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Mr. Rooter Pittsburgh Mr. Rooter Cranberry How Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh & The Dwyer Group Scammed Me Cranberry, Pennsylvania
So, how does the Dwyer Group handle media complaints about their franchisee owners from customers who have been victims of fraud and/or deceptive business practices? They block and delete their posts in order to hide their indiscretions.
I'm not surprised considering that Dina Dwyer-Owens stated, on Undercover Boss, that Mr. Rooter comprised a substantial part of their livelihood. There are people out there, who have used online forums (rip off report, complaints board, reviews, etc.) in an attempt to gather support from the Dwyer Group in relation to addressing issues with its associated brands, only to explain how their concerns have been dismissed by the Dwyer Group. If you recall, on the
episode of Undercover Boss, the franchisee owners were underhanded with their employees and failed to follow the business model outlined by the Dwyer Group; thus, it is logical to conclude that there are consumers of these franchisee
owners who have also been the victims of unscrupulous business practices at the clutches of their commission only-based business model.
In March of 2012, I had contacted the Dwyer Group concerning the deceptive business practices and fraudulent activity with one of their franchisee locations, Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, via email to the president of Mr. Rooter Corporation, Mary Kennedy. Mary Kennedy sent me an email informing me that the customer service manager was looking into the situation and would get back to me; however, I never heard back from them. The Dwyer group didn't have my phone number, but they did have my email address and could've easily retrieved that if they were in contact with the local franchisee.
So, why couldn't they have contacted me via email? I was very detailed concerning the situation and about what I was looking for as a resolution. Is it because they don't want written documentation of their communication? I suspect that has to be the case. Why else would customer service not have sent me an email? It is because they don't want a paper trail of their verbal communications and to be held accountable for them.
Let's fast forward to October 2012
I was given the number of the customer service manager waiting to assist me according to their response via Twitter and YouTube. I called the number and the customer service manager told me that she had spoken with me back in March of 2012; however, She had never contacted me at all. I only ever had email communication with the president of Mr. Rooter Corporation, Mary Kennedy; yet, the customer service manager had it written down that she had already spoken with me.
Really?!? That's odd because it never happened.
The telephone conversation with the customer service manager, in summary, consisted of informing me that the franchisee owners buy the right to use the name (in my case, a Mr. Rooter franchise) of whichever corporation they purchased from the list of businesses that the Dwyer Group owns and that the franchisee owners are not affiliated with the Dwyer Group in any way; therefore, Mr. Rooter Corporation/The Dwyer Group can't help me. It is up to the local business, otherwise known as the franchisee owner, to respond.
Well, based on that, the chance of my situation being made right, is practically non-existent in accordance with the experiences of other people who have found themselves in similar situations with Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh.
Essentially, the Dwyer Group's response on Twitter and YouTube was merely a "publicity event" in an attempt to falsely communicate to the general public that they were interested in helping me, when they weren't really interested in
helping me at all.
So, let's see if we can establish a clear picture here concerning the Dwyer Group's position:
Dina Dwyer-Owens states, on national television (Undercover Boss), that Mr. Rooter is their largest source of revenue; yet, the customer service manager at Mr. Rooter Corporation within the Dwyer Group (yes, the one who said she already spoke with me and never did) claims that since the businesses are independently owned, even though franchisee owners are required to pay 3-7% per month of their gross sales in royalties to the corporate Mr. Rooter office located within the Dwyer Group in addition to the fees related to their start-up cost of $20,000+, the Dwyer Group can't help me. Out of the $19,500 cost of the sewer line replacement I was told I needed, (but didn't need) the Dwyer Group would have realized $585-$1,365 of that transaction alone, for just existing, but they can't help me. The Dwyer Group is certainly not willing to give up their share of my invoice, which was obtained in a fraudulent manner.
I was informed by the customer service manager at Mr. Rooter Corporate (the day after I spoke with her for the first time) that Mr. Robert Beall was supposed to be calling me that day, the next day, or soon; however, I didn't hold out much hope that was going to actually happen. After I sent an email to Mr. Beall, a reply was sent from him informing me that he will "address" the issue when he is available to do so. I'm curious about how he is planning to "address" my issue. I'm not confident that he plans to do just that, but we will see.
***I absolutely KNEW he wasn't going to address my issue. He went to go hide behind his lawyer's work of fiction that I
recently received in the mail. Here is a business owner, probably the only plumber or one of a few Master Plumbers within his business, who was never at the project site; yet, somehow he is qualified to inform his lawyer (who
sent me a lovely letter by the way) that my claims are essentially unfounded.
I was informed by Mr. Beall's lawyer that since there was grease in the sewer line that somehow implies that a sewer line replacement was necessary, even though it wasn't. A hydrojetting procedure would've done the job on the line from the house trap to the main...the section of the sewer line within the second invoice. Mr. Rooter didn't spend anytime trying to clear that line AT ALL! (Except during the $19,500 sewer line replacement/sliplining process) and the events that happened were referred to as "inaccurate" by the lawyer. If they weren't accurate, I surely would not be expending this much energy. If the problem was solved, I would have no claim....But, IT WASN'T! The lawyer threatened me to stop telling the truth, basically. My problem is that Mr. Beall took money for work that he failed to do. He did not do the sliplining process to within 2' of the sewer line and he failed to solve the problem of sewage backing up into the basement according to the contract as evidence by my video that was taken after the work was completed. They had enough pipe to do the entire sliplining job, but they never used it. Regardless of whether or not I have a case against the sellers for failure to disclose according to Mr. Beall's lawyer (who suggested I look there instead of demand from his client that he be held accountable for the terms of the contract which weren't completed), it would not be right to make the seller's pay for work that was contracted, but not completed. According to the lawyer, the work was necessary.
In reality, the work was as unnecessary as the backflow preventer Mr. Beall's camera man/salesman was trying to sell me when I contacted them about the sewage backing up into the basement after the work was completed and the
township cleared out the line after Mr. Rooter came twice to hydrojet (incompetently) and the township came out, but they were able to clear the line. What's the difference, do you think? They were master plumbers!
Oh and as far as the obstructions, the only obstructions in the line were grease, a pencil, and a battery....Nothing more. All obstructions that would've been cleared and removed with a hydrojetting process conducted appropriately.**
Like others in my local area have been doing, I could proceed through all the legal channels and, most likely, get awarded the entire cost of the sewer line replacement ($19,500) due to false diagnosis, misleading sales tactics, and failure to perform the work stated in the contract; however, the people who have successfully taken Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh to court and won, have only had Mr. Robert Beall turn around and tell them "I don't have any money." [so, I can't pay you, too bad]
Mr. Robert Beall of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh/Youngstown must not feel obligated to uphold the law by repaying customers according to the judgements against him. On a recent blog, he boasted that he serves over 2.9 million customers a year, so how does that surmount to Mr. Beall not being able to satisfy the judgments against him? He brings in AT LEAST 2.9 million dollars a year, but probably substantially more than that if anyone has ever been at the end of their service priceseven considering the franchise fees and operating expenses, there is no reason why he can't comply with the terms of the judgements against him. Considering the amount of revenue Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh takes in annually, one would think that the IRS would be very interested in auditing the business to find out, possibly, where he could be stashing the business income that he "doesn't have." I doubt highly that Mr. Beall provides no charge services to residents and business located in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
All I am and have been requesting, on a minimal level, is that the second contract of $9,500 be refunded because it was definitely obtained in a fraudulent mannerthrough false diagnosis, misleading sales tactics and statements, as well as the inability of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh employees to properly perform the @HydroScrub procedure, which was supposed to be incorporated into the first contract totaling $10,000.
If you read up on their @HyrdoScrub procedure, the process should've worked to clear the line and I should've been flowing with no further problems if it had been done properly! They even advertise (in addition to other plumbing companies who offer the service) that this process is the next best thing to restoring your pipes to almost new condition
If the full amount of the second invoice was refunded, I would recognize that it would rightly change what would be covered under Mr. Rooter's Warranty and the Lifetime Warranty; thus, Mr. Rooter would no longer be held accountable for anything contained within the second invoice.
Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, however, would be expected to uphold the first invoice regarding their Warranty and Lifetime Warranty, which includes the sewer line replaced from the stack with the clean-out in the basement, to the pvc pipe underneath the basement foundation, to outside the basement door to the house trap.
Unfortunately, based on Mr. Beall's track record, I highly doubt that he will be willing to part with the money that his company did not legitimately earn (If so, it would've already been returned).
Currently, although not accredited by the BBB, his rating is a D-. Also, in 2010, he was on the list for the three worst rated plumbing contractors in the area. As a consumer, did you know this? I wish I did! His response to that was, "I'm not going to sit here and attack the Better Business Bureau. I'm a huge advocate that the consumers need a place to report issues to. It is virtually impossible with the infrastructure and the size and volume of consumers I serve to have a top-notch rating."
Hence, what he is really communicating to the consumer is that he is too busy and makes too much money to care about what is going on with your situation regarding his business. Other substantially large businesses and corporations are able to maintain ratings of a C+ or better, so why can't you? All it entails is doing the right thing.
The problem is that not enough people question the process and do not realize the presence of deceptive business practices until later because their issue may have been resolved, or if it wasn't resolved it was kicked to the curb.
Generally, if the issue is resolved, customers are happy; however, when issues aren't resolved (like mine) and you continue to get sales pitches after multiple substantial investments, you begin to evaluate the interactions between the business and yourselflater realizing that you just got taken for a ride and that they were about to take you on another one (A $5,000 backflow preventer, please!).
Honestly, if my issue would have been resolved, I would've been one of those happy customers and called Mr. Rooter for future service, in addition to calling on other Dwyer Group franchises for home services because I would've felt like Mr. Rooter and the Dwyer Group cared about the consumer.
I recommend that anyone who has done business with Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh/Youngstown (Owner: Mr. Robert Beall) and anyone else who has had similar issues with other associated Dwyer Group franchisee owners report their experience to the Attorney General in their area and hopefully the law will be inspired to take a stand for us. We may not matter to Mr. Rooter of Pittsburg/Youngstown, Mr. Rooter Corporation, or the Dwyer Group...but, maybe, the law will matter to them!
The Attorney General tends to investigate multiple complaints and may even be interested in forming their own case if they find that the business is in violation of the law, which could result in additional fees for the businesses involved.the last two invoices I received that were prepared by Mr. Rooter of Pittsburg would be good examples
of those "holes."
Upon inspection of the Dwyer Group's rating with the BBB, I was shocked to find that there are no complaints filed against them and they have an A+ rating. Maybe what we are doing wrong as consumers is not filing complaints regarding the local franchisee owner AND the corporation. If we sit back and do nothing, businesses will be able to freely engage in unethical business practices with no consequences and the pattern will continue to be repeated with everyday people continuing to be stolen from and bullied by unethical businesses and those unethical businesses who are sheltered by large corporations.
I know that I am not the only person who holds this opinion, or who has been defrauded by Mr. Rooter and other franchisees under the Dwyer Group. Search blogs, sites like Rip Off Report, reviews of your local business, etcPeople feel helpless dealing with the combination of bullying or just plain non-recognition from Dwyer Group and their franchisees concerning deceptive business practices.
I have no problem with capitalism at work as long as it is a just and fair process. Additionally, I have nothing but praise for the handful of businesses and business franchisees who, even though their pricing tiers may be expensive, uphold honesty and integrity within their business, striving to focus on what the customer actually needs, NOT how much you can squeeze out of them whether they need the service that you are providing or not.
My invoices, with details about what happened during specific invoice periods, are up next. I hope to share my misfortune with you in the hopes of preventing this process from repeating itself, or at least reduce its occurrence. Admittedly, it would be nice to be recognized and to be appropriately refunded, too.
Should my extremely reasonable request be granted, then I would be happy to admit that I could've been wrong about the intentions of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh/Youngstown, Mr. Rooter Corporation, and the Dwyer Group; however, based on their previous actions, I highly doubt I am wrong about their intentions.
If you value your hard-earned money, DON'T do business with them! Perhaps, you will be their next victim...The one who paid their quoted prices...Having the company not solve your problem after the work was completed...(the township did at no charge) Claiming that your problem would be solved after the work was performed in invoice 1, then
invoice 2, then invoice 3, then you need to create an invoice 4 with a $5,000 backflow preventer (At this point, it was a NO WAY!)...
*This invoice is an example of an appropriately detailed invoice (I probably wouldn't have got an invoice this detailed if I
hadn't asked for it). Expensive, yes; however, at least I knew what actions were to be performed and at what cost. Worried about my sewage system, I spent $199.95 on a bogus 5-year "Valued Customer Protection Plan"...Buying what I was lead to believe..."Piece of Mind." Also, the stack that was installed on the service call date looked as though it was
used because it was extremely filthy! It was going to be left like that had I not had "needed<according to Mr. Rooter>" more work done! I was told that it could be painted. This service call prompted a camera inspection of the sewage line the following morning, Christmas Day, because the Technician was afraid of getting the snake/rodder stuck in the
sewer line and it being the companies responsibility to free it. I'm left to wonder...how much effort did he actually put into even trying clear the line? No one will ever know.
*This is the back of their invoices. This is a "I'm not responsible for anything" clause, which by Pennsylvania State Contractor Law, could potentially void the contract.
*This is the bogus "Valued Customer Protection Plan" I was talking about earlier. The sales pitch was that I would save money on services. To date, I haven't saved any money on services performed by Mr. Rooter. Except for the first invoice, there is no evidence that I ever received "Membership Pricing." In fact, it would more correct to ascertain that Mr. Rooter took money for services that they fraudulently claimed that I needed and, at the same time, were unable to adequately perform those services. If you feel that you have no other choice but to use Mr. Rooter, I do NOT recommend purchasing this plan. It is not worth it at all. Chances are...You will never use them again, except MAYBE warranty work.
*So, the results of the camera inspection concluded that it was "draining slow," which, by Mr. Rooter standards, requires the sewer line to be replaced. This is not a good enough reason to advise a homeowner to proceed with a costly 30 foot or less sewer line replacement (located under the basement floor), especially since no reasonable effort was made to properly clean the sewer line in the first place. The only obstruction found in the entire sewer line was grease!
After the camera inspection was performed, I was told that I wasn't going to like what I was about to hear would be the only solution to fixing the problem of sewage backing up into my basement...A sewer line replacement. I asked them how much it would cost to which they told me to be prepared to sign away my life savings...$10,000. Isn't that a
line that a crook would use? (Soon, I would find out that is a resounding, yes!) It is like the price of $10,000 was at the tip of their tongue and the way the invoice is written up adequately serves as evidence.
On the invoice, the price magically appears as the total. In addition to the description of the work bordering on legible, there is no price under the standard rate or the member rate to outline what the costs were for the camera inspection, hydrojetting, and the costs associated with removing and installing the sewer line to the first house trap located outside approximately 5' from the basement door. Keep in mind, I am supposed to have the so-called "Member Pricing" and there is no evidence that I ever received it!
Another interesting event was when I was discussing the township rules that I had been researching the night before they arrived to do the camera inspection being newly relocated to the area and unfamiliar with protocol. When I told them that the township's website indicated I was supposed to call the them first, not the plumber regarding the
sewage backup [I wanted to cancel right there and call the township prior to them beginning work], how did they respond? They told me NOT to call the township first, but to call them first. Essentially, they advised me to go against my local government's procedures. For example, Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh's Blog outlines the steps to take in case of a gas leak: 911 and call them. How about more like call 911, call the municipality in which you live, call the utility company, and then maybe call a qualified Master Plumber.
*They told me that if I didn't sign this form and the one below, then they wouldn't do the work. Since sewage backing
up into your basement is considered an emergency (as I learned through HSA) and I was lead to believe by employees of Mr. Rooter that replacing the 30 feet or less of the sewer line from the stack to the pipe under the basement foundation to the house trap located approximately 5 feet or less outside from the basement door would be the ultimate solution to a lifetime of sewer free problems, I forged ahead with the process as they were the ones who showed up
to evaluate the situation...and the ones who evaluated the situation were master plumbers, weren't they? The professionals? There is a difference between a technician and a plumber. The technician is a salesman who knows how to do a few plumbing-related things, but shouldn't be making recommendations to a homeowner about what should be done. So, out of all the employees at Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, how many are master plumbers? Alarmingly, in the state of Pennsylvania, only 1 has to be! Do you want people who are not certified plumbers working on your plumbing system?!?!? I didn't....
The problem with this is that the seller did NOT correct the emergency.
*Another camera inspection was done at this point, revealing a pencil, a battery, and another clogged area. The clogged area viewed while I watched the second camera inspection looked identical to the clogged area on the first video that I begged to have a copy of (I even gave them a 6-pack of DVRs). The clogged area on the first camera inspection turned out to be grease. Now, if the HydroScrub would've been done correctly, it would've been legitimately plausible to "suspect" (or rather see) tree roots with the clog being located so close to the pine trees, but the sewer line was located deep enough where the terra cotta pipes were not affected at all by the tree roots located about one
to two feet above them. After watching videos of hydrojetting procedures, it was clear that Mr. Rooter did not attempt to break up the grease in the sewer line (that I suspected existed because we share the same main line with
an Italian restaurant) by first using a rodder/plumbers snake on the rest of he sewer line prior to hydrojetting as the high pressure from the water would help to push broken up contents through to the main. Even absent the rodder,
appropriate pressure and an appropriate nozzle would've eventually broken up the grease and cleaned the sewer line. Additionally, the pressure of the water and nozzles were probably about as strong as the nozzle attachment that I
have on my garden hose (which is strong considering our efficient water pressure)...The nozzles weren't adjusted or replaced to properly take care of the job. I have seen videos of hydrojetting equipment capable of tearing apart a raw chicken inside PVC pipes!
So, the recommendation this time, was....You guessed it....A sewer line replacement! I told them no. I asked
them what other options were there to fix the problem? Here is were the camera guy/salesman scales it down...[Salesman, going in for the kill]....Well, we could put a 4" (black, flexible) pipe inside the 6" terra cotta pipes for 9,500 (I made him show me the price book and point to the jobs this time). At this point, I asked how much it would be to install a toilet in the basement since the basement floor was already open to which the camera guy/salesman/whatever had responded that he would throw it in at no charge; yet, I couldn't receive "Membership Pricing" for the job being quoted
because his boss would be "mad." So, instead of telling me that I was going to get a toilet installed for $400...He told me an outright lie: That I was going to get a toilet installed at no charge, but charged me anyway by not giving me the "Membership Pricing" I paid for. It states "toilet at no charge" on the invoice. Fraud? Yes! The $4300 was the membership price for the title of one of the jobs he pointed to. On the invoice, did you notice that all the prices are written down under the standard price...that the last two invoices are barely legible?
During the project, they had to call in the hydrojetting truck, the camera guy's brother, to come in and clear the line so
that they could get the pipe in the sewer line. What did they pull out? Grease! They took pictures on their cell phones of the grease extracted (There was more grease in the area that was supposed to be serviced under the invoice).
One of the highlights at the end of the contract period was to watch them backfill the cleanout without gluing/securing
the pipe where it connects to the lateral sewer line. "Oh, it will be ok. The dirt will pack it in. (Well, what about when the dirt shifts?....). The clean-out is even crooked in the yard. Why can't people just follow the protocols that they are supposed to follow?
Speaking of following, Mr. Rooter failed to complete the work according to the terms outlined in the second invoice...They did NOT come to within 2' (or one connection) away from the main line. (FYI, the clog was within the area that they were supposed to have taken care of!) They stopped at least two connections from the main line...Approximately 5+ feet. Who saved the day? The Township! They hydrojetted our line at no charge. The township asked me if Mr. Rooter camera inspected the line after the work was complete to which I responded that they
hadn't. Since the township took care of me, my sewage has been flowing smoothly for 10 months. A few hours before the township shows up to do a "real" hydrojetting procedure WITH the camera (not before, not after...WITH), who shows up? Camera guy/salesman! He had pulled the Mr. Rooter van down into the backyard without our knowledge (You were supposed to park on the street unless otherwise invited to do so). Next thing you know, some man is looking in our front door. Do you know how creepy that is? What was he doing back there before he arrived at our door?
Upon answering the door and explaining our displeasure of forking over $19,500 and continuing to be ankle deep in sewage, despite having nearly every aspect of the sewer line replaced in some fashion, how do you think camera
guy/salesman responded? Another sales pitch! No I recognize your investment, let me see what I can do because we should've fixed it right the first time....It was, again, informing us that the only way to solve our problem was to install a backflow preventer for $5,000 ($4,000 more than the government recommends the final bill for one be). Our response was, "No way!"
*They told me that if I didn't sign this form and the one below, then they wouldn't do the work. Continued to be lead
to believe, by employees of Mr. Rooter, that inserting approximately 40 feet of smaller diameter pipe within the terra cotta pipes to 2' shy of the township's main line would be the solution to a lifetime of sewer free problems (The second invoice's work is warranted for 50 years), I forged ahead with the process as they were the ones who showed up to evaluate the situation. One could say, at this point, this is why you do not want people who aren't certified plumbers evaluating and working on your plumbing system...
The problem with this is that the seller did NOT correct the emergency.
*The final events were equally as draining. When I called Mr. Rooter to try to reach the tech that did the camera inspection for a diagnosis pertaining to the recommendation for a sewer line
replacement, this is what I was met with:
Me: "Hello, is E there?"
Mr. Rooter: "I don't know. Maybe. Who is this?"
A business that I just dropped $20,267.05 at responds to a customer that way?!?!? At that price, they should've been
rolling out a red carpet and bowing to me for being foolish enough to pay for what I did....because I thought I was dealing with professionals. This behavior just confirms the presence of unprofessional and deceptive business
practices at Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh.
Moreover, the concrete slab (2' x 3') in front of the basement door is cracked where the partial portion of concrete was laid because they decided they weren't going to replace the whole slab. It looks horrible! This should've been appropriately completed under the first contract.
While they don't do landscaping, they could've left the yard in walkable condition, instead of leaving it as a hazard to my
disabled mother and anyone else who crossed the yard.
Ultimately, Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh failed to restore flow to the sewer line as contracted. Also, Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh failed to inform the homeowner of the proper procedures in the jurisdiction in where they reside. Additionally, Mr. Rooter advised the homeowner to go against the proper procedures outlined in the the jurisdiction where they reside (once the homeowners figured out what those were). While they are definitely guilty of price gauging (yes, I am remorseful
that I paid Mr. Rooter money to fix absolutely NOTHING! I knew I was going to pay higher prices using a large corporation...No wonder you hide your price book until you show up.), but my main concern here is that I was
defrauded and Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, Mr. Rooter Corporation, and the Dwyer Group have been trying to brush me off.
*This is the relief hole they dug on 12-25-2011, which still backed up so, it wasn't really a relief....
*Basement door (12-25-2011...8 days after we moved in to the new house) and its relative position to the house and the outside area where the house trap is located. Where the basement door begins on the left is where the crack is in the slab. I was still in the "Oh, I called a professional state-of-mind" probably mostly out of desperation.
*You see the filthy stack above the clean-out there. That was a newly delivered, brand new washer and dryer. I am
cringing that the tools are on there with no protection between the tools and the appliance! The camera inspection was conducted on 12-25-2011. Why can't contractors be careful and courteous concerning customers' property?
*A close up of the camera and items we haven't unpacked, yet. 12-25-2011
*Another view of the hole dug on 12-25-2011.
*The crushed pieces of the cover to the top of the house trap that they broke apart with a shovel on 12-25-2011.
*Another view of the top of the house trap, sans cover. 12-25-2011
*12-26-2011 is when they started the work in the basement. At least 90% of all sewer lines, rarely need replaced.
Again, I wonder if a quality hydrojetting procedure would have been all it needed to get it flowing...It would have at least allowed for a better camera inspection of the lateral sewer line in order to determine the validity of their claim. I will never know, though, because the work has already been done. I wish I would've had video cameras watching the entire process. Unfortunately, I couldn't be in the whole time to take pictures due to flying concrete and safety issues; however, I did notice that it was very easy to crack the 3'' terra cotta pipes with a bang of a shovel.
During this time, there was a jackhammer causing major vibrations; thus, that probably had something to do with all the cracks that formed in the terra cotta pipes. On the camera inspection that Mr. Rooter did, I didn't see any cracks in the line...Just clogs and debris sticking to the sides of the pipe.
*The little skinny 3'' terra cotta pipe is coming from underneath the basement door and the large, 6" terra cotta
pipe can be followed out towards the backyard to the township's main line. This is the where the house trap is and where the pipe with the fernco fittings will be sticking out from the ground near the basement door, according
to the first invoice.
*Another angle of where the house trap will be located.
*More of the sewer line exposed. I am still in my "honeymoon" phase with Mr. Rooter at this point....Appreciative that they found this problem...so on and so forth. As I type this, I am seething because I am not even sure that THIS part
of the job was even necessary; however, in a fair manner (not complaining about being charged 3 times what it would've cost with a reputable plumber), I am only seeking the amount of the second invoice cost, which was obtained in a 100% fraudulent manner.
*Did you notice that the location of the crack in the terra cotta pipes is along where the jackhammer had been? I
do. That crack, right there, is so large that it would've been evident on the inside of the pipe. Now, I didn't plan to keep the pipes at the point. It was a replacement, so not cracking them wouldn't have been a concern on the Tech's part. Again, not really making the first contract a huge issue - unless Mr. Rooter does not intend to uphold its lifetime warranty concerning the work in the first part of the sewer replacement/slip-lining process that was completed.
*Another photo of the problem area, which was ultimately filled with grease.
*More images of the excavation.
*See the terra cotta pipe to the right? That is where the basement shower's drain was running originally. Notice that the jackhammer went through that pipe? I'm sure that one was initially fine. Inconveniently, the shower drain was moved and the drain will have to be moved or the shower floor will have to be custom graded. Since they skipped all the way to the bank with our life savings, well....Repairing the shower and restoring it to usable condition is not even in
the cards.
*The location of the shower drain prior to excavation.
*A close up of the sewer line where the basement shower once drained from.
*The trap/backflow area where the sewage was backing up into the house from.
*Video of basement excavation and the removal of terra cotta pipes in preparation for laying down new PVC pipes.
*Video of the basement w/new PVC pipe and gravel...waiting and ready for the concrete to be mixed and poured. If
you compare videos, that shower drain is moved over about 3-5 inches to the left and about 2-4 inches down towards the wall along the basement door leading to the outside.
*Video of camera inspection, which was performed by Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, in reference to the images and video of
the work contained within the first invoice. Did you notice that the camera guy sends the camera through at mock speed? When I was watching it, I paused it at every frame. Other than the grease and the toilet paper that is sticking to the grease on the side of the pipe, I don't see anything truly alarming.
*Video of the sewage backing up AFTER the work was completed. At this point, you can hear that I am exasperated!!!!!!
Did the employee who came to hyrdojet the first time offer to help me clean that up? NO!!!!! Did the employee who came the second time (the same time as the township came out the first time to the assess the situation) it backed up offer to help me up clean a similar mess up? NO!!!!!
I NEVER received a DVD of the second camera inspection, which I should have. The second part of the line, when I was
viewing it during the camera inspection, looked significantly healthier than the first part of the line located underneath the foundation. Like I said, the second invoice was DEFINITELY not necessary at all.
When I get a chance, I will upload pictures of the "finish" work. I can't find or don't have any pictures of the backyard the way they left it (If I do, I will post them) because it went through three different formations; however, if I take a picture around the concrete slab, the first house trap, and the grade of the ground nearby...It is exactly how the entire backyard looked....
Here are the sources where I retrieved the information I used in order to arrive at my assessment of the situation in
addition to my own personal experience with Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh:
Real Hydrojetting Procedure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QCgGXUYm-s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=9eFHsAPUprE
Angie's List
As a member of Angie's list, Mr. Rooter's rating fluctuates between an F and a C.
Better Business Bureau: Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh
D- Rating. 48 complaints closed with the BBB in the last 3 years. 10 complaints closed in the last 12 months. 12 out of the 48 complaints filed against the business were not resolved.
http://www.bbb.org/pittsburgh/business-reviews/plumbers/mr-rooter-of-pittsburgh-in-cranberry-twp-pa-12002891
Target 11: 3 Plumbers on BBB's List of Worst Local Businesses
http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/target-11-3-plumbers-on-bbbs-list-of-worst-local-b/nGgXk/
YellowPages
http://www.yellowpages.com/nationwide/mip/mr-rooter-pittsburgh-11024405
Yelp
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mr-rooter-cranberry
Yahoo
http://local.yahoo.com/info-56781964-mr-rooter-plumbing-pittsburgh-pittsburgh
**Ex-Employees comments here. You learn so much from the people who used to work for Mr. Rooter. Across the
Nation, actually. The same toxic environment is really quite common. If Mr. Beall and other franchisees of the Dwyer Group didn't "work the system," they probably wouldn't be in business. What I admire about sites like this is that record of business' unethical business practices are never removed...It gives consumers a voice...A way to create
solidarity....A way to find others in the area to figure out how to go about gaining the interest of the Attorney General...**
**Another similar situation, but with the same "concern" that Mr. Rooter Corporation/Dwyer Group pretended to show
for me.**
Rip Off Report
http://www.ripoffreport.com/directory/mr-rooter.aspx
**A list of cases concerning Mr. Rooter, with . Again, evidence that deceptive business practices are wide-reaching.**
http://www.ripoffreport.com/home-improvements/mr-rooter/mr-rooter-ripoffed-senior-66-b34bb.htm
**Ex-Employee of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh: "although they give up front prices, their prices are double and sometimes triple what they could and should be. also, they send guys to a house with a main drain clog with a machine they know WILL NOT get the clog. why you may ask, because they want you to pay for another guy to camera the line so he can tell you that it is broke and needs dug up and replaced at a price of thousands. any reputable plumber will tell you that over 90% of the drains under ground DO NOT need dug up and replaced. they are no better then the other major rip off
GILEECE. their guys are ALL paid ONLY commision, if they dont work they dont get paid. the more you pay the more they make. its all a numbers game, the guys have to get as much out of you as they can because they dont know if they will
make anything else or not. call a company that will give you a price over the phone, you will be way better off and will pay so much less.
as far as the senior, he should have paid no more then $500 to have that work done, including all materials and the faucet.??also, they hire people with ZERO plumbing experience. the law says anyone can work as a plumber as long as
they work FOR a master plumber. very few guys at mr rooter actually have a license. the guys that do, hate being there but have very little options, they need to work and need the paycheck. blame the owner and management,most of the
guys have dont like the prices either but have no choice.??DONT FAULT THE WORKERS,FAULT THE OWNERS!!!!!"**
Mr. Rooter's Blog
http://www.rooter2.com/honesty-and-integrity-choosing-a-plumbing-contractor/
**Well, it is a nice piece of writing; however, those concepts are not put into practice....unfortunately. Especially
evident through my experience and the documented experiences of others.**
Like I was, don't be fooled by their advertising and their claims to operating with a code of values. If they were operating by the code of values, I would have needed to create this blog.
I have uploaded some of pictures separately. There seems to be a limit on how many I can put up. Unfortunately, I can't upload the videos on here either.
27 Updates & Rebuttals
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
Blog with Clear Separation of Fact and Opinion About Mr. Rooter
#28Author of original report
Wed, May 15, 2013
A blog format is really much easier to organize and for consumers to follow. The recreated blog, which will provide a clear separation of fact and opinion, can be accessed at: http://howmrrooterofpittsburghrippedusoff.blogspot.com
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
If you would like to follow the case, go to:
#28Author of original report
Fri, March 15, 2013
If you would like to follow the defamation suit filed against me, go to:
https://dcr.alleghenycounty.us/selectcaseid.asp?filename=welcome.htm&nologinrequired=yes
Enter CASE ID: GD-12-021144
I have been looking for the docket in the electronic filing system since I was served with the complaint on 11/19/2012. They left out the zero. Instead of making a two hour trip to the court house and paying for parking on top of filing, I could've filed my answer electronically which would have been considerably cheaper.
As a Pro Se Litigant, I should've been able to locate my case in the electronic filing system to follow the actions in order to ensure that I have the opportunity to take action as it is recorded in the system. By the Plaintiffs serving me with numbers missing, the discrepancy has acted as an obstruction. All communications have had the CASE ID as GD-12-21144. Try looking that up in engine. What happens? Can't be found!
FYI: They still continue to misuse the Angie's List Brand.
They have stated publicly that they are interested in an amicable resolution and people make mistakes; yet, they refuse to contact me or my Mother as THEY are the ones who have refused communication from BOTH of us and have used legal action to communicate that there is no interest in assisting consumers who have used their business to have any issues that arise resolved. To date, all they have communicated to us is that they are not approachable and are not willing to resolve the serious issues, in addition to continuing to pursue legal action to seek damages for statements of opinion that were formed based on factual events that occurred between my mother, myself, Mr. Rooter, Mr. B***. S****, and Ms. T****. So, I guess they are telling fictional stories to the public again, then?
Mr. B**** 's response to consumers on Yahoo has been deleted, but I have a copy of it. It essentially states to the public the sentiment equivalent to how he would never let issues get out of hand to the point that consumers would feel compelled to write a negative review and warn others. (This is my interpretation of the post and I don't have it directly in front of me to repost). Yet, I have seen several former consumers of his business turn to the internet for solidarity, including myself, as well as ex-employees.
It was claimed through an employee of the business in another related report on this website and under this company that he was interested in opening communication and exploring an amicable resolution; however, that is not the case because he still has not moved to contact myself or my mother in addition to seemingly requiring me to tell lies to the public in order to consider resolving issues.
So, essentially, instead of taking actions to resolve issues with consumers that were treated with disrespect and disregard from both the local and corporate entities, the course of action is to bully them and provide false information to lawyer to submit to court because the only information on that complaint that is true is probably the first three paragraphs naming the plaintiffs and the defendant. After that, it is all downhill. So instead of being a stand-up kind of guy...It looks like instead of filing an injection and suing for defamation for $1 to make a point knowing that this is the daughter of the customer that his business breeched contract on his employees used deceptive, high pressure sales tactics and misrepresentation to illicit my mother and myself on my mother's behalf to enter into unnecessary contracts for which the problem was never rectified by their actions.
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
Face Of Deception: A New Location, But Advertising As Most Referred Plumber in Dayton, Ohio!
#28Author of original report
Thu, February 14, 2013
So, I do not get it. I do not understand how the owner of a plumbing company that hasn't even opened its doors for business in a market area (Dayton, Ohio) yet or that has only had its doors open for approximately 8 months in another market area (Youngstown, Ohio) make the following claim:
**"We are the most referred plumbing specialist in the Pittsburgh, Youngstown and Dayton greater areas."** (www.rooter2.com)
While a Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise may have made an appearance in the Dayton, Ohio area a few times over the years, the impression must not have been that great if the territory was available for purchase. I would imagine that a business owner would not want to give up their business if it was successful. For this particular owner, the Dayton, Ohio area is a brand new territory and is not even set to open until March 1, 2013; hence, with the above statement on the main page of their website, they are falsely imputing to the residents of Dayton, Ohio that this owner and the future employees of the Dayton, Ohio location have already served Dayton, Ohio residents and businesses in the time and capacity that one would expect a claim like that to be valid. Considering that Youngstown was only an hour away from their business address in Cranberry, I could see how they might've served some consumers in Southeast Ohio; however, the Dayton, Ohio location is 3 hours and 49 minutes away from Youngstown, Ohio and 4 hours and 5 minutes away from Pittsburgh, PA which does not make it logically possible for this owner to have ever served the Dayton, Ohio area prior to their "Grand Opening" set to take place on March 1, 2013.
I'd love to see the data that proves that they are the most referred plumber meaning that friends, family, and strangers recommend them-especially in Dayton, Ohio, the location that isn't even open yet, under the new owner as well as the newer location in Youngstown, Ohio.
Examples of what I believe to be deceptive advertising include the following behaviors:
-Using the BBB Accreditation Logo on their Website when they weren't BBB Accredited, even though the BBB Accreditation Logo was removed at the same time the Angie's List Super Service Award Logo was removed.
-Misrepresenting the Angie's List Super Service Award Logo, which has been removed as not to impute that all locations were a recipient of the Super Service Award which I do not even see evidence that they earned the reward in the Youngstown, Ohio market as well as the Pittsburgh, PA market. They even have still have a "press release" on their website within their tips or news feed and it can still be found on the internet.
-Communicating that they are the most referred plumbing company in the greater Dayton Area BEFORE they even begin serving the area AND communicating to the greater Youngstown Area that they are the most referred plumbing company in only 8 months of operation. I suspect they advertised the same way to Youngstown consumers before they opened there as well; however, I do not have any evidence to support my opinionI just figured since they did it now, they probably did it then as well.
-Behaviors mentioned in the complaint
-Reported experiences of others
Would you consider the above behaviors to exude honesty, integrity, or respect? I don't.
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
Update & Court Docket Information
#28Author of original report
Mon, February 11, 2013
Hopefully, the drain cleaning will continue to be effective for the person who actually wrote a review citing that she had a positive experience with Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh which now has reviews on the main page of their website at www.rooter2.com, with one of those reviews being from an employee of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh. I imagine that the reviews that get posted will be filtered to only display positive reviews, especially considering I was directed to the following website that hosts the reviews and it does exactly what I thought it was designed to do: http://www.gowebsolutions.com/wp-customer-reviews/. So, if they can't deceive consumers with the Angie's List Logo and the BBB Accreditation Logo that they didn't have the authorization to use, then it appears to be time to try to convince people to call for service by displaying carefully select reviews on the front page of the website (I would imagine that family and friends would be the primary authors of those "positive" reviews).
In a Criminal Court Docket search, there are charges that have been filed against people who I believe are current employees of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh based on the names, descriptions, and places of residence entered within these public documents.
If I were you, I'd ask employees for their business card with their full name and to see their Driver's License/Photo ID in order to note their Name, Date of Birth, and City of Residence before letting them cross your threshold. Proceed with Mr. Rooter's Free Estimate if they comply because then they don't have anything to hide, and then tell them you will get back to them. Then, do a free PA Court Docket search at http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/ as well as an Ohio Court Docket Search (Cleveland, Youngstown, and Dayton Ohio). Be sure to get opinions from 3 or 4 other plumbing companies in the area who do not happen to be called Roto-Rooter or Gillece because they operate in the same manner as Mr. Rooter. In Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh's commercials, the employee hands the woman a magnet instead of a business card - Even I have a Mr. Rooter magnet I can show you and no plumbing license, too!
I feel that employees of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh behaved in a criminal-like manner with us and, based on what I found in my Court Docket search, I can see now why I feel like that. I guess I can't expect people who hire people with criminal dockets to behave ethically toward a consumer or be willing to make a reasonable effort to resolve issues that arise in a fair and equitable manner.
If Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh or Mr. Rooter Corporate showed any change in intentions to resolve the serious issues presented in this complaint, then I would be the first one to report their efforts. A business who admits mistakes and makes an effort to right a wrong instills a higher level of trust. If this was just about price, I wouldn't be here. It is about ethicsIt is about completing the agreed upon contract.It is about applying discounts that were purchased beforehandIt is about honesty and integrity. There is a steady stream of people who turn to corporate for help with local franchisees and corporate regularly turns their back on them just as their local franchisee did; yet, in the same breath, they profess to implement their "Code of Values and deliver" "World Class Customer Service."
Unfortunately, I have only observed the local Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh prematurely accept an Angie's List Super Service Award (Youngstown Area with the award's minimum requirement being 12 months of service) that they technically weren't even eligible for based on the stated guidelines; however, the article about their receipt of the award continues to be present within Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh's news feed on their website, on the Mr. Rooter of Youngstown Facebook page, and on Mr. Rooter Corporation's Facebook Page and, probably, their Twitter feeds. Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh was not in compliance with Angie's List terms as they had the Angie's List logo all through their website which falsely implied that all locations were recipients of the award and included it as part of their advertising which was removed from their website. I'd wait until 2013 to see if they actually earn the Angie's List Super Service Award for Youngstown during their period of REAL eligibility. I have family in Youngstown, Ohio and there is no record of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh receiving a Super Service Award in that market either. Another example of their "honesty" is when they had displayed a BBB Accreditation logo on their website in an attempt to instill a false sense of security into potential consumers even though they do not have BBB Accreditation. The BBB Logo was removed at the same time as the Angie's List Super Service Award Logo probably because they were concerned about the BBB finding out about it and taking action against them (FYI: Advertising that you are BBB Accredited when you are not could be considered something like theft, fraudulent advertising, theft by deception, copyright infringement, etc).
Below are examples of some of the charges I observed from the Criminal Dockets by people who fit the description of current Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh employees. Two of the employees we had direct contact with and one employee I believe we may have had phone contact with. I do not want to give the full names of the employees and publish the docket numbers that I am 99.99% sure belong to a few of the employees of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, even though it is public information, because it could possibly harm their future employment opportunities and even indirectly hurt their families - even though these are the same Mr. Rooter employees that lied to my mother and I directly and about what really happened with regard to our situation to their employer AND these are the same employees that didn't have a conscious about what they did to us as a result of their lies. Now I understand also why the local company has a Drug and Alcohol Awareness Program
**Some of the information I could not find that show the final judgements in the following cases, but some of the information I was able to locate. I am interpreting the Court Dockets based on the information that is publicly available and to the best of my ability. I am not a lawyer so my interpretation of the dockets may or may not contain errors. The reason that I am omitting the Court Docket Number, the names, the birth-dates, the physical descriptions, and the addresses of the offenders in the Criminal Dockets is because posting it in a permanent forum like this would be cruelAs cruel as it was to ignore my mother and I and file a Defamation suit, disguised as a SLAPP suit, against me because I have been too detailed about the truth of our situation, the situation of others, what I've learned about Mr. Rooter Plumbing and Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh, and what I continue to learn.**
Based on what I uncovered in the Court Dockets, I've noticed that individual employees have had criminal charges brought against them and have been in our home, with the most disturbing of the charges committed being activities like "Criminal Conspiracy," "Assault," "Theft," "Criminal Trespass,"Tamper With/Fabricate Physical Evidence," and "Identity Theft." There have been approximately 26 Civil Suits filed against Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh and its local President, Vice President, and employees, with the Plaintiff prevailing in what appears to be 15/26 or 58% of the cases. The Civil Docket numbers are there to look up directly at http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/ .
Employee 1: Repeat Offender
-11/24/1997
Charges
*Int Poss Contr Subst By Per Not Reg Probation 6 Months
-7/29/1998
Charges
*Criminal Conspiracy Engaging Guilty Plea Confinement 1 Month & Probation 2 Years
*Simple Assault
Guilty Plea
-5/06/1999: Retail Theft-Take Mdse Guilty Plea 30 Days Confinement 5/12/1999-6/10/1999
Dismissed Charges:
*Receiving Stolen Property
*Retail Theft-Take Mdse
*Conspire Retail Theft-Take Mdse
-10/09/1999:
Charges
*Retail Theft-Take Mdse
*Disorderly Conduct Engage In Fighting
*Def Tres Actual Communication To
Confinement 10/09/1999-10/13/1999
-2/29/2000
Charges
*Crim Tres-Enter Structure Guilty Plea Probation 12 Months
*Retail Theft-Take Mdse Guilty Plea Probation 2 Years
*Disorderly Conduct Guilty Plea
-10/01/2002
NON-TRAFFIC DOCKET
Retail Theft (Foodland) Inactive
-12/05/2002
Charges
*Retail Theft-Take Mdse Guilty Plea Probation 1 year
*Drug Paraphernalia Guilty Plea Probation 1 year
-3/27/2004
NON-TRAFFIC DOCKET
Disorderly Conduct Guilty Plea
-06/18/2004
Charges
*Simple Assault
*Aggravated Assault
*Tamper With/Fabricate Phys'l Evidence
Simple Assault
Guilty Plea Probation 2 Years
Tamper With/Fabricate Phys'l Evidence Guilty Plea Confinement 8 Days
Employee 2:
-12/08/2003
Charges
*Theft By Unlaw Taking-Movable Prop
*Receiving Stolen Property
*Disorder Conduct Hazardous/Physi Off
Theft By Unlaw Taking-Movable Prop Guilty Plea Probation 1 Year
Employee 3: Repeat Offender
-12/30/2011
Charges
*Habitual Offenders
*Drg Lic Sus/Rev Purs to Sec 3802/1547B1
*Duties At Stop Sign
Drg Lic Sus/Rev Purs to Sec 3802/1547B1 Guilty Plea
-6/06/2005
Charges
*DUI: Highest Rate of Alc (BAC.16+) 1st Off
*Duties At Stop Sign
*Driving at Safe Speed
*Reckless Driving
*Drg Lic Sus/Rev Purs to Sec 3802/1547B1
*Dr Unregist Veh
*Oper Veh W/O Req'd Financ Resp
DUI: Highest Rate of Alc (BAC.16+) 1st Off Guilty Plea Confinement 1-2 Years
-10/02/2001
Charges
*Driving Under The Influence Of Alcohol
*Dr W/BI Alc Lev .10% Or Greater
*Careless Driving
*Dr W/BI Alc Lev .08% Or Greater Guilty Plea Confinement 2 Days -11 Months 29 Days
-10/27/2000
Charges
*Driving Under The Influence Of Alcohol
*Dr W/BI Alc Lev .10% Or Greater
*Fail To Yield To Emerg Veh
*Careless Driving
*Fleeing Or Attempting To Elude Officer
*Driving W/O A License
Employee 4: Repeat Offender
-12/22/1997
Charges
*Driving Under The Influence Of Alcohol
*Adult W/BI Alc Lev .10% Or Greater 1st Off
*Adult BI Alco Lev .10% Or > W/In 3 Hrs 1st Off
*Disregard Traffic Lane (Single)
*Driving At Safe Speed
-10/18/2004
Charges
*Use/Poss Of Drug Paraph
*Int Poss Contr Subst By Per Not Reg
*Disorderly Conduct - Summary
Use/Poss Of Drug Paraph Guilty Plea 3 months - 18 months
Int Poss Contr Subst By Per Not Reg Guilty Plea 3 months - 18 months
-12/01/2004
Charges
*DUI: Cont Subs-Imp Ability - 1st Off
*Driving W/O A License
DUI: Cont Subs-Imp Ability - 1st Off Guilty Plea Confinement - 3 months - 18 months
-07/15/2010
Charges
*Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver
*Int Poss Contr Subst By Per Not Reg
*Poss Of Marijuana
*Use/Poss Of Drug Paraph
Int Poss Contr Subst By Per Not Reg Guilty Plea Probation 12 Months
-8/31/2012
Charges
*Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver
*Int Poss Contr Subst By Per Not Reg
*Use/Poss Of Drug Paraph
Awaiting Trial 2/24/2013
Employee 5: Repeat Offender
-1/06/1995
Charges
*Burglary
*Crim Tres-Enter Structure
*Theft By Unlaw Taking-Movable Prop
*Receiving Stolen Property
*Crim'l Misch-Tamper W/Property
*Disorder Conduct Hazardous/Physi off
-01/26/1995
Charges
*Burglary
*Crim Tres-Enter Structure
*Crim Tres-Break into Structure
*Theft Of Services-Acquis Of Service
Crim Tres-Enter Structure
Guilty Plea
Theft Of Services-Acquis Of Service Guilty Plea
-04/19/1999
Charges
*Theft By Decep-False Impression
-06/24/2004
Charges
*Access Device Issd To Another Who Did Not Auth Use
*Identity Theft
Guilty Plea 24 Months Probation
CIVIL DOCKETS INVOLVING MR. ROOTER & THEIR EMPLOYEES
ACTIVE CASES
1.
Docket Number: MJ-05205-CV-0000294-2012
Changrong Zhu v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
2.
Docket Number: MJ-05219-CV-0000291-2012
Carol A Noonan v. Mr Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh
CLOSED CASES
1.
Docket Number: MJ-10105-CV-0000247-2011
Municipal Authority of the City of New Kensington v. Robert A Beall, Carol A Beall
Default Judgement For The Plaintiff
2.
Docket Number: MJ-50306-CV-0000316-2009
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply, Inc v. Robert A Beall, Carol A Beall, Mr Rooter Of Pittsburgh
Default Judgement For The Plaintiff
3.
Docket Number: MJ-05220-CV-0000148-2008
David/shannon Dominick v. Mr. Rooter Plumbing, Robert Beall
Withdrawn
4.
Docket Number: MJ-36201-CV-0000120-2007
Lovefrank & Susan v. Mr Rooter Plumbing, Robert Beall
Judgement For The Defendant
5.
Docket Number: MJ-50304-CV-0000746-2003
Park West Associates v. Robert A Beall
Settled
6.
Docket Number: MJ-05236-CV-0000133-2001
Joseph R. Doerzbacher v. Robert A. Beall
Default Judgement For Plaintiff
Order Of Execution Expired
Order Of Execution Requested
[This poor person probably never got the judgement that they were entitled to]
7.
Docket Number: MJ-05202-CV-0000335-2005
Fred Lepant v. Mr Rooter
Judgement For Plaintiff
8.
Docket Number: MJ-27305-CV-0000063-2004
Mark S Mansfield v. Mr Rooter, Brian Manager Tomlinson
Settled
9.
Docket Number: MJ-05202-CV-0000180-2008
Kathleen G Sheehan v. Mr Rooter, Robert A Beall Inc
Settled
10.
Docket Number: MJ-14201-CV-0000082-2010
Allstate Insurance Company, M Lukac v. Mr Rooter Of Cranberry Twp
Settled
11.
Docket Number: MJ-10203-CV-0000134-2003
Heidi Winslow, Russell Winslow v. Mr Rooter Of Pittsburgh
Judgement For Plaintiff
Civil Appeal Filed
12.
Docket Number: MJ-05212-CV-0000094-2012
Richard Thomas Horvatin v. Mr Rooter Of Pittsburgh
Judgement For Plaintiff
13.
Docket Number: MJ-36101-CV-0000278-2010
Andrew Kirish v. Mr Rooter Of Pittsburgh
Judgement For Plaintiff
14.
Docket Number: MJ-05316-CV-0000039-2005
Timothy Underwood v. Mr Rooter Of Pittsburgh
Judgement For Plaintiff
15.
Docket Number: MJ-10209-CV-0000023-2005
Charles J Clegg, Patricia L Clegg v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Judgement For Plaintiff
16.
Docket Number: MJ-05242-CV-0000870-2005
Diana M. Held v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Judgement For Plaintiff
17.
Docket Number: MJ-10311-CV-0000164-2006
Mary Jane & Joseph Malego v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Default Judgement For Plaintiff
18.
Docket Number: MJ-05206-CV-0001449-2006
Paul M Johnson v. Mr Rooter Plumbing, Mr Rooter Plumbing
Judgement For Defendant
19.
Docket Number: MJ-14203-CV-0000072-2011
Melissa A Rohrer v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Judgement For Plaintiff
20.
Docket Number: MJ-36201-CV-0000324-2010
Rhoda Shingler v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Settled
21.
Docket Number: MJ-05243-CV-0000344-2008
Verizon Pennsylvania,inc v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Default Judgement For Plaintiff
22.
Docket Number: MJ-05205-CV-0000143-2011
David Barr v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Judgement For Plaintiff
23.
Docket Number: MJ-27103-CV-0000206-2004
Bertha C Borden v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Settled
24.
Docket Number: MJ-36201-CV-0000261-2001
Kathryn Johnston v. Mr Rooter/Robert Beall
Judgement For Plaintiff
MR ROOTER PLUMBING OF PITTSBURGH TRAFFIC DOCKETS
1.
Docket Number: MJ-10201-TR-0000383-2013
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Mr Rooter Of Pittsburgh
Charges
*GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR BRAKING SYSTEMS
ACTIVE TRAFFIC DOCKET
2.
Docket Number: MJ-05201-TR-0005138-2010
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Charges
*STREET SWEEPING Guilty Plea
3.
Docket Number: MJ-53304-TR-0003216-2011
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Charges
*OPER/PERM OP W/UNSAFE EQMT/ Dismissed
4.
Docket Number: MJ-53302-TR-0000192-2013
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Charges
*OPER/PERM OP W/UNSAFE EQMT/
ACTIVE TRAFFIC DOCKET
5.
Docket Number: MJ-53303-TR-0000288-2012
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Charges
*OPER/PERM OP W/UNSAFE EQMT/ Guilty Plea
6.
Docket Number: MJ-53304-TR-0000971-2012
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Mr Rooter Plumbing
Charges
*OPER/PERM OP W/UNSAFE EQMT/ Guilty Plea
7.
Docket Number: MJ-10104-TR-0000621-2012
Mr Rooter Plumbing
Charges
*OPER/PERM OP W/UNSAFE EQMT/ Guilty Plea
8.
Docket Number: MJ-05221-TR-0000863-2011
Mr Rooter Plumbing Of Pittsbur
Charges
*OPER/PERM OP W/UNSAFE EQMT/ Guilty Plea
MR ROOTER PLUMBING OF PITTSBURGH NON-TRAFFIC DOCKETS
1.
Docket Number: MJ-50304-NT-0000017-2011
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Mr Rooter Of Pittsburgh
Charges
*FAILURE TO FILE A BUSINESS PRIVILEGE TAX RETURN Dismissed
2.
Docket Number: MJ-50304-NT-0000017-2011
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Mr Rooter Of Pittsburgh
Charges
*FAILURE TO FILE A BUSINESS PRIVILEGE TAX RETURN
SUMMONS CANCELLED
ACTIVE NON-TRAFFIC DOCKET
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
They still continue to engage in false advertising...If it was false, then they would step up to the plate and make it right with my mother, but they have refused.
#28Author of original report
Sat, February 09, 2013
The owner of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, Mr. Rooter of Youngstown, and Mr. Rooter of Dayton (Opening March 1, 2012) have made a new video which advertises that their company does the following:
http://www.superpages.com/bp/Warrendale-PA/Mr-Rooter-Of-Pittsburgh-L2235570925.htm?&rwtab=1#BPvideoContainer
Mr Rooter Of Pittsburgh
2327 Murray Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Click here for more info (http://www.rooter2.com/)
(412) 421-0607
"Fast Service 24 hours a day...7 days a week. Never an overtime charge. No mess..No Wait...No Surprises. Plumbing, sewer & Drain problems - call us! WHY CALL US FIRST? You know the price, before we start - fixed right the first time - clean, professional technicians - scheduled appointment times - workmanship & parts guaranteed. - IMMEDIATE RESPONSE!"
Here is the TRUTH about their claims:
1. "No Surprises" - This is not accurate. We were surprised to learn that what the service technician told us and what was written on the invoice were different. They did not apply membership pricing to the invoice as they should've.
2. If your drain is clogged, NEVER call them first because it is highly unlikely that you will be offered appropriate options to address your issue(s) due to the fact that the "professional technicians" that come to your home probably do not possess a master plumbing license or even a journeyman plumbing license or maybe not even an apprentice plumbing license because their primary function is that of a salesman (PA does not require a plumbing license to work as a plumber and neither do the ads offering employment opportunities to Mr. Rooter "service technicians" in PA and OH)! A better bet to solve drainage backup issues would be to call A1 Sewer Sewer Cleaning Specialists (We wish we would have!) http://www.a1sewer.com/ if you are in the Pittsburgh area!
3. "Fixed Right The First Time" - They do NOT fix the problem right the first time because if they did then I wouldn't be here! These are the same people who swore up and down that our problem would be fixed within the scope of the first $10,000 invoice (claiming that 30 feet of sewer line needed replaced when they only camera inspected 10 feet). Then, swore up and down that our problem would be fixed within the scope of the second $9,500 invoice (they did not come to within 2' of the main sewer line). Upon completion of the work, they promised that we wouldn't experience any further sewage backups in our basement; however, we experienced sewage backups in our basement for THREE WEEKS UPON COMPLETION OF WORK. What's even worse is that their hyrojetting trucks came out TWICE after the work was completed to address the continued sewage backups, but they were unable to properly clear the line. Fed up with their incompetence, we called the local sewage authority and they were able to clear the sewer line out video-assisted at no charge to us. I would be wary of using Mr. Rooter because they promise that their hyrojetting procedure can remove years of accumulated grease in addition to hair, roots, etc.; thus, one could reasonably conclude that they should have been able to remove the solidified grease that was in 3 or 4 locations within the sewer line - especially considering they knew grease was a potential problem during the first invoice after removing it from that portion of the lateral sewer line. While it is possible that they weren't skilled enough to remove the grease from the lateral sewer line, I believe their failure to remove the grease was largely due to the fact that they were trying to sell additional unnecessary products and services (sewage backflow preventer for $5,000)! Considering that the basement has been sewage free for 12 months, it is OBVIOUS that we didn't need the $5,000 product that a government website says should cost anymore than $1,000 installed!
If you use Mr. Rooter, it is like playing the lotteryYou MIGHT have your problem taken care of; however, based on the volume of complaints I've read it is unlikely.
4. "Workmanship & Parts Guaranteed" - See #3. They do not stand by their claims. I have attached a photo of their "workmanship" and their workmanship continues to devalue our neighborhood. Did they address the fact that they had performed unnecessary services and failed to resolve the issue which was the reason for entering into contract in the first place- especially with regard to the second contract for $9,500 which I asked to be refunded in order to be fair considering the work didn't need done, they charged us $400 for a "free" toilet, they didn't complete the work to where they stated on the $9,500 contract, and they ignored the poorly installed section of concrete slab that they were responsible for restoring to original condition? No! This company practices avoidance once they have all of your money. It is against the law to accept payment in full for contract work totaling more than $1,000. No more than 1/3 payment should've been accepted prior to work beginning; yet, they had the full amount processed on each contract day. Never EVER sign the emergency forms so that you can exercise your rights under the FTC and take video and photos of the entire process and record where it is legal to record (which isn't PA).
5. Bottom line, based on their behavior with regard to our experience, it would not be wise to trust them or corporate considering I can produce evidence of corporate giving my mother the runaround and lying to us and I can also provide BBB documentation that shows the exchange between Mr. Rooter and myself where it is evident that they ignored the concerns I brought up and changed their claim of the condition of our sewer line from draining slow on the invoice to claiming it was completely blocked.
6. People make mistakes all the time; however, this company is not willing to take ownership of the injustice that occurred and do the ethical thing with regard to my mother's situation. It is also obvious that their business ethics are questionable when dealing with other consumers as well as reported by them. Think of how many people haven't reported their losses who have used Mr. Rooter.
What we should do is get together and figure out how to raise funds to put up a billboard that displays photographs of the workmanship that Mr. Rooter advertises they stand behind. Perhaps people may ask them to explain why they would do that to consumers? Billboards aren't cheap, either!
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
Thank you, Angie's List! Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh's Website Is A Mess!
#28Author of original report
Tue, January 29, 2013
I want to thank Angie's List for listening to a customer's concern (take a hint Mr. Rooter!) and requiring Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh/Youngstown/Dayton to advertise appropriately on its website www.rooter2.com as to not mislead consumers into believing that an award was intended to represent all locations. The award was intended for the Youngstown area - even though the business hasn't been established in the Youngstown area for the minimally required 12 months to receive the Super Service Award for that area.
The ribbon cutting for Mr. Rooter of Youngstown wasn't until June 2012 and award eligibility closed October 2012! Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh accepted the award prematurely as it was their duty to ethically inform Angie's List of the time that they were open and serving the area. I would wait and see if they actually really earn the award in 2013 for Youngstown and not Dayton because Dayton wouldn't be eligible yet!
Oh, and the BBB Accreditation logo has been removed from www.rooter2.com. Perhaps I was correct in that they had that logo up on their website without permission because there is still no proof that they are members of the BBB. In fact, very few Mr. Rooter locations sought BBB accreditation. Not that BBB accreditation matters at all because no one with any common sense actually evaluates the correspondence and makes a logical determination.
I just realized that there are even more inconsistencies in public statements made by Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh/Youngstown/Dayton and its local president Mr. Beall.
http://www.rooter2.com/about-us/president/
Statement 1 "He moved to Pittsburgh, Pa., when a business opportunity presented itself. In 2001, he purchased his Mr. Rooter franchise. Today, he runs the business with 50 employees and $8 million in sales."
http://www.rooter2.com/wkbn-channel-27-youngstown-caring-for-our-community/
Statement 2 "A valley native, Beall opened his first Mr. Rooter franchise, twenty years ago in the greater Pittsburgh area and has realized his ambition to bring back to his hometown the same kind of professional plumbing service his father provided many years ago."
http://www.rooter2.com/about-us/president/about/
Statement 3 "So when Beall met his wife Carol, he asked her if she wanted to go into the plumbing business. In 1994, they started B&C Plumbing in Cleveland. It was slow going at first, but eventually the business grew. After a few years they decided to sell the company to Rescue Rooter, a division of consolidator ServiceMaster. After working for them a while, he decided to quit and start something new.
The Bealls then bought a Mr. Rooter franchise in the Pittsburgh area, which serves the southwest corner of Pennsylvania. The company made a profit of $9,000 on more than $53,000 in sales the first month. That was with three trucks. Now the company has 30 trucks and about 40 employees and it is on pace to do $4 million in sales this year."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2K_2F6dURk
Statement 4 "60 employees."
So, in one publication he states that he opened Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh in 2001. Well, the last time I checked, we were in the early part of 2013; thus, the business has been in operation for 12 years. Now, wait a minuteIn his new service area, he tells them he opened his first Mr. Rooter franchise 20 years ago, which would mean that he has been in business since 1993. But wait a minute, in another publication, he talks about the business he had in Cleveland Ohio in 1994. He also mentions that he has 50 employees and $8 million in sales, then he says he has $4 million in sales and 40 employees, and in an interview earlier this year he said that he had 60 employees.
So, which is it Mr. Beall? 12 years or 20 years in business as Mr. Rooter? 40, 50, or 60 employees? $4 million or $8 million? Pick a number and stick with itpreferably the accurate number and/or accurately report your growth - like what year you were at $4 million and 40 employees to what might be current which is at $8 million and 50 employees (even though it looks like you got rid of 10 people this year based on your advertising on Showcase Pittsburgh).
Oh, and your kids appear to be miscounted as well. What I mean by that is on Showcase Pittsburgh you said that you had eight children, but you've only mentioned that you had a total of 7 children on your website. At one point you state that your wife (not you) has 4 adult children and that you both have adopted 3 children (the ones we see in the commercials); however, in another twist you state in other documentation that you both have 5 biological children and 2 adopted children in addition to fostering 15 children.
I find it strange that even information about your family isn't consistent. So, the consensus must be that you have an estimated 8 children and adopted an estimated 2 or 3 of them. While the point here is not for the public to know how many children you have and what their exact composition is because details about your family isn't anyone's business. The point here is accuracy in what you choose to publicly report and that is a consumer's business as it sends us a clear message about what kind of people we are dealing with.
Is it even possible for anyone in the Mr. Rooter Plumbing brand or any brand under The Dwyer Group to tell the truth? Is it possible that your full-time media person needs help with editing and fixing the broken links and applying data to logically titled pages? For example, if you go to residential, then drain cleaning, and then hydrojetting on rooter2.com you get information about a septic tank and its associated drainfield. Seriously, that isn't even relevant to hydrojetting and should be under its own category under residential even though it may be possible that a business could be operating with a septic tank.
As a business owner, I would not be happy if a full-time media person that I hired left the business page up practically blank for a substantial period of time considering all your advertising directs consumers there and didn't have it appropriately updated because it doesn't make your business look good. There are a lot of inaccuracies among verbal or written statements from you, your business, and corporate and you should probably address them. I would imagine that it would be difficult for the consumer to determine what content is actually accurate and may begin to question if it is safe to do business with a business who is not being honest and open with their consumers, in addition to making the unfortunate discovery that advertised promises are rarely, if ever, kept.
Another thing that I find annoying and inappropriate about the www.rooter2.com website is that links to other irrelevant sites are included. For example, there is a lottery site link. The lottery site link looks like one of those scam lottery sites that you probably want to stay away from. I have even seen people asking on forums if that website was legit. The color scheme on the lottery site is horrendous. Not-to-mention, the text color chosen for the Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh/Youngstown/Dayton is horrible and blue. It looked better and more professional several revisions ago.
I'd rather look at corporate's webpage because it is less cluttered and has a slightly better color scheme and its links make sense. Any links provided on your company website should be content relevant. A link to rigid tools or something would be appropriate, but a lottery site?!?!? The lottery would ideally not be relevant unless Mr. Rooter Plumbing is trying to communicate that the probability of them actually fixing your problem is like playing the lotteryWhich, based on my experience, is accurate because apparently we weren't lucky enough to have the problem solved or anything ethical done to address the string of broken promises.
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
John, I agree!
#28Author of original report
Mon, January 28, 2013
We, as consumers, are being deceived in a variety of ways by many if not almost all of their locations as well as their corporate office.
I have observed that consumer complaints are posted on Mr. Rooter Corporate's social media sites on a relatively consistent basis, with corporate demonstrating violations of their Code of Values regularly and in a public manner.
According to their online behavior, these are the values that I see are being violated http://www.dwyergroup.com/code-of-values.asp :
"treating others as we would like to be treated." [Ignores Consumers]
"listening with the intent to understand what is being said and acknowledge that what is said is important to the speaker." [Ignores Consumers]
"responding in a timely fashion." [I guess they think that the impersonal auto-response constitutes a timely response. Then, consumers are still complaining that they are waiting to hear back from manager of customer service days, weeks, months, years, or not at all. Be careful with the manager of customer service because she will tell you she's already spoken with you even though that conversation never took place! So, they make stuff up as they go along!]
"making only agreements we are willing, able and intend to keep." [They probably shouldn't be falsely telling consumers that they are willing to help them when they are clearly not willing to do so.]
"operating in a responsible manner "above the line" [Ignores Consumers. Makes up excuses.]
"making our best effort to understand and appreciate the customers' needs in every situation." [Ignores Consumers]
In other news, this is a link to an interview that the president of the local Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, PA/Youngstown, OH/Dayton, OH posted on their YouTube page. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE75uQcED50. Between 1:32 and 2:46, you can hear him talking about the technologies they have. Well, I don't know about you but when he discusses the pipebursting technology and states "We actually pull an old pipe through an old pipe," I wouldn't want to pay 10k to have his company pull an old sewer pipe through the existing old sewer pipe. So, that's what they must've done to us since the salesman verbally called it a pipebursting procedure which may or may not explain what was written on Invoice 105742What must've happened then, since the sewer kept backing up after they were done, is that they pulled an old pipe through our existing old pipe and charged us for an old pipe that didn't cost them anything. Considering that that Mr. Rooter can't seem to keep their story straight, I can't believe anything they say. Advertised as a master plumber, the statement he made on TV deeply concerns me and it should concern you.
John
Memphis,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
Another Disturbing Facet
#28Consumer Suggestion
Sun, January 27, 2013
If you look at their websites first page you'll see that they only mention the 'Mr. Rooter Plumber'. There is NO mention of a 'plumbing technician' who will most likely show up at your door. Personally, I consider that a deceitful statement. Why don't they expound on the benefits of a non-licensed plumber showing up at your door to sell you services you probably don't need?
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
Are they honest and ethical? Have extensive background checks been performed?
#28Author of original report
Mon, January 21, 2013
So, I have a valid question here about the claims made by Mr. Rooter Plumbing Corporation and Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh/Youngstown/Soon-To-Be Dayton
According to the current version of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh's website, http://www.rooter2.com/services/youngstown/, they claim the following:
"Our plumbers have undergone extensive background checking and training so you know your plumbers are technically proficient, honest and ethical."
Really? Are they honest and ethical? Have extensive background checks been performed?
I'm not familiar with the employees at the Youngstown location, but I had some, shall we say, interesting finds doing a court docket search on several of the employees who have been dispatched out of the Pittsburgh location. (Some of the employees dispatched from the Pittsburgh location have probably served the Youngstown location due to the fact that some of the cities in PA are still considered part of the Pittsburgh area and Youngstown isn't that far from the Pittsburgh location.)
Since PA and OH do not require plumbing licenses to work for a plumber as long as you work for a master plumber, that would explain why I came across a job description that read the following (These are the people we have working in our homes! These are the people who we've trusted to give us plumbing advice! These are the people who made us believe that we needed expensive sewer line replacement/restoration options that didn't even solve the problem that we called about! Yikes! I am not against training people because training people in a trade is important, but trainees/unlicensed plumbers should NEVER be giving homeowners plumbing advice on major repairs! That should be done IN PERSON (not over the phone when they "call their boss") by a master plumber (credentials checked)NEVER an apprentice!! Yes, we learned that lesson far too late!):
http://www.glassdoor.com/job-listing/job.htm?jl=448580659
Plumbing Service Professional #4
Company DescriptionWe live R.I.C.H. at Mr. Rooter with our Code of Values.
Respect
Treating others as we would like to be treated
Responding in a timely fashion
Speaking calmly and respectfully without profanity and sarcasm
Integrity
Making only agreements we are willing, able and intend to keep.
Operating in a responsible manner; "above the line."
Communicating honestly and with purpose
Customer Focus
Making the best effort to understand and appreciate the customers needs in every situation
Having fun in the process!
EOEJob Description
Mr. Rooter Plumbing is looking for experienced plumbing and drain cleaning professionals looking to increase their income with a full time plumbing and drain cleaning position. Position is a second shift service position! Great job security for motivated individuals. We have never had to lay anyone off yet! Shift is from 2:00p.m. To 10:00p.m. Applicants must be self-motivated individuals willing to work hard and be compensated well. Average salary is between $30,000-$50,000+ each year. Paid vacation after one year of employment. Positions available immediately.
Experience in plumbing and drain cleaning is required! License is not necessary to apply. Must have a clean driving record and be able to pass a background check.
40-60 hours per week!
Great team atmosphere! Bonus and growth opportunities available to all.
Company vehicle provided when on call!
Competitive wages!
Apply in person at 945 N Trimble, Mansfield, OH. No Phone Calls, Please.
EOE
I also have a copy of the job description for a "Service Technician" at a PA Mr. Rooter Plumbing location which was posted November 30, 2012 and is no longer active from the website https://mrrooter.hyrell.com/position_details.aspx?PID=370. The reason I kept a copy is that under the job description, one of the bullets stated the following:
"Works with the Field Manager to mutually establish performance improvements and targets. Monitors his own performance levels and trains to achieve the optimum level available for his abilities. This includes Big Board indicators, use of inspections, menu pricing, promotion of membership plans, hydro scrubbing, video inspection of lines, replacements, bio-products, and other add-on services."
In my opinion, that statement confirms, for me, that what ex-employees and others have reported is most likely accurate information. They REQUIRE employees to sell anything and everything they can (whether or not you need it appears to be incidental at least in our case and from what I read from others online.). The stated requirements for this job position are:
"high school diploma or GED required, one year of field experience in the trade required, a current and unrestricted driver's license, a clean driving record, a set of professional-grade and tools, physical stamina hand-eye and balance required to perform all the requirements of this position, current and and unrestricted driver's license, a great attitude good presence and energy good team player, and ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instruction."
So, where are the other background check requirements here? Where are the FBI, criminal history, child abuse, and drug screening clearances? Mr. Rooter Plumbing tells consumers how safe and trusted and experienced they are and not only did we not directly experience it with the Pittsburgh location and the corporate office, I'm not finding evidence of it in print either. All they appear to require is that employees are legal to drive their vehicles (based on court dockets, several pittsburgh employees have ran into traffic violations so they don't all have clean driving records - even a Mr. Rooter employee was responsible for a fatal 3-22-2012 hit-and-run accident http://triblive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/s_789274.html#axzz2IYRDxY00). Since Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchises are individually owned and operated, the business ethics of the owners/operators would come to play here as well as any local, state, and federal guidelines for running a trades-based business.
Again, I keep saying itI wish that what they advertise to consumers would be the truth. I love the idea of the Code of Values, but I wish consumers were on the receiving end of those values. Please protect yourself if you choose Mr. Rooter Plumbing (i.e. plenty of: witnesses, photos, videos, keep their documents in a safe place, etc., and never leave them unattended in your home).
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
It seems as though Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh is advertising their business with half-truths...
#28Author of original report
Thu, January 17, 2013
Again, I am concerned about the seemingly deceptive way that Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh advertises itself and how unsuspecting consumers could potentially be exploited by their tactics because they trust entities like the BBB or Angie's List. To date, I cannot find any solid evidence that shows they actually have BBB Accreditation or that they are undergoing any type of review that would explain why a BBB Accreditation Logo was attached to their website (http://www.rooter2.com/). To date, I cannot find any solid evidence that shows they are recipients of the 2012 Angie's List Super Service Award. Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh's website advertises an Angie's List Super Service Award logo on their website (http://www.rooter2.com/) which falsely communicates that all of their locations were recipients of that award when, in fact, the only location that was a recipient of that award appears to be Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Youngstown, Ohio. The location that receive the award should get the credit, not all of the locations on the entire website.
Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Ohio was opened by Mr. Beall in June of 2012 (http://www.prweb.com/releases/youngstown/mrrooter/prweb9626569.htm). Essentially, the location has been open by its newest owner and general manager for approximately seven months at this point in time. The business ownership is new and their goal, as any business' goal should be, is to make a good impression on the local area in order to build a customer base and generate income. Since its opening, it appears as though they paid for membership to be part of the Home Builder's Association (simply put - an organization that appears to be a contractor's version of the BBB) and had an interview on YTV with the HBA about the new Youngstown Ohio Mr. Rooter Plumbing location in October 2012. (https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=501577296527729).
I imagine that even their new business location in Youngstown, Ohio is fraught with unsatisfied customers of either the vocal majority (like myself) or the silent majority similar to the Pittsburgh, PA location. I found a review from a consumer on YellowPages concerning Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Youngstown, Ohio. (http://www.yellowpages.com/youngstown-oh/mip/mr-rooter-473953061). Based on that review, I suspect that similar events like the one I described keeps happening to unsuspecting consumers.
Please understand that the goal of my report is not intended to directly damage the reputation of the businesses and its owner, but rather it is to identify serious issues that exist that would be harmful to consumers. An ideal outcome would be for the local and corporate entities under the brand, Mr. Rooter Plumbing, to address and rectify these issues - make an effort to resolve issues in a timely, reasonable, and equitable manner and to make a plan to prevent these issues from reoccurring in the future.
Wake up, Mr. Rooter Plumbing before you alienate too many people!
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
John, thanks for your suggestion. I will look into it.
#28Author of original report
Tue, January 15, 2013
I agree that I need more coverage! I wouldn't necessarily want the coverage for my benefit, but rather I would want it mostly for the benefit of other consumers. I believe that Mr. Rooter Plumbing, as a national entity, should not be able to get away with how they treat consumers: lying to them to up-sale unnecessary products and services, not even fixing the problem that was supposed to be fixed by them, ignoring consumers' valid complaints (more serious than price gouging), and then turning around and SLAPPing them with a Defamation suit for warning other consumers about their experience. (is he the only one to have filed a Defamation suit against a consumer or have other franchisee owners done this to silence consumers they have no intention on resolving issues with?)
As far as any judgements that have or could be entered against him are concerned, I don't think it is a matter of whether he can afford to pay them but rather I believe that he chooses not to pay them and lied about his ability to pay to the person that made the statement that I can't seem to find since I first read it. I clearly remember reading the information online because that is what deterred my mother from filing a lawsuit against them in early 2012 for misdiagnosis, deceptive sales tactics, and breech of contract as she was worried about spending money she didn't have for a lawyer and getting screwed in the end with our only recourse possibly being to put a lien on the business that he would have to satisfy before he sold the business that only our future descendants and relatives may eventually see. I found that comment deep in Google's copious pages that came up in a variety of searches that I did, but I did not save it at the time as that was in January or February when I found it. I started saving my internet finds from about April 2012 and on. I am STILL looking for the post. Perhaps the coverage and its associated investigative reporting that you are suggesting can put me in touch with the former customer of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Cranberry / Pittsburgh whose review I found and, potentially, many others who have had problems with collecting any judgements that may have been entered in their favor.
I know for a fact that I can't afford a $50,000+ punitive damages + costs of suitI'm lucky I can afford ramen noodles at this point. I wouldn't even know where that kind of money would EVER come from. I don't understand why someone would pursue someone who was broke. In my opinion, that just sends a very telling message about what type of people I and other consumers are dealing with.
In the way of coverage, I have created a Facebook Page to try to do exactly that...Find others to corroborate my statements and offer support to others who are in the same unfortunate situation as myself. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Mr-Rooter-and-Dwyer-Group/167043556753233?fref=ts. Unfortunately to reach people in my local area, I would have to pay for the group to be exposed to local people and I can't afford to pay for advertising.
Thanks again for reviewing my situation and offering an intriguing suggestion.
John
Memphis,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
You Need More Coverage
#28Consumer Suggestion
Tue, January 15, 2013
May I recommend getting in touch with a local news channel that specializes in investigative reporting. This sounds like a blockbuster story and they should be able to easily find other dissatisfied customer to put on the air and corroborate your claims. Don't let up on this one. Their lawsuit is a truly desparate card being played and the news folks know how to work those kinds of stories to the fullest. If this guy can't afford to pay his judgements how can he even afford a lawyer??
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
Update on content in report to ensure its continued validity
#28Author of original report
Mon, January 14, 2013
A few days ago, I stumbled on a disturbing find during my continued monitoring of Mr. Rooter to try to protect myself in the event that the SLAPP suit, disguised as a Defamation suit, goes to trial as demanded by the Plaintiffs.
Previously, I stated that Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh was not a BBB Accredited Business and provided a link to the article that confirmed my statement. Here is the link again for convenience sake: "http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/target-11-3-plumbers-on-bbbs-list-of-worst-local-b/nGgXk/"
(Not that the BBB ratings themselves should matter to anyone because the BBB is an entity that gave a terrorist group an "A" rating AND considered Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh to have made a good faith effort to resolve the complaint that was submitted. Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh did not make a good faith effort to resolve the complaint. A person with any sense at all could see that they did not even address any of the serious issues within the body of the complaint. What Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh did do was mention the word "court" in its correspondence and the BBB doesn't deal with anything involving litigation. So, apparently, if a business mentions the word "court" in their correspondence then they get the good faith seal of approval by the BBB even if there was no attempt to resolve the issue. At this point, I would not trust the BBB's reviews on any company and regret sending the complaint to the BBB at all. I do, however, refer to the BBB's website to review the number of complaints a business has. I should've filed the complaint with the Attorney General immediately. At least the FTC has the complaint on file. I will always do internet research to find out from real customers how it really is to do business with any entity.)
Well, now it appears that Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh's Website, http://www.rooter2.com/, has a BBB Accreditation Logo. (Considering my experience with them, my first thought was "Did they attach that logo legally?").
In reviewing Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh's review on the BBB's website, there is no indication that they are BBB Accredited or are undergoing any type of review. http://www.bbb.org/pittsburgh/business-reviews/plumbers/mr-rooter-of-pittsburgh-in-cranberry-twp-pa-12002891.
HmmmWas posting that logo on their website a little premature on their part, perhaps?
On the other hand, Mr. Rooter Plumbing (Headquarters) is under review by the BBB. http://www.bbb.org/dallas/business-reviews/plumbers/mr-rooter-plumbing-in-farmers-branch-tx-21001938. Ironically, the location under review is located at 13616 Neutron Road Farmers Branch, TX 75244-4410, which is approximately 1hr44mins away from where corporate headquarters is actually located at 1010 N. University Parks Drive Waco, Texas 76707.
What I suspect is that corporate headquarters bought their brand a reputation voucher and is currently undergoing the "review process" - possibly using a "model location." I don't understand why corporate headquarters would do something like that considering they tend to distance themselves from consumers seeking assistance dealing with local franchisees when issues arise and are ignored, like those who do not honor their contracts and do not fix the problem right the first time as advertised. Mr. Rooter Plumbing Corporate has publicly stated in media platforms that their franchises are individually owned and operated, which translates into the sentiment "too bad for you."
Another theory I have is that maybe the accreditation logo is being used on Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh's website because Mr. Beall bought an accredited Mr. Rooter Plumbing location in Dayton, Ohio?
Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh did not care about BBB Accreditation in 2010, 2011, or 2012. So, what do you think has changed that would make them care now? Is this an attempt to try to fool consumers into believing that they are a business to be trusted? I think so. Are they trying to buy a better reputation? I think so.
Personally, I am horrified that Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh is advertising a BBB Accreditation logo on their website as I, nor my mother, have never experienced any of the standards that the BBB claims to expect businesses adhere to OR the Code of Values that The Dwyer Group claims to expect be executed among all of their brands. I am afraid to think of how many more people will fall victim to this business who trust that BBB Accreditation logo.
Even on Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh's Facebook page, they were asking for positive reviews/recommendations. If a company has to publicly ask people for positive reviews/recommendations, what does that say about them? If the company is a good company, one that can be trusted, then people will voluntarily be moved to write positive reviews/recommendations and recommend them to others. On the other hand, if a business behaves in the manner that I and others have described, then consumers are going to practice avoidance and/or tell everyone they know so more people have a heads up about the business and don't get taken advantage of by them.
(I cringe every time I read that "most trusted and referred plumber" nonsense. Where is the data to be qualified to make that claim anyway? How many people called them once and who would choose to never call them again? - I hypothesize many!)
Apparently the areas served will be expanding. In addition to owning the Mr. Rooter Plumbing Pittsburgh, PA location and the newer addition of the Youngstown, Ohio location in 2012, Bob Beall will be adding Dayton, OH to his collection of franchises as reported on the internet.
(This is the same owner who appears to have no problem with his business doing the following acts to consumers as per the experiences reported by myself and others: 1) selling more services than needed, (2) requiring the signing of emergency forms and payment in full before performing work, (3) allowing employees to deceive consumers to up-sale products and services, (4) not completing the work according to the terms of the contract, (5) not caring whether consumers continue to have the same problem that they were contracted to fix, (6) not willing to properly hydrojet and camera the sewer line to assess why sewage continued to back up after the work was claimed to be completed, (7) not caring about the poor workmanship concerning finish work, (8) ignoring customer's expressed dissatisfaction, and (8) filing a SLAPP (Defamation) suit against a consumer directly involved in the process for speaking out publicly against their unjust actions after 9-10 months of being ignored while trying to get them to address the serious issues at-hand and make and effort to make it right with the consumer they ignored through the entire process except when they were collecting her money INSTEAD of addressing the issue as promised after returning from Florida.)
Online there are negative reports, mixed with very few positive reviews that read like advertisements instead of reviews from real people, about Mr. Rooter Plumbing from ex-employees, past consumers, potential consumers that decided not to proceed due to their questionable behaviors spotted early, and even at least one report from someone who had a horrible experience buying a Mr. Rooter franchise.
The latest commercials I've viewed distributed by Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh appear to feature a woman that looks like the franchisee's wife at what could potentially be their home and the cameraman/salesman guy - the same cameraman/salesman guy who told me and my mother that he couldn't give her the membership pricing she paid for because his boss would be mad due to him offering her a free toilet on top of an additional and unnecessary $9500 contract. Another comment on the newest commercialsThat is not how it went down when they were called for service at our home. At no time did anyone suggest their Grease product, even after they pulled tons of grease from the sewer line during the work in the second invoice or the first invoice regarding the unnecessary sewer line replacement for the first 30 feet or so, which was sitting on the table in that video and the price book was ever only seen ONCE when I told them to get it during the creation of the $9500 contract because I wanted to see the prices to make sure we were receiving what we were paying for. I believe that you should NOT have to ask to see the pricing book because they advertise no hidden fees and upfront pricing. How many people have never seen the price-book who have used Mr. Rooter Plumbing in the Pittsburgh and Youngstown locations OR Nationally? How many people accepted the invoice all drawn up by the "tech" without question?
Approach all Mr. Rooter Plumbing locations, if you dare, educated. Remember, they use cheaper services to get into your home and then they "help" you by "finding" so-called "problems"....I've experienced this along with other people online who have reported similar situations.
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
I appreciate your feedback
#28Author of original report
Wed, January 09, 2013
I am glad that I am not the only one who thinks these people are bullies!
To Searchingforjustice: if I can ever one day afford to, would you mind if I saved your graphic to make a T-Shirt from? Knowing what I know, I would NEVER trust Mr. Rooter Plumbing (or any of their "sister" companies locally or nationally) and with good cause!
Regardless of what they are putting me through, I still feel that people should know the truth about what it is like to deal with them.
I'd be happy to answer any questions about my experience. raerae_province at yahoo dot com. Just put in the subject line "Mr. Rooter Pittsburgh Rip Off Report Inquiry."
searchingforjustice
United States of AmericaBoycott Mr Rooter Plumbing
#28Consumer Comment
Mon, January 07, 2013
Here's an image I created. This is free for anyone to use to support victims of Mr. Rooter Plumbing.
Angie
USAThanks for warning me about these bullies!
#28Consumer Comment
Fri, January 04, 2013
Good thing I ran across this report before I called them for a clogged drain line! As a woman, I don't know anything about these sorts of things. You saved me from being ripped off! I will direct my friends and family to this site to read about your experience. I can't believe that the local Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise and its president are suing you! They are the ones in the wrong! I hope things work out for you! Thanks again and good luck!
Passing Through
United States of Americawhat the business and its owner are doing is bullcrap!
#28Consumer Comment
Thu, December 20, 2012
i almost called them for plumbing work until i saw how some lady named debra that works for them didn't even care about what the customer was angry about. i don't want to give my business to a company who might treat me like crap.
what business ignores a customer and then turns around and sues them for complaining about them? they didn't even try to work with the customer. the business and its owner are nothing but bullies.
i'm not doing business with bullies.
searchingforjustice
United States of AmericaWhat the business and its owner are doing to you is heinous!
#28Consumer Comment
Tue, December 18, 2012
In this sue anyone for anything society, it annoys me when people can't behave as grownups or address situations as promised.
The fact that Mr. Rooter Plumbing (Pittsburgh?) and its owner are suing one of their victims is outrageous!
I am going to create products that will show you and other victims of this business support. Hopefully, the products will entice others to ask me why I am boycotting Mr. Rooter Plumbing. My reply to them will be "I am boycotting Mr. Rooter Plumbing until they stop victimizing their customers."
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
Response to "SearchingForJustice"...
#28Author of original report
Tue, December 18, 2012
searchingforjustice,
There are two reasons that I removed my blog...
The first reason that I removed my blog was because its composition could be confusing to readers as there was a lot of information that needed to be separated into categories. As a first time blogger, I have a better understanding of how the process should be approached.
The second reason that I removed my blog was because Mr. Rooter Plumbing, the local Pittsburgh franchise, and its local president, Mr. Robert A. Beall, filed a defamation suit against me seeking a combined total of monetary damages in excess of $50,000 plus punitive damages plus cost of suit.
I sent a request on November 27, 2012 to the Plaintiffs' lawyer essentially agreeing to remove the blog and other postings named in the suit, agreeing not to voluntarily distribute information to third persons about my experience with them, and agreeing to post a statement here on Rip Off Report with a public apology included in exchange for being released from the defamation suit.
To date, no response has been received; therefore, I suspect that the Plaintiffs did not accept my request and intend on moving forward with their suit.
The reason that I requested release from the defamation suit was NOT because any of the statements that were made about the Plaintiffs were false, but rather because I cannot afford appropriate representation and cannot locate a free or reduced-fee lawyer willing to take the case.
In a consultation with a lawyer who defends these types of cases, I was told that a minimum of a $10,000 retainer would be required and that it could cost up to $30,000 or more to defend - these costs include paperwork, costs of expert witnesses, travel, time in court, etc. When I bring in only $815 month and have no other resources, how would affording representation even be possible?
Since I posted my blog and posted its copy to Rip Off Report, there is one statement that would need to reflect a change made by the business. I made the following statement: " Did you notice that comments are off because they know what would happen if they opened comments? Hiding indiscretions." I still have a copy of the website when comments were still off and/or closed to the public in a May 22, 2012 posting. So, what's the change? You can now leave comments on their website. [I hypothesize that this change was made in order to try to give them an advantage in court with regard to my caseTo prove that there is at least one false statement in the posted content. Also, I hypothesize that if an unsatisfied consumer posted on their website, then they might use the required field information to track them down and slap them with a defamation suit for making "false statements" to third persons instead of discussing their claims with the consumer who made them prior to filing.]
In my email requesting release from the defamation suit to the lawyer, I should've stated that the words may have been perceived as inflammatory (some of the content had an emotional flare; however, it was not intended to cause direct harm but rather to express how I felt about the situation), not defamatory. According to the Citizen Media Law Project (http://www.citmedialaw.org/legal-guide/what-defamatory-statement), "a defamatory statement is a false statement of fact that exposes a person to hatred, ridicule, or contempt, causes him to be shunned, or injures him in his business or trade." Also, "Because a statement must be false to be defamatory, a statement of opinion cannot form the basis of a defamation claim because it cannot be proven true or false." An absolute defense to defamation is truth because if a statement is true, then it cannot be defamatory. These terms are explained in more detail on Citizen Media Law Project's website. It is important to note that the Plaintiffs NEVER bothered to communicate to me which specific statements that they believed to be defamatory, but rather they only used generalized terms to imply that the blog and other online postings in their entirety were defamatory which they weren't.
I believe that there should be protections in place for individuals and businesses regarding valid cases of defamation in the digital world. I would never knowingly or maliciously post anything false about any person or business on the internet because if its infectious nature. In fact, I didn't even make anything public about my experience until more than 10 months after the work was completed in order to give the business an opportunity to respond and to ensure that I was posting an accurate account of my experience. In my case, it is the truth that could be potentially damaging to the Plaintiffs - even the president of Mr. Rooter Corporation, Mary Kennedy Thompson, commented to me in a telephone conversation in a concerned tone about my sharing the details (written account, invoices, photos, and videos) of my experience publicly. I believe that this defamation suit is an attempt to make an example out of me, to deter others from being detailed and public about their negative experiences with Mr. Rooter Plumbing, and to obtain financial compensation for a reputation that they have been working to improve since May 22, 2012 and probably even longer than that where Mr. Robert A. Beall must have felt that it was necessary to publicly state the following in a blog post: "will never use scare tactics, never pad your bill, never has been accused of scamming the elderly".
From my personal experience, I suggest engaging the following behaviors in order to avoid being slapped with a defamation suit when posting for the good of the public:
-Do research about what content could be considered libel before you post online and post keeping within those guidelines.
-If you do business with this company and its related companies, protect yourself against their attempts to discredit the truth and extort more money from you, even if you don't have any left after doing business with them, by doing the following: document everything through invoices, photos, videos (record them at different angles the entire time so that you can prove, without a doubt, that what you say concerning their actions is the truth and nothing but the truth) AND arrange to have multiple friends and family members as witnesses during the process and make notes of the events that are happening as they happen because the more witnesses you have the stronger your case will be in the event that litigation is unforeseeable.
-Remember to be truthful in your claims against any entity and, unless they apply to your situation specifically, make sure that every statement can be backed up by verifiable evidence or that it is an obviously stated opinion.
-Post anonymously and never even bother to inform this company directly about your dissatisfaction because this is the course of action they will take against you if they know who you are.
I hope that, in my case, the truth will prevail. I believe that I have provided sufficient verifiable evidence in countering the claims on their complaint and I hope that the court will see it that way as well. The only point that I have not proven with verifiable evidence is how far their work stopped from the sewer main; however, I am confident that a $300+ video inspection would prove that they stopped work well before the invoice stated that they were supposed to by at least an estimated six feet. I am not going to follow through with a $300+ consultation with another plumber until it is absolutely necessary which, based on the Plaintiffs' response to my request for release, will probably be necessary
Since the Plaintiffs have not been responsive to my offer to give up my cause in exchange for release from the defamation suit, which was to pass on a true and accurate account of my experience and bring to light other people's experiences in order to help other consumers protect themselves, then I will recreate the blog to help consumers better understand my experience - ensuring that every statement I make is obvious as either a fact with evidence presented OR an opinion that I came to based on facts or other information on the internet where there may be no evidence that the information within a source can be confirmed as fact or opinion. This may take a while to create.
searchingforjustice
United States of AmericaWhere are the links to the blogs with the supporting evidence?
#28Consumer Comment
Mon, December 17, 2012
To the author: You stated that your blog has all the media to support your claims. The link is no longer there. What happened to it?
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
Link to my mother's blog!
#28Author of original report
Sun, November 04, 2012
The link below is to my mother's blog who tells what happened from her point of view. She is often more concise than I am. She will provide the following information:
-summarize what happened during the period that Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh was contracted to restore flow to the lateral sewer line, but didn't
-reveal the interactions that occurred between her (and myself) and the president of Mr. Rooter Corporation
-provide evidence concerning how Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh failed to follow the guidelines outlined by the PA State Contractor Law...
http://www.howmrrooterplumbingpittsburghliedtome.blogspot.com/
Technically, they are in the wrong and they fail to acknowledge it and make it right. What's worse is that we are not the only ones at the short end of their stick. Probably hundreds, maybe even thousands of people have gotten taken advantage of by Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh, Mr. Rooter Corporation, and The Dwyer Group!
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
I just had a revelation!
#28Author of original report
Thu, November 01, 2012
It was clear that Mary Kennedy Thompson was incapable of uttering any statements of truth throughout the entire process, which is evident when comparing the emails that she sent me and the emails that she sent my mother in addition to the inconsistencies contained within her verbal communications. Also, Mary Kennedy Thompson REFUSES to engage in written conversation, but claims to be available to my mother for a phone conversation that she is NOT willing to have recorded. Why not document all communication in order to protect both parties? I think that I know why! The only party that would be protected would be my mother. Why? Well, because she and I are telling the truth and have absolutely nothing to hide. Well, I guess I can't blame Mary Kennedy Thompson for not wanting to engage in any further written communications or record any verbal conversations considering that she has already perjured herself in written form and recording verbal communications could potentially serve as evidence of how customers who call into the local franchise and its associated corporation are actually treated...At least this appears to be the case with Mr. Rooter.
As the president of a corporation, wouldn't you think that they would capable of concealing the fact that they are lying (not that it is right, it is just that even the Mr. Rooter technician was better at lying than that, obviously, or we would've never signed the invoices.)? Wow! My mind is just blown right there.
Perhaps my prayers are about to come true and justice may actually be able to be served! It would be great to use our loss to prevent others from similar losses under their blanket of deception.
The Dwyer Group was on Undercover Boss, which I believe aired on January 22, 2012. Well, based on recent experiences with the president of Mr. Rooter Corporation, I am of the opinion that what Dina Dwyer Owens' true sentiments were on Undercover Boss on national television were not what they appeared to be!!!!! I firmly believe, if you examine Dina's facial expressions closely, that she is actually communicating a very different message-that of anger! I believe that she is actually appalled that an employee told her that something shady was going on within the local Mr. Rooter franchise on national television. Her tears, I believe, are tears of anger, but she used the situation to as publicity in an attempt to make it look like "they really do care." I do not believe that what they do to go above and beyond is out of any kind of ethical or moral obligation, but rather that it is centered on positive press in an attempt to bury the truth about how it is to really deal with them.
Do they really care? Oh NO they don't. Not at all. Especially about their customers!!!!!! Look at how they've handled our situation.
My mother and I aren't the only ones who have dealt with a franchisee, their related corporation, and the Dwyer Group. Countless others have written about their experiences too across all of the Dwyer Group's brands.
I guess what we are trying to do is warn you!!!! Please take our warnings seriously! Do your research before making a decision about doing business with them.
I would never run my business this way if I had one! If I was wrong, I would admit it and make it right immediately! I wouldn't put a customer through all of this! I'm not saying that franchising isn't a good business idea, but it is important to understand the culture of the company that you purchase the franchise from. Make sure the corporation offering the franchise opportunities engages in ethical practices...Talk to customers and get a feel for how they operate. Mr. Rooter's testimonials aren't dated, so there is no evidence that those are recent satisfied customers and they delete information that unsatisfied customers left. Like I said, there is a lot of "hiding" going on here. I believe that franchising with the Dwyer Group, continuing to operate in the manner in which I have experienced that it has, is career suicide, not career enhancement!
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
Lies, Deception, Misleading Statements....It is present from the ground up at Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh, Mr. Rooter Corporation, and The Dwyer Group! BUYER BEWARE!
#28Author of original report
Thu, November 01, 2012
First, I will update on the phone call that took place on 10-30-2012 between myself and the president of Mr. Rooter Corporation, Mary Kennedy Thompson and her assistant, Stacie. I am of the opinion that the assistant was there in order to act as a witness so that Mary Kennedy Thompson could use her to help back up Mary's half-truths that were uttered during the phone call and to deny that Mary Kennedy Thompson was constantly asking me questions or to explain the situation and then cutting me off before I could respond or finish responding. After 30 minutes of that, I got tired of asking her to stop interrupting me repeatedly to no avail, so I hung up on her while she was STILL talking over me. Since our walls are thin, my mother heard my side of the conversation. In order to understand how thin the walls are, we can have a conversation from the first and second floors respectively with the doors closed.
At that point, my very angry mother took over and sent an email to Mary Kennedy Thompson in order to lodge a formal complaint as the customer, which Mary Kennedy Thompson insisted to me that my mother needed to do that.
After my mother sent her email to Mary Kennedy Thompson last night, Mary Kennedy Thompson sent me an email this morning asking me when would be a good time to talk with my mother. Really?!?!? Mary Kennedy Thompson made a big deal about talking directly to my mother because she is the customer (Since I am not recognize as my mother's representative, would it be fair to say that since my mother didn't physically sign the invoice for $10,000, even though she gave me permission to do so on her behalf, that the contract is null and void? If so Mary Kennedy Thompson should be cutting her a check for that amount right now because it wouldn't even be considered a valid contract then, even though employees of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh permitted me to sign on her behalf and promptly charged both credit cards.). My mother sent an email and filed a formal complaint with Mary Kennedy Thompson concerning Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh, but Mary Kennedy Thompson couldn't respond directly to the email sent to her by the customer who she claimed to want to speak to because it was "necessary." In a reply that I sent to Mary Kennedy Thompson, I directed her to speak with my mother and told her that she sent an email last night to which Mary Kennedy Thompson replied and told me that she had received my Mother's email and left her a message; yet, a few hours later, she told my mother that she never received my mother's email. Caught in a lie? Yes!!!!! There are so many more lies, but I'd be writing another novel. In fact, the whole email she sent my mother was a complete work of fiction, with yellow font to highlight my mother's responses adequately disproving many of Mary Kennedy Thompson's statements.
This experience sheds light on the subject of WHY no one EVER wants to engage in written, documentable, communication from the ground up within this organization! My mother agreed to talk with Mary Kennedy Thompson via phone if the call was recorded in such a way that it would be admissible in a court of law. Mary Kennedy Thompson, however, has not offered to schedule a recorded telephone conversation with her at this point. In fact, so far, no response has been received regarding my mother's response to her most recent email. I am of the opinion that she hasn't responded because she is afraid of digging a larger hole than she has already started.
So, again. I ask you.Do you want to deal with businesses and their associated corporations who conduct business in this manner? Save yourself the time, the money, the headache, the lies, etcDON'T DO IT!!!!
Since I am not the customer and I am not recognized, my mother will engage in the activities that I have, including the activities that I have suggested to everyone throughout my blog so that she can save, even one person, from being mistreated in the same way as she has by Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh, Mr. Rooter Corporation, and The Dwyer Group.
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
10-28-2012 Updated Blog Content Posted In Reference To This Report
#28Author of original report
Sun, October 28, 2012
These are the updates to the blog in relation ongoing proofreading that is done to: correct spelling and grammatical errors; update important facts and process that were left out or are new; and to update my opinions/conclusions of the process to date.
So, how does the Dwyer Group handle media complaints about their franchisee owners from customers who have been victims of fraud and/or deceptive business practices? They block and delete their posts in order to hide their indiscretions.
I'm not surprised considering that Dina Dwyer-Owens stated, on Undercover Boss, that Mr. Rooter comprised a substantial part of their livelihood. Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh probably brings in close to 15% of it. No wonder why they put their blinders on. There are people out there, who have used online forums (rip off report, complaints board, reviews, etc.) in an attempt to gather support from the Dwyer Group in relation to addressing issues with its associated brands, only to explain how their concerns have been dismissed by the Dwyer Group. If you recall, on the episode of Undercover Boss, the franchisee owners were underhanded with their employees and failed to follow the business model outlined by the Dwyer Group; thus, it is logical to conclude that there are consumers of these franchisee owners who have also been the victims of unscrupulous business practices at the clutches of their commission only-based business model.
In March of 2012, I had contacted the Dwyer Group concerning the deceptive business practices and fraudulent activity with one of their franchisee locations, Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, via email to the president of Mr. Rooter Corporation, Mary Kennedy. Mary Kennedy sent me an email informing me that the customer service manager was looking into the situation and would get back to me; however, I never heard back from them. The Dwyer group didn't have my phone number, but they did have my email address and could've easily retrieved that if they were in contact with the local franchisee.
So, why couldn't they have contacted me via email? I was very detailed concerning the situation and about what I was looking for as a resolution. Is it because they don't want written documentation of their communication? I suspect that has to be the case. Why else would customer service not have sent me an email? It is because they don't want a paper trail of their verbal communications and to be held accountable for them.
Let's fast forward to October 2012
I was given the number of the customer service manager waiting to assist me according to their response via Twitter and YouTube. I called the number and the customer service manager told me that she had spoken with me back in March of 2012; however, She had never contacted me at all. I only ever had email communication with the president of Mr. Rooter Corporation, Mary Kennedy; yet, the customer service manager had it written down that she had already spoken with me. Really?!? That's odd because it never happened.
The telephone conversation with the customer service manager, in summary, consisted of informing me that the franchisee owners buy the right to use the name (in my case, a Mr. Rooter franchise) of whichever corporation they purchased from the list of businesses that the Dwyer Group owns and that the franchisee owners are not affiliated with the Dwyer Group in any way; therefore, Mr. Rooter Corporation/The Dwyer Group can't help me. It is up to the local business, otherwise known as the franchisee owner, to respond.
Well, based on that, the chance of my situation being made right, is practically non-existent in accordance with the experiences of other people who have found themselves in similar situations with Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh.
Essentially, the Dwyer Group's response on Twitter and YouTube was merely a "publicity event" in an attempt to falsely communicate to the general public that they were interested in helping me, when they weren't really interested in helping me at all.
So, let's see if we can establish a clear picture here concerning the Dwyer Group's position:
Dina Dwyer-Owens states, on national television (Undercover Boss), that Mr. Rooter is their largest source of revenue; yet, the customer service manager at Mr. Rooter Corporation within the Dwyer Group (yes, the one who said she already spoke with me and never did) claims that since the businesses are independently owned, even though franchisee owners are required to pay 3-7% per month of their gross sales in royalties to the corporate Mr. Rooter office located within the Dwyer Group in addition to the fees related to their start-up cost of $20,000+, the Dwyer Group can't help me. Out of the $19,500 cost of the sewer line replacement I was told I needed, (but didn't need) the Dwyer Group would have realized $585-$1,365 of that transaction alone, for just existing, but they can't help me. The Dwyer Group is certainly not willing to give up their share of my invoice, which was obtained in a fraudulent manner.
I was informed by the customer service manager at Mr. Rooter Corporate (the day after I spoke with her for the first time) that Mr. Robert Beall was supposed to be calling me that day, the next day, or soon; however, I didn't hold out much hope that was going to actually happen. After I sent an email to Mr. Beall, a reply was sent from him informing me that he will "address" the issue when he is available to do so. I'm curious about how he is planning to "address" my issue. I'm not confident that he plans to do just that, but we will see.
***I absolutely KNEW he wasn't going to address my issue. He went to go hide behind his lawyer's work of fiction that I recently received in the mail.
Here is a business owner, probably the only plumber or one of a few Master Plumbers within his business, who was never at the project site; yet, somehow he is qualified to inform his lawyer (who sent me a lovely letter by the way) that my claims are essentially unfounded.
I was informed by Mr. Beall's lawyer that since there was grease in the sewer line that somehow implies that a sewer line replacement was necessary, even though it wasn't. A hydrojetting procedure would've done the job on the line from the house trap to the main...the section of the sewer line within the second invoice. Mr. Rooter didn't spend anytime trying to clear that line AT ALL! (Except during the $19,500 sewer line replacement/sliplining process approximately three times throughout the job in order to get the smaller pipe in the sewer line) The events that happened were referred to as "inaccurate" by the lawyer (who is also a master plumber?).
If the details of my situation weren't accurate, I surely would not be expending this much energy. If the problem was solved, I would have no claim....But, IT WASN'T!
The lawyer threatened me to stop telling the truth, basically...attempting to extinguish my right to freedom of speech so as long as what I have to say is the truth. Still, nothing has been presented to me by Mr. Beall or his lawyer that even remotely resembles the truth. For your information, it wasn't threats or blackmail aimed at your client, but rather me giving your client the opportunity to address the issue and refute my assessment of the situation (If I was wrong on any points contained in my assessment) BEFORE I made it permanent. Yes, Rip Off Report warned me that it could be considered blackmail; however, I know how damaging Rip Off Report can be for businesses, especially a business who engaged in the types of actions that you did. Again, I was extending a courtesy to you as a business owner and, in return, you stick your lawyer on me. I am of the opinion that you will do anything to try to get out of doing the right thing.
My problem is that Mr. Beall took money for work that he failed to do. He did not do the sliplining process to within 2' of the sewer line and he failed to solve the problem of sewage backing up into the basement according to the contract as evidence by my video that was taken after the work was completed. They had enough pipe to do the entire sliplining job ($9,500 second invoice), but they never used it. Regardless of whether or not I have a case against the sellers for failure to disclose according to Mr. Beall's lawyer (who suggested I look there instead of demand from his client that he be held accountable for the terms of the contract which weren't completed), it would not be right to make the seller's pay for work that was contracted, but not completed. Additionally, anything having to do with the previous homeowners isn't even relevant. Their contract was not with Mr. Rooter, ours was.
According to the lawyer, the work was "necessary." In reality, the work was as unnecessary as the backflow preventer Mr. Beall's camera man/salesman was trying to sell me when I contacted them about the sewage backing up into the basement one and two weeks after the work was completed (same time frame as previous backups; thus, Mr. Rooter made no significant improvements in the line whatsoever). The second week after the work was completed, the township came to hydrojet the line for its first time and was there the same time Mr. Rooter was, with the township being able to clear out the sewer line the day that Mr. Rooter's hydrojetting truck arrived for its second visit after the work was supposedly completed. The township was able to restore some flow that day. The township was called out the following week for the same problems, where they made the decision to clean the line camera-assisted....10 months+ of success. What is the difference, do you think? They (the township) were master plumbers!
Concerning the obstructions, the only obstructions in the line were grease, a yellow #2 pencil, and a 9-volt Energizer battery....Nothing more was discovered. All found obstructions would've been cleared and removed with a properly conducted camera-assisted hydrojetting process. I was also informed by the lawyer that any other lawyer, once they saw the grease and the other obstructions, they would question the validity of my claim (What "other obstructions?" What photos? Did they offer to show me these "photos?" Were these photos even taken on my property? I highly doubt that they were. Did the employees ask permission to take photos on private property? Other than me giving the camera man/sales guy permission to take photos of two large chunks of solidified grease laying on the grass near the excavation site that were removed from the house lateral section of the sewer line located where the clean-out near the main is located in order for them to be able to get the 4'' pipe into the 6" terra cotta pipes and the two camera inspection videos, there were no other permissions granted for taking photos/video on private property. I displayed my photos and videos because, unlike Mr. Rooter, I have nothing to hide.)
I find it interesting that the lawyer does not mention the real issues contained within this blog and that he doesn't understand that the work was not even a complete sewer line replacement! If it was a complete sewer line replacement, I would have had brand new PVC pipe running from my basement to where it connects to the main sewer line; however, that is not the case. Again, Mr. Beall and his lawyer still continue to not fully comprehend the situation. The complete sewer line replacement portion comprises only about 30 feet or less of a new PVC sewer line that was installed underneath the foundation and runs out to the first house trap/cleanout located just outside the basement door (See Photo Below). After that, they only put in 40 feet of 4'' pipe through the current 6" terra cotta pipes....This is a sliplining procedure, NOT a complete sewer line replacement. Additionally, it is not a pipeburst as they told me it was called because a pipe burst procedure is one where they pull the same size pipe into where the current pipe is located and a machine breaks up the old pipe as the new pipe moves into place.) They also did not install the pipe according to the terms set in the invoice which entails coming to within 2' shy of the township's main.
Ultimately, Mr. Beall would rather pay his lawyer to cover up the issues than actually return the money that he is paying his lawyer to the customer.
I probably should include a copy of the lawyer's letter, in addition to the correspondence with everyone.***
Like others in my local area have been doing, I could proceed through all the legal channels and, most likely, get awarded the entire cost of the sewer line replacement ($19,500) due to false diagnosis, misleading sales tactics, and failure to perform the work stated in the contract; however, the people who have successfully taken Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh to court and won, have only had Mr. Robert Beall turn around and tell them "I don't have any money." [so, I can't pay you, too bad]
Mr. Robert Beall of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh/Youngstown must not feel obligated to uphold the law by repaying customers according to the judgements against him. On a recent blog, he boasted that he serves over 2.9 million customers a year, so how does that surmount to Mr. Beall not being able to satisfy the judgments against him? He brings in AT LEAST 2.9 million dollars a year, but probably substantially more than that if anyone has ever been at the end of their service priceseven considering the franchise fees and operating expenses, there is no reason why he can't comply with the terms of the judgements against him. Considering the amount of revenue Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh takes in annually, one would think that the IRS would be very interested in auditing the business to find out, possibly, where he could be stashing the business income that he "doesn't have." I doubt highly that Mr. Beall provides no charge services to residents and business located in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
All I am and have been requesting, on a minimal level, is that the second contract of $9,500 be refunded because it was definitely obtained in a fraudulent mannerthrough false diagnosis, misleading sales tactics and statements, not performing the sliplining process to 2' shy of the township's main as stated in the contract, as well as the inability of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh employees to properly perform the @HydroScrub procedure in the first place, which was supposed to be incorporated into the first contract totaling $10,000.
If you read up on their @HyrdoScrub procedure, the process should've worked to clear the line and I should've been flowing with no further problems if it had been done properly! They even advertise (in addition to other plumbing companies who offer the service) that this process is the next best thing to restoring your pipes to almost new condition
If the full amount of the second invoice was refunded, I would recognize that it would rightly change what would be covered under Mr. Rooter's Warranty and the Lifetime Warranty; thus, Mr. Rooter would no longer be held accountable for anything contained within the second invoice.
Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, however, would be expected to uphold the first invoice regarding their Warranty and Lifetime Warranty, which includes the sewer line replaced from the stack with the clean-out in the basement, to the pvc pipe underneath the basement foundation, to outside the basement door to the house trap.
Unfortunately, based on Mr. Beall's track record, I highly doubt that he will be willing to part with the money that his company did not legitimately earn (If so, it would've already been returned).
Currently, although not accredited by the BBB, his rating is a D-. Also, in 2010, he was on the list for the three worst rated plumbing contractors in the area. As a consumer, did you know this? I wish I did! His response to that was, "I'm not going to sit here and attack the Better Business Bureau. I'm a huge advocate that the consumers need a place to report issues to. It is virtually impossible with the infrastructure and the size and volume of consumers I serve to have a top-notch rating." Hence, what he is really communicating to the consumer is that he is too busy and makes too much money to care about what is going on with your situation regarding his business. Other substantially large businesses and corporations are able to maintain ratings of a C+ or better, so why can't you? All it entails is doing the right thing.
The problem is that not enough people question the process and do not realize the presence of deceptive business practices until later because their issue may have been resolved, or if it wasn't resolved it (in my case) was kicked to the curb.
Generally, if the issue is resolved, customers are happy; however, when issues aren't resolved (like mine) and you continue to get sales pitches after multiple substantial investments, you begin to evaluate the interactions between the business and yourselflater realizing that you just got taken for a ride and that they were about to take you on another one (A $5,000 backflow preventer, please!).
Honestly, if my issue would have been resolved, I would've been one of those happy (and uninformed) customers and called Mr. Rooter for future service, in addition to calling on other Dwyer Group franchises for home services because I would've felt like Mr. Rooter and the Dwyer Group cared about the consumer.
I recommend that anyone who has done business with Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh/Youngstown (Owner: Mr. Robert Beall) and anyone else who has had similar issues with other associated Dwyer Group franchisee owners report their experience to the Attorney General in their area. Even if your situation was resolved, it would ultimately benefit you and others if the complaints were made known to and kept on file with the Attorney General in your area. Hopefully, the Attorney General in our areas will take notice and be inspired to take a stand for us. We may not matter to Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh/Youngstown, Mr. Rooter Corporation, or the Dwyer Group...but, maybe, the law will matter to them!
The Attorney General tends to investigate multiple complaints and may even be interested in forming their own case if they find that the business is in violation of the law, which could result in additional fees for the businesses involved and income for the Attorney General. The last two invoices that I received, which were prepared by Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, would be good examples of those "holes" according to Pennsylvania Contractor Law.
Upon inspection of the Dwyer Group's rating with the BBB, I was shocked to find that there are no complaints filed against them and they have an A+ rating. Maybe what we are doing wrong as consumers is not filing complaints regarding the local franchisee owner AND the corporation. If we sit back and do nothing, businesses will be able to freely engage in unethical business practices with no consequences and the pattern will continue to be repeated with everyday people continuing to be stolen from and bullied by unethical businesses and those unethical businesses who are sheltered by large corporations.
I know that I am not the only person who holds this opinion, or who has been defrauded by Mr. Rooter and other franchisees under the Dwyer Group. Search blogs, sites like Rip Off Report, reviews of your local business, etcPeople feel helpless dealing with the combination of bullying or just plain non-recognition from Dwyer Group and their franchisees concerning deceptive business practices.
I have no problem with capitalism at work as long as it is a just and fair process. Additionally, I have nothing but praise for the handful of businesses and business franchisees who, even though their pricing tiers may be expensive, uphold honesty and integrity within their business, striving to focus on what the customer actually needs, NOT how much you can squeeze out of them whether they need the service that you are providing or not.
My invoices, with details about what happened during specific invoice periods, are up next. I hope to share my misfortune with you in the hopes of preventing this process from repeating itself, or at least reduce its occurrence. Admittedly, it would be nice to be recognized and to be appropriately refunded, too.
Should my extremely reasonable request be granted, then I would be happy to admit that I could've been wrong about the intentions of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh/Youngstown, Mr. Rooter Corporation, and the Dwyer Group; however, based on their previous actions, I highly doubt I am wrong about their intentions. In fact, based on recent events...I can confirm that I am not wrong about their intentions.
If you value your hard-earned money, DON'T do business with them! Perhaps, you will be their next victim...The one who paid their quoted prices...Having the company not solve your problem after the work was completed, even though they were contracted to solve that problem...(the township solved the problem at no charge and Mr. Rooter doesn't want you to know about any services you wouldn't have to pay for in some municipalities.) Claiming that your problem would be solved after the work was performed in invoice 1 (This is the only invoice that I truly validate...Beyond that, it was all fraudulent), and then invoice 2, and then invoice 3, and then you need to create an invoice 4 with a $5,000 backflow preventer (At this point, it was a NO WAY!).
*This invoice is an example of an appropriately detailed invoice (I probably wouldn't have got an invoice this detailed if I hadn't asked for it). Expensive, yes; however, at least I knew what actions were to be performed and at what cost. Worried about my sewage system, I spent $199.95 on a bogus 5-year "Valued Customer Protection Plan"...Buying what I was lead to believe..."Piece of Mind." Also, the stack that was installed on the service call date looked as though it was used because it was extremely filthy! It was going to be left like that had I not had "needed<according to Mr. Rooter>" more work done! I was told that it could be painted. This service call prompted a camera inspection of the sewage line the following morning, Christmas Day, because the Technician was afraid of getting the snake/rodder stuck in the sewer line and it being the company's responsibility to free it. I'm left to wonder...how much effort did he actually put into even trying clear the line? No one will ever know.
*This is the back of their invoices. This is a "I'm not responsible for anything" clause, which by Pennsylvania State Contractor Law, could potentially void the contract. Here is a link to contractor law in PA.
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploadedFiles/Consumers/HIC/Act_132_Home_Improvement.pdf
As a homeowner, do you want to do business with a clause stating that they aren't responsible if one of their employees destroys your home. They specifically state (in small print) that you are responsible for restoring anything outside of their plumbing work. Hence, on top of their unspecific pricing tiers, the homeowner has to consider bringing in other contractors to clean up after them. Even if you tell them that you aren't going to have the work done unless it is restored. They put it in the contract and STILL don't uphold it as stated on the back of this nonsense. Again, DON'T DO IT!
*This is the bogus "Valued Customer Protection Plan" I was talking about earlier. The sales pitch was that I would save money on services. To date, I haven't saved any money on services performed by Mr. Rooter. Except for the first invoice, there is no evidence that I ever received "Membership Pricing." In fact, it would more correct to ascertain that Mr. Rooter took money for services that they fraudulently claimed that I needed and, at the same time, were unable to adequately perform those services (The HydroScrub procedure alone should not have needed "performed" 4-5 times, in addition to not lining the sewer line according to contract.). If you feel that you have no other choice but to use Mr. Rooter, I do NOT recommend purchasing this plan. It is not worth it at all. Chances are that you won't receive the discounted pricing. It is possible that you will never use them again, except MAYBE warranty work (If they uphold it) due to the fact that they already took you for the most expensive option when other less cost options would've worked or, like me, they took your money and never fixed your problem at all.
*So, the results of the camera inspection concluded that it was "draining slow," which, by Mr. Rooter standards, requires the sewer line to be replaced. This is not a good enough reason to advise a homeowner to proceed with a costly 30 foot or less sewer line replacement (located under the basement floor), especially since no reasonable effort was made to properly camera and clean out the sewer line in the first place. The only obstruction found in the entire sewer line in this section was grease!
After the camera inspection was performed, I was told that I wasn't going to like what I was about to hear would be the only solution to fixing the problem of sewage backing up into my basement...A sewer line replacement. I asked them how much it would cost to which they told me to be prepared to sign away my life savings...$10,000. Isn't that a line that a crook would use? (Soon, I would find out that is a resounding, yes!) It is like the price of $10,000 was at the tip of their tongue and the way the invoice is written up adequately serves as evidence.
On the invoice, the price magically appears as the total. In addition to the description of the work bordering on legible, there is no price under the standard rate or the member rate to outline what the costs were for the camera inspection, hydrojetting, and the costs associated with removing and installing the sewer line to the first house trap located outside approximately 5' from the basement door. Keep in mind, I am supposed to have the so-called "Member Pricing" and there is no evidence that I ever received it!
Another interesting event was when I was discussing the township rules that I had been researching the night before they arrived to do the camera inspection being newly relocated to the area and unfamiliar with protocol. I even recall them inquiring how I knew so much about plumbing to which I responded...online. (I remember the look on their faces, concerned that I had learned quite a bit about it in a short time) When I told them that the township's website indicated I was supposed to call the them first, not the plumber regarding the sewage backup, how did they respond? [I wanted to cancel right there and call the township prior to them beginning work] They told me NOT to call the township first, but to call them first. Essentially, they advised me to go against my local government's procedures. An example of advice from Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh's Blog outlines the steps to take in case of a gas leak: 911 and call them. How about more like call 911, call the municipality in which you live (to inform them about possible local explosions), call the utility company (to inform them about possible explosions), and then maybe call a qualified Master Plumber if it is determined that you need one.
*They told me that if I didn't sign this form and the one below, then they wouldn't do the work. Since sewage backing up into your basement is considered an emergency (as I learned through HSA) and I was lead to believe by employees of Mr. Rooter that replacing the 30 feet or less of the sewer line from the stack to the pipe under the basement foundation to the house trap located approximately 5 feet or less outside from the basement door would be the ultimate solution to a lifetime of sewer free problems, I forged ahead with the process as they were the ones who showed up to evaluate the situation...and the ones who evaluated the situation were master plumbers, weren't they? The professionals? There is a difference between a technician and a plumber. The technician is a salesman who knows how to do a few plumbing-related things, but shouldn't be making recommendations to a homeowner about what should be done. Mr. Beall, the only known master plumber in the business, never once came out to the job site to give his professional opinion. So, out of all the employees at Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, how many are master plumbers? Alarmingly, in the state of Pennsylvania, only 1 has to be! Do you want people who are not certified plumbers working on your plumbing system?!?!? I didn't....
The problem with this is that the seller did NOT correct the emergency for which they signed their rights away for.
*Another camera inspection was done at this point, revealing a pencil, a battery, and another clogged area. The clogged area viewed while I watched the second camera inspection looked identical to the clogged area on the first video that I begged to have a copy of (I even gave them a 6-pack of DVRs). The clogged area on the first camera inspection turned out to be grease. Now, if the HydroScrub would've been done correctly, it would've been legitimately plausible to "suspect" (or rather see) tree roots with the clog being located so close to the pine trees, but the sewer line was located deep enough where the terra cotta pipes were not affected at all by the tree roots located about one to two feet above them. After watching videos of hydrojetting procedures, it was clear that Mr. Rooter did not attempt to break up the grease in the sewer line (that I suspected existed because we share the same main line with an Italian restaurant) by first using a rodder/plumbers snake on the rest of he sewer line prior to hydrojetting as the high pressure from the water would help to push broken up contents through to the main. Even absent the rodder, appropriate pressure and an appropriate nozzle would've eventually broken up the grease and cleaned the sewer line. Additionally, the pressure of the water and nozzles were probably about as strong as the nozzle attachment that I have on my garden hose (which is strong considering our efficient water pressure)...The nozzles weren't adjusted or replaced to properly take care of the job. I have seen videos of hydrojetting equipment capable of tearing apart a raw chicken inside PVC pipes (take that solidified grease)!
So, the recommendation this time, was....You guessed it....A sewer line replacement! I told them no. I asked them what other options were there to fix the problem? Here is where the camera guy/salesman scales it down...[Salesman, going in for the kill]....Well, we could put a 4" (black, flexible) pipe inside the 6" terra cotta pipes for 9,500 (I made him show me the price book and point to the jobs this time and the cost was almost the same price as doing a full replacement of the less than 30 feet of sewer line in the first invoice of the work on the sewer line. Customers should NOT Have to ask technicians to view the price book for services they recommend that they need, it should be protocol to show customers the price book-especially since upfront pricing is advertised. The only time I ever saw the price book was this invoice.). I almost forgot. I was also given the option to reline the remainder of my sewer line at the tune of around 5,000-7,000 dollars...I can't recall exactly what the quoted cost for that job was because we didn't choose that option. So, had I chosen to reline the rest of the sewer line, it would've been critical that Mr. Rooter clean the sewer line out properly in order for the liquid that they pour in there to adhere to the existing pipe; hence, had I chosen this process, it would not have been completed appropriately because there still would've been grease in the sewer line due to their inability to adequately clean it out using the hydrojetting/HyrdoScrub procedure that was to be performed in the first contract of $10,000. If it was done right, would they have needed to come back multiple times? NO!
At this point, I asked how much it would be to install a toilet in the basement since the basement floor was already open to which the camera guy/salesman/whatever had responded that he would throw it in at no charge; yet, I couldn't receive "Membership Pricing" for the job being quoted because his boss would be "mad." So, instead of telling me that I was going to get a toilet installed for $400...He told me an outright lie: That I was going to get a toilet installed at no charge, but charged me anyway by not giving me the "Membership Pricing" I paid for. It states "toilet at no charge" on the invoice. Fraud? Yes! The $4300 was the membership price for the title of one of the jobs he pointed to. On the invoice, did you notice that all the prices are written down under the standard price...that the last two invoices are barely legible?
During the project, they had to call in the hydrojetting truck, the camera guy's brother, to come in and clear the line so that they could get the pipe in the sewer line. What did they pull out? Grease! They took pictures on their cell phones of the grease extracted (There was more grease in the area that was supposed to be serviced under the invoice, but was ignored).
One of the highlights at the end of the contract period was to watch them backfill the cleanout without gluing/securing the pipe where it connects to the lateral sewer line. "Oh, it will be ok. The dirt will pack it in. (Well, what about when the dirt shifts?....). The clean-out is even crooked in the yard. Why can't people just follow the protocols that they are supposed to follow?
Speaking of following, Mr. Rooter failed to complete the work according to the terms outlined in the second invoice...They did NOT come to within 2' (or one connection) away from the main line. (FYI, the clog was within the area that they were supposed to have taken care of!) They stopped at least two connections from the main line...Approximately 5+ feet. Who saved the day? The Township! They hydrojetted our line at no charge. The township asked me if Mr. Rooter camera inspected the line after the work was complete to which I responded that they hadn't. Since the township took care of me, my sewage has been flowing smoothly for 10 months. A few hours before the township shows up to do a "real" hydrojetting procedure WITH the camera (not before, not after...WITH), who shows up? Camera guy/salesman! He had pulled the Mr. Rooter van down into the backyard without our knowledge (You were supposed to park on the street unless otherwise invited to do so). Next thing you know, some man is looking in our front door. Do you know how creepy that is? What was he doing back there before he arrived at our door? Upon answering the door and explaining our displeasure of forking over $19,500 and continuing to be ankle deep in sewage, despite having nearly every aspect of the sewer line replaced/restored in some fashion, how do you think camera guy/salesman responded? Another sales pitch! No I recognize your investment, let me see what I can do because we should've fixed it right the first time....It was, again, informing us that the only way to solve our problem was to install a backflow preventer for $5,000 ($4,000 more than the government recommends the final bill for one be). Our response was, "No way!"
*They told me that if I didn't sign this form and the one below, then they wouldn't do the work. Continued to be lead to believe, by employees of Mr. Rooter, that inserting approximately 40 feet of smaller diameter pipe within the terra cotta pipes to 2' shy of the township's main line would be the solution to a lifetime of sewer free problems (The second invoice's work is warranted for 50 years), I forged ahead with the process as they were the ones who showed up to evaluate the situation. One could say, at this point, this would be a good example of why you do not want people who aren't certified plumbers evaluating and working on your plumbing system...
The problem with this is that the seller did NOT correct the emergency for which they signed their rights away for.
*The final events were equally as draining. When I called Mr. Rooter to try to reach the tech that did the camera inspection for a diagnosis pertaining to the recommendation for a sewer line replacement, this is what I was met with:
Me: "Hello, is E there?"
Mr. Rooter: "I don't know. Maybe. Who is this?"
A business that I just dropped $20,267.05 at responds to a customer that way?!?!? At that price, they should've been rolling out a red carpet and bowing to me for being foolish enough to pay for what I did....because I thought I was dealing with professionals. This behavior just confirms the presence of unprofessional and deceptive business practices at Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh. It is obviously that they clearly screen their calls as claimed by others.
Moreover, the concrete slab (2' x 3') in front of the basement door is cracked where the partial portion of concrete was laid because they decided they weren't going to replace the whole slab. It looks horrible! This should've been appropriately completed under the first sewer line replacement contract.
While they don't do landscaping, they could've left the yard in walkable condition, instead of leaving it as a hazard to my disabled mother and anyone else who crossed the yard.
Ultimately, Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh failed to restore flow to the sewer line as contracted. Also, Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh failed to inform the homeowner of the proper procedures in the jurisdiction in where they reside. Additionally, Mr. Rooter advised the homeowner to go against the proper procedures outlined in the the jurisdiction where they reside (once the homeowners figured out what those were). While they are definitely guilty of price gauging (yes, I am remorseful that I paid Mr. Rooter money to fix absolutely NOTHING! Actually, I stand corrected on this. I paid Mr. Rooter $19,500 for a toilet to be installed in the basement. I knew I was going to pay higher prices using a large corporation...Seriously, no wonder you hide your price book until you show up and don't bother showing it to the customer unless they demand to see it.), but my main concern here is that I was defrauded and Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, Mr. Rooter Corporation, and the Dwyer Group have been trying to brush me off.
*This is the relief hole they dug on 12-25-2011, which still backed up so, it wasn't really a relief....Why? because substantial blockage of grease was located just before that point; thus, it is correct to conclude that this process was necessary...That waiting until they showed up for work the following day on 12-26-2011 would've been sufficient (Crews didn't come out on Christmas to begin the process as Mr. Beall advertises on his recent interview on YTV and Home Builder's Association. I am appalled by all of the false statements Mr. Beall makes.)
*Basement door (12-25-2011...8 days after we moved in to the new house) and its relative position to the house and the outside area where the house trap is located. Where the basement door begins on the left is where the crack is in the slab. I was still in the "Oh, I am clueless about plumbing, but that's ok. I called a professional! state-of-mind" probably mostly out of desperation.
*You see the filthy stack above the clean-out there. That is what was going to be left there. That was a newly delivered, brand new washer and dryer. I am cringing that the tools are on there with no protection between the tools and the appliance! The camera inspection was conducted on 12-25-2011. Why can't contractors be careful and courteous concerning customers' property?
*A close up of the camera and items we haven't unpacked, yet. Do you see a mat in-between their tools? Me either. 12-25-2011
*Another view of the unnecessary hole dug on 12-25-2011.
*The crushed pieces of the cover to the top of the house trap that they broke apart with a shovel on 12-25-2011. Why do you think they did that? I know why now.
*Another view of the top of the house trap, sans cover. 12-25-2011
*12-26-2011 is when they started the work in the basement. At least 90% of all sewer lines, rarely need replaced. Again, I wonder if a quality hydrojetting procedure would have been all it needed to get it flowing...It would have at least allowed for a better camera inspection of the lateral sewer line in order to determine the validity of their claim. I will never know, though, because the work has already been done. I wish I would've had video cameras watching the entire process. Unfortunately, I couldn't be in the whole time to take pictures due to flying concrete and safety issues; however, I did notice that it was very easy to crack the 3'' terra cotta pipes with a bang of a shovel. During this time, there was a jackhammer causing major vibrations; thus, that probably had something to do with all the cracks that formed in the terra cotta pipes. On the camera inspection that Mr. Rooter did, I didn't see any cracks in the line...Just clogs and debris sticking to the sides of the pipe.
*The little skinny 3'' terra cotta pipe is coming from underneath the basement door and the large, 6" terra cotta pipe can be followed out towards the backyard to the township's main line. This is the where the house trap is and where the pipe with the fernco fittings will be sticking out from the ground near the basement door, according to the first invoice.
*Another angle of where the house trap will be located.
*More of the sewer line exposed. I am still in my "honeymoon" phase with Mr. Rooter at this point....Appreciative that they found this problem...so on and so forth. As I type this, I am seething because I am not even sure that THIS part of the job was even necessary; however, in a fair manner (not complaining about being charged 3 times what it would've cost with a reputable plumber...my whole job with toilet should've been no more than $5,000), I am only seeking the amount of the second invoice cost, which was obtained in a 100% fraudulent manner.
*Did you notice that the location of the crack in the terra cotta pipes is along where the jackhammer had been? I do. That crack, right there, is so large that it would've been evident on the inside of the pipe. Now, I didn't plan to keep the pipes at the point. It was a replacement, so not cracking them wouldn't have been a concern on the Tech's part. Again, not really making the first contract a huge issue - unless Mr. Rooter does not intend to uphold its lifetime warranty concerning the work in the first part of the sewer replacement/slip-lining process that was completed.
*Another photo of the problem area, which was ultimately filled with grease.
*More images of the excavation.
*See the terra cotta pipe to the right? That is where the basement shower's drain was running originally. Notice that the jackhammer went through that pipe (He was using the flat attachment in that area)? I'm sure that one was initially fine. Inconveniently, the shower drain was moved and the drain will have to be moved or the shower floor will have to be custom graded. Since they skipped all the way to the bank with our life savings, well....Repairing the shower and restoring it to usable condition is not even in the cards. We are down a shower forever. The only thing that would've needed updated would've been the shower's plumbing which was open and attached to the concrete walls.
*The location of the shower drain prior to excavation.
*A close up of the sewer line where the basement shower once drained from.
*The trap/backflow area where the sewage was backing up into the house from.
*Video of basement excavation and the removal of terra cotta pipes in preparation for laying down new PVC pipes.
*Video of the basement w/new PVC pipe and gravel...waiting and ready for the concrete to be mixed and poured. If you compare videos, that shower drain is moved over about 3-5 inches to the left and about 2-4 inches down towards the wall along the basement door leading to the outside.
*Video of camera inspection, which was performed by Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, in reference to the images and video of the work contained within the first invoice. Did you notice that the camera guy sends the camera through at mock speed? When I was watching it, I paused it at every frame. Other than the grease and the toilet paper that is sticking to the grease on the side of the pipe, I don't see anything truly alarming.
*Video of the sewage backing up AFTER the work was completed. At this point, you can hear that I am exasperated!!!!!! Did the employee who came to hyrdojet the first time offer to help me clean that up? NO!!!!! Did the employee who came the second time (the same time as the township came out the first time to the assess the situation) it backed up offer to help me up clean a similar mess up? NO!!
I NEVER received a DVD of the second camera inspection, which I should have. The second part of the line, when I was viewing it during the camera inspection, looked significantly healthier than the first part of the line located underneath the foundation. Like I said, the second invoice was DEFINITELY not necessary at all.
When I get a chance, I will upload pictures of the "finish" work. I can't find or don't have any pictures of the backyard the way they left it (If I do, I will post them) because it went through three different formations; however, if I take a picture around the concrete slab, the first house trap, and the grade of the ground nearby...It is exactly how the entire backyard looked.
As promised, below are the pictures of the finish work and an idea about how the area was left after they were finished.
*This is a photo of what the concrete slab looks like now. The left was the original concrete and the right side is what Mr. Rooter put back. Sort of. Notice the choppy lay out of the ground around that area. Also, you can see the clean out extending from the house trap at the very edge.
*This is another photo of the concrete slab, with the fernco-topped house trap visible.
*This is how Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh left, not only this section of the yard, but the entire backyard. There are rocks and even pieces of terra cotta pipe visible.
*Here is another view of the yard and the condition in which it was left in. (It didn't have to be seeded or left at landscape grade in the middle of winter, but it could've been smoothed out so that it wasn't a walking hazard.)
So, honestly, would you trust them with your home if they left it looking like this, didn't complete the work according to contract, didn't solve the problem right the first time, sold you services that you didn't need, and refused to work with a customer to come to any kind of acceptable resolution based on the above events that took place?
Hindsight is always 20/20!
Here are the sources where I retrieved the information that I used in order to arrive at my assessment of the situation in addition to my own personal experience with Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh:
Real Hydrojetting Procedure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QCgGXUYm-s
This video demonstrates what the hydrojetting process actually does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=9eFHsAPUprE
This video demonstrates the appropriate steps that a reputable plumber would take when hydrojetting and camera inspecting the line. Notice how the professional took time to explain how that, after the line is cleaned, it is easy to see what the problems were and to arrive at possible solutions to fix those problems. This was not the process that was conducted by Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh. The process was:
1. Try rodding the line (FAIL-Like they knew it would) (Christmas Eve)
2. Camera Inspect the line (It was clogged and difficult to see any evidence that the first part of the sewer line (first 30 feet) replacement was necessary). It's draining slow, so that is why you need it replaced and not cleaned. (Christmas Day)
3. Create the first invoice pertaining to sewer line replacement of 30 feet or less.
4. Start excavation on 12-26-2011
5. Then follow up with hydrojetting and another camera inspection...write up another invoice for an unnecessary sliplining process.
6. Don't come back to see that the work was completed and that the work was done according to contract. (They disappeared like those scams with people knocking on your door and telling you that you need your roof replaced or your driveway sealed.)
Mr. Rooter's HydroScrub Procedure
http://www.mrrooter.com/Services/HydroScrub.aspx
I just noticed that the hydrojetting head shown in the picture does not appear as though it is the rotating type and the flow appears to be going in the direction that a nozzle on a garden hose would, which would explain why they couldn't clear the line. What it doesn't explain, though, is why they didn't they estimate and do the HydroScrub/hydrojetting process and the camera inspection in order to investigate what problems, if any, existed within the sewer line before they decided on a sewer line replacement and sliplining process. Again, they are guilty of false advertising. This process does not perform the way they advertise that it should.
Angie's List
As a member of Angie's list, Mr. Rooter's rating fluctuates between an F and a C. I will be posting there as well.
Better Business Bureau: Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh
D- Rating. 48 (changed to 47 since I posted...) complaints closed with the BBB in the last 3 years. 10 (changed to 9 since I posted...) complaints closed in the last 12 months. 12 out of the 48 complaints filed against the business were not resolved. Strange, due to the fact that I just submitted a complaint that Mr. Beall's lawyer expressly communicated the fact that they had no intention of resolving and recommended that it be recorded as such. How reliable is the BBB for consumer reporting?
http://www.bbb.org/pittsburgh/business-reviews/plumbers/mr-rooter-of-pittsburgh-in-cranberry-twp-pa-12002891
Target 11: 3 Plumbers on BBB's List of Worst Local Businesses
http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/target-11-3-plumbers-on-bbbs-list-of-worst-local-b/nGgXk/
YellowPages
http://www.yellowpages.com/nationwide/mip/mr-rooter-pittsburgh-11024405
Yelp
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mr-rooter-cranberry
*My response has been filtered. This is what companies do....They pay to hide their indiscretions, rather than face them. The response that was initially prominent, but is now filtered, serves as evidence. This shouldn't be allowed to happen. In addition to filters, there are services out there that companies can pay substantial amounts of money to write copious positive articles on a variety of platforms according to the business' specifications in order to force their way into the top spots and bury their "dirty laundry" as so to speak. Unconscionable! *
Yahoo
http://local.yahoo.com/info-56781964-mr-rooter-plumbing-pittsburgh-pittsburgh
Complaints.Com
http://www.complaints.com/2008/march/22/Mr._Rooter_Pittsburgh_Fraud_164825.htm
**Ex-Employees comments here. You learn so much from the people who used to work for Mr. Rooter. Across the Nation, actually. The same toxic environment is really quite common. If Mr. Beall and other franchisees of the Dwyer Group didn't "work the system," they probably wouldn't be in business. What I admire about sites like this is that record of business' unethical business practices are never removed...It gives consumers a voice...A way to create solidarity....A way to find others in the area to figure out how to go about gaining the interest of the Attorney General...**
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/mr-rooter-north-olmsted-c289908.html
**Another similar situation, but with the same "concern" that Mr. Rooter Corporation/Dwyer Group pretended to show for me.**
PissedConsumer.Com
http://mr-rooter.pissedconsumer.com/service-man-never-showed-up-20120410311230.html
Rip Off Report
http://www.ripoffreport.com/directory/mr-rooter.aspx
**A list of cases concerning Mr. Rooter, with some of the locations concerning this specific franchise. Again, evidence that deceptive business practices are wide-reaching.**
http://www.ripoffreport.com/home-improvements/mr-rooter/mr-rooter-ripoffed-senior-66-b34bb.htm
**Ex-Employee of Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh: "although they give up front prices, their prices are double and sometimes triple what they could and should be. also, they send guys to a house with a main drain clog with a machine they know WILL NOT get the clog. why you may ask, because they want you to pay for another guy to camera the line so he can tell you that it is broke and needs dug up and replaced at a price of thousands. any reputable plumber will tell you that over 90% of the drains under ground DO NOT need dug up and replaced. they are no better then the other major rip off GILEECE. their guys are ALL paid ONLY commision, if they dont work they dont get paid. the more you pay the more they make. its all a numbers game, the guys have to get as much out of you as they can because they dont know if they will make anything else or not. call a company that will give you a price over the phone, you will be way better off and will pay so much less.
as far as the senior, he should have paid no more then $500 to have that work done, including all materials and the faucet.
also, they hire people with ZERO plumbing experience. the law says anyone can work as a plumber as long as they work FOR a master plumber. very few guys at mr rooter actually have a license. the guys that do, hate being there but have very little options, they need to work and need the paycheck. blame the owner and management,most of the guys have dont like the prices either but have no choice.
DONT FAULT THE WORKERS,FAULT THE OWNERS!!!!!"** (I appreciate your honesty ex-employees. That is what I expected happened and you confirmed it!)
Mr. Rooter's Blog
http://www.rooter2.com/honesty-and-integrity-choosing-a-plumbing-contractor/
**Well, it is a nice piece of writing; however, those concepts are not put into practice....unfortunately. Especially evident through my experience and the documented experiences of others.**
http://www.rooter2.com/why-plumbers-are-so-expensive/
**This is why Mr. Beall has a full-time media employee...To write content in order to ensure that everything positive comes up first in the search engines. Did you notice that comments are off because they know what would happen if they opened comments? Hiding indiscretions. I agreed with everything he stated in the blog about considering a variety of costs that exist regarding setting business prices....That is....UNTIL the last paragraph specifically in which Mr. Beall is attempting to declare that his company has never engaged in the activities that were listed, which is a myth, misrepresentation, etc.**
Mr. Rooter's Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/MrRooterPittsburgh
**In reference to his recent interview on YTV and Home Builder's Association...He states that customer service sets his business apart. It is supposed to according to Corporate claims @Mr. Rooter, but he just lied to the viewers watching because he does not operate his business in the manner in which he states. He even explains the same processes concerning sewer line reconstruction options that I absolutely defined within this blog in relation to how the options were inaccurately explained to me. I find it odd and disturbing that he told his lawyer that my job was a complete sewer line replacement, even though it wasn't. That's actually frightening if you think about it. He is advertised as "Pittsburgh's Most Trusted Master Plumber" that the people you think are plumbers work for; hence, it is even more obvious that the technicians evaluating my situation must not have understood what they were talking about as a result of only being trained to sell and not as knowledgeable plumbers. Admittedly, I didn't know or understand anything at all about plumbing until I had done research pertaining to my issue, which I would've never done if flow would have been restored to the sewer line after forking over $19,500 as a result of a string of fraudulent diagnoses by technicians who may have actually been unlicensed plumbers. Remember, they couldn't even hydrojet my line properly even though they sent the truck a total (during and after the project) of 4-5 times. In PA, you can work as a plumber if you work for a Master Plumber; thus, I could've done the work knowing nothing similar to what Dina Dwyer-Owens did on Undercover Boss (Cringe! I wouldn't want her touching anything!). The owner is a Master Plumber, but what about everyone else who works within the business? What about the "technicians" who "diagnosed" and "performed unnecessary sewer line construction" for my project? Ask for their master plumber's license number and look it up to be sure it is theirs! If there is no master plumber's license, then go to someone who has one! You will pay less down the road instead of them trying to tell you that the only way to take care of your sewage back-up problem is the service with the highest income stream for them - "We gotta dig...You need a new sewer line or one of the related restoration options. It's the only option. [Rubbish!]"**
A link communicating possible absence of judgement
http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/suspect-fatal-lower-burrell-hit-and-run-arrested/nLg59/
**How, as a business owner, do you let an employee with a bad driving record drive your vehicles? When there was record that the employee was in constant violation of the law? I am of the opinion that you are responsible for the death of the victim in that hit-and-run as well due to poor judgement. On the whole, how could I even trust you personally to make a judgement about my sewer line needs - especially being that you were never at our home to evaluate the situation in the first place.**
Like I was, don't be fooled by their advertising and their claims to be operating within a "code of values." If they were operating by the code of values stated throughout all the brands, I would not have needed to create this blog.
It is not right for a business and their lawyer to try to threaten a consumer into removing an accurate description of their experience with a company that does not wish to address the consumer's concerns regarding the business' failure to meet the terms of their contract agreement and engaging in deceptive/misleading sales tactics; thus, violating the 1st amendment right to freedom of speech (As long as it is the truth - I even forgot to mention that they never hydrojetted the first 30 feet of the sewer line before they did the camera inspection and wrote up the invoice....probably on purpose to make it look worse to the customer that it actually was or could have been. Unless it was collapsed, which it wasn't, I should've been able to view any problems and they should've been pointed out to and discussed with me by a qualified master plumber.).
Since the contents of my blog adequately represent my experience with doing business with Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, Mr. Rooter Corporation, and The Dwyer Group and that these entities are of the opinion that they do not need to be held accountable to upholding the terms of their contracts and their advertised company policies with consumers, I have made my experience with Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh and the Dwyer Group a per
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
Blog Response To Company's Response
#28Author of original report
Sat, October 27, 2012
I have posted an update to the company's response on my blog: http://howmrrooterofpittsburghscammedme.blogspot.com/
MrRooterCustomerSupport
Waco,Texas,
United States of America
Mr. Rooter
#28UPDATE Employee
Fri, October 26, 2012
Rachel,
We again would like to express our apologies for your frustration Our President, Mary Kennedy Thompson, will be calling you early next week to discuss your situation personally. If you would like to contact Mr. Rooter Corporation in the meantime, we welcome you to call us at 800-583-8003 x 2436 and speak with our Customer Service Manager, Stacie.
RMP
Greensburg,Pennsylvania,
USA
Going Here To Get Updated Information
#28Author of original report
Wed, October 24, 2012
It is so hard to update on this site and provide an appropriate picture of what I am dealing with without the accompanying pictures and videos with related captions describing the event.
http://howmrrooterofpittsburghscammedme.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-mr-rooter-of-pittsburgh-and-dwyer.html