I am a home owner who likes to research a product or service to death before I buy it, and more often than not I end up being disappointed because it turns out I know more about the job than the contractor does. Even with the help of Homestars I find it has become increasingly difficult to find truly skilled and trustworthy professionals to do any kind of home reno job in Toronto.
That being said, Doors & More turned out to be one of those rare professional companies that carry a quality product and truly stand behind the job they do.
First contact was on the phone with Frank (the owner) who, to be honest, sounds like a used car sales man, and that initially turned me off. Turns out that he is actually just truly compassionate about what they do.
Had his quote guy (Jason?) come by a few days later, and an appointment that was supposed to take 15-20 minutes stretched out to about an hour while he gave us advice and direction that we had not previously considered. He was very patient while we had trouble deciding whether to go with two side panels or one and whether the door should swing to the right or left, inwards or outwards. In the end we decided on an in-swinging door between two side panels (approximate 4.5 foot overall opening - 22" door).
On the installation date (about two weeks later) the guys showed up on time and got everything installed. I was not home during the installation, so when I had a first glance, everything looked fabulous. Our shower opening is not square, so this was no easy job. However, as far as I could tell it was a truly professional install with the caulking very neatly done and the door opening and closing very smoothly - almost like a Mercedes door!
Still, I'm very picky and I noticed that the washers were not perfectly lined up with the handle. This was an upgraded square handle with square washers, so I understand that it can be tricky when you are doing the final tightening to get the washers to line up perfectly with the handle. Also, the handle/towel bar wasn't perfectly level. This is nit picking to be honest, but it would have bothered us considering how much we spent. Once you notice something like that it will always irritate you.
I called Frank and he had a guy out in a few days to look at it. I had to leave for work, and Frank calls me later to tell me that they will replace the door. I was absolutely flabbergasted! Turns out they had cut the door slightly wrong, so even if they could align the washers, there was no way they could level the handle. At this point in the conversation I would have usually braced for the inevitable heated argument about getting them to fix it, but Frank had already said they would replace the entire door, so I was left speechless. He actually went to great lengths to explain what went wrong, e-mailing me the quote sheet with the drawing and measurements to show me exactly what had happened.
It took a while to get them to come back to replace the door, but that was entirely my fault. Frank was actually repeatedly in touch with me to try and set up a time. I finally had time to accommodate them, and the end result is perfection. The handle is perfectly level and the washers perfectly aligned. It truly can't be any more level than this! Couldn't be happier.
I just find it truly rare to find a company that will so readily admit and fix a mistake. I might have seen it with a company that is just starting out and trying to create a good reputation, but Doors & More have been around for a long time, and they are really busy. If this is how they conduct their business I suspect they will be in business for a long time to come.