My parents had used Consumer's Choice for a couple of projects before (going as far back as 15 years) and things turned out very nicely so we didn't hesitate to use them for a new front exterior door and basement window project. First off, the salesperson/consultant (Gary) was an absolute delight to deal with. He was extremely knowledgeable and helpful in accommodating our schedules to meet with us and advising us to choose the right products. He was a true professional. After that point, however, when it came to the installation, it was a complete disaster. While removing the old door, the installers caused significant damage to the brick around the door. I'm not talking about a little chip here but massive, very visible chunks out of several bricks at about chest-height (so it's very obvious). There was nothing unusual about our previous door, frame or bricks. It was a very standard job. After multiple phone calls with the company, no solution was provided and no compensation offered despite the fact that their contract stipulated that they were responsible for any damage caused during installation. Their response was that they were not a masonry company so couldn't fix it. I can understand that, but they should have offered compensation for this. It is an 80 year old house with a very specific brick colour that is hard to obtain so now there is permanent damage. The bricks can be replaced with other ones that won't really match which is an equal eye sore to the damage. It was clear that this was a problem of incompetent installers. I have attached 2 pictures, one shows the bricks by the mailbox in good condition just with the old door just prior to the new door being installed and the other picture shows the damage.
They also made several other mistakes. For example, they actually caulked over the weep holes in the window they installed, even though it says right on the checklist from their 'window wise' certification they leave with you that the weep holes are clear and can drain. Another example was instead of installing a backband for the inside casing/trim of the front door, they used cove moulding which looks ridiculous as this is typically used for where walls meet ceilings, not for a door casing. We had actually paid more to upgrade to a 4 inch casing with backband and it is right on the contract! The technician that came over to resolve this informed me that there would likely be damage to the plaster if he removed the installed moulding based on how it was installed, so we would need to repair the plaster and repaint ourselves. After hearing this and already frustrated with the brick issue, I decided it would be best to just pay out of pocket and have someone else finish the job and do it properly. There were also other several amateur hack-job issues like using a completely mismatching caulk around the window capping (dark grey/charcoal for a beige casing), instead of matching it as closely as they can which is standard, 100% of the time.
I don't have any issues with the quality of the actual products. The door is Tru-tech and it is great. There was a problem with the multi-point lock mechanism but this was an issue for the door manufacturer to resolve and they came out and replaced it promptly. Based on the other reviews, I am pretty sure that if we had other installers, everything would have turned out just fine. My issue is that Consumer's Choice failed to take ownership of the damage and issues at hand and provide the type of customer service that they should strive for. So, unfortunately, they have lost a customer for other future projects.
The initial work was done in late 2015 and I dealt with Consumer's Choice to remedy some of the issue and they last came out in May of 2016, but for the brick issue in particular, no resolution of my problem was ever proposed. I contacted a very reputable masonry company who informed me they would keep an eye out for similar bricks in salvage which is the only place they could get them, but it has been a better part of a year and it doesn't look possible. I have finally decided to post this review, as initially I tried to move on, but recently a few people on separate occasions commented on the brick damage and it only reminded me that this was never made right. I don't usually take to such forums as I tried to resolve it with the company including through their own review survey method that they sent me by email but to no avail. The reason I have posted anonymously is that upon reviewing other complaints on Homestars, Consumer's Choice on a couple of occasions in their response did things like revealing the full name of the person who
contracted them or the street that they lived on. That type of response is not only unprofessional but violates basic privacy of the customer. So almost 9 months since they I last dealt with them, the lead number on my contract/invoice was 656288 if they wish to contact me. I will give them one more shot to make this right and if they do, I will gladly alter or remove my review.
