The company should stick to 'odd jobs' and leave the big jobs to the experts
We hired Odd Job to do some odd jobs - recaulk a tub, fix a faucet, build shelves, some deck work, etc. While they were quoting us, we asked if they did larger jobs - like installing a wall and pocket door. They said yes and proceeded to quote us on our small reno job as well (we had already done one large and one medium reno, so this wasn't our first time through this process). They were the more expensive but we wanted high quality, we wanted to NOT WORRY ABOUT THE JOB, so we picked them - but not before confirming that they had done walls, trim work, installing pocket doors, etc. before, and didn't just do odd jobs. Yes yes and yes. The project started fine enough and there was a great two days of work. Once the odd jobs were done, they set about the wall and door. And it quickly became not fine. And then it turned bad as it became very apparently that they are not skilled at larger jobs. The screws started popping out of my drywall immediately in multiple places. The tape/mud job needed to be touched up post-paint twice (and still wasn't great in spots). There was paint all over the wood flooring. But the thing that killed me was we asked them twice to "not purchase the cheap store brand pocket door kit at Home Depot as we understand there to be a big difference in performance" - so they bought the store brand kit at Lowe's instead (!!!). We have 5 other pocket doors in the house, all installed on the non-store brand kits. So Odd Job installed a crappy cheap kit (which had only negative reviews online) and when challenged on it, defended the product as being a good one, something a professional in the home improvement business should know better about. They also installed parts of it incorrectly - and then tried to tell me this is how it was supposed to be. Looking at the picture on the guide rail package clearly showed how it was to be installed. They had no idea what they were doing. And we didn't know this till after the door was installed, dry walled in, painted, trimmed, etc. The door drags, marring the paint on the door within a month. It is 110% unlike my other 5 pocket doors, all the same door material. We had 2 other contractors working next door come over and comment on the job before we paid the final invoice and they both said we would eventually have to open up the wall to reinstall the door.
That day has come.
One year almost to the day, after dragging and dragging and dragging, and the door has fallen off it's track. I have 10 year old pocket doors in my house and they run smoothly, no drag, and certainly have never fallen off the track. Unlike this work done by Odd Job. Justin was endlessly defensive, became combative, and tried to shift the fault to us. We negotiated a discount on the bill for this and other issues experienced, b/c I didn't want them in my house anymore to b/c each time they came to fix something, something else was 'broken' (for ie - they came to fix the mudding, but then got paint on the floor). Justin felt that the discount was not justified - but the headache for a project that went 4x other timeline, in addition to remove a portion of the wall and reinstall the door is more than the $1000 or whatever discount he gave us. In a world where time is money, I wish so much that I could turn back time and not select Odd Job for this reno.
I have documentation for all of my claims as I was going to go to small claims court over this. Feel free to get in touch for pictures, emails, etc. This dude should stick to odd jobs and leave the big boy jobs for the professionals.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $7,000.00
- Company Response
Hi,
We want to thank you for your kind words regarding all the odd jobs we had completed for you last year. We pride ourselves on doing the small jobs that other contractors balk at, so it makes us feel good when we know that we’ve helped someone tick a few jobs off their “to-do” list.
Pocket doors tend to be pulled out of their screws over time. It’s gravity, and it’s a flaw in the design of most pocket doors, including the industry standard doors that we purchased for you. These are the same doors that many homes and businesses throughout Toronto use, which is why we trust them.
Our policy requires that our clients purchase the materials themselves because they know what would work best for them in each situation. If a client wants us to acquire the materials for them, we need to know more information about the type of door that the client requires. It becomes quite difficult to tailor a solution to a specific need when those needs are not communicated. When things like brand or type are not provided, we must choose the industry standard to ensure maximum compatibility.
With more prep time and more accurate specifications, materials can be found that meet our clients’ exacting standards.
In fact, this requirement has led to the creation of a new standard operating procedure for us, in which we do not begin a job until all a clients’ materials are either provided by the client or are approved explicitly prior to purchase.
We understood that you believed that your expectations had not been met, which is why we offered you a discount of $1,357.91.We also stand by our 2-year warranty, which is waiting should you decide to take advantage of it. This is not just a marketing gimmick – it’s a promise.
And, yes, we even apply that warranty to manufacturers defects, like the kind that you experienced.
We hope that you will take us up on our offer to return and make this right.