Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  10/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Work was performed on September 25, 2023. Original quote of $1,520 was to paint trim for 18 windows, walls in bathroom, walls in office, materials, and labor. When they arrived, I asked for an additional quote for 2 walls in the kitchen which was $200 and performed on this date. The plan was for them to come back to paint the office on another day. I questioned some deep brush marks in unexpected areas in the bathroom before paying cash for the work that was performed that day which came to $1,295. I was told that it looked that way because it was still wet and would dry like the rest of the areas. I looked after the paint dried, and the appearance did not improve. I also found areas missed and areas that needed another coat of paint (in both the bathroom and kitchen) as the previous yellow color were still showing through. I had no complaints with the work done on the window trim other than when the kitchen was painted there was wall paint on the sides and bottom of the window trim. There were also areas adjacent to the kitchen walls where lines were not clean and the gray kitchen paint had extended onto the cream colored walls. I had started doing touch up myself along with a good deal of clean up with paint on multiple unexpected surfaces. Some areas will need to be sanded and repainted. I contacted the owner the following morning to express my concerns. He argued that he put 2 coats of paint on the walls himself. I told him I could send pictures to show him what I was talking about and show the areas that were missed. He said I did not have to send him anything that he didn't want to deal with me anymore, he wasn't coming back, and described me as being picky. I feel there should have been better care taken in the work that was performed. I should not have to put this amount of time and additional money to fix what I paid a professional of 20+ years to do. I would like to be reimbursed for $500 to cover the additional work and paint supplies that are required. See uploaded pictures.

  Business response

  10/11/2023

  Window trim for 18 windows, 2 walls in the kitchen, and 2 coats on walls in bathroom were completed on the date of Monday September 25, 2023. Office was not completed, but all materials to comeplete the paint in the office were left at the customers home, so no extra materials are needed. I asked the customer to inspect the work before leaving the job for the day and the only thing mentioned at the time, were the brush marks around the light in the bathroom. I complete all of my jobs with the same preciseness, and professionalism. I decided once speaking with the customer the next day that we could not ‘get on the same page’ for the completion of the job that I should not complete the office paint, but left the materials for her to have someone else to complete it. I do not feel I owe the customer $500 because we agreed on the work before leaving the job, she paid for what was completed, and she still has the materials to complete the office work. If the customer wasn’t happy with the work I completed that should have been discussed before payment was made.

  Customer response

  10/11/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 

  I did only question the brush marks before payment of the day's work, which I had pointed out around the mirror and on the wall where the switch was in the bathroom, as examples.  The brush marks also appeared in other areas of the bathroom as well as the kitchen.  Because I was told it would dry like the rest of the areas, I did not further question it.  The other things I did not notice until after the paint had dried and the painters were gone for the day.  Upon further inspection I had noticed additional concerns, some of which I was touching up myself, and then continued to find more.  I made contact the next morning in hopes that a good faith effort would be made in order to have some of it corrected when they came back to do the office.  Since the owner was no longer interested in working with me, the following is what I've been working on to rectify myself (many of these concerns can be seen in the attached photos).  

  Clean up of paint on the following areas:

  Kitchen counter top

  Kitchen floor

  Kitchen cabinet door

  Bathroom counter top

  Bathroom door trim

  Bathroom mirror

  Bathroom light fixture

  Toilet/plumbing

  Kitchen Painting

  Touch up of areas around window where previous paint was showing through

  Another coat of paint on the entire bulkhead

  Sanding of paint under cabinets and in doorway to smooth out brush marks and drip under switch.  Repaint.

  Touch-up of window trim where gray paint extended onto the trim

  Dining Room Wall and Pantry

  New paint will need to be purchased for these walls to cover up (or repaint walls entirely) where the gray paint from the kitchen wall extended onto these two areas

  Bathroom

  Paint areas that were missed; around mirror, around vanity, behind toilet

  Sand walls to smooth out thick brush marks, drip, and areas where picture hooks were painted into the wall and repaint

  Touch up of floor trim to cover up where the wall paint extended onto the trim

  Supplies

  Dining room and pantry paint to cover the gray paint (different color than paint left for kitchen, bathroom, and office)

  Additional bathroom paint as there definitely is not enough left for the amount of painting that remains.

  Additional gray paint may be needed.  This is the same color as the office, so there is enough left here to do want needs done in the kitchen, but then additional paint may need to be purchased in order to cover the office appropriately since that supply is being used.

  Sandpaper, painter's tape, paint pans, rollers, etc.

  I do not feel that it is unreasonable to expect professional grade work when paying a professional to do the work.  I also would not expect to get into this amount of work and additional money after a contractor has left a job at my home.  I find it very hard to believe that I am the only customer that finds this quality of work unacceptable.  If the same care was taken in painting the kitchen and the bathroom as was done on the window trim, there would not have been an issue, and I would have been completely satisfied.  As expected, when the paint dried on the window trim, I was able to hang curtains and move furniture back into place.  Extensive clean up, touch up, sanding, and repainting was not required in areas where the window trim only was painted. 

  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ******

*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. ↩