Handyman Connection of Austin-Westlake — Local services in West Lake Hills

Rene was quick to respond and provide an estimate. 2 people for 2 days seemed excessive to replace 4 porch columns but I agreed for him to do the job despite the higher-than-expected estimate, as I was finding it hard to find anyone to do a job this size. Rene told me these were ‘his guys’, but the 2 workers were independent contractors he had hired before. The material list and installation specs in the quote were not provided to the workers, so they bought the wrong materials and were not aware they had to add a metal bracket the base of the columns. The workers also arrive a day early when I had specifically told Rene I would not be at home. Communication between Rene and the workers was poor at best. Part of my ‘2 days of labor’ was 2 trips to Home Depot as when I arrived home, I had to inform the workers of the actual work to be done and they needed to buy the support plates. I decided to keep the treated posts instead of the quoted cedar posts as they were less expensive and were already in my front yard. The workers wanted to use 2 2x4s to support the weight of a balcony and roof above it, and I felt this was inadequate, so I loaned them a 4x4 and 4x6 I had at my house for the support while each post was replaced. They did a good job on replacing the posts, which is why I gave them 2 stars instead of 1. They assure me they could cut a 45 degreed miter for the trim, but with the support on the base the trim was uneven with gaps, that they masked with much caulk and painted it. They were done in 1 ½ days (not the estimated 2 days) and needed to move on to their next project. The helper worker was sweeping wood chips, nails and screws into my flower bed, so I had to ask them to do a better job with clean up. I might have been OK with the work but 2 days later another inspection by me showed gaps in all the caulking. I paid too much for the finished product to be this bad, so I emailed Frank (project manager) at Handyman Connection and he arranged for the workers to return to fix it. They came out late in the day – too late to start repairs – and told me they would return at 2 the next day. They arrived at 3:45 the next day and proceeded to remove all the trim. We agreed they could not make trim cuts with 45 degree miter cuts without gaps, so they used an overlapping pattern for the trim. They finished well after dark and even with a light I was pointing out poor painting and areas that should have been sanded where cuts were made for the trim pieces. I inspected it again 2 days later and was disappointed in the caulking gaps, the rough, un-sanded edges and the poor paint job. I never saw Frank inspect the work as he relied on my photos to show the poor quality of work. I saw Rene twice during this process – once for the quote and once to pick up the down payment when the work had started. There was No quality control from Handyman Connection of Austin-Westlake. I fixed the issues myself with sandpaper, caulk and paint, and decided to write this review to warn others that Handyman Connection is not suitable for some outdoor projects, like my post...

A few weeks ago I reached out to Handyman connection about a ceiling fan install in my son's room. I was told by Frank the office manager, that the normal price is $150, but if there is anything complicated the price would be more. My husband took off work that morning so he could be home for the install. Ethan showed up, was prompt, installed the fan and we were invoiced $150. We were so pleased with the job we reached out to Frank two days later to have the exact same ceiling fan installed in my other son's room. We asked for the same handyman but were told Ethan was leaving the company. We set up a date and time for the install.

This is where things go WAY DOWN HILL. For the second visit, my husband took off work for the morning as well. Joe arrived, walked into my son's room, spent no more than 30 seconds inside, then went to his truck to "work up an estimate". He came back to the front door, told us the exact same install, with the same wiring and fan was $280. My husband questioned it, and explained the exact same fan was installed for $150 two weeks prior. He reluctantly stated he would honor the price, then told us the work could not be done today, as he had another project outside to finish and he was worried it might rain. My husband told Joe that he thought the work was planned for today. Joe said no and promptly left.

We then followed up with Frank (the manager) hoping he would rectify the situation. Unfortunately he was of no help at all. He didn't offer an apology for wasting our time, nor did he offer to match the original pricing, stating "we must have gotten a deal" on the first install. We feel like this business is poorly run, does not prioritize customer service and uses "bait and switch" pricing tactics. Needless to say we will find another service with honest practices to install our second fan. I hope this review helps others avoid this shady company.

Response to owner's response:

Rene - contrary to what you state ("though variations may occur due to different installation requirements. The second ceiling fan installation required additional electrical work"), the second ceiling fan was exactly the same fan in an identical room next door to the one you all worked on originally. There was NO difference in the scope of the work. Please stop using this as your reason for the price change, as it's...

I hired Handyman Connection for a simple wall repair, expecting a smooth process. While they were good at keeping in touch, the situation quickly went downhill due to their work quality and their approach to solving problems.

The first time they finished the repair, the wall texture clearly didn't match the rest of the room. When I pointed it out, they didn't offer a refund but insisted on trying to fix it. This happened not once, but multiple times, and each time they couldn't get the texture right.

What made matters worse was that after every attempt they made to retexture the wall, the responsibility to prime and paint the area fell on us. This wasn't just inconvenient; it added extra work and expense on our part, turning what should have been a straightforward job into a never-ending project.

Even after several tries, the texture still wasn't right. It became clear that they just weren't capable of matching it, but they wouldn't admit defeat or give our money back. We were left with a wall that looked out of place and the realization that we were stuck with the additional costs and effort of trying to make it look acceptable.

The most frustrating part wasn't just the subpar repair work; it was how Handyman Connection handled the situation. Despite their willingness to keep trying, their refusal to consider a refund and the burden they put on us to finish the job made the whole experience exhausting.

For anyone thinking about hiring Handyman Connection, I'd say be cautious. While they might keep you informed, if things go wrong, you could end up spending more time and money than you ever planned to make things right. In our case, it would have been better to hire someone else...