Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup
Plumber · Hayward, CA · Open 24 hours per Google listing
Our verdict
4.9 Google stars (262 reviews); 100 analyzed — 62 five-star, 25 one-star (reviewConsistency=0.25); expensive=6, surprise_fees=2, slow_response=5; BBB A+ accredited. High variance: top techs excellent, worst reviews cite $700 quotes for $4 washer jobs.
Scores are our editorial reading of published customer reviews — not a verification, license check, or guarantee.
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 weekend availability confirmed in 11 of 100 analyzed reviews (weekend_or_emergency=11, fast_response=18)
1 cited review
“Luis was here within an hour and was friendly and knowledgable. Turns out, it was a problem that can be fixed for free by the city! I wouldn't have known that, but he was kind enough to suggest I call them before shelling out close to $350 on a Saturday.”
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed — 1 cited review not excerpted here.
Tech Luis saved homeowner ~$350 by identifying city-responsibility issue before billing; tech Jerry refused to charge for an estimate visit on Sunday
1 cited review
“Luis was here within an hour and was friendly and knowledgable. Turns out, it was a problem that can be fixed for free by the city! I wouldn't have known that, but he was kind enough to suggest I call them before shelling out close to $350 on a Saturday.”
Cited in 2 of the 100 reviews we analyzed — 1 cited review not excerpted here.
Thorough workmanship on water heater and spigot: Rick tested thoroughly, explained all steps, allowed homeowner to observe (1 review)
1 cited review
“Rick came out and repaired a broken water Spigot (broken in the copper pipe). He was very thorough, explained what he was doing, tested thoroughly and got it right. He was kind enough to let me observe without complaint.”
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
25 one-star reviews in 100 analyzed (25%); surprise_fees=2; 1 reviewer alleges $700 quote for a $4 washer job and rude rejection when challenged — pattern of inflated estimates for simple repairs
“we had a leaking faucet and all it needs is replacing a washer in the handle which cost $4 dollars for a whole washer kit and 30 minutes of my time. They came in a day late and quoted us $700 only for labor and said we need to replace a $60 2 year old faucet.”
Red flag
Service warranty record-keeping failure: tech's service record missing from system; dispatcher confirmed warranty coverage verbally but technician denied it on follow-up visit
Cited in 1 of the 100 reviews we analyzed.
Pricing complaints in 6 of 100 analyzed reviews (expensive=6); 1 Yelp reviewer quoted $700 labor-only for a faucet washer repair; price dropped to $550 when challenged
“we had a leaking faucet and all it needs is replacing a washer in the handle which cost $4 dollars for a whole washer kit and 30 minutes of my time. They came in a day late and quoted us $700 only for labor and said we need to replace a $60 2 year old faucet.”
Slow response cited in 5 of 100 analyzed reviews; 1 reviewer waited 10 days with no follow-up or explanation from office
“The customer service was absolutely unacceptable. We waiting for 10 days for service with no follow-up on the reason for the delay, and when I asked for some sort of apology or compensation the representative was completely indifferent.”
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
“They will give you a "free estimate" but will not tell you how much actual service is. They leave it up to the "technician" to arbitrarily make up what ever $ amount they think they can stick it to you for. Had a guy (Caesar) out to ask about roughing in a sewage line. While he was at my home already I asked how much he would charge to do a simple bathroom sink fix. Would take less than 15 min. He told me his …”
“Was a customer for years. Sewer backed up & I called Roto-Rooter to clear line. Was completely surprised by the 115% cost increase over last bill (24 months). Was over a barrel as couldn't use systems. No one from company would discuss the price increase. Awful customer service' even though the tech was a nice guy. Paid the price & RR lost a long-time customer. Hope to NEVER do business with this company.”
“(Context: this job counts as after-hours, "24-hour" emergency plumbing) I called for help at 5:30pm, and was told they'd be here by 8pm... Ok, figured I could wait that long. Got a call at 7:30pm saying they'd be late by an unspecified amount of time... Ok, I was still willing to wait. Got a second call at 9pm saying they were too busy and weren't going to come AT ALL. Naturally, this is an emergency plumbing …”
Positive
“Rick was professional, friendly and efficient. He explained everything and treated me like I could understand it. Which I very much appreciate. No hard core sales pitch, just facts that helped me decide.”
“Rick came out and repaired a broken water Spigot (broken in the copper pipe). He was very thorough, explained what he was doing, tested thoroughly and got it right. He was kind enough to let me observe without complaint. The water heater repair involved replacing a frozen shut off valve. Again, thorough and well done.”
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 & 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 want detailed upfront explanations
- 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?
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