I hired Laird and Son to remove an old 1930s boiler and replace it with a newer model. Then I hired them on again to install 3 rads and raise some boiler pipes running across the ceiling.
I found Ron Potter (Sales Representative) to be informative and fair in negotiations. He got me a great price for the job and I was very pleased. I also found their installer, Artie, to do a good job and have great customer service skills. I have to say that overall I was extremely pleased with the work that Laird and Sons did. Although at first, the boiler was not done to what we had discussed, they were eager to get it done right and at no cost to me. I really appreciated Ron and Artie's fairness in the treatment of their customers. I would give Ron and Artie a 10/10, but I deducted 2 marks for my dealings with the office.
I think Laird and Sons is a 8/10 because the job was done right where it counts. However, the treatment I received by Kim in Accounts Receivable was plain rude. The first time I received an invoice, the job was still being modified and was not yet complete. I explained this to Kim and she told me that the job was going to be completed and that I should leave a cheque for Artie to pick up when he left. However, I wasn't going to see the job until after Artie left, so I offered to pay the next morning until after I had seen it myself. Kim was very insistent that they had waited too long for payment and that they wanted it at that very moment. I explained that the delays had nothing to do with me and that I would be willing to make a partial payment, but I wasn't going to pay her money in advance of work completion. Nevertheless, she argued on and on with me until I told her that I would pay the very same day when I arrived home from work at 5:00 p.m. So I left a message for them to process payment the next day. Needless to say, I did not appreciate being hassled for money up front.
I was willing to forget the whole incident until I had to deal with her again on the next invoice. Ron had emailed me a quote for several items and one was moving the rad in the bedroom to the living room. When I wrote him back, I wanted to go ahead with all the items except for the moving of the rad. Before the job was finished, Kim called and charged me for all the items including the moving of the bedroom rad and again wanted payment that very same day when Artie finished. I mentioned that the bedroom rad wasn't moved as part of the job. She then explained to me in no uncertain terms that the rad was moved and that I owed them the money especially considering the fact that they had worked to fix the prior mistakes on the boiler for free. Again, I found myself arguing with Kim over the issue of payment. I invited her to come to my house and see for herself the old rad still in it's place in the bedroom. I don't know why she continually chose not to believe me on this matter of fact issue and instead tried to bully me into paying for services they did not perform, but it was not appreciated. I then found the email that proves that I specifically asked Ron not to do the bedroom rad and sent it to her. I then heard back from her a week later with a revised amount that did not include the bedroom rad. No apology offered. Resolved to my satisfaction, yes, but what an ordeal.
If I could offer any advice, it would be for Laird and Son to work on their inter-departmental communication. No one knew what the other person had discussed with me. Artie didn't know what Ron and I had discussed and Kim didn't know what Ron and Artie and I had discussed. It caused no end to problems. Although they have excellent customer service when it comes to fixing these problems, a little more communication could have prevented them in the first place. Also, insinuating that the customer is being untruthful, is a big mistake.
