Provider profile
Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Chesterfield and greater St. Louis homeowners dealing with water damage that has led to mold, who want plumbing repair and remediation handled by a single national franchise with 24/7 availability.
Best for
- Chesterfield and greater St. Louis homeowners who need water damage restoration and mold remediation from a single company that also handles the plumbing repair.
- After-hours and weekend emergencies where you need someone on-site within hours, not days.
- Homeowners filing insurance claims who want a company that documents damage and coordinates directly with the insurer.
- Commercial properties in the St. Louis metro that need fast-response water extraction and structural drying to minimize downtime.
- Basement flooding caused by sewer backups or sump pump failures in the clay-heavy soil areas around Chesterfield, Ballwin, and Maryland Heights.
About this company
Roto-Rooter in Chesterfield is a franchise location of the national plumbing and restoration chain, headquartered at 13990 Olive Blvd. Their primary business is plumbing and drain cleaning, with water damage restoration and mold remediation as secondary services. They run IICRC-trained water restoration crews alongside their plumbing technicians, which means they can fix the pipe that caused the flooding and handle the cleanup in one dispatch. Ryan Mager manages this location.
What stands out is the one-company model. Most restoration companies need to wait for a separate plumber before they can start water extraction. Roto-Rooter sends plumbers and restoration crews from the same operation, which speeds up response on water emergencies. They use dehumidifiers, air movers, HEPA vacuums, air scrubbers, and antimicrobial treatments for mold work. They also handle insurance documentation, including photos, drying logs, and direct insurer coordination.
The Roto-Rooter brand has operated since 1935. This Chesterfield location serves a wide swath of the greater St. Louis metro, covering communities from Wildwood and Ballwin to Kirkwood, Clayton, Arnold, and into parts of Illinois. They staff around the clock, 365 days a year, and charge no extra fee for nights, weekends, or holidays.
4.9 stars across 2,641 Google reviews is a strong number for a franchise operation of this size. The volume alone suggests a high throughput of jobs, and the rating has held despite that scale. Most dissatisfied reviewers still acknowledge the technicians did good work -- the complaints center on pricing and sales practices at the company level, not on the field crews.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri at 13990 Olive Blvd. Serves the greater St. Louis metro including Ballwin, Manchester, Wildwood, Fenton, Arnold, Oakville, Mehlville, Kirkwood, Clayton, University City, Brentwood, Richmond Heights, Maryland Heights, O'Fallon, Eureka, and High Ridge. Also claims coverage into parts of Illinois including St. Clair and Madison counties. The claimed territory spans over two dozen counties across Missouri and Illinois, so response times at the edges of this area will likely be longer.
Review consensus
The field technicians get strong marks. Christian is the most frequently named, praised across a dozen reviews for explaining each step, working efficiently on sewer line clogs, and treating customers (and their pets) well. Reggie draws repeat praise for handling messy sewer jobs with a polite demeanor. Hasan (also spelled Hassan) earns recognition for skill and professionalism on plumbing and jet cleaning work. Tyler gets credit for late-night emergency calls, including one reviewer who described him working until 1 AM to save a flooded basement. Andy and Aaron Hurst are also named positively. Speed of response is a consistent theme -- multiple reviewers report technicians arriving within an hour or two, including on holidays and weekends.
9 found across 2641 total reviews at 4.9★. 9 found across 2,641 total reviews at 4.9 stars. Pricing dominates: Brian Hendrick paid $475 for 30 minutes of drain snaking, Webhead USA paid $426 for a stopper replacement that was left incomplete. Three reviewers describe aggressive upselling: MDWoolls was quoted $3,000 for descaling that another plumber did for $500; R Dickson (2-star) was quoted $22,500 for pipe replacement that an independent camera inspection deemed unnecessary; Heather Taff was quoted $28,000 for a collapsed pipe section that Maplewood Plumbing found did not exist, then sleeved the line for $8,000 less. Heather Taff also reports the water mitigation crew tracked sewage through her house, overloaded an electrical outlet causing sparking, and left a heater face-down on a bed. She has an open case with the Attorney General. Amber L describes repeated no-shows, a salesperson who quoted off an old third-party report without independent inspection, and months of failed attempts to get a final report. Mostafa Salari reports being told a drain snake would not fix the problem, but another company fixed it with exactly that. Tom Prater's 1-star complaint is about scheduling delays, not technician quality -- he praised Tyler specifically. Two 1-star reviews (Paula Darmon, Corrina Holleran) provide minimal detail.
The disconnect between technician quality and company-level practices is stark. Nearly every negative review praises the person who did the work but criticizes the pricing or upselling. This is consistent with a commission-based franchise model where field techs are incentivized to identify additional work. The owner responses reinforce this pattern: Pat Swanson, the Customer Satisfaction Manager, responds to 100% of negative reviews with a nearly identical template asking customers to email him. At least one reviewer (Amber L) reports that emailing Pat directly led to being passed around with no follow-up. The Heather Taff response is mismatched entirely -- a 1-star complaint about sewage tracking and fire hazards received a reply thanking her for a 5-star review of "Nick," suggesting automated or careless reputation management.
Christian (technician -- consistently positive across 12+ reviews), Reggie (technician -- positive across 4 reviews), Hasan/Hassan (technician -- positive across 3 reviews), Tyler (technician -- positive from Jill Rensing, Tom Prater, Thomas C), Andy (technician -- positive across 3 reviews), Aaron Hurst (technician -- positive, noted as combat veteran), Gabby (technician -- positive across 2 reviews), Christopher (technician -- positive), Reed (technician -- positive, paired with Reggie), Drew (technician -- positive, paired with Andy), Allen (technician -- positive from Shelly Wilson), Justin (technician -- positive from John Robinson), Shawn (technician -- positive from Irene Wallace), Glenn Roeder (technician -- positive from website testimonial), Pat Swanson (Customer Satisfaction Manager -- responds to all negative reviews with template).
Ask for Christian, Reggie, or Hasan by name if you can. The technicians at this location do solid work, especially on emergency sewer backups and water extraction. But get a written estimate before any work starts, and if anyone recommends pipe replacement or excavation, take the camera footage to an independent plumber before signing anything. The franchise pricing model runs significantly higher than independent plumbers for routine jobs.
Keep in mind
- Roto-Rooter does both mold testing and mold remediation. That creates a conflict of interest -- the same company that tells you mold exists also profits from removing it. Consider getting an independent mold assessment before committing to their remediation services.
- Pricing complaints are the dominant theme in negative reviews. Multiple reviewers report bills of $400-700 for routine drain work and quotes of $20,000+ for pipe replacements that independent plumbers handled for a fraction of the cost. Get a second estimate on any major repair.
- Several reviewers describe upselling patterns: a technician fixes the immediate problem, then a camera crew recommends expensive pipe replacement or excavation. At least two reviewers (Heather Taff, R Dickson) say independent plumbers found no such problems. Ask for the camera footage and get an outside opinion before approving large-scope work.
- The service area claim spans dozens of communities across Missouri and Illinois. Response times and technician availability will vary depending on how far you are from the Chesterfield office.
- Owner responses to negative reviews follow a near-identical template directing customers to email Pat Swanson. At least one reviewer (Amber L) reports that reaching Pat Swanson directly did not lead to resolution.