I hired a PDCA member paint company who promised a professional crew full to complete the job list before the floors were to be installed in my home (9 days until day discussed in which it must be finished). He assured me the paint lines from ceiling to wall would be very straight and my million dollar home would look great after his company finished our contracted list of items to be painted. His price was exorbant but I was willing to pay high dollar for a high quality job. I do not even feel like he earned my deposit because of all the work needing to be done to fix blunders:

overpaint on door hardware, paint splatters on windowsills, wallpaper residue dried up on bathroom vanities, floor molding only painted to top of carpet which was knowingly going to be replaced with wood (shorter height!) - now has unsightly carpet fibers adhered to it (which looks ugly next to nice high dollar wood flooring, now being installed)

Now I am in next phase (flooring) of fixing up this house we will move in (in one week). Since he has been by to collect the balance without noticing defects I have lost confidence in his ability to fix them. He was showing his lead painter how to 'cut a line' with his brush correctly on the day he came by to collect balance (as I was pointing out problems).

What should I do? He wants to fix all problems but because he didn't notice these major problems before I pointed them out , my confidence and tolerance to accomodate 'fixing the problems' is gone.

I realize this forum is primarily a 'painter to painter' kind of forum but I would appreciate some advise. If the purpose of PDCA is to uphold the profession's standards, a customer like me should feel fairly confident to hire a member and really confident to hire a chapter leader to do a big paint job.

First place to start are expectations. It sounds like you and your contractor are not on the same page. I would start with creating a detailed written punch list of the things you are not satisfied with. I would then have the contractor look at these items on his own. At this point your needs are to get the job done to your satisfaction within your time frame. It sounds like time is of the essence. it doesn't sound like you have the the time to find someone else. Hopefully you still have control over some money. I would allw the contractor to complete the punchlist and pay upon completion.
How did you find the contractor? What is his reputation? Did you check references? If he was refered to you, let the referer know. Check in the database of this site to make sure the contractor is a PDCA member. Look at the PDCA standards which will help you have a starting point with your expectations.
I understand your frustration added upon the stress of a house move. Good Luck.

Thank you for your response. I looked at your website and see you are a bonafide pro. I am a retired school teacher and have fixed up and sold about 13 homes (done a LOT of painting).
I feel bad as this man is very nice, lives three streets away, and seemed hurt by my 'punch list'. But, on the other hand, his profit margin was quite high, including time spent on the 'free estimate'. He is chapter leader of PDCA for area, recommended by Sherwin Williams. I did my homework, looking at standards of pro painters.

I contracted and willing to pay a full time crew (5 painters, including him) over 7K to paint :
4 bedrooms, LR, DR, including ceilings, and a sloped cedar ceiling in the family room. This job also included removing wallpaper from 3 rooms (which incidently came off easily, without damaging plaster walls). He said they would get it done in 5 days and he has had an additional 5 on top of that. The house was empty with floors that were to be discarded.

Only two painter were at the job most of the week, one of which was a new hire with no experience with paint. My contract says "You are hiring a professional painting crew". My kids couild have done this paint job. My dissapointment is that he wanted to collect without noticing problems. I would have been embarrassed to charge someone that much for such sloppy work. He understood my tight time frame and full cup getting moved. He had two or more other jobs going on the same week. He is on vacation now and his best painter has offerred to come by to fix problems. The problems will take longer to fix than they took to create and now I have new floors and will be moving in and he is gone on vacation. The baseboards, encrusted with carpet fiber, will have to be sanded and repainted..............etc

thanks for your reply. Don't you think I should try and settle for less amount and fix it myself or try someone else out? I am worried about damage to my new floors and furniture, as evidenced by paint droppings to unprotected items in a nearly empty home (drapes).

I would like to get it done before my furniture is moved in (in two days) but because he is on a cruise, I hesitate to have it done. Particularly since the contract has a hefty legal notice.

thanks so much!

Sorry to hear about your situation. I find it unlikely he'll settle for less money, but agree that if he didn't see the areas you're not happy with, then having him fix those areas may be pointless. If it were me, I'd see it through, give him the opportunity to adress the issues you have and hope for the best.

Hello Lisa,

I think I understand your lack of confidence and tolerance to allow the situation to be resolved by your contractor, but I think you will need to move forward.

Since you asked:
I agree with other posts - I would suggest communicating in a written fact based manner and then allowing your contractor the tolerance and window of time to resolve the issues. Sometimes what is spelled out in a contract and what is discussed verbally that is separate from the contract need further communication.

You stated "Since he has been by to collect the balance without noticing defects I have lost confidence in his ability to fix them." You then pointed out problems. Now is the time to move past expectations of 'noticing' and get to a usable and agreed upon written format.

It would be fair of you to allow any contractor the ability to provide customer service and respond to a punch list.

I truly hope your project is completed as was contracted.
Here's to your successful project completion.

Brandt

Brandt,
Thank you so much for your reply. I am more than willing to give him a chance to make it right. I have always been generously fair. In his defense, I think he had two other jobs going on that he was preoccupied with and a vacation coming up.

He went on vacation the day after I gave him my written punch list. He agreed with every item. I verbalized my disappointment and inconvenience and agreed we'd discuss it when he returned. The next day, the least experienced painter of the remaining crew arrived with a paint brush in hand and she said she was there to finish up the paint job. Tile was being installed as well as wood flooring. I told her it was not a good time. His 'only good painter' came by another time to work on the written punch list. He was apologetic and embarrassed for the other painters' blunders but again, 8 other workers were all over the house and it was not good timing to paint. I was also upset that he had been given my house key which I provided in trust to the man I hired. I told him an action plan had not been agreed upon with his boss and I didn't want anything done until the man who I contracted with was back in person.

The paint job was under a time frame made very aware of during the job estimate, with new flooring being installed the week after the paint was scheduled. He assured me he would provide me with the full crew, (experienced, licensed, and all) and one was even going to work the weekend to complete the project. I had only two individuals at my home the majority of the week - one beginner and one sloppy-painting guy.

So, as you can see, with brand new flooring (post paint job) which will need lots of protection, and now movers moving in my furniture over the next week, I am in a bind and HUGELY inconvenienced as far as scheduling in painters - particularly with three children and three dogs underfoot. (Not to mention the disapointment of looking at this paint job as we move in and cleaning up the mess and goo they left behind, ie, wallpaper residue on bathtubs, vanities and toilets, paint splatters, and returning switch plate and ac covers to the walls!) (he is still on vacation)

I had thought (or rather hoped) it might have been the paint was defective but the manager where we purchased the paint examined my home and said it was primarily (90 - 98%) a workmanship problem. He said it was not representative of this painter's past work and he himself would be very angry with the result especially with the price charged. He also said he'd not be happy with the results if the total price was the 50% deposit I have already paid.

All of the baseboards need to have the carpet fuzz which the 'sloppy painter' painted on sanded off (new wood floors) and entirely repainted. The shoe molding might have to be removed as it is fuzzing up in between where the flooring was installed on top of it. Every room needs another coat of paint. Areas of ceiling not covered. I have rare antique furniture in addition to the new (expensive) floor - carpet and wood that will now be in the way. It will take more time to fix than it would have taken to do it right the first time.

I apologize for being so detailed but maybe this forum needs to hear this end of the downfalls of not supervising their crews! I signed a contract with him, not the individuals sent over by him.
When the defects were (politely) pointed out to him the first time, he held out his hands and asked if it was thought he was Jesus Christ who could walk on water. This attitude of his makes it more difficult to be amicable in giving him a chance! The problems were pointed out in a polite, professional manner. I am a retired schoolteacher and now teach music part time at church. I understand not everything turns out right all the time, for sure, and everyone is human. On the other hand, though, I do not understand expecting high dollar compensation for an inferior and defective product.

ie.............I would be upset to find out I had actually purchased a 35 year old Ford Pinto instead of the new BMW that was on the contract - especially after I had paid hard earned cash money for half of the BMW already (more than the cost of a Pinto). Then have the dealer request the rest of the money due for the BMW while I am obviously driving the broken Pinto - then throw his hands up and ask if we think he is JC when I point out this is not the product I ordered.

Despite the situation, I am willing to give him the opportunity to save face and make it right but he needs to understand my time cost factor at this point, my worry for my furnishings and floor, and the supreme difficulty in providing a workable atmosphere (kids, dogs, and summer company). He had the home while it was empty - and with the old floor which needed no protection.

ok, one more complaint: The crew also threw my ceiling vents in piles all over the house which caused them to be scratched up! I tried to clean them up and remove the scratches today so we could get them back up before the movers come in this week. There is also many knicks all up and down the wooden stairway banister where the teenager raked the ladder while moving it up and down the stairs!
So, you can see where I have to really reach deep to do the Christian thing and give him a chance to make it right!

OK, enough already, eh??

Thanks again, Brandt, for your reply and I hope that somehow this helps painters who read it have an understanding for the other side of the fence of a job gone bad!

You sure have set up a wonderful site and I hope my '5 cents' can be of some benefit to the readers of the trade - although I am sure most of your readers are the conscientious type who would not allow this to happen. I appreciate the opportunity to receive the advise of conscientous craftsmen . I know most painters are perfectionists at heart and it takes alot of skill and stamina - a good reputation is earned for such. Hopefully my painter will be professional and make it look like it should and if so, I will be happy to recommend him to my friends. (I would think then the paint store manager would also continue to recommend him as well)
Friendly regards,
Lisa

50% up front? That was your first mistake. Second mistake not staying on top of him. people work harder for money. only 10% or 1000.00 thats all. You have to give him a oppurtunity to correct the defects. after that you owe him nothing. report him to consumer affairs hit his license. sue him Your right time is money. and so is stress. You wont make this mistake agian. Dont worry about the paint job its just paint and easy to fix. Write him tell him you plan to hire another contractor to finish the job if he does not complete job to your satisfaction by specified date. you will move forward. Keep in mind standards are 4.5 ' inspection line under normal viewing and lighting. If you can see it, Any painting contractor will be required to fix it. Thats why we have standards.
The fact that he has all his profit already in pocket. means your less likely to see him agian. like you said it will take longer to fix and he knows that.
theres more money for him on other jobs right now. Thats why only 10% hold the strings, Allways. As with all honest consumers you as a paying customer deserve better. And on behalf of all reputable painting contractors I apologize

Let's give the customer the benefit here. Whether it's half down or nothing down, betrayal of a customer's trust and confidence is what happened. Lisa isn't wrong because she gave him up front money; the painter is wrong for not honoring her trust.

Staying on top of him isn't the customer's job. A professional doesn't need to be supervised. I always ask my clients to give me room while I work. At the end of the day, we do a walk through to correct anything not up to their expectations.

Losing money by coming back? I disagree. He's losing money by NOT coming back. Why? I consider each of my customers a base of at least 50-100 referrals in their lifetime. When I shut down that motivation to refer me, I lose big money. Therefore, always go back. Even if it's a speck of paint on the floor.

Michael

Thank you so much guys!

I hired a pro because I didn't have time to do it myself, much less monitor someone else's work on a daily basis (as I was packing and moving from the old houe). The investigator from consumer affairs told me I shouldn't have paid a dine up front in this county as a good painter should have good credit. Now I have boxes to the ceiling and it is impossible to even get to the walls. With just a few weeks of summer left to spend my spare time with the kids, it is really depressing looking at this paint mess - especially the carpet fibers stuck on the baseboards! It is going to cost more to fix than to have done it right in the first place as per estimates I am receiving. The painter is claiming I have denied him access to fix the problems although we told him the carpet/wood floor installers would be in the way, followed by movers. He did have 2 weeks to work after he wanted final pay and I gave him the punch list. He gave me another bill for extra paint he ordered for me to touch up and left on driveway and two unsuccessful attempts to get in to the tune of $500 more dollars. I was hoping he might see the light after reading this forum daily as I see he does but now I have no other recourse other than to pursue damages which I really don't want to do. I just want it fixed! AND now I discover my curtain rods are destroyed as well. I agree he should have monitored his crew and worried more for his reputation - I thought I hired someone who had pride in his workmanship as discussed during the contract signing. I have lots of friends who will pay high dollar for a good job. I am lucky my marble/tile, wood floors, a/c installation, new plumbing, roofing, and new boat dock have been smooth and I will recommend them with high confidence.
Thanks so much for your replies!!!!!!!!!!!

Lisa, I just read you r post and I believe you sent me an email about written standards. The PDCA does have written standards and professional contractors need to reference these standards and incorporate them into the contracts in order to be recognized in the event of a dispute. If they are not part of a contract then they are pretty much useless, the PDCA does not require members to incorporate them into the business or contracts, they are there for contractors to use. Without seeing the agreement you both signed it would be hard properly comment on your dispute. If you do not pay the contractor and do nothing to correct the problem then he will have a case in court for non-payment. As others have mentioned, send him a letter by certified mail simply stating your request for him to fulfill his contractual obligations. I would give him a deadline to make a site visit and a deadline for a timely completion of the punch list. Keep copies of all correspondences. If he fails to complete the punch list by the dead line, send him another letter that you contracting another firm to complete the punch list. When it comes to him sending his employees to d the work, it does not matter who does the work as long as it is completed according to the contract, he has every right to send an employee. If the work is not completed according to the contract then you can complain, but you have to give him to opportunity to make it right. I’m guessing that you did not actually hire him, but you hired his company. If your contact states that you hired Mr. X to complete the work and no one else than that’s fine, but if you hired company x to complete the work than any employee of the company can complete the work unless you the owner ban than from the job for a particular reason and if you ban someone, I would send him a written letter stating why you refuse to let a particular person from your project. It sounds like he made a simple mistake and given the chance to fix it with cool heads it will probably get done. Best of luck.