Nancy of Metro-west

Want some local flavor? Go to Great Brook. They have a nice selection of gifts inside and lots of plants & garden ideas outside. If you're there at lunch time, try the soup and sandwiches. The owners are lovely which makes their staff lovely also.

We purchased 4 dining room chairs, a buffet, and a clock/cabinet from Donahue's. The sales staff didn't hover, we felt we could make up our minds without being watched. Our pieces are approx. 9 years old and we still have them.

Pat replaced our bedroom, kitchen & mudroom windows. We wanted wooden frames in all but the mud room (vinyl). Pat ordered the windows and had them delivered to our home. The team he hired was courteous and polite. (I had small children at home as well.) I wanted glass block in the kitchen. Pat made the window according to what I wanted as a special project. He vaccuumed areas after work was complete. Left our rooms clean.

We were shopping around for an outsoor grill. The Christmas Tree shop had one in our price range. That grill lasted almost 10 years. We didn't have any problems with it. I know if we had, they would have exchanged it. I always purchase my autumn flower bulbs from Christmas Tree Shops. They have always come up in the spring.

Pat has plowed for us for 5 years. He is available for specific needs: sanding steep drives, etc. On the occassions when there was too much snow (over a foot variety), Pat re-plowed. Pat is thorough and easy to work with. I have recommended him often.

I had two pictures framed at Michael's craft store. I liked their selection of frames: metal, wood, plastic, etc. They also offered many colors and styles. They offer different types of matting as well. When my pictures & frames were completed, they phoned. It took a week or so to comple.

BJ's has a great selection of TVs. We looked at other places. Their prices were the best. Sales associates have been helpful. Sometimes it's hard to find them but once you do, they help. On a second TV, the cable attachement on the back of it broke, I returned it and they took it back without a problem.

I needed a fridge quick. I went in, looked around, made a decision. Delivery was scheduled in a few days. the men were on time and polite. they took the old one away also. I decided to join their points card so we got money back from this purchase.

Thorstensen Labs are certified to perform the water test required for Title 5 (if your well is under 100 feet from your septic tank.) They worked with the local health department. I had no issues. I thought the price of the test was very reasonable.

I love looking at the clearance items. You can usually find a good bargain there. Regardless, their regular prices are good, too. I've returned some items without a problem. I also like the 20% off coupons in their flyers.

We purchased 4 director's chairs from BB & B. We really liked these chairs but the store only had 3. The sales clerk called other stores and held the last one for us. It was worth going to the other store because the chairs were at a good price.

We purchased a captain's bedroom set for our son. The bed base came already put together. The guys who were delivering it, wouldn't even try getting it up the stairs. They wouldn't try, they just refused. They made the decision from downstairs, wouldn't go upstairs to look. We had other furniture of a similar size upstairs already. Yes, we have a cape but there was enough room. So we had to get a refund.

We had shopped and shopped. Finally decided to go to Building 19. We found a glass top table with four chairs. The cost was much less ($200) than the sets we had seen at other stores. We bought it on the spot.

Matresses purchased, no problem. Sectional sofa with cotton fabric did not wear well. When asking the sales person about how it would wear, she told us it would hold up and last. We had two dogs and a son, we needed something strong. She wasn't too helpful. It was disappointing. Kid's furniture didn't last either. The first time my son slammed a drawer, the facing came off. I had heard that Jordan's were good about taking back ruined furniture but I didn't know that until our one year warranty had passed. Too bad we didn't know.

I like the variety of products at Hancock. I like their displays. I am usually able to find what I need. However, when it's time to check out, there's only one clerk at the cash register. The line gets long, she gets frustrated. They could use more sales clerks.

I had purchased $100 in boxes. When I needed more, I returned. My second purchase would have been about $25 because the they didn't have the boxes I needed. I had only brought my credit card along. No purse, no other ID because someone had driven me, and I was required to show ID. While I am glad the sales person followed store policy, I needed my tape. He wouldn't sell it to me. It seemed unreasonable at the time.

We needed to remove carpet from our living room and dining room. It was July 4 and extremely hot. We looked at another store but they didn't have the right tool. A sales person helped us to find the pry bar. He joked with us that it was way too hot to be using that kind of a tool. Nice, helpful and courteous staff.

Aubuchon Hardware in Clinton is a nice local store. They are always helpful when I need to find something. They had the keys and the painting supplies (brushes, tape, paintpan, drop cloth) that I needed. I liked that the store was about seven miles from home. While it is located downtown, I could always find parking.

Knight Fuel came to remove two propane tanks (theirs) because we didn't want to use propane. They understood and also refunded us the cost of the remaining propane. They were easy to deal with and came when scheduled.

We hired Galeota twice to inspect our two homes that we subsequently purchased. He was knowledgable and informative. He looked on the roof, in the attic, poked the foundation, poked the basement rafters, looked for pests, etc. He prepared a written report on the premises. In both houses, there weren't any surprises. His reports were accurate.

I purchased seasonal plants at Lancaster Gardens. The plants were healthy and grew well. I loved the variety of indoor and outdoor plants. Displays were arranged in a nice, eye-appealing manner. The staff were always helpful and courteous.

We needed to refinish and repair our hardwood floors prior to selling our home. We needed it completed within a few days. We called on a Monday and he came on a Wednesday. The work was well done. We were so glad he could come immediately. We also recommended him to a neighbor who was also pleased.

Waste Management has not been the easiest company to deal with. They do come and pick up the trash & recyclables weekly. However, we have had some issues with them dropping trash out of the truck and having it strewn along our road. It was brought to their attention. We also had a difficult time receiving the trash bin and having them pick it up when we made a change in our trash removal. It took weeks and multiple calls to resolve this simple task. they promised to drop it off/pick it up but never did on the promised day.

David Culley was the best septic service provider we had. He worked with me explaining the title 5 process and what was required. He did the work as requested. He made a personal trip over to our house to help me understand. There was a delay on a water test. He needed those results to complete his forms. It turned out that the water results were on someone's desk... David was easy to work with and he was helpful. Just taking the time for explanations was great.

We preferred electric to gas for our stove and dryer. I chose Doucet Electric because they came to do a bit of electrical work when our furnace was replaced. They did a good job on the furnace and I trusted his work. Areas were cleaned after the work was completed. They came as scheduled and we didn't have to wait a long time for the appointment.

If you need a general water test, this is the company to go to. If you need a Title 5 water test, check with your local health dept. for a proper lab. When I ordered this test, I told them what I needed it for. They never informed me that they weren't certified. But they gladly took my money.

We chose Graebel to move us to Denver. The Graebel New England office worked with me and answered all of my questions. They came out to our house for an estimate. Estimate paperwork was printed on the spot. Their pricing was straightforward and clear. They provided any boxes as part of their service. They packed my breakables and other kitchen items as part of their service. The only thing I can think of as a problem, was that their billing and processing of the invoice took a long time. It wasn't available immediately. We had to wait for the final total and reconcilliation.

Fraticelli delivered our heating oil on a scheduled service. They would come when needed and we didn't need to call for delivery. When I did need to call, the girls who answered the phone were always polite. When we first moved into our 65 year old house, the old boiler burned through 275 gallons of heating oil in about 21 days. We called Fraticelli in the middle of the night, in -10 degree weather. The truck came within an hour. The driver restarted our boiler for us. He was so kind. We panicked and he said, "No problem." We had a two year old who slept through the whole experience.

Workmen arrived as scheduled. They measured the linear feet of the gutters and charged $1 per foot. It's a messy job and they put the gutter mess into a bucket. They did the work as requested. My gutters worked perfectly in the rain.

I needed an outdoor spigot replaced that had a key. My boys wouldn't leave the water alone. I called RJ Curley. They had a solution for me. A spigot with a key to turn it on and off. They came and replaced the existing outside spigot. They also replaced two other faucets. We purchased them, they installed them. Work areas were cleaned up. The repairs were made without incident and I could hold the key to the outside spigot!

I chose RJ Curley because they were on the BBB website. The repairman was courteous. He replaced the tub faucet. He cleaned up afterwards. This repair cost half as much as one we had replaced in Burlington. Same job, same faucet.

We called Milton's to come repair a frige that wasn't keeping things cold and would leak. The repairman was on-time. He charged only the service call. Even though the frige is a frost free kind, the ice line froze in June. The hot weather made the frige work harder so the line froze. We unplugged the frige, it thawed, and then it worked fine.

We moved into our house and found there were mice. The house was 65 years old and next to lots of trees and wetlands. Mice like to live there. Security came and baited the house to kill the mice. The mice came back within the warranty period. Security returned and rebaited the house two more times without a problem. They honored the warranty without complaint.

John Evangelous, Sr. came to inspect and set traps. No squirrels trapped but some mice were. He checked back when he was in the area to clean out the traps. After a few months, we had the traps removed. John and co-workers worked neatly. John explained about squirrels and mice. The fact that we lived close to acres of trees and wetlands made our house a nice place for the mice and squirrels to live.

We purchased a ceramic cooktop electric stove. It was installed without incident. The delivery came on time. We also purchased a Whirlpool dishwasher. While the cost of the dishwasher was reasonable, the add-on costs seemed high. There were additional fees related to installation and electrician fees. Codes require dishwashers to be hard wired. The electrician came on time as scheduled and installed the dishwasher.

Getting the septic tank pumped was a great thrill to my 2 year old son. The tech was kind in his explanation and our watching. He inspected the tank and noted some repairs. The repairs were done at a later time. No problems noted. They were always polite.

Patriot Chimney Services provided routine maintenance and repairs on our chimney. They repaired the crown ($195) of the chimney prior to installing a cap ($179-prevents water from pouring in.) They are clean and tidy as they work. The sweeps are also polite and professional.

McPhail Appliance Service came to my home to repair my refrigerator. The repairman arrived on time and was polite. He diagnosed the problem and repaired the frige accordingly. The cost was reasonable.

I used Cubby Oil Co. Inc. for routine maintenance and deliveries of home heating oil. The drivers and technicians were always friendly and respectful. They answered questions in a knowledgable manner.

For annual cleanings, the technicians are always on time, courteous and respectful. They call if they are going to be late. For emergencies, they come quickly. We had a broken intake pipe. Oil spilled in the basement when filled. Tuttle replaced the pipe and helped the oil company with the clean up.

My house has a water heater that is heated by an oil burner/boiler. The old one was leaking and not repairable. Tuttle Heating came quickly and replaced it as promised. The job was done with courtesy and professionalism.

Craig Tuttle and company installed a five heat zone boiler. The system was a bit tricky and required several visits before the job was completed. They came on time, performed the work as promised and each and every person working for Tuttle Heating was courteous and professional.