John Colombo from Toronto

My wife and I live in a bungalow near the Bathurst and Lawrence intersection in North Toronto and we have lived here since 1969. We are both in our eighties, and this year, for the first time I am not able to shovel the snow on the driveway, walkway, porch, etc. After checking the Web for dozens of snow-removal services, I chose Eden for a number of reasons. I have found it to be pleasant to deal with, real people answer the phone, the company charges a reasonable rate by the visit rather than by the month, and once in a while I am able ask a favour (i.e., be sure to remove the snow before a given time the next day so I can drive my wife for a registered hospital visit). Eden is for me. John & Ruth Colombo

Because we no longer use the TV dish that was fastened to our chimney and because its cable was flapping in the wind against the roof and the wall of the house, making loud banging noises, my wife and I wanted everything removed. HomeStars listings led me to Dr. Antenna. I phoned him and he promptly phoned me back. He asked a few questions and said he would take care of everything and he would do it right away. (It was Christmas eve, and it was no emergency, so we agreed he would arrive a couple of days later.) He arrived when he said he would with his wife, who assists him with his work, and they turned out to be a lively couple. His name is Christopher MacDonald -- I neglected to ask Mrs. MacDonald her first name! -- and he did a bang-on job, removing all the debris. I heartily recommend Dr. Antenna -- he is obviously a specialist who takes pride in his work. Thanks, Chris! -- John Robert Colombo, jrc@colombo.ca and he arrived with his wife

I noticed that my neighbours had "Maple" signs on their lawns, so I checked the window-cleaning service at HomeStars and found fine ratings there. I sent the company an email and within half a day had an agreement to clean our eaves from the owner/manager who checked the location of our house on Google Street View, offered a quote and promised to "fit us into" his busy schedule. I emailed back accepting the terms. We did all of this by email with no other contact or any contracts -- on the basis of trust. (After all, my wife and I have lived in our present home since 1969 and Maple has been in business for years.) Maple's crew arrived while we were away but cleaned the eaves and deposited the leaves, etc., in two large bags on the street in front of the house. We have clean eaves! We will use Maple next year too. -- John Robert Colombo

This is my second review of this company. In my first review I graded it 0 for satisfaction and 0 for recommendation. Such is the power of HomeStars that I heard from the manager and he promised he would deal with the problems. On the strength of this, I now rate the company 4 for satisfaction and 3 for recommendation. Perhaps my experience was not typical, but I quite like the personnel there and believe they will try harder and succeed in the future.

I learned from HomeStars that Home Hardware Pest Control existed. My phone call to that company was answered, and a control technician, named Julian as I recall, was dispatched the next day. He checked the foundations of our house and the roof and proved to be knowledgeable about the activities of raccoons. He closed off a likely nesting place and worked very efficiently and pleasantly. He was well trained and agreeable. I will certainly use Home Hardware's services again, as well as HomeStars, a service new to me. -- John Robert Colombo

I chose Glen Mhor Painting Services from the HomeStars listing because of the Gaelic-sounding name. Rob McNeillie proved to be prompt, direct, approachable, and pleasant, like the members of his crew. The trim of our house is now excellently painted and at a reasonable price and very efficiently. He used high quality paint and cleaned up the mess afterwards. His assistants were exceptionally courteous. Rob runs a good ship. Thanks, Rob! -- John Robert Colombo