COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A sophisticated plumbing program in southern Colorado has cost victims thousands of dollars for people in need of sewage inspections.
Amid a real estate market boom, there are many opportunities for crooked companies to make a profit. Some even show customers fake footage of someone else's sewer line, painting a dangerous picture of sewage seeping into yards where children play.
Jami Becka recently purchased a home in Aurora. Her family hired key services for a routine sewage inspection. Inspection revealed that roots were growing in the line.
“Roots find water. So they eventually grow in those shared connections and will be some roots,” said Melissa Gaines, the regional director with key services. “What are you doing? Do you need a complete replacement because this is happening? No, this has been happening for centuries. This is how the line was built. What you do is you clean it.”
Since Mainline services only offer inspections and do not perform repairs, Gaines advised Becka to call a sewer line cleaning quote.
“They said, 'Get it cleaned. It should cost less than $200,” Becka said.
Becka tells 13 Investigates the plumbing company she called, Mr. Rooder from Northern Colorado, that they needed to come to her house and do their own sizing of her sewer system first. After the inspection they presented a completely different and bad situation.
“He came out and did another scope and said, 'Oh yeah, there's part of your sewer line,'” Becka said.
According to the estimate Becka provided, Mr. Rooder of Northern Colorado quoted a total of $8,700 – $2,500 for the cleaning she needed according to the inspection and $6,200 for a sewer line replacement.
“Just a real, real big discrepancy,” Becka said.
Becka called back mainline services to make sure they didn't miss anything. Major Services asked if Mr. Rooder of Northern Colorado had recorded a video of the alleged damage to Becka's line so they could compare it with their own findings. In an email exchange, the plumbing company told the homeowner that there was no record of their sewer line. However, Mr. Rooder of Northern Colorado offered to come back to Becka's house to inspect the line for $299.
Becka refused any work from Mr. Rooter of Northern Colorado. Eventually, she connected with a company in her area that cleaned the sewer drain in an hour. It also cost 58 times less than the original offering of $8,700.
“We paid someone $150 for it,” Becka said. “I could see easy pickings for it.”
13 Investigations interviewed Mr. Rooter of Northern Colorado about the estimate.
“We were asked to provide an estimate for a sanitary drainage issue. As requested, a free estimate was provided for the issues stated on the call. We train our service professionals to provide multiple options, including short and long-term solutions to plumbing issues. We have provided the long term options requested by the customer. The work was rejected and no plumbing work was carried out at the site. We strive to be experts in our field and provide exceptional service. We want customers to have complete confidence and peace of mind about their choice of service professional. “
Scott Talbott | Mr. Rooter Denver General Manager
While wastewater inspectors are not required to be licensed in the state of Colorado, plumbers must have an active license with the Department of Regulatory Affairs. Records indicate Mr. Rooter's license is active from Northern Colorado. However, the company was ordered to pay a $1,225 fine and a $1,300 fine for failing to register trainees and hiring unlicensed workers, failing to respond to complaints in a timely manner.
The company holds an F rating with the Better Business Bureau because they do not resolve or respond to customer complaints. Some of the 19 complaints filed with the BBB against Mr. Rooder of Northern Colorado allege that the company is behind other similar sewer systems. Customers call out the plumbing company for quoting up to $20,000 in unneeded sewer repairs.
Mr. Rooer Plumbing is an international franchise with hundreds of locations throughout the United States and Canada. Mr. Rooer Plumbing of Colorado Springs is a separate company from Mr. Rooder of Northern Colorado. The Colorado Springs location is in good standing with the Better Business Bureau. It has an A+ rating.
You can look up plumbing licenses through the Department of Regulatory Affairs. If you don't get a result for a company, don't hesitate to ask them if their state license might be listed under a different name. Mr. Rooer Plumbing of Colorado Springs is licensed by Ronald Johnson, who oversees Mr. Rooer Plumbing of Southern Colorado. State records show Johnson holds an active plumbing license through 2023.
It is important for homeowners to take the time to conduct research as sewage fraud emerges in the Pikes Peak region. Unfortunately, it's not just one or two companies to watch out for.
“I’ve had three separate ventures where I caught it in the last three weeks,” Gaines said.
Since the main services don't do repairs, they are in a unique position to catch scams when they are asked for a second opinion.
In Becka's case, Gaines suspects that contractors exaggerated the real footage of her actual sewer line. But the deception goes even deeper for others.
“They've uploaded fake videos, they've given People photos that aren't even the line,” Gaines said, although she wasn't referring to Mr. Rooer. “Sometimes it's not even the same material.”
Gaines also warns homeowners to watch out for repairers who come door-to-door with a story about your neighbor's house.
“This was in an older community. So he went to every house and offered free inspections,” Gaines said. “Because this happened to this person, we want to check on everyone’s lines. He offered to do free inspections and if they find anything they will set you up on a payment plan. “
Several homeowners had their sewer lines dug up and thousands of dollars in repairs completed before the homeowners association called Mainline Services for a second comment. According to Gaines, her team has completed 20 sewer lines in this Colorado Springs neighborhood. They found a home that needed sewer service but no widespread problems.
As time-consuming as it may be, the best way for people to protect themselves from sewer scams is to research companies that you are interested in hiring. Don’t let an emergency sewer situation overwhelm your decision to hire a salaried plumber. You can also check local BBB reviews.
If you have a tip or lead you would like our team to investigate, email us at [email protected].
Comments are closed.