Complaint Review: A to Z Construction & Handyman Services

Beware! "Handy" Andy Carlin is NOT a licensed contractor! As of 2/8/12 he only has a PENDING application for "Construction Financial Officer". The Certified Building Contractor number 1257435 that he is advertizing belongs to Michael M. Merolle. I have never seen or been able to get in contact with Mr. Merolle. I don't know if he is the business owner or even affiliated with the business. Details of my complaint are below:

I contacted A to Z Handyman Services via the company website on February 3, 2012 about getting an estimate for work pertaining to a kitchen remodel. I was contacted by Andy on the phone and I described my need to convert a double exterior door to a single door in order to change the layout of my kitchen. This would involve putting in a new single door, closing and finishing the opening for the removed door, moving the water line for the refrigerator, and relocating an electrical outlet. He said he could do the work and would have to come out to give me an estimate. I agreed, and we eventually settled on a time. He arrived on the evening of February 6, 2012 to provide the estimate.

I showed him the kitchen area where I needed the work completed and I again went over the entire list of items I wanted done. I even showed him a sketch of the new layout so he understood where the fridge and new cabinets would be located. He was only at my home for about 15 minutes, took some measurements, and then said all of the things I needed would be no problem. He gave me a verbal price quote of $1500 total for materials and labor. He said that price allowed for a new door cost of $350 but it may be more or less based on the cost of the door I wanted. He said that he would call me the next day with the door price and that was the only item that would change the quote.  I told him it sounded very reasonable. I asked about permitting requirements for the door but he told me he would not get any permits because it was just an unnecessary expense that was not required for this type of work. I thanked him for his time and he then informed me that there is an "estimate charge" of $85.00 that I needed to pay that day! I was reluctant and told him that any estimates I've ever requested were always free. He told me not to worry that he would refund the fee when he completes the work. Since I was happy with his price quote, I agreed to pay the charge since it would be refunded anyway.

The next day, he called and told me that the door I wanted would be $550 rather than $350 but was much better quality. The total for the job would now be $1700. I told him that was okay and I was ready to move forward with the work. I again asked to go over the details and confirm that the price includes all the materials and labor to install the new door, repair the wall, moving of the  electric, and moving of the water line so we can put it in writing. He then said it would not include the electrical move unless there was already enough cord in the wall. If there was not enough cord it would be $200 - $300 more for an electrician. He also said that he would just run a pipe through the new cabinets I planned to install from the location of the current water line to the new location of the refrigerator rather than moving any plumbing. I was very shocked and told him that I explicitly went over all of these details with him and I had expected him to move the actual plumbing valve that was on the wall to the new location. I didn't want any pipes running through my new cabinets. He told me there was no valve to move and I assured him there was, and I even checked behind the refrigerator to verify. He told me I didn't know what I was talking about but if I wanted any plumbing moved that would be another $400 or more.

It was now going to be almost $1000 more than his original quote!! I told him this was way out of the budget I expected and he argued with me for a few more minutes before we hung up. I called him back shortly and let him know that I was still very upset about this situation because I explicitly went over the details while he was at my home. I expressed that I was unhappy that he didn't verify the plumbing behind the refrigerator or look at the electrical outlet to verify that there was enough cord while he was at my house so that he could have given me an accurate estimate. He was paid for his time and didn't even inspect the area properly. He became hostile and was yelling at me and talking over me screaming that I didn't know anything about construction. I said that this is getting very unprofessional and that I wanted my money refunded since he did not properly inspect the area, didnt try to fully understand my needs, didnt ask questions to verify, and
didn't give me an accurate estimate for the work. He laughed and told me he was not giving me my money back. We hung up and then he later called me back and said that he would consider sending me half of the money back and I told him he can do that but I would still be pursuing a full refund as he did not provide a proper estimate which is what he was paid to do.

Beware! In my opinion this company is not reputable and is not conducting proper licensed business! I have a feeling I will not see any of my money back... Stay away or you'll be out of $85 too!!