Provider profile
Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Jersey City and Hudson County homeowners dealing with water damage that led to mold growth, where having plumbing repair and remediation handled by one crew on a 24/7 schedule matters more than price.
Best for
- Jersey City waterfront and Heights residents who need water extraction and mold treatment handled together after a pipe burst or basement flood.
- Homeowners who want one company to fix the plumbing failure, clean up the water damage, and treat resulting mold growth without coordinating multiple contractors.
- Commercial property managers in Hudson County who need 24/7 emergency water and mold response for multi-unit buildings where damage crosses floors.
- Buyers whose insurance company is involved, since Roto-Rooter documents damage and coordinates directly with adjusters.
About this company
Roto-Rooter's Jersey City location operates out of 3000 JFK Blvd and covers Hudson County plus parts of nine surrounding counties across northern and central New Jersey. This is a franchise branch of a national chain founded in 1935, managed locally by Scott Jackson. Their primary identity is plumbing and water damage restoration -- mold remediation is an add-on service they bundle with water cleanup rather than a standalone specialty.
The one thing that stands out here is the single-company pipeline: they fix the plumbing problem that caused the water damage, extract the water, dry the structure, and handle mold treatment without handing you off to a subcontractor. Their technicians carry IICRC certification and deploy truck-mounted extraction equipment, industrial dehumidifiers, and air scrubbers. They also coordinate directly with insurance companies on documentation. For mold specifically, they use HEPA filtration and antimicrobial treatments.
Roto-Rooter has operated since 1935 nationally, and this Jersey City branch serves a wide territory from the waterfront through the Heights, Journal Square, and Bergen-Lafayette. They run 24/7 with no extra charge for nights, weekends, or holidays, and offer financing through Synchrony Bank.
A 4.8-star rating across 3,957 Google reviews is strong volume for this market. The sheer number of reviews reflects the brand's name recognition and call volume rather than mold-specific work -- most reviews cover drain cleaning and plumbing, not remediation jobs.
Services
Service area
Headquartered at 3000 JFK Blvd, Suite 310A, Jersey City, NJ. Serves Jersey City neighborhoods including Downtown, Exchange Place, the Heights, Journal Square, Bergen-Lafayette, and Greenville. Lists coverage across Hudson, Essex, Bergen, Passaic, Union, Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties, with specific cities including Bayonne, Hoboken, Kearny, Newark, North Bergen, Secaucus, Weehawken, and West New York. A 10-county claim for a single branch is broad -- confirm your location falls within their actual dispatch range.
Review consensus
Sai is the standout -- named in roughly 20 of the most recent positive reviews for drain cleaning, sewer line work, and toilet repairs. Reviewers describe him as friendly, clear in his explanations, and persistent with difficult clogs. Zane earned praise for explaining work in progress and being personable. Rodney and a co-worker received credit for diagnosing a sewer clog root cause and offering options. Justin drew a positive review for kitchen faucet and shutoff valve replacement. Hansy got early praise for quick response and prevention advice. Jean was called out by name as well. Across the board, reviewers praise fast response times, same-day weekend service, and technicians who explain what they find before starting work.
26 found across 3957 total reviews at 4.8★. Pricing dominates the complaints. Hani Tadros paid $375 for a four-minute toilet snake. Monica Garcia paid $961 for drain snaking and a camera inspection -- she found competitors advertising the same service for $80-$90. Steven Cheung paid $600 for a 10-minute P-trap replacement. Co M paid $650 for 20 minutes of laundry drain work. Will Lee was quoted $600 cleaning plus $400 pipe replacement for a sink unclog, then paid $175 at another company. Andrew Pr paid over $1,000 for a leak diagnosis that the building super later fixed for $75. Several reviewers also report missed appointments: Lilei Zhao waited two hours for a no-show with no communication. Varad Kishore was stood up twice for a water filtration quote. Grace called during a toilet emergency and was turned away because she was a renter. A separate cluster involves work quality: M Jac (a Local Guide) reports a misdiagnosed sewer backup that still was not working after paying $1,081. Steve Roland's issue recurred after paying over $800. Che Clarke's leak repair failed the next day, and Roto-Rooter missed two follow-up appointments. Joseph Schultz says the technician changed the signed agreement and billed for five hours despite being onsite for one hour.
Nearly every owner response follows the same template: apologize briefly, then direct the customer to email Pat.Swanson@rrsc.com. Multiple reviewers report that emailing Pat Swanson produced no response either -- Steven Cheung emailed twice with no reply, sha Gurbe waited five days with no answer, Mohanad Alsahaf tried three times by email. The 97% response rate on negative reviews looks attentive, but the responses do not engage with specifics of each complaint. This is a reputation-management pattern, not a complaint-resolution pattern. The pricing complaints reflect franchise economics -- Roto-Rooter charges national-brand emergency rates that local independents undercut significantly.
Sai (plumber/technician -- strongly positive across ~20 reviews), Zane (technician -- positive), Rodney (technician -- positive), Justin (technician -- positive), Hansy (technician -- positive), Jean (technician -- positive), Cy (technician -- positive), Liam (technician -- positive, named in 3-star review for communication), Adam (referenced in negative review by Monica Garcia -- promised callback that never came), Pat Swanson (Customer Satisfaction Manager -- named in nearly every owner response, multiple reviewers report no reply to emails sent to him), Scott Jackson (branch manager -- named on website).
Roto-Rooter works well as an emergency option when you need someone at your door within hours, any time of day. Ask for Sai if he covers your area -- the review consensus on his work is unusually consistent. Get a written quote before any work begins and compare it against at least one local competitor, because their pricing runs well above market rates for routine jobs.
Keep in mind
- Roto-Rooter does both mold testing and mold remediation. That creates a conflict of interest -- the same company deciding you have a mold problem is the one billing you to fix it. Get an independent mold assessment before committing to their remediation work.
- Pricing is the single biggest complaint in recent reviews. Multiple customers report being charged $400-$1,000 for routine plumbing tasks that local competitors handled for $70-$175. The emergency/franchise pricing model runs significantly higher than independent operators.
- Management follow-up is unreliable. Across recent negative reviews, a clear pattern emerges: customers email or call requesting callbacks from managers, and nobody responds. Several reviewers tried 2-3 times over weeks with no reply.
- Their mold remediation is part of a water damage division, not a standalone mold operation. If your mold problem is not tied to a recent water event, this may not be the right fit.
- Service area claims span 10 counties across northern and central New Jersey. Confirm that the Jersey City branch actually dispatches to your location rather than routing you to a different franchise territory.