Mario west Toronto

My father pays annually for the furnace service contract, and recently we had to call for service. I can't recall the last time my father had to call for service, but it's probably at least 10 years. The furnace was cutting out, and the venting fan was making loud noises. I called for service. The technician came at the agreed to time, was careful not to dirty the floor by putting on indoor booties over his shoes. He quickly determined that the venting motor needed replacement. He then said he needed to inspect the heat exchanger because of the age of the furnace(21 years). His quick inspection resulted in finding a crack around a stamping weld. He promptly shut the gas and red tagged the furnace. I called a relative who installs furnaces to come over, and he suggested that due to the age of the furnace it would not be a bad idea to replace the furnace with a new high efficiency model. I had the furnace replaced, however when the old furnace was uninstalled, they could not find any cracks in the heat exchanger. I really doubt there was any problem with the heat exchanger, and this service company is simply out to make a few bucks, and they have the power to shut down your gas equipment.

We had Tony and three other companies visit us to quote on replacing 11 windows. Tony worked with us, making good suggestions, was flexible, and has multiple suppliers, which allowed us to select the windows we wanted. We even managed to keep our old leaded windows, with new windows shielding them. Although we had a couple of issues with the windows and the installation, Tony ensured that everything was rectified to our satisfaction. Tony is sincere, and will ensure that you are completely happy with the job from start to finish, and you can't ask for more than that. We are very happy with the end results and are enjoying our new windows.

Cost estimate $200 to replace springs, but final cost was $400. Although this outfit quotes a low price over the phone, once on site, they recommend replacing almost every piece of hardware on the door. On-site the serviceman recommended that all the rollers, cables and pulleys needed replacing as well. I said fine. Then a few minutes later he calls again, I was at work, and says the bar and brackets need replacing as well. At this point I became suspicious. I know I paid about $800 for the door 20 years ago, which is wood, including hardware and this guy is telling me I need more than $500 in parts. I told him not to replace anything further, complete the job and leave. After checking the web I found that he overcharged on the parts by up to 300%. Although I called the "Broken Springs Garage Door Specialists" the service company was Pro-Master of 5035 Timberlea Blvd, Mississauga. I know the job looks difficult for the DIY handyman, but it only took the experienced serviceman about 30 minutes to replace the springs. Keep that in mind when estimating the cost should you need this service. Also, he also asked to use the washroom in the house, asked that my 77 year old father not watch him, and later I found a "Pro Master" sticker near my where I keep my tools in the garage, nowhere near the door. A week or so later I couldn't find a new bag of salt I had bought. Who knows what else is missing!

This company produced a very low estimate for tuckpointing our 1910 home, and I was a little suspicious but gave them the job anyway. Unfortunately I was not around when they came to give the estimate and also when they did the work. I called their office to confirm that they were going to tuckpoint all around the three walls and I was assured that was what they were going to do so. They came to start work in the AM and I guess they estimated 1/2 day for two people. Anyway my wife came home at noon, and they were ready to leave. She pointed out some of the things they missed, and they said they never estimated to do all the small things, and grumpily and slopily started filling in holes where they could reach. My wife paid them and they left. I was away and did not get home until the following day, and found that they had only done a few spots, and certainly not some of the major items that needed attention. I tried calling the office but the women never answers the phone directly, even when I was calling before they started any work. She has not returned my calls. So basically she hides behind the phone system. I was disappointed, but not surprised, and maybe they did $500 worth of work and maybe they didn't. Regardless I still need to do some tuckpointing and I'm thinking I might as well do it myself.