Complaint Rating:

Company information:
Mr. Rooter
Urbana, Illinois
United States

My sewer line was blocked. I called Mr. Rooter because I saw them in town all the time, always on the move. They came over, went to my basement and ran a fiber-optic camera into my system. Then they ran a rooter and pulled out a bunch of tree roots. They told me they'd need about an hour to clean the pipes out, and it would cost me about $75. I agreed to it, and went upstairs to do some miscellaneous cleaning. When I finished with the cleaning, I realized they were still working (it had been nearly three hours. They told me that they had completely cleared the pipes, showed be a pile of muddy tree roots, and told me I'd be good for another 5-7 years before the roots grew back. I asked if they had a way to stop the root growth, and they said that the only way to do it would be to tear down the tree (oak, about 120 years old). They gave me the bill ($325!) and told me I had 15 days to pay it.

4 months later, the pipes became blocked again. I called another service--this time one that my parents recommended--and they told me that the blockage was throughout the pipes, all the way to the street, and that I would have to pay five or six-hundred dollars to clear it, then approximately $50/month to keep it cleared. They then recommended I replace the tile (the pipe to the street) because they had found some broken pieces while looking at it. My father, my brother, a friend & I decided to re-root the pipe ourselves and then find the broken spot (it was between the sidewalk and the street). We dug it up, and found that the pipes between the house and the street didn't seal. One pipe was of a larger diameter than the other, and they were just set together. Two weeks and about $50 later the problem was solved.

I made several complaints to the Mr. Rooter company for their falsification of information, overcharging, and outright fraud, but I couldn't reach anyone in person or by phone; and I decided to swallow the loss and tell everyone I knew about the company.

Always remember: Caveat Emptor (Let the Buyer Beware! [latin])