07/05/09

Not a Good Experience

by JohnQPublic

I needed a slow drain repaired and an annual cleaning of sewers. Unlike other companies that I had called, this company could come the same day, but refused to give any sort of ballpark estimate of the charges for the identified services.

Ater waiting a good part of my day of vacation set aside to get this job done, the Rescue Rooter employee finally arrived. After he reviewed the tasks to be done, I was given a "highball price" of $520. I did not do my homework ( I didn't know I was about to experience something like buying a used car.) and did not have a good idea what a fair price would be.

I figured that working with Rescue Rooter that the $520 was "in the ballpark" (I was wrong) for some undetermined length of effort, I countered with a price of $370. Adding to his ruse, the employee asked to step outside to supposedly call the boss for permission to accept my $370 counter offer. He came back in with "permission" to the countered price and then proceeded to finish the job in less than an hour...I was snookered! This guy wasn't even a licensed plumber. I was thinking I was doing business with a reputable party...wrong again...and not trying to "buy a used car". To make matters worse, when I called his Rescue Rooter office to complain, I got very little sympathy and absolutely no satisfaction from his superiors. BUYER BEWARE!

• Pros: None
• Cons: Think I was tricked!