Great Lakes Refinishing

"And thank you for the review. The details that you gave are so important for all customers/members or not. I recently enrolled with the BBB. They have been soliciting me for 6+ years to sign up with them, I just thought the cost was to high. To all past and potential future customers. Please know that I am the office, I am the one that shows up to do the work. Also I am the person whom does all of the follow up when needed or required. This is my 18th year going well on 19. I am as many people say a perfectionist, but human ! I always do the best I can with everything I touch. Great Lakes Refinishing does about 275+ bathtubs a year. Tile refinishing and other bathroom projects are included. I can also paint the rest of your bathroom, ask for details about specialty bathroom drywall finishes. They are specifically designed for wet areas and they are pretty cool looking to. As the owner/operator I take pride in my work and have experience in many different areas of bathroom remodeling, maintenance and refinishing. Take your time in selecting your contractor, with my hands on experience and knowledge. You can ease your mind when hiring Great Lakes Refinishing. I have everything you need to start and finish your job. Matt Brown"

"That is a great review and I thank you very much. Matt"

"The relevant facts are this. We worked very late the night before and had to go clean up the previous job and pick up the needed tools. I could not call the customer to inform of such facts because I only had an office phone #. When we arrived at the job site we found a badly damaged bathtub in dire need of repair before refinishing. After cleaning the tub I explained that the fiberglass body filler needed at least an hour to dry, so we took a lunch. Then came back sanded and re-coated the body filler with a finishing compound, this takes another hour to dry. In my haste to get to this customers house I did in fact forget the air cap for my gun in cleaning solution at the other job which was complete, I just forgot a 1 gallon bucket with parts for cleaning. All this other needless bashing is just that, poor Rob is being dissected for not being very efficient in his young new job. It was not his first day and masking is something that needed to be learned. I did not leave him to go work on a job I left him so A. He could learn the ropes and B. operating a roll of masking tape is not rocket science. Another words he could not hurt anything and yes again I did forget the air cap for my spray gun. The hard wood floor they would not even let me see, if the customer would have let me come back I assure everyone I could have repaired it. I have installed hard would flooring and refinished it. The customer stopped me short of saying anything because there vision in my opinion was clouded and after reading this I now know that I am right. I did comment on the fact that the varnish on the floor was likely a full gloss Minwax Varnish, not really meant for floors. I am not taking any of this as an insult, just a misunderstanding. The tub turned out great and the only other thing I could have done was watch things dry, nothing would have gone any faster. No way to make everyone happy all the time and do not appreciate anyone saying I am full of it, or giving a BS sob story. That is just plain rude. No contact phone # for SATURDAY and cannot wave my magic wand to make things dry faster. Facts being distorted to fit the customers disaster plan. This is nonsense and way beyond needed. I wish all of my Angie's list customers who like me the very best. Matt Brown"

"This is the real cool review. Customer waited long enough to see if my work held up. Straight A's says it did! I want to thank every customer for leaving a review. On a different note summer lasted about 3 weeks in IL. Now it is fall and I am pretty sure we will have snow for Thanks Giving! Hey to all my Angie's List customers thank you for all your support and reviews. Just keep hiring me, I can make 1 promise. You are in good hands, thank you and look forward 2 the next great customer. Matt Brown"

"All reviews are good reviews. Every time a Angie's List customer leave a review I appreciate the time they spend. All of you put your trust in me, many of you just leave a check and a key for me. I know I have done alot of work this year because the year just blew right past me. I can't resist this one and it is a joke! I cannot count how many times I have been Marked. My real is Matt... Brown. I am a mut, Polish, Cz, German, Bohemien and likely something else. Dear customer I am just rolling with the flow. The Mark thing makes me laugh and if you knew me on a personnal level you would laugh to. Matt"

"Thank you for the review. They are very important to help with new customers and letting them know I am good at what I do. I am going on 18 years in the refinishing business. I wish you and your family the best and look forward to working for you or friends in the future. Matt brown"

"Very cool, thank you for the great review. Your tub was tough but steady hard work completed the project. I try very hard to be on time, yet because I do everything. And that means everything, phone, materials and work to make it simple. I am not always there at 9 am. On the + side of work I give every customer my complete attention and always do the best work I can. That has proven to be my strongest attribute to my deticated work ethic. Angie's List customers get me, not one of the guys. When I answer the phone it really is me that shows up. I look forward to serving Angie's List customers from now until I retire. Can everyone believe summer is almost over, we have about 70 days left. Definately not enough time spent with Noah my chocolate Lab. Boating and swimming are his favorite things in life. I am getting a bit off track but that is my stress relief. Best to all and have fun before it snows. Matt Brown Owner/Operaror and everything in between!"

"I appreciate all reviews they are a big help. LaGrange to Evanston is always tough, I always want to go where the work is. Angie's List has been a big help for Great Lakes. I wish everyone a great 4th. Matt"

"Very cool, I appreciate the details. Your tub is like so many of that age and color. I always do my best to give every customer Angie's List or not, the help and great work I can. I wish you and everyone the best for our Holiday Season. Matt Brown"

"Thank you, I appreciate the great review. Matt"

"Dear Member, everything you said is true. I did have to take my dog to the vet. After a recent surgery he tore open the stitches. The caulk line was very large and I was uncomfortable with using caulk and suggested a bullnose tile instead. I did look for tile that would complete your project and discussed with you that I could not find a tile that looked good. The bathtub had been refinished at least twice, which is why we spent a combined total of 7 man hours stripping the old paint off. Then I did the repairs and took Joe home. Both Joe and I were feeling very sick and I did come back Sunday morning on time to finish the refinishing portion. I believe it was the right call and would do the same again. I apologize for any inconvienence, I always do the best I can. I understand to some extent of the way you feel. I did not abandon your project, you said your family member would take care of the caulk problem. Unfortunately unless you are in the Refinishing Industry it is hard to understand how paint stripper can affect a workers ability to perform and I myself was very tired from being up all night with my dog. Best of wishes and I am sorry to have dissapointed you and your family. Matt Brown"

"Thank you, this is the best way of getting my name out there."

"Thank you for taking the time to give me a review. I think it is very cool that you waited almost a year and gave a review on how well the work has held up. That is what members need to know, I do the best with everything I touch. It is just not possible to explain in words how well Angie's List customers and there reviews have launched Great Lakes Refinishing into such a success. I talk with my competitors and they talk about being slow. Since Angie's List first started rating me my business just keeps getting better. With all of my great reviews and great customers I am always busy. I am booking July on June 12th. Thanx again Matt Brown."

"Thank you for taking the time to to give me such a great review. Both you and your husband are very nice people, and working close to home is always the best. I wish your whole family a great summer. Thank's again Matt."

"There are times when I am running late. What I really need is a secretary. It never seems to fail when walking out the door the phone rings or I have to pick up material. For the most part I am on time, but I always call if running late. I appreciate the great review and please all members keep calling. I mentioned My new guy Tom previously, who was trained by me over a decade ago. Hopefully I will be getting all. A's in the punctuality area. Angie's List customers really are the best!"

"Thank you, it is good to change things up for me. Refinishing tubs & tile is the heart of GL and I only offer the other services you mentioned to refinishing customers. I used to be a commercial painter and drywall installer along with framing. So while I have the knowledge and skills I have chosen refinishing as my main business. Both you and your husband are very nice people, and again Angie's List customers in my opinion are the best. Every good review makes my job easier and gives all the members there best chance at hiring a professional refinisher. It takes years to learn all the tricks of the trade, I redo many tubs done by other companies who just do not have the experience or the proper materials and skills. This is going on my 16th year in the business. Thank's again Matt."

"Thank you for the review. I have taken on a partner who was trained by me over a decade ago. There are times when I am running late and it is because of the fact that I do everything. I appreciate the fact that you made mention of the fact that I called and explained why I was running late. I do not know how many times I said , " I wish there were 2 of me" and now there is. Tom does everything exactly the way I do and has the ability to make everyone laugh and be comfortable. I cannot explain in words how happy I am to have him onboard. Angie's List customers are the best and deserve to be treated that way. GL success has been greatly influenced by members and there critique of my services. Truly business has exploded because of Angie's List and I thank them as well as all the members who take the time to truly rate GL. Matt"

"Thank you, It is nice to see when a customer goes out of there way to explain such details. The comments are a driving force which put GL into more members and there friends homes. No matter who I am working for I always do my best and take the time to do it right the first time. Matt"

"Thankyou for the great review. We did lose a days worth of work but the drain had to be fixed. My job is to protect my customers from problems, in your case the drain which was ready to fall apart. I always do the best I can and will continue that. Matt"

"Member I do not want anyone to ever think they paid more than they should have. As with most old white tubs yours had hundreds of chips and was worn quite a bit on the inside. I did what is called a full rebuild, which means the entire inside of the tub was coated with a fiberglass filler in the very deep areas and a finishing compound over everything else. That is why it took 2 different days, I needed to let the filler dry at least 3 to 4 hours before sanding. If you find that the bathtub is to slick you can use a non-suction cup bathmat or I can install one of our non-skid surfaces for little more than gas money and the materials. I want you to be completely happy and will do whatever that takes. As far as the tub peeling you have a written 10 year guarantee that will not happen, if they are done well the tubs do not peel and that is also a promise from me. Please never hesitate to call me with any questions or concerns. Matt Brown"

"Thank you so much. I always do the best I can."

"I would first like to say it was a pleasure to work for you. You are a very nice person, fresh coffee and anything else to make us comfortable. The work at your home was alot and unfortunately the odors from all of the cleaning to repairing and finally the refinishing was alot. We did vent everything we could, but you are right with that many items the smell does linger for a few days. I was very pleased with the parking, many times in that part of town parking is tough with a full size pickup. It makes me feel great to hear from my customers and there complete satisfaction, thank you for the review. Matt"

"Thank you. Matt"

"Thankyou for the compliments. The color changes are a refinishers pleasure to do. Working for you was nice and a needed brake from the project I am still working on. Your tub will last a long time, remember the clorox cleanup. Matt"