David from Toronto

Short Version: If you have basement issues, you have to call Frank. Do not proceed without at least getting the opinion of a knowledgeable and honest man. Long Version: Since i moved into my house three years ago, i noticed small amounts of water seeping from between the linoleum tiles in the basement laundry room. I didn't want to deal with it because, one, we already spent all our money on renos and two, its not like our basement was flooding - just small bits of water here and there, but still enough to make me feel uneasy. I eventually called Clarke Systems and one of the reps - a really tall bald guy came and without spending much time inspecting things, said I needed a complete interior drainage system to avoid a future catastrophe. This system would cost $28,000 and that doesn't include the cost of re-finishing my basement afterwards. Fast forward about two years to Aug, 2016. That leak is bugging me to the point that I pull out all the tiles and lo and behold there is a layer of water everywhere on the concrete foundation. I start making calls. Frank is the first to come by. Seeing the wet concrete basement floor, he suspects that my house is sitting on a high water table - the absolute worst case and most expensive scenario for me. But after inspecting the exterior of the foundation wall and then the interior by poking out a small section of drywall and insulation, he suspected the leak was most likely coming from the furnace. When I asked him why he thought that he said, 1. "The inside of your foundation wall is bone dry." (something i would've never known if he hadn't poked a hole) 2. "The water on the concrete floor is drying up as we speak." (meaning more water was not coming up from underneath the house). 3. "Most of the drywall damage is by your furnace." 4. "There is a downward slope from your furnace to the wet spots you were noticing." He suggested that I pull out all the tile and get the furnace fixed. The man just saved me $30,000. When I told him I felt I should compensate him for his time. He smiled and said "For What? I just came to give you an estimate." Long story short: That is why you can't proceed without first giving him a call. I will be referring him to all my family and friends.

His name is Lee - looks and sounds friendly but looks can be deceiving. My furnace broke down two days before our family was moving. He came to fix my furnace and charged me $158.00 for a Honeywell IS2 pressure switch and another $30.00 to get it. I researched online and found 10 to 15 websites selling it for $45.00. I asked him for an invoice and he said "I DON'T HAVE TO SHOW YOU ANYTHING!" I said 'fine' and asked him to tell me where his supplier was so I could check for myself to which he replied "THAT'S MY BUSINESS!" I had no problem with the labour and diagnostic charges but I suspected he was ripping me off for the part and pickup so I just wanted verification. I told him I would gladly pay for everything except for the part and pickup until he showed some proof. Instead of putting me at ease and showing me some semblance of proof, he used one of his real estate contacts to find the buyer of my house, he then contacted that person and their lawyer and threatened to sue them if I didn't pay. Because of the massive financial implications of not closing on time, I was forced to pay. This is the kind of thing this person is capable of. I can't say he deceives everyone but he deceived me and therefore you have no reason to think he won't deceive you. Look elsewhere.