From Thumbtack Customer
New England Home Renovations
Our small bathroom install project (estimated to take about 3 weeks) is currently two weeks overdue, only part way finished, and there is no sign of any resolution in sight. We had a hard deadline, and we have long since blown past it. This is putting us in a big bind.
We got the recommendation for Richard at Universal Home Renovations here on thumbtack, and all the reviews looked great (17 consistent 5 star reviews). I just don't see how it's possible that 17 people can have a 5 star experience, but me and others who have reviewed on other sites all share the same experience with lack of communication, and unfinished jobs. I can't see how the reviews here on thumbtack can be accurate, unless he really has ignored us (and others as shown through reviews on yelp) in the past month, and is otherwise an absolute superman. My experience is consistent with the negative reviews on yelp.
We hired Richard to install a second bathroom in a home we will be renting out at the end of August. We hired him in June, with the understanding that the job would commence in July and be completed by August 15th, to allow us time to ensure the home was ready to rent out this upcoming weekend for September 1. Our tenants are moving in as scheduled this weekend, and the bathroom is still not completed. The plumbing, electrical, and most of the drywall are done, but we have no word on flooring, paint, fixtures, etc. We are two days away from giving the keys to the tenants. Richard will not return our calls or texts. He personally has not been at the project in weeks, and his son has been there only sporadically to do work. We have paid him two thirds of the project cost, and he has left us high and dry.
We have a carpet cleaning company scheduled for tomorrow morning to clean all the rooms prior to the tenants' move in, and two of the rooms to be cleaned are still full of construction debris and our displaced washer and dryer. I cannot move the items, as I am currently 8 months pregnant, and my husband is away for work. I cannot reach Richard, and have left numerous messages and texts. He does not return calls. He responded to my texts a couple of days ago, assuring me it would be done. Nothing has been touched all week.
His most recent excuse was that his flooring guy fell through, and he was trying to track him down. By now, we could have had Home Depot install the tile. I asked him to at least do the walls, paint, and light fixtures, but it's been over a week and nothing has been worked on.
He is now 2 weeks behind schedule, and we left plenty of time for the occasional 'bumps in the road.' It's amazing to me to see all the negative reviews now (all from the past month or so) on yelp, which did not exist when we hired him. And I find it funny that everyone on Thumbtack magically has had a great experience. I will have no choice but to hire elsewhere to complete the job, get a refund for the work not yet completed, and seek damages. This is more aggravation that I have time for, and more stress than I really should have at this late stage of my third trimester.
