maureen in Toronto

I hired Advanced Window Cleaning Plus (AWCP) through HomeStars to clean my gutter and downspout because of all the rainwater that was flowing down my brick wall from one of my eavestroughs. I wanted the gutters cleaned to rule it out as the potential cause of the water in my basement. I explained the situation to AWCP for them to understand the importance of fixing my gutters in a timely manner. Since, they were quick to respond and had a helpful review, I approved of them coming to my home to do the work. Nevertheless, I was extremely dissatisfied with the quality of work they provided and will explain why. When AWCP came to clean my gutters, I showed them a video of what was occurring when it rains and show how the rain may have seeped into my basement. After several attempts of pouring water down the downspout with no flow, they decided to take the downspout apart at the elbow. When they took the elbow apart, we found that the pipe the builders installed was too long and was rammed into the main downspout that led into the ground. I was extremely disappointed to see that. A quick note to self and others is to check your gutters when it rains ever so often. AWCP cut a piece of the downspout or pipe off to fit and all the black debris came spewing out and all along the wall. When they cut the pipe and placed it back into place, they plastered the sealant around the joint, which got onto the bricks. They said they will return in 2 days to check it. Of course, I paid them with no attention to their work thinking that they will not leave a mess as I was busy with another contractor. When I looked at the site 2 days later, there was the sealant and debris all over my wall. It looked pretty unkempt and filthy. When it rained the following week and saw the water pouring out of the downspout and all over the wall, I was livid to see that mess. Luckily, I took a video of the water still pouring down the brick wall where they took all the piping apart, and sealed the joints, and sent it to them. They booked several appointments with me after that, but they kept postponing it with the excuse that the weather is unpredictable. After, several heated and persistent messages and requested to be refunded for some of my money, they declined any refund for me to pay someone else to finish the work. They stated they were going to come by and fix it. Work started on April 11th; they did not return till April 26th. I was depended on the rain to identify the potential cause of my wet basement. This is not acceptable after being paid for the service they said they provide. In addition, I send an email and left several messages for HomeStars to respond about how they screen their contractors, but I never received a callback. Poor customer service. Hence, the reason I would not recommend AWCP or HomeStars anymore. I thought HomeStars was a trusted company, but I was wrong.