Provider profile
Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Stratford and Bridgeport-area homeowners dealing with water damage that led to mold, who want a single company to handle plumbing repair, water extraction, and mold cleanup in one coordinated job.
Best for
- Stratford, Bridgeport, and Fairfield County homeowners who need emergency water damage and mold cleanup handled by one company.
- Homeowners with burst pipes or sewer backups who need same-day plumbing repair and water extraction together, especially nights and weekends.
- Commercial property managers needing a single vendor for plumbing emergencies, water restoration, and insurance documentation across multiple properties.
- Older homes with basement moisture problems where a plumbing issue triggered mold growth and you want the source fixed before remediation starts.
About this company
Roto-Rooter's Stratford location at 815 Woodend Rd covers the Bridgeport metro area and most of Connecticut. It is a franchise branch of the national chain founded in 1935, managed locally by Brian Kix. The office handles plumbing, drain cleaning, water damage restoration, and mold remediation under one roof. They operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with trucks that carry parts for same-visit repairs.
The standout here is the single-source model. When a pipe bursts and causes water damage that leads to mold, Roto-Rooter dispatches plumbers and restoration crews together instead of making you coordinate between separate companies. Their water damage team holds IICRC training, and the website describes a structured process: water extraction, dehumidification with industrial air movers, antimicrobial treatment, and air quality testing after remediation. They also handle insurance documentation and work directly with adjusters.
The company has operated since 1935 at the national level. The Stratford branch holds plumbing license 0288452-P1 under Raymond Quintero and lists membership in the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, PHCC, and the Connecticut Apartment Association. They carry a BBB A+ rating.
With 4.7 stars across 1,351 Google reviews, this is a high-volume location that most customers rate well. The volume itself is notable for a Connecticut franchise branch and suggests consistent traffic. The rating holds up despite a vocal minority of pricing complaints, which tells you the core service delivery works for the majority of callers.
Services
Service area
Headquartered at 815 Woodend Rd, Stratford, CT. Serves the Bridgeport metro area including Stratford, Milford, Fairfield, Trumbull, Shelton, and Monroe. Claims coverage across Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex, Litchfield, Hartford, Windham, Tolland, and New London counties, spanning from Danbury to New London. That is effectively all of Connecticut, which is an unusually broad claim for a single branch location.
Review consensus
Orlando appears in more positive reviews than any other technician, praised by multiple customers for fast response, careful cleanup, and genuine kindness. Sal gets consistent praise for diagnosing problems quickly and handling both plumbing and water damage calls, including commercial jobs on holidays. Richard draws strong marks for persistence on tough clogs and clear communication. Steve, Peter, Alan, and Joshua also receive individual callouts for knowledge and speed. Across positive reviews, the most common themes are same-day arrival, clear explanations of the problem, and cleanup after the job.
25 found across 1351 total reviews at 4.7★. Pricing dominates. Nicki Shopis paid $600 to unclog a kitchen sink before negotiating it down to $200. Justin Henri was charged $1,600 for two sinks. Jeet Trivedi paid $457 for a diagnosis visit after being told the fee was $99. Amanda Garcia paid $1,800 for a water heater she valued at $400 and never received an itemized invoice. Kevin Barnes-Ceeney's restoration bill started at $14,000 before being reduced to $10,000 when insurance declined to pay. Beyond pricing, a separate pattern involves unnecessary upselling: Ryan McCoy was quoted $5,500 for pipe excavation that a local plumber resolved with a standard snake job. L B had the same experience, quoted $2,000 to $6,000 for a soft clog a competitor cleared easily. Chopsaw (2-star) described his camera technician being told by a supervisor to push hydro jetting and pipe replacement rather than try simpler solutions. On service quality, Serkan Erdas had the same problem return after two visits. Patrick Duffy's fix failed within 72 hours. Airin Martinez paid $753 for a toilet replacement that turned out not to be the problem, then paid another $1,200 for the actual fix.
This is a franchise operation where the field technicians and the office/pricing structure produce very different experiences. Reviewers consistently praise individual technicians by name while directing complaints at the pricing, the upselling process, and management follow-through. The 2-star review from Chopsaw captures this split directly: he gave the first technician Richard five stars while describing the camera technician's supervisor pushing unnecessary work. All 25 owner responses come from Pat Swanson using an identical template that directs the customer to email. Multiple reviewers (Steve Esposito, Patrick Duffy) report that following through on the email produced no response. This is a template-based reputation management system, not an individual complaint resolution process.
Orlando (technician — strongly positive, praised by multiple reviewers for responsiveness and care). Sal (technician — strongly positive, praised for quick diagnosis and holiday availability). Richard (technician — positive, praised for persistence and knowledge; also praised in a negative review as 'very very good' by a customer who criticized the company overall). Steve (technician — positive, praised for clever diagnosis and money-saving suggestions). Peter (technician — positive). Alan/Allan (technician — positive, called 'a rockstar'). Joshua (technician — positive). Roberto (technician — positive, paired with Richard). Edward (staff — positive, helped with insurance claims). Fernando (technician — positive, emergency work). Christian (technician — positive, emergency work). Tyler (technician — positive, paired with Sal). Tom (technician — positive, paired with Sal). Thomas (technician — positive). Mohamed (technician — positive, paired with Thomas). Jimmy (technician — positive). Matt (technician — positive). Mike (technician — positive). Lou (technician — positive). Al (technician — positive). Penny (technician — positive). James Onze (technician — positive). Daniel (technician — positive). Sammy (area manager — negative, dismissed customer concerns about technician behavior). Karla Thol (account manager — negative, refused to honor service plan commitment). John Staffieri (accounting — negative, called 'unprofessional'). Pat Swanson (customer satisfaction manager — template responses only, multiple reviewers report no follow-up after emailing).
The technicians at this Stratford branch earn their 4.7-star rating. If you need emergency plumbing, water damage, and mold handled in one call, this is a strong option in the Bridgeport metro area. Ask for Orlando, Sal, or Richard by name. But get a written estimate before any work starts, and for anything quoted above $500, get a second opinion from a local plumber before agreeing. The pricing complaints are too consistent and too specific to ignore.
Keep in mind
- Roto-Rooter does both mold testing and mold remediation. This is a conflict of interest: the company identifying your mold problem profits from fixing it. Get an independent mold assessment before agreeing to remediation work.
- Pricing is the dominant complaint across recent reviews. Multiple customers report being quoted $500 to $1,800 for work that local competitors completed for a fraction of the cost. The company does not publish rates, and several reviewers warn against accepting on-site pricing without getting a competing estimate first.
- Several reviewers describe a pattern where initial service leads to an upsell for major work ($2,000 to $6,000 range) that a second-opinion plumber deemed unnecessary. At least two customers cleared the same blockage themselves or with a local plumber for under $100 after being quoted thousands.
- All owner responses to negative reviews follow an identical template from Pat Swanson, Customer Satisfaction Manager, directing complainants to email. Multiple reviewers report that emailing Pat Swanson produced no follow-up. This is reputation management, not problem resolution.
- The claimed service area spans nearly all of Connecticut, from Danbury to New London. Response times to locations far from the Stratford base may differ from the same-day service described for nearby towns.