drain cleaning service protocol

This question is for any drain service technicians who may be out there.

Question:
I hired a drain cleaning service to clean out my main line and they claim they found my cap damaged when they tried to remove it. They put the piece of cap back in the cleanout and tied a rag around the cap to secure it(their story). Are they required to notify me (they didn't) of the damaged cap and/or potential problems?

Frustrated Landlord

They should have replaced it and charged you for it. Not a good practice to leave a sewer open.

cap

VERY few cleanout caps/plugs are NOT damaged while removing them. Unless there was additional damage, the proper thing to do is replace the cap/plug with a new one. And if there is collateral damage, the proper thing is to suggest that it be repaired while the plumber is there, or at least advise the homeowner that there could be flooding problems if it is not fixed.

I carry clean out plugs on my truck since over 90% of them require to be cut off. So when I come across a damaged cap or have to cut one off I always replace it and add it to the bill. Now if the threads are to far gone in the clean out feral then I would of called you and informed you that the feral needs replacing and give a a quote on how much time it would take me to change it out.