Jason B from Toronto

Probably one of the largest failings of Elite is their inability to understand and reflect back our ask in an efficient way. At our 'designer meeting' we provided a brief and package of imagery showing exactly what we were looking for. We spent an exorbitant amount of time getting to what we thought was an agreed solution. As the work was underway we noticed elements agreed not being delivered (purchase and installation of a front door, front door hardware – for example). Though we had agreed to this in a meeting with several parties present and had several conversations and e-mails about these very items, certain critical elements were not listed in the contract. Arguably we paid for these items in the overall cost (this is after reviewing the scope of work, materials and labour with competitors). There is no debate our error was lack of scrutiny of the building contract – the meticulous details ended up causing us grief. A future lesson with no need for reeducation. Jay's lack of customer service does more harm than good. There is no doubt Jay has credible experience. He needs to evolve his current customer service practice and remove the blinders if anyone is going to take him seriously. Regardless if you're building decks or installing windows the strategy is customer first. Alienating the client by carrying a heavy hand of supposed contractor superiority causes reluctance to promptly pay and look for countless deficiencies. When challenged, Jay fires off what's best for us or finds a demeaning way to pound us into an answer. The lack of collaboration and forceful tactics embarrass his own trades and project managers. Elite had a lack of consistent communication but a consistent ability to miss a timeline. We missed our completion date 4 times. Adding up to more than 6 weeks of blown time. Reasons why varied from subcontractor issues, weather, and workers generally not showing up. What would have been nice was accountability. When we demanded this, there were compromises – some free work. Time and effort put in to hold Elite accountable ended up being a wash when trying to factor the balance between delays, chasing the contractor, and compensation. On a positive note, Elite does have some good craftsmen working for them. The carpentry completed at our home was top-rate. The carpentry team listened to our vision and reviewed our drawings. We were promised architectural drawings for our front deck, we even offered to pay for them out of pocket. Finally out of desperation we sketched our own and those were the ones they edited and gave back to us. Almost laughable in hindsight. We understood there were a few families in the Beach that contracted Elite for renovations. In speaking with our project manager and various trades we understood every single project this summer (2012) had experienced the same issues. The good news from all of this is Jay's practices and business deficiencies are fixable. We appreciate the work but cannot in good faith work again with Elite until their aim is to be business professionals.