Consumer from Toronto

These guys made numerous errors on our office layout. We gave them measurements for 2 refrigerators for our company kitchen, and told them to allow space so they could be side by side. They made the designated space several inches too narrow. So we had to return one of the refrigerators. The kitchen counter tops were dimensioned too shallow which resulted in the dishwashers not sitting flush with the front of the counter tops. So the plumber had to smash out the drywall so they would fit correctly. We gave them dimensions for 2 bar fridges to be hidden inside our board room cupboards. They put in power for the fridges but made the space for the fridges too short so they would not fit. Then they had the arrogance to tell us we were responsible for double checking all of their dimensions in their drawings. Like we are architects, which we are not. Don't hire these guys.

I don’t recommend D A Gracey. They did not build my landscaping job to the quality Gracey implied they would. They put in a cedar fence and all the nail holes bled & stained the fence. They put in wood filler to try to stop the bleeding nail holes. I learned after the fact how a builder cuts corners when building a fence. See #8 in this link http://www.hancockfence.com, under Top 10 Fence. They told me a cross brace on the fence gate was not needed and that the gate would not sag over time. Wrong. My original landscaper, Aiki Landscaping, who I would have hired if he had not retired, did it right. He put the cross brace in the gate he built, and after 9 years, his gate is still square. The D A Gracey built gate was sagging and dragging on the ground after 3 years. You can see it is sagging and is no longer square. The fence posts were not installed correctly and were wobbling after 4 years. Gracey was not on site managing the build on a daily basis. That should have been my first clue that the job was not going to be built to the standards he had implied when he quoted the job. The interlock pavers were also not installed correctly. Again, I learned this after the job was done. http://www.nitterhouse.com/masonry/products/paving_stones/interlocking_paving_stones/snap_edge_paver_restraint_system.php Proper edge restraints for pavers were not used, and 8” to 10” steel spikes were definitely not used. Instead they poured a bead of concrete along the top of the dirt. After 4 years of Canadian weather the pavers shifted & separated.

I had Carpenter Ants nesting in the roof of my garage, & Raccoons camping out under my deck. Bees & Pest Removal staff were friendly and courteous. They explained what they were doing and made recommendations as to what I could do to avoid future problems. The ants came back a second time a few weeks later and so did Bees & Pest Removal at no extra charge. They were prompt and responsive. In the end, they trapped 5 raccoons and I had to stop because it was getting expensive trapping all the neighborhood critters at my expense. I forgot to take a picture of the 1st raccoon caught, but I took pictures of the last 4. From the pictures you can see that each one is different. So they are not letting them go down the block. If you have a chance, stop and chat with the staff. They are friendly folk from the Caribbean (Ah yah-dee dem.).

I hired this company to provide architectural and engineering drawings for my office renovation which included a computer server room. They would only return calls after I called them 3 or more times, if they chose to return phone calls. Their engineer under spec'ed the air-conditioner for the server room, so it fails every 3 weeks. This constantly puts my company's servers at risk of over heating. Also, I've had to have the server room A/C serviced about a half dozen times. I had to hire a second engineering firm to diagnose the problem. Now I have to hire an engineering firm again to figure out how to fix the problem.

First off the lady who answered the phone told me I could get a free quote. She also told me the service guys can simply re-torsion garage door springs if they are not broken. When the service guy showed up, he tells me there is a $65 fee for just showing up. He also tells me they never re-torsion springs, they only torsion NEW ones that they are installing. I hire him to do the work because I didn't have the time or patience to argue. He proceeds to use my ladder instead of his own and covers it in grease, grim, dirt and rust and did not clean it when he was done. He also coated both of my motorcycles in grease and oil after he told me they were not in the way. And now the new springs he installed, now 2 years old, already need to be re-tensioned. I call them back to have my garage door serviced again and they put me on hold and leave me there. I will NEVER call this company again. Postscript: Update: A friend of mine recommended another Garage door company and they came by to take a look at my garage door springs. And he confirmed what a contractor friend of mine was telling me, that Pro-Master had installed springs that were too small relative to the weight of my garage door. They sold me springs that were too small for the job. Then I told Ernie how much I had paid Pro-Master (I still have the original receipt) and he tells me that not only did I get inappropriate springs, I was over charged. When I unhooked the garage door from the garage door opener, the door came down like a freight-train. It felt like 300lbs when I tried to open the garage door by hand. Needless to say, I had to buy another set of garage door springs, but this time I have the right size springs and now I can open the door with ease.

These guys, Kevin & Ernie, were recommended to me by a friend of a friend. Ernie came by to check out my garage door springs and confirmed what a contractor friend of mine was telling me. That another company had sold me springs that were too small relative to the weight of my garage door. So, needless to say, I had to buy another set of garage door springs. Ernie is a straight up guy. He installed the new springs and showed me how one can in general judge the strength of a set of garage door springs. When you disconnect the door from the garage door opener, the door should NOT come down like a freight train. With the door open between 3 to 4 feet, the pull of the springs should be balanced against the weight of the garage door and hold the door in that position. He told me about the different garage door openers, which ones he found to be quality openers, and which were crap. He did not try to upsell me on a garage door opener and installation from his company, but to help me save a few dollars, recommended the Sears garage door openers and then gave me some tips on installation. He also warned me about the scams some garage door service companies pull on unsuspecting customers. For example, insisting your garage door needs all new casters whether they are needed or not, or installing springs that are too small and then relying on the strength of the garage door opener to pull the unbalanced weight of the door.