Main Services: Additions, remodeling, kitchens, bathrooms, finish basements, siding, roofing, decks, interior finishing, project management.
Description:
M. Rego Construction is a family owned and operated business. Serving Massachusetts, Cape Cod and New Hampshire.
Our goal is to deliver quality work at a reasonable price.
4 Reviews
Review MeBoston MA
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Price
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Work Description: carpentry, bath/kitchen reno
Comments: Terrible. Mike didn't show up on time or even with all the number of promised workers. Mike did work without pulling necessary permits and when we disputed his bill (he overcharged by 15-20%), his immediate response was that he was going to report us to the local code department for not pulling permits or doing things to code. Then he says we are the ones who bully him when we refer to consumer protection laws that prevent him from taking advantage of us. And, let me get this straight -- Mike knew better than we did that certain work should have permits pulled and how work should be done to code, but he didn't say anything. It's almost like he kept it in his back pocket that if we ever have a dispute, he could put us over a barrel. But then, he can't put us over a barrel without also implicating himself. It's not as if we can't go to the police and/or the board that oversees his licensing. I don't know if he's more foolish or more unethical.Boston MA
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Price
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Work Description: kitchen, bath, carpentry
Comments: Stay away. He took a long time to do lousy work. He thought that because we paid him cash upon demand then he can continue to treat us like the dirt on the bottom of his feet. We finally found other people to finish/undo his bad work. Then he shows up suddenly demanding payment. He blames everyone but himself for the poor outcome (our space was too cluttered, his worker didn't have gas, his worker decided to act like a 'diva' and not show up/walked off the job, his plumber found other work, he wasn't so skilled in a particular area, his cousin-worker has personality issues, etc). The irony is that he told us to not think of him like some 'scum' who doesn't finish the work. But then he doesn't show up on days he says he would. And he takes on work for which he has little expertise (he only says this after we see unprofessional results). We disputed his bill especially since we had to pay other people to undo his damage. He comes back 60 days later and hits us with a $100 late fee that includes a '30 day' late fee. He never gave us consistent billing -- we never got a "30 day" notice bill. Never tried to resolve the issues we had with him. He just treats us like some money-bag he can walk all over. Oh yes, he also refuses to give us information to 1099 him. Dishonest with his customers and likely with the IRS apparently too.Holliston MA
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Work Description: general construction
Comments: MEDIOCRE. DISHONEST. IRRESPONSIBLE. PETTY.FIRST, a sampling of the mediocrity. He installed fillers for our kitchen cabinets and instead of using glue or silicone for the seams, he used finish nails right on the face plates. Black and silver nails on white kitchen cabinets. and the finish nails weren't even neatly inserted. Bathroom tilework, he left mortar and grout on the ceiling and never removed. scratched up our new tub despite us putting down thick plastic and cardboard. Same treatment with our new flooring. Left us with a leak in our heating plumbing for the entire winter. Left ugly orange insulation showing like tumors around the windows and toilet supply valve. Finished bathroom walls that clearly showed lumps after painting. One worker took six hours to install one over-the-wall medicine cabinet when reviewers for the medicine cabinet online indicate 'easy installation'. Yes, all the work named were started and touched by him, ie, he didn't 'come after' anyone else.
He likes to say that our workplace was cluttered. We had bought our materials and they in no way should have impeded his work product (try to convince anyone that choosing black nails to insert into white kitchen cabinet face boards was caused by a few pieces of trim lying on the living room floor. Or mismatched double doors that left an obvious irregular gap between them was caused by an uninstalled vanity in the next room). after all, he and his workers liberally moved the construction materials at the expense of scratching our floors.
SECOND, the dishonesty. He overbilled for the time he and his workers spent. If a worker showed up at 9:20am, he considered that the worker showed up at 9am. If they left at 3:50pm, he clocked out at 4pm. These added up. We also consistently paid for multiple worker's lunchtimes that last up to an hour -- as in, we're paying for his workers to decide where they want to go, drive there, fiddle around with the menu, wait for the takeout, drive back, and eat. We got fed up enough that we offered to pick up and deliver for them just to save them time and us money. In part to keep the work going and in part because we couldn't find anyone to take up what he started (or messed up on), we turned a blind eye.
THIRD, the irresponsibility. Mike doesn't show up when he said he would, and he often had last minute excuses (as if our own schedule revolves around him). It took him months, yes, months, to come back only for 1-2 days at a time, and 1-2 questionably skilled guys at a time (did I mention his worker took six hours to install an on-the-wall medicine cabinet? and sometimes a guy doesn't even show owing to "car issues"). Or he doesn't show up like he said he would -- for instance, on 'rain days'. His plumber worker flat out told us to find someone else.
When we complained about the length of time it took him to come back, he tells us that we're 'not grateful'. Yeah. As if we're a charity case who should be grateful that he deigns to give us attention. We finally got tired of the runaround, and eventually found other people to finish and/or fix his mediocrity.
He likes to say that we hired him to do 3-4 days' of work when I handed him a pages-long spreadsheet of work on our first day. He attempts to blame us for poor planning when there's a regular written trail of what work remains. The poor planner was him. Or rather, we were simply ‘charity cases’ who got the scraps of his resources whenever he felt like ‘gracing’ us with his presence.
LASTLY, the pettiness. He showed up suddenly last weekend and demands payment. Didn't even offer to finish the work he started or messed up on. We have learned to not expect a courteous apology for putting us off because I guess "charity cases" deserve no respect. So we ask for timekeeping. He at first refused. We insisted. And when he finally issued his timekeeping, we disagreed with it. There was a habit of charging for lunch times and rounding up/down on arrival and departure times that we were no longer willing to overlook. He also charged us for materials we already had provided so if he used his own it was 1) without our informed consent, which means 2) he's out of line in demanding reimbursement.
Mike attempted to marginalize his dishonesty by saying we're complaining over overbilling 'from like 9 months ago.' Actually, he was overbilling throughout. We just decided to put our foot down at this final stop and he doesn't like that we're no longer low hanging fruits for him.
We said to give us reasonable time to review the invoice. He said we were "supposed" to pay him the 'last time' he came, and we ignored his phone call. Um, you Mike didn't show up like you wrote you would. We made it clear we had a tight schedule, we left when we said we would, we do not apologize for not waiting around for you to show up to get paid. By the time you called we were well en route to another state. And, you didn't send us a formal invoice until now.
Mike immediately threatened blackmail. When I reminded him that blackmail is a crime he then threatened court action. It has not been four days since he sent us the invoice and everyday this week he's been hounding for payment or threatening to take us to court. Um, Ok. Mike, you were content to leave us holding the bag for months on end, you show up demanding payment without even offering to finish or correct your mediocre work, and when we don't immediately roll over like a doormat, you blackmail or threaten court?
He says we're in the 'court process' now. Consider that we didn't get the formal invoice until four days ago.
Mike says in a response elsewhere that I 'need to do my own construction' work as if I were one of those ‘difficult’ customers. Yet, he makes no specific defense to the specific instances of mediocre work, the dishonesty, the irresponsibility, his own poor planning, and his own pettiness. I was trying to ‘be nice’ but got taken for granted. And when I put my foot down, he throws a fit in the sandbox because I refuse to be a 'nice little girl' who allows him to intimidate or take advantage.
For instance, Mike said that I had two flooring guys, two plumbers, and three painters as if this is supposed to say something about me 'being difficult'. Yes, one flooring guy installed the floor, the second refinished the floor. We were happy with both jobs. Mike's plumber left us hanging, and the second one finished/fixed Mike's mediocrity. We had two painters, not three. The first painter agreed to work for a few days, the second one also a few days. We knew their presence were short term (and Mike seems to 'go through' a few painters himself). The contractor prior to Mike had to leave early for a family emergency.
Like I said. Mediocre. Dishonest. Irresponsible. Petty. And this is just a 'sampling' of what we had to deal with. Engage with Mike Rego at your own risk of being treated like a 'charity case' who owes him your schedule, dignity and money
Overall
Quality
Price
Punctuality
Work Description: He did a roof and work in my garage.
Comments: I am very happy with Mike's work. He did an excellent job.-
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MA HIC License in MA :
#csl081390