Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Services

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/03/20) */
Contact Name and Title: *** *** (Mgr)
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX ext
Contact Email: ***@rrsc.com
Refunded customers money he requested back to his credit card on 3-20-

I.D# *** *** *** *** StreetBuffalo NY 14207Revdex.com of Upstate New YorkDear *** *** ***I am writing this letter to recap our position regarding the sanitary sewer lateral repair completed at *** *** Street,
Buffalo? Our company was called to the service address to spot repair the sanitary sewer lateralAs our crew was excavating they found that the lead water service was leaking but it never found its way to the surfaceThey made a spot repair to the lead water service at no additional chargeOur crew also noticed that the old water service was leaking outside the excavation area and traveling along the line into the trenchThe crew that day had come from another job so they had started late morningThey were also delayed by having to locate the proper fittings in order to fix the old lead water line within the trenchIt was getting late in the day and at that point our crew made a field judgment callIt was degrees out and our excavation was near the right of way of the streetThe sewer was still deeper below the water lineTo prevent the water line from freezing and for safety, they backfilled the excavationThe customer was contacted at that point and given an estimate to replace the old leaking lead water serviceThe quote was declined so we then returned at a later date and finished the work spot repairing the sanitary sewer as contracted.? We received two service calls for this address after our work for reports of low water pressure to the second floor apartmentIn both cases it was found that someone was closing the main water valve in the basement not allowing much flow to the upstairsWe opened the valve both times.? We completed the work as contractedAfter the fact, the customer asked for pictures so we gave pictures that our plumbers take related to safety on the jobsiteThe customer has only paid the $deposit and has a balance due of $In an effort to bring this to closure, we are willing to accept half of the balance due, $as payment in full if paid within two weeks of this dateWe will then will honor the balance of the warranty on the repair.Sincerely,David T.Manager, Roto-Rooter Services Company*** *** ***

We have several issues here, we went out last week and took care of most of themWaiting on company to match paint that may take several weeks to get they saidOn the next round of we should be able to take care of the rest of items soon

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*** ***

I called this customer yesterday and have not gotten a response back I am willing to camera inspect her sewer line at no charge but can"t set anything up until I hear from her

All work performed by Roto-Rooter was to IICRC industry standardsAll supporting documentation, and pricing was performed to industry standards using the insurance standard Xactimate softwareAll of our work was inspected by, and approved by, an adjustor representing the customers insurance
carrierAll of our supporting documentation, photographs, drawings, and pricing was submitted to; reviewed by, and approved by, the customers insurance carrierOur documentation, records and photographs show no debris left in the customers drivewayThe customers insurance carrier has paid Roto-Rooter in full for our services, and there is NO open or outstanding balance due Roto-Rooter by the customerThis concludes our responsePlease let me know if you need additional information

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
Please show me the paperwork that I signed for the ballpark figure 4-grand but I can show you the paperwork that I signed that have "TBD" in the price
The technician was so sure that it will cover 100% by insurance without look at my policy as it only covers partially Again, I'm naive homeowneer that believe in the technician and the Roto company
Sincerely,
*** ***

The account was put in *** *** name because he is the individual who originally placed the service call with our call center. That is why he received an invoice from Roto-Rooter. Once it was established that the insurance holder on the home was Rosie Lee, *** *** invoice was cancelled. Attached please find a copy of the Allstate check made payable to Roto-Rooter for the Rosie Lee claim. *** *** has NO financial responsibility in this matter. This claim is closed.Additionally, photographs were taken when we left the property, and photographs were also taken as of yesterdayThere are no wood block(s) in the driveway

To whom it may concern: The following is the account of what took place at the *** Residence and a detailed response to the allegations against Roto Rooter*** *** contacted Roto Rooter on February 13th, at 4:p.mShe requested an appointment be set
for the following day at 1:p.m Upon arrival technician *** (*** ***) noted to the customer (which was previously known) that she had standing sewage water and a pre-existing mold issue in the basement as a result of a previous sewage fill up((Pictures to verify will be provided upon request) (We have over pictures of the project)) Tech *** (*** ***) asked Ms*** if she would like the Roto Rooter water restoration department to come out and assess the damagesShe agreed. Upon arrival the Certified Water Restoration Technician arrived on site and walked through the project with the customer(Just for note Roto Rooter is an IICRC certified mold abatement contractorThe manager on site is also a mold certified abatement technician)After discussing the options with the homeowner it was agreed that Roto Rooter would take on the whole project and make an attempt to relieve some of the financial pressure by helping the homeowner file a claim with their homeowners insuranceIt was understood and explained in writing on the Work order and Water extraction agreement (Both signed by the homeowner and available upon request) that the home owner is ultimately responsible for the bill if the insurance company does not cover the damagesThe insurance company decided that because she had a pre-existing issue, knew about it for long enough for substantial amounts of mold to grow and did nothing, that they were not responsible for paying anything on the claimWith the paperwork being signed explaining the industry standards for this type of loss, the homeowner asked Roto Rooter to proceed with the projectRoto Rooter followed the industry standards and removed all finishing material contaminated by the sewage waterUpon finding all of the existing mold Roto Rooter hepa vacuumed the spores from the surfaces, cleaned the surfaces, hepa vacuumed again and the applied an antimicrobial shellac known as IAQ (Used to permanently seal and possible spores that may have settled from the air onto the then clean surfacesAll the while running air scrubbers with hepa filters to control the spread of spores already in the airIn regards to the reconstruction of the property it was explained in person and again the signed paperwork that Roto Rooter is responsible for the emergency services onlyWe remove the problem, demo, disinfect, deodorize and dry to a pre-existing condition in order for the reconstruction to be performedIn regards to the walls being cut at feet, it is industry standard to cut the walls up to feet in order for easier reconstructionHowever the IICRC S(Industry mold standard) takes precedent and dictates that we are required to remove the walls feet beyond anywhere we find microbial growthAgain we followed the industry standardsIn regards to the drying we set enough equipment to dry the property as quickly, efficiently, and cost effective at possibleWe need to dry quick enough to suppress any future mold growth while at the same time trying to keep cost to a minimumAgain we followed the industry recommended amountsIn regards to fixing the plumbing we provided Ms*** with a proposal for the work and she decided to go a different directionShe was charged $dollars for the sewer and drain work as well as the camera we put into the line to determine the source of the problemsWe offset this cost in order to help the customer with her problemThe reconstruction is the responsibility of the homeowner as explained multiple timesThere was never an offer made to fix “their” problem for $There was an offer made to excavate and fix the broken lateral line for $which was the condition causing the problems at the propertyPlease let us know what pieces of documentation you require as we are happy to provide you with anything

When you cancel a job we have to cover our costsMeeting with multiple inspectors other contractors, structural engineers, architectsTaking endless phone calls and emails from customer, customers brother, realtorThat is not what we call a free estimate isFree estimates are for the work that
we are doingPutting together a plan using subcontractors is called project managementIf you didn't want me to do itWhy didn't you do it yourselfWe were trying to complete work that we were contracted to do but couldn't but couldn'tDemo on multiple occasions so structural engineers can preform their work, you hired another structural engineer because he told you didn't like his answer which was tear it downpurchasing custom windows, cabinetsOrdering windows, door & base, tub drain & faucets were all in original contract. Never received any notice to stop workingJust because you didn't sign the contract you sent email or have oral spokenYou can deny all you want but the proof is work was doneWe have the Elmwood park inspector as a independent partyIn the future maybe spend $on a home inspectorWe are willing to send you $1,to settle this claimHave a great day

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
*** ***
The plumber said it would be dollars start to end When the job was over the price went to dollarsdollars moreWhich is poor business practicesIt was ridiculous that the plumber didn't have a wax ring to put the toilet back on

On 11/13/we received a service order for a gas hot water heater repair from a Home Buyer Warranty Company.A replacement quote was given and accepted to install a new gallon gas power vent water heaterThe home owner was onsi te and was fully aware of our proposal regarding the gas
water heater installationThe customer signed our invoice whichclea rly stated that we installed a gallon gas water heater.On 12/20/the customer called and informed us that he is on propane and that we installed a natural gas unit.The interior piping for gas and propane fuel are the sa meThe installation is the sameThe manufacturer makes tanks for gasand tanks for propaneHad we had been informed by the customer that they were on propane, we would have quoted andinsta lled a propane fueled tankWe verbally and in writing informed the customer that we were installing a gas water heater.The customer accepted the proposal.Homeowners know when t hey are on propaneThey must purchase the propane fuel as it is used upIt is unfortunatethat we were not informed by the customer that their home was on propaneBecause of the situation, an offer was given tothe customer t o replace the tank with a propane model at a price below our cost.David T***

I called Roto-Rooter on Monday, July 11, 2016, and explained to the customer service representative that I needed a plumber who could snake my toilets, which were backed up and I also informed her I have a septic tank and it may need to be pumped as well I was told someone would show up between 8AM and 12PM the following day...at 2:15pm, a Plumber from Roto-Rooter, who looked to be years old, showed up and told me they charge nearly $per hour and that they do not pump septic tanks Had I allowed him to do ANY work for me at all, it would have taken him at least twice as long as it would for an average aged man to complete Once he began mocking me about the plumber I had just recently used, asking if he was a real plumber since he did not charge me very much I stopped him and asked him to explain to my Brother on the phone, what he thinks needs to be done to my plumbing in order to rectify He spoke to my Brother in an intelligent manner...(would have been nice to receive the same respect) Bottom line, I scheduled an appointment at 6PM with Roto-Rooter, the day prior, only to have Roto-Rooter send me an elderly man with a clip board, in a clean white shirt..who quoted absolutely absurd rates My Brother told him that this company preyed on peoples weakness charging those rates and to leave immediately Furthermore, I will be filing a complaint with the Revdex.com as well as posting on Facebook and any other social media I can, in order to get the word out to others to stay away from Roto-Rooter as it is my opinion that you are a TOTAL WASTE OF TIME!

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2014/09/13) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@rrsc.com
Called *** back and she discussed her concerns and we did indeed cut her invoice total in halfShe was happy with our
response
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 13, 2014/09/17) */
Sept 17,
from Roto-Rooter
Thanks Revdex.com for your help and patience on this one
If the check clears at the credit union we are home free
I'm just not too trusting these days
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 21, 2014/09/23) */
Up to that moment of days had not received my refund
The credit union closes at pm and I needed to get ready and rush over there to deposit the refundThere was no hold on the check so the deposit cleared just fine
Final Business Response /* (4000, 23, 2014/09/24) */
I am not sure why this reopenedShe stated she got her refundPlease advise

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/09/16) */
Mr***,
Hopefully this will add some clarification to the questions and concerns you addressed aboveAnd please note that you can call me at any time regarding this matter at *** ext XXXXX(*** ***
The "water"
which came into the property was not just water as the fill up originated in the lateral sewer line, which constitutes a Category water lossSpecial guidelines have to be followed using the IICRC Sin order to properly mitigate the property
a"Category 3" is a water source with the potential for grossly contaminated materials(Sewer water)
The $paid was for ticket number XXXXXXXXThis was the original call to open the sewer lateral laneThe line was cabled through the drain and past the trap until we reached city propertyThe line was open and free flowingThis "source work" is not covered by the insurance company and was paid in full upon completion
The $paid was per request as a completely separate incidentTicket number XXXXXXXXThis was because the hot water shutoff was leaking and the fixture was replaced in the showerNot associated with the insurance claim
The bill to the insurance company was for $9,The adjuster did there inspection on site, reviewed the notes, paperwork, moisture logs, drying documentation, thermo hygrometer readings and pictures provided by Roto Rooter and summarily agreed to pay the bill in full
The $23,number you were quoted was from the insurance carrier in regards to the total amount of the claim being released to youWe are not privy to that information (until now) so it could not have been Roto Rooter that quoted you those numbersIt must have been your adjuster
The insurance carrier did call Roto Rooter and advised that they had paid the mitigation bill (Roto Rooters) in full and that we should collect from the policy holder as the funds have been released to them
At this point only $7,of the $9,has been paid to Roto Rooter
In the attempt to close this file I am willing to reimburse you the $204+$374=$when the $2,has been released to Roto RooterOr I can accept the $2,less $= $1,and I will close the file

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/02/24) */
Customer was refunded entire amount for work completed on 02/03/

Complaint ID#:
***
Company Name:
ROTO-ROOTER SERVICES COMPANY
Company Contact Name:
*** ***
Company Contact Phone:
###-###-####
Company Contact Email:
***
Consumer's Name:
*** *** *** ***
Revdex.com Staff Member (if you know):
*** ***
Complaint Information:
We reduced the customer's service rate by $(from $to $250) which we believe is more than fairWe provided a service and dont feel our customer should receive FREE service because they had to wait longer than initially statedThe customer had the option to call our dispatch center and cancel and call another company if they were unhappy with the wait
Sent on:
7/21/3:35:PM

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/13) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@rrsc.com
At this point the plumber who was there could not remember the jobHe did however state that he does not charge unless he
attempts the repairThere are usually differing opinions among plumbers on whether a repair will take and last or if it is better just to replace due to age, wear, parts compatibilityWe as an organization are always looking for the best means to best service the customer and to offer more permanant solutionsOur competitors/handymen sometimes have differing theories on solutions whereas we want what is best for the customerWe feel so strongly that we offer the proper solutions and or stand behind our repairs in order to assure customer satisfaction that in this particular instance we will refund the customer's money

I had a problem with my pipes today and I Had *** (***) come out from Roto Rooter I live in Kirkwood and he was at my house very quickly and did a great job of explaining exactly what the issue was He was very thorough in his diagnosis and made me feel as though he knew exactly what he was doing
Overall I would highly recommend *** and Roto Rooter and I will definitely be calling them again with any problems I may have in the future
Thanks!!
Mike H

I am writing this letter regarding the sanitary sewer cleaning done at *** *** *** Tonawanda NYOur company was called to this address because the sanitary sewer lateral for this home was blockedTypically we send one of our plumbers with a sewer cleaning machine to cable a residential
sanitary sewerWe were busy at that time so our high pressure water jet truck was dispatched to this location in order to service this customer more quicklyThe jet truck is typically used for commercial drain cleaning and challenging residential callsThe price for the use of this equipment is much higher to clean a sewerBut in this case we only charged our rates for cabling, so there was a large discountThe customer claims that they called our company several times stating that they were having a problem with the sewer under warrantyWe have processes in placeOur customer service representatives would have entered service tickets both timesThere is no record of these callsIf the customer’s claim is correct, why wouldn’t they call back if we didn’t respond? If I had a sewer backing up, I certainly wouldn’t wait for months for a call back to have it correctedWe also have a process for our customers to handle a problem which is printed on our invoicesThey can contact us on a local level and contact our national headquartersThere is no record of a local call, nor any contact to our national headquarters prior to 4/24/On this date, which is the same date as the Revdex.com complaint, the customer did use our process to contact our national headquartersOn the same day I personally called the customerIn conclusion, we provided a more expensive service at a discounted rate in order to give faster service at a busy timeWe gave a warrantyWe have no record of the customer’s claims that he contacted us locally multiple times and also nationallyThe sewer is out of warrantyI offered to do the work and honor last year’s price but the customer declined.Sincerely,*** ***Manager, Roto-Rooter Services Company