# Charging for 1 or 2 storms



## sir spaniourd (Jan 7, 2005)

Pretty sure I am not the only one with the dilemma. Are you guys going to charge this LONG storm as one storm or two storms. I would say 2. Help guys.
Storm on the 8th is coming !!
Peace


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## timmy1 (Apr 9, 2008)

As far as the weather man goes, it was one storm that went by, then backed in.

So, I wouldn't use the term "Storms" on your bill.

All depends on what you have set up with your customers.

I would charge them for 2 visits explaining it was required in order to maintain access.


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## ERCKWD (Jan 4, 2009)

Plowed once on Sat per request of my customers and then again on Sun night, charged twice.


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## shovelracer (Sep 3, 2004)

If you ran twice then you need to bill twice. Not sure about where you are, but we had a gap of over 12 hours here. For me that is a new storm. I reset the terms every 24hrs or 12 hr after the stop.


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## sir spaniourd (Jan 7, 2005)

You guys are right. Twice it is.


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## ondagawood (Sep 19, 2007)

Well here's what I do, if I have to go back in the same day (same snowfall or storm) I discount them for the 2nd push. I'm trying this out for the first time with some of my new "bill me" customers. Example - if the charge for a plow is $25 (not my rate just a "number"), when I go back a 2nd time I record this on my invoices, & I note *2nd push same day $20."*

Like I stated, first time I'm trying this, I'll let you know any feedback I get.

Scott


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## sir spaniourd (Jan 7, 2005)

that's what I do. Charge for first push and second time i plow i drop a few $. This storm was kind of confusing because some customers say it was just one storm in two days. Two me it is two storms because they are in two different days. I just wanted to see what everybody was doing


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## Mysticlandscape (Jan 19, 2006)

If I am sleeping 5 hrs in two nights someone is going to pay..


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## nobullfrogs (Dec 1, 2008)

I'd charge for both 'visits' at full price. We just had the same type of storm around here. If you don't go twice=complaint, if you wait til the storm's over and you got 9" of snow=complaint. You just have to try to educate the customer when they get the bill and want to "chat" about it.


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## searay220 (Nov 20, 2008)

Sort of the same subject. What do you do if you thought you were all done with the storm and then a customer calls you and the street trucks just plowed in the openings to the driveways or parking lots? Then you have to go back and clean them up. How do charge?


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## nobullfrogs (Dec 1, 2008)

It is impossible sometimes to fulfill the requests of your customers AND wait for the city plows. I charge for the clean-ups at an hourly rate, which doesn't add up to much. Customers usually understand why we charge them for this.


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## dellwas (Oct 16, 2005)

For me it was one charge on Sat, one on Sunday.


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## PORTER 05 (Dec 28, 2005)

WOW WHAT GOOD TIMEING!!!!!!!!!

ya that huge storm that just blew through 1/2 1/3 snowed like 48 hrs on and off! Ya well up here on the northshore there was a gap in precip from 3PM to 2 AM thats almost 12 hrs of no snow, so i sent the trucks out and plowed maybe 2/3 off the accounts leaving out summer and gravel drives. So i billed out and got a call from on of the accounts. Guys yelling in his message saying that i went 3? times in 1 sorm that was only 5"??? Im like this is going to be good , so i call him back tell him the whole 2 storm thing and the gap and that the stomr total was 12"'s here(it was on the fing cover of our newspaper" he says no way i only want you to come once at the end and im only paying for 1 plow. IM like you said i came 3 times and hes like ya you came on the 31'st on december and im like buddy that was a diff storm and hes like no it was all the same one. lol. So i told him before he pays anything i would like to have a meeting with him and i want to show him all my records , i keep really good ones date,check list, time on time off inchs ect. Fing people if i had not come there for 3 days he wouold have fired me so i got there for 3 days and plow him out nice and clean and guess what i get fired WOW!!!!!!!!!!!


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

I charged for Saturday, and again for Sunday. I visited most accounts twice on both days, and noted that on the bill. I actually plowed New Year's Eve. Maybe I didn't need to, but based on the weather forecasts, I wanted things as clean as possible to start. I ended up giving about a third discount on Thurdsay night's trip.


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## M&M (Sep 8, 2008)

PORTER 05;944312 said:


> WOW WHAT GOOD TIMEING!!!!!!!!!
> 
> ya that huge storm that just blew through 1/2 1/3 snowed like 48 hrs on and off! Ya well up here on the northshore there was a gap in precip from 3PM to 2 AM thats almost 12 hrs of no snow, so i sent the trucks out and plowed maybe 2/3 off the accounts leaving out summer and gravel drives. So i billed out and got a call from on of the accounts. Guys yelling in his message saying that i went 3? times in 1 sorm that was only 5"??? Im like this is going to be good , so i call him back tell him the whole 2 storm thing and the gap and that the stomr total was 12"'s here(it was on the fing cover of our newspaper" he says no way i only want you to come once at the end and im only paying for 1 plow. IM like you said i came 3 times and hes like ya you came on the 31'st on december and im like buddy that was a diff storm and hes like no it was all the same one. lol. So i told him before he pays anything i would like to have a meeting with him and i want to show him all my records , i keep really good ones date,check list, time on time off inchs ect. Fing people if i had not come there for 3 days he wouold have fired me so i got there for 3 days and plow him out nice and clean and guess what i get fired WOW!!!!!!!!!!!


You will never please all of your customers. I have groomed my customers (45 of them) over the years and I did not get one call on this long storm. I think I was lucky.
My week went like this.
12-28 2"
12-31 2"
1-2 6"
1-3 4"
Hit the trigger 4 of 7 dayspayup
It's funny, I make sure they all know I'm plowing for their benfit, not mine. Most have bought into that philosophy...Which is nice.


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