Gallet Handyman Services

unknown

He is almost impossible to get in touch with.  He had measured the job on Feb 18 and sent an estimate a few days later. We agreed on a price and signed a contract.   I had explained that I was working with a cabinet maker and would be in touch as soon as I had had an estimated day for installation.  I would e-mail periodically that I was still waiting for a date.  He asked for a week's notice.  About 10 days before the cabinets were to be installed on May 5, I e-mailed him the date.  No response.  I called and left messages three times.  Finally, my husband called on Friday May 1 and Mr. Gallett returned his call.  He and a helper came on Saturday and removed the cabinet and countertop in one bathroom and the helper installed some wiring for the new  electrical outlet but did not connect it.  Mr. Gallett was almost boastful about not returning calls.  It was obvious there was some friction between him and his helper. 

On May 5 the helper returned to remove the other bathroom cabinet and countertop then returned later in the day to put the old countertop temporarily on the new cabinet and hook up the plumbing.  He measured for the knee wall.  We determined the knee wall would not work and asked if he'd like to start sheetrocking where the medicine cabinets had been removed.  He said Mr. Gallett had not paid him on the day promised for work he had done (before our job) and he wasn't going to do anymore until he was paid.

We - including Mr. Gallett - knew it would take a week to 10 days to get the countertops made.  As soon as I knew they would be delivered on May 13, I began e-mailing and calling Mr. Gallett and got no response.  I tried calling his helper directly and got no response.  The morning of the 13th my husband was able to get someone else to come and install an outlet before the countertops were installed knowing that it would be impossible to do with that countertop in place.  Since then, he has worked around other jobs that were already scheduled to get faucets installed at all three sinks, patch the sheetrock, etc.  Within a day or so all the work we expected will be finished.

Meanwhile, on May 7 we got an invoice from Mr. Gallett for work done on the 2nd that was for more that agreed on for that portion of the work.  I e-mailed that his check was ready and when he came to tell us when he would complete the work I would give it to him.  Repeated phone calls and e-mails to him went unanswered.  Finally, on the 13th after having someone else put in the new electric box, we told him his services were no longer needed.  On Saturday the 16th we got an e-mail form him saying he was too busy to finish the job and we needed to get someone else.

R

I have not used this provider

After calling and verifying the date and time that Mr. Gallet would meet me at the house to do a walk-through and get an estimate for repairs, Mr. Gallet neither showed up for the appointment nor called to explain why he hadn't met me.  I've moved on to other, more professional contractors.

We had contracted for specific work to be done. When he put doors on the bedrooms he said that his estimate did not include door knobs or the fixtures to close the doors. When we asked him to do something he always said that he could do that. He did not give us a price until one or two days later. We recognized what he was  doing and we always asked the price and he would say a million dollars. The fans in the bedroom were put in but the switch to turn them  on is in only one bedroom. Both fans are connected to the same switch. The outlets that we contracted for and paid for were supposed to be on the outside of the closets were not done. The fixture inside one of the closets was covered with mud from the drywall and this was one of the outlets that was supposed to be on the outside. The outlet in the bathroom restricts room for putting in the vanity and mirror. We had to take back the vanity that was there for him to measure. The ceramic tile installation is terrible, there are tile missing. The grouting was not completed. The hole where a light  fixture was removed was not covered when they did the ceilings. The plate that was taken off should have been put on.  No thresh holds were put on the doors. He said that I could do that. Once again we were counting on him to advise us. The dry wall work and the ceiling work is bad. The ceiling has one coat and you can see through the point it is so thin. He was supposed to do a second coat. The light in the bathroom is just hanging. It is not tightened up and it leans forward. You were supposed to insulate the outside of the bathroom. This was not done. The shower fixture is not sealed from the inside. He told us that he would do it. He did not. There is the stripping you put on when you drywall. Painting of the bedrooms and shower was not completed. The trash was picked up when we asked and it was put in the bathtub instead of being taken to the dumpster. It took 4 of us to remove the mess in the bedrooms from the drywall and ceiling. 
The last thing was when he told me he was going to Florida. I said that the job had to be finished before he left. He said ok, But he came one day and said he was leaving the next day and had the subs lined up to finish the job. I was not happy. Two of the subs did not show up. (the electric and the drywall) The electrician  finally showed up two weeks later. At  this point I asked him to not come back. I would have other people finish the work that I have described above.

On day one, the door jamb was repaired, new security lock plate installed, new piece of drywall put into place and taped, and part of door trim installed.  This allowed me to be able to lock my door rather than having to barricade it at night.  On second day, remainder of the door trim was installed, the door jamb painted to match, and the drywall compound applied to even up the new drywall with the existing wall.  Over the next several days, the drywall was sanded and additional compound applied until an even finish was accomplished.  On the last day, the new drywall was painted, and additional work and cleanup was completed.

timeliness was stressed before work started

The individual arrived promptly upon the agreed upon time. He was polite and professional and very conscientious about cleaning up his work areas and not tracking any materials throughout the house. He worked quickly and did a good job of installing the faucet. The door and the towel rack were also quickly fixed and done right. Upon finishing the he again went and checked to ensure the areas he worked were cleaned up.


Revision to review:::  Since the above work has been completed the towel rack has  became loose and needs to be repaired again. The fans were installed with a very little cutting of the ceiling to install just one of the fans by another contractor.

It went great.  Work scheduled correctly.  Performed on time.

I contracted with Gallet Services to repair or service a variety of smaller projects on the inside and outside of my home and agreed to pay a daily fee of $300.  On the first day he showed up at 9:30 a.m. and left a little after 4:00 p.m. but wanted to charge me the full daily rate.  He also stopped for a short lunch.

He attempted repairs to some wood trim on front porch columns.  The trim came apart a short time after he made the repairs leaving them in worse shape than before he started.  When he was shown photographs of the trim, he said he would repair it again for an additional $150.He painted a back entry door with the incorrect white paint.  At the time he did this, I mentioned it looked wrong and he said it was due to the fact the new door was metal.  In fact, it was the wrong paint and it is painfully obvious.  He refused to correct this problem.He painted the media room but did not blend the paint around light fixtures, etc.  In full light it looks OK, but in dimmed light it can be seen clearly.He varnished the front door leaving streaks, runs, and drips all over requiring the door to be sanded and redone.On the last day he was at my home, he convinced my wife to pay him in full (even though he had not dealt with her on any of the repairs).  This took away whatever leverage I would have enjoyed and was a "smart move" on his part.

Gallet Services did substandard work at premium prices, refused to correct inadequate repairs and services, and took his money and ran before I could get home to inspect and approve the work.

UPDATE: I have read the response to my review written by Gallet Handyman Services.  All I can say is my initial review is 100% accurate.  The rates he mentioned about less than four hours or more than four hours are brand new to me....totally and utterly false.