Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  02/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On March 1, 2022, I found my water heater had been leaking and soaked the carpet in four(4) adjoining rooms. Since the same carpet was used throughout the house, all had to be replaced. The interior of my home had not been repainted or repaired for a long while so I decided to do this work before new carpet was installed and tile installed in two bathrooms. In May 2021 Russell Nowlin, owner of R N Painting, had removed the vinyl siding on my home, installed James Hardie paneling and then painted it and the brick exterior. I was satisfied with the work so when I needed the interior work, I called him for this job. We met in my home on March 21 to discuss the work I wanted to do. We met again on May 9 and May 16 to review the costs and plans. After these meetings, I decided to install new vanity cabinets in each of the bathrooms since I still had the originals installed in 1970 when the house was built. Russell said he did not build cabinets so I had to get a cabinetmaker to do the work. The cabinets were not ready before the painting began on July 11. On July 15, I paid Russell $3500 for one-half the paint job. He finished the job on July 22 and I made the final payment of $3700. On August 1, the cabinetmaker brought the cabinets with uninstalled doors, drawers and shelves to my home and put them in the garage. Russell came a few days later to pick everything up and take to his shop for painting. On August 23 he brought it all back, put the cabinets in place in the bathrooms but did not install the doors, drawers and shelves. I paid Russell $2040 for this work. The bathrooms were then tiled and the carpet installed with completion September 24.

  

  Business response

  02/21/2023

  BBB Rebuttal 2/17/2023
  Case # 106811
  Russell Nowlin, Owner of RN Painting
  
  Dear BBB,
  We received a complaint on February 7th, 2023 regarding a customer complaint. Below Is our rebuttal to this complaint. Here forth, the complainant will be referred to as 'customer'.
  
  On July 11th, 2022 we began work for customer at *** Glenna, San Angelo, TX 76901. The customer's job was set up in two phases. The first phase consisted of master bedroom, master bathroom, kitchen and dining. The first phase was complete on July 15th, 2022. We turned in our draw of $3,500 on Friday, July 15th, 2022. Customer was happy with all work completed on first phase.
  
  We started on phase two on July 18th, 2022. The second phase consisted of living room, clear coat fire place, three bedroom and a bathroom. This phase was completed on July 22nd, 2022. We turned in our draw on July 22nd, 2022 for $3,700. The customer was happy with all work completed on the second phase.
  
  Once completed with both phases, the customer wanted to add on work. All of the subsequent work was to be done on an hourly charge basis plus materials and the customer was told this by me personally. This work consisted of removing vanities (2), finish vanities (paint), install vanities (2), assemble vanities (2), install doors, drawers, shelves, plumbing for sinks, paint interior of fire place with high heat paint (black matte finish), touch up stain on front door, install trim on vanity, caulk, putty and touch up. We began this work in August of 2022.
  
  We invoiced for the following completed work on August 23rd, 2022: Removed vanities (2), finished vanities (2), installed vanities (2) and for material used. That invoice was $2,040. Items that WERE NOT INVOICED for AS WORK TO BE COMPLETED on line Item 6 of Invoice # 0044-22 (attached) were the following: assemble vanities (2), install doors, drawers, shelves and plumbing for sink, paint interior of fire place, touch up stain on front door, install trim on vanities (2), caulk, putty and touch up. Again, these were not billed for or charged to the customer as it had not been completed. I explained this to the customer personally.
  
  During the add on work phase of this project, customer was very rude to our employees, stopping work on multiple occasions to go to appointments (hair) at 10am and made our employees leave. The lunch break for employees isn't until 1pm to 2pm. Our employees had to stay on the job (while being paid) to wait for customer to return. On multiple occasions, customer was very aggressive, accusatory and verbally abusive to our employees and myself. our employees on multiple occasions did not want return to finish the work due to customer's behavior.
  
  Customer's neighbor (who we have done work for in the past and recommended us to customer) had mentioned numerous times to myself that customer was hard to deal with and frequently had lapses In memory and cognitive issues. Said neighbor volunteered to accompany me to customer's house on multiple occasions to try and calm customer down and help explain the work done.
  
  While trying to schedule a time to get back to the customer's house (as she postponed us due to other work going on at her house) she called and was extremely verbally abusive to me. It was then that I decided we would probably not go back to complete the work (that she had not been charged for). I tried to be as sensitive as possible since I knew the customer had memory/aggression issues.
  She threatened lawsuits on numerous occasions. For example, there was a door that we fixed (at no charge to her) because the door would not open (wedged shut with no gap at the top). For the door to open properly, there must be a gap at the top. This is called a door reveal. I explained this to the customer on multiple occasions but customer kept insisting there should be no gap and we (RN Painting) would be sued unless we fixed the gap. The door would not shut properly if there was no gap.
  
  Please see the attached proposal, Invoice # 0036-22 for bid work, Invoice # 0044-22 for hourly add on work.
  
  We are a small business here In San Angelo and rely on the good word of our customers. We have never had any complaints of this nature or any kind. We do our best to accommodate and do the best job for our customers but do reserve the right to discontinue a working relationship due to aggressive behavior and threats of lawsuits. We do not charge our customers for work that has not been done. We pride ourselves on having the reputation and credit with all of the paint and lumber vendors here In San Angelo and have never required a payment up front for any customer we have done work for. We make a draw at the end of each week after work has been completed.
  
  Thank you for the opportunity to hear our side and please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.
  
  Sincerely,
  Russ Nowlin
  Owner, RN Painting
  (325) 650-9536
  Russnowlingpainting@gmail.com
  
  

  Customer response

  03/01/2023

  On April 8, 2022 I called RN and asked him to bring a list to show how he came up with the totals on the proposal. He said that was not the way he did his work. Even though I had given him a list a few days before he still showed I wanted the popcorn ceiling removed. I said I decided to keep the popcorn ceiling and just wanted to paint it. He got a little irritated and said that would be 4 or 5 days less work if he didn't do it. We left the conversation that way.
  
  On July 11, 2022, RN and two young men started work. Before anyone started to paint I told RN that I had a hair appointment every Friday at 10:00 and I wanted to know if he would be there with the men while I was gone. He said he would be present. He was present the first and second week. On the morning of the 3rd week RN came and got the men started painting and then he left and went back to his other job. When RN didn't return by 10:00 as he said he would I told the men that they had to go outside as I was going to lock the house. When I returned at 11:00 RN was there. He followed me into the house and said he thought I left at 11:00. From then on RN was present and his men were never asked to leave the house.
  
  On July 11, 2022 while the men were painting in the bedroom I stayed in my office. I heard the men leave for lunch so I walked out of my office and went to the kitchen. As I approached, the younger man was still in the house and walking away from the cabinets. I asked him what he was doing. He had a paint brush and a pail in his hand and said "painting". I said "oh" and he went back to the bedroom and shortly after left the house and didn't come back until the other men returned. That night I went to the freezer to get my carton of ice cream. It was not there. I looked through every room, closet, the garage and garbage cans and could not find it. The next day I looked in my shower. There was the empty bucket and my good stainless spoon in an old paint bucket used for trash. I got rid of the carton and never said a word about it to the young man. After that he avoided me and never spoke to me.
  
  On August 23, 2022 RN came to my house at 3 or 3:30 with his invoice for the final work. I gave him the $2,040 check and he left and has never been in my house since. One of his men was still working on the plumbing in the guest bath. About 4 P.M. I walked in the bathroom and saw the other young man standing by the closet door with a drill in his hand. I asked him what he was doing and he said "putting up the door". They left about 5:00 so I went to the bathroom to check. Instead of the young man taking the pins out and removing the closet and hall doors, he used a drill and took off all the hinges on two doors. He couldn't get them in straight which made the doors overlap at the frame almost 3 inches. I decided I would not call RN about this now because he would be back in a couple of weeks to complete his work. My tile man came about a week later. He had to take off both the hall and closet doors to install the tiles in that room. I understood when he told me he tried and tried to put them back straight but was unable to. RN NEVER SAW THE DOORS LIKE THIS BECAUSE HE LEFT AT 3:30 AND HE NEVER TALKED TO ME ABOUT HOW THEY LOOKED. The pictures were taken after the tile man finished his work.
  
  My neighbor and I are very close friends. I asked my neighbor to be at my house every time before RN came. He never had occasions to talk to my neighbor in person where the neighbor supposedly told him I had memory loss or aggression issues. I never threatened to sue him at any time. I just wanted him to come and complete the work and I would have been satisfied.
  ***** ****** Case #106811

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