PETER IN ETOBICOKE in Toronto

Sam and his team did a fantastic job of renovating our kitchen and main bathroom! We are completely satisfied. After hearing stories from friends about renovations that drag on month after month, we were delighted when Sam and his team started work on the day they promised. And once the project started, it never stopped. Sam arranged for his sub-trades to show up when needed. The same was true for the new material that needed to be installed. There simply were no delays. If there were problems along the way - and with a project of this size, problems were bound to crop up - Sam took care of them personally. The bottom line is we ended up with a complete renovation of our main bathroom and kitchen in about three weeks from start to finish. If you are looking for a contractor to get the job done on the cheap, Reno Wow! is probably not for you. But if you are looking for someone who will do a quality job, on budget, and within the promised timeframe, then you've found the right contractor.

This is the second year we have used Hometurf. Our experience has been good. The company does what it says it will do, and then some. Last year, I briefly mentioned to the technician that there was a patch of our backyard lawn that was struggling. The next day, one of the managers from the company visited our home to analyse the problem. He applied some additional treatment during his visit and gave us advice on how to solve the problem.

Our central air conditioning system broke down over the weekend. I called Homeservice Club first thing Monday morning on a non-emergent basis. Within a few minutes, I received a call from Leroy at LBP Heating and Air Conditioning. Because I was going to be away from the house for most of the day, we made arrangements for Leroy to come to the house late in the afternoon. When he arrived, he quickly fixed the problem. He didn't push the idea of replacing the air conditioner even though it's an older unit. He gave professional advice about what we should do when the day comes that it no longer makes sense to maintain our air conditioner and furnace. Both units are long past their best-before dates. I can highly recommend LBP Heating and Air Conditioning. When it's time to replace our existing heating and air conditioning system, LBP will be getting the work order.

CURRENT REVIEW: As noted below, my wife and I encountered a problem a few months after our roof was re-shingled and our chimney was rebuilt. The initial response from Peter & Greg Walker Contracting was disappointing. With that said, after my previous review was posted, I received a call from Greg Walker. He listened to what I had to say and sincerely apologised for what had transpired. The mere fact that Greg Walker called me was impressive. To me, his call showed a commitment to customer service. We can't change what happened earlier. However, the discussion I had with Greg Walker restored my confidence in his firm as a company I would not hesitate to use again and to recommend to my friends. From the tone of our conversation and from the things that were said, it is obvious that Mr. Walker takes customer satisfaction very seriously. PREVIOUS REVIEW: My wife and I received excellent service when the work was first done. A few months later, after the invoice was fully paid, I called about a problem. The President of the company could hardly have cared less. Earlier this year, we used Peter & Greg Walker Contracting to re-shingle our roof and replace a portion of our chimney. At the time all seemed to go well. Then, as the heating season approached, we arranged for another firm to come in an re-brick our fireplace. The fireplace contractor noticed that the damper was jammed shut. When he took the fireplace apart, the contractor discovered a very large piece of masonry that had fallen down the flue and fallen on top of the damper. I called the President of Peter & Greg Walker Contracting to report this for his information, not as a potential claim. He did not return my original call but did return the follow up call that I placed a week later. When we spoke on the phone, the President had no interest in finding out what happened. Although he had no difficulty coming to our house a few months earlier to pick up the cheque for our final payment, he scoffed at my suggestion that he come to the house to see for himself the size of the object that had dropped on top of the damper during the chimney replacement. He was content to let the matter go by saying he has had good experience in the past with the sub-contractor who did our chimney replacement. Although he said he was sorry we had a problem with the work that was done through his firm, the President was not interested in investigating the problem for himself. Especially considering the attention that was paid while the work was in progress, I was disappointed at the indifference that was shown when a problem cropped up afterwards.