How to hire a snow shoveler, avoid the flakes
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Saving Money, In the News
So you'd prefer to stay by the fire and let someone else clear your driveway and sidewalk during the next snowstorm?
Make sure you follow the WalletPop checklist from Mike Stevens, the owner of the industry newsletter Snowplow News, and Kevin Arroyo, the owner of R and A Cleaning snow removal in Staten Island, N.Y., so you don't get snowed.
- Pay AFTER the job is done. This is your No. 1 defense against shoddy work. In many cases of a primarily cash-only business, it can be your only defense.
- Make sure the snow removers have the equipment they claim to have.
- Write up a simple contract spelling out that the snow remover will pay for any damages.
- Before the job, keep tabs on where the snow remover is to confirm that he'll be there when you need him.
- If you're really concerned about getting ripped off, then hire an insured, reputable snow removal company. Check them out on the Internet.
- Once the snow remover piles up a solid track record, you can propose an arrangement before it snows, securing future service for less.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-10-2010 @ 8:48PM
christinac said...
or you can just hire a kid who lives down the street to do it for ten bucks.....
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2-10-2010 @ 9:12PM
Gary said...
Or you can just get your lazy butt off the chair and do it yourself.
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2-10-2010 @ 10:41PM
Michelle said...
What makes the Author think that the dependable Shoveler will work for less, Hey Media Give this writer less for his contributions next time he has a track record of good work!
yea right you bet!
By the way I am a plumber--- he who pays the fastest gets the quickest service!
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2-10-2010 @ 11:10PM
OL MAN JOE said...
this idiot writer has never been to phila .here you take what you can get the young kids bo better jobs than adults and cheaper
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2-11-2010 @ 12:17AM
tina said...
Totally stupid all the money being spent to get rid of the snow, in a few days the rains gonna start, the temps are gonna rise and the darn stuff just melts away... And it does not cost a penny...until then and extension cord and the blow dryer are awesome!
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2-11-2010 @ 2:37AM
MIKE said...
ALL THE MORONS THAT DONT HAVE ANY BETTER SENSE THAN TO PAY UP FRONT SHOULD JUST MOVE TO FLORIDA WE HAVE NO SNOW ******************************* HA HA HA *****
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2-11-2010 @ 3:46AM
Former sailor said...
So, how's that orange crop doing this year?
2-11-2010 @ 6:02AM
ladydi9251 said...
FORMER SAILOR, THAT'S TOO FUNNY!!!****HA HA HA
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, AND ON AND ON AND ON.....SO STFU, MIKE! ROFLMAO!!!!
2-12-2010 @ 2:13AM
Former sailor said...
Thanks, Lady Di! I love an appreciative audience! - By the way, I don't suppose you're the same Lady Di I took a couple of NICE pictures of in the bar , many years ago - or are you?
2-11-2010 @ 4:08AM
Jm said...
This might be an article for those who have a business that has a lot of area to be cleared but for the typical home, nah, just need a shovel or snow blower, a broom and some salt or sand/gravel mix and if you can't/don't want to do it, just hire some kid.
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2-11-2010 @ 6:06AM
Richard said...
>> just hire some kid.
Not that easy. Kids don't want to work anymore like in the old days. You have to ask around, call them on their cell phones, get a lot of wierd looks or excuses, etc. And the kids who do it now charge almost as much as the guys with the plows.,
I gave up on the 16 year old next door when I went away for two weeks in December with a clear arrangement for watching the house and shoveling snow.
When I returned, the 17 inches of snow from the previous day had not been touched. I even sent him an email during the storm reminding him that I was coming home. He's a great kid and all, just lazy and uncaring like the rest of them.
Don't misunderstand... I'm not a grouch who doesn't like kids. Whenever he needs a ride to work, I always drive him. But it;s easier to just hire someone. There's a guy with a plow who charges the same as the kid and always shows up.
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2-11-2010 @ 6:13AM
karen s said...
As the mother of two teenage boys who rise early in the hope of making a buck the good old fashioned way, hard work, I am disgusted by the people who laughingly advise to get a teeenage to do it as cheap as they can get away with, ($10, seriously? that is HARD work!) $10 for at least an hour if not more of hard physical work in freezing temps (and these are physicaly fit, actve boys!), Appreciate the eager youth at your door willing to help you with a good work ethic, he's somebodys son.......
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