Mr. Handyman of Fairfax & Eastern Loudoun Co

Fantastic. Russell was friendly, fast, and thorough.

The serviceman came on time and completed all work within the allotted time (two hours).

The technician Yordy did excellent work on all tasks. He arrived promptly and worked efficiently. He used some materials provided by me, but most materials were either from his truck (since we discussed certain jobs over the phone) or were purchased from Home Depot as part of the job. I was happy with all of the work that was performed. However, the final bill was an unpleasant surprise. When I discussed the job over the phone with the manager, Yogi, he gave me the impression that the job would cost about $350 + materials: about $100/hr for 4 hrs labor minus a $50 Angie's List Coupon. I was expecting at most $425-$450 with materials. So how did the bill end up to be $604? Well, according to the fine print of the contract (which I did not read) he charges $256 for the 1st two hours and $98 per hour after that. (Did he just add $50 to the contract to compensate for the Angie's List discount?) So that is $128/hr for the 1st two hours. That seems exorbitant to me. Anyway, after the $50 Angie's List discount, the Labor charge was $402 for 4 hours. How did the bill get to $604? The fine print also says that materials are charged with a X2 or a X3 multiplier. Plus there is a $15 van use fee and a $10 gas fee on top of that. The actual cost of the materials used in my home was probably around $60, so paying $200 was an unpleasant surprise. No Handyman I have used before has ever charged materials with a multiplier. In the past, I have paid the actual cost of materials (per receipts) plus the time cost for acquiring the materials. If I had been warned ahead of time, I would have purchased all the materials myself and had them on hand. So, I am writing this to warn other Angie's List members.

PAINTING: Russell was meticulous in the painting project. All the edges were clean and finish was smooth. CURTAIN RODS: Russell fixed my curtain rods to hold the weight of my curtains. They are very solidly in place. Job well done!

We are very pleased with the work performed by Service Technician Damerio. He was knowledgeable and skilled. Our bathtub was messily caulked with the wrong caulk. He cleaned it all out and did the best recaulking we have ever had. The doors were carefully trimmed only as far as necessary. This company was slow in getting back to us and scheduling this work because they couldn't get a timely estimate from a subcontractor for some other work we want done. Their technicians are highly recommended but I would not recommend this company for large jobs involving subcontractors.

The work was fine and we were very pleased. He did a very good job to find out what was wrong. He did do some extra research to try and find some matching ceiling tile we had that was not being produced anymore. He tried to find some in the area that were close and we were very satisfied. We had used them previously and we liked them.

They did fine. I would recommend them because it was less expensive to repair the windows than get new ones. The quality was very good.

It was fine. They had a minimum cost and time. They were very prompt and we needed the work done quickly. They were able to send somebody out fast. They did the job and they came out in a timely fashion. The cost was reasonable.

They are good. I have been happy with their service. Although, they are a little expensive. It’s the convenience of calling and having them show up the same day that is more expensive rather than finding another handyman.

He was inexpensive. They were very friendly but the service performance was inadequate.

I told them to remove the baseboards and that is what they did but they left all the nails in the wall. When I went outside, they had stuck out all the baseboards on the front lawn and they left them there. In the exact spot, I had just seen a giant snake a day before. I feel I did not have to tell them to remove the nails and baseboards and haul them away. They are supposed to know how to do it as part of good work. I called them and they told me the guy who left the nails does not work for them anymore and they said they would send out another person the next day. The next day nobody shows up and I call, they said he got busy but I thought they should have called. They said he will be there tomorrow. The next day nobody shows up and I call and they told me he was be busy. I bought a hammer and pulled them out. A neighbor offered to haul for me the baseboards away.

It was very good. I have had them out several times. They have good quality work.

We would never use them again. They were too expensive and didn't do what we wanted them for the price. The guy was basically saying that it was a patch job that needed to be done. So when the guy came up and looked on the roof he said it was something completely different and he said this would cost thousands and thousands of dollars, because it is a roofing company thing. For them to even come out to the house, you had to pay this amount. They said they had to have an estimate fee for $50. So there was no way they were leaving our house without having to pay $50. So basically all I got was them saying it was going to be much more expensive, even though they originally said it was going to be a patch job. And I got no service. It was basically an estimate. And they were late to begin with. They were not honest with stuff and I had to pay for basically nothing. It was a frustrating experience.

That was fantastic. We were supposed to do a review on them but we forgot. They were fantastic.

They did what we wanted. They put in a pocket door. It works fine. The quality of the finished product was good. I thought they charge too much. Because it is so hard to find someone who does pocket doors, I probably would recommend them only because I cannot find anyone else who installs pocket doors.

I believe the gentleman was punctual. The work performed was good.

Two of the jobs were difficult especially the window, but he was able to figure it out and repair.

Well done, on time and as requested. But pricey.

N/A: Sorry, never used them.

I had a terrible, terrible, terrible experience with Mr. Handyman of Fairfax/Loudon. I would not recommend them to anyone. Please do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. The technician did not get to most things on our list and 2 out of the 3 jobs that he did do we're not done correctly. When the technician arrived, he was complaining that he was tired and said that he wouldn't be able to get to everything on our list. Um, ok. Then he walked through all of the jobs with my husband and explained that he would go to Home Depot to buy the necessary supplies for US to complete since he wouldn't have time. To make matters worse, Mr. Handyman adds a certain cost percentage to the items purchased for the customers. We ended up paying an ADDITIONAL $200 on TOP of the $400 base fee for the four hours of service...I should add that 1 hour was spent AT HOME DEPOT getting us supplies for the jobs he wasn't able to complete. This is highway robbery. The technician completed minimal jobs on our list and one of his jobs was done so poorly that it fell apart in a week. I called to complain and I was told that the technician would come back out to fix the problem. I expressed that I did not want the same technician to come back - but apparently that's their procedure. I declined. I made a complaint and completed a follow-up survey about this service and I was never contacted. Very disappointing.

This job was initiated via the Snapfix application. We asked for a carpenter to replace our upstairs metal stairway banister with a wooden banister and install the a downstairs banister on the landing. We had already purchased and prepared (sanded, stained 3x) the materials, including four newel posts, a landing newel post, a 12 ft section of handrail, an 8 ft section of handrail, two half newels, several dozen white primed spindles, and four sets of L-Brackets to secure the newel posts. Snapfix could not find a provider in our area and handed the project off to the Angie?s List Concierge. The concierge recommended and scheduled Mr. Handyman of Fairfax and Eastern Loudoun Counties to provide the service starting 02 JUL 2014 between 2:00 and 3:00 PM. We received an email from Mr. Handyman on 01 JUL 2014 confirming the appointment and setting the price at $256 for the first two hours and $98 every hour after that. The technician (Minh) arrived at 2:15 PM. He looked at the job and seemed surprised. He mentioned that he thought he was just to replace a few spindles. We asked if he was a master carpenter. He said he was not. We asked if he could do the job. He said he could. Because he said he was able to complete the job, we signed and authorized him to begin work. In the words of my wife, ?He then asked me if I had all the materials. I said yes. I showed him the wood I had stained and sanded 3 times, I showed him the white spindles. He asked if I had the ?screws that go into the post.? I said what kind? Aren't these L-Brackets good enough?? He said it would be more sturdy if I had the other kind. He said he couldn't remember the name of them. I asked if he had a picture. He said he couldn't find one. He offered to go to Home Depot on my time, and get them, or I could go get them. He said if I ?asked anyone at Home Depot about it they would know.? I left, again believing him, to get them while he would take down the old railing.? At Home Depot, no one knew what kind of screws the technician was talking about. In fact they stated the L-Brackets should be sufficient for the job. My wife called the technician?s supervisor (Yogi) and asked how much experience the technician had on carpentry. The supervisor replied he had at least two jobs experience. My wife expressed concern, since the technician had just sent her to Home Depot with no clear idea of what to purchase. . The supervisor recommended that we let the technician continue to install the stair railing and see if they were sturdy and firm. If not, he would make sure they were fixed to our satisfaction. I arrived and my wife returned shortly after. The technician had taken down the old iron banister and installed the half newel post and two full newel posts. He was at work cutting the handrail. We inspected again later after one of two sections of handrail had been installed. We noticed there was a large angle gap between the half newel post and the end of the handrail: the railing had not been cut at a 90 degree angle! The top met the post, but the bottom was at least a ¼ ? away (see picture). We asked about this, and the technician said, ?Yeah, I think your wall is crooked.? Later, he would say ?Yeah, I think my saw slipped,? and ?Yeah, I think maybe my saw was dull because it?s a little old, so it didn't cut straight.? We were concerned. We asked how he was going to fix the problem. The technician said he would fill it wood filler and stain it close to what the other wood looked like, We are admittedly not master carpenters, but that sounded both dangerous to the stability of something that people may lean against, as well as unsightly. We discussed our options. We noticed the technician?s work area. He was cutting railings on an overturned orange bucket sitting on the ground in our front yard (see picture). We noticed that the remaining edges of the hand railing were splintered and damaged, and possibly not usable for the downstairs railing (see picture). We also noticed that the technician was using a hand sander to smooth the edges of the second section of the railing. We did not notice at the time, but the second section was rounded and could not possibly fit flush against the newel post (see picture). Feeling very concerned, we watched as the technician started installing the spindles. After three were installed and nailed to the hardwood floor, my wife notices that two spindles are slanting towards the first spindle. My wife mentions to the tech that the spindles are slanted. He states that it is just an illusion because the spindles are thinner at the top. My wife insists they are not straight and proves it by placing a straightedge against the spindles that are installed. The technician admits they are not straight then adjusts the spindles by hammering them sideways, scraping the floor. By then we had had enough. We asked him to stop work. He says it?s almost been 4 hours. He?ll need to come back tomorrow and finish. He wants payment now. We tell him we are not going to pay until this is done correctly. The technician insists he must collect payment everyday. We refuse. The technician calls his supervisor. The supervisor says he?ll send a "more experienced carpenter" out the next day to fix the issues free of charge, and that he will take $100.00 off the bill, but insists we pay for today?s labor. We insist that our only assurance that this job will be fixed is if we withhold payment until the fix is complete. The supervisor instructs his technician to stay and await payment. We informed both the technician and the supervisor that if he stays, we are NOT paying for that time, nor are we paying until the fix is complete. The technician waited outside our home until 8:00 PM. We get the Angie?s List Concierge involved. They start to negotiate with the supervisor. He agrees to send someone to fix the damage first thing in the morning (0800). We take time off work. The next morning no one shows up. We call the concierge at 1000. We are informed that the supervisor is not sending someone until after 2:00 PM. I call the supervisor. He says he will send a technician to fix the work, he will buy us a new post, and he will take $50.00 off the invoice for the previous day. I say I agree but I will purchase the handrail and be reimbursed, but must research the price since we had purchased the materials several weeks before. I call back and inform him of the price. He says that is too much. I inform him it was a 12 ft section of handrail that needs to be replaced. He states his technician told him that it was the post that was damaged not the handrail. By this point it was apparent we both wanted to terminate this business arrangement, it was becoming too painful. He asked me how much I would pay to settle the invoice. I considered the damaged material I would have to repurchase and prepare, the damaged flooring, and the fact that I was going to have to hire a new contractor to come and possibly rip out all his work, and I said, ?nothing.? He threatened legal action. I sent him pictures so that he knew exactly what had been done by his tech. This is where we are. We are a military family preparing for an overseas move. We needed this job done right the first time so that the house would be prepared for renters. We trusted that the contractor would provide the skilled labor to get the job done right the first time, and they did not. I would never recommend Mr. Handyman of Fairfax and Eastern Loudoun County. As a postscript, we asked the Angie?s List Concierge how they could recommend this company. It turn out that it?s a franchise and the concierge did not realize it. The concierge originally scheduled the work for Mr Handyman of Northern Virginia (Arlington to Haymarket), but was directed by the scheduler to Mr. Handyman of Fairfax and Eastern Loudoun County. We are actually in that franchise's service area. My understanding is that Mr Handyman of Northern Virginia (Arlington to Haymarket) is actually a top rated provider, Mr. Handyman of Fairfax and Eastern Loudoun County is not.

They did a great job. They were excellent. I would use them again. They were very clean, very professional and did quality work.

I joined Angie's List in the hopes of finding a quality contractor to replace some rotten wood and windows around my home. I called Mr Handyman of Fairfax and Eastern Loudoun Counties to request an estimate on the work. I spoke with Alicia and she was very unprofessional in her tone and attitude. When I requested that an individual come to my house to evaluate the work I need done and provide an estimate, she informed me that she would look at my house using satellite images and use that to provide the estimate. When I asked how a satellite image would help provide an accurate estimate, she replied "never mind" and then hung up on me. I will not consider this company again.

I called Mr. Handyman and enquired about doing a power wash for our house. The woman who answered the phone was disorganized, rude, loud, and unhelpful. I am not even sure it was her intent to be rude. She seemed to be relating more closely to the computer in front of her or whatever else she was doing than to me. She interrupted me repeatedly. I do not believe I completed a single sentence during our conversation. She did not always interrupt me with relevant information. She just did not seem to be attending to the conversation. On a humorous note, I asked if they provided exterior window washing services as well as power washing. She said: "Sure but you will have to pay for it." I did think that was funny but I was getting increasing frustrated with her distractions and interruptions. Even so, with the high rating on Angie's List, I decided to go ahead and told her I wanted both services done. She said (very loudly -- I'm not sure why) "well you will have to wait until I get out of what I am doing." With that, she put the phone down and started doing something else -- perhaps at a computer. I waited a short while and simply hung up.

The company charges by the hour and that made me nervous, but the installer worked hard, no breaks, with my husband overseeing. He was very good, meticulous and time conscience. to include removing the old microwave/exhaust built and replace w/a stove pipe hood range. The work exhaust work required moving electric and moving the outside exhaust hole. Installing and Repairing the exterior siding