Tyson’s Plumbing and Heating

I have come to understand over the years that lighting is one of the most important aspects to any room design, and from what I have seen from renovations I have watched, it is one of the last to be considered. That's too bad, because you can decorate a room worthy of Architectural Digest, but if you don't light it correctly, you've lost the opportunity to bring it from beautiful to striking. Though I have known that lighting has always been my weak area (no matter how many lighting books I buy), when I decided to design my bucket list kitchen this was one expert I knew it would be worth paying for. I found the perfect person in Susan Arnold of Wolfers in Waltham (there is also a location in Brighton but the Waltham designer seemed a better fit for my needs ). I haven't for a moment regretted my decision. Susan went above and beyond in helping design the best lighting configuration possible. There are at least seven zones of lighting throughout the space (now two rooms since a wall came down between kitchen and dining room). I never thought I would have needed so many different lighting areas, but I use every one of them in different ways.(Plus, Susan didn't try to up sell me. She showed my lights across various budget spectrum, and demonstrated each.) I went for the programmable system, where I can push one button on a controller and all seven zones will adjust to preset lighting levels. Six different "mood" presets can be programmed. Susan's expertise in lighting is just one of the aspects for which to recommend her. She was also incredibly knowledgeable, responsive, and patient when helping me understand everything from the process of what happens and when in lighting installation down to finding a light we loved but could not locate anywhere. She calmed me down at my most anxious times and was enthusiastic with me when we figured out just the right lights to go in the space. She immediately got both my vision and my OCD nature, and, bless her, worked with both. In addition, she worked as needed with my contractor's electrician. The rare times she wasn't available, the staff at the Waltham location stepped in to help out with whatever I needed. I likely won't be doing many other major renovations anytime soon. But if or when I do, a lighting designer will be one of the first things I add into the budget. I just hope Susan will still be on the job...

I had the opportunity to work with Joyce Gravel. I went to the showroom and found the perfect lights for my kitchen, and they were discontinues. I reached out to Joyce and explained the situation and she contacted the manufacturer and was able to get me the lights that I wanted. When they arrived one of the globes was broken, so she re-ordered and another part of the glass insert was not the one that I had originally saw in the showroom, so she reached back out to the manufacturer and they sent the right glass insert. Joyce was absolutely outstanding during this process. She was responsive, kept me up to date, and was very kind during the process. Joyce was the model for customer service. Wolfers Lighting is lucky to have Joyce representing them and I will refer anyone looking for lighting there. Outstanding experience!

I could not be more pleased with the service I had at Wolfers Lighting! I had the pleasure to work with Joe, who was extremely friendly and assisted to help me find the perfect Chandelier for my home, even dealing with a very tight timeline. I would very highly recommend using Wolfers Lighting to individuals seeking lighting for their home. A big thank you to Wolfers & Joe.

I was in the Waltham store yesterday for a solid 25 minutes and not one person working in the store acknowledged my presence. Not one "hello" or "can I help you" to be found. I will never go back and plan to tell everyone else I know about how poor the customer experience and service was.

I met with a designer at Wolfers to learn the differences in recessed lighting. He offered a great introduction and various options. He had a bit of an attitude when I did not agree with some of his suggestions. Even though Wolfers' prices were a bit higher than others I decided since the designer spent time with me I should go with them. I was not disappointed with the product, but the customer service was awful. I picked my order up and when I opened the box before the electrician came I found that I was missing items. I called and spoke with a woman and explained the issue. She spoke with the warehouse person and was told he remembered putting "the whole order" in my car. I explained that was not correct and told her that only 2 boxes were placed in my car. The warehouse person insisted he gave the complete order. I kept saying the order was incomplete. She then told me to send a picture of the open box and contents. I did. She then questioned me what was under the bubble wrap that I had taken out of the box (more bubble wrap). She did not actually call me a liar, but her comments were rude, strongly suggesting I was not telling the truth and reporting the warehouse person remembered putting the "whole order in the car." I felt attacked and became upset since they were questioning my integrity. I suggested they go back to the warehouse and look to see if perhaps a box was overlooked (I would think this would have been the first thing this woman would have suggested, but again, awful customer service). They did and guess what...they found the rest of my order. The design consultant were knowledgeable and products reliable. But the customer service was awful. I do not recommend this company. When I have told people of my experience many have commented that since Wolfers is no longer associated with Standard Electric their customer service has gone down. Through my experience, I can vouch for that.

Apparently, Customer Service is an issue all-around. I had a broken fan-blade on an older ceiling fan that needed replacing. I was just looking for a little guidance, and didn't have a lot of information regarding the fan (I'm in a rental property). On my way to Home Depot, I passed Wolfers and thought I'd give it a shot. Fair warning...you'll get far better customer service at Home Depot. I approached the gentleman (for lack of a better term) and told him my son had accidentally broken one blade on the ceiling fan and though I knew it was a long shot, could he look up the information based on the model number I had. He looked down his nose at me and said "Well, that's not how it works. The blades are all balanced, you need to replace the fan entirely. Sounds like it's time for a new fan for you." I explained that wasn't going to happen, as I was a renter and it wasn't my call. I told him I'd be willing to replace all five blades if necessary to achieve "balance" as he called it. The clerk did look up the information I had, but as I thought, to no avail. I inquired if knowing the size of the fan I could possibly obtain five blades (again, I was looking for guidance or information). He stated "Nope, it's definitely time for a new fan." I again reiterated "No, that's not up to me" to which he stated : "Then I Wish You the Best of Luck!" Yes, those were the words he used, but his tone told me I was dismissed. He sounded like Willy Wonka at the end of the original movie when he snipped "You LOSE! Good Day Sir!" (The link below is a refresher) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKG07305CBs Not wanting to stoop to his level, or to level him, I left the store fuming. I did call manager Joyce, who apologized profusely and told me to please ask for her the next time I came in. I explained to her that the folks at Home Depot were far more knowledgeable and pleasant (directing me to a possible replacement blade), and that unfortunately, there would be no next time. You would think these independent stores would be bending over backwards to gain/retain customers over the corporate giants, but apparently, because I only wanted a single blade or information, I did not warrant the time of day. Stay away from Wolfers. Overpriced and under-friendly.

You will notice that my review is very much in line with the following reviews. And clearly Wolfer clearly doesn't care. This is the second time that we have saved up money to do a serious lighting project and gone to Wolfer. And yesterday we were treated like crap (again). We need outdoor lighting for the 2 stories of steps up to our porch. We stood around for 10+ minutes while sales people were "hanging out" in the back room. Finally a man walks out, past us and stops to ask us if we have been helped. We said no. He came up and asked what we need - he did not introduce himself. We described our project and the challenges of providing a safe level of light to our staircase. And we told him what we were thinking to do about it - he simply stared at us and said "that will look terrible". Okay, so what would you suggest? A spot light at the top of the stairs aimed down the stairs at the street. That was it. When I said that a spot light would not address the issue of shadow and darkness at the bottom of the stairs. He second suggestion was to put up a pole light at the end (in addition to the spot light). I am sure that these suggestions were aimed at us because we did not look "rich" enough, not sophisticated enough, so have a beautiful and thoughtful solution to the problem. Finally, after we pushed and pushed he came up with exactly one suggestion that would include completely reworking our entire staircase. I was grateful for the suggestion but his attitude, disregard, and disinterest were tangible. I WILL NEVER WALK INTO THEIR STORE AGAIN - FOR ANY PROJECT - EVER. Our concrete guy stopped by our house today, had 4 different lighting solutions for our staircase and gave us solutions ranging from easy to difficult - but doable solutions that will work. And he did not treat us like dirt. If you are a working-class, or middle-class person, don't go to this shop. They will treat you far worse than anyone who works so hard for their money deserves. You deserve better. Go where you are respected. Best wishes on all your projects. tyson

Terrible customer service. Rude, condescending, arrogant, and dismissive. Maybe if we had met with a different sales person, I would feel differently, but Ginger single-handedly ruined the experience for us. The bf and I were looking for a dining room light fixture. After looking in Home Depot and Lowes, we decided we'd try a specialty lighting store, hoping we'd get a knowledgeable sales person to give us some advice and ideas. After wandering around the showroom for about 20 minutes without so much as a greeting from any of the employees, we went to the counter to ask for some direction. Ginger didn't let us finish describing what we wanted before interrupting us and making us feel like idiots. When we started describing what we were looking for, she interrupted with, "Well, how big is your dining room table?" (Who knows the exact dimensions of their tables??) "Well if you don't know the exact measurement, I can't get a sense of the scope and scale you need." We told her we had looked at the Wolfer's website and found some options on it that we liked. "Well, that's just a virtual showroom and we actually don't sell the stuff that's on the website." (What? What's the point of having it on your website then?) "You can find the number on the website and email me and I can order it for you." (Oh, and get you a nice little commission? After how helpful you've been?) After a few more minutes of her condescension, she threw some catalogs at us and said she'd be back in 15 minutes. After 5 minutes of flipping through catalogs, no more knowledgeable than we'd been when we'd arrived, we decided to cut our losses and leave. We went to Savio's where we were treated much better, with the sales person being responsive, but not pushy, to help us come up with options in our price range and style choice. There might have been some other, more helpful sales people at Wolfer's, but if Ginger is an indication of the type of people they employ, I am not going to take my chances by going back.

Rude, dismissive, condescending and arrogant staff - on top of a VERY limited selection (read below) and SUPER OVERPRICED products. Save yourself a trip to allston, and shop online. After reading the other reviews, i guess i should have read them before leaving the house. Not much has changed here in the past 5 years it seems. When we walked in, we could see some of the paper shuffling staff in the back room, but they clearly were all on break, and as a result, there was no one to help us. After several minutes and several PA pagers for assistance at the front desk, a lady approached us, and after a very short introduction said she actually cannot help us because she has an appointment in 45 minutes. Several minutes later - out came Bobby, the showroom manager, who accosted us for not knowing how tall the ceilings were, what we wanted, and how many of each. Needless to say we are not contractors, just a young couple remodeling a house, and this is the first time we set foot in a lighting store (all of which we explained before the barrage of condescending questions and insults). Then came the explanation of all those things we should know as contractors, builders, electricians, etc., but do not know and thus she cannot help us find the kind of light we want. Then came the arguments: there is only one kind of LED bulb for this fixture, says bobby. "I saw similar bulbs with several LED cells/lenses" says I. "No" said bobby, "this is the only thing that fits". OK, how about pricing -just for kicks we walked in to a home depot. Everything there was about 300-400% more expensive for the exact same product then it is at Home depot and the home depot shelves are stocked with about 6-7 different LED bulbs which fit these fixtures. Instead of service we got attitude, who ever buys anything here? i do not know. Perhaps people who do not yet have the "internet" in the house yet.

I went to their Allston location but the service was not the same as in Waltham. I went their this past weekend looking for track lighting and fans. Not sure what I wanted since I just started remodeling my kitchen. Spoke to a sale person - Sarah she took me from the most expensive to the reasonable to cheap. Sarah took her time with me and I mean took her time . I arrive at the store at 2 pm and left at 4 pm. She explain in detail what type of fixtures to use what each one was use for, how many lights, the spectrum of the light and so much more. She then show me different colors that would go with the colors of my kitchen and even match the fan. Gave me both prices down to each detail. All this time never rushing me. I am a ask kinda girl and she in turn answered all of my questions down to the smallest detail of wiring, switches etc. I was satisfied and made my deposit for the lights and the fan. Plus they have a year warranty. If you are not satisfied they will return your money or if you fine you only need two strobes instead of four they will refund you for that also. hat they have here at this store is good quality lights and fixtures. Nothing that you will find at Home Depot or Lowes. Do not get me wrong Home Depot and Lowes are great but I wanted something unique , good quality for my place of residence. I would not purchase lights from them for my tenants apartment. Reason is I rather not spend way to much to keep the rent at a reasonable rate. If you are looking for unique track lighting this is the place...

Okay, Wolfers is an excellent place for Lighting supplies and light fixtures. They mainly cater to the trades ( electricians, designers etc.) and commercial /businesses. However, Wolfers also has retail locations for consumers. - Excellent customer service - Very knowledgeable staff - Large selection in a great showroom - High quality fixtures I stopped in the Alston store on North Beacon Street on a Saturday to check out track lighting options. The gentleman that helped me was terrific. He covered : the power options, the different track lighting types, showed me all the options for fixtures that go on the track that he recomended. Suggested a halogen light fixture that used less power, showed me how to remove the halogen bulb from the tight fitting socket with a piece of tape. Also, he showed me how to properly mount the fixture in the track and how to unlock and remove the fixture from the track properly. Tips on how to do it without breaking the track. My walls/ceiling are the old type of walls with lathe and plaster. No problem, the Wolfers lighting guy knew exactly how to handle these older walls and made installation suggestions. I went home and installed the halogen track lights like I was a pro ...and when I plugged it it and turned on the switch the track lights worked perfectly. ( I opted to use a track light configuration that could be plugged into an outlet - this also saved me the headache of getting an electrician )

Buyer beware. The website says "We offer free ground shipping for most online orders over $100. Please note that some large or oversize items require shipping by freight and will incur additional charges." I placed an order for a small $250 light with a customer rep, and asked for a discount since I could get the light much cheaper elsewhere. I was given a small discount. When I got the bill, there was a notice that shipping costs would be added later, and that this was a "special order". I called to ask why there was a shipping order and why this was special, I was told that all their orders were special because they have no inventory and everything comes from a factory. I was then told that because I talked to a rep and got a discount that shipping was added. Note that I was talking to a rep because I had placed an original order in March and had to call in May to be told I couldn't get the original light until August. The rep never said that talking to her made this a more expensive order. After a couple of phone calls and a threat to cancel the order I got the shipping cost waived as "a one time courtesy." It will be one time.

This store is the worst service ever i came 10 min before they were closing and the wise mouth old blonde at the desk wanted to leave not caring that I was a Customer. I spent over 400 doll cash and the lights i bought were not gonna work for my house so i brought them back but she wuld not take them back because the box they came in was torn and to top it off one of the was a floor model i paid cash and got a check .and i had to keep one because the box was torn .and she was so rude and got off on tryin to power trip but wut she didn't no was u was planing to spend close to 10 grand on lights fo my home but after tha t i just left in shock i wish the owner was there .people like her put company's out of business all because she wanted to leave at 8 pm instead of showing me sumthin I could use stay away lowes has alot of the same lights got half the price and they won't complain about a torn box and they are very nice i won't ever go back .and I think she was judged me because of my tattoos with her little laughing under her breath which also stunck save ur money go somware ware they treat you like a person stay away

Terrible, and I mean TERRIBLE customer service. Yes, if you need a hard to find light bulb, this is a good place to order, but the showroom staff are awful. I bought an expensive Flos fixture, and within 6 years it is disintegrating, falling apart. I called Wolfers for help and the salesperson said "Well, it is 6 years old." What? I bought my house with fixtures that were installed in 1959 and they all worked! I had to push her to respond, and she agreed to try and see if Flos would do anything. She requested I provide images and information, which I did, she never even responded. I called TWICE and she said she'd get back to me. Never did. They don't care, it really shows. In this economy, you'd think customer service for people who have bought many items from you would be important, but at this location, don't even think you'll get a return for your loyalty. I bought many fixtures from them in the past, for both my home and several real estate investments. I'll never buy one thing from this company again, I'll take my chances on the internet.

I gave a fairly generous gift certificate from Westford Lighting (WL) to someone, but since the place closed ... and I had no warning ... I never had a chance to tell the recipients that they better redeem that certificate. The place that WL recommended (and said they'd provide good customer service) was Wolfers. So, we figured we'd ring up Wolfers to see if they'd honor some of the gift card. I know you're not your brother's keeper, but I wasn't expecting to hear, "Absolutely not." OUCH! It would have been fabulous PR for Wolfers to say, "We won't redeem that gift card, but we will knock a few dollars off your purchase for your trouble." They would have gotten my business, even if they offered to deduct $20, or had they been a little nicer about it, but since that didn't happen, I will find someplace else. I've just read the other reviews, and I guess I'm not so far off re: customer service and attitude. Too bad. There's one less game in town, but luckily Wolfers is not the ONLY game left.