Unhappy with your linen service but dreading the switch? The fear of a gap — one Saturday with no clean tablecloths — keeps businesses in bad contracts for years. Done in the right order, a switch is boring. Here’s the sequence.
1. Read your exit clause first
Find your term end date, the cancellation notice window (often 60–90 days before renewal), and the required notice format. Calendar the notice date the moment you know it — missing it by a day can mean another year.
2. Get replacement quotes before you give notice
Line up your next provider while you’re still under contract. Competing quotes also give you leverage if your current provider suddenly discovers they can do better.
3. Overlap by one delivery cycle
Have the new provider’s first delivery land before the old provider’s last pickup. One week of overlap costs a few dollars and removes all risk of a gap.
4. Audit the final inventory count
Exit billing is where departing customers get hit — “unreturned” items priced at retail. Count returned goods with the driver and get a signed receipt.
5. Put the notice in writing, on time
Send it the way the contract requires (certified mail is worth the stamp), and keep proof.
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