As winter begins to fade I remind myself that just because I am ready for spring - it doesn't mean Mother Nature is. I am not anti-winter at all but like lots of people as the season drags on I am ready for it to end. Snow normally doesn't affect us too much here at Ralph's but I do remember a couple of instances when it made for interesting times.
Snowed Out
One Saturday several years ago, we had a job scheduled but the night before 20 inches of snow had fallen. This was in the days before the internet and smart devices to quickly access customer information. So I drove the shop but had to park on the road because the snow was so deep. At this point I called the customer to let them know that we were going to need to reschedule for Monday. They were disappointed but understood.
It was the only time I ever remember having to reschedule because of snow. There are times where we may be a little late or need to leave early to make sure our staff gets home safely but we try to stay on schedule the best we can.
A Historic Blizzard
Cortney, one of our sales reps, told me she can only remember one time in her 11 years at Ralph's when we needed to cancel jobs. Back in 2018 we had a rare April blizzard that dumped close to 3 feet of snow. It was crazy even by Wisconsin standards and we joked that it took a historic event to keep us off the job!
Too Smart For My Own Good
We had a chance to do a floor for my neighbor. It was going to be perfect because they were heading to Florida and while they were gone we could get in and do the floor. Wouldn't you know it, the week they were away, it snowed every day. So I blew out his driveway every morning, right after I did my own, so we could get the trucks in to do the job.
--
We never want to cancel a job we have scheduled because we don't want to inconvenience anyone who is letting us into their home. It always surprises me when, even for a few inches of snow, someone will call and ask if we would prefer to reschedule.
We don't but it says a lot about our customers that they are willing to accommodate us. I like to think this is because we have made a reputation of doing great work, doing it on time and always putting the customer first.
