Mr. Rooter Plumbing of The Oakland-Berkeley Area
Plumber · San Leandro, CA · Open 24 hours per Google listing
Our verdict
4.9★ Google headline masks a split reality: of 100 analyzed reviews 35 are 1-star, dominated by upsell, surprise-fee and bait-and-switch complaints around the $77 coupon.
Scores are our editorial reading of published customer reviews — not a verification, license check, or guarantee.
Ranked #13 of 15 plumbers we've reviewed in Newark, CA · compare all →
Our opinion, based on the 100 reviews we analyzed from Google, Yelp and BBB · Analysis updated Jun 2026 · How we decide ↗
Advertises 24-hour service on its Google profile — no reviews we analyzed mention after-hours response either way.
What reviewers praise
Quick weekend/emergency arrival when it goes well, and a manager who re-sent a second team after a botched job
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed.
What reviewers report — the concerns
Other directories bury these. We think you should read them before you call. Every concern below comes from the reviews it cites.
Red flag
Bait-and-switch on the advertised $77 drain coupon — multiple reviewers quoted $279, $827 or a $45 dispatch fee instead
“Rooter Hero (should be rooter zero) gave me a coupon on my newspaper for a $77 drain clean, then came out ant told me that the quote was actually going to be $279.”
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed.
Red flag
Emergency upsell — pressured a Saturday-night customer to replace ALL pipes; two second opinions disagreed entirely
“we also had a Saturday night plumbing emergency and called this plumber for help as they were one of the few open on the weekends. While they arrived quickly, they told us that we needed to replace ALL of our pipes ASAP... 2 second opinions and neither of those plumbers recommend anything even close to that price.”
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed.
Red flag
Charged a diagnostic fee then never returned with the promised written estimate or callbacks
“he was supposed to come back and bring me the estimate but he never called back I have since called them 2 times and haven't gotten a response I'm so disappointed this is not how business run”
Heavy upsell and surprise-fee pattern — $77 coupon repeatedly reframed into $279-$827 quotes (themeCounts.surprise_fees=8, expensive=9)
“Rooter Hero (should be rooter zero) gave me a coupon on my newspaper for a $77 drain clean, then came out ant told me that the quote was actually going to be $279.”
1 more cited review
“we also had a Saturday night plumbing emergency and called this plumber for help as they were one of the few open on the weekends. While they arrived quickly, they told us that we needed to replace ALL of our pipes ASAP... 2 second opinions and neither of those plumbers recommend anything even close to that price.”
Cited in 3 of the 100 reviews we analyzed — 1 cited review not excerpted here.
Keep it in proportion: these concerns are cited in 5 of the 100 reviews we analyzed. Most reviewers report positive experiences — see the full rating picture below.
The evidence — in reviewers' own words
Critical
“I called this company on 12/23/24; they changed my appointment two times. Finally, when the plumber, Josias Estrada, came without looking for a clean-out, He stated all the main lines were clogged and that he needed to remove both the toilets and snake from there, and that estimate was $827.When I asked your website was showing $88, he said that if I unclogg from main cleanout. This house does not have a cleanout …”
“We called them to get a drained cleared for $77 because it's a great price, or is it? For frame of reference I am a journeyman plumber so I know what I'm talking about. Had a clog I couldn't get out so I called them in. To be fair they were here for about two hours and put on a good show, looked like they were really trying, but were they? The head they were using wasn't the correct head for the job, it was a …”
“I don't like to be harsh but I do like to be detailed & honest and I think this company will try to SCAM you. Before you hire them, give them your hard earned money, and trust them to work on your home, please continue to read this and previous reviews. Also, check them out on the Better Business Bureau site. There you will see they are not accredited by the BBB and received a D- score from them. They cite failure …”
Positive
“Got the job done without too aggressive an upsale effort.”
“Alfredo Macias took care of everything promptly yesterday . He was courteous and efficient. At another time, Alex Beceras installed a hot water heater for us. He was also courteous and efficient ( 5 stars). We feel confident when we call your company as we have received excellent service on many occasions.”
Quotes are reproduced verbatim from public reviews on the platforms shown; we select which to feature, and selection reflects our editorial judgment. Report a quote that doesn't match its source ↗
The rating picture
Our sample skews heavily toward critical reviews — it disagrees with the Google average shown above.
Newest review in our sample: Dec 2024.
Across platforms
Google headline 4.9★/1299 reviews, but of 100 analyzed reviews 35 are 1-star (40% negative sentiment) — Yelp skews far more negative on pricing.
Should you hire Mr. Rooter Plumbing of The Oakland-Berkeley Area?
Hire if
- You need fast same-day or after-hours response
- You need high-quality work that holds up over time
Think twice if
- You need predictable, consistent service across every visit
- You want detailed upfront explanations
- You need rock-bottom prices with zero flexibility on the quote
- You need airtight scheduling and guaranteed arrival times
Look elsewhere if
- You're highly price-sensitive
- You need this for a complex or high-stakes install
Advice derived from the review analysis above — how we decide.
Own Mr. Rooter Plumbing of The Oakland-Berkeley Area?
You can respond to our analysis, correct business facts, or dispute the accuracy of a quoted review. Responses that check out get published on this page, and factual errors get corrected — see our corrections policy. We don't remove accurate quotes, but we'll re-run your assessment as your reviews change.