Sam the Glazier — Local services in New York

We'd been having a hard time finding anybody to replace our window panes because the frames are more than 30 years old & many places don't want to deal with that so they refuse to replace the panes & are only willing to rip out the entire frame, which is far more expensive & takes months to plan.

I called Sam on a Monday morning, he asked for photos of our windows, which I sent via email & then he said they'd be happy to replace the panes & told me what it'd cost per pane. He sent somebody over the next morning to take measurements; it took them a while to get here because they had to drive over from Brooklyn to the UWS & parking is hard to find but they said they'd be able to install all the new windows on Thursday. I paid them in advance by cheque.

Sure enough, they show up on Thursday morning with new windows. Took them a long time to replace them because our frames are in bad shape but they got the job done & now we have lovely new panes in...

Someone threw a brick at our window, leaving a gaping hole of defeat. That's how I felt every time I looked at it.

I was running other errands when I should have been looking for a glazier, then, while on Myrtle Ave, I look up and see this incredibly colorful, well-drawn "graffiti ad" on the side of a building wall - SAM THE GLAZIER. Somebody really needs to get SERIOUS POINTS for that artwork, first of all. Great idea! It snagged me.

Come to find out, they have a strong, proven track record, because my ol' man worked with them before, YEARS ago (25 he said). On the day we scheduled (here I go again) I had to run another errand. These guys called to confirm, and got to my house faster than me, and were FINISHED and ready to accept payment right when I got there! The glass was perfectly replaced. Kudos to them and being around well over 25...

Definitely wouldn't recommend these guys. Must have called them five times to schedule an appointment to replace a store front window over the course of three weeks. Every time I've called, I was assured that someone would come by and take a look. On my last call, they simply said that they would have to pass on the job because they are too busy. Busy is definitely a good thing, and if that's truly the case, then they should have had the decency to let me know the first time I called, or any of the follow ups.

They might be great at what they do, but they wouldn't know a business opportunity if it slapped them in the face. We're not a one-off customer. As a "busy" real estate owner in Brooklyn, they will not be getting...