I'd give 1.5 stars if possible.
I contacted Lyle at Bathrooms Unlimited to have him give me a quote for a major plumbing repair in a basement bathroom. He came by and was friendly, very talkative, and seemed to know his stuff. He's accredited with BBB and has been in business a very long time, and it showed. He seemed to have thought through every possible aspect of the job and explained in detail what his thoughts were, when he'd be available, how many guys he'd have working with him, etc.
I picked up the quote from him at his store a few days later as well as a list of references - references that he let me choose from an address book filled with previous customers, another good sign. He explained the quote, had it broken down into an itemized list, and showed me around his store. I went home and spoke to many of his past customers and they all said much the same thing: Lyle was more expensive than most, but did an outstanding job and they wouldn't hesitate to hire him again.
Just under a week from the time I picked up the quote, after I'd had a chance to compare quotes and consider my options, I called Lyle to tell him that I'd like to hire him for the job. And that's when things went downhill. I don't know if he'd decided he didn't want the job and was trying to brush me off or if he was just having a really bad day, but his demeanour was completely different. He was very short on the phone, borderline rude. He told me that he now wouldn't be able to start my job for at least 2 full months later than he'd said and that if I wanted him we'd have to sign a contract right away and he demanded 50% of the project cost immediately. When I explained that most websites urge people not to give more than 10% or $1000 as a deposit so as not to get ripped off and that I'd be willing to give him 10% now and the remaining 40% when the job began, he said it didn't matter, that's how he does things, then told me to use someone else.
So I will. I wouldn't trust someone whose personality is so volatile. read more