Due to some scheduling conflicts, my contractor was not able to use his regular plumber and Armstrong Baum was hired to do some work for my bathroom renovation. (The cost I have listed above is not accurate; I don't know the cost, as it was invoiced to my contractor) I was redoing my shower, and had wanted to install a rain showerhead + a handheld shower; this required a diverter valve to divert the water from one function to the other. The plumber they sent ended up being unfamiliar with the items to be installed, despite the fact that they were standard fixtures, from a well known, large company. He insisted that the valve I purchased was defective; further insisting that we had to find a replacement. He was not able to find one, and it was my contractor who had to call his plumbing supplier to find one, and then it was the weekend and my reno ended up being delayed by 4 days. We obtained a replacement part just in case, but asked for another plumber to come and finish the job. It was then discovered that the part was not defective at all ! And was working all along.... but that the first plumber just did not know how to install / use the valve and so he assumed it was broken. A job that would have taken 1/2 a day according to my contractor, took 5 days. And in the renovation world, time = money. Gratefully, the company maintained their integrity by not charging me for the excess time spent looking for the replacement part; however, it still delayed my bathroom reno from moving forward and pushed all the subsequent jobs back as well. I would not necessarily say that the whole company deserves a poor rating, but rather, I would say that by sending me a plumber who was I think a bit older and out of touch with current standards and products, I now have a poor impression of the whole company. I would not use them again if I had a choice, and I would not refer them to others.
