Rooter-Man Plumbing and Septic

Rooter-Man Plumbing was a life saver. Our water heater rusted out on Friday night. I called Saturday, and they gave me a quote for a Monday install, and they were here promptly at 8am on Monday. It took about 3 hours. Price was reasonable. The employees were professional and left my garage cleaner than it was when they showed up. Great experience.

What a great crew! This company is the Gold standard of business! Communication from the estimate to completion was stellar. Then the installers were on time, polite and knowledgeable, paying attention to details. Had an on demand water heater installed and it is amazing. No more cold showers!

Yeah Thomas was great. He did everything he needed to do and he was so kind. He has a great personality and the company Rooter-Man came out when I couldn’t get anyone else to come out! I’ll be using this company from now on.

Disrespectful and Dismissive Customer Service I reached out to this company with a few basic questions about a quote for potential work. Instead of receiving the courtesy and professionalism you'd expect from any reputable contractor, I was met with an abrupt and dismissive response -- told that "several emails had already been sent" rather than simply answering my questions. I found the tone unnecessarily condescending and completely unhelpful. If a company can't be respectful or take the time to explain their own quote to a prospective customer, that raises serious concerns about how they'd handle an actual job. There are plenty of businesses in the Tampa Bay area that value professionalism and communication -- I strongly suggest choosing one of them instead.

Worst communication and incompetent personel. The office didn't relay my needs to the estimator & he didn't listen when I told him what the other plumbers already discovered, even after he had to call his office for advice. I had to ask the estimator what he heard me say and he didn't know. Then I asked him to leave.

I'd like to share our recent experience regarding a local plumbing business. After receiving a $168 water bill, we called Rooter-Man of Tampa Bay (their trucks are in our 55+ mobile home park often) to check for leaks and were told we needed a total re-pipe. I explained to the Rooter-Man of Tampa Bay employee that I was leery of a re-pipe and asked how they would do that since we had a vapor barrier that had been inspected a year ago and was told it was one of the best barriers they had seen - nice, tight and all intact. This Rooter-Man of Tampa Bay employee assured me that they only poke holes up through the barrier and patch and close up where they insert the piping. Within a few days, this employee and two others were under our home beginning at 9am and finished at 9pm. The next morning we discovered several issues so I called Rooter-Man of Tampa Bay that morning and asked to have a supervisor come to our home. The issues we had found were: 1) the water heater (which was new) had connections leaking onto to the floor that houses the water heater; 2) the expansion tank from the new water heater had been removed; 3) there was a leak under kitchen sink; 4) there was a leak under bathroom sink; 5) the hot/cold connections had been reversed in both showers; 6) one outdoor spigot had not been re-piped and 7) the employee cut out foam sealant around the shower pipes in the wall which I specifically had asked him if he had re-filled those areas back up with foam to which he replied he did but when I took the door off to check he had not. The employee who was sent to correct these issues also found that: 1) one exterior spigot didn't have the correct valve; 2) the water heater had been connected wrong to the piping and 3) the tubing had all been left on the ground and should have been up off the ground. This employee (and another) spent 2+ days fixing the shoddy work that was done by the first employee and crew. Thinking this fiasco was finally behind us we discovered that we had no airflow from one of the A/C ducts into the Florida room. I called and explained to the guy who had come and fixed everything that the duct was directly beneath the washer/dryer/bathroom and that something must have gotten disconnected during the re-pipe. He told me to contact an A/C person which I did. The A/C guy reported that there was a path made to where the plumbing work had been done and the ductwork was completely crushed by the plumber crawling over and laying on it to do the work. Pictures he took showed the crushed duct with the surrounding insulation hanging out all over as well as the duct covering torn open. The A/C guy also stated that the vapor barrier had been torn/cut and left hanging down in the areas re-piped. Again, before the plumbing work began I shared my concerns with the plumber regarding the vapor barrier who assured me they only poke holes in the barrier for the pipe and that they make sure it's all tacked back up where the plumbing work will be done. After learning of these issues from the A/C guy I thought it will be better to talk to someone in person about the crushed ductwork and vapor barrier so I went to the Rooter-Man of Tampa Bay office, rang their Ring doorbell and was met by a person who cracked the door open about six inches while holding back a dog. I told her I was a customer and would like to talk with someone regarding some issues. She had me wait outside to go see if someone was available. A few minutes later I was allowed inside the door. The Rooter-Man of Tampa Bay owner asked what I needed. I was polite and calm the entire time as I explained about the air duct being crushed and the vapor barrier torn open. Her reply to me was, "The fact that you came here without an appointment tells me I don't even want to (or don't even have to) talk to you." I think my jaw dropped to the floor with that comment. She stated that the employee who did the work is no longer with them and repeated more than once, "You signed a contract that absolves us of ANY damage." This Rooter-Man of Tampa Bay owner could not care less about the aftermath and expenses this customer is now faced with to repair the ruined ductwork and vapor barrier done by their employees. I was very nice to this woman, calm and polite the entire conversation. I left dumbfounded as to how any business owner could be so rude and uncaring to a customer who had paid them thousands of dollars. There are numerous reviews on Google, Yelp and the Better Business Bureau stating how rude she is to people. We've paid a service call to the A/C guy ($$), just paid to have the vapor barrier repaired ($$$$) and are now scheduled to have the ductwork replaced ($$$$) which I was told will be an all-day job with two people because it is crushed all across the home from one side to the other. I can get past the rudeness, but to think this is how a business operates and treats their customer is so wrong.

I hired the company to scope/camera the pipes prior to purchase of the home. The toilets were not pulled in the initial scope/camera. The first scope/camera in the pipes showed a problem near the street and it was a city issue, but everything else was clear. We contacted the city and purchased the home . We again called on company to install a hot water tank, faucet and water line to refrigerator. We started having severe plumbing issues with the toilets and bathtub. I again called company they this time pulled the toilets and scoped/camera the pipes where they found a clog near the one toilet and was told that they cleared that and we should be good. Then again started having issues so again had company out they removed a pipe and replaced it in the back yard . I asked for a guarantee as we are into this issue for thousands and thousands of dollars . Was told that it's trial and error but this time it should be ok . Over the past year the toilets have periodically given my tenants issues . Two days ago everything started backing up like in the past . I called rooter man and made appointment for the next day and was given a time slot between 12 and 2 at this time I made the company aware the tenant is a night shift ICU nurse and please attempt to be on time as she works often. I was called at around 2pm by Briana and told they need to send a supervisor to the job site and he was caught on a job that was more important than mine and they can send someone at 8am today. I said ok . I later received a call from Kaitlyn the rudest person I have ever done business with in my life . I had put her on speaker and had a witness to the call as she was becoming hostile and I was told that the company no longer wanted to do business with the Ahmed's . We have used them in our residence and another rental property and unfortunately I like the plumber Gene and feel like he is the only one in the company that knows what he is doing . Kaitlyn attempted to spin my words and take our conversation out of context. I asked her if it was a recorded line as I would like to have it to send to her supervisor as this is not the first time she has spoken rude and disrespectful. I feel like at this point I was racially profiled and again she did not want to do business with the Ahmed's anymore . I had my witness speak to Kaitlyn as I plan on taking legal action against the company and when the witness asked Kaitlyn to repeat her phone number Kaitlyn hung up on the witness. I am out thousands of dollars and my tenants are having to deal with sewer water and no working toilets . I will be contacting the better business bureau and seek legal action . As well as putting this in writing to the owner of the company with my intentions . I have seen many reviews that state bait and switch and the rudest customer service ever . I would never speak to another human the way I have been spoke to by Kaitlyn the first time she spoke to me like that I chalked it up to her having a bad day but no she is a very rude, disrespectful, unprofessional person .

I called Rooter Man last week after seeing their ad on Craigslist, and a plumber came out rather quickly. After checking out my hot water heater, which had quit working and was the reason I called, he gives me a price for replacing the thermostat and element of $650.00, which I thought was extremely high. (I later learn that the price he gave for the repair was actually for a brand new water heater, not a repair. I could have lost a few hundred had I had him do the repair). But I had no idea a repair was going to be that high, and when I told the plumber that I didn't have that kind of money at the moment, he began to belittle and degrade me for not being able to pay that much right then and there. He became even more rude when he said he had to get something for coming out and I reminded him that the Craigslist ad for his company said- FREE ESTIMATE. He continued to be extremely rude right on up till he drove away, even telling me as he left that when they came back out, it would cost me double. I then email the company thru the ad on Craigslist and the next day I get a call from a lady named Katelyn, who identifies herself as the owner of the company. She proceeds to make excuses for the remarks and behavior of her employee, telling me,- "he's new". That's an acceptable excuse for her employee talking ugly to me and being very rude? I'm a nice guy who tries not to hold a grudge so I was willing to give her and this company a second chance. I told Katelyn I would discuss the matter with my wife and let her know when we wanted them to come out and replace the water heater. I emailed her first thing on Thursday, May 12, 2016 and told her I was ready to get a new water heater. After a couple of hrs wait, she replied and told me to call the office and ask for her. I did so immediately. But when I call, I'm told she just left for a meeting. Huh? She just told me to call her. Anyway, I left my name and number and was told she would call me the next day. The next day, Friday May 12, 2016 came and I waited and waited. Katelyn never called. I emailed her that night, and she answered back in a very rude manner, just like her employee was when he came to my house. So, take it form me, if you want a plumber to come out and treat you like sh*t, this is the place for you. If you want a plumber to come out and treat you with respect, then NEVER EVER call Rooter-Man

I would just like to start out that it takes a lot for me to come on Yelp and leave a review for a service that was so terrible I felt the need to share so others don't experience the same issues. I could write a story book on all the issues we have had with this company but I'll just share the most recent one and this doesn't include the way both the office girl and manager spoke to my mother. First I would like to say their actual plumbers are very polite and respectful ITS THEIR ANSWERING STAFF that needs a revamp. They are rude and very condescending. I understand having to deal with upset costumers all day as no one wants to deal with plumbing issues but honestly maybe try another job that doesn't require socializing and having empathy for others. I called to get an estimated time as I'm a neonatal icu nurse who works night shift. I worked the night before and gave Brianna a call just to get an eta as I was originally told between 12-2 (we called them when the water started backing up the night before). When I called I told her I was not trying to rush them as I know they are busy and was just wondering if they had a good eta on their plumbers since it was after 1pm. She then proceeded to not only be snarky back about the question but to tell me "no we have you on the 12-4 so between now and then" Obviously upset about waiting longer as I can not use my toilets in my house and I have raw sewage coming up in my spare bath I proceeded to wait. I was then told that their plumbers were stuck at a retirement community and had to cancel until tomorrow morning..... I GET IT SHIZZ HAPPENS QUITE LITERALLY. But when you have a staff that lacks empathy and cannot put their selves in their costumers shoes and understand where frustration and miscommunication is coming from.....thats an issue. I would guarantee they have lost multiple multiple costumers just from the sole fact their office staff is rude and never knows what's going on in the field. To the owner if you read back even 3 years ago you're getting the same complaints... recorded lines would be helpful learning tools on how to be a decent human. Your plumbers should go elsewhere. We've spent thousands with your company and Gene the plumber deserves a raise because he's the only reason we continued business with you. Pink plumber thanks you for the new business. I hope you have a poopy day.

Picture it...You own a home and suddenly your master bathroom is acting possessed. Things not draining like they should, water coming up out of places it should be draining from and a new smell that no amount of febreeze could help with. Yep, that happened to us. Now, add in its late at night and the weekend is looming. I Googled and that was a bad idea which resulted in a basic panic attack because per the internet, this was a 20k problem and we could not stay in the home while being worked on. Ha ha you gotta love Google. So, this began my search for help with our plumbing. My sister recommended 3 people. None of those people had availability and/or did not pick up their phones. One person called back and shared they also did not have availability but we should not wait for their opening as it sounded serious. Luckily for me I recalled seeing a Rooterman of Tampa van a few weeks back in traffic and I decided to try a Hail Mary and reach out. Well Mary paid off this time and I am so happy!! They were able to get someone out to our place within 24 hours. There was not active water pouring and we had other bathrooms to use so this was great news to me. Devine was the guy who came out to our place and he was very kind and helped walk me through possible issues and provided cost estimates low and high. My favorite part is if we pay for the low cost and they go in and find it's a higher cost issue what was paid already rolls into new cost as payment. I probably didn't explain it right, but trust me, it's good. So he started with the quick troubleshooting and it did not lead to a fix, so up to the next tier and so on. But then success and I am happy to report the internet was no where close trying to say it would be 20k. This was under $500 and Devine even cleaned up afterwards which was such a blessing because plumbing work can get things dirty I'm sure you can imagine. Devine and Rooterman had us back to working order and clean in no time. This will be our new go to plumber company and it should be yours too!

Had a fantastic experience with Rooter-Man after a bad one with Roto-Rooter. Joe from Rooter-Man fixed our issue very quickly, completely and inexpensively. I called Roto-Rooter to come fix an issue with a sewer line that was backing up which we suspect has a root issue. To make matters more challenging, we live out of town and we have short term renters in the house. The Roto-Rooter tech gave me a cost of $375 to snake it, which seemed pretty high to start with. He ran a snake twice, but apparently not a camera, and failed to find a problem, thus telling me that there was a problem on the city side. After the city ran a camera and confirmed that no, the problem is definitely on our side, I called Rooter-Man. Joe, the Rooter-Man tech quoted me $225 to fix the issue, which he resolved within 45 minutes. He inspected the entire line and was able to correctly diagnose the problem of a pvc joint that had not been glued together which was allowing roots into the pipe. He was very efficient, complete and professional. He cut out the roots to resolve the issue in the short term and quoted me $375 to come back, dig up and repair the actual pipe for the long-term solution. When Roto Rooter had given me a quote to permanently fix the same problem a few years ago it was for....wait for it.... $5000. Yeah, I won't be calling Roto-Rooter again. Try Rooter-Man. If I had called them first, I would have saved about 24 hours of headaches and unhappy renters, not to mention a lot of money. They will be my plumber of choice going forward.

We had a massive blockage deep inside our kitchen sink, and my husband saw these guys online with a special that said they would clear any drain for $79.00. He called, and that was when we were told, "Oh, well, if it's the KITCHEN SINK, that means he might have to go through the roof so that would be $129.00." At that point, we were a little bothered, since the online ad had said ANY drain... not ANY drain except the kitchen sink if you have to go through the roof. But, we needed a working sink, so we didn't really have any other choice. We were told he was "on his way right now and would be right there", but it was still over two hours before he showed up. Neither of these things are HUGE issues, but they were annoyances and issues with things not being the way we were told. Anyway, when the plumber DID show up, he was very courteous and quickly had everything set up and taken care of. He did in fact have to go through the roof. He was probably only here for fifteen minutes, but the drain worked perfectly after, and he was very clean and methodical, and never tried to sell me on any additional services or talk down to me. While we were a little put off by the fact that it was not, in fact, "any" drain for their sale price, and how long it took them to arrive versus when they claimed to be on their way, they still provided great, clean, reliable service, and I'll take a few hours of inconvenience versus the 8+ hours I spent on my weekend with my head under the sink and a snake trying to fix it myself.

I had an appointment with this company on Thursday from 8am to noon. After waiting around for the entire 4 hour window with no word from the company I called and was informed that dispatch was on lunch and would call me back in about 10-15 minutes. After 45 minutes passed with no word I called again and was told that I was the next stop. Well, the entire day passed and nobody arrived. Mind you, they charge $185 just to give a quote. Well the next day (Friday) passed with no word and I'd given up because I'm not about to do business with a company as flakey as this anyways. Well, finally this morning (Monday) I get a call about them coming out today and I informed them that they never showed up for the original appointment. The girl Brianna cut me off and said she knows and she needed to speak to me because I'll be the one paying. I let her know that I'm not paying and I don't want to do business with them and she said OK and hung up quickly. I wasn't rude, didn't yell or swear or anything to deserve to be treated so rudely. They should have been apologizing for their extremely unprofessional behavior and in my opinion offering to come out and provide a FREE quote seeing they wasted an entire day and never showed. I do not know how this company rates highly as my experience was extremely poor with very rude and incompetent people running the phones.

Called these guys out initially to drain the septic, which needed to be done and they handled that without any issues. We were still having flow problems afterward, though, and this is where they really stood out. Out of everyone we called, they were the only ones who could get us scheduled the next day without charging an “emergency” fee. They showed up exactly when they said they would, which already put them ahead of most. After the septic service, the tech coordinated with their office and they had two plumbers (Kyle and Aaron) out within about an hour and a half. They spent the next four hours figuring everything out. It wasn’t a simple fix, but they stuck with it, worked through the problem step by step, and got everything flowing properly, even though it ran late into the evening. This was all happening while we’re trying to run a business with no working bathrooms, so having them handle everything same-day within the same company made a huge difference. Kyle and Aaron were both professional, easy to work with, and clearly knew what they were doing. From here on out, they’ll be my go-to for plumbing (hopefully not too often). Highly recommend.

If you can get past the rude and condescending office personnel, the actual plumbers did a great job. My appointment was scheduled 12-4. I called at 2:30 to confirm being told time is again 12-4. At 3:42, their call went to voicemail which I immediately returned at 3:42. It went to an answering service voicemail which promised a call back which never happened. I called the owner who did everything to make the appointment happen but was unable to until the next day. The next day after speaking to the owners wife’s, I was told that they shouldn’t do business with me cuz I wouldn’t seem to ever be satisfied. And she was threatening to cancel again! She also told me if they didn’t get a phone answer, they would move onto the next customer so their plumbers could get home to their children to have dinner! Are you kidding me? I had immediately called back and they knew I was waiting and expecting them 12-4 to fix a very serious problem and they cancelled on ME! So don’t expect good customer service from the office, but good service from the plumbers.