Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup
Plumber · Bethesda, MD · Open 24 hours per Google listing
Our verdict
4.8★ on 1,258 Google reviews (BBB A+ accredited) — but 15 of 59 analyzed are 1-star, concentrated on pricing: 7 reviews cite "expensive" and multiple reviewers report $500-$1,200 for simple clogs and 30-minute jobs.
Scores are our editorial reading of published customer reviews — not a verification, license check, or guarantee.
Ranked #10 of 15 plumbers we've reviewed in Reston, VA · compare all →
Our opinion, based on the 59 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
Fast same-day response confirmed in 11 of 59 analyzed reviews (themeCounts.fast_response=11) — including weekend service and within-2-hour arrival for non-emergency calls.
1 cited review
“Plumber came same day I made the service call. Work was fine. Plumber was very fast & professional & completed the work in under 1 hr. He snaked my bathroom sink line…but $850 for 30-40 mins of work???? Ridiculously over priced for a shaving hair & grease clog. It wasn't even the main line!”
Cited in 2 of the 59 reviews we analyzed — 1 cited review not excerpted here.
Technician quality consistently praised even by dissatisfied pricing reviewers — "techs were awesome" and "technician was incredible" in 2 of the 1-star pricing complaints.
1 cited review
“they charged $1200 to snake the drain and clear a clog. It was a bunch of money and you can get it for cheaper elsewhere. Won't be the same level of service or speed but definitely you could save up to $1000.”
Cited in 2 of the 59 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
1 Yelp review details high-pressure sales tactics on sewer repair — 2-3x higher than competing estimates, incorrect assessment of pipe location, and pressure to sign contract while homeowner was out of town.
“Rota rooter was high pressure to get us to sign their contract telling us incorrectly that our insurance would pay for everything. Their estimates for were 2 to 3 times more than the other estimates we received. They mistakenly told us that our sewar pipe ran from the front of our house to the street (in reality its on the side of our house).”
Red flag
Multiple reviewers explicitly note no pre-work estimate provided — tech started work before quoting price, then charged $500 for a garbage disposal Allen-wrench fix.
Cited in 2 of the 59 reviews we analyzed.
Pricing is a recurring complaint across 7 of 59 analyzed reviews — $500 to unclog a toilet, $800 to snake a drain, $438 for a 15-minute washer replacement, $1,200 to clear a clog.
“they charged $1200 to snake the drain and clear a clog. It was a bunch of money and you can get it for cheaper elsewhere. Won't be the same level of service or speed but definitely you could save up to $1000.”
Cited in 4 of the 59 reviews we analyzed.
No upfront pricing transparency: 1 reviewer paid $500 before seeing an estimate on a garbage disposal, another was not told about a $250 show-up fee until after service.
Cited in 2 of the 59 reviews we analyzed.
Keep it in proportion: these concerns are cited in 8 of the 59 reviews we analyzed. Most reviewers report positive experiences — see the full rating picture below.
The evidence — in reviewers' own words
Critical
“Roto Robbers is more like it. They actually stink. They have a minimum labor cost of 380$. The part that needed repairing is sold for no more than $10. The technician refused to do the service necessary, will only up charge into replacing the whole unit rather than a part. If this was not needed before the holidays I would have not used this company. Also overall rude, did not wear shoe coverings and left my front …”
“I requested a technician to come and check out a garbage disposal that wasn't working in Silver Spring. They were late showing up to the property, 30 min past the 2 hour scheduled time slot. They didn't provide an estimate before fixing the disposal and tried to charge me almost $500. This was very unprofessional and a deceiving business practice. I was able to convince the tech to give me half off but honestly i …”
“Outrageous prices! Tech came over to look at a leaking faucet (tub). He basically looked at the faucet - without doing any other diagnostics - and said I'd need a new valve/cartridge. As soon as I brought up the possibility of it being a gasket he said he wouldn't know until he got into it..... I asked - Well then how do you know that I need a new valve/cartridge....? To which he just began mumbling. I went onto …”
Positive
“Well that was easy! I called this morning and there was a serviceman at my door within two hours. And my problem-- an old hose stuck on the spigot (really stuck, all home remedies unsuccessful)-- was solved within just a few minutes. I knew it would be pricy, but it was something I simply couldn't do myself. (Note: they should tell you the $250 show-up charge over the phone.) Particularly friendly and professional …”
“Raven is awesome!!! She came out accessed the problem.. Walked me through the plan of attack to get the main line open .. She worked hard and was able to get the line open for us.. Thank you so much…”
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 2023.
Across platforms
Google 4.8★ on 1,258 reviews masks a pattern of pricing complaints concentrated on Yelp — 10 of 12 evidenceQuotes with negative themes are from Yelp 1-star reviewers.
Should you hire Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup?
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 & 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: Reston · District Heights · Annapolis Junction