Centro Humanitario

- ON the 3rd at 1215 I contacted the bright cheerful dispatcher and asked where they were. She said she would check. - At 1245 I called her back again asking what she found out. She said she had not been able to get a hold of them. Must have forgotten my number to call me back and give me an update. - 1255 the bright cheerful dispatcher called me back and said they had gotten lost. Seriously? 2 men lost for 45 minutes and NEVER called dispatch back to find out how to get to the worksite??? -115 received call from one of the workers. Gave their location (about 3 miles away) and asked if I could pick them up. That's the best I could make out through the accent. (I have bad hearing and have always had a bad ear for languages) I DID hear him say that first, they were "going to do lunch." - 2 pm. Finally got ahold of the bright cheerful dispatcher again. Called many times from my home phone but, rang until the answering machine came on. Finally called her from my cell (a different number) right after another failed call and amazingly... she picked up immediately. - Told her what the workers had said and asked, "If I let them come over, can I just pay for the hours they work since I've already moved over a ton of it myself." She said no. Have to pay the minimum 4 hours per person. - I responded by telling her I don't want liars, lazy people or people who can't keep their word at my house and to tell them to have lunch AND dinner as well... they are not coming over here. - Make up your own mind but, when the bright cheerful dispatcher said I would l still have to pay the minimum 4 hours (17 x 2 x 4 = $136) even though that meant they would have to work until 6pm and they had already violated the contract... I will never do (or try to do) business with them again.

Seems like a great idea: help out new (legal) immigrants by hiring them for labor gigs and providing them tools until they can get established in this country. Sadly, a great concept has been destroyed. The ONLY thing these guys are capable of (unless you speak excellent Spanish) is heavy lifting. Providing drawings (no, literally, I drew the pattern of tiles on the wall), or plans on quadrille ruled paper, does not help. One of their guys reassured me that he knew how to put up a fence with a gate. Which is true, if you don't care that the fence is not plumb, straight or level. When he tackled hanging the garden gate he took two days. Putting in a garden gate is, at most, a two hour job. Two. Days. At $120 per day. $240 for a gate that any English speaking handyman could have installed for $50. The gate never worked properly and we had to tear it out and replace it. We have had similar problems with tile installation, landscape cloth installation (I never knew how badly that could be screwed up, until Centro's workers set to), etc., etc. Some of the crews are honest and competent, but others... the following items that went missing from my home when -- and only when -- Centro workers were present: 1. Six (6) sheets of decorative marble mosaic tile, valued at $12 per sheet 2. Three (3) sets of locking channel clamp pliers 3. One (1) light detail magnetized tack hammer 4. One (1) 100' garden tape measure and reel 5. Two (2) 12" spirit levels 6. Two (2) carpenter's speed squares 7. One (1) bag expensive tinted tile grout that was destroyed by being mixed for mortar (even though the label was in English AND Spanish) 8. One (1) $600 cherry wood bathroom vanity that Centro's man painted with stain so heavily that it looks like a cheap painted piece, even though I explained I wanted it "transparenté" and demonstrated that he was to wipe the stain off, so that the grain would show through. Centro does NO screening and makes no promises about their workers. Therefore, if you want to fill a dumpster or move gravel from point "A" to point "B" and are willing to take extensive security measures and pay for translators, fine. Other than that, I can not, in good conscience recommend Centro's workers.

You need to provide any tools needed, but I wouldn't hesitate to call again for any similar type of job.

They are very responsive and helpful. They do a lot of other job like handymen services. We have to provide our own equipment and they don’t have any equipment of their own and they provide only labor. They do a non profitable job. They are very hard working and very respectful. They do a very good service to the community. I would rate them high overall. I didn’t have any issue s with them and they are very careful in their work. I would use them again in the future.