Mathieu, Birchcliff in Scarborough

We got three quotes for painting the front of the house, kitchen, hallway and one bedroom, WOW 1 Day was the best price, they promised to do it in one day and the reviews for quality to the other painters were on par. They delivered on their promise to do the painting in one day. They also did a good job of patching a few holes. I would give the patching job a 90%. There were three big ones in our kitchen, those are great and we can’t see them. Some uneven plastering was repaired but a casual inspection reveals it could probably have been better if they had more time. However, we are perfectly pleased with the job. I only include this detail in case you have different expectations. Neil, the team lead was extremely nice, helpful and professional. He was also a good leader for his team. I watched him demonstrate proper technique in different parts of the house to ensure the job was being done to his standards. The rest of the crew was pleasant and polite. They asked if they could keep some water in our fridge. I’m wondering if anyone has ever denied them this request. Painting is great, looks amazing, can’t believe it happened in one day. 10/10 would hire again.

I contacted Mr. Roof Repair because of a downed eavestrough. I was given a few options for someone to come and take a look: in two days, three days or in a week. Because of my schedule I chose a week. Their model for estimates is one price if they can do the job right there and then and a lower price for an inspection and estimate. My job could not be done right there and then so I paid for the estimate and inspection. I was very pleased with the inspection report. It was quite thorough and even revealed something a previous contractor had said they did but didn't thanks to the pictures included in the report (Mr. Roof Repair didn't know to look for this, they just photograph so much I was able to see it). The estimate received was thorough as well although I'll need someone to walk me through it. I had one issue but it was minor because I was proactive and given them the benefit of the doubt. They told me they'd call the day before with a thee-hour window. I didn't get a call so I called the morning of day they were supposed to come and left a message. After an hour and a bit with no phone call back I called and selected the option for "new customer" and someone answered right away and gave me a time estimate. The estimate came three business days later. As I said, everything else about working with this company has been above average and the two gentlemen who came to my property were nice, thoughtful and looked professional. One star off but I would still easily recommend working with Mr. Roof Repair for a roof inspection.

During our kitchen renovation, our contractor recommended we visit Pro Stone. He recommended it because of their good prices, large selection and speed of delivery. We visited Pro Stone about five times and each time we had to wait for our sales rep for as little as ten minutes and as long as 20. The front desk receptionist is really nice and even though I'm sure this is the norm she would check as to where he was every five minutes. We didn't mind the wait too much because everything else about Pro Stone is wonderful, but if they weren't as great as they are it would have been a bad experience. Our salesperson did a great job educating us about buying granite. First of all, the only difference between cheaper and more expensive granite is the supply. The rock is the same and it's the same thickness. Pro Stone has a handy list of all their granite with prices and their warehouse is open so you can go and browse these huge slabs of granite. We wanted a bit of a deeper countertop and Pro Stone was able to accommodate us (of course for a cost, but that was expected). They were also able to accommodate a request we had for our kitchen sink hole. We wanted it closer to the front than normal. The person who took our measurements showed up on time, was courteous and even let me check out his cool machine he had to take the readings. The countertop installation happened SO FAST! I went out for work in the morning, came home at lunch and they were already done (our contractor supervised the install). We're so happy with our countertop - it looks wonderful, we paid a fair price and were treated very well by Pro Stone.

We were completing a kitchen renovation and decided to upgrade our single ceiling light to pot lights. We called a few electricians but ENI was not only quick to get back to us but their price was competitive and Brian took the time to make sure we understood the process and what was involved in the work. In addition to ensuring we understood he also took time to explain where the costs were in our job so if we wanted to save money, we could make changes. We also understood some of the costs that couldn't be changed which was helpful when fitting the work into our budget. Brian and his crew showed up when they said they would, did the work they promised to do and left my house cleaner than when they came. As a bonus, Brian helped us source two extra lights we hadn't asked for originally. He pointed us in the right direction to find a set that he knew to be good quality and good value. We've now found our "go-to" electrician.

We bought a couch, love seat and ottoman from the Brick last year. It was a fairly simple purchasing process, we found the set we liked and flagged down a salesperson. We asked the price, he told us the sticker price, we asked for something better and he talked to his manager and came back with a 7% markdown. We arranged for delivery and when the delivery people showed up they told us it wouldn't fit through the front door of our house. We suggested they take it out of the box, they said it wasn't their job and they were already late for their next appointment so they gave us two options: 1. They could leave the couches on the lawn 2. They could reschedule but the closest date they had was in six weeks We told them to leave it on the lawn. I called my brother-in-law over and we took them out of the boxes and moved them into our house. The next day I went to The Brick and complained. They refunded our delivery charge but I expected something much better than that.

We bought our BBQ about five years ago and since then have done the regular cleaning to keep it looking nice and operating well. We've cleaned the grill twice and always kept the BBQ covered when not in use. However, it had some grime on the grill and inside of the hood that just couldn't be cleaned by us so we did a Web search and found Barbeque Pro. We booked an appointment online and they called to confirm, the following Saturday two young men showed up at our house. They were both very courteous and in uniform. They took our BBQ onto the street (so not to dirty our yard or driveway) and went at our BBQ with power tools! They used a grinder to get the grill totally clean of debris and then used cleaning agents to purify it. They also used a grinder on the inside of the hood. In addition they also helped repair one of the doors that I somehow had broken and had stopped closing properly. It took them about an hour to an hour and a half and when they were done, the blackened inside of the hood was gone and was now shining like the day we bought it. It was a pleasant experience, my only wish is that it was about 25% less money. If it was I would probably use them more often.

We own a rooming house and needed a key system that could not be copied and would easily allow us to change all they keys if one our tenants lost or did not return the front door key when they moved out. We turned to Action Locksmith because my work had used them for our new building. They suggested a system that included the non-copyable key, in fact this system wasn't widely used in Canada so even if a resourceful tenant wanted to copy it they'd be hard pressed to find someone who would even own the equipment to do this. The system was supposed to come with a set of Blue, Red and Green keys. Everyone got a blue key to start, and if one of them was lost, we simply put the Red key in the lock, it would change the chamber and the blue keys wouldn't work anymore. Well, first off they quoted us something like $500, but when they showed up on site (two hours late) they said they made a mistake and it was actually $1,200. When I asked for a revised quote on paper they were actually trying to charge me for the time the guy was supposed to be there! They did install it and we got our keys, however, 18 months later when we wanted to introduce a new key to the door because one of the original blue keys they gave us was lost, they told us we didn't pay for that option so they didn't build it into the system. We would have to reinstall the locks with a chamber that supported the introduction of new keys. I wonder why they thought I would pay for a system that was more expensive than other systems that had non-copyable keys but not pay for the option that made it different (the ability to introduce a new key without changing the chamber).

We hired Weed Man to do a series of 5 or 6 lawn treatments on our front and back lawns in the summer of 2007. They came when they were supposed to but what really annoyed me is after every time they came they would call us two or three times saying "the technician noticed ..." and we strongly suggest you spend $XX on having us do this extra service. They called even after we asked them not to call. And get this: We are have just begun a new landscaping project on our front lawn this spring (2008) so a low of the grass is torn up, we also installed a new gate into the backyard and there is a lock on it. I cam home the other day to see one of their signs on our lawn they place after they do their work and bill in my mailbox for $97.50! I haven't talked to these people since October 2007 and they just show up, dump their product on my lawn and leave a bill. What is this? Reverse billing? The best part is, even though access to our backyard is locked, they still checked off that they applied product there. Wow! Did they scale our house and go over the roof?

You simply do not find service like this very often, especially in the garbage removal business. We called Des in the morning and he offered to come that afternoon, we agreed the next day would be better for us. He quoted us on the phone and when he showed up he told me I overestimated how much I had an lowered his quote by $60!!!! That's 20% and he didn't have to do that, I would have never known. His daughter came along and she is an absolute sweetie as well, my wife spent time chatting with her and is convinced to put our children in her dancing classes (she's actually a dance instructor and just helps out her dad when she's off) when they're old enough. Des gave us some great tips on recycling ideas when he was there too and things he thought could be salvaged he double checked with us before he tossed them (we had a full sheet of drywall still intact, we told him to take it for himself or give to a contractor), he said thank you and did just that. If we have more junk to get rid of, there's no one else we'll call. And we've tried a few other removal services, some are great too, but Des has the service, price and attitude that will keep us coming back.

A few years ago we used Got Junk and were really happy, since then, however, we have found their prices to be creeping up and up and we find them expensive now. Got Junk is professional, courteous and the two times I've used them at my house and dozen or so at work I've always been very satisfied. I was able to use a $10 coupon offered on their Web site every tie I've used them, but the last time I used them it was expensive, even with the coupon.

Okay - get this for a plumber! I called Matthew on a Friday, we had some damaged pipes that was affecting our flow rate, not urgent but we wanted it fixed. I told him it wasn't urgent and we agreed he would come to look at it on Wednesday. He phoned Wednesday morning to let us know he was still make our agreed appointment, showed up right on time, surveyed the situation, gave us a quote and made an appointment for it to be repaired the next day. He told us he was having a mole removed in the morning but would come afterwards. We told him not to worry, to come on Friday but he insisted. He called us after his surgery and told us we were right, he was in a lot of pain would it be okay if came the next day, of course we said. He showed up the next day at the agreed upon time and did a super clean and quick job. We love our faster flowing water! As a follow-up I called him that night at 8 p.m., thinking I would leave a message. He answered and trouble shot my problem on the phone. Matthew is our only plumber we'll use now.