Distress Turns to Relief When Sewer Repair is Made Easy

Anna B. of Windsor, Ontario, was trying to do laundry when everything ground to a halt because the drains weren't draining. A sewer line repair was a distressing thought, but Service Line Warranties' Daisy Peppler was on hand to talk her through it.

Anna B. of Windsor, Ontario, was trying to do her laundry, but wasn’t having much success.

Her drains were backed up and draining slowly. It was an inconvenience, but two years ago, Anna had enrolled in a Service Line Warranties of Canada emergency home repair plan to help guard against the hassle of finding a plumber and the financial hit of a big plumbing bill.

Having had experience with having a repair completed through SLWC before, Anna knew that all she needed to do was to call the North American-based operations center, and a local, licensed and insured contractor would be dispatched to her home to assess the issue.

“I called and said I needed a plumber, because the water was backing up,” Anna said. “I think they were very prompt. The [plumbing] company was right on top of it.”

As expected, SLWC dispatched Superior Plumbing Solutions to figure out why the drains were so slow.

What she didn’t expect was that Daisy Peppler, SLWC’s Regional Operations Manager, to stop by while the repair was being made. Operations managers work closely with network contractors to ensure that repair quality and customer service meet SLWC’s standards, and they are often in the field to see the work being done. Although operations managers aren’t at every job site, they keep close tabs on network contractor’s performance through post-job customer satisfaction surveys. It was these onsite visits that brought Daisy to Anna’s home.

“Marc and Yousif from Superior and I were on site for approximately two hours, which is a very long time for clearing a sewer line,” Daisy said. “Unfortunately, we pulled up mud, which is an indication of a break in the line.”

Anna was understandably upset to learn that her sewer line was broken. She is an older adult and her children had previously expressed concerns about her continuing to live alone. This major repair might reinforce their concerns. However, Daisy knew that Anna’s repair plan would ensure that the sewer line repair was completed quickly and, for this repair, at no cost to Anna.

“I explained to Anna what her home repair plan benefit was and what next steps would be,” Daisy said. “She was appreciative of my conversation with her.”

“It was just a mess,” Anna said. “And everyone was so nice, especially Daisy – she was great. The plumbers came inside, and they did what they did with the camera [running it through the sewer line]. They explained what they were doing, they had to call the gas company and mark the lines. They were very good.”

“We were able to get emergency [utility] locations,” Daisy said, noting that the repair, which would require excavation, was made more complicated by the location. “It’s on a busy street with a huge tree, and overall difficult access.”

“They had to put in a new pipe, because there’s a tree in front of my yard,” Anna said. “It can’t be touched, although it’s on my property. It’s a big, beautiful tree, but even with the problem – the roots there – it can’t be touched, otherwise I would have had it cut down a long time ago.”

Superior Plumbing Solutions replaced seven feet of Anna’s clay line with more durable PVC, and SLWC paid the $3,600 cost of the repair directly to the contractor. Anna didn’t need to wait to be reimbursed, and, for this repair. she didn’t need to pay any deductibles or service fees. And now, Anna’s sewer is running freely, and she doesn’t have to worry about a backup.

“So far, so good,” she said.