LF

I picked Climax based on their great Homestars reviews. While the technician was friendly and personable, there were some problems during the installation process that could have been better including clearer communication and confirming everything was in working order after the installation. Once the owner Sam was made aware of the issues, he called me right away to talk things through and gave me more context which I appreciated. I'm updating my review as a result.

I'm so happy I found Josh on Homestars! I had a leaking pressure vacuum breaker in a basement tub, and sent photos to Josh. He responded quickly and recommended removing the PVB entirely and replacing it with copper pipe. I didn't need it fixed immediately and he booked me in his first available slot, a week later. Josh arrived on time (mask and booties on, which I really appreciated), worked super quickly and had everything done in less than an hour, leaving everything clean as a whistle. Josh is honest, knowledgeable, skilled and explained everything really well - he knows his stuff. What he quoted is what I paid. His rates and warranty are competitive and on top of that, he's a really friendly and good-natured guy. I'll definitely use his services again, and I'll recommend him to family and friends. It's such a relief to find a great plumber you can trust - thanks Josh!

John did a fine job replacing our leaking garden tap and installed a new ball valve inside the house. He also replaced the inside of our toilet tank with all new parts, and kindly straightened and sealed the wobbly base, unasked. No more leaks! What he quoted is what he charged. I appreciated the precautions he took during these covid times (mask, gloves, booties.)

My bathtub was leaking into the ceiling below, and Alex showed up 3 hours after I first called him. He figured out the problem in less than half an hour, and talked through various options with me. What he quoted is what he charged. Alex was lovely to deal with - punctual, knowledgeable, friendly, down-to-earth - made a stressful situation less stressful, which I greatly appreciated. I will definitely call him when I need an honest & reliable plumber!

Ever since I saw Steve on CBC's Marketplace, I was secretly hoping that something would break down so I could have the chance to use his service. Sure enough, the burner on my one-year old electric stove died and I got my chance! Steve replied immediately to my email, was flexible with my crazy schedule and even showed up early at the appointed time. He assessed the damage quickly and gave me valuable and honest advice on the pros/cons of electric and gas stoves. To help save me some $, he happily installed the spare terminal block that I had and thoroughly tested everything to make sure all was ok. On top of that, he charged me less than what was originally quoted, which was a nice surprise. As everyone else here has noted, Steve is simply the best - he's honest, friendly, extremely knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. He's now on my speed dial for anything else that might break down - it's wonderful to know that he's only a phone call away. Count me a fan!

I'm so glad I found Bill through Homestars. There's a good reason why he's received 10 star ratings from everyone here - he's just amazing! Bill installed a chimney liner for me in January and came back in May to rebuild my crumbling chimney. I had no idea what was involved, and he patiently walked me through the process and quickly responded to my emails and calls. He was friendly and accommodating which I really appreciated. Bill and his crew arrived on time and worked hard, taking care to ensure that the entire area was covered and protected while they worked. In the end, I had a brand new beautiful chimney which was closely colour-matched to the existing bricks. They also left the area clean and spotless. Bill and his crew were exceptional in every way, and truly wonderful to work with. The cost for all the work they did was also very reasonable. Bill is a true craftsman who takes pride in his work and he won't leave until everything is just perfect. I feel lucky that I found him, and I would highly recommend him to all my friends and neighbours!

I searched a long time to find a reputable and reliable snow removal company. Luigi Carlingi Landscaping was recommended by a neighbour and I couldn't be happier with their services. I've used them for snow removal services for a few years now and they are consistently prompt, friendly, reasonably-priced and honest.

After calling several electricians and being told that this job was too small for them to take on, Larry returned my call promptly and was more than happy to arrange the installation of a new light switch for me when the old one failed. Jackson and his assistant showed up on time for the appointment, and quickly and cleanly replaced the faulty light switch in about half an hour. Larry kindly made a follow up call to make sure I was happy with the work. Although the plastic plate on the light switch was a bit scratched up due to the way it was stored in the repair truck, this was minor, and the light has worked flawlessly since it was installed. I would definitely call HC Electrical again whenever I need an electrician.

This is the second time I've used Des for a small job (old TV and desktop computer) and I couldn't be happier. Although I was somewhat out of Des' main service area, he was very accommodating when I explained my situation, and showed up within half an hour after agreeing to pick up my items. He's an honest and hard-working man, and his prices can't be beat. Thanks again Des, I'm sure I'll be using you again and recommending your services to my friends and colleagues!

I'm so glad I found Des on Homestars - he was just fantastic. I had some junk in the garage and leftover lumber in the yard and needed someone to haul it away quickly and cleanly. Des' rates were cheaper than the competitors, and he was flexible, punctual, friendly and very quick. I wish I had found him earlier, but I will definitely use him again if I ever need his services down the road. Thanks Des!

I haven't been to Down Under in a while, but recently found myself at the College Park location when I needed to find a new duvet cover. They have everything from low end bedding to very luxurious, expensive products. I wasn't looking for anything fancy, and was happy to find a 300 count, 100% Egyptian cotton duvet cover on sale for only $40. The colour selection was extremely limited on sale items, but I was happy with what I found. On the regularly-priced items, you'll have some selection, but it's not vast compared to larger shops like The Bay or Sears, but what they have is obviously of better quality than what you'd find elsewhere. The staff aren't really friendly, but more perfunctory than anything else. They'll help you if you need anything, but likely leave you alone if you just prefer to browse.

I've been looking for a stainless steel plug-in kettle for some time now, and Cayne's had the best price on a Hamilton Beach kettle with a cool-touch exterior. Their regular price was equal to the occasional sale price offered by big box stores, and on top of that, they had lots of kettles in stock. Everything works great and the staff are friendly if you need them for anything. Otherwise, they let you browse without following you around like they do in some stores. My only minor complaint is that parking can be limited, especially when it's busy on weekends - but other than that, I'd recommend Cayne's for its huge selection and reasonable prices.

This is a great place if you're looking for basic kitchen supplies, as well as some specialized products - this store has everything! From things like pots, pans, utensils, ceramics and rice cookers, to more specialized items like expensive sushi chef grade knives, it's all here! Prices are very inexpensive for basic items, but get more expensive with higher quality items. Great for students or anyone on a limited budget, it's packed with everything you can imagine. It can seem disorganized and overwhelming when you first walk in (as well as cramped), but it's a small price to pay. Staff can range from pleasant and helpful to surly. On my latest trip I found a lovely ceramic teapot selling for $8 less than anywhere else in Chinatown. If you spot something you like, it's a good idea to grab it, since stock seems to turn over fairly quickly, especially in the ceramics section.

What a hidden treasure this little shop is! They have a wonderful selection of antique items, as well as newer second-hand items - everything from furniture to household items and curios. A very eclectic collection overall. Everything is displayed very well, over two floors and several rooms. I picked up several old postcards that were just fascinating. Prices are reasonable and items are in good condition.

Giorgio and his apprentice Ralph did an absolutely fabulous job of repairing our leaky faucet and replacing two leaky valves, all in an hour! Giorgio is friendly, fast, professional, very easy to talk to and extremely accommodating - he offered to come by after hours if needed, to do the repairs. The price he quoted is what we paid, and it was very reasonable. I would highly recommend Giorgio if you're looking for a skilled, knowledgeable, punctual and completely honest plumbing professional (no up-selling here!) I'm very happy and relieved to have Giorgio on my speed dial for any plumbing-related work.

Although he arrived an hour late, Aubrey was able to come by to service and repair our 10 year old Kenmore dryer which was making loud squeaking sounds. He replaced a part, cleaned everything out thoroughly, repositioned the duct and re-leveled the machine all in about an hour. Hopefully that will keep it running for another 10 years! (UPDATE: When we smelled burning rubber after using the repaired dryer for the first time, Aubrey came to our home right away the next day to ensure that there were no problems. All was ok, as it was only stray dryer lint causing the smell. Aubrey made sure we were satisfied with everything before he left - he stands by his work!)

Aubrey was able to quickly diagnose the problem over the phone and did a fabulous job fixing our washing machine. It works beautifully now. He's very knowledgeable and his rates are reasonable. We also booked an appointment to have our dryer serviced the following week, but Aubrey was quite busy so it slipped his mind - maybe next time!

They claim to do most of their plowing overnight, but that was rarely the case. We would wake up to a blanket of snow, and sometimes that wasn't cleared for 12-24 hours after the snow ended. To prevent the snow from freezing and packing into an icy mess, I often ended up shoveling the driveway myself when they wouldn't show up (or showed up very late.) They were good at answering my calls in the beginning, but towards the end, they were hard to reach and didn't return messages (ever.) When they did clear our driveway, that was great. However, they damaged our lawn in the process, which has never happened before with other snow removal companies. Disappointing and uneven service. Why is it so hard to find a reliable snow removal company that will do what they actually say they will?

I woke up to a spraying leak from a copper pipe leading from my hot water tank. I called Giorgio in a bit of a panic, and he came by immediately, even though it was a Sunday afternoon. Giorgio quickly diagnosed and fixed the problem by replacing the copper elbow. After the repair, he thoroughly checked to make sure there were no leaks and he also happily checked the pilot light of our hot water tank to ensure that it hadn't gone out because of the water that had dripped dowm from the leak. Giorgio was simply outstanding - he was friendly, knowledgeable, extremely honest, and he took the time to explain everything he was doing. And on top of all that, the rate he charged was less than I would have expected for this kind of work. I highly recommend Giorgio for any plumbing work you may have. I can see why he's got a solid 10 star rating on Homestars, and I will add my 10 star rating to the list. Thanks Giorgio, you're awesome!

What seemed like a small problem with a leaking kitchen drain stack in our basement turned into something larger and more complicated. Flavio and Matt were able to quickly diagnose the problem and spent five long hours working very hard to replace the kitchen pipes in our wall, the stack and the leaking pipes underneath our kitchen sink. They were professional, friendly, knowledgeable and their workmanship was absolutely beautiful. The clean-up afterwards was impeccable and they left everything even cleaner than it was before. Flavio's attention to detail is amazing and he and Matt tested our pipes multiple times before leaving, just to ensure that everything was working correctly. I highly recommend Canada Wide Plumbing, especially if you have any complicated plumbing problems.

After seeing Roy's outstanding reviews here, I gave him a call re: our badly clogged kitchen drain pipe. He answered quickly and was able to come see us a day earlier than expected, which was fabulous. Not only did Roy recommend an excellent plumber to help with our other problem involving kitchen pipes leaking in our wall, he was able to recommend a general contractor who could fix the wall afterwards. Roy was truly outstanding in every way - knowledgeable, friendly, affable, honest and a consummate professional. He was able to unclog our badly clogged, grease-filled drain quickly, even though it was located in a cramped and awkward area. He protected our carpets and cleaned up so well afterwards, that you couldn't tell that he'd even been there. He also gave us tips on maintaining our drain. The fee that Roy charged for all the work and time he put into the problem was so low, that I felt we were undercharged! How's that for a nice surprise? I can honestly say that this has been the best experience that we've ever had with a contractor - I can't believe that there are such honest people out there like Roy. If I could give Roy 11 stars, I would! He certainly exceeded all my expectations and I heartily recommend him for any drain-related problems you might have. Three cheers for Roy!