Provider profile
Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Youngstown-area homeowners dealing with water damage that led to mold growth, who want a single company to handle the plumbing repair, water extraction, and mold remediation without coordinating multiple contractors.
Best for
- Youngstown, Mahoning County, and Trumbull County homeowners who need mold remediation triggered by water damage, sewage backup, or basement flooding and want one company to handle the plumbing fix and the cleanup.
- Homeowners facing an after-hours water emergency who need someone to show up the same night, not the next business day.
- Property owners who want to file an insurance claim and need a company that documents the damage and coordinates directly with the insurer.
- Commercial property managers in the Youngstown metro who need scalable water damage and mold services across larger spaces.
About this company
Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup in Youngstown is a franchise location operating as an independent contractor under the national Roto-Rooter brand. They are headquartered at 229 N Four Mile Run Rd in Youngstown and serve Mahoning and Trumbull counties. The location is managed by Xavier Ugarte. Their primary identity is plumbing and drain service, but they also handle water damage restoration and mold remediation, making them a single-call option when water damage leads to mold.
What stands out is the in-house combination of plumbing repair and restoration work. Most restoration companies need to wait for a separate plumber to fix the leak or backup before they can start water removal and drying. Roto-Rooter sends its own plumbers and restoration crews together, which eliminates that handoff delay. Their website references IICRC and AMRT training for the restoration team, and they list HEPA vacuums, air scrubbers, and dehumidifiers as standard equipment. They also offer sewer camera inspections and hydro jetting for drain work.
Roto-Rooter has operated nationally since 1935. The Youngstown location runs 24/7, 365 days a year, and multiple reviews confirm same-day or same-hour response times even on nights and weekends. They offer financing through Synchrony Bank for larger jobs and work directly with insurance companies on documentation.
With 948 Google reviews and a 4.7-star rating, this location has a strong volume of feedback. That rating with nearly a thousand reviews indicates consistent satisfaction across a high number of service calls, though pricing is a recurring concern in both the negative and the 4-star reviews.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Youngstown, OH 44515. Serves Mahoning and Trumbull counties, including Austintown, Boardman, Canfield, Warren, Niles, Girard, Hubbard, Poland, Struthers, Cortland, and roughly 40 other communities listed on their service area page. The service area spans two counties, which is reasonable for a metro-area franchise.
Review consensus
Austin is the standout name in recent reviews, appearing in more than 15 positive reviews from early 2026 alone. Reviewers praise him for arriving quickly (one reviewer noted he arrived in 15 minutes after quoting 25), explaining problems clearly, and handling drain clogs, sump pumps, and basement flooding. Tania M, a repeat customer, noted Austin has been to her property three times and handled each visit well. Zach (sometimes spelled Zack) draws praise for hydro jetting work and camera inspections, with Theresa Gill and Corinne Gladis both noting his diagnostic explanations. Joe, Eric, Noah, and Brian are each mentioned in multiple reviews as part of two-person teams. Brian gets specific praise from Lori Frazier for handling a difficult sewage job with kindness during a personal crisis. Mark/Marc appears alongside Austin in several reviews. The phone staff, including Julie, get positive mentions for quick scheduling.
9 found across 948 total reviews at 4.7★. Pricing is the dominant complaint. Carmen Hasley paid $226 for a toilet snake and felt overcharged. Vincent Curto paid $274 for a kitchen faucet visit where the technician could not fix the problem and left the faucet worse than before. Paul Byrd paid $300 to tighten a gas hose, a job he says took four minutes. Cassandra Cahalin paid $600 for a snake-and-camera visit that did not resolve the clog, then was quoted $6,000 for further work that another company completed for $900. Jeff Schreckengost describes a plumber using a hammer on a water line, breaking a pipe, and then the company refusing to fix it without additional payment. James Clifton says he was told he needed a full sewer line replacement when the line just needed to be cleaned, and reports the technician was rude. Ashley Wolfe describes aggressive upselling, including a $2,400 water heater replacement quote for a unit she repaired herself for a few hundred dollars. The owner responded to Wolfe's review by stating that no technician named John works or has worked for them and that she may have been serviced by a different company.
The pricing complaints follow a structural pattern tied to flat-rate pricing. Roto-Rooter charges a set price per job category, not by the hour. When a job takes less time than expected, the customer perceives the cost as disproportionate. The owner responses are personalized and engage with specifics in most cases, not template deflections. Two notable responses claim the reviewer was not in their customer database (Ashley Wolfe, 이홍배), and one redirects a reviewer to the correct franchise location (Brian Workman). The 91% owner response rate on recent negatives shows active reputation management. Response quality is mixed: some provide useful context (Paul Byrd's response explains flat-rate pricing and details the actual work done), while others lean toward defensive framing without acknowledging the core complaint.
Austin (technician -- praised in 15+ reviews for fast arrivals, clear explanations, drain and sump pump work). Zach/Zack (technician -- praised for hydro jetting, camera inspections, diagnostics). Joe (technician -- praised as part of two-person teams, friendly). Eric (technician -- praised alongside Austin and in team calls). Noah (technician -- praised for being friendly, working with Zach and Austin). Brian (technician -- praised for handling difficult sewage jobs and clear communication). Mark/Marc (technician -- praised alongside Austin for jetting and emergency work). Ken (technician -- praised in older reviews for diagnostics and sewer work). Chris (technician -- praised for detailed explanations and follow-through). Aaron (technician -- praised for drain work). Mike (technician -- praised for water damage cleanup, called 'A1 service'). Xavier Ugarte (manager -- left a 5-star review on own listing). Julie (phone staff -- praised for helpfulness). John (mentioned in Ashley Wolfe's negative review -- owner states no one by that name works there). Lonny (owner mentioned in Jeff Schreckengost's negative review as unprofessional).
This Roto-Rooter location does a high volume of work and most customers walk away satisfied, as the 4.7 stars across 948 reviews reflect. Austin is the technician to request if you can. The pricing model will feel expensive if the job turns out to be quick, so pin down the exact cost before any work starts and ask whether the quote covers everything or just the initial diagnosis. If you are quoted more than $1,000 for any job, get a competing estimate before committing.
Keep in mind
- Pricing is the most common complaint. Multiple reviewers describe paying $226-$600 for work they felt took 20 minutes or less. Roto-Rooter uses flat-rate pricing, not hourly, so the bill does not change based on how long the job takes. Ask for the full price breakdown before work begins and compare with at least one other quote.
- Several negative reviewers describe being quoted thousands of dollars for work that other companies completed for a fraction of the cost. Cassandra Cahalin was quoted $6,000 for pipe repair and drain work that another company finished for $900. Get a second opinion on any job quoted above $1,000.
- This is a franchise location, not a locally owned independent company. The Youngstown location operates as an independent contractor under the national brand. Service quality depends on the local team, not the national reputation.
- Mold remediation is one service among many here, not their core specialization. They are a plumbing and water damage company that also does mold work. If your mold situation is not connected to a plumbing or water damage event, a dedicated mold remediation company may be a better fit.