We had a backed up basement toilet. Called them to unblock it. While they were evaluating the problem, and before we signed anything, basement ended up flooded with raw sewage causing $20k+ in damages. They do not fix or remediate it. Just left us to deal with our landlords insurance. 3+ weeks later we still can't go downstairs due to bio hazard -5 stars if possible. Can't wait to hear how their social media staff try to rebut this one. read more

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Tim Dixon was my plumber from Roto-Rooter and he was great! He diagnosed and fixed the issues while explaining everything perfectly to me. I recommend this business if all their employees are like Tim! Experienced, friendly and they get the job done. Thank you! read more

Service was good and plumber was able to resolve the problem fast. A bit pricy for a simple fix, but took advantage of discount promo.

Great work! Got my dogs ball out of my toilet and kept the price to what they quoted me!

I called Roto Rooter at my usual plumber's suggestion when they couldn't handle an emergency call on a Sunday afternoon. Matt was training someone else and they both came to check out what was going on with the outside sewer main. He snaked it and pulled out a tree root before realizing the snake wouldn't go any further due to an obstruction. His colleague Gabriel then used the camera and realized the line was broken and also blocked by a massive tree root and had to be replaced. Gabriel correctly diagnosed the issue and suggested the correct replacement (giving me three options with prices for each) but I ended up getting a second opinion and went with another company since their estimate was $6,000 less for the replacement. It wasn't cheap but they told me the cost up front and it was reasonable for a weekend emergency call that took several hours to diagnose. Matt was honest and friendly and did his best to resolve the situation. Unfortunately it turned out we needed a line replacement but I'd definitely call him again for a plumbing emergency. read more

Beware!!! We had someone come out to look at our clogged kitchen sink. Without investigating anything or asking any questions beyond "what's going on", he told us the process to snake the drain (with warranty) would be appx. $940. We said we weren't comfortable with that. He called his manager then came back saying he could half the price, but that we wouldn't get the warranty. So an initial attempt to charge without fully investigating the problem, but also quoting a highly inflated figure up front rather than simply charging a fair price. With a little bit more work on our own using the plunger and DIY solutions, we were able to resolve the clog! Imagine if we'd paid the first quoted price! The only positive things I can say is that they arrived quickly and the service person was polite. read more

We had a simple clogged toilet drain at our rental house that needed to be snaked out. Since we had used Roto-rooter about three years ago and were happy with their work at that time, we did not check Yelp for recent reviews (really bad mistake on our part) and we called them yesterday for an appointment for between 9:00 and 11:00 this morning. When the technician arrived, he told us that the job was just as we had expected: pop off the toilet, snake the drain, replace the toilet. What we had not expected was the price for this two-hour job: a whopping $989, more than double what we had expected. Since the house has only one toilet and we could not leave our tenants without a toilet while we got other bids, we had Roto-rooter do the job. The technician did a very professional job. He explained what he was doing and thoroughly cleaned up the area when he finished. His actions raised our rating of Roto-rooter from one star to two stars. After the job was finished, we checked online to see what the normal cost for clearing a clogged drain should be. To quote homeguide for Arlington, VA, in 2024: "The average cost to unclog a drain is $100 to $275 for a simple sink, tub, or toilet clog. Snaking a main drain line or complex blockage involving multiple fixtures costs $175 to $600." And Forbes says: "The average drain cleaning cost for a toilet is around $225, with simpler clogs starting as little as $150 and complex ones reaching as high as $300." It's an old saying but it still applies: "Buyer Beware." read more

We had a badly clogged drain that needed attention (our washing machine drain sink). Not only did I get a next day appointment, our technician Jacob arrived right on time, and quickly got to work. He figured out the problem, and explained the treatment, and the cost possibilities. Jake was professional, and kind and did a great job with the work - unclogging the drain and also replacing some worn out parts. He explained everything to me, and showed me the work. These household problems are never fun to deal with, but this was a great experience, and I thank Jake for helping us out. read more

Basement flooded with sewage waste. Not only did they charge an exorbitant amount of money to clear a pipe. They took a video of the issue with my pipe. Refused to give it to me and told me it would cost me $900 To get it. I paid $1300 to unclog the pipe. They were only willing to provide what I paid for if I used them for the repair. They were extremely rude. What kind of customer service charges you so much and refuses to provide you with what you pay for. Do not use them. read more

We had a clogged drain and our normal plumber recommended them because he didn't have a camera. Roto Rooter came out and charged me over $2K to hydrojet orangeburg pipes (which other plumbing companies told me after that they shouldn't have done that). They also supposedly tried to camera my line but wouldn't show me the images like other plumbers later did. They also tried to give me a quote to replace my outside sewer line without actually getting the camera into it to see the condition of the outside line. They also cut off a piece of my cast iron cap and replaced with a PVC/plastic cap that was leaking water and when I called them the next day to come back out and fix, they said they'd send someone but never did so I had to have another plumber fix this. When compared to the quotes and inspection by other plumbers, I find it hilarious that they gave me a quote to cut out my orangeburg pipes in my yard without even attempting to camera that far out to see if in fact, it was still orangeburg pipes in my yard! Will never use them again! read more

I needed a new water heater and they came out very quickly to quote the job and got the job done within a few hours. Very reliable service and knowledgeable technician. I would highly recommend them! read more

Our main line got clogged. Roto Rooter overcharged us to repair it ($900 to pull a toilet and unclog it), then they tried to sell us an even bigger repair that would have cost us thousands. Although their plumbers arrived promptly and were polite, we felt we'd been ripped off and will not use their services again. read more

3.5 stars for overall service provided by the technician 1 star for untruthful supervisor Our laundry sink got clogged with a few paper towels so we called roto-rooter based on a family member recommendation. $654 for what amounted to a straightforward snaking of a drain. The tech kept telling me how bad she felt about the excessive price, but that the company required that amount to be charged as a minimum. After talking to several reputable competitors and performing market research online I felt safely confident that I was overcharged significantly based the average for the area. After my research, I spoke with Purcell in the local office and addressed my concerns. He stated the following: - Attempting to compare Roto-Rooter's prices to any competitor is 100% futile and impossible - Roto-Rooter's quality of service cannot be even closely matched by any competitor in the country. I confirmed this point verbally with him and he reiterated with certainty that absolutely no other company could have matched the level of service I received from them, which attributed to this impossibility for comparison. - Roto-Rooter offers a warranty for their work which other companies do not. I let him know that others I had spoken to and were using for comparison did offer a comparable warranty. There were some I spoke to that did not offer a warranty, but these were not factored into my final comparison. I made the mistake of telling him that most of the companies I spoke with offered a comparable warranty. His reply was, "Most" which he used to totally negate any of my findings. Overall I found Purcell's justification not of sound judgement. I would have rather him just be honest and tell me that they charge that much because customers are in a pinch and they can get away with it. read more

Oh my God A simple plugged kitchen sink $675 They charge $300 an hour for labor I had to send Plummer away I just don't have that kid of money. Just another way to rip people off read more

DO NOT EVER USE THIS COMPANY EVER!!!!!! They came out to check the sun pump and the guy stayed for a whole five minutes said everything was working fine. Come to find that it doesn't actually work and the whole family was outside in the rain shoveling water out of our basement. So now our basement has flooded and we went to another company to replace the sun pump. And not only did they do a shit job but they were also assholes, like it's not enough to suck so they have to be rude as well. Now our newly carpeted basement has to be redone yet again and we're out $6000 for a new sun pump system. Shout out to this company for screwing us over, we love that! read more

I called because my sewer line was broken AND clogged by tree roots. The first service technician arrived quickly (at 10 PM) but was not equipped to solve the problem. He estimated the fix would cost between $500 - $1500. The next day the a technician quoted me $2000 to fix the pipe - an offer only valid while they were on site. Had I know the bill was this large I would have solicited other estimates during daylight hours. No paperwork was provided in support of that quote. This became critical later, after he had jet cleaned the pipe and a second technician had inspected it with a camera. They left the broken pipe laid open in my yard. The problem was not fixed. When I objected to the main office, they argued that the quote was just for the jet and camera and I had not requested that the pipe be repaired. Even that unsatisfactory response was difficult to come by. I had to call the office two days in a row and spend many minutes on hold. Roto Rooter Burke baited me in with a late night low ball estimate and switched me into overpriced pipe jetting and inspection while carefully avoiding any responsibility to solve the problem. To make it sting more, my neighbor said afterwards "I wish you had told me. We had them last year - they were horrible." Steer clear. read more

Roto-Rooter saved the day when we recently had an after hours plumbing emergency. They arrived swiftly and accomplished the job efficiently. Within an hour the job was done, and we back to business. They were kind and courteous and offered to follow up if anything further arose. If ever a need arises- there is only one place we will call! Thank you, Roto-Rooter of Northern Virginia! read more

The technician Young Kim who came to take care of our clogged toilet was simply outstanding. He explained the problem clearly and gave us a quote to fix the problem beforehand. I would highly recommend this technician for any plumbing needs. read more

I had a minor toilet problem that needed attention as soon as possible. I could not get ahold of my regular plumber so this was the first time I used Roto-Rooter. I called late at night and scheduled the appointment for the next day. I NEVER heard from my regular plumber, but yet, Roto-Rooter showed up and did the job in a few minutes and I was charged a very, very reasonable price for the work. The technician presented himself as very helpful, courteous, and ready to answer any questions or concerns. I will definitely call them again. read more

The service technician was scheduled to arrive between 8-10am to perform jetting on a toy lodged in sewer drain below the house. The technician arrived shortly after 11am. I was informed before the service call that jetting would cost $450 per hour. Upon his arrival, I provided the technician with all of the information available from a previous service call by a technician with a snake. The service technician informed me that roto rooter does not provide water in the jetter system, and he would need to fill the 300 gallon tank from my garden hose. He connected the garden house to the jetter trailer, and then proceeded to sit inside of the service truck. After 1/2 hour sitting in the service truck, I asked the service technician if he could prep the bathroom for the jetting. He said it was against company policy to fill the jetter and prep the bathroom by removing the toilet at the same time. After 45 minutes (or $337) of using my water and sitting in the truck, the technician was finally able to actually begin working on the clog. I tried to provide enough space for the technician to perform the job without me constantly looking over his shoulder. He performed the jetting from a second story bathroom for roughly 45 minutes. I went up to check on the progress. The toy clog had not moved from the previous days service visit. The clog remained at 30 feet. I requested the technician show me the jetting procedure while I watched over his shoulder on the screen. While I was present, the clog seemed to move pretty quickly. In the remaining 1/2 hour while I was present, the toy clog moved from 30ft to 70ft. So in the first 1.5 hours (or $675), no movement was accomplished while I assumed the technician was working without constant supervision. In the 30 minutes (or $225) with supervision, the toy clog moved 40ft. After two hours, I was not willing to spend more time and money on the technician and jetting system. The clog remains at 70ft after 2 hours and $900. I will contact another agency to complete the job. I was stunned by what I perceived to be a lazy technician who appears to not be making any progress unless the customer was standing over his shoulder watching the screen. But the technician did make time during the call to indicate that there are major issues with the sewer piping below the foundation and that a potential $20,000 fix was in our future. The house had not previously experienced any drainage issues prior to the toy be lodging in the sewer pipe. If your technicians spent nearly as much time working on existing issues instead of drumming up future business, my clog may have been removed and you may have received future business from my family. After two service visits (1. Snake for $500 and 2. Jetter for $900), you can rest assured I will not be using roto rooter or recommending roto rooter for future plumbing issues. read more