Nelson in Richmond

I had PSV do a duct cleaning when I moved into my new house, they were great and professional. They do a follow up call every year and see if you need any other services done, so if you don't mind the calls then it's a good reminder. I asked what other services they do and they said they also do furnace maintenance, so I did that. But this wasn't as great (hence I took away 2 points). My furnace was really loud and they said that the motor needs to be replaced, they also said they will get me a quote on how much to replace it and didn't call back. When I called them a few weeks later to ask they said they don't have the model number and I need to find out the exact model of my furnace (I'm wondering why they didn't write it down when they were here). Eventually I had some other issue with my furnace and I found another company and it turns out the loudness was just the fan, easily replaced and fixed. So I think their "other" services may not be so experienced, but they vacuum, duct cleaning and I assume carpet cleaning and windows/blinds service is probably top notch, since that's their main business.

I bought 2 interior doors to replace my pocket sliding doors. My previous doors were just plain solid white and I wanted something a bit more "fancy", with glass and some design in the middle so that I can see through it. At A1 door's showroom in Surrey they have lots to choose from, and they have a lot of stock there so it's good to see it in person (as it looks different in a catalog). The sales was very helpful in describing how to replace the pocket door and what hardware I needed. And the price of the doors was cheaper than all other places. While I was I also noticed that they had baseboards and crown moulding, so a few months later I purchased some crown molding, and these are ALOT cheaper than places like Rona or Home Depot. This is a very professional store and they provide doors & mouldings to builders. If you look at a lot of new houses being built, after installing door frames they cover the doors with plastic sheet. You'll notice a lot of builders choose A1 by looking at those sheet coverings.

My furnace broke down in the middle of winter, so I looked at some flyers and randomly called someone. He was able to come later on the same day which was great. So seeing as how it was cold and I have kids, I was prepared to be price gouged as with no furnace in the winter, the repair person can charge whatever he wants and most people will pay it. So he came and inspected and did some tests and said that the control valve is busted, and it's old and also leaking gas. I also said that it's noisy and he said it was just the fan which can also be replaced, however it didn't affect functionality so he was honest and said if I can live with the noise, then don't replace it as it makes no other difference. I discussed with him the option of replacing the whole furnace but he said that is going to be a lot of work since a lot of pipes need to be refitted and replaced because I have an old system. Plus he inspected and said there are no cracks and my furnace should still last a few years still. So in the end he recommend that I go the cheaper route and just fix it. It's only been a year so hopefully I won't regret it :-). But the main issue wasn't until afterwards. A day after, the pilot light went out and I had to re-light it, and then the next day it went out again. So I called MJ sunshine and he came back to take a look, and he replaced the thermocouple and put another control valve on there. No charge. A few days later, it went out again and I had to re-light it. Again I called and he came back and replaced the thermocouple again. No charge. A few days later it still continued, and he came back and did a bunch of tests and inspections. Again he replaced the thermocouple just to be sure. No charge. A few days later it still continues, he does more tests and does a smoke test to see if there's any cracks in the heat exchanger. None found. He replaced the thermocouple again and said if it happens again, then "I'm sorry I don't know how to fix it". Eventually, I found out the problem myself and that it was because there's a breathing hole letting fresh air in to the burners, and that hole passes right by the thermocouple, so that air was cooling the thermocouple turning the valve off. I put some stuff to block part of the the air and insulate the thermocouple a bit, and the problem went away. So the service from MJ Sunshine was great, he came back and did all the extra stuff and didn't charge me any more money. And he came back like 4 more times, that's just awesome. I just took 1 point off the rating for lack of knowledge, because I think he should of figured out the problem himself, since he is the "expert", but his level of service is just fantastic. I will definitely find him again next year when I do maintenance. Would highly recommend this to anyone.

I had wasps building a nest in the siding of my house, it was up high so it was hard for me to reach with normal spray so I decided to call a pest control company. I got this from a referral from a friend who previously bought a groupon deal with this company for Ant control. That person didn't have a great experience, but at least he did the job (the reason was they said the deal was only for Vancouver residents, but my friend lived in Richmond and they didn't initially want to honor the deal, but only after a while they said they'd come). Anyways, I called him on a Sunday and he was able to come the next day, which is surprising since Monday was a public holiday, so at first it was great service. He sprayed the opening with something and said it's "expensive stuff" and that it's residual and guarantees that no wasp will return to that area. It took him 30 seconds to finish the job and he took off. Well about 1.5 weeks later I noticed some wasps going back into that same nest so I called him back. That morning he said "that's not possible since", well I'm staring right at it and I'm seeing wasps. So he said he'll call me back later since he's on a job right now. The day passes and no call, so I called him back the next day. He said he'll come take a look, but he's really swamped that week and won't be able to make it until next week. But said "don't worry I have your number and I'll call you when I come over". Well, I figured 1 week and the wasps will have built a huge colony by then, so I had to take care of it myself by buying lots of spray foam, hanging outside my window to get at the area, etc etc. I sprayed in the early morning and late evening for about 5 days and the wasps disappeared. In anycase, I never got a call back from the guy and I took care of it myself, which I should have done in the first place. I thought a "professional" would do a better job but that was wrong. It's interesting how the initial job he was available immediately but then to follow up and fix on problems he was busy. He knew that any follow up service I would not be willing to pay since he "guaranteed" it to begin with.