We hired Golden Star to strip and wax the floors at our school. Before the crew arrived, our staff…read moreand volunteers had already moved nearly all of the classroom furniture outside so the work could begin immediately. The only exceptions were the library and a small carpeted area in one kindergarten classroom because those areas were scheduled to be completed on Wednesday, the final day of the project.
When I asked Jose if they could clean those carpeted areas on Wednesday as originally planned, he immediately became upset. He insisted everything had to be completed on Monday and Tuesday because he had brought a large crew. As I tried to explain that the library would not be ready until Wednesday, he turned on a loud machine while I was speaking, making it impossible to continue the conversation. During our interaction, he also called me insulting names in Spanish, not realizing that I understood what he was saying.
I calmly told him that if this was how he chose to conduct business, we would not be able to work with him again. He became increasingly angry, said he was calling his manager, Allen, and then misrepresented the situation by claiming that most of the furniture was still inside the classrooms, which was simply not true. Nearly everything had already been moved outside.
Jose then instructed his crew to stop working and pack up their equipment. When I attempted to call the company using the phone number displayed on the truck, it rang directly to Jose. He laughed and said, "Now I have your number." He then flipped me off, mocked me by making faces, and as he walked past me, grabbed my hand and twisted my fingers. I immediately told him he had no right to touch me and that I was going to call the police. I said to the lady who was recording, "I hope you got that on video because he just tried hurting me.
After the incident, I contacted our principal, who called the police. The interaction was captured by our school's security cameras.
I later spoke with Allen and described the incident. Although he repeatedly said that Jose would never do something like that, I explained that I was certain of what had occurred because our school's security cameras captured the interaction. I ended the call shortly afterward because the police had arrived to take my statement.
This was the most unprofessional experience I have ever had with a contractor. Disagreements can happen on any job, but there is never an excuse for yelling at a customer, using insulting language, making obscene gestures, or making physical contact.
Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Golden Star or Jose. Professionalism, respect, and basic courtesy were completely absent, and no customer should have to experience what I did.
