Bob in Toronto

No wonder Encore Painting has been awarded HomeStars Best of Best Award both last year and this year, as everything about dealing with the company was top notch. I first spoke with the Office Manager, Michelle Osmond, about our need to have a second-floor awning painted. Right away, she put me in touch with Lauren Hopkins, the Area Manager, who quickly responded with a reasonable quote and then arranged for a suitable day for the painting to be done. Unfortunately, it was extremely hot that day; but Dave, the painter, persevered in spite of the heat thanks to plenty of water provided by my wife. Rather than the primer and the two coats promised, he actually applied three coats of paint. As I remarked to my wife, the only bad thing is that we should have repainted our garage door at the same time, as the brilliance of the awning far outshines it.

We were concerned about the condition of two of our window wells and contacted Clarke Basement Systems to make an appointment for an inspection. We were extremely impressed with the information package sent by the company, and even more impressed with Tom Parker who came out to look after our concerns. Fortunately for us, he was extremely honest and put our minds at rest. He even refused to take any payment for his time. We wish all companies had representatives like Tom who put integrity first. Should we ever need waterproofing and foundation repair in the future, we will only contact Clarke Basement Systems.

My wife and I have a north facing window next to our kitchen table and decided that it was time to put an end to the drafts we face every winter. Having heard very good things about Kit, we visited there last month and were extremely impressed with Marie, as she suggested that we look at the Duette Architella® by HunterDouglas, which fit our needs perfectly. The next day, our window was measured by a Kingsway Carpets & Blinds representative. We were promised delivery in four weeks, and to our amazement, the blinds were installed three weeks and two days later. We had expected installation to take quite awhile, but the installer surprised us by how quickly and professionally our new blinds were up and running. He even took time to explain to us how to register the blinds with HunterDouglas. We were exceptionally pleased with everything about our experience with Kingsway Carpets & Blinds.

Like many others in Toronto after our recent blizzard, we needed help with trees and bushes that had been impacted. Fortunately, our neighbor across the street highly recommended Edward's Tree Service; and we're thrilled he did. Edward came very quickly, and his estimate was very reasonable. Based on the great experience we had with him the first time, we invited him back for a thorough clean-up of our backyard trees and bushes, which were completely overgrown after 35 years of non-attention. Even with all the other big jobs he had on the go, he made time for us starting the process at 5:30 p.m. On each occasion, he and his crew worked expeditiously and left our property in tip-top shape. We join our neighbor in fully endorsing Edward's Tree Service and will happily use the company again should the need arise.

Our home was hit hard by Toronto's recent blizzard with power surges knocking out our electrical system, various lights, and frying our furnace. Based on our previous excellent service from Convertible Heating and Air Conditioning, we contacted the company. Sean was not even on call that weekend, but because our furnace is in a crawl space and one of his colleagues has bad knees, he was "next man up." He was confronted with multiple issues over three days and late into the night because of his prior work schedule. First, he discovered that the furnace control board was rendered defective. When he tested its replacement, he found that the thermostat was also not functional. Finally, after replacing our thermostat, he found that the blower motor had burnt out. Having to go out of his way to find a new blower motor, he added it and a power choke to reach ultimate success. Perseverance and determination came through for us thanks to Sean's exceptional patience. He also did not charge for all the hours he put it. On top of that, he still takes his boots off when he's not working on the furnace. My wife and I were thrilled to have our heat back on thanks to his relentless efforts.

Our HVAC technician retired after giving us over 30 years of excellent service. We reached out to Convertible Heating And Air Conditioning based on its excellent HomeStars ratings, and we're more than happy we did. Sean was our technician and inspected our furnace from top to bottom and was also kind enough to wash down our electronic air cleaner coils. Beyond that, he shared his findings with me, showing that everything was within specifications. Best of all from my wife's point of view, he removed his boots except when he was working on the furnace itself. That's service "above and beyond"!

Ronen was the first to reply to my request for a quote on fixing our washing machine, which had stopped switching to the rinse cycle. When he inquired concerning its age, my recollection was that it was about 10 years old. After checking the receipt, found that it's actually 23 years old. I asked Ronen if he felt that it was possible to repair a washer that old, and he immediately replied that it was highly unlikely that parts could be found. His honesty was more than refreshing; and, although, I didn't use Total Care Appliance Repair this time, will definitely keep Ronen in mind should another of our appliances need his services. Honesty like that is extremely hard to find nowadays.

Our home was built over 60 years ago, and we recently experienced a drain back-up in our basement after a torrential downpour. Immediately, we phoned a plumber whom we trust for a referral, since good people know good people. He highly recommended Naz and Canadian Rooter, and are we ever glad he did. Naz came out the same day we contacted him, and his professionalism was more than evident. As soon as he entered our home, he donned booties over his shoes. The drain in question is under a rec room carpet, and we had visions of his having to cut the carpet to get at it. Instead, Naz very carefully pulled the carpet up to take a look. Even though he had received calls from other potential customers, he arranged for his men to come out on a Saturday to do the work. Like Naz, they were extremely professional with the necessary digging and installation of a new drain, leaving our basement as clean as when they arrived. Even better, Naz offered to return to restore the carpet to its original moorings, which he did as soon as the concrete had dried. If you need help with your drain, Naz and Canadian Rooter will do an exceptional job.

One of my wife's and my pet peeves when it comes to plumbers is the resulting clean up necessary after their visit. Michael is not only extremely professional but also extremely careful to avoid leaving a mess behind. In addition, he is exceptionally open and helpful with his recommendations as to which faucets to consider and which to avoid. We are so pleased with his workmanship that our next plumbing project will be to install a new toilet in our master bedroom ensuite. There's no question that we'll be using him for that endeavor.

Having had concerns about Toronto's infrastructure and the possibility of prolonged power outages, my wife and I contacted Steve Day of Toronto Generators and were immediately impressed with his professionalism and attention to detail when he came to our home for the quotation. Once we decided to have his company install a Generac generator, Stephanie, his office manager, continued our very positive impression of the firm. We ultimately had additional questions which we hadn't previously thought to ask, and both Steve and Stephanie were extremely prompt with their responses to our inquiries. On the day of the installation, Misha, Steve's electrician, showed up right at the appointed time. Shortly thereafter, Jeff and Josh, who were to do the outside preparation, also arrived. They were joined later that by Tim and Tom who rounded out the very helpful and efficient team. My wife and I are very particular, and every request we made was met with ease and friendly consideration. Josh even discovered a small gas leak, and Enbridge was on the scene shortly thereafter. As a result, Jeff had to dig around the gas pipe, which had been surrounded by flagstone. The result was not particularly attractive, so Josh suggested building a cedar box around the opening, which was an excellent solution. We can't say enough about Misha who was the first to arrive and the last to leave, having put in over ten hours on the job. We didn't want too much dust as a result of the necessary cutting, and he completely complied, even avoiding cutting any of our drywall. When asked about the difficulty of our job, he did admit that it was a four out of five, yet he didn't register one complaint. Our gut feel after meeting Steve was reaffirmed throughout the process, and we give him and his team highest marks and an unqualified recommendation for anyone considering getting a generator.

AA Waters & Brookes installed our sprinkler system about eleven years ago, and we have been extremely pleased with their continuing high standard of service. The office staff is always pleasant and accommodating, but the technicians, especially Wael and Jeff, have especially gone "above and beyond" in helping us. Over the years, whenever there has been a technical issue, Wael has been our go-to person. Yesterday, Jeff performed the shutdown of our system. In the past, some of the technicians have said that I haven't closed the indoor valve strongly enough to keep the water, so I asked Jeff to ensure that it was shut tightly enough. Without being asked, he removed his boots before he came in. In this day and age, that's unbelievably thoughtful.

My wife and I have been very satisfied customers of AA Waters and Brookes for over ten years. Our initial quotation meeting with Alan impressed us with the firm's professionalism, and that view has continued in all our dealings. The office staff always remind us ahead of time about scheduled visits, and every one there is a delight. The service technicians have always been prompt and efficient in the annual maintenance chores, and Wael recently went "above and beyond" when we just needed a head raised on one of the sprinklers. For the minimum service fee, he still took the time to thoroughly review the programming on our new smart controller, which has proven to be a wise investment.

My wife and I have been using GTA Wildlife Removal and Pest Control for about ten years, and Kevin and his team have always been prompt, efficient, courteous, and ready to go "above and beyond." It is a real treat to find a company with such high standards with a warranty to back up its service. We couldn't recommend the firm more highly. If you need help with wildlife removal or pest control, call GTA. You'll be glad you did.