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Do Not DIY
For times when you definitely need professional help.
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8 attività
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La recensione a 5 stelle di Janna: Cheryl is wonderful. When I met her I was in a pretty low place in terms of trust for landlord-hired contractors, but she put me at ease immediately by being overtly respectful of me, my space, and my two scaredy-cats. To summarize a month-long saga, I had reported to my landlord some mold growing in my bathroom, which later proved to be due to a leaky pipe under that wall. He first dismissed the issue, then blamed it on me ("I'm not SAYING you're doing anything wrong, but no one ELSE has this problem..."). Finally, after I pointed out that the surface was mushy to the touch, he hired a general contractor to rip out the wall and ceiling without taking any steps to isolate the rest of the apartment from the mold growing underneath. In addition to this, he sent numerous contractors - with keys in hand - to my place at various points in time without notifying me. In short, by the time Cheryl showed up, I was pretty freaked out about my personal space and safety. Miraculously, she was incredibly respectful from the get-go, noting that she understood how invasive the experience was. She was very knowledgeable and explained everything that needed to be done to the place in detail, without being condescending or dismissive of my many concerns. She was communicative about scheduling, and made an effort to not freak out my cats too much (a lost cause, but I at least appreciate the effort). Additionally, the measures she took to contain and clean the mold were in line with the recommendations I'd read online from the EPA and the CDC. My bathroom was sealed off like something out of a biohazard scene, which was a welcome departure from the previous guy's approach. Cheryl truly was a breath of fresh air in a scenario that was beyond unpleasant. I would recommend her in a heartbeat. My only concern is that, if my cheap-ass landlord hired her, it probably means she isn't charging anything close to what's she's worth. -
La recensione a 5 stelle di Janna: Nick saved the day! Another hauling service canceled on me with a day's notice, and I had a living room full of stuff to have hauled away in a short timeframe. He was not only able to schedule a pickup for the next day, but was also super friendly about it. He showed up right on schedule, and had all of my unwanted stuff transferred into his truck in no time at all. The price was completely fair, and it was a totally stress-free interaction overall. This was a huge relief after my bad experience with the other place. -
La recensione a 4 stelle di Janna: I give ZippGo five stars for amazing customer service, and three for general experience. The owner, Ash, is incredibly attentive and accommodating, which is fantastic. Additionally, the boxes themselves are great in theory and (mostly) in practice. However, I ran into a couple of annoyances along the way. First the awesome: reusable boxes! Good for the environment, and no overflowing recycling bin post move-in. Also, NO TAPE. This in itself is amazing. I never realized how much I disliked packing tape until I didn't have to use it every time I started a new box. Also, the delivery guy was right on time for pickup and dropoff, and I got a reminder call the night before. The not-so-awesome: it's a personal pet peeve of mine to get pricing in stages. I want to know the total cost up front, so I can work it into my budget. I don't want to find out there's a $30 delivery fee on page two of the reservation form, after selecting the boxes. Annoying, though I appreciate that Ash was receptive to this critique. Additionally: this falls into the "Janna is kind of an idiot" category, but I'll gives you a heads up in case you're an idiot too (especially on moving day). Each box comes with one "zip tie" (i.e. plastic thingie to close the box). However, there are two holes on each box through which to thread a zip tie. The guy who showed me how to secure them didn't note that I should use only one, so I instinctively used two until I realized I was running out. This happened an hour before the movers arrived, and I wound up awkwardly wrapping plastic wrap around the remaining boxes. I'm not sure I would go with ZippGo again. There are definite benefits, as noted above, but honestly I had a more hassle-free experience buying non-reusable boxes from a similar type of business the last time I moved. Great customer service is commendable, but it's preferable to not have to use it in the first place. -
La recensione a 2 stelle di Janna: Ugh, I have to rescind my previous positive review. I scheduled another pickup with these guys, and received a confirmation that they'd be there at the requested time. 24 hours in advance, I received the following vaguely coherent email message: "Can we come. Early. 12---2 pm" That wasn't workable for me, so I called them to figure out what to do. I received no apology for the mixup, and - more alarming - no offer for other alternate times. Just "yeah, [the time they already agreed to] is too late." Out of desperation to get rid of the pile of random crap occupying my living room, I asked whether they could come in the morning and be done by [X time]. The guy agreed. After hanging up, I considered the chances they'd 1) show up, and 2) not do anything else to annoy me, and came up with 10-20%. I made a few desperate calls to other places, and wound up going with this place: http://www.yelp.com/biz/nicks-hauling-and-junk-removal-san-francisco. They did an awesome job at short notice, and I therefore shift my loyalties to Nick. I suggest you do the same! -
La recensione a 5 stelle di Janna: I have hired Marisol and her team twice, the first time being when I moved out of an apartment I'd lived in for two and a half years. I stupidly thought I'd have time to clean it myself, and by the time I realized my mistake it was a couple of days before my lease ended. A dozen frantic phone calls later, Marisol was able to accommodate my tight schedule after I explained the situation. They not only arrived on time, but left the place absolutely spotless for a very fair price. They saved my sanity, and also got me 100% of my security deposit back. I hired Marisol again when - ick - my indoor cats managed to contract fleas (To cat owners: treat your kitties with preventive stuff even if they never set foot outside. Ew.). I was mortified as soon as I realized the problem (I had two roommates then), and Orchids Cleaning Services came immediately to the rescue. I had already been to the vet, treated the cats, and sprayed anti-flea stuff everyone, but I wanted to make sure everything was super-clean. Once again, they did a great job. My current apartment is feeling a little un-sparkly, so I am considering having a cleaning service come by sometime. I know exactly who I'll be calling. Why would I go to anyone except Marisol? *Note: I have to add that the only non-5 star review (Shin C) is from a reviewer who has 13 one or two star reviews out of 15 total. Hello, uber-complainer! This type of profile is what makes people dismiss Yelpers as whiny and unfair, and with good reason - why would you trust a person who has so little positive to say? -
La recensione a 4 stelle di Janna: Crystal Cleaners will come to your home, pick up your dirty laundry, wash it, fold it, and bring it back the next day. Whoa. This seemed like a dream come true, until I realized two things: 1) it costs more than doing laundry in a laundromat, and 2) it requires being at home for a specific and significant chunk of time two nights in a row. I'm the type of person who feels guilty about having someone do something for me that I could do myself. Professional movers, a cleaning service, laundry service, you get the idea. I tried to convince myself that the cost of having Crystal Cleaners do my laundry was comparable to doing it at a laundromat, but it's simply not true. As for scheduling, doing laundry at a laundromat takes about one and a half hours. Having Crystal Cleaners pick up my stuff means that I must be at home during what is theoretically an hour-long window. However, I have had the pick-up guy come half an hour early and half an hour late, meaning a safe estimate is two hours. Granted, I can do other stuff at home for two hours on two consecutive nights at home, but I came to realize that I prefer to just squeeze in a laundromat run instead of planning my week around having laundry picked up. These observations, of course, are specific to me. If you have no guilt issues and no scheduling concerns, Crystal Cleaners may actually be your dream come true. They do a fantastic job and never lost any of my stuff. Additionally, you can drop things off yourself and pick them up later, so if you have a car this solves the problem of having to wait around. If you're on the fence, I'd recommend calling in CC in a pinch (or when you're feeling lazy or overwhelmed) and doing your own laundry the rest of the time. -
La recensione a 5 stelle di Janna: Move 28 in 31 years. If I move four times in the next five months, I will not only average 1 per year, but also provide Darragh with a steady stream of business from me alone. They were very efficient, and also used the kind of sense you'd like to describe as "common", but is actually in limited supply. For instance, when I offered the opinion that my bed could be transported in one piece, they politely observed that its intrinsic IKEAn qualities might not withstand the (three block) journey. They took it apart, transported it, and expertly put it back together. This maneuver is easily worth the money I paid them, as I would have either moved it in one piece and broken (or weakened) it, or taken it apart only to put it back together backwards or something. Hire these guys. They know what they're doing, and will get you from Point A to Point B so smoothly you'll actually find that yourself bored silly mid-moving day. -
San Francisco, CA, Stati Uniti
La recensione a 5 stelle di Janna: I've had one experience with Sunshine Cleaners, so I can't speak to their general dry cleaning or alteration services. I went there because I was stupid enough to place a lovely leather bag on a park bench with a lingering post-rainstorm puddle. The bottom few inches were left an unattractive, uneven color several shades darker than the rest of the bag. I never really entertained the idea that it might be salvageable, so it sat in a large pile of handbags for about four years. However, after walking by Sunshine's leather cleaning advertisement a gazillion times I thought I'd give it a shot. I am astounded by the result. It looks exactly like a ten-year-old leather bag should, with no sign of the puddle mishap. That pretty much covers it. Five stars, well-earned.