Goldner Inc

I hired Robert Goldner for snow removal for the winter of 2012. I have a difficult driveway to maneuver due to my neighbor's fence running to the front of their house directly next to my driveway. A standard snow plow cannot fit past the fence, which has made snow removal service difficult. I am up front about the fence and always highly recommend that the driveway is checked out when calling for prospective snow removal service. Robert Goldner was recommended by a friend because he used a snowblower on her daughter's driveway instead of a snow plow. When I hired Robert, I repeatedly told him that he would not be able to use the plow on my driveway because it would not fit past the fence. He told me that he understood and that he would clear the snow from my driveway using a snowblow when there were accumulations over 2".

This winter was pretty mild snow fall wise, but there was a weekend with enough snow to require Robert's services. I expected him the day of the snow storm, which I think was a Friday evening, but he never came. I called late Saturday, when he still had not come, to see if he was still going to clear my driveway. I stated again in my message a warning about the fence and reminded him that he said he would snowblow my driveway after he plowed for my friend who lives around the corner. He called later and acknowledged my message and stated that one of his guys had quit and he was short handed but he would be by to clear the snow. When he did arrive, late the next day, he proceeded to try and use the blade on his truck to plow the driveway, getting the blade caught on the fence in the process. He ended up warping the fence, denting my garage door and tearing siding from the garage door frame and side door frame trying to get the truck back out past the fence. He came to the door and started yelling at me that he couldn't plow my driveway because of the fence. I reiterated to him that I told him numerous times not to use the plow and warned him repeatedly in my messages that the fence was a bear and I needed someone who could snowblow or shovel my driveway, which he previously stated he could do. He did apologize for yelling, said he got confused about my message and felt bad about the damage. He gave me a sob story about how he had been up for 24+ hours clearing snow because his guys didn't show, etc., etc. I fell for the story and agreed not to call my insurance company if he would fix the damage, which seemed doable. He didn't charge me for the incident and did come out to shovel my driveway one more time during the winter.

He came out when the snow melted and I gave him extra siding I had to repair the initial damage he caused. When I came home after work to see the repairs, I was extremely disappointed. Rather than using the entire strip of siding to replace the damaged frame, he cut out a notch to repair the damaged part. It is very noticeable due to the different shades of siding (old vs new) and looks ridiculous. He wasn't able to pound out the dent in the garage door. I was so frustrated with him at this point I wanted nothing more to do with him, so I did not bother to ask him to fix it again. I blame myself for not trusting my instincts and calling my insurance company.

He comes when there are over 2 inches of snow. He has 2 times this winter. He has been prompt and I haven't even had to call him.

Initially, Robert did a good job. However, the two largest snowfalls we had this year in January and February (9" plus), he never showed. When we called the after the first large snow, he stated that his truck had broken down and he'd get to us when he could -- ended up being 8 hours later. When called the day of the second large snow fall, he became irate with my husband, yelling at him stating we had no idea what kind of a day he was having, such a large amount of snow fell in such a short time, his truck caught fire, etc. Again 12 hours later he finally showed up. His communication skills, professionalism, punctuality, etc., are terrible. He needs to make an effort to call people when he's not able to come out so we can make other arranments. Fortunately, I have some great neighbors who helped us out. He did a good job when there was only a few inches of snow, but he could not handle the larger snow falls. I will make other arrangements next yeaar.