Mr. Rooter of Southern Fairfield County

As a business owner we always take complaints and concerns very seriously I was informed about hours into the job that the tech was having an issue with removing the snake which seemed to be stuck in the line, We had no other option but to pull snake out of drain, once that was done I informed Tessa about what was going on with her line I suggested to her to video camera the line to see what was causing the blockage and trapped the snake in the line She original agreed to doing that service When I called her to schedule the service call she was upset and thought we had did something wrong Her original plumber did the same thing cut the pipe and couldn't snake the line either Additional piping that was damaged when we pulled out the snake I then informed her this was no issue repairing the pipe without cutting the floor At this point Tessa was frustrated and had another plumber do the workAfter approxhours and guys of labor no money was ever collected We realize the high cost of plumbing so we always try a lower cost repair before going to the expensive I most certainly apologies if she felt I was angry or loud I have always spoken loudly it is just how I am

I let *** *** know as soon as possible about the repair. When the snake gets stuck, we try all other options before we resort to cutting of a pipe. We can not determine if or when a snake will get trapped in a line. Our company policy is always do the least evasive repair first in this instant once the snake got stuck we had no other options which, whether *** *** approved the cutting of the pipe or not we could not leave a snake in a pipe it has to be removed , but I absolutely advised *** *** of the issue at her house The repair of the broken pipe was never a concern because it was a simply and easy repair to do. My major concern was that Mrs Merek and has a bigger issue with the pipe that needs to be addressed. Lastly, my company for all its efforts has not received any payment what so ever for this service call. She was not charged any fee. I wish *** *** would have let us finish our repair she would have been pleased. We wish *** *** the best

I had a clogged drainI had my plumber come in to try to clear it and he was unsuccessful due to not having a large enough snake to clear the clogOn his recommendation, I contacted MrRooter for further trouble shootingMy appointment was on 5/The technician was told that there was a clog and my regular plumber had suggested using a larger snake with a hook to clear the blockageThe technician assured me that he had a variety of snakes available and he began workingTwo hours later, I was concerned that he was not done yetI spoke to the technician who advised me the snake he used had become stuck in the pipeI asked him what the next steps wereHe told me he had called his supervisor because he felt that with two people, they would be able to pull the snake outI asked him what the process would be if they were unable to pull the snake clearHe responded he would worry about that if they were unable to pull it freeThe original appointment was supposed to have

As a business owner we always take complaints and concerns very seriously.  I was informed about 1.5 hours into the job that the  tech  was having an issue with removing the snake which seemed to be stuck in the line,.  We had no other option but to pull snake out of...

drain, once that was done I informed Tessa about what was going on with her line.  I suggested to her to video camera the line to see what was causing the blockage and trapped the snake in the line.  She original agreed to doing that service.  When I called her to schedule the service call she was upset and thought we had did something wrong.  Her original plumber did the same thing cut the pipe and couldn't snake the line either.  Additional piping that was damaged when we pulled out the snake I then informed her this was no issue repairing the pipe without cutting the floor.  At this point Tessa was frustrated and had another plumber do the work. After approx.. 3 hours and 2 guys of labor no money was ever collected.   We realize the high cost of plumbing so we always try a lower cost repair before going to the expensive.  I most certainly apologies if she felt I was angry or loud I have always spoken loudly it is just how I am.

Complaint: [redacted]
 
I am rejecting this response because:To begin with, the snake was not simply “pulled out”. Approximately 2 to 2.5 feet of pipe were cut without my permission or knowledge to allow Mr. Rooter to remove the snake. At no time was there a suggestion that such a large section of piping would need to be cut in order to remove the snake. Rather, when I asked the technician what the remedy would be if the snake could not be pulled out, the technician refused to discuss it with me and advised his supervisor would call me if they were unable to pull the snake out. Rather than calling me, August simply cut the pipe and informed me of it after the fact. The original plumber cut an access window into the pipe and placed a temporary seal on that section of pipe to facilitate the snaking that Mr. Rooter was contracted to do. The original plumber did not get his snake stuck nor did he have to remove piping through the wall and under the bathroom floor to get to his snake. He also did not damage additional piping to get his snake loose. To replace the “windowed” section of pipe would have been a simple fix involving the replacement of aprox. 1 foot of pipe that would not have required the floor be pulled up; however, Mr Rooter cut the pipe on the back side of the bathroom wall down past the floor. Once the pipe was cut below the floor, the floor had to be pulled up in order to repipe the bathroom (approximately 6 foot of piping needed to be replaced). Pulling up a tiled bathroom floor and cutting into the floor boards is a significant expense and this should have been discussed with me before such action was taken.Secondly, Mr Rooter suggested that we send a camera in to view what might be causing the slow drain on the tub. He was supposed to come out the next day to do the camera at around 10am. He neither showed for this appointment nor called to say he was unable to make it. While I was waiting for him to come to this appointment, I viewed the area he had worked on and discovered the pipe cut through the wall and under the floor board of the bathroom. I realized the expense that it would take to repair what Mr Rooter had done, and then yes, I became upset that I was not consulted on this before it was done. At this point, I did call for other opinions on what could have been done as well as looking for estimates to fix a now much larger problem.Lastly, when I attempted to discuss my frustration with August, yes, he became extremely loud. I advised him that I had gotten a second and third opinion on the work he had done, the other options that could have been employed before cutting into the pipe under the floor. I attempted to explain to him that rather than cutting the pipe where he did, he could have accessed the area where his snake was stuck from a simple wall access point that would have allowed the damaged pipe and snake to be removed without having to cut into the floor. However, as he had cut the pipe on the other side of the wall and under the floor, there was no longer an option to simply go in through the access area. After he cut that pipe where he did, there was no option but to pull up the floor. After I explained this to him, he said repeatedly “then we have nothing left to discuss”. When I pointed out that had he called me before cutting into the pipe, I could have told him about the access area, he dismissed this as an option. At no time did he indicate that he understood why I was upset or why I would question if he should do any further work in my home.The reason Mr. Rooter was contracted was because my plumber had recommended using a snake larger than ½ inch to attempt to clear the clog. My plumber is not a commercial plumber and only had the ½ inch snake. I explained this to the technician before he started work. He was warned that using a ½ inch or smaller snake could result in the snake getting stuck. The technician disregarded this information and used a smaller snake in spite of this instruction which is why the snake became stuck in the first place.While I appreciate the attempt to use a less expensive repair option, I did not appreciate Mr. Rooter making the problem worse. I did not appreciate being yelled at. I did not appreciate August making decisions on my home without discussing them with me first. The bottom line here is August did not follow standard business protocol. His company was authorized to snake a pipe...not to cut my pipes below the floor line and through a wall,. As a result of his failure to consult me, the work to repair the damage he created should be compensated by his company. As the floor had to be pulled up as a direct cause to the pipes he cut, he should be willing to pay for the floor and the pipes he damaged in removing his snake.
Sincerely,
[redacted]