Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup
Plumber · San Luis Obispo, CA · Open 24 hours per Google listing
Our verdict
Excellent emergency response and workmanship from individual technicians, but pricing is inconsistent and some crews use high-pressure sales tactics to justify inflated bills.
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 San Luis Obispo, CA · compare all →
Our opinion, based on the 5 reviews we analyzed from Google, Yelp and BBB · Analysis updated Jun 2026 · How we decide ↗
Advertises 24-hour service on its Google profile — no reviews we analyzed mention after-hours response either way.
Only 5 reviews analyzed — treat this assessment as a first impression, not a track record.
What reviewers praise
After-hours emergency response: dispatches teams late night and weekend with professional service, confirmed by 2 reviewers
1 cited review
“His team After hours to get my brother service. Very professional and fast”
Cited in 2 of the 5 reviews we analyzed — 1 cited review not excerpted here.
Individual technician quality: named technicians (Vicente, Gabriel, Oscar, Felipe) receive praise for kindness, consideration, and quality work completion
2 cited reviews
“His team After hours to get my brother service. Very professional and fast”
“They did their best to consider her budget as well”
Cited in 3 of the 5 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
Aggressive upselling and misrepresentation: 1 of 5 reviews describes technician focused solely on selling unnecessary services rather than solving the problem, with false claims about sewer depth contradicting municipal records
“technician who's only job is to upsell the service. He could care less if the clog is cleared”
Red flag
High-pressure billing on emergency calls: 2 of 5 reviews describe unexpected massive bills ($17,200 and $4,600+ proposed) with no advance pricing disclosure, exploiting homeowner urgency
“technician who's only job is to upsell the service. He could care less if the clog is cleared”
1 more cited review
“supervisor Vicente told me that he can't tell me the cost of job only after work is done”
Pricing opacity and refusal to quote before service: supervisor explicitly told customer 'can't tell me the cost of job only after work is done'
“supervisor Vicente told me that he can't tell me the cost of job only after work is done”
Extreme price variance and scope creep: one customer charged $17,200 for septic work (camera $1,800 + two 3-ft digs at $8,200 and $7,200 each); another quoted $4,000 hydrojet and $600 snake when competitor pricing available under $1,000
“technician who's only job is to upsell the service. He could care less if the clog is cleared”
1 more cited review
“supervisor Vicente told me that he can't tell me the cost of job only after work is done”
Keep it in proportion: these concerns are cited in 2 of the 5 reviews we analyzed. Most reviewers report positive experiences — see the full rating picture below.
The evidence — in reviewers' own words
Critical
“Roto rooter I would not use this company even if they were the only one available. There are several other local companies that wont rip you off and send out a "technician" who's only job is to upsell the service. He could care less if the clog is cleared, he just wanted to sell more crap. You shouldn't let these people within a mile of your property. $600 for a worthless snake and then wanted $4000 for a …”
“Never will use this company again. Too corrupt… their supervisor Vicente told me that he can't tell me the cost of job only after work is done. Here how they charged me. 1/ using camera to locate the septic Tank. =$1,800 2/ dig septic tank-1(main house) about 3 ft deep just to exposed cover. =$8,200 3/ dig septic tank-2(guest house) about 3 ft deep just to exposed Septic cover. =$7,200”
Positive
“Referred my brother to Roto Rooter because we have used Vicente for our plumbing issues in the past. He sent his team After hours to get my brother service. His toilet was backing up they popped the clogging drain and pushed through the blockage. Then installed the smart toilet. Very professional and fast would recommend them to anyone”
“Gabriel and Oscar did a wonderful job of cleaning out a stubborn kitchen drain that was backed up until (God knows when)... Very kind and considerate of my mother who's older. They did their best to consider her budget as well.”
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
Small sample — we've analyzed only 5 of 114 reviews so far. Treat this as a first read.
Newest review in our sample: Feb 2026.
Should you hire Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup?
Best for
- Emergency and burst pipe repair
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 predictable, consistent service across every visit
- 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?
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: San Luis Obispo · Atascadero