I have not used his service but he provided me with a quote and I had agreed to pay $50 for his visit regardless whether I use him or not. I really do not like to provide negative reviews, especially since I have not used his actual service. However, given I paid for his visit, I feel entitled to do so. I also did 2 other quotes - his quote was twice the second and three times the cheapest. The more experienced and busiest service provider was actually the cheapest.
I am a new house homeowner hiring a ton a services (beyond countertops) and a couple of lessons learned have been:
1. If someone charges you for an estimate, look elsewhere. They have to charge you for an estimate because very few people actually hire them and they need to pay for the gas, trip costs while they try to charge a multiple of what the job should actually cost. I have paid for estimates 3 times for different things because I was learning - I will not do it again.
2. If someone tries to pressure you or use scare tactics, run away. Never never make a decision to hire someone for a job on the spot. Always give yourself a day minimum to digest the visit and think through.
3. Always get 3 quotes for a job. If you really like the provider, then get at least one more quote to have a sanity check on the price.