Rescue Rooter LA North

One star reviews are accurate. Prepare to be mislead. Told the guy would arrive in 30 – 45 hours, he arrived 2 hours and 30 minutes later with a bad attitude.

I received great service, I would definitely recommend them!

Stephen Flijan was very professional, knowledgeable and worked clean. I am a landlord and have used many plumbers over the years, I would definitely recommend Stephen for a job.

We had a toilet back up around 1 AM on the New Year’s Day. No one was available but these guys. They came within 45 min and charged us only $ 88 which is unheard of. Excellent work and very professional.

Rescue Rooter installed trenchless sewer lines at our house in 2008. When roots got into one of the lines, Cole came and made a careful diagnosis of the location of the obstruction and then dug a tiny but deep hole, causing minimal damage to our artificial turf (this was careful, painstaking work) and did a meticulous repair under the warranty. This work was approved immediately and with no arguments from Abe the supervisor.

This review is for the technician, Stephen F.
I am not reviewing the company.
He worked tirelessly to help me out, and was 100% honest the entire time. You can tell that he is not out to make a buck, but rather make the customer happy and solve the problem. I know that these kinds of plumbing companies want their techs to upsale the unwitting customer, but they would do a lot better if their techs were honest like Stephen because it generates more positive word-​of-​mouth.
They need to keep Stephen around because when he starts his own business, he’s going to get a LOT of 5 star reviews!

Called about advertised special and scheduled a service to unclog kitchen sink. Man came over very quickly (a plus), then diagnosed problem. Amount was twice price on website, but that wouldn’t do it so he gave a much higher price for a machine cleaning. He needed a high pressure machine but didn’t have it. Next day he said he’d come and finish the work. However a different man came out and didn’t know the price quoted and gave us an even higher number but then agreed to what I’d been told. He cleared the drain after a long 90 minutes.

If I could give this company a zero rating if I could! They advertise $ 88.00 to unclog a drain and we ended up paying $ 1,750.00!
We called Rescue Rooter because the toilet backed up into the stall shower. We found them on line, and they advertised $ 88.00 to unclog the drain. They responded within one hour. We were impressed with the fast response. The agent asked us if we had clean out drains we informed them we didn’t know.
Jorge came out and asked the same question we told him we didn’t know. He then went under the house and came back and told us we did not have clean out drains and it would cost $ 1,750 to put one in. We assumed he was telling us the truth. So we went ahead and let him do the work under the house. He then came back and told us our sewer pipe was old and rusted and needed replacement or it would break and under the house would be flooded with sewage. Jorge Vallarta said I can fix everything for $ 7,500 and not charge for the clean out valve. We told him that was too expensive and we would check with another plumber. He the said he would check with his supervisor and see if he could lower the cost.
He came back and told us he would charge $ 6,800 for the entire job and he would be back Monday. We then called a contractor friend who fixes plumbing and also builds bathrooms and houses.
He went under the house and found we had 4 clean out valves two under each bathroom! Jorge lied to us when he told us we didn’t have any. Jorge unnecessarily cut our main sewer pipe and cleared the clog by installing a plastic pipe. When we stopped the installation of a new sewer pipe under the house he came back and added a clean out valve that will now shoot out of the crawl space.
We were in extremely disappointed with the integrity of this company, and the lies Jorge told us regarding our clean out valves. We paid the exorbitant $ 1,750.00 for the work that was completed. Do no use this company they rip off people! All he needed to do was snake the shower stall or open one of the two clean out valves under the shower stall or the toilet.

Way overpriced and they try to convince you to do work that is not necessary by claiming that certain things are broken or not working when they are not broken and could work with simple unclogging of the pipes. I would get at least 3 quotes before you give them any job.

Jose «Chewie» G. was awesome! He came by within an hour on a Saturday morning and unclogged our kitchen sink within minutes. Highly recommend him.

Felix from Rescue Rooter came over and did a great job with unclogging my bathtub. He was fast and it was fairly priced. I’ve used them before and have always had great service. He was knowledgeable and very polite.

I contacted this company for a clogged kitchen sink. I informed the company upon calling that my husband had tried to snake out the drain in the kitchen sink and was unable to do so. Hence the reason I was calling a plumber. Juan C. from Rescue Rooter arrived and asked me to show him where our clean out was. I told him it was in our basement. He said because my husband had tried to snake the drain and failed it had to be a much bigger problem. He then showed me with a flashlight a wet area under my house that was about 8 to 10 feet away from where we were standing in the basement. (The area he was indicating could only be reached by the crawl through.) The area he was speaking of was below my kitchen sink. He told me that one of our cast iron pipes were leaking. He said to repair the problem correctly we would have to have all of our cast iron drain pipes replaced. He quoted us $ 8,500 for the job. He never went under the house and checked the particular pipe out up close, he only viewed it from afar. We have the bid «in writing». I asked him how much it would cost to replace that one pipe. He quoted us $ 4,500 to repair the one pipe. (We also have that bid in writing.) He told me he would like to discuss the repair with my husband and asked if my husband were at work. I told him no, that my husband was at a cardio rehab class and would be home shortly. He said he would wait for my husband.
When my husband arrived, Juan reiterated the same scenario he gave me to my husband. I can’t believe this guy… My husband just arrives home from attending a cardio rehab class (HELLO!!) and receives news that he has to pay $ 8,500.00 (that’s including their senior discount.) to repair his clogged kitchen sink??? NO CONSCIENCE!!! He also told us not to use the shower, toilets or faucets because raw sewage was leaking from the pipe. He also said it would be at least a two day job and it would be best if we went somewhere else to stay during the work.
I then called a different plumber who unclogged my sink, installed a clean out to my kitchen and repaired the leak behind my kitchen sink (which was where the water was coming from). He also checked our cast iron pipes and said they were in great condition. HUMPH!!! All for under $ 1,000.00.
I will NEVER recommend Rescue Rooter to ANYONE!!!
BTW, I gave them one star only because I had to give them something in order to post!

They took care of it! Jose G. was very knowledgable, explained every thing, and gave me great advice. Also, explained that more will need to have be done. The fix will get me through until I’m ready with $. Great job, Chuy.

Rescue Rooter LA North was great.
I had a water leak at 1:00am and
James G was able to fix the plumbing problem quickly.
He was knowledgeable, very nice and efficient.
Their prices were also very reasonable.
I would absolutely call them again!

I wish there were no stars coz that’s what this company deserved.
In their ad they promised a one-​hour turn around. When I called they promised a two– hour turn around, but since a technician was finishing up a job in Beverly Hills it wouldn’t be that long
After two hours I called and the dispatcher said there was no technician en route and they don’t even service Beverly Hills! Another dispatcher called me shortly thereafter and told me that the soonest a technician could come out was in an hour or more.
For those keeping track that’s three hours total.
Maybe.
I then called roto rooter and they sent someone out in 40 minutes. I fired this bozo concern.
The right hand didnt know what the left hand was doing. And neither hand was at my house to fix the problem in any of the times they promised.
Don’t use!

They royally messed up, but have taken steps to rectify the situation, and I have updated this review accordingly. Read on.
~~~~~~original review~~~~~~~~
–5 stars. Seriously. You’ll see that almost all of my reviews are positive. Not this time. These guys are beyond horrible, but come off as really professional with their uniforms and professional-​speak. But they’re to be avoided at all costs.
First, they are ridiculously expensive.
And it gets worse. As per their own contract, Paul, who came out to do the job, did not replace all the pipes, set the main drain line at an improper pitch before exiting the foundation, and did not clear all the debris under the house, leaving the old cast iron pipes behind. All of this was clearly stipulated in the contract.
And it gets even worse. They left the house soaking in old water, so much so that eight months later, when we looked under the house wondering where a strange damp odor was, we found mushrooms growing under the house, the cinder block walls wet and water stained, and much of the ground still damp! Again, eight months later!
But it gets even worse. When I called their manager, Abraham, to come out, he said he would return with a technician. No show. Abraham and I reschedule for the following week.
No show again!!! and no phone call either!!! I call. Abraham’s not working. Great. And I suppose the technician isn’t working either. Nope. Of course not. So I have spoken with a General Manager named Lou, who said he would call back in half an hour.
They haven’t called back.
I posted this review while waiting for a call back, and within half an hour, one of their «damage control» experts responded to my review on Unilocal (see below)!
But I still haven’t received a call back yet.
~~~~~Update: June 25 2015 — Things Start Looking Up~~~~~
After the constant non-​answers, I contacted Lou, growing angry and saying that if it weren’t fixed immediately, I would begin calling Consumer Affairs and the Better Business Bureau. Now, I should have to start tirades, but to Rescue Rooter’s credit, they have attempted to rectify, and Lou, the General Manager, has managed to step up to the plate. Acknowledging that the house was still damp under the house and the original job was messed up, he sent a technician out to remove the pipes, fix the main drain line so it was at the proper pitch and wouldn’t back up, cap the old pipes, and add the pipes from the kitchen that should have been added. That was all done the next day.
For the dampness, Lou called Pedro from Emergency Services Restoration, a company dealing in water damage, out, and they added some sort of natural drying compound, two fans, and one «negative air» fan, leaving it blowing from something like June 11 to June 15^th. Pedro acknowledged that their company should have been called out in late October when the job was initially done, but at least they were getting on it.
Because the job was not done properly, I skipped work a couple of times, spent a lot of time and energy contacting them, general aggravation, additional electricity costs and more, I also asked for a $ 1000 back, which was approved. I am waiting on that.
I am writing this because while most of my experience with Roto Rooter has completely sucked, I also want to be fair and describe the good things they’ve done. This review might still scare people off, but people should know that they’ve at least attempted to make things right.
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Better Business Bureau:
Attorney General — California:
Consumer Affairs:

Jose V. did a tremendous job resolving my plumbing issue. He was a true professional, and I was more than satisfied with his overall performance. Thank you Rescue Rooter LA North, and thank you Jose V. for making a very difficult plumbing issue as painless as possible. I would highly recommend Rescue Rooter LA North, and definitely ask for Jose V. as your service technician.

They advertize $ 88 drain cleaning. 24 hour service + Sundays at no additional charge.
Then of course they arrive and tell you its $ 230. –But they can give you a $ 50 discount!
Can’t I just get the $ 88 drain cleaning as advertized? «Nope. Sorry. I’ll get fired.»
CROOKS

Rudy was on time (actually early!) and was able to clear the problem without too much trouble. He’s polite and knowledgable. He took time to check the system and let me know what to expect with repairs that may need to be done. It was after 8:30 in the evening when you really just want to relax at home in front of the tv so I was glad Rudy took care of things so quickly and efficiently. Thanks again! Rudy!

My experience with Rescue Rooter was wonderful. We had a major sewer line problem with 2 separate lines coming from 2 single family houses on one piece of property. Juan came out, spent several hours with me scoping all of the lines, discovering the many problems concerning the composition and pitch of the lines, and made very thoughtful recommendations on how to remediate the problem so that there would be no sewer line issue ever again from the houses. This was a REALLY BIG job and I knew it before I even called them. Ignacio and his crew from Rescue Rooter then spent more than a week repairing and replacing the lines. One line was replaced via a trenchless repair, the other had poor pitch from the start and required digging an entirely new line and tying it into the city sewer system. Rescue Rooter took care of all of the permits and did the work on time and on price.
Juan and Ignacio and their men were terrific. I stopped by every day to peek at the work that they did. All of their work was neat, respectful of the neighbors, and certainly mechanically sound. They were available by cell phone and always answered. I am very nosy and always question everything that tradesmen do to make sure it all makes sense. These two men are truly professional. They were patient with me and never made me feel like all of my questions were a burden. They took time to explain everything which was very reassuring. Rescue Rooter should be very proud to have them as their employees. I would not hesitate to call on them again for any other plumbing problems that we may have.

Paul from Rescue rooter LA North came to our residence at very short notice to fix our major emergency plumbing issue. I’ve dealt with many plumbers over the years, but Paul was the most professional, hard working, honest and detailed tech. I recommend him specifically to all, I will definitely be requesting his services again in the future.
Thanks Paul

Jose was excellent and gave me a few option to think about in terms of sewer line which needs some work.