A Sault Ste. Marie snow removal company is facing backlash after charging customers extra for exceeding the snow removal limit stipulated in their contracts. Northern Snow, owned by 24-year-old entrepreneur Stefano Narducci, claims this winter’s heavy snowfall has pushed them over the 400 cm threshold outlined in the contracts, sparking debate about the accuracy of snowfall measurements and the responsibility of both companies and customers.
With winter barely halfway through, customers of a local snow removal company are finding out they've hit the limit stipulated in their contracts. This winter, Richard Renald, a truck driver, purchased his first snow removal contract from Northern Snow , a company based in Sault Ste. Marie. Renald said he signed up to ensure his wife could easily get in and out of their driveway while he was away on work trips.
He was surprised to receive an email from the company stating their workers had removed over the 400 cm limit of snow stipulated in the contract, and an additional charge would apply. Renald disputes Northern Snow's claim, pointing out that Environment Canada records show less than 320 cm of snowfall so far this winter, well below the 400 cm threshold cited by the company. 'There's no way at all, especially from my driveway. I have it on camera. I have my own snowblower and I've done it the majority of the time before they even got here,' Renald told SooToday in a phone interview on Monday. Renald claims the 400 cm limit was never discussed when he signed up or when he referred others to the service, although he acknowledges it's written in the contract. 'If I would have known there was a limit I would have never even done it, because I do my own driveway often. It was literally just so my wife could get out of the driveway when I'm at work,' he said. Renald stated he called to cancel the remaining contract and will contest the surcharge. As of Tuesday morning, the company's website advertised a season pass with 'flat rate — unlimited service,' but by the evening that wording was removed. Renald shared his experience on Facebook to warn others about potential additional charges due to the company's claim of exceeding 400 cm of snow removal this season. 'We would have never known if it wasn't for this email that I happened to see, and they send multiple emails a day sometimes. So I feel like I got scammed. That's how I feel,' Renald said. His Facebook post sparked a debate, with some agreeing with Renald's stance, while others expressed satisfaction with the service, emphasizing the importance of reviewing contracts or showing understanding given the immense snowfall in the city. Northern Snow is owned by 24-year-old entrepreneur Stefano Narducci, who founded the company approximately six years ago. Over the past five years, he has grown his snow removal customer base to around 4,200 people. Narducci told SooToday that this winter has been exceptional, exceeding expectations for the need to activate the 400 cm clause in the snow removal contracts. 'We've never ever had to do this nor did we ever want to do this,' Narducci said. The sheer volume of snow has resulted in substantial overtime costs for his operators and additional expenses like extra gasoline needed for his machinery to navigate the city repeatedly, sometimes servicing the same driveways multiple times a day. Narducci stated that the average cost of a snow removal contract with the company is around $687. For the past three years, Northern Snow has featured a section on its website called Dispatch Logs, which records the daily snowfall accumulation measured from a central location in the city. Narducci explained that the company measures the snowfall from this central point and documents the results on video. 'It's important for our customers to understand that the snow statistics provided by Environment Canada are based on data collected from the airport, which can vary significantly from actual snow accumulation in the city of Sault Ste. Marie itself and that could often lead to inaccurate readings for residents in town,' Narducci said. When asked about the discrepancy between Environment Canada data and the company's measurements, Narducci acknowledged that they noticed it as well. 'When we started experiencing really heavy snow this year and we saw how many times we were going out, we came to a realization a little over a month ago that we have a lot of the season left but our contract is a little bit (too low), because we're going off Environment Canada statistics based on what our contract says,' Narducci said. He mentioned that the company attempted to obtain in-city accumulation statistics from Environment Canada but has been unsuccessful so far. 'I'm also trying to see if they have any other resources or a meteorologist or somebody in the actual city who takes measurements that could back our dispatch logs,' Narducci said. Narducci stated that many customers are understanding and have already paid the surcharge for the company's operators removing more than 400 cm of snow, but he also noted that there has been some backlash
SNOW REMOVAL CONTRACT SURCHARGE ENVIRONMENT CANADA NORTHERN SNOW SAULT STE. MARIE
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