Provider profile
Roto Rooter Plumbing and Drain
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Chattanooga-area homeowners dealing with water damage that needs same-day extraction and mold prevention, backed by a national franchise with 24/7 availability and financing options.
Best for
- Chattanooga homeowners who need same-day water extraction after a pipe burst, appliance failure, or storm flooding and want a single company to handle plumbing repair and water damage cleanup together.
- Property owners in the Tennessee Valley dealing with basement or crawl space flooding caused by mountain runoff or creek overflow, where rapid dehumidification matters because of the region's humidity.
- Homeowners who need septic tank pumping, sewer camera inspections, or field line work alongside any mold or water damage concerns.
- Commercial property managers across the Chattanooga metro who need 24/7 emergency water damage response with insurance documentation support.
About this company
Roto-Rooter in Chattanooga is an independent franchise of the national Roto-Rooter brand, operating out of 6137 Airways Blvd and serving Hamilton County and the surrounding metro area. Their primary identity is plumbing and drain service, with water damage restoration and mold remediation as secondary lines. The Chattanooga location is owned by Bill Foxworth and runs 24/7, 365 days a year.
On the water damage side, the Chattanooga branch deploys truck-mounted extraction units, infrared thermal cameras, moisture meters, commercial dehumidification equipment, and antimicrobial treatments. They follow containment procedures for damaged material removal and handle Category 3 sewage cleanup. Their water restoration technicians hold IICRC accreditation. Mold remediation is listed as a service, though the Chattanooga-specific website pages focus more heavily on water damage and plumbing than on mold work specifically.
Roto-Rooter has been in business since 1935 nationally. The Chattanooga franchise covers a wide territory spanning three Tennessee counties (Hamilton, Rhea, Meigs) and three Georgia counties (Walker, Catoosa, Dade). They offer financing through Synchrony Bank, which is unusual for emergency restoration work and worth knowing about if you face an unexpected bill.
At 4.8 stars across 2,239 Google reviews, this location performs well above average for a high-volume service company. That rating with that volume means the vast majority of customers leave satisfied, even though the negative reviews reveal real patterns around scheduling reliability and pricing transparency.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee at 6137 Airways Blvd. Serves Hamilton, Rhea, and Meigs counties in Tennessee and Walker, Catoosa, and Dade counties in Georgia. That is a wide territory spanning the Chattanooga metro area and extending into northwest Georgia, so confirm response times for locations farther from the Airways Blvd office.
Review consensus
Tony C. is the most frequently named technician across positive reviews, praised for knowledge, speed, and friendliness by at least a dozen reviewers. Roy Jiles gets called a "Rockstar plumber" by a repeat customer and draws praise for crawl space work and leak diagnosis. Kyle earns mentions for fast drain clearing and cost-conscious solutions. Robert Luttrell is recommended by name for garbage disposal replacement and courtesy. Scotty, Jorge, Bryan, Aaron Donahue, Ethan, Moe, and Jon Walker all receive individual praise. Same-day response time is the most consistent operational strength. Multiple reviewers note technicians arrived within an hour of calling.
16 found across 2,239 total reviews at 4.8★. Scheduling failures dominate. Josh Larkin missed three days of work across multiple no-show appointments for a toilet repair, with dispatchers apparently failing to create appointments in their own system. Jimmy Hall had two confirmed visits where no one showed or called. Jacob Wilson was told all drivers had left for the day after waiting. Robyn McGrady had a septic pumping appointment simply not happen with no notification. On pricing, Debra Shahani describes charges escalating from $225 to over $10,000 with a disputed senior discount, followed by a call asking her to remove the review. Kim Newman says she was charged for a full septic cleaning but only half the work was done, and owner Bill Foxworthy refused to pay for driveway damage from their equipment. Janie Reeve paid $15,000 for field line work that left raw sewage in her yard after five repair attempts, with manager Rob eventually saying there was nothing more they could do. The owner response to James derry's complaint about camera availability was personalized and explanatory, acknowledging the scheduling gap. Other owner responses tend toward template language directing reviewers to call the office.
The gap between field technicians and office operations explains most of the complaints. Individual techs like Tony, Roy, and Kyle earn strong personal followings, but the scheduling system and management layer between those techs and the customer repeatedly fails. Appointments get lost, callbacks do not happen, and pricing discussions between phone staff and on-site technicians do not align. This is a common franchise pattern where the people doing the work are strong but the operational infrastructure around them is inconsistent. The low owner response rate (24%) and template-style responses suggest reputation management is not a priority for this franchise location.
Tony C. (technician — highly praised across many reviews for knowledge, speed, and friendliness). Roy Jiles (technician — praised for leak diagnosis and crawl space work). Kyle (technician — praised for fast, cost-conscious drain work). Robert Luttrell (technician — praised for garbage disposal work and courtesy). Ethan (technician — praised for fast toilet repair). Aaron Donahue (technician — praised for leak repair). Scotty (technician — praised for septic work). Jorge (technician — praised for septic work). Bryan (technician — praised for septic work). Moe (technician — praised for drain clearing). Jon Walker (technician — praised for septic inspection). Wes (technician — praised for estimation work). Corey (technician — criticized for misdiagnosing a clog and charging for work that did not fix the problem). Rob (manager — criticized for dismissing a $15,000 field line complaint). Lamar (supervisor — criticized for poor communication during a scheduling failure). Bill Foxworthy (owner — criticized for refusing to pay for driveway damage). Larry (staff — criticized alongside the owner for property damage response). Matt (staff — cited in scheduling no-show). Jay (staff — cited in scheduling no-show).
Ask for Tony C. or Roy Jiles by name if you can. The field technicians at this franchise are genuinely good, but the scheduling and dispatch system has real gaps. Get your appointment confirmed in writing, get pricing in writing before work starts, and do not assume a phone quote will match what the technician charges on site. If you need mold-specific work, press for details on who exactly will handle it and what their mold remediation experience is, since this location's strength is plumbing and water damage, not mold.
Keep in mind
- Roto-Rooter does both mold testing and mold remediation, which creates a conflict of interest. A company that finds mold also profits from removing it. Consider getting an independent mold assessment before authorizing remediation work.
- Multiple reviewers report being quoted one price by phone and then charged more once the technician arrived. Debra Shahani described escalating charges from an initial $225 visit to over $10,000 with disputed senior discounts. Gina Eskew received an estimate nearly double what a competitor quoted for the same pipe replacement.
- Scheduling no-shows are a recurring theme. Josh Larkin lost three days of work waiting for technicians who never arrived. Jimmy Hall reported two confirmed appointments where no one showed or called. Several other reviewers describe similar experiences.
- The owner response rate on negative reviews is only 24%, and some responses follow a template pattern of asking the reviewer to call the office rather than addressing the specific complaint.
- This is a plumbing company that also does water damage and mold work, not a dedicated mold remediation firm. Their Chattanooga website emphasizes plumbing and water damage far more than mold-specific services.