Used Ambassador Services for scotchguarding, cleaning grout, and sealing a bathroom floor. Here's a run down of my experience.
Albert gives an estimate a variety of projects at our home. I call him back after he provides the estimates asking him a) to do 2 of the 5 items quoted and b) whether he would honor a coupon that I had received in the mail. He stated yes to both. I'm clear on the first item as I was planning to split the work as some of my furniture had not arrived.
He shows up. First thing that he states is that he was under the impression that he was doing all of the items on the estimate. (Huh?) He then states that his minimum is really $500 (up from the $250 that he originally quoted me.) Shockingly, he states that he can't honor the coupon because of this "minimum." BTW, this minimum is not published on either his website or his coupon.
Okay, not too concerned about the $100 off provided that the work is done well so long as he can fix the stains on my grout. I showed him the wall and was clear that we expected the grout to be substantially cleaned. At this stage, Albert says okay. He then proceeds to get setup completely. I leave and Albert then tells my wife (after I leave) that he might not be able to get all of the stains out. He then asks her whether she should proceed. Of course, having not been a part of the conversations, she says yes.
I get back to find a wall that's only marginally better than what we had started with (and a stone floor that looks much worse). I pay Albert dispite being dissatisfied with the service. (This was really my error.)
I call Albert back 1 week later and express dissatisfaction with the outcome and he he was not willing to do anything about it. Did not offer to come out again, did not offer to honor the coupon, and certainly did not offer "my money back" as claimed on his coupon.
Albert's a nice, savvy guy and a good salesperson. That said, he's pretty unconcerned about the actual outcome from his work. The only reason that I'm not giving him 1 star is that he clearly was able to "cover" himself by making the disclaimer to my wife.
If you're going to look past this review, my suggestions would be:
1 - Once you get an estimate, ask for clarity on his minimum.
2 - Ask him to clarify what his "100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back" means. In my case, it did not mean anything.
3 - Be 100% clear on the outcome that you are expecting and what happens if that outcome is not achieved. Make sure that you do this at the time of the estimate.
4 - Pay by credit card.
All of the above fall under Contractor Management 101, but I probably was less proactive than I should have been given all of the rave reviews on Yelp! read more