Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Top Hat Home Comfort Services's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Top Hat Home Comfort Services

  1072 Merivale Road Ottawa, ON K1Z 6A8

  
• 

  Top Hat Home Comfort Services

  10511 Hwy 7 Carleton Place, ON K7C 0C4

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:25/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Date of the transaction: Sept. 16, 2024 We called Top Hat to come and start our gaz fireplace. The technician made his diagnostic (weak pilot assembly, defective burner and valve sticking). He issued a Red Tag and essentially told us that he would arrange for a quote for a new fireplace. The bill for his service was $118.A salesman came the next day and gave us an estimate of $8461 excluding replacement tiles and grout.On Sep. 18th, I arranged for another opinion from ******* Home Environment. The technician removed logs, removed and inspected burners and burner box, burners and burner box OK, no damage visible on burners or burner box, lit pilot, turned unit on and off multiple times, checked for gaz valve sticking, no gaz present after gaz valve turned off on any attempt, checked operation and safeties of fireplace, checked for CO leaking around gasket, all OK. The bill was $237.We called Top Hat on Sept. 18 or 19th and asked to talk to the manager. A person called **** returned my call and said he would look into it. After a week without a return call, I called him back. He offered a refund of $50, which I find totally inappropriate.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 15/04/2025

  We apologize for the delay in response. A refund will be issued to the customer.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:16/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Top Hat's estimate dates back to May, 2023 for new eavestroughing, I paid them the down-payment of $400 on June 8th, 2023. No installation date was ever given, and as the water damage to the brick wall continued, I phoned them several times over the Summer and into Fall to get a firm date but was told sometime in the next few weeks. When a roofer started working on a neighbour's house in October, I asked them to install the eavestrough above the water-damaged wall. I then asked ******* to put the $400 towards some masonry work that they could do in the ************************************************* the first week of April '24, but I received no estimate. Finally I emailed the company's customer ********************** representative/receptionist repeatedly for a refund of the $400, and she has been forwarding my requests to accounting. Her last email on Aug. 14th. '24 reads: " Hello (my name), I have forwarded your email back to the accounting department, unfortunately this request is above my position."No one from accounting has contacted me, no work was done, I want the $400 back.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/12/2024

  I have not heard from the company.  They have not resolved my issues.  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 22/01/2025

  We apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused.

  We have agreed to refund your 400$

  We will refund the amount ASAP.

  Thank you

  Customer Answer

  Date: 22/01/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/02/2025

  on January 22nd I agreed to be repaid the $400 downpayment. It's 3 weeks later and they have NOT repaid me.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2025

  A refund check was sent to the consumer last week.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 14/03/2025

  I have not received the cheque that ******* claims to have sent on Mar. 4th.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/04/2025

  Top Hat claims in the BBB correspondence that they've sent me a cheque.

  I still haven't received their cheque. 

  ******** ******

  ****************************

  *******, ON.

  K0A 1A0

  Customer Answer

  Date: 17/04/2025

  Top Hat Top Hat Home Comfort Services sent a man to my house who hand-delivered a cheque to me. I deposited it today.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/02/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In the fall of 2022, my family and I contracted Top Hat Home Comfort to remove and replace a wood burning fireplace with a new gas fireplace.
  
  Almost immediately after the job began, we had significant issues. Top Hat workers did not arrive on days they were scheduled to do so with no communications. When they did arrive, they were late and only worked for a short time, extending the initial job from two weeks to five. We were in contact with Top Hat regularly and received very mixed communication from them, sometimes not getting a response for days.
  
  Once done, the work was obviously done very poorly, with tile cuts being chipped all around the fireplace. We addressed this with them and they were extremely dismissive. Eventually they returned not to fix the issues, but to literally cover them up with trim.
  
  The largest and ongoing issue however is the fireplace itself. When it was a wood burning fireplace, it was rarely used, but was mechanically sound. The current fireplace has been installed in a totally inadequate way, allowing a steady stream of freezing cold air in below it. The temperature of the air coming in is regularly below 0 and instead of warming our home, our home is regularly freezing cold instead.
  
  The installation of this fireplace was 'completed' on March 25 of 2022, and Top Hat has been absolutely terrible with their communication since then. In almost a year, despite numerous calls and emails, they have hardly acknowledged the issue. My most recent contact with them was responded to with no information about a resolution and no date given to help us other than 'spring'.
  
  We also had an energy audit completed on our home and the auditor noted several times that the 'new' fireplace instillation was unacceptable and that it was by far the largest energy and temperature issue in our home.
  
  This whole situation has been deeply discouraging. Instead of a warm fireplace for our home, we have a constant blowing wind of below 0 air.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 15/02/2023

  Hi,

  
  ****** in our installation
  department would like to revisit to verify an additional point of insulation in
  your chimney *****, he has sent you an email directly to arrange an appointment
  for this at your convenience.
  

  Any further work if required
  to determine the cause and come up with the correct solution requires investigation
  work will be done from the exterior and can not be performed effectively in the
  winter; we have already committed to addressing your concerns in the spring
  once the weather will allow for it.
  

  If ****** is not able to
  find the problem in the chimney now, we will contact you no later than May 8,
  2023 to perform the exterior work to investigate the cold draft.
  

  Thank you for your patience,
  

  
  **** ******
  Top Hat Home Comfort
  Services

  Customer Answer

  Date: 18/02/2023

  
  
  Complaint: 19343812
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Somehow, beyond all belief, again, we set an appointment with Top Hat and rearranged our entire day, canceling another event, and the person who was meant to come missed the established appointment window completely. We had set a time of 12:00. An hour before the appointment, we were contacted and told they would be an hour or two later. After two hours the worker had still not arrived and we had to be elsewhere, so the appointment could not take place. I have lost count of how many times this exact scenario has taken place. At this point no progress has been made, and their noted timeframe for fixing this issue that has already been going for an absurd, unacceptable amount of time is not reasonable. Top Hat has still not come to address this issue, and should they come in May, there will be no way to tell if the cold draft has indeed been dealt with or not, as the temperature will be too warm to establish if the issue has or has not been fixed. This issue has been ongoing for over a year. We are tired of it all and we simply want this to end. My ideal scenario is to now simply end our dealings with Top Hat and pay someone else to fix this issue. 
  
  
  
   
  - ***** *****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/03/2023

  Evening
  *****, we attended your house today to have a look at what could be causing
  your draft issues, as seen in the photographs the top of the chimney has 2 to 3
  feet of insulation inside the chimney, and capped with a metal cap and silicone
  to create a seal against drafts, you will also see in some of the other photos
  where the combustion air inlet from your old fireplace has been sealed and
  caulked using silicone as well, the other point of interest for the
  installation of your fireplace is where the termination goes through your *****
  and exits out the back of the *****, which was also caulked and sealed, and has
  insulation all around it in the allowable areas for a combustible material.
  
  There's
  also pictures provided to show you where this ***** has been leaking for quite
  some time and has rotted out the base of the chaise and once we open the *****
  up I assure you we will find more rotten mildew wood, you will also see in the
  pictures that the wind barrier is not continuous and does not cover the bottom
  of the ***** of which is required. This is all work that was done prior to
  Tophat installing the fireplace.
  
  You
  will also notice in the pictures, Rotten Wood and gaping holes that will allow
  air infiltration into the home, especially if the home is airtight, but not
  sure how airtight I have not seen the results of the air test possibly you
  could provide those results of your air test .
  
  *****,
  the reason I hesitate to do any further work on the ***** until spring is the
   proper solution to resolve the draft issues in your case is to use closed
  cell spray foam insulation ,This is the best way to resolve cracks crevices
  poor vapour barrier as well as pour insulation, however close cell insulation
  cannot be used in cold weather. The recommendation from the manufacture is
  between 60° and 80°F or 15°C in 25° Celsius
  
  *****s
  your call we can continue to open up the ***** and insulated as best as
  possible but will not be able to use the closed cell insulation at this point
  as it is too cold outside. I will be providing a copy of this to the ****** ******** ****** along with the pictures of our findings and hopefully we can
  all hang tight until the spring and get to the bottom of this.Tell us why here...

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/03/2023

  
  
  ****** ******** ******:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 19343812, and find that the progress made is satisfactory. Although the issue is still present, I have faith and hope that Top Hat will work to fix these issues when the weather allows for appropriate work to be completed.
  
  
  - ***** *****