David Ronder Jul 1, 2013:

Yes prior to start of service, I take your point

Edward Tully Jul 1, 2013:

Not true if the "starting point" of the expectation is defined, as it is here (prior to the start of the service).

David Ronder Jul 1, 2013:

All expectations are by definition prior and I think you should try and avoid the tautology. However, if you use the other main sense of 'previo' - first, preliminary etc. - that creates a similar problem, namely redundancy, as it's so close to 'initial'.

So I suggest just translating the whole term as "initial expectations", which is a well-established term in marketing and generally. Nothing would be lost.
The only other option I can think of would be something like "received expectations".