DT GROUP LLC

We bought a coupon for 4 hours of labor. The individual was asked to change out a light fixture and put together an IKEA kitchen island. The light fixture was changed out, but the light was hung by the cord and not the chain, ie the chain was longer than the electrical going into the ceiling. I fixed it...8 month pregnant with twins. The IKEA kitchen island was not finished and there was a significant amount of hardware missing from the parts completed. Approximately three hours was spent on this and it should have been completed in that amount of time. He literally left me with a box of hardware and a 2/3 completed kitchen island. I completed this as well, but needed to have help moving it into the kitchen as the piece weights about 100lb and, as I said, was 8 months pregnant. I believe one of the problems was that the man who came barley spoke English and my Spanish, which is certainly sufficient in many situations and in no way basic, contained insufficient household/construction words to get my point across well. Also, he was slow. So very, very slow.

They did a great job and had super service. I thank them for helping me not risk my life being up on a ladder.

Once again they did a great job and more than we asked for. Very easy going and creative ideas.

The service was excellent. I only used him for one thing, but he was very good. He was able to fix something that we were unable to. I would recommend him.

At the time, we needed to find a house as my wife was pregnant and we had been in a small apartment for years. When we saw the new construction going up, we thought we had truly lucked out. We were told we had gotten in early enough that we could pick out materials such as tiles, counters, cabinets, paint, etc. Initially, the owner, Tom Frenkel, seemed like a professional. As construction progressed, we realized this was not the case, not by a long shot. Purchasing this home from Frenkel was the single worst experience of our lives. Anytime we would ask questions, not accusing questions, just regular ones, Frenkel would fly off the handle and tell us how he doesn't work for us and how it's not a custom home, even though we were told from the start that we could pick out materials. After purchasing the home, we have had to put in an additional $35,000 to fix Frenkel's mistakes and oversights. See, the scam that Tom Frenkel pulls is that he gets a permit for a simple second floor renovation, but then tears the house down to the foundation. Frenkel puts himself down as the contractor, that way he doesn't have to hire licensed people to do the jobs properly. Frenkel hires guys off the street who have no idea what they are doing and it shows. The workers we talked to confirmed this for us. Here's an example of what we dealt with: We were told that we could have a washer and dryer delivered and they would install them. A couple weeks before closing Frenkel said he never agreed we could do that. That was a flat out lie, one of many that would eventually come to light. Turns out that the reason Frenkel didn't let us deliver the washer/dryer was because they never installed a gas shut off and the second floor laundry room was built so undersized that you couldn't fit both appliances inside without them sticking out past the doors. We had to hire a carpenter to expand the laundry area in order to get the room's doors to close. Another example was the ductwork. When we had a real professional come out to look, we found that the ductwork was only half the size it should be. That was what was causing the loud banging noises from the AC. We had to cut into the first floor and install a floor mounted return. Frenkel also installed the second floor return intakes near the floor instead of near the ceiling. We had to seal them up and move them towards the ceiling. Another example was the water heater exhaust pvc piping. Frenkel didn't even bother to glue it together, it was just pushed together with no sealant. Another example would be the doors and locks in the house. During the walk through, the lock handle to the back door came off in my hand. The lock on the front door and the garage just slid out. All had to be replaced because they were not installed correctly. We had to re-hang doors because they would just slide shut. We had to install a plumbing valve in order to get the hot water separated from the cold water. We had to caulk around the bathtub and showers and seal all the tiles because they neglected to do any of that. Speaking of tiles, we purchased expensive glass accent tile for the master shower. Some of the tiles were clear, so in order to properly install them you had to use white thinset. Frenkel used grey. You also could not use a trowel, the thinset needed to be pressed instead. Frenkel trowels it, and left us with clear tiles showing grey trowel marks behind them. Totally ruined the whole thing, the tiles had to be replaced by a licensed contractor. On painting, we were promised Benjamin Moore eggshell, but Frenkel bought an off brand and tried to color match it to the BM colors we had picked out. The paint they put up was also all flat instead of eggshell. The whole place felt like a chalkboard. The lighting was no different. We purchased the majority of the lights for the house because Frenkel would otherwise just buy the cheapest lights from Menards (Sidenote: we once asked for a certain colored grout to match tiles, Frenkel said it wasn't available at Menards, we said it's at Lowes, he said he doesn't go to Lowes and doesn't have time to go "all over" and that once again "he doesn't work for us"). Anyway, we had three pendant lights over the kitchen island. At the walk through, we took one look and wondered if Frenkel and his crew were ruining things on purpose because between the 1st and 2nd light the distance was 27", but between the 2nd and 3rd lights the distance was 33". It was glaring and obvious. Frenkel and his crew apparently do not own a chalk line either because everytime you had more than two lights in a row, such as can lights, they weren't even close to being in a straight lline. We had to move many lights and then repair the drywall to get a straight line going. Total amateur hour. The DT Group apparently doesn't employ a licensed carpenter, and if they do, then they should be fired immediately. We have a shallow riser in our stairs leading down to the basement. Not an easy fix. They must not know how to measure because that is stair building 101. Actually, none of the stairs they installed are really any good in terms of uniformity on rise and run. Continuing on carpentry, the trim is a total mess. Frenkel and his guys don't know how to miter a corner, so they use these peg pieces on every inside and outside corner. They also put toe kick trim on the bottom, but it just abruptly stops and starts at the ends and at the corners with no mitering or taper, it looks ridiculous. The window trim is just as bad. They purchased trim with a rounded edge, but when they made cuts they didn't bother to sand the cut edge to make it round. Total lack of detail. They also purchased cabinets that were just cheap outdated junk from China. It's a shame really, because there are at least a dozen local places selling USA made cabinets that are priced similarly. Still, they cabinets were installed crooked and the trim was unfinished and raw. On the deck the story was the same. Apparently they don't make peg pieces for decks so they had to try mitering. There were 1/2 gaps on the corners, pathetic. They also cut into the rail supports, after the Village Inspector came out, for some unknown reason, turning a 4x4 into a 1x1 at the bottom. Suffice to say we had to reinforce the railings big time. Also, Frenkel and his guys cut into the roof trusses after an inspection in order to install an attic door. That one we caught in time, so they had to fix it, but it shows a pattern of behavior. You are only allowed so much space in these reviews so I will wrap it up. All in all, we would never recommend anyone do any business with DT Group, LLC., let alone buy an entrie house from them. We definitely learned a few things on this one. Even our mild mannered realtor told Frenkel's realtor that she would never show a house from him ever again. So, it's not just us, and feel free to Google Tom Frenkel to see the impact of his previous work, under a different company name of course. DT Group and Tom Frenkel should be avoided at all costs.

I bought one of the big deals but cancelled as I hired another contractor for my project. The rating reflects it was a good deal and also prompt refund by Angie's list upon cancellation.

They were reliable and did all work requested.

That was fine. They did everything I asked and they got done in the time that was allotted. They were prompt. They were neat. I had no complaints whatsoever.

He was very handy and nice and did everything quickly He was on-time, courteous and cleaned up well after himself.

I purchased a coupon for four hours of handyman services. The individual who was sent to do the work was extremely courteous, professional and efficient. The caulking work initially looked fantastic, but within a few days "degraded" in a few spots-- I'm not sure if it was poor quality of the caulk used, or the quality of the application. My suspicion is that in the areas where the caulk "degraded," new grouting was actually what was needed. I was a little disappointed because I had actually suggested re-grouting in addition to the individual, but was told that caulking would be sufficient and that re-grouting would be beyond the scope (needed more time than I had purchased) of the coupon. In retrospect, I think I would have preferred to pay a little extra for a long lasting, high-quality job.

It was an Angie's List Big Deal that I purchased. Overall, it was an excellent experience.

Everything went well from the purchase and scheduling to the prompness of the service. Several odd handy man jobs including sink leak, creaky doors and windows, closet fix, and the most important of the lobs was a small ceiling drywall repair. All of which was completed in appropriate time. Actually felt a little guilty that the price was so low for all the jobs he was able to accomplish. Great results.

Everything is now working well, we were happy with their work.

I had a couple of small projects and he did it quite efficiently. There was nothing to dislike.

They put in a lock in the garage and fixed the outlet. We couldn’t communicate well. I got him to do a few things for me. This was the first time I had used him.

I had to cancel the work on the morning it was scheduled to start. No work done.

Pretty Great. We were not expecting much as we were painting basic white in one room and two hallways. Overall the guys were great and were really professional and respectful of the space. just missed an inside arch which we did not catch until after they left. Inside arch was a beige so perhaps it was missed. Either way, we would use them again.

They repaired my porch. They were great. I used their services in 05/2012. I purchased a plate that had a bit of an unstable staircase and back deck, and they fortified it. My experience with them was great. They are very professional. They are kindly. They are pretty diligent about things. They finished their work within the allotted time. The porch was fantastic. They were fantastic with their communication. I live out of state and they were working in Chicago for me and I found them to be very professional and trustworthy. I had a good experience.

I hired them to install shower doors, hang four flower boxes with eight ledges. Two workers came out, on time, ready to go. They installed the shower doors, making sure to ask just how I wanted which door to slide. Flower boxes were up on second level of house. I could not find 2 flower boxes the right length, so these guys had to put up 4. Got spacing right, compliments from the neighbors. They did a few odds and end jobs as well. Polite, careful not to make a mess and cleaned up after themselves.

They refused to do the bathroom exhaust fan because it was more of a "renovation", involving routing the exhaust out the roof, etc. When I explained the deal I bought was for handyman *OR* contractor services, they said they could do it but would need to charge extra for electricians, etc. (I also blame Angie's List for the misnomer on the Big Deal they sold me, hence not nailing these guys with a worse grade. I'm probably not renewing my Angie's List membership, as most of the "Big Deals" I've purchased have been hack jobs or scams...just for full disclosure.) When I changed directions and wanted to do other jobs, they needed specific information up front so they knew to send 1 or 2 people to my house. I'm not a handyman or contractor, so I didn't know how long some projects would take. The project they ultimately agreed to was replacing the ceiling (drywall) and insulation in my garage. They wanted to send 2 guys for 4 hours (8 man hours total). I talked to a friend who was a contractor who told me there was no way they'd get that job done in 4 hours, which would definitely result in overages at their regular rates. Ultimately, I cancelled the deal via Angie's List and got my money back. My biggest problem with them is that they offered no guidance on the projects, presented roadblocks to the project I basically bought the Big Deal for and would not tell me if they could actually finish the job in 8 man hours.

When I finally found a task that met their definition of handyman work, I was told I had to use both coupons on the same day, even though there was nothing in the offer that said that was necessary, and I was told the eight hours work time would only be 7 1/2 because they needed a 1/2 hour lunch break on my time.

Came promptly and finished early.

Upon purchasing this service through Angie's List I received a call from DT Group. He inquired about what type of work needed to be done and outlined the timing for each and if any materials needed to be purchased: for instance the new electrical outlets, which I purchased ahead of time. I was told that they could also buy any materials that might be needed, but that that the time would be factored in to the entire 4 hour service. This was good to hear as the work as being done in the suburbs and I would be in the city that day with someone else letting them in to do the work. As such I wasn't actually present when the DT workers were doing the repairs, however I'm told that they were very polite and when I returned that evening they had completed everything on my punch list to great satisfaction. I would happily use them again if needed.

Overall, we were pleased with the job that DT Group did. And we were extremely pleased with the cost.

Very reasonably priced, quick, professional and excellent service. They are now on my speed dial for 1st call for future work.