Rooter Hero Plumbing

I believe that Rooter Hero has scammed me the same way they have scammed or attempted to scam many other customers (See https://claremont-courier.com/latest-news/rooter-hero-settles-ordered-to-pay-209...⇄ On December 6, 2021, I called several plumbers because I had sewage backup, Rooter Hero was the first to respond on December 7. Rooter Hero Technician Jim claimed that he could not clear up a third clog in the line with his auger; then a Rooter Hero Field Manager used a CCTV to view the inside of the line and claimed that I had three breaks in the line causing the pipes to misalign, and the repairs would require a 3’ hole be cut through my concrete driveway.

I asked why and the Field Manager explained that the line did not go directly from the backyard cleanout to the front cleanout; it instead went to the front of the house, crossed to the opposite side of the driveway, then to the front cleanout. I asked why the line goes across the driveway, and the Field Manager responded “probably because the builders of your house wanted to work extra hard that day”. That absurd response made him seem unknowledgeable and unprofessional; however, I was too overwhelmed with desperation to get my house back in order to give it a second thought. I then suggested “could it be because my washing machine is on that side of the driveway”, and the Field Manager responded “um … yeah, that could be it”. I then asked why they had to dig through my driveway and he responded “Because that’s where most of the damage is”; however, the contract, which I did not receive until December 14, 2021, contradicts this. The contract states that the access pot hole is to”…install later pipe liner inside of main sewer line”. This again made the Field Manager appear untrained, inexperienced, and unprofessional.

The Field Manager estimated the cost for repair at $45,000.00. This amount shocked me. Feeling massive pressure from being unable to bathe, use the toilet, etc., I initially agreed. However, after regaining my senses, I said that $45K was way too much, and told them to stop work. They left. That evening, Rooter Hero technician Tommy Angiano called to discuss the price. After less than approximately one minute, and without me uttering hardly one word, Mr. Angiano lowered the quote from $45K to $31K. I responded that was still too much, but that I would decide overnight.

By the next day, December 8, other plumbers still had not responded to my call for help. Feeling desperate, I reluctantly (and now regrettably) agreed to $31k. Rooter Hero returned that afternoon and dug up the driveway, and had me use my finger to sign a contract on an IPad.

On December 9, 2021, Rooter Hero arrived to clean and reline the pipe. At about noon, I went to the backyard to check progress. The technician operating a machine stated “Ok, this one is done. We just need to let it cure overnight. Now we can do the front” and walked away, leaving the cleanout open and exposed. “Wait” I stated, “It’s going to rain tonight; shouldn’t we cover that up?” The technician responded “Oh … Yeah … good idea”. That response made the technician appear untrained, inexperienced, and unprofessional; however, still desperate to regain use of my facilities, I gave it no further thought.

My water was available for use on the next day; but the job was not yet complete. The installation of bullhorn pipes (clean outs) and caps, the backfill, and cement patch for the driveway was not completed until December 22, 2021.

Back on December 14, 2021, Mr. Angiano had me pay $7,000 up front; however; when Rooter Hero later provided me with a copy of the contract, it stated “the down payment may not exceed $1000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less”. This means Rooter Hero overcharged me the amount allowed for the down payment.

Still concerned that I was unable to get a second opinion in a timely manner, a relative provided me with the name of a reliable plumber on December 16, 2021. He agreed to review the contract and pictures of the work in progress. On December 21, the plumber, after consulting with two additional plumbers, advised me that they all agreed that $31K was way too much for this project, and that it should cost less than $19 … everything about this seems suspicious … those people sound shady” .

On December 23, after Rooter Hero completed the job, I reviewed the Service Finance Company loan documents and I found the language contradictive and unclear. I then researched Service Finance Company and found many complaints. I then researched Rooter Hero and found several web sites with dozens upon dozens of customer complaints. I called Mr. Angiano regarding the many complaints and told him that I wanted the Service Finance contract cancelled and I would use alternate financing. Mr. Angiano than yelled at me “You’d better pay that loan”. I told Mr. Angiano about the customer complaints alleging Rooter Hero charged and overpriced customers for work that was subsequently determined to be unnecessary, including digging up a driveway, and asked “Is that what you did to me; was that work unnecessary, did you not need to dig up my driveway?” Mr. Angiano responded “I’m just trying to keep the guys busy”. That sounded like an admission. I told Mr. Angiano that I wanted the contract to be rewritten to show a cost of less than $19K, as the other plumbers estimated; Mr. Angiano said he would not do that. I advised Mr. Angiano that a cleanout cap they installed in my driveway was not seated properly, it was 12” above the driveway surface and caused me to trip on it, and I wanted it fixed. I also asked Mr. Angiano to itemize the costs of the project (list the costs of supplies, tools, wages, etc.). Mr. Angiano said he would itemize the cost for us, but that he would forward our other concerns to the Rooter Hero Regional Manager “Pat”.

The regional Manager did not call until December 28, 2021. I advised Regional Manager Pat that I had requested Rooter Hero to itemize the cost of my contract, and Regional Manager Pat responded that Mr. Angiano would take care of that. I also advised him that the cap on the cleanout was not seated properly causing me to trip on it, and he said someone would fix it. I advised Regional Manager Pat that I had three plumbers determine that the $31K Rooter Hero charged me was too much for the work performed, and should have been less than $19K, and I wanted him to refund me the difference. Pat responded “I’m not giving you any money”. I then referred to the numerous customer complaints I found on the internet, and Pat responded “those Yelp reviews are all bogus … you can’t believe them.” “All of them” I asked; “Dozens and dozens; really? Have you seen these complaints? They all say the same thing … Rooter Hero charged or attempted to charge thousands of dollars for work that was not necessary, and that different plumbers were hired to complete the job for much less money and less work … and Rooter Hero guys are scammers, thieves, crooks, don’t call them, rip offs (see lists of websites below). “Put yourself in my shoes, what am I supposed to think?” I asked. Pat responded ‘My guys are all specialists”. I then advised Pat about his technician who walked away from a cleanout to leave it to cure without covering it to protect it from the rain. These are his so called “specialists”. Pat then responded on a loud voice “Well then you should have done your research first”. “You’re right; I should have” I responded, “because if I did, I would have never hired you”. Pat did volunteer to refund $1000 to me; however, to this day Rooter Hero has failed to provide the itemized costs as I have requested at least six times from Pat, Mr. Angiano, and Customer Representative Branson.

I recently learned that Rooter Hero has agreed to an out of court settlement effective January 27, 2022, in the amount of $208,864 in restitution to aggrieved customers, and that their contractor’s license is on probation for five years.

I believe that my clogged line could have been cleared by an honest, ethical, competent plumber with the simple use of a standard auger; and for less than $300. Rooter Hero scammed me for $31,000, and I want my money back, all of it.

[redacted] was fantastic He arrived promptly, diagnosed the problem, and fixed it very quickly Great customer service

Excellent response time and excellent service

We were very pleased and impressed with Rooter Hero [redacted] did a great job ! He was very helpful in getting us help to the next phase of removing and repairing the damage from all the water [redacted] and his team got the job done quickly and we highly recommend Rooter Hero for all your plumbing needs

[redacted] Ecame by today to help unplug the drain in my bathtub, after my landlord scheduled his service call He was punctual, courteous, and knowledgeable He took the time to spread a cover down to protect the floor, and wore disposable covers on his shoes so that he wouldn't get any junk from the drain on my floors He immediately got to work, and educated me on the process at the same time He was a genuinely nice guy, and got the job done quickly I would highly recommend him and his company to anyone I know

Dear E [redacted] I would like to apologize for the service you experienced We are in the process of refunding your money After reviewing the job there was an issue with our snake and have addressed that I am truly sorry and hope that this will better your experience Thank you for your time We appreciate your business Kindest regards,

Excellent serviceCalled and kept be up to date on arrival window Technician was polite and knowledgeable Completed work quickly an provided a good explanation of all the work that was completed

[redacted] [redacted] Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.I am disappointed that the initial tech to performed the work has been terminated That was not my intent The supervisor to whom I spoke is the one who should have been terminated (I can't remember his name...but was not Paul)I had a conversation with him (more accurately, I attempted to have a conversation with him which in actually was really a shouting match in which he kept interrupting me and speaking over me with total disrespect to me as a customer)The second tech who was sent out may be the one who should be terminated....he told me the work done by the first tech was not under warranty and tried to "upsell" me to replace a wax ring for the toilet which was totally not the issue I had another plumbing company out here and the toilet is working just fine now, no leaks, and no wax ring was neededRegards, [redacted] ***

Good fast and efficient service and reasonably price Would highly recommend

I called them for a drain cleanoutThe service technician Dennis Swas at my house within an hour of my call as he was in the neighborhoodHe was courteous, knowledgeable and experiencedHe treated me like a valued customer instead of just another job he had to do

Had a great experience with [redacted] *this week when I needed my upstairs plumbing analyzed He was very patient, educated me, did not do anything unnecessary and suggested several option His follow up was great as well Price was very reasonable!

Rooter Hero-- [redacted] was very helpfulCame out the same day as my problem to assess what had to be doneThe team came out the next day and started the work and completed within daysGreat Job!!!

We serviced [redacted] *** on May 12, Invoice #*** I am not sure why it took him this many months to decide that he wanted his money back and to write a complaintI am very sorry to here that his experience with our company was negative and that we where not able to fix the entire problem with his kitchen drain line.I will happily refund his money to himSincerely [redacted]

I called Rooter Hero on Mother's Day to help me with my Hot Water Heater I asked them to help me install a Hot Water Heater Control Valve The technician showed up a few hours later and demanded $ I was told $over the phone I explained $was the norm He stated he would accept $as it was mother's day He replaced the valve, however told me that I needed a new Hot water Heater and that he would install one for $ My Hot Water Heater is years old and still under warranty from GE He replaced the Hot Water Heater Valve (which I PROVIDED TO HIM FOR FREE FROM G.E.) He stated that I needed a NEW HOT WATER HEATER and told me that It was still broken He charged me $and DID NOTHING!!! On 5/18/I hired another Plumber He replaced my IGNITION SWITCH and charged me $for the install and labor He explained that the ROOTER HERO PEOPLE WORK ON COMMISSION ONLY and will OVER CHARGE YOU FOR PARTS YOU DO NOT NEED! I'M VERY UN HAPPY WITH THE SERVICE AND FOR THE CHARGE! I have filed a complaint with the Revdex.com and I am contacting local Channel to explain that your company is CROOKED! Thanks for giving PLUMBERS BAD NAMES! Feel free to call or email me any time [redacted]

Sending a technician without notifying me that he is coming is the same as not doing anything There was no way for him to get into the property without making arrangements for someone to let him in Clearly the conduct shows that customer care is not a concern as the work caused considerable damage and when completed still leaked after supervisor review Final attempts to resolve the issue were not made to arrange a technician to arrive when someone was home I am not only dismayed at the work done, but mortified at the response after such terrible damage was caused by your company to my home Your rating with the Revdex.com should be dropped considerably - not only due to this situation but from the history of complaints lodged against your lack of professionalism and poor work done

This company lied to us and told us our sewer line was rotted out and collapsed, and they need a lot more money to fix it I knew it wasn't though because everything works fine They then said well for clean out I said no When he went in to replace ring everything was working fine They left and the toilets in the house didn't work, everything else did I called and the manager was suppose to call back but never did Guess he was embarrassed I was on to his unethical lieing to scam me for more money I had to get another plumber $ He told me what I already knew nothing was wrong with line They where making it all upHe did say he saw a lot paper towels in line and quickly cleared that I feel this Company should pay that since they clogged it to scam me Also I didn't get any senior discount and for trying to take advantage of a older woman, as they where, I feel I should get some money reimbursed for the inconvenience of no toilets, the lieing , and the distrust I have of Plumbers now Last they didn't even care to call back I gave them 1,for not a lot of workAs dishonest as they where I'm wondering just how much they did do You thought I was dumb, if the sewer line was messed up all the sinks and bathtub wouldn't drain, plus I know how we take care of those lines!! They are running good and u go in there to put a ring on the toilet and come out saying you used camera the lines collapsed, rotted out and u thought I would go for that?? Insulting and elder abuse

Shaun came out and did an excellent job and a better price than expectedRecommend him to end one and everyoneThanks

The issue was resolved quickly and the technician was very polite

Dear ***, In regards to your response I have spoken to Mike D***, who is the area manager He wants to do what it takes to make this right for you He shared with me that there has been no charges to you for anything, he has since fired the technician who came to your home, we had a resoration company out to your home to make the flood repairsWe completely understant the frustrations and want to offer our repair services to you at no charge, if you would allow us We are sorry for the technicians error will correct it Mike Davis and the company are willing to do what it takes to make this right Please let us know what we can do Thank you for your time Kindest regards,

Quick service during this weeks stormI found [redacted] to be courteous and professionalHe gave me an estimate up front and performed the work as agreed