# Who had contracts for Walgreens and SMS Assist?



## Ramairfreak98ss (Aug 17, 2005)

We did work for them and another company they deal with. SMS requires a signoff ticket/report, in addition to their standard call in procedure if the individual store does not sign off via email or fax. What has happened though, is some managers are just plain lazy, and then the assistant manager is the only one who sends the email back, "marked approved" i guess.

Walgreens also apparently have camera systems. Some stores told us that they didnt "see us on the camera" for that time. What i found out, is that the email from SMS to Walgreens with the time stamp isn't always right. Although most are very close, a couple were hours off. We've gone back through every dated truck log to find exact times and match them to our own invoices/billing, even though everything is done automatically through the call in procedure. 

I'm not here to blame SMS and their processes, most of the time it works OK, since their other client has signed any of the tickets required, and rarely had disputes or any "deferred" services which means the store manager has not signed off via email yet, which could be weeks later.

We'd salt on say 3/1/2013, within a week, several disputes/deferrals come back and its only for Walgreens accounts, so for some reason, they either are cheap, going broke or just want to play games.

Now at the end of the season, we still have a few tickets to get signed, and only for Walgreens. I've sent our crews into the stores when picking up the snow stakes, and i've gone into some of them myself.

We've contacted the stores via phone, talked to the managers/assistant managers, emailed them directly, faxed them ticket copies, and then we get every excuse or they just refuse to get back to us about the sign off tickets. Some say they can't find us on camera for that date and time, even for services I did myself on that day, so can't blame it on your employees there, nor will they let me see the video from that date and time to confirm, which shows they're lying anyway. Other times, the stores are saying they didnt receive these bright orange door sticky tags that are 4" by 4" in size, with our name , date, time and type of service provided.

One store said they are missing 8 tags? They are very sticky, they don't blow off of the doors in any temperature. Another store manager admitted that their own employees may have taken them off and not handed them in or kept them. 

One store manager " the biggest @#$^ of them all", tells me that we're creating a safety hazard using those "little white balls that get all over the place" calcium? And suggests we learn our business and start using salt like the professionals do. :crying:

ok it gets better... We drove around the store too fast and they don't feel that $208.00 is worth our 1 minute spent to throw out some salt.. First of all, thats not our rate, we're paid half of that, and with a 4 yard bulk spreader that throws salt 30' on either side of the truck wide open, when the store is closed or no cars are in the lot, you can legitimately salt it in 1-2 minutes tops. 

Other times, they refused to sign because they looked on video, and we didn't salt the sidewalk during that service... well it didn't need it, only the lot did but we can't break down the charges for lot versus sidewalks, its just one "salt service". 

The company SMS, isn't working against us on these issues with Walgreens, but really can't do much about it and definitely isn't helping us on it. Sometime in early March, it's as though district told all store managers to scrutinize the snow services and not approve anything possible, because the bulk of issues came from March 2013 services, when there was little precip, but freezing or forcasted ice, snow etc. 

We would salt over 50 locations, "not all for this company of course", a mix of national's accounts and our own clients. After billing, 50% of the walgreens didn't sign off, and we MAYBE had one other issue, dispute, question etc. Thats normal. 

Who else has done services for Walgreens through CBRE or SMS Assist? Shoot me a PM!


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## Mysticlandscape (Jan 19, 2006)

Going through the same exact thing. Store managers suck I got in a yelling match with one. Disputed all services for every storm/event we had in march. I lost it on the lady, she said that we missed a parking spot or the loading dock wasn't done in front of the dumpster. Found a little thing to complain about every-time. Needless to say picture's are worth a thousand words and I plenty to go around so now I guess its gone to the Corp guys... if you want to talk more about it maybe a phone conversation is in order the guy I deal with is pretty cool about stuff. 

- Tim


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## OC&D (Dec 2, 2009)

Ramairfreak98ss;1632626 said:


> Sometime in early March, it's as though district told all store managers to scrutinize the snow services and not approve anything possible, because the bulk of issues came from March 2013 services, when there was little precip, but freezing or forcasted ice, snow etc.


It's quite likely that's exactly what happened, and in my opinion, that's criminal. It's even sadder that the store managers get orders like that and just blindly go along with it. "Let's just make crap up to screw over the contractor." Yeah, that's great business right there......


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## SnowGuy (Jan 7, 2006)

Want to get their attention fast ??? Slap a mechanics lien on the building !! It works everytime !


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## wewille (Jan 20, 2009)

SnowGuy;1635047 said:


> Want to get their attention fast ??? Slap a mechanics lien on the building !! It works everytime !


Depends where you are. In Wisconsin a snow/landscape contractor cannot apply a mechanics lien...


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## Ramairfreak98ss (Aug 17, 2005)

SMS still hasn't paid us the full bill. they essentially shaved off 15% at the end and arn't willing to pay any of it. They said some were out of scope, others un accounted for, others disputed, etc... You'd need a massive lawsuit to try and collect from them.

So don't work for

1. SMS Assist
2. USM "US maintenance"
3. Brickmans "they'll put subs lateral to you and double contract sites"
4. Ferrandino and Sons - paid farthest past due of all companies ever worked for.


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## Ramairfreak98ss (Aug 17, 2005)

dont work for SMS assist


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