We had a sewage backup in our basement. Serviceman arrived promptly. After determining the problem for almost $300 (5 minutes), he waived that fee when given the go ahead to replace the root-filled pipe. He comforted me by confirming that insurance always covered these jobs as long as the pipes had just collapsed from age. He wrote out the bills with prices that seemed to come off the top of his head (no price list), spoke down to me with great authority, and had me sign the two hefty bills. On Monday morning my insurance company informed me that NO insurance company covered replacement of the pipe and that I should have called their 24 hour emergency number and they would have sent their own service people. Mr Rooter knew that these replacements were not covered. They also knew that had they informed me of this I would have gotten a few price quotations from different companies and they might not have gotten the work. As it was, they misled me about the coverage and squeezed $8000 from me on the spot. My own fault for acting rashly, but their business is to take advantage of that and to get your business by concealing the truth. By the way, the serviceman was also quick to hand out the business card of a company that does clean up and restoration...I wonder if he is well rewarded for scoring contracts for them. I could go on. I have no complaints about the work that was done, only the way the company got the work.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $8,500.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Have a price list and be more honest. I may actually have chosen Mr Rooter because of the 25 year guarantee on their work.
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Always call the insurance company first so there are no surprises. They usually have 24 hour emergency numbers to call. Don`t just grab the Yellow Pages.
- Company Response
Dear customer, I have looked into this matter; all three invoices; and I do not believe that all of the facts have been mentioned. I would like to break it down into two criteria, procedure and insurance issues. Procedure first. Upon arrival, our serviceman noticed fecal matter and toilet paper on the broadloom; covering a large portion of the basement. He tried to remove the obstruction through the floor drain, to no avail. The floor drain was in broken and the equipment was unable to pass. With there being children in the house and the basement not fit for human occupancy; an excavation was required there first. A price was agreed upon and we were given authorization to go ahead with the work. Upon removing the broken floor drain, a camera was inserted the following morning. Inspection showed us that the building trap in front of the house was broken as well. With a camera unable to go beyond a trap; it also had to be removed. A price was agreed upon and we were given authorization to go ahead with the work.(the building trap, no longer part of the building code, requires removal, once it is not functioning properly) Once the exterior excavation had been performed, a camera was once again inserted to see if there were any other future potential problems. Upon the secondary inspection from the outside excavation, we observed more cracked clay tile pipe being infiltrated by roots. A price was agreed upon and we were given authorization to go ahead with the work. With your house being situated in the Bloor West Village, an older region in the city, this is not an isolated problem but rather a neighbourhood problem. The houses are old and clay tile drains, being their lifelines, are sick. When they are sick, the house vomits raw sewage all over the basement. This is not only a residential problem; it is a municipal one as well with their underground infrastructure also crumbling. The simple reason for inspections is to inform and educate the customer on what future potential problems could arise. This gives the customer the knowledge and then the ability to make a decision. It is also our policy to provide the customer with a flood and restoration company to remove and start sanitization procedures as soon as possible; especially with children being present. I can also assure you that there are no rewards from the restoration company.
Regarding insurance, there are insurance companies that do cover most of the expense for this work. It is your insurance company that has misinformed you. They cover all of the costs; except the cost of the material. We have done thousands of these replacements with insurance companies covering the brunt of the bill.
I am glad that you have no complaints with our workmanship as we pride ourselves on being the best full service plumbing and drain company in the G.T.A. We were called to your house with raw sewage all over the basement. We kept you informed along the way and upon authorization, proceeded with the work required. We informed you to check your insurance policy and inquire to see if your policy covered the brunt of the costs, unfortunately in your case not. I empathize with how you feel, but please, do not shoot the messenger.