As with owning any home, there is always something to fix around the house. However, why is it such a chore just to find a suitable repair service? Assuming friends cannot provided a recommendation, I usually try AngiesList.org, which is probably the most reputable consumer review site on the internet for local contractors, plumbers, electricians, etc. The only problem is that whenever I do a search, very few local providers have reviews listed for them. Thus I am usually left searching Google Maps for names and phone numbers and forced to make service judgements based on their clever company name or vanity 800 number.
What amazes me is how nobody in Stamford seems to want my money. On multiple occasions, with multiple types of service, I have left messages for people or even had them come out for estimates only to leave me in the dark. For example, I recently needed to have a portion of the hardwood floor repaired in my kitchen. I called four companies, only two ever returned my phone call. Yet, the two that did, came out to my house but then never provided an estimate for the work. Thus, I am still waiting to have the repair done (know anybody?).
I experienced a similar situation when I recently reached out to several local companies for air conditioning repair work. One company never returned my phone call and another could not provide me with an appointment and insisted on calling me whenever their technician was available (meaning I was at their beckon call and would have to run home at their convenience). What happened to the recession? I thought people in these professions are begging for work? Are Stamford contractors doing that well right now that they can turn away most business?
Luckily I stumbled across “24 Hour Heating and Air Conditioning” in the online Yellow Pages. They were super courteous on the phone and were able to schedule an appointment the next day. They provided me a two hour window and arrived right when they said they would (even though they were coming from Danbury). Everything about the experience working with them was professional, from the cloth booties the technician wore inside the house to the extra time they took to explain everything. While this was my first time using them, I will definitely be calling them again should the need arise.
Through trial and error I have finally begun to have reliable local cast of contractors for various jobs, as time permits I will try to post more reviews of them here.
