But honestly that little card is more than most brands do, at least they said something instead of pretending it never happened.

The part most people miss is that a camera only shows you what the pipe looks like today, not what it will look like in two years when those roots grow back. Even a good cleaning job is just a snapshot, so the real question is whether that $180 guy explained why the roots keep coming back and what your options are long term. Snaking a line for years without ever looking inside is like taking medicine without knowing what is wrong with you.

Man, that bit about the owner showing the rust spots on his own trucks gets me. There was a guy named Sal who ran a little lot off Highway 80 near Forney and he did the same kind of thing, just stood there pointing at dents and saying flat out which cars he would hand to his own daughter and which ones he would not. Most of those late night ads are pure noise, you are right about that, but every once in a while somebody figures out that being honest on camera is cheaper than a fancy jingle and it sticks with you. My wife gives me grief for watching the dumb ones but I have dragged her to two lots because of stuff like that, so I get exactly where you are coming from. Sounds like you found one of the rare honest ones and honestly that drive to Mesquite was probably worth it just to see a guy not lying to your face. Feels good to be wrong about something like that.