Trusted Tips and Resources

Trusted Tips & Resources

A warning for consumers about fraud in the furnace and air conditioning industry in Saskatoon

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning’s wonderful staff will be more than happy to provide you with an estimate for any home comfort improvement that you have in mind. They also offer training classes at your personal site for maintenance and they also offer home heating tune-ups. JOB are Trusted Saskatoon Furnace experts and they can also help you with all your Saskatoon plumbing needs!In this Saskatoon HVAC article,  Jeff Bolton, owner of JOB, highlights how important it is to be aware of scams in the Saskatoon air-conditioning and furnace marketplace. 


JEFF FROM JOB WARNS AGAINST FRAUD IN SASKATOON’S HVAC INDUSTRY

The feeling of being ripped off is horrible, and I count myself fortunate that I haven’t been the victim of fraud very much in my life. However,  I am sad to say that I deal with victims of contractor fraud too often in Saskatoon.  In my latest article, I share another example that happened recently, as I want to educate consumers on what to look out for.- Jeff , owner of JOB


Fraud takes many different forms

I was recently at a lady’s home to provide a quote to replace the furnace and air conditioner. Her house was the same as most other homes in our city,  in fact she lives just  4 blocks away from my family. She invited me in and we exchanged pleasantries,  then I asked her the burning question that had been top of mind since I pulled up outside.  Why was she requesting a quote for a new home comfort system in a house that was no more than 12 years old?

She explained that the night before her furnace had stopped working. This was especially an issue as the overnight temperature in Saskatoon had dropped to about  -30C. Unfortunately, she was unaware that JOB offers 24-hour emergency service and she had called another company.

The other company turned up, identified the problem but they didn’t have the part required ( It was 4 am, so I give them a pass on that one,) . They  returned at 8:30 am with the correct part to fix the issue and the tech took it upon himself to go through her furnace and air conditioner. He noted that there were old watermarks both on the side and at the base of the furnace, which I can verify. As someone that has a career in the furnace and air conditioning industry, the source of the water was very evident to me.It was clear that at some point, probably in the summertime, the evaporator coil had frozen and then melted.

One indication about this was the plugged air filter leaning up against the furnace.


The other technician told this very nice lady that her furnace was over ten years old and a crack COULD happen in the heat exchanger (even though he couldn’t find any crack) and that would send carbon monoxide into her home potentially killing her, her partner and her dogs!! If that ominous threat was not enough,  he also told her that her air conditioner unit had a leak and would also need to be replaced.


Now, it is possible that she may have a leak in the air conditioner, but there’s simply no way to determine that when it’s -26C outside!  Saying that she has a leak when there is a dirty filter right there is, “bullcrap!”


The other thing that I haven’t mentioned yet, is the 3 carbon monoxide detectors I saw in her home. I will not downplay carbon monoxide poisoning,  because it is the biggest threat to life that we face in the HVAC industry, however, there was no sign of that here. When questioned, she confirmed that the carbon monoxide detectors had never gone off. In addition, one of the detectors displays the level of CO present and when I checked it showed zero.


Let me be VERY clear here, this person was simply using fear tactics to sell a new furnace and air conditioner to this lady.

If you get a flat tire on your Chevy do you buy a new Mercedes??

 

 

 

“But he said I’m in imminent danger!” Said the lady

 

The moral of the story about fraud in Saskatoon’s HVAC Industry, is to be careful, ask questions and deal with the right people. Start by looking for businesses on TrustedSaskatoon .com.

 

JOB Heating has been a TrustedSaskatoon partner from almost the beginning. We are both locally owned and accountable companies and we deal with local companies. Local people always care the most, we care about service and we care about people.  We care because this is my city and my home too.

Contact Jeff and team at JOB Heating today. 



JOB products and services include:

Trusted Saskatoon Employment Agency Express Employment Shares Nine Workforce Trends Post Pandemic

Saskatoon’s only locally owned and operated staffing and recruitment agency, that offers a full scope of staffing and recruitment solutions from professional search and headhunting to temporary staffing. Express Employment Professionals allow clients to focus their efforts and time on being productive and doing what they do best – their business! Let their team focus on finding that right hire – that is what they do best! In their latest Saskatoon employment agency tip Hanif shares an article from SIA about workforce trends out pandemicExpress Employment Saskatoon Is Your Trusted Saskatoon Headhunters and Employment Agency.


NINE WORKFORCE TRENDS POST PANDEMIC

1. Contingent Workers

Expanded use of contingent workers is one of nine human resources trends that will impact the future of work following the Covid-19 pandemic, according to research from Gartner Inc.The research organization cited one of its surveys that found 32% of companies are replacing full-time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure.
Using more contingent workers will provide greater workforce management flexibility, according to Gartner. 

“However, HR will also need to consider how performance management systems apply to contingent workers as well as questions around whether contingent workers will be eligible for the same benefits as their full-time peers.”


The other eight trends noted in the report are:


2. Increase in remote work. 

A Gartner analysis found 48% of employees will likely work remotely at least part of the time after Covid-19.


3. Expanded data collection.

Companies are increasing their passive tracking of workers. Already, 16% are tracking employees passively via methods such as virtual clocking in and out as well as tracking computer usage.


4. Employer as a social safety net. 

Employers will increase their involvement in the lives of the employees by increasing mental health support, expanding healthcare coverage and providing financial health support.


5. Separation of critical skills and roles. 

“Separating critical skills from critical roles shifts the focus to coaching employees to develop skills that potentially open multiple avenues for them, rather than focusing on preparing for a specific next role,” said Emily Rose McRae, director in the Gartner HR practice.


6. Humanization (and dehumanization) of workers.

“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, some employees have formed more connected relationships, while others have moved into roles that are increasingly task oriented,” according to Gartner. “Understanding how to engage task workers in the team culture and creating a culture of inclusiveness is now even more important.”


7. Emergence of new top-tier employers. 

Employers must balance the concerns today with the long-term impact on their employer brands in upcoming years.

8. Shift from designing for efficiency to designing for resilience.

Gartner says 55% of organizational redesigns prior to the pandemic were focused on streamlining roles, supply chains and workflows to increase efficiency; however, this has led to fragile systems. After Covid-19, companies will focus more on resilience through activities such as training employees with cross-functional knowledge.


9. Increase in organization complexity. 

There will be an acceleration in M&A leading to larger companies and changes in operating models that will create challenges for HR leaders.


Express Employment Professionals allow clients to focus their efforts and time on being productive and doing what they do best – their business. Let their team focus on finding that right hire – that is what they do best!

Contact Hanif and the team today! Connecting employees with great companies like yours. 

'It's What They  Do'

Express Employment Saskatoon Is Your Trusted Saskatoon Headhunters and Employment Agency


Easement and Title Insurance explained By Marla Janzen Trusted Saskatoon Real Estate Expert

As an award-winning  SASKATOON REAL Estate agent Marla Janzen knows the city and surrounding area extremely well. She strives to find her clients the perfect new place to live while negotiating the best terms and price possible. She has a keen eye for house layout and home staging, which really benefits her clients, most of whom are past client referrals! In her latest Saskatoon real estate tip Marla explains title insurance and easementMarla Janzen is a TRUSTED SASKATOON REALTOR® 

Easements and Encroachments on a Property


What is Property Easement?

Property easement is defined as the right to facilitate a fraction of a property for a specified purpose. A survey will help decipher the property boundaries that will prevent any issues from determining land ownership. An easement can allow another person to encroach on your property and even though the lines are declared within the survey, these boundaries may be crossed without the owner’s express permission.  An easement can be included in the title or deed to the property. A prime example of an express easement would be if the power company wanted to run power lines onto a property or a neighbour might even want to enter an agreement to share common parts of the property that extend into both boundaries.  

A prescriptive or implied easement can occur if the use of property continues over an extended period of time.  A good instance of this would be if a neighbour has been crossing a boundary line for years then that neighbour could have obtained a prescriptive easement that will allow him to legally cross the property line.  Also, a “right of way” easement is nothing more than the allowance of someone to cross onto the property in question.  

Many people forget when they are buying a house that they are actually purchasing the land the house is built on and the boundary that surrounds it.  If you were to build a shed in your back yard and it happened to cross the land boundary into the property of another person this could technically be handled in a legal manner. This is something that can be avoided with proper surveys being done and the use of specified easements.

What about Title Insurance?

Title Insurance is a policy issued to the mortgage lender to protect against a defect in title. In Saskatchewan, the Land Titles system guarantees ownership of your land by title. Title Insurance policies provide no information about your property.

Only a Surveyor’s Real Property Report can assure you of the extent of your property and warn of any possible problems. Most of the time people are not going to worry about a few yards here and a few yards there, however, the same people who are okay with the encroachment might not always live there so it always is a good idea to get your bases covered legally and legitimately. This will ensure that down the road you are not going to wind up paying fines and going through a legal process that will cause nothing but problems.

Marla guarantees to provide you with a stress-free, hassle-free, wonderful experience and we are sure once you have met her that you will not contact anyone else!

Marla Janzen is a TRUSTED SASKATOON REALTOR®

Trusted Saskatoon IT Pro’s at Burnt Orange Solutions Owner Shares His Top 2020 IT Recommendations

Gareth McKee and his Trusted Saskatoon IT team at Burnt Orange, promise to have a one-hour response time for all your IT support needs. Honesty and respect are important to them. They pride themselves on ensuring their clients understand IT concerns by providing a straightforward and reliable solution with exceptional service.  Burnt Orange Solutions are your Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts and in their latest Saskatoon IT tip Gareth shares his Top 4 IT tips for 2020. 

BURNT ORANGE SOLUTIONS TOP 4 IT RECOMMENDATIONS IN 2020



Gareth has worked in the IT and Telecoms industry in a variety of guises since 1993. Initially in the UK military Gareth had to master a variety of technologies from Morse Code to Computer and Network Security. Gareth has spoken at national level at IT conferences and is well known in the industry throughout North America and the UK. He has a passion for customer service and IT security and compliance. 

#1 Microsoft Office 365/MS Teams

Microsoft Office 365 allows you to download apps like Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint to your computer or mobile device. You can also use this suite of tools completely online where you can manage, share, store, and edit documents in folders, giving access to all of your team.

Aside from the more specific apps, Microsoft Teams also allows you to communicate with your teammates via video calls, email, and through an internal discussion platform where your colleagues can create posts or ask questions.

 

 #2 Managed IT Security

Now, thanks to the Covid 19 Pandemic of 2020, most of us are all working from home, the need for a thorough look at your IT security is a must. The best way for any business to secure their computers, and more importantly their valuable business data, is to hand this job task over to a professional IT security firm.

The specially trained and tooled security firms use state of the art hard and software to ensure the client’s company is as safe as can be, this is whether the data is all in an office and being accessed from other offices, homes, or even Mars. This is not as expensive as it sounds and should be number 1 on any business owners list of things to do.


#3 Access To Business Data

There are many ways in which your staff can access your business data, keeping your business running, from home safely.

  1. Virtual Private Network (VPN) – A VPN allows you to logically lay a network cable from your computer at home directly into the network at the office. The VPN traffic should be encrypted to ensure it is transmitted from your office to home securely.
  2. File Sharing Software – DropBox or OneDrive can be used to easily share your data around your staff. Two thoughts on these solutions: 1. Do not use these as a backup, they are not a backup solution; 2. Your staff will now have your business data at home on their PCs, how do you plan to remove this once you are back in the office or a staff member leaves the business?
  3. Remote Data Access – This style of access data at the office is newer than the 2 options above and is set to be a disrupter in this area. Using zero trust as a starting point of access to your data from any device, never actually moving the data offsite and yet still providing access to all your data. It is difficult to describe how this works in a short article, so I found this video from FileFlex which explains beautifully. 

Back up

#4 Backup For Everyone

With more staff now working from home, whether they are on a work laptop or their home computer, the need for a managed backup is paramount. As data gets slowly moved away from your central office server it would be beneficial if all your home computers backed up to a central point where it can be easily recovered.


And, while I am talking backup, a backup that is not tested is not a backup. You should test recover some of your data at least once per month, nothing sets of a panic like a backup which is thought to have worked, but in fact fails when the day comes that you need to recover. – Thanks Gareth

Burnt Orange IT Solutions Services:

'IT Support You Can Trust and Understand'

Burnt Orange Solutions are your Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts

Kitchen and Bath Classics Trusted Saskatoon Bathroom Store Shares Top 5 Bathroom Design Trends

Whether you are building a new home In Saskatoon or remodelling a single room, the team at  Kitchen & Bath Classics Saskatoon is a Trusted Saskatoon Bathroom Store offers you one of the largest selections of plumbing fixtures, faucets, lighting and accessories from quality brand names, Their showroom displays the latest trends and cutting-edge styles. In their latest offering, they share their top 5 trends for bathroom design

Bathroom Design Trends. 



 Here's a breakdown of the latest bathroom trends according to design industry experts.  

Design Your Saskatoon Bathroom With The 2020 Pantone Colour Of The Year- Classic Blue.

Classic blue represents “bringing a sense of peace and tranquillity to the human spirit”. It makes perfect sense that colour with that meaning behind it would be chosen for a place of rest and tranquillity—the bathroom.
Depending on your style and taste, Classic Blue can be used in a variety of ways. For example, a popular way to include colour in the bathroom is through tiles, either for the flooring or in the shower. You can also include a Classic Blue bathroom vanity if you want a pop of colour against flat neutrals that can use a bit of edge. If you’re feeling extra daring, you can even paint an entire bathroom Classic Blue! But we know that not everyone can commit to a paint job in a bold colour. If you want to incorporate the 2020 Colour Of The Year in smaller steps, you can try adding towels, flowers and paintings. 

Design With The Hottest Faucet Finish in 2020: Matte Black


The bathroom is a great place to experiment with matte black finishes. You can change your current faucet, showerhead, handheld showerhead, handles, pulls and lighting to this popular finish and see your bathroom transform from ordinary to extraordinarily modern.

Matte black finishes have been perfected to meet the needs of bathroom users, so you don’t need to worry about the finishes wearing off. Many luxury and mid-range brands are adding even more matte black faucets and accessories to their lineup, giving you a large selection to choose from in 2020.

Design Au Naturel and Eco-Friendly


Let your mind be free in the serenity of greenery in the bathroom. Between the hardness of bathroom finishes and materials, it's a much-welcomed idea to have plants and foliage in the bathroom. Bathroom plants are great to freshen the air, add some softness and of course, colour.

The new year also brings focus to creating an eco-friendly bathroom by changing out inefficient faucets and plumbing fixtures. 


Here are some bathroom features to think about:
  • Change out your toilet to a low-flow model
  • Install a low-flow showerhead that works on magnetized poles, like ones from American Standard
  • Get a motion-activated faucet so there’s less water wasted between washing your hands and brushing your teeth
  • Choose quartz countertops as opposed to other materials. Quartz impacts the environment significantly less than other materials

Design In Plain Sight


Here’s what’s funny about bathrooms—there are certain things we want to show off about them, like beautiful tile work in the shower or a gorgeous clawfoot bathtub. But there are other things we don’t necessarily love to look at...like plumbing and drains.

But what if they were designed to be extra pleasing to the eye? That’s what 2020 is all about.

Exposed plumbing is a rising trend. Bathroom brands are now creating industrial-inspired pipe systems that are meant to be shown off in an array of beautiful finishes. You don’t have to hide away complicated pipe systems behind drywall anymore!

As for drains, bathroom brands and designers have found a clever way to hide them in plain sight. Many shower drains can now be designed to look as though they are part of the shower tile or shower floor. The result is a sleek look that doesn’t distract!

You can even go as far as a wall-hung toilet to remove the bulk and clutter of a toilet septic tank. Bathroom brands like TOTO are trailblazing this 2020 toilet trend. It’s also great for smaller spaces where a tank can take up precious square footage.

Design Your Bathroom With Colours, Wallpaper and Fun!


Step outside your comfort zone in the colours and designs you choose for your bathroom. Break out of traditional neutrals in the bathroom and experiment with pops of colour in textiles, accents of paint colour and even wallpaper. Yes, wallpaper...But don’t think it’s the same type of wallpaper from your grandparents’ homes.

Wallpapers come in so many varieties these days. You can choose anything from gentle geometric patterns to bold prints and textures. But a great alternative to wallpaper is a nice tile. Tiles also come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours for any project. The options are endless.


Design Your Bathroom With Kitchen and Bath Classics Saskatoon 


If you're considering a bathroom remodel or renovation, contact Trusted Saskatoon Bathroom Store Kitchen & Bath Classics!



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310 Wall St #209
Saskatoon, SK   S7K 1N7
Ph: 306.244.4150

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