Refund check in the amount of $1000 mailed to [redacted] at [redacted] on 6/19/14.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: I had called Mr Rooter for backed up drain in my laundry room,on the floor. The technician worked from the outside and said the problem was corrected. The following week I had the same problem. After waiting most of the day the same tech. arrived. first I was told the line was cracked, then he said he could do a power wash for around $800.00.

When I said no, I would have someone else look at the job, he told me to call the office for a refund.

I have called many times only to be told it would be turned over to management. Still nothing was resolved

I was given a reference number ([redacted]). I am still waiting. The date of service was 4/13/2015.

Everytime I call I am given the same reponse, it will be given to management.

I would like to receive my refund of $98.75Desired Settlement: I would like to receive my refund of $98.75

Business

Response:

Mr. B[redacted] our Sales & Service manger has spoke to Ms. [redacted] on the phone. After the phone conversation we at Mr. Rooter Plumbing in good faith have refunded Ms. [redacted] the full amount in which she asked for. Please see attached copy of the check. On behalf of all of us at Mr. Rooter Plumbing we consider this complain closed.Best Regards,Mr. Rooter Plumbing

Review: Mr Rooter came to our house onMay 16,2014 didi work and charged us $95.When my husband call ed and ask them if we could post date the check for thn 30th,the company said yes but the check had to be written out for the 16th and thet woulnt cash it until the 30th.Well they already cash it and the back charged me $37 for unsuffiction funds,Icalled Mr. Rooter and [redacted] the Manger of Accountant said they will give me a check for $95. but will NOT give me the overdraft amount of $37. I told him I would mail another check out for $95 and post date it for the 30th and [redacted] said its like I paid only$58 for the job,,,,,,and said the first time it was like me getting the job for free and he still will NOT give me $37 for the over draft.Desired Settlement: They still owe me $37 because they cashed the check and they were told prior not to cah it until the 30th.

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted] discussed this issue with [redacted] our Office Manager. She originally requested a $37 refund. We offered her our sincere apologies for the inconvenience and overdraft fee and offered a $95 refund check (the original amount that she paid for the completed service call) and the customer refused, stating she wanted a $37 refund. The check was dated 5/16/14 and was cashed on that date. Mr. Rooter was offering to pay her $58 MORE than her requested refund to cover the overdraft fee as well as give her an additional $58 as to make the balance even for the amount she paid. The customer refused to take the extra $58 for her inconvenience, and did not accept our offer. We have gone above and beyond in our attempts to rectify this situation, however the customer would not accept our generous offer to resolve her issue.

Consumer

Response:

Review: Had facet repaired. Paid $350.00. Need to have them return three times because work not done properly. Last technician to repair faucet said I should have had new one installed from beginning. Then I was told I had to pay an extra $480.00 on top of $350.00 to have new one that should have been installed originally. They wanted double payment that should have been initiated from the beginningDesired Settlement: Replacement of new faucet at no extra charge..... they shafted me. They Want double payment

Business

Response:

Mr. Rooter Plumbing's Sales and Service Manger has reached an agreement with Ms. [redacted] In good faith Mr. Rooter Plumbing has agreed to reimburse Ms. Wiles $359.00. Once she receives this check this complaint will be closed.Best Regards,[redacted]

Review: On 4/25/2014 11am I had a Mr Rooter technician (54) attempting to open a blocked sewer line in the basement . In the attempt the equipment he was using broke off in the drain pipe and is lodged in the drain. The technician wrote out a reciet explaining what had happened and told me someone would call me and make arrangements on how to go about solving this problem. No one never called, I had to make the first call ,I was told that they would send someone out to fix the problem on 4/28/2014 am again no one showed or called , I had to call again to find out what they were planning on doing to solve my problem. I'm still waiting and my basement is still backed up with sewage. I can't get someone else to come out because they refuse to follow behind another company's mess. I need some resolution. Please help.Desired Settlement: I want the equipment that's lodged underground takened out and any damage done in doing so be repaired to original condition with out any expanse to me!

Business

Response:

Our excavation manager spoke with Mr. [redacted] and explained to him the cause of the broken cable. The sewer line is bad/broken/possibly has roots in it. The cable broke due to the bad sewer line, not due to any fault of our technician. The only two options we have at this point are to hydroscrub the line or to excavate the line to remove the broken cable. Both of which would be at a cost to the customer, as it is not a Mr. Rooter error. The customer declined both of these options to remedy the situation. This matter is closed, as the solution was declined by the customer.

Consumer

Response:

Review: My basement sewer was backing up and I needed someone to snake the line asap so I called Mr Rooter Pittsburgh. When the tech first came on Jan 20, 2016, he claimed that the snake would not go into the sewer line and they needed to dig up about 10 feet of the basement at the drain for a cost of $3550. He said he needed the whole amount paid up front and had me sign a waiver of right to cancel. Because I thought it was an emergency, I agreed to those terms. The next day, Jan 21st, the tech said the sewer line was still not clear and sewage was still backing up and that I needed to pay an additional $12,000 to dig up the rest of my basement to replace the sewer pipe. It was then that I remembered that I had purchased sewer line and plumbing protection thru my water company. I called the insurance company, [redacted], who sent their plumber to my property on Jan 22nd. [redacted] snaked my sewer line (despite Mr Rooter's claim that their snake wouldn't go thru) and said that my line was now clear and there is no need for further pipe replacement. Mr Rooter showed me a video they claim was of my sewer line which was filled with cloudy and bubbly liquid. Because I was getting conflicting reports from Mr Rooter and [redacted],

my insurance company agreed to send another plumber, [redacted] to video the sewer line for the insurance companies review. On Jan 26th [redacted] videoed the line and advised that the sewer was clear with no backup or buildup. The insurance company also reviewed the video and they advised the same that my sewer line was in good shape.

All while this was happening I discovered the 77 complaints on the Revdex.com site against Mr. Rooter, a lawsuit filed by the Ohio Atty General which names the Cranberry Twp business as one of their defendants and many civil filings against this company in Allegheny County PA including one which just settled in the fall of 2015 and names the same Mr Rooter tech as the one who tried to scam me for $12K!

I called Brian B[redacted], manager of Mr Rooter and advised him of all of the above and that I would like all or most of my money back because I feel the initial work for $3550 was unnecessary when [redacted] was able to snake and clear the line. I also advised him that his company almost scammed me out of $12K for unnecessary work as proven by the video. He offered to give me $250 back but when I went on to say that I had already been in touch with the Ohio Atty General and planned to file complaints with the PA Atty General and the Revdex.com, he took back his offer. He said that the company changed owners 8 months ago and that "we don't do that anymore" to which I said 'you just tried to scam me out of $12K!"

In addition to getting my $3550 back, I would like to see this company sanctioned for the harm they've done and continue to do to consumers in Ohio and PA.Desired Settlement: Refund $3550.00, the cost of unnecessary work.

Business

Response:

John’s plumbing snaked the line after we replaced the initial 10 feet of pipe. We have video showing damage to the terra cotta pipe that was replaced by us. I feel that having the second opinion of a plumber after we replaced the damaged line is irrelevant as they were not a witness to the initial damage nor have they seen the video. I feel that the $3550 was fair and journeyman plumber Earl M[redacted] diagnosed the situation properly. When Mr. [redacted] said that he filed his complaint I stated that I would not refund his money as he wanted a full refund. I do not feel that a full or even partial refund is deserved as we fulfilled our contract to the T. It is the practice of Mr. Rooter plumbing to recommend the best solution for our customers. The video inspection revealed that the additional 40 feet of pipe is old terra cotta and has breakages throughout. Overtime roots will grow into this pipe and the risk of collapse will increase due to age and it is still our recommendation to have the rest of the pipe replaced. We at Mr. Rooter feel this complaint is closed.

Best Regards,

Mr. Rooter Plumbing

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Response:

Review: In January Mr. Rooter replaced my duplex's sewer lines. The concrete repair in the basement was done carelessly - edges are not feathered, and a boot print appears in one section. A vertical pipe on the exterior is crooked. My yard has not been graded so that I can landscape. When I signed the contract, I informed the plumbing technicians that I was selling the property. The contract clearly states that the property would be graded. I cannot sell it without the yard being graded and landscaped.

I was told that the excavations manager, [redacted], would schedule grading in April. Despite calling 2 times per week during April, my phone calls have never been returned by any Mr. Rooter representative. During a recent phone call I also informed them about the crooked pipe.

Part of the yard of the next house was also needs graded.Desired Settlement: Return my calls and schedule the following work = feather the edges of the concrete work in the basement, fix placement of external vertical pipe going to the ground's surface so that it is 90 degrees in relation to the ground, and grade the side and front yards.

Business

Response:

Mr. Rooter Plumbing's underground utility manager has made contact with the consumer and has explained that we will return in the next few weeks to address all issues with the cement as well as all exposed piping. We will also provide soil clean up. All outside clean ups are weather depending and we will have this completed within the next 14 days. Once the clean up is complete, we at Mr. Rooter consider this complaint resolved.