Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Services
Plumber · Knoxville, TN · Open 24 hours per Google listing
Our verdict
89 of 99 analyzed reviews are 5-star with fast_response cited 16 times, but 8 negative reviews flag slow arrivals, tool-loss incidents, and a $364 charge for 15 minutes of work.
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 Knoxville, TN · compare all →
Our opinion, based on the 99 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
Same-day dispatch without emergency surcharge cited in at least 3 reviews; themeCounts.fast_response=16 across 99 analyzed reviews.
1 cited review
“I always go with Roto-Rooter because they come out the same day and they don't charge an emergency fee. I called a different plumbing company that quoted me $4000 to rip up all the concrete and piping. Roto-Rooter fixed my issue and under $300.”
Cited in 3 of the 99 reviews we analyzed — 2 cited reviews not excerpted here.
Technicians (Tony, Zak, James/Daniel) praised for diagnosing and explaining issues on-site; workmanship theme cited 7 times.
1 cited review
“James and Daniel came out and found our collapsed pipe.. dug it, fixed it, and covered it all the same evening.. fast, polite, knowledgeable workers. THEY made sure we were aware of yhe entire procedure- prior to doing anything.”
Cited in 3 of the 99 reviews we analyzed — 2 cited reviews not excerpted here.
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
Tool stuck in toilet led to a full weekend without water and sewage flooding; crew did not return for 2 days despite emergency conditions.
“Our toilet overflowed on a Friday morning. Two weeks before Christmas. We called Roto Rooter to come out and fix it. They got their tools stuck in our toilet and left at 2:00 on a Friday afternoon and told us they didn't have the equipment to fix it and would be back on Monday. We went the whole weekend without water.”
Red flag
Technician arrived visibly impaired on one call; slow_response theme appears twice across 99 reviews.
Cited in 1 of the 99 reviews we analyzed.
Pricing is inconsistent: one reviewer paid $364 for a 15-minute unclog; fair_pricing theme appears only 2 times vs expensive=1 and surprise_fees=1.
“The guy that came out was great. But he got it unclog within 15mins. But the price was outrageous $364.00 for 15 minutes”
Cited in 2 of the 99 reviews we analyzed.
Keep it in proportion: these concerns are cited in 4 of the 99 reviews we analyzed. Most reviewers report positive experiences — see the full rating picture below.
The evidence — in reviewers' own words
Critical
“Very unprofessional and they don't fix the job they patch it. They don't care about the inconvenience of the customer AFTER you pay them. Then to top it off they have don't have customer service over the phone it was literally a shouting match!”
“Don’t even bother calling this place…. According to Roto-Rooter employees I should’ve just called Scott’s plumbing in Knoxville. I called them out to figure out where the sewer gas smell in my house is coming from and they looked at me and said “I don’t know. I would recommend Scott’s plumbing to come investigate for you.” Followed by “It’s $65 for the service call.” I was absolutely dumbfounded. That is an absolute …”
“They'll tell you a tech will call but they won't. They'll give you a window of time that the tech is supposed to show up, they're going to miss the window and reschedule without letting you know. Then when you cancel the appointment completely, the tech will still show up 2 hours past the rescheduled window without notice just for you to tell them you've canceled the appointment. If I could have given zero stars I …”
Positive
“Roto Rooter Plumbing & Drain Service did an excellent job diagnosing our issue today. Zac was awesome! He was so personable, explained everything to us and in general was awesome. Thank u so much..”
“We had a main drainpipe clog for our upstairs and they sent someone out very fast. Tony was very knowledgeable, respectful, and friendly . He was able to quickly identify the problem and get it resolved. He was very thorough to make sure the problem was resolved and gave a warranty for his services. I would definitely recommend for any issue.”
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: Feb 2026.
Across platforms
Should you hire Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Services?
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 & Drain Services?
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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Nearby: Knoxville · Briceville