Handyman Matters

I've used Handyman matters personally and have referred them throughout the years. The staff is professional and have always done top notch work. It's good old fashion reliability and quality.

Jim Abbott is a great contractor with a team that leaves you saying "wow". Considerate, neat and on time. Took kitchen cabinets that were given to us and managed to make them fit into my small galley kitchen. Will use again.

After reading the reviews on this website, my wife and I chose to call Handyman Matters to repair water damage in our son's closet and our basement.
Carrie in the office was very personable, but the first thing they tried to do was talk us out of a written estimate for the repairs. The job was going through insurance, so we required written estimates before proceeding. Once they finally wrote an estimate, it was vague, leaving much of the details out.
The sub-contractor was punctual and friendly, but his workmanship left a lot to be desired. He didn't complete the job, missing a hole in the bathroom, not repairing the casing, not repairing an area of damaged plaster, and an all around horrible finish.
They presented my wife with a work order, asking her to sign it, but it was blank. We don't sign any blank paperwork, period.
Finally, there invoice, also lacking details, included costs for materials, but we provided most of the materials. Due to the lack of details on the invoice, I can only surmise that they charge $100 per hour plus.
My wife and I have chosen not to complain to Handyman Matters, because we do not want them in our home again. Instead, I will repair and finish the job they began.
I may post photos at a later date of the horrible job.

**Update**
After reading my review, my wife and I received a call from Jim Abbott. He asked if he could come to see the work for himself. After visiting our home and pointing out the deficiencies, he asked if he could have his sub-contractor (or employee) revisit us and correct the deficiencies. He also revised his invoice to reflect the fact that we purchased much of the materials, however he only took into consideration materials that were recently purchased and not existing from our prior renovations. Although there is a marked improvement over the first visit, we now have paint on our marble tiles.
Today (October 16/08), we received another call from Jim in which he asked me to alter mt Homestars review. Unfortunately, I cannot change the score as I stand by my original review.

**UPDATE**
On January 8 2009, I received an email from HomeStars.com. According to the email, Mr. Jim Abbott of Handyman Matters contacted the website mentioning that I wanted to change the rating of my review but was having difficulty.
Thank you to HomeStars for their honesty and integrity.
After receiving this information from HomeStars, I have changed my original rating from a two to a zero. I strongly recommend that everyone stay far away from Mr. Abbott and any business he operates or works for. I have also written Handyman Matters corporate office in Lakewood, Colorado but have yet to receive a response.

We had them renovate our kitchen two years ago and called them back this year to renovate our ensuite bathroom. They honour their commitments on time for the price quoted. They are also very practical and careful with our money. There were a couple of minor problems that came up after the kitchen was done, the sort of thing that always happens, and these were cheerfully looked after in a timely manner.

Based on reviews on this site, I called Handyman Matters to complete some minor renovations. I explained to them that this was my first home purchase and that as a single woman, I had found it very difficult to find an honest, reliable and affordable contractor. They assured me that the majority of their customers were women and that I was in good hands. This was not the case!

An estimate of 8 to 12 hours was given for the requested repairs. Only a fraction of those repairs were actually completed in 8 hours. Of 640 square feet of ceiling less than 300 square feet was actually painted...unsuccessfully. Their paint job caused stucco to crack and flake off. Instead of repairing the ceiling, they simply painted over the holes they left. Edges and corners were not cut in. No drop sheets were laid out resulting in paint spills deemed "minor" by the company on my new oak flooring, windows, Juliette balcony, exercise equipment, television, leather office chair and several articles of clothing.

Aside from painting a portion of the ceilings, they installed two door knobs, one of two light fixtures, two dimmer switches and a couple of doorstops. That's it. 8 hours labour later. Door knobs installed didn't turn properly and were missing new chrome sticker plates (they left the original painted plates and threw out the new ones). Wires were left hanging in place of a light fixture that was removed but not replaced. Dimmer switch to that light was installed but without the light fixture, I had no clue if it even worked! They couldn't secure my toilet because...they forgot to bring a wrench! (A handyman with no wrench?) Additional materials were purchased at an inflated cost without my consent (I was told the materials I had purchased would be sufficient). To top it all off, they lost my cheque!

The company did offer to pay the dry cleaning on a single pair of track pants and to absorb the cost of additional paint. A minor consolation. Jim (the owner) also offered to have someone come back to "complete repairs related to the original work" (3 weeks later) with the condition that "additional repairs would be completed at an additional charge". When I asked him to clarify what repairs would be included without charge, I was told the living room ceiling would be repaired but not the 4' x 6' kitchen ceiling they had plastered and only partially painted. I would be charged for that. There would also be an additional charge to put back the light fixture they had taken down. Not clear to me how he figured these were not part of the "original work". I explained to Jim my frustration at having him gloss over the fact that his contractor was in the wrong…had taken advantage of a situation in which he was left unsupervised and not held accountable for his time or his work…and when all was said and done, had the audacity to admit to his lousy completion of the job by shaking his head and telling me to sit down and have a stiff drink!

Jim's response: "I can see from your frustration, that whatever I try to do, will not be enough. With that, I will be cancelling your invoice and the appointment (for repairs)." Guess they figured they lost the cheque, would be hard-pressed to get another from me until they resolved ALL of the issues with their original work and the clean-up would be more trouble that it was worth to them!

Clearly not an example of how "Handyman Matters stands behind our reputation of customer satisfaction...making every attempt to build a long lasting relationship with all of our customers". I received no phone call (all correspondence from the owner was by e-mail). No apology. And no suitable solution.

UPDATE: One month later...all repairs to fix the original work done by Handyman Matters have been completed. Grand total for such repairs? $2,000! No wonder they changed their mind about coming back to fix what they started!

UPDATE - RESPONSE TO JIM: Yes, a supervisor was sent and took pictures and AGREED the work done by HM was not acceptable. NO, Jim and I NEVER had a conversation on the phone. His assistant called me to request a new cheque for the one they had lost and to reschedule a time to complete repairs they deemed necessary. I asked for clarification on what those repairs would be but she would not provide it. So, I sent an e-mail, fax and letter to Jim outlining the items that needed repair to the ORIGINAL WORK performed by HM and asking him to confirm, in writing, that the repairs would be completed and I would not incur any additional charges. These were NOT new repairs that I wanted free of charge. Jim responded by e-mail claiming HM would not complete all of the requested repairs without charge and denying any paint damage aside from a pair of pants. I paid $2000 to FIX what Handyman Matters had done...NOT for new repairs. NO discount was offered. Jim simply agreed to pay for an extra can of paint and the new door plates I purchased which his contractor threw out. To finish the job to this customer's satisfaction, all I asked was that HM finish painting my half-painted kitchen ceiling, reinstall the light and fix the ceiling HM damaged. Jim refused and told me to get someone else to do it. So, while I owed HM nothing, I had to pay $2000 out of pocket to repair the ceiling they had damaged! Word of advice...while HM might be great for those office repairs...they could care less about us private home owners!

We have used Bruce and Handtman Matters since last August to help us renovate our home. Bruce is a hardworking, respectful and dedicated worker. We are so luck to have him. I recommend H.M and Bruce to anyone doing renovations.

In the last year I have had more than my fair share of 'bad' experinces with my renovations. Until Handyman Matters, I was truly impressed with the work that was done. John was exceptional. I will definitely use them again! Thank you!

I was going to rip out my eaves trough because it was leaking water in torrents. I called around several companies to find out what could be done and was told I would have to rip out the old eaves trough and replace it with a new one. I was quoted $1,000.00

I then called Handymanmatters who told me not to take the whole thing down, but to repair it instead. I would have had to pay over $1,000.00 to replace the eavestrough with another company but the repair that Handymanmatters qoted me was only about $200.00 so I was able to use the balance of the money to repair other projects that I had. Of course, I used Handymanmatters! They did an excellent job and I would recommend them without hesitation.

I am a representative for a large scale company and we use handyman matters anytime we need something repaired or work done around the office. We have been using their service since October and we have been nothing but happy with their service. They are reliable and their work is guaranteed. All the handyman that have come into the office are knowledgable of their craft and Carrie, their representative that takes their orders accomodates scheduling quickly and effeciently. From small to large scale jobs, I know I can rely on them to get the work done in a timely manner and with great service.

I would recommend them to everyone!

Cheers,

Maredol

S-Vox (VisionTV) has used Handyman Matters since February 2008 and I am very impressed with their service. They delivered on all fronts; being prompt, knowledgeable, friendly, affordable and dependable. They come prepared and ready to complete all tasks in a timely fashion. They have been one of the most beneficial services I have established as an Office Supervisor. I would recommend them to anyone.

It has truly been my pleasure to be associated with them. Other services could learn a lot about CUSTOMER SERVICE from them.

Mary Stinson
Office Supervisor
S-VOX