Roto Rooter Plumbing and Drain
Plumber · Chattanooga, TN · Open 24 hours per Google listing
Our verdict
4.8 stars from 2,258 reviews; 100 analyzed — professional=44, but negative=20%, slow_response=6, unprofessional=2; Yelp 1-star reviews allege overcharging and incomplete work with property damage not remedied.
Scores are our editorial reading of published customer reviews — not a verification, license check, or guarantee.
Ranked #8 of 15 plumbers we've reviewed in Chattanooga, TN · compare all →
Our opinion, based on the 100 reviews we analyzed from Google, Yelp and BBB · Analysis updated Jun 2026 · How we decide ↗
Lists 24-hour service on its Google profile — and reviewers describe after-hours calls.
What reviewers praise
Weekend no-surcharge pricing: explicitly confirmed they don't charge extra for weekend calls — and Tony C delivered outstanding Friday-night service by Saturday morning.
1 cited review
“I had a clog from hell going into a weekend. I went with Roto Rooter because they didn't charge more for weekend calls. I called at night on Friday and he was here at 11AM Saturday! He was absolutely amazing! Very knowledgeable, thorough and a pleasure to deal with.”
Emergency water-line repair same day: from first call at 10:45am to job completed within hours on water main emergency — 1 of 12 sampled evidenceQuotes.
Cited in 1 of the 100 reviews we analyzed.
Standout individual techs: Moe and Tony C cited by name across multiple reviews for thorough double-checking and after-hours availability.
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
Yelp 1-star (2021): charged $1,325 total for unnecessary new clean-out install when existing one was available; manager refused to acknowledge the overcharge.
Cited in 1 of the 100 reviews we analyzed.
Red flag
Google 1-star (2026): heavy truck damaged driveway during septic service; owner refused to pay for repair and told handicapped customer's husband's condition 'didn't matter'.
Cited in 1 of the 100 reviews we analyzed.
Red flag
Google 2-star: charged $234 for cabling wrong pipe section — didn't investigate actual clog location, then misdiagnosed as septic issue.
“I gave them a 2 instead of 1 because they were super quick getting a technician out to my home...but the plumber 'unclogged' the wrong part of the line. He charged me $234...I didn't have any more problems flushing.”
Negative reviews at 20% of 100 analyzed — slow_response=6 and unprofessional=2 suggest inconsistent tech quality across a large franchise operation.
“Over a week later.... crickets. Nothing. I gave them a call and asked what was going on, and they were rather dumbfounded and surprised no one had gotten back to us.”
1 more cited review
“I gave them a 2 instead of 1 because they were super quick getting a technician out to my home...but the plumber 'unclogged' the wrong part of the line. He charged me $234...I didn't have any more problems flushing.”
Technician mismatch risk: one reviewer explicitly requested 'If it's not Tony, don't send anyone' — quality appears tech-dependent.
“I had a clog from hell going into a weekend. I went with Roto Rooter because they didn't charge more for weekend calls. I called at night on Friday and he was here at 11AM Saturday! He was absolutely amazing! Very knowledgeable, thorough and a pleasure to deal with.”
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
“My SIL hired this group, initially to fix a leak. Then we found that there were other problems. 1st charge was $225, they looked and said they needed a camera. 2nd charge was $250, (they said this would come off the final bill) they brought the camera, said I needed other work. (Cedar trees were present) New cost $8,600, plus an additional $962 for the original leak (I was told that this would be $600). They …”
“Called Roto Rooter 10/29/16 for a back up in my tub and wet around my septic tank the woman said they would be able to take care of the problem. A truck pumped half of my tank didn't check to see if anything was flowing took my $300.00 and left. Several hours later a bath was taken and the tub would not drain backed up into the shower! Called back man showed up around 11:00ish PM I told him what had happened …”
“Do you like scheduling people to come out to your business and then not returning your calls for 2 weeks? Well boy have I got a deal for you! As we are trying to get a whole sink and plumbing installation going, we asked Roto Rooter to come out and take a look at it.. And they did, very quickly. The young man came out take some pictures and said they would be in touch. Over a week later.... crickets. Nothing. …”
Positive
“The technician, Moe, is the only reason for this 5 star review. His customer service was more than could be expected from 90% of the construction workforce. He made sure he checked everything he needed and even double and triple checked. He was very thorough with his inspection, diagnosis, and treatment. He was quick and professional, but also personable making the entire process very smooth and simple for me. …”
“Kyle was super friendly. He arrived shortly after informing me he was coming. He got the job done within 20 minutes! Awesome work!”
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: Mar 2026.
Across platforms
Google 4.8★ but Yelp has multiple 1-star reviews (2016, 2021, 2022) alleging incompetence, overcharging, and poor dispute resolution — pattern of negative Yelp reviews contradicts Google rating.
Should you hire Roto Rooter Plumbing and Drain?
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 rock-bottom prices with zero flexibility on the quote
- You need detailed walkthroughs and written estimates before work starts
Look elsewhere if
- You're highly price-sensitive
Advice derived from the review analysis above — how we decide.
Own Roto Rooter Plumbing and Drain?
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.
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