Bathroom Renovation and Upgrade
Chose Metro Kitchen+Bath after reviewing 3 alternatives, web reviews and their proximity to our property. This will be the fifth time we have undertaken similar work (in fact including full home build), and contracted this shortly after a highly successful kitchen upgrade by a different contractor.
This was the worst decision we have ever made in choosing a project manager/contractor (and their were in hindsight red alerts we should have heeded, like them not visiting the home - under 10 minutes from their office - until post-contract). We could write a book, but the following is a summary:
1) Timelines: promised it would take 3 months to complete. More than five months later, not finished and we took over final completions. Some reasons why include their pre-occupation with their own projects (vacations, re-doing their own showroom, etc!)
2) Respect for property: We were assured (and its in their contract) that they would seal all necessary areas and respect the property. We have a library of pictures should anyone be interested of the state of the ENTIRE condo, drawers, closets, clothes, carpets, furnishings covered in layers of dust. Building materials laid out on our bedding. The list goes on. After professional cleaning, and 4 months later, some parts of property still covered. We have spent thousands on cleaning etc to get back to initial state. (BTW, our kitchen reno had walls moved etc, and with spotless during and after construction). To add insult to injury, when we insisted we met at the condo to review progress, and it was as dirty as outlined, Lisa had the temerity to arrive wearing a dust mask and speaking to us through it!)
3) Truthfulness: We were told we would get detailed updates on documents, progress etc, and Michael (Lisa's husband or brother??) was introduced as prime site manager. He never visited on one occasion or communicated. Lisa also stated they have their own staff and their own cabinet facility during initial consultations. Neither is true and we had all sorts of strangers walking through doing various jobs
4) Attitude: Lisa's style is 'my way', and hides behind small print wherever possible. She has a limited range of options to choose from, and our experience is she milks changes ($600 for a pop up plug in sink anyone?) where she can. Very difficult to deal with, and hides behind a couple of youngsters she has hired.
5) Workmanship: The reason it is not a 1-star review is that the actual quality of basic workmanship on cabinetry and showers etc is excellent - excepting the grotesque mess everywhere which would, we are sure contravene Health and Safety regulations if we had called in the Ministry.
We can provide further information and pictures if anyone was ever interested. (BTW we entrusted the property to them, and were out of country so were not able to catch some of this early enough).
Bottom line: maybe they can do small tasks, maybe if they are supervised hourly, maybe if you have a lawyer and your own project manager scrutinizing them, they may be OK. But failing that level of oversight, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $105,000.00
- Company Response
This post doesn't deserve a response, but if we do not respond, we risk that someone might actually believe it! Sometimes you find people who are just never happy no matter how hard you try! We will respond to the points in brief:
Timelines: We do not promise timelines. Any experienced contractor understands that promising a timeline is a gamble when you consider all the external factors that may come into play (ie., no service elevator use during a particular week, items backordered, changes in scope during a project, etc...). We do, however, estimate timelines to the best of our abilities, and keep the client informed of progress. It is in all our best interest to move through every project quickly. When we start, we move through to completion.
Dust: We sealed plastic between all openings, but inevitably some got dust through the plastic barriers. It happens. We apologized, and hired a cleaning staff to clean the condo. This contract had a clause that clearly stated: "Client responsible to cover and protect all furniture and other property and personal belongings from dust and dirt". Despite that, we still hired a cleaning company to clean the unit.
Completion: We completed the project and the client paid the bill. The finished project is beautiful. And done right.
Staff: We were honest and truthful and fulfilled our end of the agreement. To state that Michael never visited the condo is simply not true. Michael was there on many occasions, and also worked on site. The client was out of country for the vast majority of the project. Lisa was responsible for communicating with the client and did so from start to finish. The client was constantly kept up to date with the progress of the project. Like every other contractor, we have a mix of full time staff and sub trades that contribute to the finished product. Specialty trades (that we've known for years, or sometimes decades) are hired on a project by project basis. Our roster of staff and trades are excellent.
Attitude: There is no small print in our contracts. The contracts are plain spoken and simple. If its in the contract, we do it, and the client pays. Pretty simple. Personal attacks against our team, and especially Lisa, are completely unwarranted. Lisa and Michael are very well known in the community and in the industry. Their accomplishments, personality, and character speak for themselves.
Clients can buy their own fixtures, appliances and accessories for us to install, or they can buy from us. Simple. We sell a wide range of fixtures, appliances and accessories from manufactures that we know and trust. Clients have the choice to do either - bring their own or buy from us, whatever suits the client.
No project is ever without roadblocks; however, we pride ourselves in identifying these as soon as possible, and doing everything that is reasonably possible to remediate the issue. We stand by our process and our work, no matter what issues may arise. The finished product is exceptional. And done right.