Complaint Review: Mr. Rooter - Nationwide

Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh has been attempting to bully me into removing the facts surrounding what happened during the dates of service because they do not like how the facts make them look and they do not want the public to know that they never had any intention of making things right with my Mother.

I have the right to report the truth about events that I have been directly involved in and that I have directly witnessed.  The truth could help the public be educated as to how to survive using a Mr. Rooter franchisee or avoid using a Mr. Rooter franchisee altogether.

The First Amendment allows me to engage in the following activities:

1) I have the right to speak freely without government interference.

2) I have the right to publish news, information, and opinions without government interference.

3) I have the right to gather signatures in support of a cause. 

4) I have the right to gather in public to march, protest, demonstrate, carry signs, and express my views in a nonviolent way, as well as to join and associate with groups and organizations without government interference.  

The recreation of this blog is to ensure that facts and opinions are being clearly stated.  

 

On December 24, 2011 at 12:54PM, my Mother called Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh to come to her home because there was a second raw sewage backup in her basement.

 

Cell phone records document that my Mother made eight calls to HSA Home Warranty between 10:52AM and 12:31PM on December 24, 2011 to report the second sewage backup in the basement of her home and to check on the status of HSA Home Warranty finding a plumber to come out and address the situation.

 

At 12:40PM on December 24, 2011, HSA Home Warranty called my Mother to giver her permission to find any plumber who would respond to the sewage backup in the basement.

 

As evident from my Mother's HSA Home Warranty Account, there is a record of sewage backups being reported on December 21, 2011 and December 24, 2011 respectively.

 

According to my Mother's HSA Home Warranty Account, HSA Home Warranty dispatched Main Street Mechanicals to her home on December 21, 2011 to address the first occurrence of the sewage backups.  The Master Plumber from Main Street Mechanicals warned that the small diameter drain cleaning machine used to open the sewer line through the basement floor drain was probably not going to be effective and that installing a clean-out would be necessary in order to accommodate a larger diameter drain routing machine that would be able to more adequately address the issue of sewage backing up in the basement.

 

On December 24, 2011, my Mother's HSA Home Warranty Account showed that Shaw Plumbing was dispatched to come out and address the second sewage backup at her home; however, due to the fact that it was Christmas Eve, Shaw Plumbing did not elect to answer the service call.  HSA Home Warranty still shows that it was waiting for information from the "other" out-of-network plumber, or rather the Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh "Technician" that did respond to the service call.

 

Cell phone records show that Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh returned my Mother's phone call at 3:36PM on December 24, 2011 to set up an appointment later that day with one of their "Technicians," Joe, on or around 5:00PM.

 

Cell phone records show that a phone call to HSA Home Warranty was made from my Mother's cell phone at 5:08PM on December 24, 2011, which was made in order for the Mr. Rooter "Technician" to explain to HSA Home Warranty what his plan was to address the sewage backup.

 

Considering HSA Home Warranty appeared to us to be wasting the Mr. Rooter "Technician's" time by asking the same questions over and over, we decided to absorb the cost of that particular service call in order to have the necessary clean-out installed and to have the larger diameter drain routing machine run through the sewer line in the hopes that the second drain cleaning attempt would be successful.

 

There is a photograph that was taken to show the sewage backup that occurred on December 21, 2011, which was five days after we had moved into the home.  The photograph also adequately depicts the extent of the sewage back up that occurred on December 24, 2011.

 

 

 

As advised by the previous Master Plumber from Main Street Mechanicals, my Mother and I informed Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician," that the previous plumber suggested that installing a clean-out was necessary in order to use a larger diameter drain routing machine to clean the sewer line since the smaller diameter drain routing machine through the basement floor drain was obviously unsuccessful - lasting only three days.

 

Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician," agreed with the previous plumber's assessment of the situation and told us that installing a clean-out and cleaning the sewer line with a larger drain routing machine would be necessary.

 

We asked Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician," to be detailed on the invoice in order to satisfy HSA Home Warranty requirements.

 

Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician," went out to his truck and returned with a detailed invoice as requested - Invoice #106273.

 

 

 

 

According to Invoice #106273, a clean-out was to be installed in the basement and a drain cleaning was to be performed on the sewer line.

 

Also included on Invoice #106273, were the "financial benefits" of purchasing the "Valued Customer Protection Plan," or the Advantage Plan as advertised on Mr. Rooter Corporate's website.

 

Uncertain about the plumbing of the home and the fact that it appeared as though the homeowner would save approximately $86 upfront according to Invoice #106273, it looked like it wouldn't take long to start saving money on the 5-Year $199.95 Advantage Plan or "Valued Customer Protection Plan."

 

 

 

Before the work outlined on Invoice #106273 commenced, Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician," spoke with HSA Home Warranty and described the work that he was going to perform in order to address the sewage backup in the basement.

 

For $558.19 ($472.10 CPP Pricing) on Invoice #106273, Joe installed a drain stack that looked as though it was pulled from someone else's sewer line in which he told me that the unsightly drain stack could be painted, in addition to informing me that he installed a temporary clean-out cap that he would replace the next day because the cap being installed was not appropriate for the situation.  This is an example of SHODDY WORKMANSHIP.  Would you pay $558.19 for the stack pictured below?

 

 

 

For $95 (Not Subject to CPP Pricing) on Invoice #106273, Joe spent only a few minutes max using the drain routing machine, claiming that he couldn't get the drain routing machine very far into the line.

 

I am, by no means, an expert in the trade of plumbing; however, I recall that the end of the drain routing machine, used by Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician," had an attachment that looked like the rotary/saw rotary cutter blades on the documentation that I obtained from PASCO.  Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician," even told me that nothing stops the rotary saw/rotary cutter blades that were at the end of the drain routing machine.

 

I am also not suggesting that a 'simple cleaning,' by cabling or snaking the lateral sewer line, would have been effective in the long-term; however, if the drain cleaning was properly performed on the lateral sewer line, it would have given my Mother at least three additional days to gather, appropriately, other professional opinions about the condition of her lateral sewer line and not feel pressured into entering into subsequent contract immediately and solely with Mr. Rooter Plumbing.

 

Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician," used a cleaner and some rags that he had with him to clean up the sewage and its associated debris from the floor in the basement and around the floor drain; hence, there was no sewage remaining on the basement floor or in the basement at all after Joe left for the evening on December 24, 2011.

 

Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician," told us that he had a "buddy" with a camera who he could ask to come take a look at the sewer line to see what the problem was - warning us that he would deny it if we told anyone about his gesture.  We thought that he made that statement jokingly; however, it was not a joke.  The statement Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician,"made should be recognized as evidence of DISHONEST INTENT.

 

On Christmas Day 2011, Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician," VOLUNTARILY returned to the house with his "buddy," Earl, as a "favor" to my Mother offered the previous evening.  I met them at the house as requested by my Mother who was at her sister's house at the time.

 

When I arrived at the house, I saw two Mr. Rooter Plumbing vans and thought to myself *Oh, he's a Mr. Rooter employee, too* At the time, I didn't really think about significance of this detail.  The significance of this detail was that Joe and Earl both had a mutual financial interest for volunteering to show up at the home of a widowed, still grieving, physically disabled 59 1/2 year old woman and her daughter, two women who knew nothing about plumbing, in order to "investigate" what the problem might be - Commission.  Joe and Earl's mission was to arrive at the home in order to convince the homeowner that she needed a sewer line replacement, which is the most expensive and most extreme option usually reserved for serious issues like collapsed sewer lines, cracked sewer lines, or severely misaligned sewer lines...None of which existed at our home.  This would be an example of a BAIT and SWITCH SCAM.

 

 

 

Earl, a Mr. Rooter "Technician," sent the camera down our lateral sewer line twice.  Once prior to reporting their supposed "findings" to us.  Once after they had reported their supposed "findings" to us and after Invoice #105738 had already been created and signed where I had watched the screen unfamiliar with what I was looking at and under the impression that there were professional Master Plumbers evaluating the situation.

 

 

Other than the obvious fact that the sewer line contained debris and a clogged area of off-white cloudy water that prevented any clear recognition of the real issue at-hand, Earl gave me no indication that there was anything going on serious enough to warrant a sewer line replacement.  All Earl went on about is something about a clogged artery which was obvious and the purpose of seeking "professional" plumbing assistance.

 

During the camera inspection, I never saw past 00:00:24 on the video, which is the ONLY video, out of two videos that were supposedly done on the sewer line, that I could get them to give to us.  This camera inspection was performed prior to creating an invoice.

 

Earl, Joe, and I gathered in the living room to discuss the state of our sewer line.  Earl told me there was good news and bad news.  The good news was that they could fix the problem.  The bad news was that  a sewer line replacement was necessary in order to fix the problem and prevent sewage from backing up into the basement.

 

I asked Earl how much a sewer line replacement would cost to which he replied "*...Be prepared to sign away your life savings...$10,000."  I told him that is too much money to make a decision on without first talking to my Mother, who was at her sister's house for Christmas.

 

At this point, no invoice had been created or signed nor had any of the unnecessary digging took place. Everything was still in a verbal state of affairs.

 

Cell phone records show that I had called my Mother at 1:41PM, which was to explain what I was told by the so-called "professionals," Earl and Joe...That the only way to solve the issue of sewage backing up into the basement was to replace the lateral sewer line.

 

At this point, my Mother and I had both been told, with me confirming repeatedly, that the quoted price of $10,000 included the entire sewer line to the main sewer line and that our house would be put back together the way they found it.  These are the conditions in which my Mother gave her consent for me to sign and enter into contract with Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh.

 

After I informed Earl and Joe that my Mother gave me permission to go ahead with the complete sewer line replacement, Earl promptly created Invoice #105738.  With my Mother under the impression that she agreed to a typical contract with typical contractual terms, Earl produced two extra forms "Emergency Work Authorization" and the "Notice Of Right To Cancel" that he said I had to sign or they wouldn't do the work.    

 

 

 

According to the FTC, they require that the person signing the forms ("Emergency Work Authorization" and the "Notice Of Right To Cancel") put the reason for the emergency in his/her own words; however, I didn't know what to put down to explain why rights needed to be signed away to have the work done and asked Earl what I was supposed to write in that section; thus, the words on that form are actually Earl's words and not the words of myself or my Mother.

 

 

 

 

After I had filled out and signed all the forms on my Mother's behalf and made payment in full via two separate credit cards, I examined Invoice #105738 closely only to discover that Earl never wrote down the whole sewer line as he had deceptively made me believe he had, but rather the invoice stated, in barely legible writing, that only a small section of sewer line was supposed to be replaced to the house trap located just outside approximately 5' from the basement door.  I had continued to discuss the invoice several times with Earl and Joe in an attempt to understand exactly what they were supposed to be doing according to the contract.

 

 

 

My Mother was furious when she returned home because her rights had been signed away, the invoice had already been signed, and the work to be completed within the invoice did NOT include replacing the entire sewer line as she verbally agreed to over the phone.  My Mother's discovery would be a premium example of FALSE and MISLEADING SALES TACTICS - an example of FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION.  Fraudulent misrepresentation would be implying verbally that the consumer is getting an entire sewer line replacement, but then changing what the consumer initially agreed to over the phone without their knowledge on the invoice to include only (3) 10 foot sections or less of sewer line.

 

After Invoice #105738 was promptly created, signed and payed in full, Earl and Joe dug a "relief pit" so that sewage would exit the basement; however, there was no sewage to exit the basement because Joe had cleaned up the sewage around the basement floor drain the previous evening on Christmas Eve 2011.

 

 

 

On the camera inspection video, Earl recorded the name and address of the video inspection AFTER all of the forms were signed, payment was collected, and the "relief pit" had been created.  I found that odd because I thought he had already inspected our sewer line and the video footage had already been created.  Also, the footage at the end of the video, which showed the "relief pit" on our property, was created at the same time he recorded the name and address of the video inspection.  So, my theory that I was shown a dummy video with recorded audio and visual add-ons is probably accurate.  It would be extremely difficult to tell one clay sewer pipe from another, especially with modifications which could potentially be made by the self-acclaimed audio and video specialist staff member employed by Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh.  In order to detect and locate our house trap, Earl would have had to insert the camera into the sewer line and use a machine to detect the camera's position first before digging the "relief pit."

 

According to Joe, the Mr. Rooter "Technician," the heavy duty, supposedly unstoppable drain routing machine did not make any significant impact on the clog on Christmas Eve 2011, with the blockage actually being located between 0:00:27 and 0:00:29 according to the recorded camera inspection video taken on Christmas Day 2011 where there appears to be a small diameter dark area suggesting that the blockage had not completely blocked the line - The blockage of solidified grease, as it turned out to be, was located before the house trap; thus, it would be logical to conclude that digging the "relief pit" and breaking the cap to the house trap before work was schedule to begin the next day on December 26, 2011 was unnecessary because enough waste water would have never made it past the blockage to the house trap to overflow there and prevent sewage from backing up into the basement.  On the recorded video, the sewer line looks relatively problem-free from the 21 foot mark to where the off-white cloudy water begins at the 16 foot mark.

 

 

This is a photograph of pieces of the cap to our house trap that was destroyed on Christmas Day 2011.

 

It is important to note that the invoice does not describe the results of the camera inspection performed; therefore, no adequate tool was used to arrive at an appropriate recommendation for the homeowner.

 

The price of Invoice #105738 just appeared out of nowhere as there is no evidence on this document to suggest that Earl ever used the "no hidden fees" price book, as advertised, to arrive at the total of $10,000 for a 30 foot or less replacement of the lateral sewer line that was actually supposed to be the entire sewer line to the main sewer line.  There is no price itemization to describe the cost for a hydrojetting service, for a camera inspection service of the outside lateral sewer line, or for the sewer line replacement.  There is NO evidence, whatsoever, to suggest that the Advantage Plan pricing that my Mother was entitled to receive was even applied since she purchased and paid for the Advantage Plan the previous evening.

 

On the evening of December 25, 2011, since we had just relocated back to the area on December 14, 2011 and moved into our home on December 16, 2011, I did online research surrounding sewer line replacements in our local township.  Well, I discovered that we had not followed protocol regarding our sewage backups and was worried about possible repercussions.  The local municipal authority's website specifically states that if there are any sewage backup issues to CALL THEM FIRST to assess the situation.

 

On Monday, December 26, 2011, Earl arrived at our house prior to Mr. Rooter employees showing up to begin work.  My Mother and I informed Earl about what I discovered online regarding what the process was of addressing sewer line issues in our township.  What we were supposed to do is have the township municipal authority investigate the issues first, and then they would let the homeowner know if they needed to contact a plumber.  Earl told us that, whether or not we decide to get the work done, the contracts are already signed and they have the money anyway.  Earl also stated that the township municipal authority's website was wrong and that we were supposed to call Mr. Rooter first.  This is an example of Mr. Rooter MISREPRESENTING THEIR AUTHORITY.

 

At the time, my Mother and I thought we had no other choice but to proceed with the work that was supposed to be completed according Invoice #105738.  If the emergency forms that signed her rights away weren't signed without her knowledge, then my Mother would have terminated that contract the following day.

 

Later that day, my Mother and I had the idea, since they were already tearing apart the basement floor, that it would be easy and it shouldn't cost that much more to add a toilet to the basement.  So, I asked the employee working in the basement about adding a toilet.  The employee in the basement told me to contact Earl because he handles that and that he expected Earl to be at the house tomorrow in order to camera the rest of the sewer line.

 

On December 27, 2011, Earl showed up to camera inspect the lateral sewer line.  The part of the sewer line inspected showed that our lateral sewer line was in really good shape compared to the first video I saw.  The only obstructions that I saw in our sewer line was a #2 pencil, a 9-volt energizer battery, and another clogged area further down the sewer line.  Although the clogged area was close to a line of pine trees in our neighbor's yard, I opened my mouth and asked if it is possible if roots were the problem; thus, providing valuable information for Earl to use on his next invoice, which is written under "diagnosis/recommendations."

 

Earl, again, explained that the only way to solve the issue of sewage backing up into the basement is...you guessed it...a sewer line replacement for the rest of our sewer line for around $12,000-$15,000 in addition to the first invoice!  We declined that option.  Since I had been doing research on sewer line replacements and their associated costs, I asked Earl what other options were available to address the issue of our lateral sewer line being clogged.  He explained that there was a liquid that could line the sewer in the ballpark of $5,000-$7,000 that only carried a 1-year warranty.  We thought that was crazy to spend $5,000-$7,000 on a product/service that was only guaranteed for a year, so we passed on that option as well!  The only reasonable option that we thought we had to choose from at the time was a procedure referred to as pipe-bursting for $8,000-$9,000.  Earl explained that the pipe-bursting was inserting a 4" pipe into the existing 6"  pipes.  My research has determined that it cost $9,500 to have Mr. Rooter perform a slip-lining process.   The pipe-bursting procedure was not actually performed as verbally stated as pipe-bursting is the process of pulling a new pipe into the place of the existing pipe while a machine breaks up the old pipe, allowing for the installation of the same or larger diameter pipe in a non-evasive manner.

 

Earl proceeded with the creation of Invoice #105742.  This time I told him to go get the price book because I wanted to be sure that my Mother was getting the membership pricing that she was entitled to.  He pointed to two jobs in the price-book which didn't really describe at all the scope of the work that was to be done.  One of the jobs was supposedly given the membership price of $4,300.  What the price is actually attached to isn't defined in the invoice.  The other price was $5,200 and it was not given the membership pricing, which was $4,800, because Earl said that his boss would be mad because he was giving us a toilet and no charge.

 

 

 

 

 

At the time and under stress from moving and having sewage backup into our house, we didn't think about the relationship between Earl's verbal statements to us and what he actually wrote down on the invoices.  It became clear after evaluating all of our interactions with Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh after they failed to resolve the issue of sewage backing up into the basement as they were contracted to do.

 

Earl told us that he was going to give us something that he didn't.  The price difference between the actual price of the job that he pointed to in the price book and the membership price that my Mother was entitled to receive was $400; thus, he charged $400 for the toilet and its associated installation that he claimed he was providing at "no charge."  Invoice #105742 states in writing that the toilet was being provided at "no charge."  So, Earl and Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh lied on a business contract in order to get the sale; hence engaging in FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION.

 

A recently discovered  example of SHODDY WORKMANSHIP (May 2013) is the fact that Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh does not appear capable of properly installing the "no charge" toilet on an uneven surface - our basement floor.  Even though, since January 2012, the "no charge" toilet in the basement has been used less than 10 times, the toilet is now wobbling because it wasn't shimmed and/or caulked and the wax seal is broken due to the movement over the uneven surface.  All I have to say is that we are fortunate that my Mother did not discover this and get badly hurt and that this incompetent work was located in our basement and not on other floors of the home where more damage to our home could have occurred.

 

Invoice #105742 actually states the following:

"replace outside sewer stopping 2' shy of main. bed oil pipe in gravel.  additional cost 9500. prior cost 10,000.  new job total 19,500.  all cost are cpp discounted. installing new toilet no charge due to cpp membership.  paying 9500 by check."

Even the content of Invoice #105742 does NOT describe what my Mother and I were verbally told was going to occur.  This invoice states that the sewer line was supposed to be replaced and does not describe the process of inserting a pipe; yet, we were told verbally that a pipe bursting procedure was going to occur and, instead, a 4" pipe was inserted into our 6" terra cotta sewer line which can be confirmed by the inspection performed by our local municipal authority.  Again, a continuation of FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION!

 

In a letter composed by the lawyer representing Mr. Robert A Beall and Mr. Rooter Plumbing (Pittsburgh) on October 22, 2012, the lawyer communicates that even he understands the scope of the work within the invoices to be a COMPLETE SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT.  This letter can be reviewed in the following post.  

 

Between December 28, 2011 and December 30, 2011, the employees were supposedly working to complete the work contained within Invoice #105738 and Invoice #105742.

 

During this period, there was an issue with being able to insert the new pipe inside the terra cotta pipes due to a blockage.  Before finally calling for a hydrojetting truck, the Mr. Rooter "Technicians" were trying to force the pipe into the sewer line.  The hydrojetting truck came, but the employees just pulled the solidified grease out by hand which had holes from the hydrojetting machine that they didn't leave in the sewer line very long which had been working to break through the grease - albeit slowly.  I was told that Earl was supposed to come to camera inspect the rest of the sewer line, but when Earl arrived he said it wasn't necessary.  The Mr. Rooter "Technicians" working on the sewer line installed the "T" at the point of blockage in the sewer line, which stopped 4 feet before the point indicated on Invoice #105742.  This is just one example of BREECH OF CONTRACT.

 

The green flag was used to mark the main sewer line by the local municipal authority.

I measured from the clean-out "T" at the angle the sewer line was going above ground.

 

 

This is the measurement I got from the picture above.  This is definitely not 2 feet shy of the main.  

 

While I estimated that they stopped a total of 8 feet from the main sewer line, I was off by two feet. 

 

Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh, FOR A FACT, stopped 6 feet from the main sewer line - making their breech of contract 4 feet as they stated they were supposed to stop 2 feet shy of the main sewer line ...at the tap where our lateral sewer line connects to the township's main sewer line.  

 

Here is the link to the video I uploaded on YouTube after obtaining an independent video inspection today, May 17, 2013, in order to prove that my statements and my conclusions about Mr. Rooter are spot on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LVVMf4wnos

 

 

 

 

This photo is courtesy of Earl's cell phone - the Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh "Technician."

This photograph was submitted through BBB correspondence.

This is the grease that they pulled out of the sewer line by hand in order to be able to insert the pipe.  

 

 

Between December 24, 2011 and December 30, 2011, the lateral sewer line was camera inspected twice and hydrojetted 2 or 3 times.

 

On December 30, 2011, the final day consisted of a Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh employee looking around for a jackhammer to break up the rest of the concrete slab to lay the new slab, but then decided just to put half the concrete slab back, informing me that we could call them in the spring to have it redone.  No bonding agent was applied and it only took weeks before it cracked where the new and old concrete meet.  This is an example of SHODDY WORKMANSHIP that remains today.  I should offer tours because there is nothing like seeing their "quality" workmanship for yourself in person.

 

 

 

Upon the claimed completion of work, the Mr. Rooter "Technicians" swore up and down that we would have no further issues with sewage backing up into our basement...That we'd have problem free sewer operation for 50 years or more.

 

The declaration of the Mr. Rooter "Technicians" was merely another lie because we had to call them shortly after they claimed to have completed work due to the sewage backing up into our basement..AGAIN!  Due to my understandably being paranoid about the sewage backing up into the basement, the sewage backup that occurred during this period was similar to the extent of the backups on December 21st and December 24th because I was still afraid to run too much water and allow it to go down the drain.

 

The FIRST hydrojetting truck that responded after the work was claimed to have been completed ran water through the line and told us to use Scott Toilet Tissue, promising us that we would have no further issues with sewage backing up into our basement.  We followed the recommendation of the so-called "professional."

 

Three days or so later, on January 6, 2012, we had the worst backup that encapsulated 3/4 of our basement floor and destroyed over $1,000 (closer to $2,000) of our personal property that was stored in the boxes which became saturated with raw sewage.  At this point, my Mother and I were both livid.

 

 

 

 

As mentioned previously, January 6, 2012 was the worst backup that we had ever experienced.  Over $1,000 worth of our irreplaceable personal property stored in boxes in the basement were ruined from being saturated in raw sewage.  Taking a shower, running the dishwasher, and doing a load of laundry all at the same time should have not taxed the capacity of our lateral sewer line - especially after forking over $19,500 to Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh!  At this point, our patience with Mr. Rooter had run out and my Mother and I were both beyond livid!

 

So, we called Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh to come out, AGAIN, for the second time.  This time, though, Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh sent us someone who had NO CLUE what he was doing.  He might have been able to operate the equipment, kind of, but he certainly did not know how to use the equipment to his advantage to clear a sewer line.  We wondered if it was his first time all by himself running the hydrojetter....

 

The African American Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh "Technician," whose name started with an "A" or something like that, claimed that we had a "soft clog."  There was no camera inspection or anything like that...Just a psychic prediction.  For a "soft clog," he had a very difficult time trying to clear it.  The hydrojetting stream rose 3 to 4 stories like a geyser out of the clean-out.  He told me that he didn't know why that was happening because it never happened before.  His statement alerted my Mother and I to the fact that Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh sent out an employee who was incompetent.

 

At this point, we decided that it was time to call the local municipal authority like we should have done from the beginning.

 

The African American Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh "Technician" was waiting around to see what the local municipal authority was going to say.  The local municipal authority sent a camera on wheels up their main sewer line and hyrojetted it.  Even though there was grease in the local municipal authority's main sewer line, it wasn't enough to block the flow of sewage.  My Mother heard the African American Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh "Technician" ask a local municipal authority employee if Mr. Rooter could replace the tap (It would've been nice if they actually completed work up to the tap as indicated on the contract.), but the local municipal authority employee told him, "No."

 

Then, the local municipal authority employees sent their camera up our lateral sewer line, but couldn't make out what the blockage was.  The local municipal authority employees decided to go ahead and hyrojet our lateral sewer line from the "T" clean-out in the yard to the main sewer line.  The African American Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh "Technician" told me that the local municipal authority had better equipment and should be able to get the sewer flowing for us.  The African American Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh "Technician" also told me that he was afraid of getting the hose stuck in the sewer line and having to pay to get it removed.  Prior to the local municipal authority employees working on our sewer line, the The African American Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh "Technician"left.

 

Well, calling Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh wasn't getting us any closer to stopping the sewage from backing up in the basement and we found the incompetence alarming; thus, future backups were brought up to the local municipal authority instead and they are the ones who finished the work that Mr. Rooter of Pittsburgh should have done with regard to successfully unblocking our lateral sewer line.