We were seriously disappointed in Plumbing Mart on Dundas St. Mississauga. We did not receive the contract we were told we would get in the mail before the job was begun. We did not get it when we complained. The single worker sent to do the job did not have his tradesman papers and announced he had been a computer programer and this was his first job. He was sincere in his efforts to do good work, however it was extremely slow. Then Mark began pushing him to move faster and not worry so much about being perfect. The quality of the work then deteriorated. Decisions were made without our input and the work became quite unsatisfactory. For example, you can't reach the faucet from the bathtub without standing up. It is 53 inches above the bottom of the tub and 32 inches above the spout. We expressed concerns to Mark who would not remedy anything and it was useless to try to resolve matters with him. Having lost faith in his service we told him we did not want to work with him anymore. He had taken our credit card number and re embursed himself well taking $9500. We now will buy another vanity and glass for tub/shower and get them as well as toilette and vanity/sink installed. We are now getting things finalized by purchasing remaining pieces and having another professional worker complete the job.
We learned a lot about "buyer beware".
- Approximate cost of services:
- $11,000.00
- Company Response
Paula was a very lovely lady who contacted us for a bathroom renovation - low budget. We put together a wonderful project for her at a much lower than market price. We had talked about several "upgrades" that were possible - but they did not fit her budget and we respected that. Unfortunately during the job the "upgrades" became an issue that Paula - and more importantly now her boyfriend, insisted that they were entitled to receive as part of the contract and we had some serious issues getting paid. We accommodated many of this upgrades at our cost - and then they complained about the upgrades. This client micromanaged the project daily causing us delay and frustration. Items like the height of the shower valve were reviewed extensively and their wishes were met. However after the tile was fully installed etc they changed their mind yet again and wanted it moved. It was impossible to do this without additional costs - and ripping out all of the tile etc. As for taking the credit card number??? Yes, we received payments from them but only with their approval - why else would we supply product and labour - but they did end up short paying us by $1,500 - a loss which we had to absurd. And yes, we did have to shut the job down for a few days while we waited for the third payment. It amazes me how people who don't pay complain about paying. We have pictures and paperwork for anyone to review to support our position. As for our technician, Ed did remarkable work and the pictures support that. Did he complete the work as fast as it happens on HGTV - no. That's not reality. These projects take time to do correctly and Ed was there every day working hard - until we had to withdrawal services due to lack of payment. As for the glass shower doors - Paula wanted to upgrade these as well and the costs was another $300 to do so. We had already bought her original choice of doors - so we were out of pocket further. We work very hard with our clients to spec the project entirely from the beginning to ensure a smooth renovation. Changes do and can happen during a renovation and we are always happy to accommodate - but sometimes there are costs and the client needs to be informed and aware of these. We as a company cannot absorb the expense of constant changes. Clients who want constant changes at no cost and without a loss of time need to adjust and be aware that their decision have a big impact on the project. Paula was a lovely lady who received a very beautiful renovation from one of our highly qualified technicians (Ed cannot even turn a commuter on let alone be considered a technician since he was born before the computer age...lol). Put it this way - he doesn't have a cell phone. We certainly wished that they could have honoured their payments and we could have finished the project. Had her boyfriend Roger stayed out of the picture I think we would have had much better results. I can show you the letters and emails he sent me. With appreciation, Mark Noonan