Brad in Boston

After some damage to our picket fence (warping, vandalism, etc), I needed some very specific replacement slats so I could repair them myself. After searching in vain at Home Depot and a local lumber yard, I was referred to Ideal Fence. They had exactly what I needed, and charged me just $3 for each slat. Took about 10 minutes from walking in to walking out with the perfect replacements.

(NOTE: cost above is per month) Horgan is the maintenance company we use for our condominium unit, and while their work is usually very good (lawn mowing, hedge trimming, weekly garbage removal, plowing in winter), their communication lately has been lacking. They changed a detail in our contract without telling us (result in overcharges), and have yet to rectify it. It's also tough to talk to their crews about specific requests or issues when they come, as mostly it's only the management staff who speaks English. That said, the mgmt. is very friendly when called on the phone, and we'd have no complaints were it not for the billing issues.

We hired Mr. Wu to do some work on our bathroom, including new tiles, cabinet additions, and a complete replacement of our sink unit. Everything came out great, although there were some details that needed follow-up work (which he did for free and with little delay). One note: Chinese is Mr. Wu's primary language, and while he speaks some English, having someone around who can translate is a real plus.

A couple years back I dropped my engagement ring down our bathroom sink, so we called Maddaleni's on the recommendation of a friend. Glad we did, because it took them no less than 20 minutes or so to take apart some pipes and pull it out again. Well worth the minimum service charge.

In the dead of a long, cold Boston winter, our gas furnace died. The first place we called came up with an unbelievable estimate, mostly due to the fact that the replacement part was hard to get and very, very costly. I called A.C. Rinaldi in Lynnfield to get a second opinion, and he knew right away that the particular part I needed was recalled and free replacements were sent out years ago. He even had one in stock, and had me bring my defective part to his shop and swap it for a good one, free of charge. You can't beat that kind of service, especially when there was nothing in it for him but goodwill. One thing: They're very busy, and can be pricey, which is the reason my recommend rating is a bit low. But it's worth sharing the story to let you know they're good people.

This family-run business responded very quickly to an emergency when our hot water heater sprung a leak and flooded our entire basement. The repair job was quick, the work top notch, and we were apprised of all the costs involved. They've also helped us with dishwasher and gas stove installation (and removal), as well as gas heater repair. Definitely recommended.