Mark in Toronto

Quick Google search brought these guys up, they advised that I would have an $80 charge to show up and assess the fridge (wasn't cooling properly). They guy looks at it for 45 seconds and tells me it will be $360 to fix for parts and labour. I ask how long it will take - he says 90 minutes. So in half that time he's done and didn't replace any parts. A) How can a guy assess something in 45 seconds and be so incorrect in his time? B) How does a time and materials charge not get reduced when there were no materials used and the time was 1/2 the estimate? This is just wrong.

This has been the WORST experience I've ever had in the service industry. We are renting a tankless hot water heater for about $55 per month. The term of the contract is way too long (in hindsight) and the buyout agreement is completely egregious - the conditions should be outlawed by our Ministry of Consumer Affairs. 1) I'm a dummy (Caveat Emptor) and didn't do the math on the life of the rental contract - but we're paying THOUSANDS more than the equipment and installation is worth over the life of the stifling contract AND we can't touch it or allow anyone else to touch it without voiding whatever warranty the equipment has. 2) The fact no one else can touch it means for any renovations - Simply Green needs to move it for you. The issue here is they are taking significant economic advantage of this situation to my detriment and further, are now causing delays in my project - and costing me more money/aggravation. 3) They are taking DAYS just to respond to emails. 4) They want $1150 for a $600 job (as quoted from 2 other independent contractors). 5) Their technician gave me a verbal estimate in about December of $400-$500 but now tells Simply Green he never told me that. 6) I've been on them now for about 4 months - and it's still not moved. 7) One of the contractors who quoted the job for me has told me the initial installation was not done to code and if it's not corrected when he comes back, he's obligated to red tag the device - and Simply Green has done nothing to date to move the device and fix the problems related to Code. 8) They actually did make a service appointment with me last year before any of the above occurred and then never showed up for the appointment. Nor did they call back to apologize for that or try to rectify the situation. 9) When I read their responses to other negative reviews, my actual experience is SO FAR removed from what they are portraying publicly, my breath gets taken away. I simply don't believe or trust them. What a poor and incongruous working relationship we have as a basis to do business moving forward.

Daniel, Steve and all his crew are all great to work with. They manage expectations very well and understand the business isn't just about basements. They're fair minded in everything they do. They worked very hard all the time and never smoked or swore. They made themselves available when we needed help moving things around upstairs. They did what they said they would and always took care of the detail. Workplace safety is high on the priority list, as is proper coverage for your insurance needs. Daniel helped us a lot in finding an insurance broker when TD told us they wouldn't cover us during the renovations! He brought in soils engineers and structural engineers to make sure all bases were covered. They went out of their way to save the garden and keep the cat in. Is The Underpinners more expensive? Yes - a little not a lot. Are you getting what you pay for? Undoubtedly. You're not just getting a nice end product - but in a job that could bring yours or your neighbours house down - properly done. He's above board all the time so if you ever have a claim down the road - there just won't be a problem from your basement. Do yourself a favour - shop around and then hire The Underpinners. Great job guys!