by Joshua Palmer and Paul F.P. Pogue

In addition to our nationwide list, here are the Detroit contractors who have earned the distinction of being the Best or Worst in the Detroit area.

The Best

Renaissance Roofing Inc.
Canton

Keeping it small is what works for Renaissance Roofing. Since 1996, owner Don DePriest has resisted choosing quantity over quality by maintaining just one roofing crew. “I deal with every homeowner myself, and we only do one job at a time,” DePriest says.

The approach works: Angie’s List members repeatedly give “A” ratings on the company, which earned them a Super Service Award. “They’re a great company,” says client Toby Cook. “When he did the estimate, Don patched my roof’s leak and didn’t charge me a thing.” And, according to DePriest, customer service is only going to get better. “Nobody’s perfect, but we try to improve every year,” he says.

C! Tech Solutions
Royal Oak

In business for four years, Ryan Meray’s C! Tech Solutions computer repair company has made a solid impression with Detroit-area Angie’s List members. “He’s not only knowledgeable, but he explains things and he comes on time,” says Carol Lauer of Rochester Hills, who’s called on Meray to help fix her computer issues. Lori Czarnecki, of Canton, who hired Meray to fix a software issue, couldn’t have been more pleased either. “He was even patient with my dog, who completely investigates everything,” she says.

That patience and expertise has led members to consistently give “A” reports on Meray’s company. “I want to make sure every customer gets a high level of service and the best advice,” Meray says.

The Worst

The Snow Guys
Livonia

The Snow Guys Enterprises carries a long track record for poor business practices with three consumer complaints on Angie’s List and 35 unanswered complaints with the Better Business Bureau, which earned them an unsatisfactory rating. Complaints range from taking too long to plow after a storm to workers not showing up at all.

Lisa Lanzkron-Tamarazo, of Farmington Hills, says she paid $199 for season-long plowing service, but after promising early morning snow removal, they never arrived earlier than 11 a.m. and missed several storms completely. Afterward, she says, they sent a bill for an additional $220 because they counted some of the heavy snowstorms as several trips. She says they threatened legal action when she disputed the bill, so she paid it. “The whole point of hiring someone to clean your driveway is for it to be clear when you need to get to work in the morning,” she says. “They have horrible customer service and an excuse for everything.”

The Snow Guys co-owner Pat O’Rourke says he frequently hears such complaints. But since last winter was one of the heaviest in Michigan history, he feels some customers have unrealistic expectations of their service.

“We give people an option: They can pay by the plow or by the season with a cap on the number of service calls,” he says. “Every seven or eight years, there’s a heavier snowfall, and they have to pay extra. We have people, after the fact, who don’t want to pay the extra money. I tell them, ‘You come up with a fairer way.’”

He also says that quick turnaround is impossible during heavy snows because they have a couple thousand customers. “We can’t always have [the snow] plowed by the time customers leave for work,” O’Rourke says. “We always have it done within four to six hours of the snowfall ending. If we screw up and it’s our fault, we give customers their money back.”

James Kulpa, of Troy, says he hired The Snow Guys for grass cutting and snow plowing and paid $320 in advance, but they never showed or gave him a refund. “I think they just took the money and ran,” he says. O’Rourke refunded Kulpa’s money after Angie’s List Magazine contacted him. He says he also plans to address the BBB complaints, but had not done so at press time.