Critical: Professionalism, Responsiveness, Value
I would not recommend Winmar - Guelph for a large variety of reasons. The estimator was frustratingly difficult to deal with due to multiple failures to contact me when he said he would, failure to provide complete documents/estimates, failure or inability to produce a CRA-approved invoice that reflected the entire business-consumer exchange, and failure to negotiate in good-faith when the original estimate did not reflect the actual work done. The estimate provided was excessive in cost, with "minimum charges" throughout the document regardless of the size and complexity of the repair which was small and minor (repair of drywall due to water damage). The estimator's preference was that my tenant (my elderly mother) be absent from the condo during the repairs but I was not able to facilitate that so both my elderly mother and myself were present during the repairs which permitted me to see first-hand what was and was not completed. If I had not been there during the repairs, I would have paid the entire estimate but thankfully I was able to be a witness to the activities that occurred. I can only describe the estimator's efforts at revising the invoice as inadequate and unprofessional, not reflecting a reasonable revision in any way based on the job actually performed. This is not the way a business that wants to satisfy their customers would behave. I was forced to retain a law firm for advice and direction on how to handle all of the issues with my interactions with the estimator. I've also noticed in the Google reviews that Winmar has a reputation of not paying their subcontractors and threatening legal action when they complain in public on that forum. I certainly hope that they paid the subcontractor that performed my repairs as I was entirely satisfied with the final result and the tasks that were not completed were not necessary for the minor repair involved. I will be continuing to get advice from my law firm and will be also approaching CRA regarding the lack of a CRA-approved invoice and the potential that they have not paid their subcontractors. I also wonder if their behaviour regarding charging for services that are not performed and not paying their subcontractors will be seen with insurance-approved repairs by the CRA when they do their multi-year audit......The bottom line is - stay away from Winmar - Guelph.
