When Sandy Klein received an email from the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in September 2021 advertising a program for home renovations through a bank subsidiary that could directly connect her with “trusted” contractors, she thought she was in luck.

Klein and her husband, Steven Klein, were initially looking to fix up a bathroom in their Thornhill, Ont., home for their son who was moving back in. But a year and a half — and several incorrect and incomplete renovations — later, Sandy Klein says she wishes she never received the email about RBC’s Smart Reno platform.

“I trusted my bank,” she said. 

“The referral came from them and the whole program was about trusting the bank to send us someone trustworthy, licensed, insured and capable of doing the work properly,” Steven Klein added.

Instead, a third-party inspection the couple obtained found the contractor they hired through Smart Reno left them with issues — including improperly installed showers, which could cause water damage; a deck without proper structural support; and several incorrectly installed windows.

The Kleins say they spent roughly $70,000 on that work and other shoddy renos to their bedroom, including a new bed frame and closet storage that wasn’t completed. They say it could cost up to about $30,000 to redo two bathrooms and fix some of the work they already paid for.

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