Fresh Start Furniture Bank - Customer Policies

REFERRALS AND APPOINTMENTS

• You will need a referral from an approved agency before you can receive furniture or homegoods from our store. 
  • Your referral is valid for 30 days
  • You are only allowed 1 referral over your lifetime.
    
    
• Once you have a referral, you will need to schedule an appointment to pick up your items.
  • Your agency can do this for you via our web site or
  • You can do this via our automated text system. To start the process, text SCHEDULE to 774-206-9321.
    
    
• Please do not contact Fresh Start to schedule an appointment.
  
  
• If you are going to cancel an appointment, you must do so at least 48 hours in advance by contacting your agency or by texting DELETE to 774-206-9321.
  
  
• If you miss an appointment, or if you cancel less than 48 hours in advance, we will count this against you and we may close your referral.
  
  
• If you miss 2 appointments, we will close your referral.
  
  

ABOUT OUR FURNITURE AND OTHER ITEMS

• All of the items that we distribute are free.  We distribute gently used furniture and household goods that have been donated to us.  We do our best to maintain high quality standards.
  
  
• Please measure your rooms before your appointment so you know what will fit.
  
  
• You can view our current inventory by visiting https://freshstartfurniturebank.org/wp/inventory-available/.  We suggest you do this before visiting so that you have an idea as to what will fit in your rooms.
  
  
• Our inventory fluctuates daily, so we cannot guarantee that we will have specific items when you arrive.
  
  
• Once an item leaves our store, it cannot be returned or exchanged. 
  
  

SHOPPING

• When you arrive at Fresh Start for your appointment, stop at the main door. Someone will come to your vehicle, check you in, and show you where to park.
  
  
• We will provide you with a tablet which will allow you to shop online for the items that you need. A Personal Shopper will assist you with selecting items.
  
  
• Most people select both home-goods and furniture on their first visit. However, we will allow you to only shop for home-goods on your first visit and return for furniture during a second appointment.

VEHICLES

• Please be sure to bring a vehicle large enough to take all of the furniture that you need.
  
  
• If you are obtaining furniture, we suggest bringing a box truck (i.e. U-Haul) or a pickup truck. 
  • A pickup truck will greatly limit the amount of items that you are allowed to select.
  • We do NOT recommend U-Haul vans as they don't hold very much. A 15' U-Haul truck holds 3 times more. If you are going to rent a van, try to get a Penske van, as they hold 50% more.
  
  
  • A 10 foot box truck is probably sufficient for a small studio apartment.
  • A 15 foot box truck is a good size for a 1-2 bedroom apartment. It has over 2 times the space of an 10' truck and only costs $10 more.
  • A 17-20 foot truck will handle just about anything and will make loading and unloading much easier.
  
  
  • The mileage cost is the same for all of the trucks, so get the largest that you can afford.
  • Mileage charges for U-Haul are $0.79/mile on weekdays and $0.99/mile on weekends, so consider this if you're driving a long distance.
  
  
  • Most rental trucks need to be reserved 3-10 days in advance. 
  • Truck rentals are much more expensive and difficult to obtain near the end/start of the month.
  
  
• Our volunteers will load box trucks and pickup trucks only. You will be responsible for loading cars or vans.
  
  
• If you are only obtaining home goods, you can use a car or a van.
  
  
• Please remove all unnecessary items from your vehicle to make room for your furniture.
  
  
• If you are using an open vehicle (i.e. pickup truck) or if you wish to use a roof rack, you are responsible for safely securing your items to the vehicle.
  • Bring ropes or tie-down straps to secure items. 
  • Bring tarps if it looks like it might rain or snow. 
    
    
• If you are bringing a work truck, please remove all tools and materials from the truck so you will have sufficient space.

PICKING UP FURNITURE

• Arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment time. If you are late, it will reduce your shopping time.
  
  
• Bring as few people as possible.
  
  
• Make sure that everyone is wearing a mask. If you need masks for your yourself or your family, please let us know when checking in.
  
  
• In the case of bad weather:
  • Check our web site (FreshStartFurnitureBank.org) to see if we are open. 
  • We will try to send a text message to you if we are closed.
  • You will need to reschedule your appointment if we are closed due to bad weather.

FRESH START FURNITURE BANK

• Fresh Start is located at 16 Brent Drive in Hudson, MA (New England Infrastructure building).
  
  
• You can contact us at 508-485-2080 or info@FreshStartFurnitureBank.org if you have any questions.