Dan in Scarborough,Ont

His willingness to work is too unpredictable! I used him for snow removal for the winter of 2018/2019. I then tried to hire him for some yard maintenance in 2019. Initially he said he was interested but then changed his mind. Later in September of 2019 he sent out an email addressed to 29 of his previous winter’s clients (I assume that was all of his clients) stating he was NOT going to be providing snow removal service anymore in our area. Then 2 months later in the same service area, he delivers flyers to all the houses in the neighbourhood advertising his snow removal service again. So in summary, during the spring of 2019 he was eager to do yard maintenance, and then he wasn’t eager. Then during the fall of 2019 he was eager to do snow removal, and then he wasn’t eager to do it, and now he is eager to do it again! As such, I have found someone else to do my snow removal for the winter of 2019/2020, as I assume most of his previous clients have also done by now. I would be very reluctant to hire him again because I don’t know if he’s suddenly going to change his mind again. He’s unpredictable.

I hired HomeWorksWindows to install 4 windows. Measurements were taken by Scott when he came to my place to discuss the job and to give me an estimate. When I decided to go ahead with the job, he came over again and measured the windows 2 more times to ensure accuracy. So that is 3 times that the windows had now been measured. When the new windows arrived at his shop he said he measured them to ensure they were the correct sizes that he had ordered for me. He said they were correct, so we set an installation date. When he came over to install the windows he once again measured the old windows and the new replacement windows. He then said one of the replacement windows is the wrong size so he could only install 3 of the 4 windows and he would re-order the other one. Considering how many times the windows, both old and new were measured, I would have thought this should have been caught before showing up at the job site. The 3 correctly sized windows were installed in November. It was agreed that the other window would be re-ordered and installed in the Spring. Well Spring arrived, so I have emailed him and left a voice message for him to arrange for the other window to be installed. However, he has NEVER gotten back to me. It has been over 5 weeks now since I emailed him and over 4 weeks since I left a voice mail for him. So I have been very patient and given him plenty of time to respond. It is difficult enough to find someone that will install only 4 windows. Many companies consider that to be too small of a job to be interested, so I now have to find someone else who is willing to install just 1 window. He has put me into an even more awkward position now. I consider his conduct very unprofessional. Ignoring a client is very disrespectful and really lowers the bar. I also have to question his ability to measure properly! I definitely would not use him again.

Canak Windows replaced 5 of my windows in June of 2013. They selected the window manufacturer, Window City, and stated they were a quality window manufacturer. It is now 2015 and I have had 2 problems with the windows, and neither has been corrected. Problem 1: Three of the windows are slider windows. When fall of 2013 came around I noticed quite a draft coming from the slider windows. The draft was strong enough that on a windy day it would blow out a burning match. I called Canak Windows and reported the problem. They said it was a defect in the window and not an installation problem, so they redirected my complaint to Window City. It took several phone calls before Window City responded. The technician that came out to fix the problem merely put a 1" x ¾” piece of weather stripping at the bottom of each slider side of the window. This had almost no effect in correcting the problem. The problem still exists. Problem 2: When spring came around, I wanted to clean the outside of the windows. The 3 slider windows are the type that swing inward so you can clean the outside panes. There are 2 latches on each window that you have to unlock to allow them to swing inward. When attempting to unlock the latches, 1 latch broke. This spring when I came to clean the windows again, another latch broke. That’s 33% of the latches broke after just 2 years and only having operated them once or twice a year. I called Window City to report the problem. They said that since they had already come out once to do one repair, they would only provide me with the parts to repair the window, but I would have to do the repair myself, otherwise it would cost me! I pointed out that the repair they did was unsuccessful and that the windows are suppose to have a life time warranty! They didn’t care and said that was their policy. That's like GM saying that even though your car is still under warranty, we'll give you a new transmission, but you have to install it yourself. Now, how ridiculous is that! So even though the windows are only 2 years old, especially because of the drafts, I'm now in the process of looking for new windows to replace them. These windows are JUNK and the after sales service is just as bad! Both Canak Windows and Window City deserve a failing grade. I would avoid both of them!

I hired Leigh, the owner, to refinish my staircase. In particular, he was to: • Sand the treads and hand rail • Stain the treads and handrail a dark color and then clear coat them • Sand and paint the risers white. • Install new white pickets A few issues came up during the job. I will describe some of them here. Issue 1: A couple of areas on the handrail were stained lighter than the rest of the handrail. Leigh was going to come over one day when I was away to correct this plus do some final touch up on the risers and pick up a cheque which I had left for him. Upon returning home from my trip I found that he had not corrected the stain. I thought that he had forgot to do it or ran out of time, but when I questioned him about it he said he did try to correct it but it came out exactly the same. I find that too difficult to believe. What bothers me the most is that he didn't do the work, but said he did. It is not rocket science. If you put more stain on wood, it gets darker. It is clearly evident that nothing was done, but he is sticking to his story. I trusted him to do the work in my absence, but I was mistaken. Issue 2: A power sander was used to sand the treads (i.e. the steps). Leigh and/or his helper gouged the risers (i.e. the vertical part of the step) on several of the steps while using the power sander. The gouges were quite obvious. They ignored these gouges and merely painted over them. When I questioned him as to why they did not fix the gouges, he actually said that I should have mentioned it to him before they painted the risers! He eventually agreed to fix the gouges, but it bothers me that I had to convince him that it was his responsibility and obligation to correct any damages that he or his workers caused. I have to wonder what would have happened if he was dealing with a single female or an elderly person that may not have known much about construction. I summary, the project started out well but it did not finish well. I think it was because there was a major screw up, in addition to the above, that happened at the beginning of the project. It was corrected, but once again, only after I had to point it out. Since it was corrected I will not go into detail about it, however, correcting the problem set the timetable back a bit. As a result, near the end of the job he was in such a hurry to get to the next job that the workmanship and judgement suffered. Problems arise on almost every job. It’s how those problems are dealt with that is so important. Leigh started out well, but he did not finish well.

You may want to think twice before using "The Finishing Shoppe" or Bill Baker, the owner. I have successfully sued Bill Baker/The Finishing Shoppe, a decorator, and a contractor, for $10000, the maximim amount currently allowed in the Ontario Small Claims Count, for unprofessional and shodie workmanship. They jointly worked on my home renovation project, in which Bill’s involvment was with my kitchen cabinets. The kitchen cabinets were ruined due to poor workmanship, forcing me to buy new cabinets. Information about this case may be verified/obtained by contacting the Toronto Small Claims Court, (416)326-3554, case number SC-07-059087-00.

You may want to think twice before hiring Roxana D, the sole proprietor of RDD Interiors. I have successfully sued Roxana D/RDD Interiors and the contractors she hired for $10000, the maximim amount currently allowed in the Ontario Small Claims Count, for unprofessional and shodie workmanship. I hired her to renovate a few rooms in my house. She provided the decorating services and hired a contractor and a furniture refinisher to do the work, which she oversaw. Every aspect of the job was so poorly done that they damaged every room of my house that they worked on (ie. kitchen, dining room, family room, ensuite bathroom, main bathroom, and powder room), and several of her product choices were inappropriate or totally unusable. I was forced to end the working relationship, before they could do any more damage. It cost $27400 to correct the damages they did, and there is approximately another $1200 of work still to be done. Information about this case may be verified by contacting the Toronto Small Claims Court, (416)326-3554, case number SC-07-059087-00.