Tim & Sally in Leslieville

In the midst of the first heat wave of the year, I switched the central AC on only to find that it was on the fritz. Naturally. We were warned that when we bought the house over 5 years ago that the unit was on its last legs. So rather than waste time getting someone to see if it could be prepared, we opted to install a new, high-efficiency model. After contacting several of the top-rated companies, we were told that it would be a few weeks before anyone could install a new one. I came across some reviews for Convertible Heating & Air Conditioning and saw that they too had a lot of great reviews. I talked to the owner, Sam, who is a non-nonsense, salt-of-the-earth guy. I'll be completely honest here. There were a few bumps in the road to getting our installation complete - unforeseeable hiccups that do occasionally happen. But I really liked the cut of Sam's jib so I decided to stick with them. Well, once it was done I'll say the job that Dieter did was outstanding. He was fast, efficient and very thorough in cleaning up after completion. I'm confident that we'll have many years of worry-free AC, just in time for the next inevitable heat wave.

We had a problem with our chimney - fumes that made the house smoke and set off carbon monoxide detectors. Yikes! After getting several quotes from chimney companies, we decided to go with Magic Touch - not on price but on a gut feel. The technician, Richard, who did the initial inspection, was very good. He gave us the lowdown in easy to understand terms. He never gave us the impression that he was trying to upsell us on unnecessary work or repairs. It was all on the level. The diagnosis was we needed a new chimney liner (incidentally the quote for this was pretty much identical with all companies we contacted). When Richard returned with his assistant to begin work, they discovered a new problem. The fireplace was not up to code due to drywall and wooden studs installed too close to the firebox. At first I suspected a scam in which they were going to ask us for more money. Not so. This wasn't the kind of work they do. Richard regrettably informed us that we'd need to get a general contractor to remedy the situation before he could begin work. The company would not proceed until the fireplace was up to code. So clearly it was a concern for our safety - and the responsibility for his company to do work up to code. Who knows what would have happened if we had cone with someone else? Richard also informed us that if we were unwilling or financially unable to bring the fireplace up to code, Magic Touch would refund our deposit 100%, no questions asked. Well, we decided to go through with it. And after hiring a third party to correct the fireplace code shortcomings, we had Richard return to complete the job, which was done to perfection. Upon completion you'd have never know anyone was there, let alone a couple of guys that had been rooting around inside the guts of fireplace and chimney! We'd also like to mention the office staff - Donna in particular was very pleasant and accommodating when we had to reschedule due to the unforeseen problems. Despite the fact that things became a lot busier for the company since our first booking, Donna was able to get the guys back in to complete the job in a timely fashion. Thanks very much Magic Touch. Your name says it all.

We had a similar experience with this company. Two of the workers they sent to us were exceptional. Whenever we asked for either of those two to come back we were told they're not available. Everyone else they send leave lots of things dirty. From counter tops, to the surfaces of appliances, to sinks. Not even wiped with a damp cloth! Our most recent experience was the last straw. The maid showed up an hour late looking dazed, pacing up and down the street. She clearly didn't know the address. We actually recognized her as one of the inferior maids they had sent us before. When we asked if she was here to clean our house, she responded "I don't know". When asked why she was so late she responded that she didn't feel like driving today so transit took longer. She was angry that we questioned her about this and said, "Well, I'm here now!" She then stormed off angrily and didn't return! When I called the office to complain, I talked to Susan who had no interest in hearing my complaint. I continued to question her about the people she hired and she got very angry with me and told me we need to hire a different maid service. I tried to reason with her, but she is clearly disturbed and angry. She continued to suggest I take my business elsewhere and finally hung up on me. After giving this company so many chances, we have had enough. As the Donald would say, "You're fired!"

I have done a lot of painting in my time, and I know how difficult and time consuming it can be. It's only recently that I have begun to hire painters to do the job for me. (Hey, I'm getting too old for this sh!t). Well, I have to say that using Lucas and his company Perfect Touch Interiors was an experience beyond compare. Not only was the job done in less time than originally quoted, it was flawless. Everything went off without a hitch. We gave our key to Lucas the day before the job was to start and met him at the site after completion for a walkthrough. He stands behind his work and he is clearly proud of it - who wouldn't be? And the cleanup was so thorough you'd never know a team of painters was there. (Aside from the incredible paint job of course.) Needless to say, Sally and I are absolutely thrilled with the results.