Carolyn in Scarborough

Discovered CTHRU on Homestars. Well-deserved great reviews. Lovely dealing with Stephanie, first. I had the eavestroughs and windows cleaned. Loved the option of having good, better or best service options. I chose better for the eaves and good for the windows. When Jacob arrived I told him that I was also expecting a plumber to arrive that afternoon and that this might involve the water being shut off temporarily. . Jacob was fine with that. He said he went old school (with a bucket). I told him that I set up an e-transfer for NOT a one time as I will definitely be contacting CTHRU in the future. A nice feature was to get before & after pics and best of all to not have water overflowing the eavestroughs the next time it rained! I would recommend CTHRU without hesitation!

My neighbour recommended I contact Dominion Insulation as he has used them in the past for mostly “new"insulation jobs. The salesman Brian assessed my house and determined that all insulation from my 3 attics should be removed and new insulation blown in. I was advised I would get a rebate from the Ontario government of $1K in about 6 weeks time. To date this rebate has not been received. Re: Removal of old insulation: On Monday, the day the crew was to arrive I received a phone call advising them that they were running behind and would arrive at 10:30am and they did arrive then. Both workmen seemed kind of miserable but I told myself, customer service skills don't matter as long as the job is done properly. The decision was made jointly to remove insulation from only one attic which would save me money. The work was done efficiently and the workmen were tidy. Re: Installation of new insulation: Tuesday the crew arrived to install the insulation. Again both men seemed like they were having very bad days but the work was done efficiently. Re: access to the attics: One issue came when it came to closing the attics. The contract said the covers would be insulated on the backs. They were not. This could be because of the actual covers. The suggestion was made that my son would close the attics. In the end, one workman closed one access and the other one was left open because the frame to the attic access was broken along the way. Fixing the problem: Wednesday, when I called the office I was told that a call would be made to the workman to get an explanation about what was needed and I would receive a call back. I did not. I paid my neighbour $20 to do the job as I wanted to reassemble my linen closet. When I received the invoices (the following Tuesday) the totals didn't add up to the amount I was charged on my credit card. It turned out an error in addition was made on one invoice but I was charged the correct amount. I mentioned that I didn't receive a call back about the hatch and that I paid $20 to have it installed. The person on the phone laughed and said he guessed I was "owed" this and if I was ever in the neighbourhood I could pick up the $20.... I cannot wholeheartedly recommend Dominion Insulation, because of the above.

A couple of years ago I hired Morningstar to do some maintenance on my very old garage door. I was thoroughly pleased with the service at that time and promised them and myself that I would contact them when I wanted to replace the door. It was in Oct 2015 that got my new garage door. Life being busy as it is I neglected to write my review at that time. Not only quality matters but service as well. Danny has always been pleasant to deal with and reliable. The garage door was installed when they said it would be and with no problems. More than a year later it still works perfectly and looks great. If you need a new garage door or require any maintenance, call Morningstar!

Jordan was hired to do maintenance on my 21 year old boiler. Jordan responded promptly to my email. I contemplated replacing the boiler since it is old. Jordan's opinion is "don't replace it if it's repairable." During his first visit he cleaned both the boiler and furnace. During the second visit he replaced some corroded pipes. Jordan was meticulous, thorough and tidy. It was a pleasure to have him do these jobs for me.

I have been a home owner for 22 years and hired many tradesmen during this time including those doing a second story addition. I am happy to say that this has been my only negative experience. I learned a lot of lessons from this experience and it is my hope to pass on my lessons to others, plus A Marco Plumbing encourages customers to write reviews! As Mark’s quote seemed reasonable I hired him. He subcontracted to two others to repair a hole in my dining room ceiling and to paint. These jobs were done perfectly and cost $850 plus tax. The problem started with the bathroom. I needed a Jacuzzi bathtub removed and a normal bathtub installed. The removal of the Jacuzzi was fine and the hook up of the tub fine also. The problem was with the tiling. Lesson #1. Be aware when reading reviews. A Marco Plumbing has mostly positive reviews. Were any of those reviews for him as a tile setter? I purchased a large tile and mosaic to make two strips. I have had tiles installed before but not tiles of two different thicknesses. In addition I have never had tiles installed in a shower. After the first row was installed I didn’t complain. I didn’t see a problem. I believe that is due to my lack of experience. I should have noticed then that he used large spacers. I should have also noticed that he was using glue not cement. I should have noticed that he did not use the cement board that is normally used in bathrooms and is more expensive. I should also have observed him installing the tiles meaning he did not put any glue on the back of the tile; the tile went on the dry wall board only. I was told by the tile setter I hired later that this meant the large tiles on the ceiling could have fallen into the tub at some point in the future. Lesson #2. Be completely informed about tile installation. Know the size of the spacers you want, know whether the tiles you have chosen are suitable for a bathroom, know how you want them installed (i.e.: are you okay with glue and do you want glue on the tile and the board or just on the board?), do you want cement board used or just water resistant dry wall/ ) and do not expect the a plumber to discuss any of this with you. Once all the tiles were installed I complained that they were crooked and not level and not straight and not laying flat against the wall. Mark said he was committed to my satisfaction and would come back and fix them. I questioned why he used glue and how he was addressing the issue of the varying thicknesses of the tiles. Mark assured me that he has been endorsed by a TV personality and knows what he is doing and seemed to imply I was out of line for doing any research on the internet. Lesson #3. If a person leaves your home after doing a bad looking job, don’t let them have a second chance. Mark returned and did try his best fix the tiles in places but the mosaic was still not right. When I again complained, Mark agreed to have his “tile setter” come to fix the mosaic. Mark was not willing to have the entire tiling job redone. Lesson # 4. Even when a company states they are committed to your satisfaction, there is a limit. When the tile setter came and removed the mosaic I realized that even with the mosaic straighter I could not live with the larger spacers. I was also not happy with the use of glue as strangely after a couple of weeks the glue was still not dry in places. I told Mark that I would be hiring someone else and he agreed to give me a credit of $1100.00 towards the balance owing. I obtained a quote of $1200.00 to re-do the tile installation but ended up paying $1500.00 plus purchasing all new tile because all of the tiles and board that Mark had installed went to landfill. Lesson # 5. It is best to hire someone proficient in his trade. Re: PAYMENTS. When the work began I gave my credit card information and agreed to a deposit. After the ceiling repair was done I again agreed to an installment be charged on my credit card. When contacted about the $1200.00 balance owing I mentioned that I was out $1500.00 plus the cost of new tiles as well as the fact that all the previously installed tiles and dry wall when to landfill. The response of Sharon in the office was to say it was my decision to hire someone else and to charge the $1200.00 owing to my credit card without giving me notice she was doing so. It looks to be like I paid A Marco Plumbing over $2500.00 to hook up a bathtub and for a new bathtub. The story ends with Sharon advising me that any further correspondence will be forwarded to their lawyer.

The cable broke on my 60 yr old garage door for the second time in as many years. Last year had a friend repair it free of charge. E-mailed Danny through this site. He e-mailed back. Set up a time, confirmed the address and approximate cost of repair. On the day he called if he could come early which was great! He and his helper fixed the door easily. Obvious they know what they are doing. Replaced the needed parts, lubricated everything. Didn't try to talk me into buying a new door but did answer all my questions as I am considering replacing the door. And when I do I will contact Danny to do the work. Thank you to Danny and his co-worker.

I cannot be more satisfied with the service Slavik provided or recommend him more highly. Slavik is someone I trust wholeheartedly to do a job efficiently. The result of his work is that I know my heating system is working safely and properly. Slavik and his crew installed a new hot water rad, tested the boiler, cleaned the boiler and got it functioning properly. He responded to phone calls and e-mails promptly. He arrived when he said he would to give the estimate and to do the work. His bill for the work they did was more than expected but worth every cent as I know that our heating system works properly and we are safe. I have known the worst in the business and now I know THE BEST! (on June 28 2011 a previous contractor caused a flood in my basement resulting in payment of 1k deductible, 5k worth of damage and higher insurance premiums for the next 3 years) I have recommended Slavik to two of my friends and will continue to recommend him without hesitation.