Flooring

I had Mr. Handyman (the Venice Blvd location - though I'm not sure there is an actual office) bid on a project over the phone. They assured me it would take 2-3 hours for the install of a wood hand rail along a wall of my staircase. So, their guy shows up and tells me it will take 5 hours (at $500!!!) because of the type of wood I bought (Oak) is hard to drill in to connect the various pieces together. I was strapped for time and needed to get it done before my mom came to visit the next day, so I went ahead even though it was way more than I wanted to spend. I come home 5 hours later and the place is a mess and the handrail has not even been attached to the wall. I freaked out! What exactly has he been doing all that time? Well, even though Mr. Handyman claims their workers come fully equipped for the job, he had to go to Home Depot 2-3 times for parts. And he clearly had no talent for basic carpentry. After a few more hours of work, he finished up - of course, I inspected and found loose brakets, missing screws, etc. He had to return for another hour the next day to do more work. Fortunately, since he was clearly incompetent, I didn't have to pay for more than the original 5 hours of labor. But still, I was totally ripped off. I wouldn't have minded the money if at least the quality was solid. All in all, it was incredibly sloppy work. The different pieces don't quite line up, he scuffed up the wood finish of the rails, and please don't look at the underside - screws, nails, and glue - a mish mash of techniques - were used to piece the thing together. Argh! I blame the main office: 1. They didn't get the relevant info from me to make sure I had an accurate quote and the handyman came fully prepared (they refused to come out and get a visual of the project beforehand). 2. They claim they can handle projects that their handymen may be unqualified to do. One good thing about the company, they have uniforms, professional vehicles, and are fully bonded and insured.