Industry News

A Look at the Top Recoveries of 2009

Mr. Rooter Plumbing technicians did a lot more than unclog drains and repair plumbing fixtures in 2009. From jewelry to animals, Mr. Rooter plumbers recovered quite a few precious items.

While some of the recoveries took hours, others mere minutes. But both had the same outcome – overjoyed and relieved customers.

“Our service professionals turned into heroes when they saved the day for our customers,” said Mary Kennedy Thompson, president of Mr. Rooter Corporation. “Our technicians went above and beyond to safely recover these sentimental rings and pets for our customers.”

Drum roll, please…here are the Top Recoveries of 2009:

1. $70,000 Wedding Ring
Mike Roberts, general manager of the Mr. Rooter of  Phoenix franchise, recovered a $70,000 wedding ring that was accidentally flushed down the toilet in January. It was an eight-hour process that included removing the toilet, searching the line with a video inspection camera, and digging up the floor to retrieve the ring.
2. A Daughter’s Diamond Ring from Dad
It was déjà vu for Roberts in April when a second customer called about the same ring-down-the-toilet scenario. This time it was a $6,000 sapphire and diamond ring that was a gift from her father.  Roberts dropped a video inspection camera down the ventilation pipe, and just five minutes into the search, he located the ring in a pipe below a closet off the hallway.
3. Seven Baby Ducks
George Jessup, a commercial service technician at the Mr. Rooter of  Pittsburgh franchise, saved seven ducklings that were stuck in a storm drain in July. With the help of the fire department and police, it took 30 minutes for Jessup to safely return the baby ducks to their mother.
4. Wedding and Engagement Rings Flushed by Toddler
It took Dan Kraby, a Mr. Rooter technician at the Salem-Mass. franchise, three hours to recover a woman’s wedding and engagement rings. Her toddler son flushed them down the toilet when she wasn’t looking. (What a fantastic story this mom will get to tell when he’s all grown up!)
5. Karma the Cat
In March, Robert Plantic, a technician at the Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise in  Toronto, found a cat named Karma that was missing. Using a video inspection camera, it took him two hours to find the cat, which had found its way down in the floor boards that renovators were putting down to cover holes in the customer’s house.
6. Diamond Down the Drain
Mr. Rooter of Central Texas plumber Jim Hauk didn’t need a video inspection camera (which is used in most recoveries) to find a diamond that went down the kitchen sink drain in Waco over the summer. After disconnecting the drain line close to the garbage disposal, he spotted the diamond.
7. Secret Engagement Ring Rescue
At the Mr. Rooter of  New Orleans shop, technician Gerald Johns recovered a one-carat diamond engagement ring that had slipped off the customer’s finger. She didn’t notice it had fallen into the toilet until she had already pushed the handle to flush. She didn’t tell her fiancé, and her secret is safe with Mr. Rooter!