I've had 2 jobs done by Dani (Mini Pepine). So to be fair, I'll give both my reviews. I'm very meticulous in my dealings with contractors in general and do a lot of research before hiring. I found him on yellow pages and his quote was competitive the first time around. I found out, later, that he was doing this on the side on top of his full time job back then. I was a bit concerned at first but he hired reliable individuals* in his network to do the job. (* I believe this is a factor which played a role in cost he cannot control and which he passes on to the customer )
- 1st job was for Garage and Foundation crack repair. Based on my thorough walk through of the job and all my expectations, he gave me a quote and which I agreed on and hired him to do the job. He advised me all the way and he is very well versed with the subject. He sent 2 individuals to do the demo and excavation. He came and monitored the job from time to time to make sure the job is done to specifications - as this is his area of expertise. I was very happy with the end result and professionalism he showed . So much, I referred him to other people who had work done and I was a returning customer a few years later ...
- 2nd Job was for Excavation, Drain repair, Redo my Stairs and Walk way over a longer span. As my 1st experience was a pleasant one, I called Dani and explained the job . Similar to the first contract, I made sure I went through all the details of the job; Undoing the Paved Walkway, Excavation, Drain Replacement, Refill, Redo the Walk way and some landscaping around the area like new grass. The quote was reasonable and I trusted him to bring the right people to do the job - a turn key solution for a fixed price - which I thought! Note: that he was less available on the site but came by a few times, at the end of his day job.
Because of the nature of the project, I needed to coordinate the timing of the start of the job with the city , the insurer and Dani. I needed to have an accurate quote for insurance purposes and additional minor landscaping work but all this were dependent on several parties ( city and adjuster). The process was that a quote is required for submission to my insurance and City approval to start the job.
The very next day, he sent Contractor 1.
Contractor 1(Landscaper) sent 2 employees to undo my Existing Walk way ( putting away the pavers from walk way ) even though I havent received the approval from my Insurance or city. I thought, since this work had to be done anyways, I didnt mind but later found out that this will cost me extra.
Contractor 2: Contractor with his own Excavator for Excavation
Contractor 3. Plumber with 2 employees to replace the existing drains
My first -ve experience was about the timing on to start the work. He was pretty irritated over the phone and was very rude... something which I recalled clearly .
When work started, Excavation went on smoothly, and Drain Replacement, he came by a few times to check the progress ...They had some complications and took longer than he expected and later passed on the extra labor and cost to me!!!
When I tried to inquire over the phone, about the reason and that his dealing with his contractor is clearly not part of the deal, that's when he was very short got fused , defensive...and again, started raising his voice; blaming me how I requested (allegedly) the excavator to do more work to justify this increase.
At this point, I thought this was a pattern and unlike the pleasant experience I had before, I thought, this has to stop.
I called it quits and asked him to give me an invoice for the part of the work he did (Excavation and Drain Repair - with the extra labor he passed on to me). I simply, didnt want to deal with anyone with this attitude , even if the job is half done.
The final bill he sent me, he added Plumbing cost, "extra" Excavation work , and Extra for undoing the walk way ( something which took 2 hrs but charged at a professional rate!)... all of which was supposed to be part of the job, now has added cost.
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Hi Cyril, it is great to hear that you are still satisfied with the garage floor replacement that was done by us in 2015.
I apologize for your experience in 2018, for an emergency water main and sew line replacement that you were adamant to have carried out as quickly as possible because your plumbing was backing up and you and your family can return home.
Considering your situation, we rescheduled our other projects to convenience you. It was clearly stated and obvious that your walkway and lawn would have to be dug up and you asked to have the walkway pavers salvaged so they can be reused.
You were overwhelmed with the situation and asked us to coordinate with a local landscape company to remove and get a quote to replace your landscaping, which was not included or the scope of our work. Unfortunately, with these type of projects unknowns may occur beyond our control, and in your case there was an additional charge by the plumber.
We will take your review as constructive and I hope you enjoy your garage and the toilets are still flushing without backing up.
