Jose Sanchez just helped me with a large seismic retrofit of my downslope Montclair house. The crawl space is very large and there was a significant amount of work. Jose was a please to work with and did a very professional job. His carpentry skills were great, he was very thorough and detail oriented. Would strongly recommend him for any project around your house. read more

Oakland Worker's Collective - Crawl space shear wall. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oakland, California

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Absolute waste of time. Definitely should have them see your scope of work before scheduling. Saida was the person we dealt with, we were in a group of neighbors, and the scope of work designated per day for these workers was done by her without the wherewithal to understand what she was getting them into. Fast forward to the day off, no one shows up and she was cc-d on all emails. Excuse was she had one neighbor who did the scheduling. Not worth the price for all the headache. read more

I've used OWC in the past for yard work, and after employing various gardeners who either charge high fees for landscaping expertise I don't need or are reasonable but use string trimmers and leaf blowers to save time, I've pretty much decided to hire workers from here when I need them and tell them exactly what I want. Jose and Ezekiel did a beautiful job. I do speak Spanish and that helps me communicate what I need, though one of the guys speaks English pretty well. read more

The workers I hired were on time, did the work quickly and carefully and were done before the original time I thought they would be. I have hired the Oakland Worker's Collective for several jobs and they never disappoint. Additionally, it is a great resource for the Fruitvale community, and if you live here (especially if you are new to the area) you should support this place and help build community so it can continue to flourish! read more

Domingo showed up on time, worked hard, and maintained a positive attitude. I'll definitely call him again. Thank you OWC! My neighbor has also had success having OWC build raised beds for her. Regarding the work, have realistic expectations, communicate clearly, and review the work as it's being done. I'm already looking for additional projects to have him help on, he was a huge help! The office doesn't charge the workers for referrals, be patient. This program supporting immigrants and subsistence-level workers. Again, thank you. I'll definitely call OWC again! read more

We hired two workers from Oakland Worker's Collective to weed and clean our yard and they did an amazing job. I would definitely hire them again. read more

I just had another great experience using Oakland Worker's Collective, who I have used for small yard clean-up projects in the past. This time, I had a bigger concrete removal and repair job that I was having a hard time finding folks to do. I called the Collective office and was assigned Jose and Mario. They did a fantastic job and I hired them back the next week to complete part 2 of the project. Each time, Jose and Mario worked hard and steady for two days. They listened to what I wanted and needed for my project, including taking old concrete to the recycling center and other stuff to the dump. But more that, I felt like they were there to help with what I need to get my backyard in order. I can't thank them enough. True professionals! read more

I am a construction manager with over 15 years experience with a Transportation Company in California that has been around for more than 80 years. I have worked with a variety of skilled laborers, electricians, masoners, capenters, you name it, and in my entire 15 years I have never experienced the lack of professionalism and integrity that I experienced recently at the hands of the Oakland Workers Collective (OWC). My contact Edgar S. and his manager Abad, are the worst pair of labor schedulers I have ever had the opportunity to work with and given their lack of integrity and professionalism, as well as a complete lack of communication skills, was such a bad experience, that I will never contact these guys ever again. You would be infinitely better off getting your labor from Home Depot, than the time wasted contacting these guys. I contacted Edgar S, the second week of September 2019, because I wanted to see first hand the work of OWC and get a measure of their work in lieu of getting my labor from other sources, to schedule some work for the 3rd week of September, starting on Monday through to Wednesday of the same week, so 3 days of work. As it rained on Monday, I spoke with Edgar, to push the work back to Tuesday. Instead of 3 days of work from Tuesday - Thursday, Edgar, the nincompoop, scheduled me for 1 day on Tuesday!! Are you kidding me? Why hasn't this guy been fired already. So I decide, OK, people make mistakes, so lets schedule the work for the following week, from Tuesday through Thursday. On Monday late afternoon (so that I do not have a chance to respond!!) Edgar sends me an email (not a telephone call!!) to inform me that he has taken it upon himself to cancel the work again for no reason!! What kind of a mickey mouse outfit is this?! :( So I follow up on Tuesday morning and he refuses to answer any of my calls or follow-up with me. The I left a message for his supervisor Abad, and he never followed up with me either. This organization is a fraud and gives honesty a bad name. In addition, they do not have the professionalism and the integrity to follow through on any of their promises, and if you decide to hire their services, I guarantee they will not only cause you excessive hassle, but will completely let you down as they have done to me. Save yourself time and money, and go elsewhere. Trust me you will thank me afterwards. read more

This is a very useful resource for anyone who needs to hire workers for small jobs. I had 2 cubic yards of gravel delivered that needed to be hauled up in bags from the street level to my backyard. Communication was good and they matched me with two workers. The workers showed up on time and were friendly and efficient. They moved all the gravel in half the time needed. Would definitely use this resource again in the future. read more

I recently hired someone from the Collective and had an amazing experience from start to finish. Scheduling: - Completed the online work request over a weekend - Received a response + invoice within 24 hours - Scheduled the job for 2 days later Request: - 1 person to paint 1 wall spanning the living room / kitchen - I was not able to provide equipment or transportation - Rate: $20/hour + $15 for worker's use of personal tools The day of: - The worker, T, arrived early, and provided his own transportation and tools. T was friendly and respectful; no interpersonal/communication issues - T was thorough and very careful. In particular, he worked on the edges very closely. T checked over his work multiple times + evened out the color (which was helpful, since he was painting over 2 different color walls) - T finished well within the estimated time (without rushing) and cleaned up afterward I'm loving my new yellow wall! I was really happy with the final product and made sure to tip 30%. I can't recommend this Collective enough, especially if you believe in the importance of dignity, community uplift, and ethical labor. read more

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OWC is great! Just be VERY clear about the details of the work you need done. We have gotten help from OWC several times for heavy labor projects and haven't been disappointed. Use a translation app, if needed. Provide all the needed tools and a meal, and they will get your job done! Avoid tasks that required skilled labor or conversational/trade English. read more

Absolutely flawless solution to my need for demolition, wall repair, and waterproofing of my tub and shower enclosure. I have been working with Eddy who was assigned to work with me. He arrived promptly, speaks great English, is friendly and kind. He's working quickly and carefully and has been very thoughtful about keeping the noise to a minimum too. I'm deeply impressed. I would hire him again in a heartbeat! read more

I had a great experience with Oakland Worker's Collective. After submitting a proposal for a moving job, I heard back from someone quickly letting me know they were going to work on finding some workers. The only slight downside was that I had to follow up 1-2 times to see whether or not workers were found. I did eventually get an email 2 days before my move with the names and contact information of the two men who would be helping me out. They were both punctual, and worked diligently, and quickly. Would use again for other needs! read more

I contacted Oakland Worker's Collective because I needed help with three projects: installation of a new light switch, replacement of rotting fascia segments on my roof, and sanding of my redwood deck. Of these three projects, only one--the deck sanding--was (mostly) completed. I'd been told one of the sanding guys would also replace the light switch, but he left before completing that task and did not return the following day. I'd also been told I'd receive a quote for the fascia work at a later date, but that didn't happen, either. So I'm only going to review the deck-sanding. The guys arrived right on time and got right to work. They were pleasant enough, they worked hard and, for the most part, they did a pretty OK job. However, they weren't at all judicious in their application of a crack-filling paste. They didn't wipe off the excess with a damp rag, leaving big white spotches all over the top ledge--splotches that had to be sanded off by Yours Truly. I also had to do a final sanding of the top ledge with 100-grit sandpaper; they only went as high as 80 grit, much too coarse for the final sanding. I'm not a laborer and even *I* know that. Irritating to have to finish up someone else's incomplete work. They also totally neglected the segments between the palings that could only be reached by hand. I can see why they didn't want to do it--neither do I, that was why I hired them!! I'm going to have to hire someone else to spend a couple of hours finishing up what I consider an incomplete job. By no means great, but also not terrible. I would actually use them again for unskilled work--although I would ask for a closer eye to detail. read more

Four solid stars, starting with a rocky beginning. After a rocky start with the scheduling process and payment details, the OWC matched us with a member. I called the worker we'd had scheduled the day before we expected him, and: he didn't expect to start the next day. He expected, instead, to start a couple of days later. Since our schedule was flexible, it was fine by us! Fast forward to a couple of weeks later, and we're nearing the end of the project. the OWC member who's been working with us has been polite, detail-oriented, and communicative. If you speak some Spanish (we do--not sure how the project would go if there were a communication barrier), are flexible with timing, and know exactly how you want your project completed, I wholeheartedly recommend the OWC. This review was written from a single experience over the course of several weeks. read more

EXCELLENT. It was spring and time to plant, but our backyard was so overgrown that I did not know where to start. I hired skilled landscaper / gardeners from OWC who whipped it into shape in an afternoon. (See photos of vegetable beds BEFORE and AFTER.) These guys were hardworking and clearly knowledgable. After they were done, they found brooms and swept the patio and steps. I didn't even ask. Everything was left shipshape. Because I requested for skilled workers, I was charged a very fair $17 per hour. I paid them $20 / hr and it was still a great deal and I felt they earned every penny. It was easy to request their services online and I got a follow up email soon after. I requested the workers and I get each other's phone numbers which I recommend. We will definitely use OWC again. read more

Oakland Worker's Collective - Vegetable beds AFTER they dug out thick roots, dug down over 12 inches and made the soil perfect - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oakland, California

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Always appreciate their assistance in getting tasks completed. Highly recommend the Oakland Worker's Collective.

We had Maynor do the tiling in our bathroom. He arrived exactly on time, was meticulous, and friendly. Highly recommend him for any tasks you have. read more

After putting up with partially painted walls in my living room (don't ask why) I decided to hire a person better for the job than myself. My daughter had recently hired a gentlemen named Carlos to paint her work area it came out really nice. I contacted the Collective and requested Carlos for my livingroom job. Carlos is a very nice person and did a wonderful job painting my livingroom. I love it! Carlos changed the color of several walls and fixed the edging of all the others. Why I waited so long to do this I don't know. As soon as I figure out my next home job I am calling The Oakland Workers Collective right away!! Thank You!! read more

Nope. Never again. Requested a tile specialist to lay tile in a small bathroom and re-grout a portion of the tub enclosure. The guy they sent was really old and slow but friendly. A couple of weeks after the work was complete, we noticed the grout on the floor was flaking and chippingToo much BS to go into but suffice it to say that OWC clearly doesn't care about their reputation and will gladly send any old hack to do whatever you ask for. Just don't expect them to offer support once said hack screws up the work. read more

I needed help loading a Uhaul for a cross-country move, and rather than hire random day laborers or use a moving company where the boss takes most of the $$ and the workers get stiffed, I thought I would use OWC. I knew my $15/hr would go directly in the workers' pocket, and I figured that OWC would have a reputation to maintain, so I wouldn't be facing the roll-of-the-dice (crazy? criminal? lazy?) that comes with hiring guys off the street. So I arranged to hire two guys at $15 an hour, plus pizza, plus tip. I hired the workers sight unseen, as per OWC's policy, but again, I assumed that having a reputation to maintain, OWC would give me some good workers. I pulled up (I also had to pick the workers up, per OWC's policy) to find an enormously fat kid of maybe 19, and a 50+ year old man with a heavy limp and a hacking cough. The fat kid spoke not a word of English, and the old guy spoke very little. This despite the fact that the contract I signed stated that the workers would speak functional English. To provide an example of the problems the language barrier caused: I spent a good 5 minutes carefully and slowly explaining (with gestures!) to the workers that I needed them to rope off sections of the truck as they worked, to keep things from shifting around. Came back 10 minutes later to find the rope balled up and tossed way in the back of the truck. The massively overweight kid worked hard for about 30 minutes, dragged ass for another hour and a half (sneaking off to check his cellphone every 5 minutes), and then tapped out after eating the pizza I ordered for lunch. Said his heart was hurting. I let him go with $40, feeling like a sucker. So that left me with the limping, coughing grandpa. Who worked as hard as was able, which unfortunately wasn't hard enough. After 5 hours he stopped working and very anxiously tried to explain something to me. With a lot of back and forth, straining the limits of my highschool Spanish, I came to understand that he had another job to go to, clear across Oakland, and that I was expected to drive him there. !?!?!?!? So I called the OWC office, trying to figure out what was going on. They got really pissy with me, and claimed that since I had kept the old guy longer than originally agreed, I was morally obligated to drive him to his next job. NEVER FREAKING MIND THAT THE ONLY REASON I KEPT HIM LATER THAN ORIGINALLY AGREED WAS BECAUSE THEIR OTHER WORKER CRAPPED OUT AFTER 30 MINUTES!! But, fuck it, I'm a bleeding heart liberal, and I didn't want the old guy to lose his regular dish washing job. So, on my big moving day, with only 3 / 4 of my stuff loaded onto the truck, I drove this guy clear across Oakland to his other job. And paid him $90 with tip. And so, after a long and frustrating day, $130 poorer, I drove back to my place and loaded up the rest of the stuff on my own. Didn't finish by 12 that night, so I had to pay for another day's rent on my apartment. Because things weren't loaded properly, and weren't roped off, we lost a table, a dresser, and two lamps in the move. All in all a miserable failure. read more

I needed a couple of guys to help with a house move. I was glad to hear of the collective, because I didn't want to just hire some random help off CL or something. A couple of guys duly arrived, one of whom was fully bilingual which was a relief, because I don't speak a word of Spanish. He acted as a translator for the other guy who had a tough time with my Limey accent and "Argh, I'm stressed and I talk too fast" delivery - and that was fine. :) They worked their buns off, even when it became apparent that the job was going to run several houes longer than planned. Of course, I tipped them lavishly. Totally worth it. Only reason for four stars and not five is that the office was a little slow to respond to emails - I kept having to prod them every few days seeking updates, but it worked out in the end. read more

I hate to ding a non-profit with a laudable goal, but the office at OWC is so dysfunctional, I just cannot recommend them. Every single time I've tried to schedule workers has required numerous emails, phone calls and rescheduling. This time, I was sitting waiting for a half an hour before I realized that no one was showing up. I finally called them to see what was going on and instead of being apologetic, I was given a long lecture about how I didn't support their political perspective and really, the didn't need people like me to hire their workers (because I pointed out that a last minute email about a $5/hr increase wasn't professional). The workers themselves were good and really deserve better representation. read more

Giving a solid 4 stars! The facility never picked up the phone and the voicemail was full. Once contact happened via email everything went fairly smoothly. Alex and Eduardo were quick, easy going, polite, and efficient. If anything, we held them back. They were exactly what we needed for our move. read more

I picked up two workers who were strong and worked carefully and quickly- to unpack my moving van. I recommend them highly. I really like that all the $$ goes to the workers. Only thing I would have changed-It was hard to arrange the pickup and delivery of the men...with my two seater van. read more

Can't say enough good things about our recent move with Francisco and Jose Luis. We were moving out of a basement in-law unit with 50 stairs into a house with even more stairs, and lots of our furniture was very heavy and unwieldy. Jose Luis and Francisco worked incredibly hard and went above and beyond to make sure our furniture didn't get damaged in the transition (honestly, they took better care of our stuff than we did!). Jose Luis had many years of professional moving experience and did an excellent furniture tetris in our too-small U-Haul. They also were friendly and communicative. Scheduling with Edgar was great, he was very responsive and accommodating when we had to switch days and details a few times. This is our second time working with folks from the Collective and both were equally great experiences. Highly recommend! read more

I hired two workers from Oakland Workers' Collective to help load my moving truck for an out-of-state move. Everything went OK for the most part on the day of the work....I was still very busy packing boxes and so I just showed the two men the furniture and boxes that were ready to be loaded into the truck, which were in two different rooms in my apartment, and left them to do the loading job while I continued to pack boxes in another room. I didn't think I needed to watch or monitor their work or to explain the best way to load the truck (e.g. load furniture in first and secure it so it wouldn't move around, put heavy stuff on bottom and lighter stuff on top, etc.) --in my mind that would have been condescending. I made the assumption that the workers were intelligent, competent men who would use basic common sense and would take good care of my possessions as they loaded them into the truck Unfortunately, that turned out to be a serious error of judgment on my part. The moving truck was completely full, with boxes and things stacked all the way to the top and the back of the truck. So it wasn't until I arrived at my new home, several hundred miles away, and unloaded the truck with the help of three professional movers that I discovered that the OWC workers had been extremely careless and negligent in loading the truck. In general, they made a total mess of the truck loading. Heavy furniture like my living room couch flipped upside down and set on top of boxes, crushing the boxes under the couch's weight. Boxes clearly labeled "VERY FRAGILE" placed on top of a stack of stuff without being secured in place, so that they could easily shift and fall. Small, loose items thrown carelessly into the truck. But the worst of it all was their handling of my antique, 150+ year old wooden bookcase with glass doors -- a family heirloom that belonged to my grandparents and then my mother, and that I inherited when my mother passed away. This bookcase is not only worth a lot of money on account of its age, but also it has tremendous sentimental value and is literally my most prized possession. Instead of loading this piece of furniture into the truck standing upright, protecting it with furniture pads and making sure it was positioned so that it wouldn't move around, the workers put it on its back on top of boxes, glass facing up, and then loaded more stuff on top of the glass. Of course, the glass doors broke during the move. I was completely floored that anyone -- whether a professional mover, a general laborer or just any thinking, logical human being -- would be so completely stupid, negligent and careless. Oakland Worker's Collective as an organization has a disclaimer when they refer workers saying that they are not responsible or liable for the work performed. So I understood that I wouldn't be able to get any kind of compensation from OWC, but I contacted them to complain about the incident. I initally spoke with the Interim Executive Director, who was extremely understanding and helpful -- she assured me that they would communicate with the workers to ensure that they personally compensated me for the cost to repair the damage (which is estimated at $250). OWC did contact the two workers to inform them of the problem and of my request for compensation. Initially I said that I wanted the workers to give me $125 each to cover the full estimated repair cost of $250, but eventually I offered a compromise and asked that they each simply pay me back the $60 that I had paid them for the truck loading work. The process dragged out for several weeks, but finally a little over 2 months after the incident, I received a reply from OWC saying that the workers refused to provide me with any monetary compensation for the damage -- they flat-out refused to take any responsibility for damage that was clearly and obviously the direct result of their negligent work. I will be seeking reimbursement for the damage through Alameda County Small Claims Court. I'm left with an extremely negative impression of Oakland Workers Collective staff, as well as of the two workers as individuals. I would strongly advise people NOT to hire workers through OWC -- in my experience the workers lack skill and basic good judgment, and the OWC as an organization failed to keep their original promise to me to work with their laborers to ensure a fair and satisfactory outcome. Note: The two workers involved were Victor Escobar and Ricardo Garcia read more

Very happy with the service. Workers were on time and helpful. I hired a person to help me with deep cleaning my apartment. You know I now have lots of space in my fridge and my stove looks brand new. After this good experience I decided to hire someone to re-paint my place. This older guy, with lots of experience and knowledge came and even gave me tips to do a better job spending the same amount of money. I recommend the Oakland Workers Collective. Easy to reach, helpful, good, honest people. read more

Finally did get a response to my 2nd inquiry - maybe because I had just posted a critical Yelp review? They stuck with the $20/hr instead of $15/hr for weeding and ignored my request to reduce the initially stated 5 hours to 4 hours (since now the rate was higher), but I thought okay, especially since they accommodated me on a Sunday. Worker was very punctual and performance was fine. It's a huge advantage if you speak Spanish as apparently few workers they match speak any English. The guy they sent me said he'd lived here since 1995 but still speaks barely any English after 23 years here??? I'm sorry, but the first thing anybody should aim for when they want to work/live in a country is learn the language. Would be great if the Workers Collective somehow encouraged or incentivized that. read more

Edgar and OWC is a great resource for contractors and homeowners. I've been able to find very skilled masonry, landscaping, painting and carpentry help. read more

I used them a few years ago with success so I thought I'd give them another try to hire to folks to help with some gardening and yard cleanup. They don't seem to answer phone calls or voicemails anymore; maybe they are understaffed? read more

I've used this service three times so far and every time has been great. Workers are on-time, had the right skills for the specific jobs (plant removal and moving bricks), were pleasant, hard-working and professional. I highly recommend this organization. read more

Great service three times we've used. We got Maynor, who has been hard-working, polite, nice, and punctual. We keep asking him back! Reply service from OWC is a little spotty, but the hired workers are great! read more

I'm 65 and needed help with re-framing, repairing and replacing a roof on a 12 X 17 foot out building. I've worked pretty steady since 15 and Jose is one of the best people I've ever worked with. Good common sense, safe on the roof, incredible work ethic...just name good things you hope to see in a worker and he was all of them. I hired him because it's getting harder to lift the heavy wood to the roof, difficult to carry the goods up the ladder. He became my shadow and would appear, as if by magic, when I tried to accomplish something that he thought was a bit much for the old guy. Not used to being looked out for, but was I appreciative! Truthfully I was most concerned about safety, didn't want him or me to get hurt on the roof, but my concerns didn't apply to him, totally on the ball. You can't find a better person, honest and hard working. I'd use the OWC again in a heartbeat. They are the best! read more

I wish I had known about the Worker's Collective earlier. I waited until I was moving out and setting up my house as a rental to get all the things I needed done -- and it's a long list. Everything from putting up shed siding, to clearing drains, to installing floor transitions. I asked for a general handyman and worked with Jose for several days. He is amazing! Courteous, conscientious, and listens to what I want. If he's not able to do something, he lets me know and offers a different solution. He cleaned up after every job and left the area cleaner than when he started. I will continue to call him for any future job. A thousand stars for Jose. On the front office end: I used the online form about a week before I needed the worker but I didn't receive an email response until almost the day before I stated I needed help. I've also called a few times and have never spoken to a person. I recently tried to hire another worker with a different skillset and haven't heard back. I definitely understand that there are limitations with non-profit staffing and resources; I've been a part of staff like that -- I def get it. But a better response time (even just a quick "sorry no one is available") would actually be in better service of the workers. It would really suck if folks weren't getting jobs because of poor staff management. 3 stars for the front office. That being said though, I imagine that the staff is doing other kinds of programming since workers in the collective have meetings and continuing education that the organization provides. I'm willing to put up with some of the difficult parts in order to support a community and mission I believe in. read more

I needed two guys for a difficult job hauling flagstone on my job site. They were awesome! Very friendly and hard working. Definitely earned their pay and tip. Office staff is great, also. I would strongly recommend O.W.C. to anyone!!! Thanks guys, you were a big help. read more

Oakland Worker's Collective - My guys! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oakland, California

Needed last minute help and even when they're policy was 2 days in advance, Edgar pushed that aside and did his best to help me. Super helpful, kind, and good company. Will come again! read more

I needed help scraping wallpaper in a bedroom, so I called the Oakland Worker's Collective to get someone to help me. The women that answered my call was very polite and professional. She listen to what I needed and got back to me with a match in just a couple of hours. The gentleman that the collective referred was very nice, a very hard worker, and did an amazing job! Not only that, the collective provides its workers with safety training and negotiates fair wages for them. I got excellent help quickly, and am thrilled with the entire experience. If you have some small projects around your house that require a day laborer, I very highly recommend calling up the folks at the Oakland Worker's Collective. read more

I got two guys to help load up a rental truck when I was moving out of my place. They did a great job, showed up on time and were courteous.

Two things prevented this from being 5-star. I'd rate the scheduling process a 2+. I created my online request on Monday 22nd for yard work on Sat. 27th. and expected to hear back within 48-hours based on the form's information. By Wednesday evening, I'd not heard back, so I called and left a VM. I did get a callback on Thursday morning, but only to say they'd not yet scheduled it. This was problematic, as the work needed to be done for a house appraisal, and if Sat was not going to be possible for them, then I'd need to scramble for other arrangements. Luckily, a call on Friday less than 24-hours from the work start time, confirmed they could do it...phewwwww....a bit close for comfort. The second thing is the workers had no idea how to find the address and they did not speak enough English for me to give them directions. The address is West Street in Oakland.....and they were 100% convinced they were missing the actual name of the street. They thought it should have been West ((streetname) street, and even though I repeated the address (and they had it on their paper) multiple times, they never understood. I finally had to awaken a Spanish speaking neighbor who guided them in. Had an interpreter not been available .....I'm not sure they ever would have made it. Perhaps the office could help by printing out a map of the neighborhood and the address.....I feel it would make things a lot easier. As for the two men who did the work ..... 5-stars. They were very apologetic for being a bit late due to the map/direction issue....and they got right to work. They worked diligently and quickly, and in 4-hours transformed the 'jungle' of growth to a neat, trimmed yard. Mario and Alex were excellent, and I would welcome them again should the need arise. Thank you to both gentlemen!! read more