How to spot rogue drain companies
An honest drain company puts its rates on its website, charges by the time spent and never pressures you into paying. Rogue drain unblockers do the opposite. They quote a low amount on the phone and then send a bill of thousands of euros. With the checklist below, you can quickly see who you are dealing with.
It is happening more and more. In 2025 the Dutch consumer authority (ACM) received over 1,000 reports about emergency repair services, half as many again as the year before. According to the Dutch minister, these are organised networks that keep changing their name and phone number.
Source: the minister's answers to parliamentary questions, 30 April 2026.
The three quickest checks
- 1Are the rates on the website?
- 2Does the company charge by time, not by the metre?
- 3Do you only pay once the job is done, with a receipt?
How to check whether a drain company can be trusted
Go through these points before you let anyone in. They apply to every company, including us.
Look the company up in the Chamber of Commerce (KVK) register.
Does the name match the one on the website and the receipt? If you find nothing, or the number is registered to another name, call a different company.
Check whether the rates are on the website.
Ask on the phone how the bill is made up: the starting rate, the rate after that and the surcharges for evenings and weekends. If you only hear a price 'from', be careful.
Choose a company that charges by time.
A price per metre of drain snake is a red flag. A snake is used again and again, and a Dutch court called such a price per metre misleading in 2021.
Ask who is coming.
Are you talking to the company itself, or to a call centre that sells your job on? Ask which company will come round and where the engineer is coming from.
Look beyond the top search result.
A place name in a website's name says nothing about where the company is based. Even a well known name can be copied.
Only sign what has been filled in completely.
Does the engineer want you to sign on a tablet before he starts, without giving you a copy? Don't.
Only pay once the job is done.
Always ask for a receipt or invoice in the company's name. A Tikkie payment request to a private account, or a card machine showing a different name, is a red flag.
Take your time with extra work.
If the engineer suggests more work on the spot, call someone first. Does he say your insurance, your owners' association or the municipality will pay? Check that yourself before you say yes.
Do you rent your home?
Then call your landlord, housing association or owners' association first. They often have a regular company.
Is the blockage in the street?
Then it is up to the municipality. In the municipality of Groningen, call 14 050.
The tricks rogue drain unblockers use right now
This comes from reports to the ACM, the Dutch Fraudehelpdesk and the police, and from stories of victims on forums in 2025 and 2026.
A website that looks local
You search for a drain unblocker in your own town and call the first result. Behind that website is a call centre that sells your job on. The engineer then comes from the other side of the country.
A name you know
Scammers copy the name, logo or website of a well known drain company. Sometimes they even put a fake business on Google Maps.
Start low, end high
On the phone you hear 'from 59 euros'. The bill then shows an emergency rate, an investigation and a second engineer. Victims paid 900 to 3,400 euros for less than an hour of work.
A price per metre
The trick victims mention most often. You pay 20 to 140 euros per metre of drain snake, and 30 metres can easily go down the pipe. Afterwards the engineer simply rolls it up again and takes it with him.
Not leaving until you pay
Two men in your hallway who only leave once the money is in. You then pay with a card machine in a different name, a Tikkie to a private account or in cash 'without VAT'. Sometimes you first have to raise your card limit.
Your insurance will pay anyway
An excuse that has been turning up more and more since 2024. The engineer says your insurance, your owners' association or the municipality will cover the bill. Victims later found out that was not the case.
Invented work
Suddenly the engineer wants to replace 13 metres of pipe, take the toilet off or mill out the pipe. Often that is not needed. Sometimes the blockage is still there afterwards.
Impossible to find afterwards
The invoice never arrives, or it is in a different name. The number no longer works and the website is 'under maintenance'. That is how these companies keep changing their name.
Who is most at risk?
Older people, people at home alone with a child, tenants and internationals who don't speak Dutch. Know someone like that? Point them to this page.
Has it already happened? Here is what you can do
Don't be ashamed. Behind these companies are networks that know exactly how to put on pressure. Anyone can fall for it.
- 1
Won't the engineer leave?
Tell him clearly to leave. Anyone who stays after that is breaking the law. If he stays or you feel threatened, call the police on 112.
- 2
Not paid yet?
Pay the part you agree with and dispute the rest in writing. The Juridisch Loket, the Dutch legal advice desk, has a sample letter for this.
- 3
Already paid?
Call your bank straight away. The sooner you call, the better the chance that something can still be done.
- 4
Extra work on the spot?
Did the engineer suggest work you didn't ask for yourself? Then you have 14 days to change your mind about that extra work. This does not apply to the emergency job itself.
- 5
Pass it on and file a police report.
Tell the Fraudehelpdesk (088 786 73 72) and ACM ConsuWijzer, and file a report with the police on 0900 8844. Your story helps to tackle these networks.
- 6
Keep everything and get help.
Keep the receipt, messages, photos and footage from your doorbell camera. If you have legal expenses insurance, use it. The Juridisch Loket can also help, on 0800 8020.
Why you can trust Klootsema Rioolservice
We started this company because we saw how things go wrong in our trade. That is why you can check everything on this page with us too.
- Our rates are on the website: €140.00 for travel and the first hour, then €25.00 per quarter of an hour. All excluding VAT.
- We charge by time. Never by the metre.
- You speak to us directly, Patrick or Job, by phone, WhatsApp or email. There is no call centre in between.
- We are from Groningen and work within 35 kilometres of the city.
- If extra costs come up, we discuss them with you first.
- You pay once the job is done, and you get a work order with our KVK number on it.
- Unblocking and repairs come with a guarantee of 3 months.
- Our KVK number is 42193041. It is also at the bottom of every page, so feel free to look us up.
What we strive for
- A deal is a deal
- We come when we say we will, and call you if plans change.
- Neat work
- We fix it properly and leave everything clean.
- Straight talk
- We tell you what we see and what you are paying for. If you can fix it yourself, we tell you that too.
- A familiar face
- You get a specialist you know, not a call centre with a new voice every time.
- Close by
- We live and work here in the region. You can still call us after the job is done.
Need help with your drain?
Call or message us and explain what is going on. You hear which rate applies and when we can be there. Not sure if it's needed? Feel free to send us a photo.
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