Handyman Solutions & Carpentry-Remodeling
Serving Springfield, MO and surrounding areas
In business since 1990
Free estimates
"I have mixed feelings about this experience. Ted was averse to doing an estimate. If that had occurred I think we would have had a very different outcome. I have never hired anyone without that step, but due to a short timeline, and his good reviews here on Angie's list, I took a chance because it was a fairly straightforward job.
The positive: He went to great lengths to help me find material for my job, which unfortunately, did not turn up what I needed. This was all before I actually gave him the job. I did eventually find suitable material on my own. Ted was punctual, and did the job in exactly the amount of time he said it would take. He worked quickly and expertly and the quality of his work was without fault. He was pleasant and personable. I asked him to quote other work while he was still in my home, He clearly knows what he is doing, and knows a lot about home improvement.
The downside: I did ask for a paid invoice to be provided for insurance purposes, and I haven't received that yet. It has been only a week, but I believe that to be sufficient time. We did have some unfortunate issues with communication. Specifically, I pointed out that the job was not completed exactly as requested, but that I was fine with it. I told him it looked great, but that my husband may be displeased by the slight difference in how it was completed versus my specific request. He did not respond well. I have not received the quote for the other work, either.
I believe he is a decent, honest worker, but I will likely not use him again due to the unprofessional way he chose to communicate with me at my home (which he apologized for later) and then again in further emails (no objection to e-mail, just the conversation and direction of it). Also, the lack of professionalism in not providing the invoice. If something changes, I will gladly update my review. I want to give Ted the benefit of the doubt!
9/7/14 UPDATE -invoice received. Thanks Ted. But you have forced me to defend myself.
I didn't go into particulars for a reason. I prefer to be fair, and give every allowance for an off day. I left a glowing review of Ted's excellent work. The material I provided was not what I had said I would provide, that is true. But it was, ultimately, what Ted had himself suggested in the beginning. He said as much to me after the fact in an e-mail. I again maintain that I believe Ted's work to be of good quality. My "excessive expectation" was to have a toe kick installed that was flush to the bottom of the cabinets, and not to the floor, as new flooring was being installed that would cover the bottom gap. That is what I specifically stated to Ted and asked for, and the material provided was appropriately cut to do that. I deliberately had the material cut 1/4" less than the full height of floor to bottom of the cabinets because nothing is fully level or plumb in this house. I didn't want Ted to have to waste time shaving the edges at any point when I knew I had 5/8" flooring coming in to cover the bottom gap.The previous toe kick was in no way anchored to the floor, so I did not anticipate any difficulty with this. Upon arrival, Ted voiced no concerns over the materials or the way I wanted it installed, and instead installed it in the more standard way. I was sitting ten feet from the workspace the entire time, and nothing was said about it. It was not what I asked for, but was done well. The gap that was left at the top is not bothersome to me, but is to my husband, as it is large enough (1/4" in most spaces, not 1/8") to allow the pet hair, and whatever else, in under the cabinets. It CAN get up there. (if you have pets, you know what I mean, that hair has wings) The gap proved too large for the painters to caulk, I'm afraid. They couldn't do it. No, we will not see it, but it is a clean freak thing - that is the reason we asked for it to be flush to the cabinet bottom, just as the old kicks were.
So again, we are left with the unprofessional way he chose to communicate with me. I will still not post it here, because I don't believe he behaves in that manner normally. He is, however, blaming me for not doing the job the way I asked it to be done, without ever communicating to me while on site that there was any problem with it being done that way. He chose to do it his own way, which was the standard application. That is a point of professionalism. Communicate to the customer. The results were of good quality. I have given him every benefit of complimenting his good work and giving a fair review of his craftsmanship, personal communication aside. It is a shame he chose not to accept the review as originally posted. Ted does very good work. But with me, anyway, his communication was poor, and he was less than nice to me when i questioned the gap issue. I was very diplomatic in the original review. I continue to take the high road and leave out the details."
+7
Recommended by93%of homeowners
