Rescue Rooter

The thought of failing side sewer and the ensuing repair cost can be one of the more stressful experiences of owning an older home in Seattle. Our original concrete pipe installed in 1939 is well beyond its life expectancy. Our sewer backed up due to root instrustion and being overwhelmed when the snow/ice melted in Dec 2022. I had several plumbers scope and give me bids on repair cost. ARS/RR was the last one I called on a whim bc my neighbors had used this company and were satisfied. I was skeptical because their branding seems cartoony and gimmicky (superficial I know, but plumbing to me is serious work). From the beginning, the estimator (John R) was timely, friendly and professional. A plan was devised based on what the scope revealed. The tech (Nick) was professional from beginning to end. I sincerely hope ARS/RR appreciates him as he works very hard in a professional manner. Unfortunately, for me, more issues were found and the scope of the work changed. They worked as best they could to come up with reasonable solutions, but one cannot deny facts - cracked pipes and huge root balls. They will patiently answer questions and show you photos of what they find. This is a classic case of "dont shoot the messenger". So my side sewer had to be replaced and the rest of the main sewer was lined (I hope this decision doesn't cause the future owners too much headache but I should be long gone by the time it becomes an issue - the alternative would be to replace the whole line which would be insanely expensive). The person in charge of the lining (John) seems very experienced and confident (not cocky) in his work. There were others to help. They were all professional, tidy and safe. The 9 foot deep hole was carefully dug out (reinforced to prevent collapse). I've see other holes dug that seemed messy in comparison. They placed the removed material (dirt) on plastic sheeting and covered when not there. They had the area cordoned off for safety. When the job was complete - city inspector watched the video as they scoped it again. Got approval. The hole was carefully and neatly filled in. They placed top soil over the top. They offer grass seed as well. They wiped my neighbors wall of the house down that had muddy handprints from another plumbing company. At the conclusion of the project, they scope it one more time and record it. I was able to watch the video and the before and after images is like night an day. I highly recommend ARS/RR and am satified with their work. I am a high strung person who tends to "doom future trip" and overthink and worry. This process can be very stressful. It's very, very expensive (My project was about $34k with some of the cost shared with my very kind neighbor). ARS/RR offers financing, which I didn't get offered from other companies but I guess always ask. If you need some work done on your sewer line, get multiple bids (some estimates are free and some charge (but information is power and sometimes its worth paying for it). I had bids from Mikes Plumbing (I like them and have used them in the past), Raymark gave me a bid and they seem okay. Southwest plumbing is sus. Bob Oates (I didn't care for their lack of professionalism - tho my interaction is many years old, so that may have changed as staff changes). As i mentioned, the scope of the work changed as it progressed (increased repair costs). But I trusted their recommendations and their findings and was able to comfortably make my decisons and can go into the winter a little more relaxed. ARS/RR did have some issues with their call center and scheduling appointments. I found that part a little aggravating, but it worked out in the end. If you've read my stream of consciousness this far, that probably means you are deep into researching sewer line repair and I sympathize with you from the stress you might be feeling and I hope it all works out for you. For me, ARS/RR was a good experience. Recommend!

They answered the phone and the technician showed up on time. That’s about all that went right. Everything else was horrible and was turning into a nightmare real fast. I guess some others had a good experience. Not the case with us! I spoke with Nicole - who took the call and gave me some information about pricing, etc. but once the technician came to our house an hour later after we made the call, it was a totally different story. First of all, the company doesn’t even pump out septic tanks (despite me describing what we needed and clearing telling Nicole and the other gal who I spoke with previously that we needed our septic tank emptied). I immediately called the office and spoke with the manager (his name started with a “M” - maybe Mario? Unfortunately, I don’t remember his name. It was unbelievable!!! He threatened to take us to court for the $99 travel fee. (Despite, never signing anything, or even being told of this fee until the technician was getting ready to leave. I was told they provide a “free” consultation on more than one occasion by the gals who answered the phone.) However, the technician insisted we pay a “travel fee” of $99 for a whole 5 - 10 minutes of being on our property and doing absolutely nothing but saying he could unplug our system but can’t pump anything. We were in shock and disbelief. We insisted he leave our property. I actually thought at one point we have needed to call the police to get the technician and his truck off our property. Had ARS Septic Rescue Rooter been honest about the travel fee and any other fees and their capabilities, this wouldn’t have went so poorly. I would have gladly paid them for services rendered. I don’t appreciate being gaslighted and lied to, then disrespected. Horrible! Don’t say you weren’t warned!!! Be prepared to be threatened to be sued just simply for saying what is right and not giving out free money for a so called ridiculous “travel fee” - which really a 10 min visit for $99. So glad that nightmare is over. We had a different company come after the incident with ARS Septic Rescue Rooter. Thankfully, it was totally different. Update: I see ARS Septic Rescue Rooter responded below. No thank you. I’m pretty sure I already spoke with Martin yesterday. He already threatened us once. I refuse to continue to subject us to such unprofessionalism and abuse. I’ll just never call them again and tell everyone I know to not use their company. That type of behavior is unacceptable.

Had RR out to address leaking from the top of the water heater at my Airbnb apartment. Plumber was very unprofessional on the phone when telling me the issue (he made bad jokes and sarcastic remarks to me about the system in front of my Airbnb guest), but did correctly change the supply lines to remedy. I was surprised that it was $900 for a service call and $20 worth of supply lines, but accepted that that was the price of business, esp on emergency, and paid in full. However, the next morning my guest still did not have hot water, as the plumber had failed to turn the circuit breaker back on. I was able to walk her through checking and flipping the breaker which remedied the situation. I followed up with the manager (slight edit here to include that this was Martin) at this RR location, and after having a conversation with his plumber he replied that the plumber said he turned the breaker back on (I had compensated my guest $100 for the inconvenience of having the hot water heater leaking and not working for over a day, and I was asking for assistance in this loss of income due to Rescue Rooters part in an incomplete repair). The manager chose to take the word of his plumber who, of course, covered their own buns and said he had flipped the breaker back on after the repair. They offered nothing more than an apology. One aspect where I would give them five stars is that I did get same-day service, which was much appreciated given that this is a rental unit where I focus on guest satisfaction, and depend on good reviews. Unlike Rescue Router in Pacific, I chose to ensure customer quality and satisfaction, and absorbed an extra $100 to protect my investment despite the ineptness of this plumber. This is the second time I’ve used them where their plumber caused an issue requiring follow up. Second time shame on me, I guess. Bottom line: Exceedingly expensive, and they seem to lack high quality plumbers on staff. Don’t use unless you have no other choice.

Found some basement flooding yesterday evening, I had to move on it quickly… Most places were unavailable today, being Christmas Eve (understandable). Lucky me, very happy that Bryce H. was working today. Showed up on time, super friendly, moved quick, too. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to find a plumber in time, so rushed to Home Depot before they closed early and bought a replacement sump pump just in case that was the issue. It did turn out to be the sump pump needing replacement… and was scared at first, because they didn’t have one on hand, and both Bryce and I had Xmas eve dinners to get too :) So, very much appreciated that Bryce spoke to a manager and they were willing to make an exception to use the pump that I had bought if I agreed that any part malfunction would not be covered by their typical parts warranty (1 year workmanship still included :)) That’s a totally fair trade-off and I appreciate that they gave me that option, helped get things done quickly. Thanks, Bryce for the last minute emergency help, and tell your girlfriend I’m sorry for making you late! !!

I originally gave ARS Rescue Rooter a five star rating simply because Nicolas was very kind and friendly And I thought he knew what he was talking about. Nicolas told me that I needed my septic tank pumped before he could try to remove a soft clog. However, I had a septic specialist out today who told me the exact opposite information. The 2 Sons Plumbing technician said that I DID NOT have to have my tank pumped, that it was a healthy system, and was doing exactly what it was designed to do whereas the information I got from Nicholas was that my system needed to be pumped and that I probably had a failing system. He then called his colleague, who came out and gave me an estimate for sewer connection at $36,000. Then Nicholas asked if I wanted him to check anything else since I’d already paid $93 and so he looked at my hot water heater. He said it needed to be replaced for $2,600. ( I have had no leaks or problems.) Talk about the up sell. I can tell you what, I will not be going with ARS Rescue Rooter ever again. In fact, I would like my $93 refunded because they did nothing except, give me the wrong information and try to upsell me. I doubt I’ll get my money back. Two Sons Plumbing were professional, knowledgeable, and knew what they were talking about. There was a soft clog which was easily removed and it cost me a lot less. They could have pumped my septic tank and made an extra $600 but they didn’t . This is the kind of service that brings people back. It just makes me sad that there are some companies (and technicians) out there that seemingly try to take advantage of people that know nothing about plumbing. This is not the way to build trust. I guess it was a $93 lesson to never go with ARS Rescue Rooter again.