Predatory, Incompetent, or Both — Avoid Roto-Rooter at All Costs

My experience with Roto-Rooter was so appalling, I feel morally obligated to warn others.

View my Google Review here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/QXvcqETiKZJdDJrS8

Give it a heart to warn others.

Please know that Roto-Rooter has over 790 BBB complaints in the last 3 years. Please read them before you ever consider working with them.

Back to my Roto-Rooter NIGHTMARE:

It started with a sewage backup in my 792 sq ft basement on May 28, 2025. I had no prior experience with this, so I called Roto-Rooter, thinking they were reputable. They charged me $800 just to unclog the drain, which seemed high but I assumed it was a complex job. Because there was sewage involved, they told me I needed a quote for cleanup -- citing bacteria in the concrete. Fair enough.

Then their Water Restoration Field Supervisor came to my home, reassured me the cleanup would take 2-3 days, and promised help in submitting the claim to my insurance. This man asked to see my insurance policy before I even thought of it. He insisted on talking to my insurance on my behalf because of how much he did this. I made the mistake of trusting this "kindness". He quoted $6k-$11k and honestly, I thought that because of how MINOR this clean up was, it was going to be on the low end. This was not deep. It was a film over NOT EVEN HALF of my CONCRETE UNFINISHED BASEMENT.

Shortly after, another technician came in saying he couldn't get the camera down the pipe to inspect it. He showed me how it wouldn't go through, then confidently told me it was broken pipes and quoted me $8,500 to jackhammer the basement and replace the piping with PVC. I didn't bite.

Here is what they had in my basement (It was very warm in the basement at the time):

• 18 Fans (2 XL)

• 2 Air Scrubbers

• 1 Large Dehumidifier

• 1 Power Box

Two weeks later -- yes, two -- they finally said the basement was dry. It made no sense to me that it would take that long, but I'm not a restoration expert, so I deferred to them.

Eventually, I got suspicious and called a second company. The tech immediately ran a camera through the pipe -- no issue at all. He said he'd never heard of a camera being unable to pass unless something was being done wrong. The footage showed no broken pipes, just minimal root intrusion. In short, Roto-Rooter lied or was completely inept.

And then came the gut punch: I received a $23,000 bill in the mail. For a partial basement cleanup of a minor sewage backup. I wish I were kidding. Look at the photos -- there is simply no way the work done justifies that cost. My insurance called multiple times with no response. I received no response when I contacted them.Eventually, because my scathing Google review, they responded. They claimed no one called them at all. This was the beginning of dealing with their office and repetitive lies. Buckle up.

To recap:

* They charged exorbitantly for simple services.
* Lied (or were clueless) about my pipe condition.
* Tried to upsell a $8.5K excavation based on false information.
* Took far too long to complete a basic drying job.
* Promised insurance help and then ghosted me. (Eventually after my reviews, they responded)
* And in the end, sent a $23,000 invoice that is beyond outrageous.

Do NOT trust Roto-Rooter. They are either dangerously incompetent, or predatory scammers -- possibly both.

UPDATE: After receiving the insurance audit report, I can now confirm that Roto-Rooter massively overbilled and lied repeatedly throughout this process. They initially quoted $6k-$11k for water cleanup after a small sewage backup. What happened? A final settlement from my insurance adjuster of $11,328 for a partial basement cleanup -- with drying equipment left for 14 days for no legitimate reason. BUT ROTO ROOTER WOULD NOT RESPOND TO NEGOTIATIONS. As of July 29th,2025, they have not responded.

They also falsely claimed I was hard to contact or not available. That is absolutely untrue. I was either working from home while they were in the house or received 20-minute notice and arrived on time.

They also implied I was going in and out of the basement, interfering. Another lie. I never opened the basement door while they were working -- except once, when all of their equipment had mysteriously stopped running and I checked on it. That was it.

The insurance adjuster's audit backed up all my suspicions: they overcharged and found no justification for their bill.

UPDATE 2:

On August 5th,2025, I received a lien threat from them because of their unwillingness to negotiate. It wasn't until August 13th that Roto-Rooter began showing a willingness to negotiate after I got a higher up email address. They falsely accused me of stopping my insurance from negotiating. It is not true and my insurance confirmed. As of August 18th, there has been progress in negotiations but there has been no agreement. Below is a screenshot from Roto Rooter responding falsely to the BBB. And then my insurance verifying that I was truthful.

Roto-Rooter later produced a document with my signature and claimed it authorized a $12,000 increase, raising the total bill to about $23,000. This was presented to my insurance as proof that I knowingly approved the increase.

I did not.

I was never told there was a price increase. I was never shown a dollar amount. I was never verbally informed that the cost or scope had changed. At the time I signed, I believed the document was simply allowing their employees to bring drying equipment (fans) into my unfinished basement — something I had been told was routine.

No one explained that what I was allegedly approving was $12,000 in additional charges for fans. I was never given a copy — not paper, not electronic, not anything.

When this document resurfaced weeks later, it was not an office scan. It was a photo of the document taken on what appeared to be a worker’s lap, which only added to my concern. I have no way of knowing when the dollar amount was added. I only know that I never saw it and never knowingly agreed to it.

Roto-Rooter later claimed employees explained the increase to me. That did not happen. I would never knowingly approve a $12,000 increase for a partially affected, unfinished concrete basement.

Update 8/19/25:

Roto-Rooter offered to settle at $19,000 (matching my insurance's GENEROUS position) but only if I removed all my posts, reviews, BBB complaint, Attorney General complaint, and agreed never to post about my experience in the future. I declined because my freedom of speech is not for sale. I did, however, accept $19,000 if my right to speak honestly about my experience remains intact. I have also requested a written statement from them saying that they will never pursue me in the future for speaking about my experience. After they tried to silence me with the negotiations, I think it is important to protect myself from them in the future.

As of 8/21/25 no agreement has been made.

As of 8/23/25, Roto-Rooter continues to play games with my anxiety by refusing to give a clear answer. They won’t commit to either the $19,000 offer from my insurance or their own $20,000 number, leaving me stuck in limbo.

The more Roto-Rooter drags this out, the louder I will become.
I want Roto Rooter out of my life.

8/25/25: I received an offer from Roto-Rooter to reduce the cost to $19,000 IF I sign a release agreement. They accused me of 'unlawful' statements on social. I requested to see a list of the things they believed were 'unlawful' and asked to see a copy of the release agreement for my lawyer to review.

9/3/25: Because Roto-Rooter refused to provide me directly with a release agreement for my lawyer to review, I chose to end it on my terms. (Mind you, they tried to connect me with their lawyer, but they spelled my email address wrong and tried to accuse me of lying about getting their emails. I had to call them out on their mistake, which of course, they never owned up to. I was sick of their nonsense which is why I decided to just pay extra to be done with them.) I paid $1,000 out of my own pocket (to a multibillion-dollar company, no less) in order to sign no further documents and walk away with a paid-in-full receipt for $20,000. They never provided me with a list of the 'unlawful' things they claim I have said. I have been truthful in my experience.

Here’s the breakdown:

• My insurance generously paid $17,500, even though the independent third-party audit deemed the job worth only $11,400.
• I personally paid $1,500 (deductible) + $1,000 (to close this out - or greed?) + $800 (drain unclog) + ~$400 (electric bill for their fans) = $3,700 out of pocket for a minor sewage cleanup in an unfinished basement.

I’m grateful that I didn’t have to pour even more money into legal fees. But this ordeal has changed me: I will never again trust a company coming into my home without intense documentation, questions, and oversight. And I will never stop telling people about the disgusting nature of the Roto-Rooter company.

This has been the hardest lesson of homeownership yet — but it’s over.

I have been through 22+ rebuttals with them on the BBB, about 100 emails, and I filed a complaint with the Attorney General, the Ombudsman of Dayton, and the FTC - whatever I can do to raise awareness.

Friends don’t let friends choose Roto-Rooter.

I am open and willing to talk to anyone who has had a nightmare experience with Roto-Rooter. You can comment below to get in touch.