Based on reviews on this site, I called Handyman Matters to complete some minor renovations. I explained to them that this was my first home purchase and that as a single woman, I had found it very difficult to find an honest, reliable and affordable contractor. They assured me that the majority of their customers were women and that I was in good hands. This was not the case!
An estimate of 8 to 12 hours was given for the requested repairs. Only a fraction of those repairs were actually completed in 8 hours. Of 640 square feet of ceiling less than 300 square feet was actually painted...unsuccessfully. Their paint job caused stucco to crack and flake off. Instead of repairing the ceiling, they simply painted over the holes they left. Edges and corners were not cut in. No drop sheets were laid out resulting in paint spills deemed "minor" by the company on my new oak flooring, windows, Juliette balcony, exercise equipment, television, leather office chair and several articles of clothing.
Aside from painting a portion of the ceilings, they installed two door knobs, one of two light fixtures, two dimmer switches and a couple of doorstops. That's it. 8 hours labour later. Door knobs installed didn't turn properly and were missing new chrome sticker plates (they left the original painted plates and threw out the new ones). Wires were left hanging in place of a light fixture that was removed but not replaced. Dimmer switch to that light was installed but without the light fixture, I had no clue if it even worked! They couldn't secure my toilet because...they forgot to bring a wrench! (A handyman with no wrench?) Additional materials were purchased at an inflated cost without my consent (I was told the materials I had purchased would be sufficient). To top it all off, they lost my cheque!
The company did offer to pay the dry cleaning on a single pair of track pants and to absorb the cost of additional paint. A minor consolation. Jim (the owner) also offered to have someone come back to "complete repairs related to the original work" (3 weeks later) with the condition that "additional repairs would be completed at an additional charge". When I asked him to clarify what repairs would be included without charge, I was told the living room ceiling would be repaired but not the 4' x 6' kitchen ceiling they had plastered and only partially painted. I would be charged for that. There would also be an additional charge to put back the light fixture they had taken down. Not clear to me how he figured these were not part of the "original work". I explained to Jim my frustration at having him gloss over the fact that his contractor was in the wrong…had taken advantage of a situation in which he was left unsupervised and not held accountable for his time or his work…and when all was said and done, had the audacity to admit to his lousy completion of the job by shaking his head and telling me to sit down and have a stiff drink!
Jim's response: "I can see from your frustration, that whatever I try to do, will not be enough. With that, I will be cancelling your invoice and the appointment (for repairs)." Guess they figured they lost the cheque, would be hard-pressed to get another from me until they resolved ALL of the issues with their original work and the clean-up would be more trouble that it was worth to them!
Clearly not an example of how "Handyman Matters stands behind our reputation of customer satisfaction...making every attempt to build a long lasting relationship with all of our customers". I received no phone call (all correspondence from the owner was by e-mail). No apology. And no suitable solution.
UPDATE: One month later...all repairs to fix the original work done by Handyman Matters have been completed. Grand total for such repairs? $2,000! No wonder they changed their mind about coming back to fix what they started!
UPDATE - RESPONSE TO JIM: Yes, a supervisor was sent and took pictures and AGREED the work done by HM was not acceptable. NO, Jim and I NEVER had a conversation on the phone. His assistant called me to request a new cheque for the one they had lost and to reschedule a time to complete repairs they deemed necessary. I asked for clarification on what those repairs would be but she would not provide it. So, I sent an e-mail, fax and letter to Jim outlining the items that needed repair to the ORIGINAL WORK performed by HM and asking him to confirm, in writing, that the repairs would be completed and I would not incur any additional charges. These were NOT new repairs that I wanted free of charge. Jim responded by e-mail claiming HM would not complete all of the requested repairs without charge and denying any paint damage aside from a pair of pants. I paid $2000 to FIX what Handyman Matters had done...NOT for new repairs. NO discount was offered. Jim simply agreed to pay for an extra can of paint and the new door plates I purchased which his contractor threw out. To finish the job to this customer's satisfaction, all I asked was that HM finish painting my half-painted kitchen ceiling, reinstall the light and fix the ceiling HM damaged. Jim refused and told me to get someone else to do it. So, while I owed HM nothing, I had to pay $2000 out of pocket to repair the ceiling they had damaged! Word of advice...while HM might be great for those office repairs...they could care less about us private home owners!
