We had an issue with our kitchen sink not draining properly due to a blockage and roto rooter was able to take care of the issue at an affordable price. The staff who came out to assist were very professional and did a good job explaining. read more

Said they could do a job and then two weeks later after scheduled said they could no longer do it. I called two days ago to confirm and the appointment was confirmed. Waste of my time. read more

Called Roto-rooter this morning to have my pedestal sump pump replaced. I kid you not, they wanted $900 including the sump pump. This is TWICE as much as what other reputable plumbing companies are charging and what I ended up paying today. I had a friend do this for me previously and it did not take them long at all. Unfortunately, they have moved away. I will never call Roto rooter again. Rip OFF read more

I will say that the two guys that showed up were great and knowledgeable. They answered all sorts of questions, gave advice on future maintenance. Just bought the house and 3 weeks in the drain is backing up. Lack of care from the previous homeowner by dumping grease down there for so long. I went with servicing and clog plus main sewer line cleansing, which only took a few hours. I was given product to help maintain the pipes so this hopefully wont occur again. They explained everything about it, so again very helpful. My only gripe with this visit was after they had left, we found our dryer knob on the floor. Not quite sure what he was doing in the laundry room that caused the knob to be ripped off, but wasnt broken. So not a huge deal, but curious. I would call them again. I did fail to mention I called around 1:50pm, they had a 2 to 4pm spot open and they showed up around 245pm. They finished around 5pm. read more

Bauer Plumbing (now calling themselves Roto-Rooter of Syracuse) was called to my residence to clear a leaky/backed up toilet and help make the residence habitable. The problem ended up being more complicated than the technician expected and wasn't resolved. He stayed almost four hours and ended up bringing in very heavy commercial equipment (he needed my help moving it up and down the stairs). The technician damaged my walls before he ever asked for my help with the heavy machinery. After the technician left, I discovered that he had left several pairs of soiled, used latex gloves lying about (in different places) in my home---gloves that had been worn while treating my leaky/backed up toilet. Additionally, the technician neglected to reinstall the bolts to my toilet, leaving it completely unsecured to the bathroom floor. I would later discover that the water main for the toilet was also not turned back on. Additionally, there was a significant amount of refuse/mess left behind on my bathroom floors and walls....as well as soiled tire tracks leading down the stairs from the commercial machinery. I reached out to Bauer Plumbing, I mean Roto-Rooter's franchise owner, Mark Armstrong, who is completely unwilling to offer even a partial refund of the $1603.80 that was paid in cash, up front. Mr. Armstrong stated that the $1603.80 paid does not guarantee that the job would be completed, just attempted. When contacted by BBB, Mr. Armstrong told blatant lies: he claims that he spoke with me prior to the technician starting the job. Mr. Armstrong also claimed that the toilet bolts were not installed prior to his technician beginning the job. Sigh. Such unimaginative lies! I wonder if they sounded better in his head.... Where is it okay to not complete an expensive plumbing job, damage property, leave behind literal waste materials AND get to keep the entire amount paid up front. Bauer Plumbing, I mean Syracuse Roto-Rooter! I take issue with the the $1603.80 that was paid in advance for a job that 1) did not get completed 2) the damages to my property and 3) the dangerous/hazardous conditions the technician left behind (those different pairs of soiled gloves, the lack of proper re-installation of the toilet, etc. I was seeking a partial refund of $400 of the $1603.80 that was paid, upfront (in good faith) but Mark Armstrong is not open to any type of genuine conversation. read more

See all

I called Roto-rooter about a clogged main line. The 2 guys that came knew absolutely nothing . They made the problem worse. Charged me 1100 dollars and fixed nothing. Literally the first words out of their mouths had to do with financing. After calling a reputable plumber the problem was fixed in less than an hour. Roto-rooter sent me a quote for 9900 dollars to fix my problem even though they had no idea what was wrong. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. They will just rip you off and fix nothing ! read more

I have used RotoRooter in the past and while expensive, got the job done. This time I had them come to open a slow drain in my driveway that causes water to go in my basement. The drain worked but very slowly. They offered a complete package which I declined and paid to have them rororoot an underground pipe. in all fairness, the guys that came worked very hard but the were unable to open the drain. Now, 48 hours later the drain does not work AT ALL which will really cause me problems. I asked that they come back and try again at no additional cost to me. They looked at the problem and said any more work would be chargable, I refuse and they abruptly left. Upon calling to complain I got the same response (but a nicer attitude). I feel the entire process was just to get me to agree to pay for the full service of roto rooter, jetting water and a camera. So, in the end I paid $442 and they made my slow drain worse! For the cosr of their total service I can dig and put in a new drain. I won't use them again, and as a Realtor will not recommend my clients use their services. The rating above is for the company NOT the guys that worked hard to solve the problem initially. I also intend to file a complaint for their tactics with BBB. In the end they made my drain situation worse for $442. That's not how its supposed to work!!!!! I could accept not solving the problem but not making it worse. read more

Complete rip-off. I was charged $2100 for a job that AALCO usually did for $875. The way the back-up problem was presented it sounded like it was a HUGE issue with my pipes. Nope - just a clean-out. Save your money and call AALCO. read more

This company sent an unqualified tech to my house to fix a toilet that was not flushing correctly. Tech told us the rim jets were not working properly, and we needed to replace the toilet. We would have replaced it immediately but the tech did not have a model available. The rim jets were working correctly and that was not the problem. Subsequently we purchased a new toilet, and went to install, when a family member (who was out of town which necessitated the call to Roto Rooter) identified a ventilation issue. The family member identified a clog between the S trap and drain. The Roto Rooter tech who allegedly pulled the toilet out of the floor should have been able to identify this issue. Our complaint centers around the tech's lack of knowledge of the issue which was resolved by a knowledgeable family member and corrected in less than 15 minutes. A bill for $365 was charged to us and the problem was not properly diagnosed, or remedied. I called the business to make arrangements to mediate this situation and to come to an agreement on the cost of the services provided. The business owner refused to speak with us and had his secretary offer us a 10% credit on future business. I informed the owner's office manager I would proceed with a better business bureau complaint. Be very wary of using this business. read more

Roto-rooter. Came to my office bathroom to clear a slow drain. The plumber could not access the drain and after disconnecting and discussing the problem with me he abandoned his attempt leaving the sink drain to pour on the floor and charged me over $637 for the failed service call. I called Crane plumbing and they came right over resolved the slow drain in 20 minutes and charged me $104. They had my credit card and charged the $637 without my authorization. After trying to have a reasonable charge billed, they are not budging. This company is not capable of what they claim and have grossly over billed me. DO NOT call Roto-Rooter Jim R read more

I wish I could give a -5 for this service I was ripped off when I had an urgent back up. I have used Rotorooter for over 20 years and was usually happy, however this was my worst experience I've ever had. They came in and did the work but it was $1630. The bill was written so that it wasn't broken down very well. They refused to communicate with my insurance company so most of it will not be covered. read more

That's all with with the dispatcher not for the fool they came!The way the dispatcher was very friendly and helpful. But it was nothing like that terrible attitude and ridiculous prices that unscrupulous a shady so call plumber wanted the money upfront never texted me area of where the plumbing back up with happening came up with a price off the top without any inspection asked for payment upfront. Thank goodness I did not have a card I gave him cash while the real professional with trying to unclog the drain pipe when it was clear that he had the wrong to based on what the so-called plumber told him,Now not only was there additional fees that the plumber who "never got his hands dirty "(Slick")wanted but he had the nerve to get a attitude when I told him I wasn't going to use this service since he Didn't know what was going on. ! Since I was in front of the door,He couldn't get out unless he gave my money back !After he left I could hear him cursing me out on the other side of the door!I don't think he would've had the courage to do that to a Man! The business of all Syracuse Southside STAY AWAY! Don't come in our community trying to rip us off! we are smarter than that! read more

It's one star because you can't do no stars. No shoe covers or drop cloths, as stated as policy by the national office. The rather repulsive picture us of the towel the idiot used to clean up. Part of a relatively new set of towels. He grabbed all the towels off the bars and used them for cleanup. I called the local office - where it was explained that they don't use the drop cloths. BTW - no apology for ruining my towels. So I called national. Very courteous man there was appalled and directed me to a Cindy Jones. Now she's a cagey one. Always leaves a message that she's out of the way office - only she isn't. She's hiding in her office. An operator was more than a little annoyed with her after hearing of my difficulty reaching old Cindy - so she ratted her out. I will bad mouth this company for the rest of my life!!! read more

Was pricey but I called around to other local plumbers on a Saturday and they were the only ones who ever called me back. A guy name Nate came by and he was polite and did a great job. Got the drain unplugged and gave us some enzymatic cleaner stuff to dump down the drains. read more

Do not use this company they are very uncaring!! They may be family owed but if you aren't family you don't matter. I left a great job to work for them. I thought they would be amazing until I ended up in the hospital with a concussion due to clipping on the ice and they fired me over the phone to my husband becaue I was in my probation period. Didn't ask if I was ok nothing just relased me after working my bit off to learn everything they wanted ( with NEVER) being given a lunch break. Which I am reporting. The techs are great the owners not so much read more

They are con artists. Sewer backed up 10 minutes after the technician left and the double charged me to come back and fix. Try another company. read more

Had a sump pump fail, flooding my basement, called around and all other plumber were booked up. Contacted Roto-Rooter who came on a Monday (not an emergency call) and they arrived at 12:15 and left at 1:00 (45 minutes) and they charged me $450.00 for labor or $10.00 per minute. I was also charged $50.00 for a three foot piece of PVC. I have contacted corporate and they have directed me to their rep who deals with Franchises, hopefully there will be some resolution. DO NOT USE THESE PEOPLE. read more

Roto Rooters, Service Techs do a lot of talking, while the clock is ticking, they charge by the hour . For a simple clog in the toilet drain pipe, that runs horizontal, to the main stack . They charged me $354.80. first day,, after evaluating twice, with 3 Techs, not doing any type of repair . They had to come back next day,, thinking to use a power jet, $287. an hour,, I told them to cut plastic pipe, pull out clog, and reconnect with rubber connectors and clamps,, they wanted to charge more than $300. ,,,,, I called their office, and complained,,, about the money being spent,,, and I was charged $186.84, tax included .. Total for evaluation, cut plastic pipe, pull out clog, and reconnect with rubber, and clamps, $541.64 . Consider that when looking for a Plumber, or Drain Tech, don't call Roto Rooter ...... read more

Overpriced and the guy came out and did not fix the issue!!!! He spent over an hour plunging and trying to fix the clog and it just did not happen. Eventually he left because he had to go and said that we can probably fix it ourselves. Overall I wasted money on someone coming out to do nothing and left with an unresolved issue! DO NOT USE THEM. read more

DO NOT USE!!! THEY WILL TRY TO FLEECE YOU TO THE BONE! 3hrs to clean the drain, with time charged to get more water for the jet!?

This has to be the worst plumbing company in New York State. Be careful of them because once they are at the location, they will always find a way to increase the rate. High school kids could do a better job on your pipes. read more

Service was scheduled quickly, Chris was polite and knowledgeable. I used them because my normal plumber was unavailable. While the work was fine, the cost was probably more that double what my plumber would have charged. read more

I will Not use this business for service again. I called one day they said they would be there in two hrs called at 3 pm said they would be there. Within the hour, called again given another excuse then called again and stated have to do the next day at 9:30 am. Called next day at 10:30 they said oh we have you schedule out for Thursday. She got someone to come over within the hour however he said he couldn't do anything and would have to go get help but will return by 3 pm. Called at 4 and was told oh he should not have told you that, it won't happen until tomorrow. One hand does not know what the other is doing. I cancelled them immediately read more

Had a clogged toilet and called for next day service. Used a $25 off coupon from Internet. Had great Service and perfect customer service. Will definitely use again. read more

I had a plugged drain I just could not get clear. Sean and Alex came from Roto Rooter. They were very professional. They informed ne of all my options. They cleared the drain and informed me of the various things I could do to limit any future issues. They even left me a complementary gallon of drain pipe cleaner to use every couple months. I highly recommend them! read more

Steven with Roto-Rooter did a tremendous job! Thank you for the excellent, swift, courteous service! He explained everything that he was going to do after advising of different recommendations to unclog drains and flush the sewer lines. He also showed me each step of progress along with a camera view after the sewer lines were cleaned out. Excellent job, thank you!! read more

I would give a ZERO star review if it was possible! DO NOT USE! I was given a verbal estimate of $425 including parts to complete a job (per the tech, our company doesn't give written estimates- red flag #1). They left to get parts, returned 2.5 hours later after I called the office to see where they were. After 1.5 hours to complete the job, the bill I was given & was asked to pay before the tech left was $628. I also gave the tech a $30 coupon, he told me he already took some off for how long it took him to return to do the job, never took the $30 off & still took my coupon. Later I was told the coupon is only for drain work. Ok, so why did you take it & not give it back to me & explain that at the time I paid?? I called to speak with a manager that afternoon (a Friday), never received a call back until the following Wednesday after calling every day that week. I still NEVER got to talk to a manager. I was on speaker phone with the two techs that were at my house, who argued with me about what they told me for a price I that they told me it was $425 before parts, which was untrue! HORRIBLE COMPANY! Save yourself the hassle & go with a locally owned company or Mr. Rooter. read more

Do NOT use this company. Roto-Rooter Syracuse came out to my house in July to fix a clogged pipe. They then proceeded to pump 30 gallons of sewage into my basement and just left as fast as possible after. They said I had a broken pipe when in reality it was a second clog they hadn't cleared. Had their guy taken an extra 5 minutes to look at the pipe before jetting it out he would've seen it was another clog. I asked for my money back and no one will return my phone calls. I e-mailed corporate and heard nothing back. I contacted the better business bureau and they didn't even respond to them. Very unprofessional on all sides of this company. They did $3000 plus damage to my house and can't even return a phone call or e-mail. Unbelievable. read more

We had what appeared to be a waste line blockage in our cottage on Skaneateles Lake on June 29th, a Saturday. Zack came fairly quickly and was a pleasant young man. He worked for about an hour, without result, and told us that he had snaked out both toilets in the cottage, running all 70' of his snake through the line, without hitting any obstructions. He suggested that the line might have a sag in it or some other problem with the installation, or that our septic tank might need pumping. The plumber who installed the toilets and waste lines came out the following business day and promptly found and removed the blockage -- less than 20' from the toilet -- in 15 minutes. The septic tank was not nearly full. We're not sure what the problem was with Roto-Rooter, but feel the $707.00 we paid for their service (!!!!) was a complete rip-off. Two stars for Zack because he was very personable and prompt, but zero otherwise. read more

Picture yourself on a Sunday night in the dead of winter and suddenly you realize your laundry sink is full to the top and overflowing onto the floor. A plunger doesn't do anything for you and you really are at a loss about what to do. You realize that your home's plumbing is no longer of any use, with the main line for every fixture leading to a dead end. Calls to 2 local plumbers get no answer and then you contact Roto Rooter. Within 5 minutes you get a call back from a technician who tells you that he can be there shortly. 25 minutes after he pulls into your driveway on a 5 degree Sunday night, your problem is resolved. Thanks to Roto Rooter for fast courteous service! read more

Do NOT use this company!! They do not perform the services quoted. They will lie to you in the quoting process and then come up with issues to charge you extra money. They came out to fix a sewer backup at my house. The tech showed up after 4pm. He quoted me a complete roto-rooter service that included unclogging my sewer lines from inside and outside He said it was a FLAT RATE, not hourly. He even explained that although their offices closed at 4:30, I would not be charged overtime and he would be there until the job was complete. At 6pm he claimed that the allotted time was up and if I wanted work to continue, I would have to begin paying overtime at an hourly rate. This was not disclosed to me when the work was quoted. They did not complete the job. When I called the next day to ask to have someone come back out, I was given the runaround for a day and a half until I was informed that they would charge me an additional $140 to come back out. They did not provide the complete service I paid for as they did not try to unclog the lines from within my house, only from the street. They told me they could not complete the service but did not provide a complete assessment or provide a recommendation of next steps. Use this company at your own risk. read more

Beware. will never use again. had a pipe leaking a lot of water in basement. I showed tech the basement water in the closet. He convinced me a drain was plugged so stupid me fell for it to the tune of $500. After that was done he said oh I have a leak in a pipe,he is not a plumber,he only sells roto service....wha??? phone book and google says 24/7 emergency plumbing any need...tells me tech dominic can return next day. I had argument with office who was rude and condescending ,why didn't I question him? ( Duh I am not a plumbing expert. ) owner was supposed to call,after numerous requests and 3 days finally Mark calls who was ever ruder, I was the liar,his tech never said those things. Ok so they sent the same tech back (who told me he isn't a plumber) to fix pipe 3 days later. Which by the way only held 2 months and I had leak again, but Do Right plumbing replaced the pipe which should have been done previously. read more