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Francisco José Ferreira São Vicente (left) pictured with office manager Gisele and technician Alvaro at the opening of Drain Doctor’s business in the Algarve, Portugal.
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20/02/2009
Drain Doctor
DRAIN DOCTOR BUSINESS IN PORTUGAL GETS OFF TO FLYING START
Drain Doctor Plumbing – the UK’s largest emergency plumbing and drain repair service – has officially opened its first business venture in mainland Europe.
Local VIPs, company directors and staff attended the launch of the company’s operation in Loulé in the Algarve in Portugal. The launch created a great deal of interest and on the next working day the company’s technicians were attending their first jobs.
Francisco José Ferreira São Vicente, the company’s operations manager for Portugal, said: “Our first jobs are coming from villa management companies and owners and from local restaurants.
“We have carried out an inspection on one drain which runs beneath the terrace of a villa where tree roots have penetrated the pipe, blocking the flow of effluent. We aim to carry out a ‘no dig’ repair, clearing the roots and relining the drain without needing to dig up the terrace.
“This type of repair was not commonly available in Portugal until Drain Doctor arrived and is just one example of how we will be having a major impact on the local drainage and plumbing market.”
Francisco and his team have also been busy clearing blocked restaurant drains and advising restaurateurs on fitting grease traps to prevent future blockages. Francisco said:
“This is another example of how we are bringing a Drain Doctor standard of service to the Portuguese market – we are not just dealing with the immediate task of clearing a blocked drain but offering a long-term solution to a continuing problem.”
In the UK, Drain Doctor is a franchisor with 104 owner-operated businesses operating around the UK.
It is now building up a company-owned business in the Algarve region covering Loulé, Faro, Silves, Vilamoura, Portimão and Lagos. This will demonstrate the concept of Drain Doctor’s guaranteed 24 hours per day 365 days per year service with a fixed price ‘menu’ and no call-out or out-of-hours charges. The company aims then to establish owner-operated franchises in the rest of the country.
Drain Doctor chairman Freddie Mitman said: “We are delighted with the immediate impact which we are having following the launch of the business in Portugal. It helps to demonstrate that there is an opportunity for a company offering excellent service in a country where standards in this industry are generally fairly low.
“As soon as the company-owned operation is fully established we will start franchising the system in the rest of Portugal.”
Drain Doctor chose Portugal as its first expansion into the European mainland as a result of the experiences of husband-and-wife company directors Jan and Freddie Mitman.
Jan Mitman explained: “We are lucky enough to have a holiday villa in Portugal – but were unlucky enough to have a problem with the drains which turned out to be the result of tree roots growing through the pipes.
“We were unable to get a competent plumber in Portugal to deal with the problem and, in fact, ended up flying out a CCTV drain inspection kit from the UK for a local contractor to use in locating and – eventually – fixing the problem.
“This incident set us thinking and a little research soon showed that our experience was far from unique. It was clear that there is a tremendous opportunity for a plumbing business which operates to the standards which Drain Doctor has established in the UK.”
That view is endorsed by expatriate property manager Barbara Read who looks after many quality Portuguese villas owned by people from Britain and other countries. She said: “It is incredibly difficult to find competent tradespeople – and even more difficult to find ones who will turn up when they say they will.
“Many of the owners for whom we work let out their properties when they are not using them themselves. The last thing they or their tenants want when they have come for a fortnight in the sun is problems with the plumbing or hassle with plumbers.
“A service like the one Drain Doctor provides in the UK would be a revelation to local plumbers and could turn the whole industry upside down.”
DD1:mh
Notes to editors:
1. Francisco José Ferreira São Vicente was born in Angola but moved to Portugal with his parents in 1979. He served in the Portuguese army and has subsequently worked in telecoms sales and then in plumbing and electrical installation and in central heating and drainage in the hotel and restaurant sector.
2. ‘No dig’ drain relining involves putting a resin-impregnated felt tube into the damaged drain, then inflating and curing it. This process gives the drain a new integrity without all the problems associated with excavations.
3. Launched in the United Kingdom in 1993, Drain Doctor Plumbing has quickly grown to become the country’s largest emergency plumbing and drain repair service. It now provides a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year service in every part of the country with each franchise run as an independent business.
4. Drain Doctor’s central principle is to deliver dazzling levels of service in a market plagued by cowboy operators who are overcharging customers for shoddy workmanship. Franchisees offer a full 24 hour per day seven day per week service with no call out charges and they give fixed-price, no obligation quotes with a full guarantee on all their work.
5. Technicians are trained not just with technical skills – including the latest techniques such as closed circuit camera drain surveys and no-dig drain repairs – but in customer care that is reflected in such things as wearing overshoes while in customers’ homes and clearing up carefully after every job.
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