‘I replaced my Rheem water heater twice within 5 years’: Woman’s water heater goes out—and the warranty’s voided. Then a small business owner steps in

Times are tough. Wallets are tight. Small businesses seem to be shuttering daily. But honest, pro-customer, small businesses still exist, and they still very much offer more care and customer service than the megacorporations that threaten to render them extinct.

Jacob Collins (@jakeonthecoast) posted a helpful and heartwarming video on TikTok about an exchange he had with a customer in need.

Warranty worries? A small business is on the case

Collins begins his video, which was first posted on Jan. 10, by establishing that he has a hardware store in Hurley, Mississippi, that sells water heaters. According to Collins, a woman called the store seeking help with her Rheem water heater.

“Her water heater is leaking from the top and the tank has a six-year warranty on it,” Collins explains. “So she was calling to figure out what she needed to do to get a replacement.”

Collins realized this was a warranty problem, so he “told her all warranties are handled through the manufacturer.” He advised the woman to go through the manufacturer to rectify the problem. As they “should be able to get [her] squared away.”

Unfortunately, it seems she had zero luck on that front. She calls back, “a little bit upset.”

“And so I wanted to do whatever I could do to try to help resolve the situation,” Collins continues. “Obviously, I can’t eat a $600 water heater, but I can make some phone calls and I can talk to people that are within my connections to try to help this lady. So I do that.”

Collins subsequently called the manufacturers, who tried to assert that she couldn’t get a new warranty because she’d already replaced the heater once.

What’s his advice?

“And I said, well, that really doesn’t make sense to me,” Collins says. “I can’t give someone a new water heater to replace an old water heater and the new water heater not have a warranty on it … And on top of it, we were out of the size water heater that she had purchased. We only had a larger or smaller, and she didn’t want to go smaller. She was willing to go larger and pay the difference. But I needed … some help and support from the company to make sure that I wasn’t going to have to eat the old water heater.”

Collins, determined to rectify the situation, reached out to his supplier, Orgill, for support.

“If you’re in hardware, then you know who Orgle is,” Collins says. “They take great care of us. They are 100%. They support their dealers and they back us in everything that we do. And so I reached out to my rep, and he’s like, look, just let’s sell her a new heater at a larger size, let her pay the difference, and we’ll handle the warranty in-house.”

It is at this point Collins impresses upon his viewers that he isn’t telling this story to toot his own customer service horn, but to communicate the importance of taking care of customers.

“If you’re in customer service or sales or service of any kind, just ask questions,” Collins says. “There’s a reason that you’re in the role that you’re in, because you have the connections to help people. And sometimes we can’t … But when you can, pick up the phone and make a few additional phone calls.”

He helps the customer

After being on hold for a while, Collins succeeded in helping his customer.

“At the end of the day, we got this lady a water heater,” he says. “I just decided today that I’m in business to help people. And so if I can help them, I’m gonna help them. If I can’t help them, then I’m not gonna help them. But if all I got to do is make a few phone calls, and I can save this woman 600 bucks, it’s worth the 30 minutes that I have to spend to do that.”

Collins says he hopes the word gets around, and that maybe this causes someone else to buy their water heater from Hurley Hardware instead of a “big box store,” because they can trust they’ll be taken care of.

@jakeonthecoast Sometimes it takes a simple issue to remind me why I love being in business. It’s to help folks. I don’t always get it right, but I do try to listen and help as much as I can! #business #smallbusinessowner #customerservice #hardwarestore ♬ original sound – Jacob Collins

Viewers respond to customer care

The comments on Collins’ video were universally positive, with many people applauding Collins for his handling of the situation.

“Great example of why you should shop local,” one commenter said. “Local businesses and local business owners go above and beyond for their customers. Good job!”

“So many could learn from you,” said another viewer. “Thank you for sharing and helping your customers!!”

In our post-pandemic reality, where antisocial behavior has skyrocketed, the quality of customer service has also taken a major hit. According to a 2024 Forrester report, “quality among brands in the US sits at an all-time low after declining for an unprecedented third year in a row.” In 2025, Forbes reported that customers are “losing patience” and “giving companies and brands fewer chances when they fail to deliver the experience customers expect.”

Within that broader context, it makes sense that some customers seek out the more personalized touch of a smaller business. Customer service exchanges like that of Collins and his caller are as rare as they are clearly welcome.

The Mary Sue has reached out to Collins via TikTok comment and Rheem via contact form to request additional comment.

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