Mrs. Rooter Blog

The Mr. Rooter Plumbing national sponsorship with Ronald McDonald House Charities® hits home for one of our Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise locations. It’s a great story worth sharing.

The King family – owners of the Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise in Richland, Wash. – stayed at the Ronald McDonald House® of Spokane in 2003, when Shaylin and Michelle King’s third child was born with a genetic disorder called Cri-du-chat or 5p- Syndrome (visit www.fivepminus.org for more info on this syndrome).

Shaylin says the Charity allowed him and his wife to focus on Caleb instead of worrying about day-to-day life. Their two boys had toys to play with at the house, and he says it would have been much harder (both physically and emotionally) if they had to stay in a hotel.

I like the words that Shaylin refers to when he talks about the house: “easy atmosphere, caring and nice.” It was also good to hear the Kings were comforted by meeting and talking with families dealing with similar issues while staying at the House.

Let’s fast forward to today. Shaylin and his son Caleb – who has far exceeded doctors’ expectations – recently visited the same Ronald McDonald House. This time, though, they dropped off donations from Mr. Rooter Plumbing! Shaylin said it was nice to be able to give back to a charity that once helped him. It’s true what they say – what goes around comes around.

If you have a story about giving or receiving, please let me know. I would enjoy reading about it and would love to share it.

Here’s wishing you a world-class day.

Remember the days when you used to know your local grocery store owner…or the mechanic down the street who worked on your car? We even used to knoww our postman by name? At Mr. Rooter® Plumbing being part of the community is something we value. Each month we are going to let you get to know some of our shop owners just a little bit better.

Peter and Tina McGrath became owners of the Mr. Rooter® Plumbing of Ottawa franchise in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada in1999. Eleven years later they are still going strong. The McGraths already had experience in the plumbing world when the opportunity to join the Mr. Rooter Plumbing brand came up. When the previous Mr. Rooter Plumbing owner approached them with an offer, the McGrath’s knew they should give it serious consideration. They have since moved from being a one truck operation to having eleven trucks on the road and are two time winners of Top Gun, a company wide recognition for excellence in our brand.

If you want to read more about the McGraths in Ottawa, or if you want to check out the Mr. Rooter Plumibng owners in your area, you can check out www.leadingtheserviceindustry.com/MrRooterProfiles.asp.

Next time you are in the butchers, the produce store, or even at the bank, take a moment to get to know the person serving your town. After all, you are more likely to do business with those you know and like!

Here’s wishing you a world class day.

Did you know Mr. Rooter Plumbing is not just in the U.S.? We also have shops in Canada, the United Kingdom and Portugal. Drain Doctor, as we are called in the U.K., recently blogged about a Nova Scotia article regarding outdoor showers.

The story refers to the potential, where climates are warm in the summer, to have an outdoor shower installed. While many of us in North America may not have a need for this type of luxury year round, it does sound like a great way to increase the value of your home.  If this is something you think is worth pursuing, call your local Mr. Rooter Plumbing office to discuss the details. 

To find out what our overseas counterparts are discussing in plumbing, check out Drain Doctor blogs at http://draindoctor.wordpress.com/.

Here’s wishing you a world-class day.

Integrity is important. In fact it was one of the first things the Marine Corps – and my parents – taught me. Having your family, friends, co-workers and customers trust that you will do what you say is important in all aspects of life. It makes things easier and builds strong relationships. That is why I particularly like our sixth Code of Values™ which is “making only agreement we are willing, able and intend to keep.” At Mr. Rooter Plumbing it is our goal to ensure that what we do what we say and say what we do. 

Today as you go through your day take a moment to think of all the agreements you may have made and make sure you mean to follow through. If you don’t have the time or the inclination – be honest with people and they will in turn, be honest with you.

Here’s wishing you a world class day!

At Mr. Rooter® Plumbing, our Code of Values® is important to us because they help us keep our focus on doing business the right way. We make sure to take the time to recite them in any group meeting with three or more associates to remind us of their importance. Our third value is “responding in a timely fashion.” I sure do wish all all companies followed this sentiment. I can’t tell you the number of times I have called customer service at a large corporation and been sent through the maze of phone trees only to end up put on hold for up to 20 minutes and then still not getting a return call. I find it frustrating and an incredible wase of time.

A few weeks ago I shared my happy Amazon Kindle story. I’d love to hear from some of you your great stories of companies that respond in a timely fashion and have taken good care of you as a valued customer. I’ll post some of them here.

We make it a point of pride to get back to our customers, our co-workers and our vendors as soon as we possibly can. We understand your time is valuable and understand how it can be frustrating trying to contact someone.

Here’s wishing you a world class day!

Did you know that August is National Water Quality Month? I like the idea of National Water Quality Month. And I think it is an important topic that we don’t discuss enough. What about you – do you think of this topic very often?

National Water Quality Month hits home with me especially because Mr. Rooter Plumbing and 3M Clean Water Solutions have been in Haiti purifying the water of the earthquake victims. Like I’ve blogged before, we tested their water and it was unsafe.

Do you know the quality of the water you are drinking? If you don’t, you should find out – trust me.  After everything I saw in Haiti I am telling this to everyone – from those at Mr. Rooter Plumbing to my friends and family – and now you.

If I were you, I would start with the ‘Ask The Expert’ section on the 3M Clean Water Solutions website.  You can visit it at www.3mcleanerworld.com/Content/GotQuestions/AskTheExpertPage.jsp.

From common water quality to water filtration questions, they’ve got answers for you. 3M Clean Water Solutions knows this topic well. They provide a range of water filtration systems for families, and Mr. Rooter Plumbing is honored to be their certified installer in Boulder and New Haven.

From everyone at Mr. Rooter Plumbing, here’s wishing you a world-class day and an educational National Water Quality Month.

Did you know Mr. Rooter Plumbing is known as Drain Doctor in the United Kingdom and Portugal? Just like Mr. Rooter Plumbing, they are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and are always focused on their customers and their communities.

I am a fan of their Drain Doctor blog, and would like to share a posting in particular with you. If you’re a sports fan or enjoy racing events, check out these photos and this story!  

Drain Doctor in Portugal has completed contract work at the recently completed Portimao Race Circuit, which plays host to world class events such as Superbike Championships and F1 testing. Drain Doctor worked at three major events; SBK 2010, 2010 WTCC and the Le Mans Series 2010.

To read more Drain Doctor blogs, you can go to http://draindoctor.wordpress.com/. Here’s wishing you a world-class day.

Have you heard about Mr. Rooter Plumbing being featured on Froggy 92.9’s Video of the Week? Radio personalities Rob and Joss from www.froggy929.com helped Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Sonoma County’s Tony Morales do plumbing work on Wednesday.

You can watch the video on the radio station’s website at http://www.froggy929.com/VideooftheWeek/View.aspx?PostID=28582. All of us at the Mr. Rooter Corporate Office are enjoying the video!

Tony, I would like thank you for being a great representative of the Mr. Rooter brand. I would also like to thank Rob and Joss for working along side Mr. Rooter Plumbing for a day. We can tell you had a lot of fun with Tony and the work, and that is important to us! At Mr. Rooter Plumbing, one of our Code of Value’s is ‘Having Fun in the Process”.

Here’s wishing all of you a fun and world-class day.

If you live in an area that has gotten quite a bit of rain this summer or know someone who does, you don’t want to miss this story. Our Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Southeast Wisconsin franchise has been busier than usual. Are you wondering why? Well…yes, it has to do with all the rain.

John Donovan, owner of the Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Southeast Wisconsin shop, says residents in his area are experiencing sewer backups because of the recent storms. And it doesn’t stop there; it’s causing property damage.

Cleaning up sewage backups can get costly, so Donovan and his Mr. Rooter Plumbing team are encouraging customers to have their sewer laterals (which are the lines that extend from the house to the municipal street sewer) checked. Mr. Rooter plumbers can use a video inspection camera to spot compromised pipes that cannot handle the increased water flow that comes with these heavy rains.

If you live in Southeast Wisconsin and are in need of plumbing repairs, you can visit the Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Southeast Wisconsin shop’s website at http://southeastwisconsin.mrrooter.com/.

Here’s wishing you a world-class day.

A hero cape seems to accompany the Mr. Rooter Plumbing uniform these days.

Whether it’s retrieving a 6-hour-old puppy that slipped down the drain or recovering a 4-month-old kitten that fell behind a water heater, Mr. Rooter plumbers are saving the day. So far this year, Mr. Rooter has safely rescued two kittens, a puppy, a ferret and a tortoise. And we can’t forget the jewelry!

Since we’re seven months into the year, click here to read about our Top 7 Recoveries.

1. Miracle Mother’s Day Gift in Mesa, Ariz.

After a stray cat gave birth to kittens in an attic, one fell and became trapped in a wall. Mr. Rooter plumber Dan Pentico used his video inspection camera to locate the kitten. But it took cutting out a square hole in the wall to safely remove it. Dan told his 9-year-old daughter it would take a miracle for her to get a kitten, but miracles do happen!

2. The Tortoise and the Plumber in Santa Cruz, Calif.

A turtle found his way under a house and was nestled in a hard-to-reach location. Out of sight, its owners called Mr. Rooter Plumbing. Service professional Hugo Fernandez used a video inspection camera, and searched under the house. Thanks to the high tech equipment, Hugo found the turtle and returned him to his owners.

3. Surprise Sewer Save in Youngstown, Ohio

When a pet ferret was let out of his cage, it found its way into a drain pipe. Mr. Rooter service technician Chris Crawford arrived with his video inspection camera in tow. As the camera went past the ferret, it started shimmying its way backward until it could be pulled out by its tail. In Chris’s 21 years of plumbing, he’d never pulled a live animal out of a sewer!

4. Tag Team Works in Southeast Wisconsin

It took two video inspection cameras to find an earring that was accidently dropped down the bathroom sink drain. When taking off the P-trap under the sink proved fruitless, Mr. Rooter Plumbing’s Terry Johnson and John Donovan turned to two cameras, which helped them spot the earring in just 20 minutes.

5. Rescued Puppy Rescued Again by Plumber in San Diego, Calif.

Just hours after a newly rescued dog delivered six puppies at a humane society, the runt slipped down a drain. It took Mr. Rooter service technician Thomas Huff an hour to dig up the drainage pipe and save the 6-hour-old pup. Amazed with the puppy’s ability to handle the jackhammer rescue, Thomas brought his children back to visit the puppy.

6. Trapped 4-Month-Old Kitten in Tallahassee, Fla.

After a kitten fell behind a water heater, she couldn’t get out. It was almost midnight when Mr. Rooter got the frantic call. Technician Kyle Jones cut a section of the pipe using a handheld saw, and less than 15 minutes later the perfectly healthy kitten was back with her owner.

7. Ring Returned After Removal of Pipe in Newberg, Ore.

Just 30 minutes after a woman accidently dropped her ring down the kitchen sink drain, Mr. Rooter service technician Vitaliy Garbaruk was trying to find it. Upon removing the exposed drain line and emptying its contents into a bucket, he spotted the ring in some grease. She had her ring back on her finger after only an hour of search and rescue.