Author Archives: penny

Invading Your Privacy – How to Take Back Your Parking Spot

While we live and breathe by a credo of being “Friendly Manitoba”, Winnipeg drivers will attest that when it comes to cars, you’re stepping into unfriendly waters (and we’re not just talking about changing lanes without “the wave”).

The reason for this is completely unknown, but its evidence is seen everywhere from office banter to call-in radio shows.

Perhaps the most aggravating element to Winnipeg drivers is when they invade one’s private space – the proverbial sacred ground that is the reserved parking spot.

If you ever had this happen to you, you know the frustration. The high price you or your company pays for this space certainly gives valid reason for said emotions – how you react though, depends on your comfort in dealing with a frequent erroneous parker.

Solutions can range from the simple leaving a note on the dash of the offending vehicle, to the more demonstrative case of ordering a tow; but generally, there are a few pieces to keep in mind:

1> Lot owners – The problem may not be with a driver, but with awareness of the parking space reservation. Signage may not reflect what the state of the spot is, or the offending vehicle owner may be confused as to which space belongs to whom. The lot owner may be able to help resolve this confusion.

2> Know the tow – Should you choose to go the tow-the-car route, check for signage in the parking lot. Usually, the parking lot owner will have a contract with a particular Manitoba towing company for you to contact for matters such as this.

If you have any other towing issues that require assistance, contact Dr. Hook Towing today.

We’re Ready This Easter Weekend

We’re in the midst of one of the most unique weeks in Winnipeg’s recent history.

Not only is it spring break for schools across Manitoba, but it’s also Good Friday and Easter weekend upcoming, not to mention Passover.

In combination, this means that traffic patterns are going to, quite literally, be all over the place. Our normal driving routines of 8:30 to work, 5:00 home will be almost non-existent as we go forward with an unusual set of paths – taking kids to the Museum, loading the family in the minivan to head to grandma’s… yep, it’s certainly not business as usual.

Add to this the recent snowfall and melt (hopefully the last for us!), and you’ve got a real mess on our streets and highways, even before the potential for accidents that can stall traffic and make you late for your various events.

At this point we do want to note to you that if you find yourself in an emergency and require roadside assistance from Dr. Hook, we will be available. We are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your needs.

We wish you and your family all the best during this season. Enjoy this time of year with your family.

The More You Tell Us, The Better Off You’ll Be

Encountering car trouble is never a good thing.

Whether your car won’t start, has stalled in the middle of traffic or worse, there is a natural tendency to panic, and this fret can transfer from the moment of highest concern to the time when you call Dr. Hook for roadside assistance.

If you encounter such a situation though, there is an important thing to remember – the more we know, the better we’ll be able to assist you. While your natural instinct may be to say, “My car was making a funny noise and it just died at Portage and Main!”, the better you can describe the “funny noise” the better we’ll be able to help you first over the phone and again once one of our trusted experts is on site.

Factors that can assist us are:

1. Previous trouble – For example, this is the third time your car battery has died this winter or if the tire that just was punctured previously had a similar trouble.

2. Alarming noises – such as if you have been hearing your brakes squealing and are now facing a real issue.

But all of this comes hand in hand with the most important part of your action – don’t panic. We understand your urgency, but the calmer you are, the easier it will be to convey important messages to our staff.

Beware the Re-Freeze!

We were so close… so very, very close to winter being over.

With warmer temperatures over the last few days, pavement and asphalt could be seen again on sidewalks and streets, or at least through murky puddles. Like little kids, we would happily splash through these mini basins of water as we drove to and fro. Sure, we were still digging ourselves out of another large snowfall, but the end was in sight – our warmer days were in sight and we would soon be in the clear.

Then Tuesday evening happened.

With temperatures dropping into the -20 region overnight, freezing once again became an issue on Winnipeg streets, and with that comes the everpresent reminder of cautious driving.

Unfortunately, this cycle isn’t looking like it will slow down any time soon.

With this in mind, we want to encourage you to be mindful of road – and especially highway conditions around Winnipeg. Blowing snow from the previous fall (and another forecast to be on its way next week) is going to make driving harder, along with melt-and-freeze temperatures that look to take us almost through the end of the month.

Should an emergency arise, don’t hesitate for a moment to call Winnipeg’s towing experts. We provide roadside assistance both in the city and outside the perimeter, and can help get you back on the road.

Emergency Preparedness: Keep Yourself Charged on the Road

There’s a classic scene that has been rendered somewhat cliche in Hollywood. A young couple is stranded on the highway with their hood up. The male is seated on a gas jug while the female stands with her thumb out hoping that a noble stranger will help them in their time of need.

This scenario was certainly the case for Manitobans just a couple decades ago, but thanks to cell phones, all it takes is a call to Dr. Hook, and the case for a happenstance handsome stranger to play the hero is obsolete.

Obsolete, that is, as long as you have your phone charged up and ready.

Let’s admit it to ourselves – as careful as we are with our smartphones, we can get caught up in our “other” activities like web browsing and gaming that drain our batteries and we’re at times left without being able to communicate; and whether you’re in the city or out on the highway, this is not an ideal situation.

With this in mind, it’s important that as part of your emergency preparedness, especially when you are embarking on a long highway travel, to have your phone fully charged and ready to go. Having a charger in your car and even a spare power source is a great way to ensure that you are good to go and are more than ready should an emergency happen with your car or truck.

Remember – your roadside assistance experts are always just one phone call away.

Be Prepared in Case You get Stranded

Dr. Hook can help you when you have a flat tire.The realities of highway driving are fairly fierce, but they’re a reality for a reason.

As difficult as it is to digest, there always exists the possibility of being stranded – either from your engine conking out, a flat tire or another emergency situation.

Given Manitobans propensity for travel-by-road, it’s integral that you be prepared should an urgent situation come about. Here are a few tips:

1. Make sure you have an emergency kit in your car – At minimum, you should have blankets for warmth, a flashlight with fully-charged batteries, jumper cables, an air compressor, tow ropes, some non-perishable food and other pieces. A power generator isn’t a bad idea either.

2. Load up your phone with the right apps – Calling Dr. Hook is the first step to your roadside assistance (made even easier by our mobile site which you should bookmark!), but a GPS app will make it easier to find you as well. Google Maps, for example, can pinpoint your location pretty accurately, making it easier for you to convey information to us as to your location on a given highway.

The most important thing to do if you get stranded, as simple as it may sound, is to remain calm. Human nature is to panic, but that doesn’t do you any favours in the longrun.

For more information on Dr. Hook roadside assistance, contact us or click here to register for our roadside assistance program.

Thanks are Unneccessary but Appreciated

It’s often been said that a smile is all the thanks someone needs after doing a good deed; at Dr. Hook we believe this to be very true.

We often hear tales of this sort of gratitude from our clients after they have been helped from an unfortunate incident, but occasionally our drivers will also go above and beyond the call of duty – not for just rewards but because it is the right thing to do for the citizens of Winnipeg.

Such was the case last night.

This morning, Winnipeggers tuned into FAB 94.3 and heard Kelly Parker retell the story of one of our drivers who had knocked on his and other doors up and down his street, alerting him of the overnight parking ban while the city cleared residential streets of ice and snow.

Naturally, we were happy to hear that our operator had gone above and beyond in helping our city. We always like to see stories of our drivers doing a good deed in Winnipeg.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind Winnipeggers to be conscious of the overnight parking bans. If you’re not sure when your neighbourhood’s streets will be cleared, for an updated schedule from the City of Winnipeg and click here to find out which zone your home is situated in.

Stay Safe this Holiday Season

Winnipeg is unquestionably in the holiday spirit. Whether it’s on the streets or in our homes, the festive season is vibrant and alive in our city.

With the celebration, however, unfortunately comes over-celebration, and that’s when we, unfortunately, have to do our job over Christmas and New Years.

The reality is that no matter how often and how repeated the word is spread by organizations like Operation Red Nose, drivers in Winnipeg aren’t always conscious of how many drinks they’ve had amidst their celebrations and their hazardous effects. They may think that the augment of a healthy serving of food for dinner that their tolerance is bolstered, or they may think that the difference between two and three drinks is minimal.
Combine this with what can undeniably described as treacherous conditions in our city then we have the recipe for disaster in Winnipeg. Single or multivehicle accidents are far too common and can not only ruin a time that should otherwise be peaceful.

It goes without saying that we strongly advise Winnipeg drivers to play it safe and maintain a low consumption of alcohol during the holiday season, but as we stated above there will always be people that don’t heed this word.

So instead, we’d like to remind all drivers in Winnipeg to be aware of the conditions around them. Getting to dinner or a club 15 minutes late won’t hurt you, but being sideswiped will. Don’t rush to get home because of your babysitter – the extra few dollars for them to stay while you drive slowly and carefully far outranks the price to have us come and haul your vehicle away from a crash.

From all of us to all of you, have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season.

Dr. Hook in the Community – Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade

When a call comes from the Winnipeg community, Dr. Hook Towing answers with enthusiasm. We consider it an honour to help organizations throughout our city with their charitable projects that help others. Over course of the next few blogs, we’ll be sharing with you the stories of organizations who we’re happy to support in Manitoba.

There may be no annual event in Winnipeg that is more anticipated by children of all ages than the Santa Claus Parade.

As one would expect, the Parade was attended by thousands of Winnipeg families, with fathers and sons, mothers and daughters and children and grandparents taking in the festivities.

Being part of the Santa Claus Parade was a unique honour for Dr. Hook. As you’ve seen over the last few weeks, we enjoy taking part in activities for the community, be they public or private events; but nothing compares to taking part in the parade. It warms our hearts to have had the opportunity to join with other Winnipeg businesses and organizations for this once-a-year occasion.

Fun Fact

Did you know that the Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade has been running for over a century? It’s true. The first Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade was held in 1909 and was put on by Eaton’s. Along with a parade in Montreal, it was the second in Canada, following the first Santa Clause Parade in Toronto in 1904.