Lorne in Markham

AC stopped working properly (not cooling the air), and another Home Star reviewed company came out to repair. They replaced the capacitor, but that wasn't the issue, and they didn't come back to do a second repair. I was able to diagnose the problem with some Internet research-- clean coils, good air flow, but the lines are iced up. Low freon! Not something I can fix myself. Back to Home Stars-- who is next in line? The dispatcher from Reliable was very nice, and apologized that they couldn't get someone out that very night, is tomorrow ok? Heck, yes, next day service is always great! I'm just glad it wasn't "we'll be there in a week or so". The technician looked at the symptoms and came to the exact same conclusion: low freon. He topped it up and checked for a leak. He couldn't find one, which means either previous A/C service people didn't top up the AC, or during the winter when the metals contract, it forms a small leak (which gets sealed in the heat when the metals expand). He gave some good tips for maintenance, and asked us to check the AC as soon as the winter is over. If it's low freon again, then the "contracting metals" theory might be correct. The air came out nice and cool, as confirmed with my thermometer and theirs. The house cooled down over time, and the AC has been working since. Thanks, Reliable, for a quick turn around, accurate and affordable repair, and the promise of future support!

I'm surprised I have to leave a low score, given the otherwise good service I've received from Novak in the past. A/C went on the fritz during the last heatwave. A technician came out fairly quickly (next day), which is good. Like last year, they hosed the a/c out and replaced the capacitor. I thought that a bit odd, since that was the same service they did last year. It seemed to work last year, so maybe it'll be the same this year? No. Still got hot air from the A/C. I had to call John Novak, who said he'd get right back to me. It was disappointing that he didn't after an hour, and I had to call him a second time. A technician was dispatched for the next day. They replaced the capacitor AGAIN, to no real change. The air was a *bit* cold, but certainly not what an AC should be. I phoned Novak again, but they seemed to be stumped. Even though they are the knowledgeable professionals, they couldn't diagnose what was going on over the phone, or even offer to come back to do another diagnosis. I would have had absolutely no problem paying for a second repair, if there was a secondary issue. But they didn't even offer that, or seem to imply that they knew there was a secondary problem. In the end, I spent money and didn't get a proper repair. I had to go with a second company to fix what the problem actually was: low freon. (Which, BTW, I was able to diagnose and confirm with some simple Internet research-- how the heck could I have figured out the issue but not them)?

I'm a bit torn about going here for garden items. They do have some harder to find items-- like drain re directors and crushed limestone. But for some of the basics, like soil, tomatoes, fencing-- they tend to be either understocked or overpriced. They had almost no stock on basic garden fencing-- those short solid metal ones you stick in the ground around your garden-- and the ones they did have were almost ten times the price of those I found at Walmart. So if you're going to go here for all your garden needs, plan to make an extra stop or two because they probably won't have everything.

The salespeople were helpful without being pushy. My wife and I went in knowing which mattress we wanted (external research), but still wanted to see the other models. The salespeople let us browse without being pushy or stalker-ish. They didn't try to push other more expensive models, and in fact gave us a discount. A super-awesome King sized mattress was one of our "big" purchases. We were both students for so long that buying anything bigger than a movie ticket seems like a luxury, and is always nerve-wracking to put down that much money at once. But the salesperson we dealt with was friendly, and didn't make us feel uncomfortable at all. We got the mattress we wanted without the "used car salesman' vibe.

Thanksgiving night. Long weekend. Rain. A frantic yelp from my fiance. "THERE'S A LEAK!" Great. There's another rain on the way. No one is answering their phones because it's a long weekend. Except... Mr Roof Repair was able to quickly set up an appointment to come take a look at the roof before the next rain. They found the problem right away (nails had been pushed up through the attic, and were rusting), then spent the rest of the hour walking around the roof, re-calking, checking the condition of the rest of the roof, etc. A repair AND some piece of mind, knowing there won't be any similar surprises next long weekend. Everything was spelled out in advance in an easy-to-understand contract. They took tons of pictures while they were up on the roof, so I could see what the problem was. No leak! Yay! Thank you, Mr. Roof Repair.