Mr. Handyman of Greater Frederick and Hagerstown

If I could give Mr. Handyman zero stars, I would. The company is a scam and fraud. I hired them to install a 10 sq. ft. ceramic tile backsplash in the kitchen. Tile was standard off the shelf and I had all the supplies. I was told that they would bring tools, including a tile saw (which I specifically asked about). When the technician arrived he had no saw that could cut tile. Two hours later (which I was charged for), he came back with a saw (which I was also charged for) and finally started work. 4 hours later the tile was up (more or less). The technician damaged about a dozen tiles but installed them anyway. He said that when he returned in 2 days to grout he’d fix them with a hot glue gun. He did that, charging me $102 for a hot glue stick (even though I had some on hand). Of course he failed to repair 2 of the broken tiles and grouted over them. Oops. The grouting job itself is a disaster. The technician grouted over electrical outlets, grouted wood cabinets and rubbed a big hole in my wall trying to wipe down the excess grout he slopped everywhere. There’s a new patch and paint job in my future; thanks Mr. Handyman! Patches of tile have no grout, patches have glops of it. I guess it evens out? Best of all, he grouted the protective plastic wrap that the tile came in — yes, grouted in plastic shreds (which I can’t remove without digging out grout). Corners and edges are all grout, no tile. My kitchen looks like a disaster. 10 hours of labor and almost $1500 — the technician won’t leave without being paid. I called the home office twice trying to reach someone to help. But they already had their check, so no luck. I’ve tried twice to reach the owner, Rob, but “he may not come to the office for awhile.” No call back of course. I’ll be filing an MHIC complaint and filing a fraud complaint with the state comptroller. Do yourself a favor — avoid this scam of a company. You will be defrauded.

This regards Mr. Handyman of North & West Central MD / 12 Davis Avenue / Frederick, MD 21701. The work was done well and by an able technician, but one prominent item was done without authorization (likely because he had bought 2 parts of different sizes, and chose to use them both on different items?). When I asked for a refund, I was insulted by both the delay in responding (3 weeks) and in the amount refunded (barely beyond the 1/4 hour rate, and allegedly including the part). Part of the problem is the incredible lack of itemization beyond a handwritten list on the invoice to substantiate charges. When I asked for an itemization, I got a response three days later, but it was simply a handwritten list of actions that were performed, and on plain paper -- no sort of "official" itemization. I have photos of the parts replaced, and copies of the invoice and “itemization.” Additionally, I was charged for work not done, as I had to call another plumber in because Mr Handyman couldn't isolate the part needed. Not the way to keep a customer or get return business.