Metro Snow & Ice Management

Its says your are in Cambridge? We dont service that area but U will reply anyway.
Sorry you feel that way and we will try to improve. Im sure with over 9 storms in a few weeks we've been there more then 3 times? They visit at least twice each storm. Once for their driveway and once for the city grader dump. Again, no address so I cant possibly look at your file and try to see if we can find a way to satisfy you.
And...why is this coming in from 'Cambridge '?....i dont service Cambridge?

Very nice to get a high rating from a customer here and thanks.
Adam is a great driver (4 years in your area).
Of course Ann...they are now going to say we are related! Lol
Cant win on here sometimes. I only hope people view these negative reveiws as coming from 1st time users that have totally unrealistic expectations from not just my company bit any snow provider out there. We work hard and cant be at every driveway at the same time as soon as you want to get out.
There is a very clear reason we are the largest snow clearing company in the city with over 70 tractors, 200 hard working employees and a very 'tight system' of clearing snow well......for 25 years I might add.
We're all proud of what we try to do every storm.
Again, many thanks
Ken

What is your address and I can review where you are on the drivers route? They do show up at least twice during an event. Once for the driveway and again after the city plows have gone by. Its rare someone gets missed, unless you are a late signup without stakes? Please advise.
Ken Dale
President

Drivers are trained to exactly NOT do this as. They can be fined over $500 by the city. (Which they pay). In some cases if city graders have not done streets the may leave a small pile beside the driveway if a car is parked on the road. I will investigate but i need an address to find out which driver it is? (We have over 70 drivers working for us here)
Thanks
Ken

Your claims, comments and allegations are ridiculous, simply unfounded and untrue.
Enough said.
A competitor or someone we cancelled for being abusive and rude to staff most likely. It happens.
Ken

Wow! How nice to finally get a compliment here Bryan! I'm getting pretty 'beat up' here early in the season by 1st time clients who don't seem to understand the confines of a snow clearing service contract.
Except for the very odd 'complete miss', we show up EVERY single storm...period!
Long time customers realize this, have settled in and understood the 'rythym' of a storm and the clearing.
We've been doing this (and in the same neighbourhoods) for over 25 years! Its not like we 'dont care' or dont know what we are doing.
We're NOT a 'valet' clearing service or 'on demand'. Pizza Pizza might get there in 30 minutes when you want it but this business is different.
New clients need to:
Read their contracts clearly and understand their time of clearing thresholds.
Realize they are not the only client with snow and we will be there. (Maybe not on "their schedule' but we DO show up within the contracted time.')
The most common complaint?
"I had to shovel myself'!
No you didnt! You got impatient, shovelled the snow and didnt wait. Patience! You paid us...wait for us.
Or...
'I've finally moved my car out....get here now and clean the driveway nice for me"!
(Of course people don't say this)...they just say.."You missed me!"
Let's be reasonable and fair here please.
Im sorry.....snow companies just dont work that way!.....If thats what a client wants then best hire the neighbours teenager and wait on him. (between his hockey practices and time with the girlfriend)
Thanks for letting me vent Bryan...and your honest way of 'getting the word out there' about how we work.
Refreshing!
Ken

Thanks for the feedback.
Im not presenting excuses (I dont like when people do that) I'm offering valid reasons.
We tell customers right up front..."walkway shovelling will be done 12 hours AFTER the storm has stopped"
Few snow companies even offer 'walkway shovelling' anymore. We still do. It is the hardest position to fill regardless of how much we pay.
We undertake something that you can't OUR prefer not to do. We have limited our walkway service only to Seniors or those at need' because of how hard it is to find mobile able bodied, reliable people to go out at 2 am in the cold and work 8 hours shovelling.(We go on an honour system when we ask people if they are senior or disable).
Again, timing of your clearing is different depending on the storm. I know for a fact every driveway is cleared at least once within 6 hours of the storm ending. Thats what our contract clearly stipulates and what clients sign on for. Its standard in the snow business.
Thanks
Ken

Excuse me?
We went out and cleared your driveway and every other driveway starting at 2 pm ( the day before!) when every other snow contractor in Ottawa stayed home for New Years eve. Every client had a 'clearing pass' before 8 pm when 8 cm had fallen.
We THEN went out again between 7am and 2 pm and did a second pass....(when the competition was just starting for the storm at 7am New Years Day)
Sorry Ron, on this one you are off the mark.
I follow my guys, Im out there during storms, I check off their progress and follow them on GPS.
Basically....at 7am the next day our driveways had about 2 cm in them.....from after we started the day before. The comps driveways,yes, may have been slightly cleaner because...they were just finally showing up for the storm.
If you were one of the few clients that may have been completely missed (yes there's always one or two inevitably missed or have their cars still in the driveway) then I apologies of course but lets get the true facts out there.
Thanks
Ken

(Read my other replies......maybe you will understand)
"Not timely enough for you". We clear well within the times stated. Every time.
Ken

I get it Gill.
Its not 'growing pains'....we employ more 'technology' then any other snow contractor in the business to 'communicate' to our clients. The GPS alerts are a tricky science and constantly have to be tweaked.
If you let me know your street I can reveiw your driver and his route and time records. Its rare he would ever 'miss' 4 houses on the same street? Id like to review this.
Regarding 'phone messages' Ive stated upfront as many times as I can to clients..'we dont return phone calls'...email is the way we respond to issues and complaints.
Here's the deal with 'phone calls' in the snow business......80% of clients DONT think to leave their address in the phone message! Cryptic phone messages like 'you missed me'? 'Are you coming?' Dont really help us...so...we have to take the time to "look up whoand where you live' based on name or phone number.......'call back'..(no awnsering machine available) ...nobody awnsers ect and we waste time playing 'phone tag' during a storm trying to answer someone's questions or figuring out who the person even is!
Basically....email is faster, its in writing, we have a record and it's easier to print, hand to a Customer Rep and gets dealt with immediatley.
I take a lot of heat for.....not calling back 'during a snowstorm' but most other companies....siimply leave a message and turn off their phones!
Maybe thats the way to go?
I don't believe so.
We will try to do better.....send me your street or address.

Ken Dale
President