Sarah from Toronto

Our hot water tank sprung a leak at 1 am on Boxing Day, leaving us without water for bathing or dishes. Our previous HVAC company didn’t have the capacity or inventory to help us out. We were desperate enough to contemplate locking into an interminable rental agreement! Thankfully, a friend passed along Len’s name and contact info. He got back to me within 15 minutes, listened patiently to our problem, and talked us through different options — all this while he was on holiday! There was no pressure at all — he didn’t try to up-sell us or even cajole us into choosing his company. A few hours later, he had solid quotes for us, and had figured out how to get us a new tank installed ASAP without having to pay jacked-up holiday-hour premiums. Everyone involved in the process was truly lovely — and vigilant about COVID protocols. About a day later, Hakim came by to remove our old tank and install the new one — without any hiccups, and for even less than the original quote. We’re so grateful to Tempasure — they’re honest, decent, thoughtful, and do excellent work. I have only good things to say!

After a decade, our trusty Capital range suddenly stopped working. A cursory Google suggested that it was just a dirty or busted igniter, which I assumed would be a fairly simple fix. I tried calling around to various appliance-repair companies—many never responded to me; the ones that did had never encountered a Capital appliance, and offered little more than a shrug emoji. It was my good luck to happen upon a recommendation for Joe on a neighbourhood Facebook page. He called me not long after receiving my email, reassured me that he could tackle our issue, and connected us with his associate, Colin. Colin quickly connected with Capital, confirmed that he could use an igniter he had on hand (which saved us at least $100), and came by on a Saturday to fix it in a jiffy. He was calm, clearly an expert, and followed impeccable COVID-hygiene protocols. We were so appreciative of the efficiency, affordability, and quality of the service—other companies would've charged us a supplemental diagnostic fee at the very least. We'll definitely rely on Joe and Colin in the future for any repair needs.

UPDATE: I've revised my earlier assessment of Royal Crown after being pleasantly surprised by their recent follow-up service. Although my initial experience with Royal Crown (and its aftermath) left something to be desired, they recently contacted me in an effort to address a number of concerns. This time around, the company sent a new assessor/estimator, Eni, who was tremendously professional, kind, courteous, and thorough in both his explanation of various potential problem areas and the repairs he conducted on our downspout. Both he and Rachel, the acting office manager, were lovely and thoughtful, and followed up to ensure that the work was complete and to make sure I wasn't left with remaining questions or concerns. Although I was dismayed by our previous miscommunications and by aspects of the work that was done, I have to say that Royal Crown has made a tremendous effort to rectify the situation, and I would recommend them based on the quality of their repairs and their recent customer service.

We were cursed with a furnace that was way too big for our house, cordoned off in a tiny, nearly inaccessible closet -- an unpleasant holdover from the previous owners. Other companies were reluctant to do anything when they saw the space and the set-up. Denise didn't flinch. She devised a strategy in the hopes of helping us avoid having to replace the furnace right away, and then, when that didn't work, quickly figured out an efficient, cost-effective new unit -- and a new setup that would resolve all the poorly done work we'd been left with. Her team was both skilled and incredibly professional -- and they suggested additional workarounds to ensure we wound up with proper condensation drainage, venting, and, miraculously, more room in the furnace closet. They were lovely to work with, and they left our house and yard spotless. Better yet, nearly overnight our house feels consistently warmer (and quieter -- the old furnace was a monster), even though the temperature is two full degrees cooler than where we used to have to set it. A glowing endorsement!

John, Dave and their team were a dream. John was eager to work with us to develop a plan that fell within our budget, focusing on key priority areas and offering advice for long-term plans around other sections of our exterior. Red Robin's communication was stellar—they contacted us well in advance of the scheduled date and were careful to update us when plans changed due to inclement weather. The two masons who worked on our house were lovely—they were punctual, courteous, efficient, and assiduous about cleaning the work site (and very kind to our barking dogs!). When the team discovered that an ant infestation and water damage had eroded the bricks behind our original parging to the point where they were reduced to dust, John readily agreed to rebuild that wall—and only charged us for materials. And when a phone cable was inadvertently sliced during the tuck-pointing process, Dave immediately volunteered to cover any repair costs, going so far as to insist that we hold back payment until we knew how much we'd have to pay out of pocket. Red Robin's work is fantastic—but more importantly, they are nothing short of wonderful to deal with. I can't recommend them more.