In the winter of 2013-14, Municipal snow dumps were closed for being near capacity with just the city government’s efforts to keep up, meaning that if you needed snow removed, and not just plowed and piled in private lots, or cleared from adjacent public responsibility areas to yours, it had to be trucked and tipped far south of the city.
Though last winter was relatively mild, a replay of 2013 is never out of the question. That winter the City of Calgary spent one third of its annual road construction and maintenance budget just on snow removal related expenses and worker overtime. At Mirage Landscaping, we were busy too, but were glad to have our snow removal services make your life much easier. A professional contractor is insurance against business closure, liability claims, and tickets from the City.
What To Look For
Those considering hiring a snow removal contractor should ask some important questions to ensure they will receive the service they deserve:
Q: How many accounts does your company remove snow for during most years?
A: If the number of either years in service or accounts is low, say in the single digits for years and fewer than 40 or so in terms of clients, you are likely dealing with a relatively new or a very small snow removal contractor who may not be up to servicing your property when the going is at its toughest.
Q: Are you insured for liability, and if so, for how much?
A: Your provider should be insured or bonded against liability to the tune of five million or more dollars. They should also be able to specifically show insurance coverage for providing snow removal services to third parties.
Q: Do all of your snow removal workers have Workers Compensation coverage?
A: If there is any hesitation to answer, keep looking for a more reputable company.
Q: Do you have enough trucks to handle my snow removal in a timely manner?
A: The more trucks a company has means the quicker they can come and services your property!
Q: Do you subcontract out any of your snow removal jobs?
A: If they do, suddenly everything you know about their own insurance, capabilities, and manpower is meaningless. Mirage Landscaping performs all of your snow removal jobs.
Q: Do you have a dedicated dispatcher I can call outside normal hours?
A: You want a company that will answer the phone when you need them to.
Q: Do you provide a detailed sketch of the areas of my property that will be serviced and where the snow will be piled?
A: You don’t want a contractor that might just show up and wing it.
Q: Are your contracts flat rate for the entire season and all-inclusive?
A: If the answer is, “No,” you may be looking at a low up-front contract price with lots of hidden charges built into it.
Q: At what point in a snowfall do you begin clearing properties?
A: This answer should be, “As soon as there is an inch of accumulation.” Waiting longer than this could mean black ice in lots and on sidewalks, as well as making parking lot collisions more likely.
Contact Mirage Landscaping of Calgary
For totally professional snow removal get a free quote on any size job.