Crystal Palace Conservatories Inc

I expect the company is out of business but wanted to let RKD from Mississauga know that he was not alone in his experience. In our case, however, we did get a final product because we contracted several years earlier (after getting a reasonably positive reference from a nearby homeowner). The process, however, was a nightmare.

Work started 8 months late and took three times as long as promised, the foundation froze and had to be redone (very reluctantly and at my insistence), a tarp was put over the beams for more than two months because the glass was not ready, the wrong windows were ordered, etc. etc. As in the case of RKD, communication was very difficult, the work crew showed up sporadically, the site was a mess and the owner seemed available only when there was a scheduled payment to collect.

I basically had to be my own site supervisor because so many aspects of the work were initially done without regard to basic construction principles -- principles that one could know simply by reading instructions on a package. In the end I managed to get a (mostly) decent product but I paid a heavy price, always being concerned that they would fold before the work was completed. In essence, they had figured a way to hold customers to ransom and took full advantage of it. I am sorry that others ended up as victims.

We have a written contract with Crystal Palace Conservatories to build us a beautiful, heavy timber glass roofed conservatory. It was to be complete in 8 weeks starting in April 2008. It's now almost 10 months later and all we have is a foundation, stud walls that have black mold on them, windows (not the ones that our contract specified) beautiful red cedar timbers on the roof (no glass yet) and a great big leaky tarp (known in the neighbourhood as the circus tent). It's been sitting like this for many months. Daily phone calls were never returned from the start. Andrew M. who is the sole owner/president/director/treasurer/project manager of Crystal Palace Conservatories has only ever been on site when it's time to collect money. He has shown no interest in the well being of our project. The site has been left a total mess. We have a river/lake of mud every time it rains. Eaves troughs were taken down and never returned, trench around the foundation was never filled in by them.We had to do it ourselves when we got so fed up with it because every time it rained we had a moot and the brown muddy water then would seep into our basement. Countless other problems. Now comes the real problem. They have recently disconnected phone lines. Website was removed, cell phone number was changed and yes he has most of our money and what we have of a conservatory will be rotting in the snow and rain if we don't do something ourselves at our further expense. What kind of a way is that to run a business, one that we were led to believe we could trust. Our word of warning, do not ever go into a contract with Crystal Palace COnservatories or any other business with Andrew M.