Riverdale Resident

We decided to have a central AC system installed in our home this past summer. We did not have an existing central AC unit, but we already had the ductwork for forced air heating. We got estimates from a few HVAC companies. We chose Cozy World over the others because of Boris and the competitive pricing of the quote. Boris seemed knowledgeable and honest, and didn't try to sell us something beyond what was needed. We ended up choosing a Goodman with a 10-year extended warranty. Boris gave us a bunch of tips that were helpful too, like how to keep the AC unit clean and that it wasn't necessary to have the system serviced annually, as some HVAC companies would lead you to believe. Prior to the installation, we had to make space in our front garden for the AC unit, which included moving a shrub. The installation team arrived as scheduled. It took them about a half day to install the system because they had to run pipes and wiring. Overall, they were relatively neat and efficient. I was a little surprised that they used a regular patio stone as the base for the AC unit with some limestone screening underneath to level it. I was concerned that it might shift over time since we had just dug up a shrub from that spot. So far, it has been OK. I am hoping that if it does shift, the warranty will cover any adjustments that might need to be made in the future. After the installation was done, Boris called us to follow up and make sure everything went smoothly. He also reminded us to register the product on Goodman's website, so that the 10-year extended warranty was put into effect. The AC unit worked well over its first summer of use and we are happy with the service provided by Cozy World. We will definitely keep them in mind for any future HVAC work in our home.

I purchased a discount voucher (from Groupon) for the removal of a half truckload of junk by Canada Junk Removal because I had some old construction material and demolition garbage in my basement and backyard that I wanted to get rid of. I used their online scheduling service to schedule the appointment. On the day of the appointment, they called in the morning to say they weren't open that day (it was a statutory holiday in Canada, but the owner said the scheduling tool on the website was built by a company in the US, so it wasn't aware of the holiday). We rescheduled for the next morning at 8 a.m. The next day, the men in the truck called shortly before 8 a.m. to say they were stuck in traffic and would be arriving in 30 minutes. By the time they actually arrived, it was 9 a.m., an hour late. The men took a look at the two piles of junk they were to remove and told me that concrete was not included in the price (this was apparently in the details somewhere on their website). They offered a discount on their regular price for the concrete removal, which I accepted (an extra $50 + tax). They were very careful not to scratch anything while they removed the junk and roughly swept the basement when they were done. It took them about an hour to complete the work. The men were professional and pleasant to deal with, which made up for the scheduling issues and the tardiness.

We had several plumbing issues we wanted to fix in our home. The copper pipe attached to our hot water tank was corroded, our old concrete laundry sink was leaky, our powder room toilet was cracked, and our outdoor garden faucet was leaky. We contacted Mister Plumber via HomeStars. Vlad (the owner) came to look at the issues about 2 days later. He explained what was not up to code, what should be fixed and why. He provided us with a hand-written estimate on the spot, taking into account that we had already purchased the replacements for the laundry sink, laundry faucet and toilet. After researching a few other companies, we decided to hire Mister Plumber for the job because Vlad was very knowledgeable and professional, and the estimate he provided was reasonably priced. We called Mister Plumber and Vlad told us he would send someone to do the work the following week. Ivan showed up on the scheduled day and worked very hard to complete all the projects - 11 hours the first day, 2.5 hours the next. He was courteous and cleaned up after himself. We are very happy with the work and highly recommend Mister Plumber.

I scheduled an eavestrough cleaning for mid-November 2011 with White Shark. I liked the fact that the work could be scheduled via the Internet. They sent two men on Nov. 16 to clean my eavestroughs. The one man I spoke to was very professional and polite. In terms of equipment, they came with a tall ladder, a couple of buckets and gloves. They were really quick - about 30 minutes - and when I asked if they cleaned the eavestroughs in the back, they said they climbed over the roof to get to them. I have no idea how well they cleaned everything as I couldn't get up on the roof to check. I did have a look at the eavestrough on my balcony, and could see that there were some remnants of leaves and twigs left behind. They did not snake the downspouts (note: I don't think snaking is part of the standard White Shark cleaning service). When they were done, they left a paper yard waste bag filled about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way with wet leaves & debris, so I know they cleaned something! One of the men gave me the invoice at the end of the job and told me I could pay by phone or online. I chose to pay online, and the cost was as listed on the invoice (i.e., no surcharge for credit card payment). I think overall White Shark did an OK job, but I probably wouldn't use them if I had a lot of debris or a clog to be cleared.

In late November, I contacted an eavestrough cleaning company that's popular in my neighbourhood, but they were not available until mid-December, so I tried to find another company to clean my eavestroughs. I got an estimate from an independent contractor who could do the job right away, but wanted to charge upwards of $400. I decided to look for other companies on HomeStars, which is how I found Clear View. I used their handy online estimator, and was contacted about a week later (it was early December by then). The person I spoke to was honest. He told me that because the cold weather had arrived, the eavestroughs couldn't be cleaned well since everything was frozen. I was disappointed, but he said I could put myself on a waiting list and if there was a warm spell, Clear View would send someone out to do the job. I agreed, and last week (late December), I received a call telling me that someone would come do the cleaning toward the end of the week. On the day of the cleaning, Kevin Morris gave us a call shortly before arriving to let us know he was on his way. When he arrived, he rang the bell to let us know he was going to get to work. He brought with him a big ladder, heavy rubber gloves, a leaf blower and a bunch of bags (plastic and paper). He spent about 1.5 hours cleaning the eavestroughs on our 3-storey, semi-detached Victorian house, which hadn't had a proper cleaning in a couple of years. When he was done, he rang the bell again to give me the invoice. I asked him a few questions about the roof and eavestroughs to find out in what condition they were, and he was helpful in his comments and recommendations. He also cautioned me that he had placed the eavestrough debris in a paper bag in the backyard, but that it was heavy, so I should be careful handling it. I was a bit surprised that he wasn't going to take the debris with him since I'd read in other reviews that Clear View does this, but it was no big deal. Unfortunately, the city's yard waste collection was already over for the season, so I asked Kevin to put the debris in regular garbage bags instead so I could store it until yard waste collection resumed (since paper bags tend to disintegrate). He very willingly obliged, which was nice of him. Finally, he told me I could pay for the work on the spot by cheque, or send a cheque to Clear View by mail, or pay by credit card online. I chose the last option. One word of warning to those who plan to pay by credit card: Clear View charges an extra 3% (presumably to cover the fees from the credit card company). This is stated on their website, but I hadn't noticed it beforehand. Again, no big deal, but the extra cost could add up if you have a really big job. Overall, I was very pleased with the work and would use Clear View's services again in the future. I'm glad I found them!