Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup
Plumber · Alameda, CA · Open 24 hours per Google listing
Our verdict
Tech Rich drives a 4.9★/238-review headline with 20 fast_response mentions and after-hours sewer calls, but 31 of 100 sampled reviews are 1-star over dispatch and a quoted $8–10k sewer job.
Scores are our editorial reading of published customer reviews — not a verification, license check, or guarantee.
Ranked #9 of 15 plumbers we've reviewed in Daly City, CA · 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
Same-day and after-hours response is strong — tech Rich arrived in ~30 min and at 10pm on a Sunday for sewer backups
1 cited review
“Rich, the technician that came to the house at 10pm on a Sunday night was super quick, friendly, knowledgeable and resolved the issue.”
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed — 1 cited review not excerpted here.
Sewer and main-line diagnosis praised — technician and field supervisor explained options clearly on a backed-up main
1 cited review
“Both the technician and field supervisor were very knowledgeable and professional. The were thorough with addressing the problem and able to explain what was happening as well as my options in a way that was clear and understandable.”
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed — 1 cited review 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
$8,000 charged for a 3.5-hour sewer job after a $10k quote; manager refused to budge citing the signed contract
“I said to the inspector that $8000 was too much for a 3 1/2 hour job and he said I signed a contract and that was the price.”
Red flag
No-show on a stated 7-11pm emergency window, then cancelled near 11pm with attitude from dispatch
“Was told they'd arrive between 7-11pm; didn't show up and ended up canceling close to 11pm. Horrible service for an emergency situation with extremely poor customer service.”
Dispatch and customer service falter — an emergency window of 7-11pm ended in an 11pm cancellation, and a dispatcher was rude when a tech couldn't be located
“Was told they'd arrive between 7-11pm; didn't show up and ended up canceling close to 11pm. Horrible service for an emergency situation with extremely poor customer service.”
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed.
Big-ticket sewer pricing disputed — quoted $10,000 then $8,000 for a job done in 3.5 hours, with the contract held firm
“I said to the inspector that $8000 was too much for a 3 1/2 hour job and he said I signed a contract and that was the price.”
Keep it in proportion: these concerns are cited in 3 of the 100 reviews we analyzed. Most reviewers report positive experiences — see the full rating picture below.
The evidence — in reviewers' own words
Critical
“Don't know what happened. RotoRooter always performed really well. I had a sewer issue and initially taken care of exactly how RotoRooter has in the past. We found a fresh water main leak and the plumber called the office. Initially it seemed like they will arrive in the evening only to be told later that it won't be until noon the next day. Took another day off of work. Called this office to confirm the …”
“Beware! Dishonest and unprofessional. Stay away! Here's what happened. Our rental unit has a leaking faucet. So we removed all the tiles to make a nice opening for Roto Rooter to come over and replace the faucet. We even bought a new faucet for the plumber. When I called Roto Rooter, I told them, "Hey, leaking shower, replace faucet." The plumber would arrived here knowing the faucet is leaking, saw the …”
“We made the mistake of not taking the sewer line insurance through our water company and, wouldn't you know it, when we started getting back-ups from our sewage line, it meant that a section of line that was patched before we owned the place had failed. 4 visits and one broken toilet replaced on their dime, later, Roto-Rooter finally diagnosed the problem and we signed a contract for them to fix it for a huge fee. …”
Positive
“We had a plumbing backup and subsequent leaking under our house which we wanted addressed quickly. We called Roto-Rooters and they sent their technician, Rick, out within a couple of hours. He was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and professional. He diagnosed our issues and fixed them right away! We’d definitely call them again for any needed repairs in the future.”
“Rich is super easy to work with and professional!”
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 2020.
Across platforms
Google headline 4.9★ vs. a sampled negative rate of 35% — Yelp 1-stars over pricing and dispatch don't surface in the Google average.
Should you hire Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup?
Hire if
- You need high-quality work that holds up over time
- You need fast same-day or after-hours response
Think twice if
- 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
Advice derived from the review analysis above — how we decide.
Own Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup?
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: Daly City · Richmond · San Rafael