Joe and the crew have been hard at it and straight out recently, with no immediate end in sight. We’ve just completed some seamless gutter work in Acton, Harvard, Boxborough, and Concord, with visits to Newton Center, Marlborough, and Shirley next week. The crew is doing a great job, and with Joe onboard at all the jobsites, it makes my job a lot easier as I know it’s going to get done right, period. Thanks for the great work guys! Which leads me to the topic above, our end of season crunch time.
As most people are aware, the weather is getting colder and the days shorter. After November 3, 2013, the daylight hours are shortened even more in the afternoon. We have been getting a lot of phone calls lately for last minute jobs, always with the plea “can you work me in before your end of season?” Well, the answer is not as simple as it seems. Currently we are booked out a full 4 weeks, placing new work squarely into November, up until mid-November now. However, we will work as long as we can with a few considerations. The cold weather doesn’t lend itself to painting or installations involving roof straps. Any new inquiries coming in that we estimate that involves either of these options will by necessity have to be postponed until Spring to ensure a quality and professional job. We just won’t cut corners, plain and simple. Now, many potential customers have asked “can’t you do my work anyways – it’s only so little and won’t take too much time?” to which we need to reply that if you want the job done right and professionally the first time, we are not going to compromise our values or our customer’s home. If we cannot do it right and properly the first time, which sometimes involves waiting for warmer weather to paint or use hidden roof straps, then we are simply not interested in getting the job. That may sound tough, but it’s what sets us apart from everyone else – we truly care about the level of work we perform and our customers’ complete satisfaction, and we will never compromise our ethics just to add to the bottom line. In short, because the time is getting short for this season, we cannot satisfy everyone immediately. We work up until we cannot, usually in December at some point, but that is very weather dependent. If, say, we had a major snowstorm accompanied by long periods of very cold weather, that stops us. It’s dangerous and foolhardy to try and squeeze in work when the outside conditions are not conducive to working outside – ladders have to be placed on walkways or patios or driveways, as well as roofs – and if they’re covered with snow and ice, can make for a very dicey and unsafe situation. Not good for us, nor for the homeowner.
So while we scramble forward to get to all the outstanding work we have, there may be many new jobs that we just cannot do because of time and/or weather. There may also be several booked jobs that cannot get done if Mother Nature isn’t cooperative. However, we are offering a special pre-book discount for Spring of 2014. Anyone who can wait and is willing to guarantee a booking for the Springtime (and we’ve had several already), will enjoy up to a 10% discount based on size and scope of work. We will try to guarantee our current pricing through then (unless aluminum products and gasoline go through the roof, which we’re hoping and expecting won’t happen). So it comes down to a choice sometimes – do we wait, or do we get it done now? While there are other companies out there that will do work we won’t at this time of year, you have to ask yourself, what is their motivation? Are they really thinking about the best application possible for me, or just adding to their bottom line before the year runs out? Nobody likes to turn away work, but as I have explained above, sometimes it just needs to be postponed. After all, we are looking out for the best interests of our customers. They will always come first. So if you’ve been holding off, and are now getting nervous about the winter approaching, my suggestion is to at least get a call in to us, and we can come and look and estimate and let you know upfront if it’s something we might be able to do before the season is over, or something that needs to be postponed until warmer weather. No 2 homes are the same, and because our estimates are always free, it really doesn’t hurt to give us a call and see what we have to say.
Thanks again to our fantastic crew, and to Joe Alo, for keeping up with the very hectic pace we’re experiencing, and ensuring that the customers I sell to are as happy with the final outcome as is possible. Our minds and thoughts may be on gutters and downspouts, but our business code is definitely not in the gutter. So if we say, “hey Mr. and Mrs. So-and-So, you’re better off served waiting until next Spring to get this done” you can be assured it’s because it’s in your best interests. I’ll be back soon with more words of “wisdom” (depending upon who you ask), so keep an eye out here. And remember, if it’s a rain control need your experiencing, then Alo Seamless Gutters are the experts to call.
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