From Madison B.
Gifted Hands
My Thumbtack request for Kelvin involved two jobs: a garbage disposal repair /replacement and a light fixture installation. I'll review the two jobs separately below, though my largest concerns are regarding the light fixture installation.
GARBAGE DISPOSAL : I contacted Kelvin for a garbage disposal repair , and he was at my home the very next day. While he arrived a couple hours later than planned, he did a great job communicating and keeping me updated on his ETA. I really appreciated this.
I asked Kelvin to bring a replacement garbage disposal just in case I needed one. He did, and upon his arrival, he asked if I wanted to proceed with a diagnostic or a full replacement. At risk of the diagnostic winding up with a replacement anyways, I chose the latter. Kelvin did a great job and was finished in about an hour.
LIGHT INSTALLATION: After making the request for the garbage disposal repair /replacement via Thumbtack, I also sent Kelvin the following message:
"If you have time and [are] comfortable with installing ceiling lights, I also have a ceiling light I've been attempting to hang up."
After completing the garbage disposal job, Kelvin indicated toward my ceiling light and said he would help install it. The prior light had already been removed by myself and my partner, requiring us to merely disconnect the wiring. Note, the prior light was working fine before, I just wanted a style upgrade after purchasing my new home (I also have an inspection report from a few weeks prior indicating that the light was functional).
Kelvin installed the light and charged me $120. When we turned it on, it worked. I happily paid via a combination of cash and Venmo, Kelvin's preferred payment methods. He asked me to label the Venmo payment "ice cream" which should have been a red flag immediately, but I did so. I was thrilled to have my light up and working.
But when Kelvin left and I went to switch the light off, it stayed on. The only way to turn it off was via the breaker switch or by removing the bulbs (I opted for the latter). I immediately messaged Kelvin, probably within five minutes of his departure, to let him know that it wasn't turning off. Here are our below messages:
Me: "Hi Kelvin! Thanks so much for your help today! Unfortunately, the light now won’t turn off using the switch. Know any quick fixes for this I can maybe try?"
Him: "Could it be the switch does not work"
Him: "It’s the only thing that would ocurr to me"
Him: "Did the old one turn off and on"
Me: "It did!"
Him: "Ok I would recommend replacing the switch because if we connected it the same way the other one was then there should be no issues the switch should be the problem"
Me: "Got it! Thanks so much!"
I had a pretty strong feeling Kelvin was incorrect here. Not only was the previous light functional, but during the installation, Kelvin seemed to struggle a bit with the wiring and didn't seem as comfortable with this project as he did with the garbage repair removal. It took him over an hour to install the light which was a medium-sized, Sputnik-style chandelier (I live in a small, one-bedroom condo, so I'm not installing anything too large or crazy).
Anyways, after consulting an electrician, my hunch was proven correct. Kelvin made a mistake with the fixture's wiring, and there was no problem at the switch. When I told Kelvin this though, I received no response. Here was my message:
"Good afternoon! I wanted to kindly request a refund on the light fixture installation from last week. Unfortunately, the issue was not with the switch or the switch’s wiring but with the ceiling light being connected directly to a hot wire."
After a couple days of waiting and receiving no response, I decided to proceed with refund request through Thumbtack. After a few days, he didn't respond to them either, so my request has been elevated to the "Marketplace Trust and Safety" team. I'm currently in the middle of that process, but I'm not optimistic given my Venmo payment to him reads "ice cream". At this point, I feel like Kelvin was avoiding proper invoicing, either for this exact reason (i.e., a refund request) or for tax purposes. Either way, it's sketchy.
The funny thing is, this would have been a 5-star review if Kelvin hadn't attempted the light fixture installation, which he clearly wasn't comfortable with, or if he had offered to come back and fix it (successfully). Or even if he just refunded me! But his responses and nonresponses have left a bad taste in my mouth, and I feel taken advantage of.
For future customers, I HIGHLY recommend labelling your Venmo payment or receiving a written invoice from Kelvin. Thankfully, it's only $120 I'm out. But what if this was a bigger project that Kelvin ghosted me on!?
