Provider profile
Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Fishers and Hamilton County homeowners dealing with water damage that needs same-day plumbing repair and restoration handled by one crew instead of two contractors.
Best for
- Fishers and Hamilton County homeowners who need water damage restoration and the plumbing repair that caused it handled in a single call.
- Homeowners facing after-hours emergencies like burst pipes, sewer backups, or basement flooding who need someone dispatched at 2 AM on a holiday.
- Buyers who want insurance claim documentation handled by the same company doing the restoration work, rather than coordinating between multiple contractors.
- Commercial property managers across the Indianapolis metro area who need scalable water damage or plumbing response for offices, retail, or multi-unit buildings.
- Homeowners with recurring drain or sewer line problems who need video camera inspection and trenchless pipe lining without tearing up landscaping.
About this company
Roto-Rooter's Fishers location operates out of 12034 Exit 5 Pkwy, serving Hamilton County and much of central Indiana. This is a franchise branch of the national chain founded in 1935, managed locally by Joe Saez. Their primary identity is plumbing and drain cleaning, but the Fishers office runs a full water damage restoration and mold remediation operation alongside the plumbing side.
What stands out here is the single-provider model. When a pipe bursts and floods a basement, Roto-Rooter sends plumbers to fix the source and a restoration crew to extract water and dry the structure on the same call. Most restoration-only companies wait for a separate plumber before they can start work. The Fishers team uses truck-mounted extraction equipment, commercial air movers, and dehumidifiers for structural drying, and they employ IICRC-trained restoration technicians. Their mold remediation arm uses HEPA vacuums, air scrubbers, and antimicrobial treatments. They also handle trenchless pipe lining (CIPP) for sewer repairs without excavation.
The national brand has been operating since 1935, and this Fishers branch covers a wide territory across Hamilton, Marion, Hendricks, Johnson, and several other Indiana counties. They run 24/7 dispatch with no extra charge for nights, weekends, or holidays, and they offer financing through Synchrony Bank. The BBB lists them with an A+ rating.
4.8 stars across 1,471 Google reviews is a strong number for any service company, and especially notable for a high-volume franchise operation. That volume means they handle enough jobs for patterns to emerge clearly in the review data, and the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Services
Service area
Headquartered at 12034 Exit 5 Pkwy in Fishers, Indiana. The Fishers office serves Hamilton County and surrounding communities including Carmel, Noblesville, Westfield, Zionsville, Fortville, McCordsville, Lawrence, and Greenfield. They claim coverage across 12 counties including Marion, Hendricks, Johnson, Boone, Hancock, Shelby, Morgan, Putnam, Clay, Bartholomew, and Vigo, which stretches from the Indianapolis metro all the way to Terre Haute and Columbus. That is an extremely broad territory for a single office, so confirm dispatch availability for locations at the edges of that range.
Review consensus
Norman is the standout. He appears in at least 15 recent positive reviews across drain cleaning, water heater diagnostics, sump pump repair, and late-night emergency calls. Reviewers describe him as thorough, honest about options, and willing to work late into the night until the job is done. Phil Stillinger and Rob get praise for main drain clearing and camera inspection work. Judah and Alicia drew specific praise for water damage response time and communication. Chris and Mason are called out by multiple reviewers for restoration demolition and cleanup work. Kris earned a repeat customer who remembered him from a previous visit 18 months earlier. The Fishers team gets consistent marks for fast emergency dispatch, often arriving within one to two hours of the call.
14 found across 1471 total reviews at 4.8★. Scheduling failures are the primary complaint. Brady Mundell scheduled three days ahead and no one showed by 7:15 PM with no call. Sarah Burkhart got three "running behind" calls on Saturday before cancellation, then the same runaround on Wednesday and Thursday, leaving her family displaced with a 10-month-old. Carol Garrean waited from 9 AM to 5 PM with no technician and no call; dispatcher Marina told her to keep waiting. Cygman LLC was promised a two-hour window, then told no technician was available. Pricing is the second pattern: Becky Radford was quoted $2,800 for a sewage pump replacement (she got it done elsewhere for roughly half), Ben Davidson paid $150 for a diagnosis that turned out to be wrong and was quoted $1,000 to replace a toilet fill valve he fixed himself for $30, and Dave Carty paid $395 for a drain clearing that took minutes. Gurik reports $1,506 in unauthorized plumbing repairs billed after a water mitigation job, with no written change order. ED G, a Local Guide with 39 reviews, reports being without water for a month after calling them and stuck with a $2,000 mitigation bill. Sig Co describes incomplete installation with a hole left in the wall. Pyroast reports a technician breaking through a PVC pipe with a snake, flooding the basement, and the company refusing to pay for the damage.
The disconnect between field technicians and dispatch/scheduling drives most of the negative reviews. Reviewers who actually get a technician in their home almost universally praise the work. The complaints cluster around the office side: missed appointment windows with no communication, dispatchers who cannot provide updates, and pricing that feels disconnected from the work performed. This is a common pattern with large franchise operations where the local office handles scheduling and pricing while individual technicians deliver the hands-on work. Owner responses reinforce this split: every single negative review gets the same template reply from Pat Swanson directing the customer to email, regardless of the complaint. None engage with specifics or offer resolution in public.
Norman (plumber/technician -- strongly positive, named in 15+ reviews for drain cleaning, water heaters, sump pumps, and emergency calls). Phil Stillinger (plumber -- positive, praised for drain clearing and diagnostics). Rob (camera inspection -- positive). Kris (plumber -- positive, recognized by a repeat customer). Judah (restoration -- positive, praised for water damage response). Alicia (restoration -- positive, praised alongside Judah). Chris (restoration -- positive, multiple reviews for demolition and cleanup). Mason (restoration -- positive, praised alongside Chris). David T. #8899 (plumber -- positive, water heater replacement). Husham (plumber -- positive, praised for communication and cost transparency). Jim (plumber -- positive, drain repair). Jackson (plumber -- positive, worked alongside Norman). Muana Khiangte (technician -- positive, went above and beyond per larry rush). Mark Blevins (plumber -- positive, praised by Patricia M. for persistence). Andy (restoration manager -- positive, praised for insurance process guidance). Marina (dispatcher -- negative, described as rude and unhelpful by Carol Garrean).
Ask for Norman by name if you can. He is the most consistently praised technician at this location and reviewers credit him with honest diagnostics and tireless work. Confirm your appointment window the day of service and get a direct phone number for your assigned technician if possible, because the dispatch office is where this operation breaks down. Get pricing in writing before work starts, especially for non-emergency jobs where you have time to compare quotes.
Keep in mind
- Roto-Rooter does both mold testing and mold remediation. That creates a conflict of interest: the same company that finds the problem profits from fixing it. Consider getting an independent mold assessment before authorizing remediation work.
- Pricing runs high. Multiple reviewers report drain cleaning bills of $395-$521 for under an hour of work, and one reviewer was quoted $2,800 for a sewage pump replacement that another company quoted at roughly half. Get a second estimate on non-emergency work.
- Scheduling reliability is inconsistent. Four recent reviewers describe confirmed appointments where no technician showed up and no one called to explain. Carol Garrean waited six hours past her window with no update. If your job is not an active emergency, confirm your appointment window the day of.
- At least one reviewer (Gurik) reports being billed $1,506 for plumbing repairs that were never authorized in writing. The owner response acknowledged the complaint but directed the customer to email rather than addressing the authorization question. Review all paperwork before work begins and insist on written change orders for any additional work.
- Every owner response to negative reviews follows the same template: apologize, then direct the customer to email Pat Swanson. None of the responses engage with the specific complaint or offer a concrete resolution in public.