Terms of Service

1. Who we are and these terms

TrueNorth Snow is a snow-clearing service operated by TrueNorth Hub Corporation ("TrueNorth Snow", "we", "us"), serving Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. "You" means the person who books, and anyone who lives at or manages the property.

These terms are the agreement between you and us for each booking. By booking and paying, you confirm that you have read them, together with our Cancellation policy and Privacy policy, and that you accept them. You must be at least 18 years old, and you must own the property or have the owner's permission to have snow cleared there.

2. What we do and where

We clear snow from residential driveways and walkways with plows, snow blowers or shovels, as the job needs. We pile the snow on your property as close to the edge as is practical. We do not push snow onto roads, sidewalks or a neighbour's property.

We work within about 40 km of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. If an address is outside that area, the booking screen will tell you before you pay. Our working hours and time slots are shown when you book.

Not included unless we agree in writing: salting or sanding, ice chipping, roof or deck clearing, removing snow from the property, clearing public sidewalks or the pile left at the end of your driveway by the Town's plow, and clearing around parked vehicles.

3. Booking and payment

• You choose a service level, a date and time, and your address, then pay by card. Your booking is confirmed once payment succeeds. We hold your time for a short period (shown on screen) while you pay.
• Prices are in Canadian dollars. The price shown at booking is the price you pay, plus 15% HST, which is shown before you pay. Prices can change for future bookings but never for one you have already paid for.
• Card payments are handled by Stripe. We never see or keep your full card number.
• After payment we send you an invoice by text message. This invoice and the booking confirmation are your copy of the contract.
• You can also book by phone. A booking made by phone and paid by cash, Interac e-Transfer or another method we accept is treated the same way.
• Your booked time is the time we plan to start. The length of each visit is set by the service level and is shown at booking.

4. Service levels and snow depth

We have three service levels. Each one covers a range of snow depth, shown in inches with the metric figure beside it, because official weather reports in Canada are in centimetres. Pick the level that matches the snow. If you are not sure, pick the higher level or call us.

How we decide the level: official weather data

We do not measure your yard. We use official weather data from Environment and Climate Change Canada, the federal weather service, for Happy Valley-Goose Bay (Goose Bay Airport), the nearest official station. Our dispatchers watch its forecasts, warnings and airport reports and check them before your visit.

• The figure we use is the snow that fell in the 24 hours before your booked start time, or the snow on the ground if the station reports it, whichever is higher. We use the figures published for that station, in centimetres (1 inch is 2.54 cm; the inch figures above are rounded).
• Each level includes its top number. Exactly 4 inches (10 cm) is Easy, exactly 10 inches (25 cm) is Normal, and exactly 18 inches (45 cm) is Hard. A level starts just above the one before it.
• Drifts, ice and packed snow. Official figures do not show drifts, ice or the ridge left by the Town's plow. If these block your driveway or path, we treat the work as Hard.
• If the station has no figure for the period, we use the nearest other official Environment and Climate Change Canada station and tell you which.
• Airport readings can differ from your yard. If you think the level is wrong, send us a dated photo and tell us the time. We look at it fairly, and we never add a charge without your agreement.

If the official figure is higher than the level you booked

Our dispatcher or driver will call you before starting. You can (a) agree to move up to the right level, and pay the difference, (b) ask us to clear as much as fits in the time you booked, or (c) cancel the visit and receive a full refund. We never charge you more without your agreement.

If the official figure is lower than the level you booked

The level you booked is the level you pay. There is no part-refund, because we have set the driver and truck aside for that time.

5. Before we arrive

To help us do a good job safely, please:

• Move vehicles and other things off the area to be cleared, and make sure the driveway can be reached.
• Mark anything hidden under the snow that a plow could damage: garden edges and curbs, septic or well covers, lights, sprinkler heads, pet fences, loose pavers, drain covers, and the edges of the driveway.
• Tell us about your surface. On a gravel or unpaved driveway the blade can move some gravel. We set the blade higher, but cannot promise it will not. Heated or special surfaces need to be flagged in the booking notes.
• Put any gate codes or instructions in the booking notes, secure pets, and keep your phone on so the driver can reach you.

If the driver cannot get in, or a vehicle blocks the work, the driver will try to call you and will wait up to 10 minutes. After that we may leave, and the visit is treated as completed. We will not refund it, but we will happily help you book a new time.

6. The visit

We will use reasonable care and skill, as a careful snow-clearing business would. You do not need to be home. We may decline or stop work where it is not safe, for example where conditions or access put people or equipment at risk, or where someone is abusive to our staff.

7. Delays, weather and safety

Snow does not follow a timetable. Storms, road closures, traffic and equipment problems can make us late. We will text you if we are running behind.

• If we cannot arrive within 2 hours of your booked start time, or we cancel for weather or safety reasons, you can choose a new time or a full refund to your card.
• If authorities close roads or issue a travel ban, we may postpone. The same choice applies.
• Because winter work depends on conditions, a booked time is our best plan, not a guarantee of the exact minute.

8. Cancelling and refunds

The full rules are on our Cancellation policy page. In short:

• You may cancel within 10 minutes of your booking being confirmed, only if your tracking link is not live yet. We then give you a one-time 25% discount on your next booking. The card payment for the cancelled booking is not refunded.
• After that window, or once your tracking link is live, the booking cannot be cancelled.
• If we cancel, are late as described in section 7, or do not do the job, you get a full refund or a new time, your choice.
• Nothing in our cancellation policy limits the rights you have under consumer protection law (section 13).

9. If something is not right

Please tell us within 24 hours by phone or text, with a photo if you can. If we missed a spot or left the area unfinished, we will come back and fix it at no charge. If we cannot fix it, we will refund or credit a fair part of the price, or all of it if the work was not done.

Please let us know about damage as soon as possible, and within 7 days where you can. A late report does not take away your legal rights, but photos and a prompt report help both of us work out what happened.

10. Damage and liability

• We are responsible for damage that we cause by not taking reasonable care. If that happens we will repair it or pay a fair cost of repair.
• We are not responsible for damage to things that were hidden under the snow and not marked or told to us (section 5), for normal wear on gravel or unpaved surfaces, or for damage that was already there. Ice, frost and plowing can reveal existing cracks or loose surfaces.
• We do not guarantee that a surface will be free of ice or safe to walk on. Please take care and use salt or sand where needed. A cleared surface can still freeze again.
• To the extent the law allows, our total responsibility to you for any one booking is limited to the amount you paid for that booking, except where the law does not allow a limit. For example, we do not limit liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot be limited by law.
• We are not liable for indirect losses, such as lost income or a missed appointment, to the extent the law allows.

You are responsible for damage caused by you, your guests or your property to our people or equipment. Please keep our drivers safe and treat them with respect.

11. Tracking and messages

When your job is among the next ones for your driver that day, we unlock a live tracking link that shows the truck's position, distance and an estimated arrival. These are estimates and can change. Please do not share your link publicly. It is for your booking only.

We send text messages about your booking: confirmation, invoice, tracking link and any change or delay. These are service messages. We do not send marketing messages unless you clearly agree. Your phone company's message rates may apply. How we use your information is explained in our Privacy policy.

12. Your account

You sign in with your mobile number and a code we text you. There is no password. Keep your phone secure, and tell us if you lose your number. Please give us correct details, including the right address and a phone number where the driver can reach you. You are responsible for what is done with your account. We may suspend an account that is misused, or that is used to abuse our staff or system.

13. Your consumer rights

These terms are written to work with Newfoundland and Labrador's Consumer Protection and Business Practices Act and other Canadian law. Under that Act, a promise to give up your consumer rights is void. Nothing in these terms removes or limits any right you have under it.

For bookings made online or by phone, the Act sets rules for "distance" contracts. These include a clear description of the service and our cancellation and refund policy before you commit, a copy of the contract after you book, and rights to cancel in certain cases, for example if we do not give you a copy, or do not provide the service within 30 days of the date we promised. If one of those cases applies, you can cancel and we will refund what you paid, as the law requires. We give you our cancellation and refund policy on the payment screen and in this page, and your copy after you pay.

If we cannot resolve a complaint with you, you can contact the Consumer Protection and Business Practices Division of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

14. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of Newfoundland and Labrador and the federal laws of Canada that apply there. If we have a disagreement, please contact us first (section 16). We will reply promptly and try to settle it fairly. If we cannot, either of us may go to the courts of Newfoundland and Labrador, including small claims, which you may use whether or not these terms say otherwise. Time limits for claims are set by law and are not shortened by these terms.

15. Changes and other terms

• We may update these terms. The version date at the top shows the latest version. A change applies to bookings made after it is posted, not to bookings you have already paid for.
• If part of these terms is found to be invalid, the rest stays in force.
• These terms, our Cancellation policy, our Privacy policy and your booking confirmation make up the whole agreement for a booking.
• If we are slow to enforce a term once, that does not mean we have given it up.
• Neither of us is responsible for failing to meet a promise because of events outside our control, such as storms that close roads, power or network failures, or government orders. Section 7 says what you can then choose.

16. Contact us

TrueNorth Hub Corporation, operating as TrueNorth Snow
Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Phone: see our home page
Email: see our home page