NHT2016

I hired Ecosparkle once in July 2020. I found them on Homestars and opted to hire them as they were 40% less than another quote I received. Csaba was quick to respond to my request and was able to accomdate the time I requested. I live in a semi-detached house. I was looking for a company to complete a move out/in clean, as our basement tenant was moving out and another was moving in. Additionally, I was also looking to have the main floor and upstairs cleaned (I had never had our house cleaned, so I thought this was a good time to try it out). The 2 workers arrived on time and were polite. I asked if they wanted to go over everything and they said they would start at the top of the house first and work their way down. They did a good job on the upstairs and the main floor. While they were cleaning the main floor, I asked them to get me (as I was working upstairs) so I could let them into the basement (separate entrance). They did not come and get me, but rather let themselves in to the basement when they were done. When they were finished, I tipped them and they left. After going down to the basement, it became clear very quickly that they did not perform what I would consider a thorough cleaning. There was dirt on the floor in the closet, the baseboards were not cleaned, some cupboards were not cleaned, the washer and dryer were not cleaned, the inside of the oven was not cleaned nor were behind the oven or fridge. After I alerted Csaba to this, he asked if I told them the workers to do a move in/out clean. I said I did not. First, this was communicated to him in writing from the onset. Also, they opted to start at the top of the house, and did not come get me when they were ready to start the basement. This was frustrating because 1) I had a new tenant moving in the next day, and 2) because I stayed up until 2am cleaning what was missed myself. While this next part is not Csabas fault, it happened to be my daughters birthday the day after the cleaning took place - and I missed wrapping presents/decoring the night before because I had to clean. When I asked Csaba if anything could be done, he offered me a 7% discount. I paid and opted to write this review. Pros: Quick response, polite staff, work that was done was good. Cons: Did not do what was requested, situation was not rectified.

Our front steps were in dire need of a facelift. When we posted our project on HomeStars, Brian was the first of 3 people to respond. Within a couple of days, he came out to our house and gave us some suggestions and provided us with an estimate. Unlike Brian, we felt like we actually had to chase the other 2 people for a quote. Once we agreed to move forward, work started within a couple of days. During the project, Brian's team encountered a few unforeseen obstacles. As a result, Brian told us it would take a little more time and materials to complete. A day later than originally scheduled, the work was done. He offered to provide us with receipts for the extra materials and cut us a break on the labour costs. I would not hesitate to recommend Brian's company. If we ever need more work done, we will go directly to Brian and skip the 3 quote idea altogether.

Our experience was so bad we had to write a review. On the morning of January 21, 2019 (between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.), I contacted Express Rooters Plumbing via its online messaging system to request a quote for the thawing of frozen pipes. I was advised that Express Rooters charged a flat fee of $450.00 plus HST for the said service and that the earliest available appointment time was between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. I had spoken with other plumbing companies who were available to attend our home at earlier times in the day, but I chose to go with Express Rooters Plumbing, as I liked that it offered a flat rate for the service. In order to accommodate the scheduled arrival of the plumber (i.e. between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.), I was required to collect my 1.5 year-old from daycare early so that I could be home for when the plumber arrived. My husband, daughter and I waited at home between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Nobody attended our home, nor did they call to advise that they were running late. Thus, I was required to follow-up with the company around 7:00 p.m. to inquire about the plumber’s whereabouts. I was advised that he was running behind and that he would be attending our home in approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. By 8:15 p.m., nobody had attended our home, nor had they contacted us to advise that they would be late. At approximately 9:00 p.m., I followed up with Express Rooters Plumbing again and was advised that the plumber would be at our home in 15 to 20 minutes. The plumber arrived at approximately 9:30 p.m. Upon arriving at our home, we explained to the plumber that the pipes leading to the basement bathroom and the second floor bathroom seemed to be frozen. The plumber examined the pipes and explained that he believed that the pipes leading to the second floor bathroom were plastic and that our best option was to warm up those pipes with a hairdryer, as he would not be able to thaw them with his equipment. He further advised, however, that he would be able to thaw the pipes leading to the basement bathroom, as they were made of copper. He said, that he would thaw the pipes for $500.00. He further explained that the longer we waited to thaw the pipes, the higher the risk that they could burst. At this point, it was approximately 10:00 p.m. at night. My husband signed the invoice. While the plumber was thawing the pipes in the basement, I cut a hole in the drywall in the upper half of the home, so that I could start blow drying the plastic pipes. At that time, I discovered that the pipes in the upper half of the home were copper as well. My husband went down to the basement and advised the plumber that we had discovered that the pipes in the upper half of the home were copper. The plumber finished thawing the pipes in the basement at approximately 10:45 p.m. When the plumber came upstairs, he examined the pipes and suggested that we cut another hole in the wall and that we continue to attempt to warm up the pipes with my blow dryer. When I asked him if he could use his tools to thaw the pipes, he advised that it would cost us an additional $300.00. When I explained that I had been quoted the amount of $450.00 plus tax for the thawing of all of the pipes, he advised that my husband had signed the invoice and that the invoice didn’t make reference to the pipes on the second level of the home. At that time, I advised him that I was going to call Express Rooters Plumbing to discuss the discrepancy. In response to my comment about calling Express Rooters Plumbing, the plumber advised that there was no one there to take the call. When I explained that I was aware that the company had an after-hours service, he advised that the people who answered the after-hours phone only spoke Russian. He then offered to complete the job for an extra $200.00 and then suggested that he complete it for an extra $150.00. I told him that I wasn’t agreeing to that and called Express Rooters Plumbing. An English-speaking representative answered the phone and told me that someone with the authority to discuss pricing would get back to me right away. [I did not receive a call back]. Following my phone call with Express Rooters Plumbing, the plumber agreed to complete the job for the price included on the invoice (i.e. $500.00) signed by my husband. I advised him that I still wasn’t comfortable with that, as I had retained the company on the basis of the original price quoted, but agreed to have him proceed, as it was 11:30 p.m. and the pipes were still frozen. The plumber completed the job at approximately 12:20 a.m. Before cleaning up; however, he added a couple of sentences to the invoice that had been signed by my husband and asked me to sign it again. At that time, I asked if I could add a sentence regarding the original amount that I had been quoted by Express Rooters Plumbing (i.e. $450.00). He told me that the invoice could not be changed. I explained to him that I had just watched him change the invoice since my husband had signed and enquired as to why I couldn’t add a sentence. Eventually, he handed me the pen and told me that I could add a sentence in the bottom portion of the invoice. As I was writing a sentence, however, the plumber ripped the pen out of my hand and told me that I couldn’t write any further. This behaviour was shocking and somewhat intimidating (I’m fairly petite). After some discussion, the plumber let me have the pen back and I finished my sentence. From there, I provided him with my credit card information, which was written down on the invoice. He did not leave me with a copy of the invoice. After the invoice was signed, the plumber began cleaning up. As he was gathering his supplies, he asked our tenant how she could live with us. When he came upstairs, the plumber made some comments to my husband, including the statement, “you are not a man”. He then left our home at approximately 12:35 a.m. On January 23rd, I am following up with respect to the email that I sent on January 23, 2019 regarding my grievances and request for compensation. On January 23, 2019, I sent an email to Express Rooters Plumbing regarding my discontent as I had not been able to connect with anyone by telephone. I received a voicemail message later that day wherein I was advised that the company would be investigating my complaint and following up with me shortly. A call back number was not included within the voicemail message. Despite a subsequent email message I sent Express Rooters Plumbing on January 31st, I have not heard from anyone since.