**Disappointing Experience -- Pricing Dispute, Workmanship Issues, and Paint Substitution**…read more
We hired James Stone Painting to paint our new home and provided the Sherwin-Williams paint colors we wanted used for the project. Unfortunately, our experience was far below expectations.
After quoting us a price and indicating that the job was complete, James demanded an additional $500 beyond the agreed-upon amount. When my wife explained that the agreed price was $500 less, rather than professionally discussing the discrepancy, he accused her of being disrespectful and responded in a confrontational, intimidating manner. He essentially told us that if we did not pay the additional money, we should never call him again. This was an unacceptable way to handle a pricing disagreement with a customer.
The problems did not end there. After inspecting the completed work, we identified several deficiencies that required us to contact him and request corrections. He eventually sent someone back to address the issues, and that corrective work took an entire day.
During this process, we also discovered that Behr paint had been used on the trim instead of the Sherwin-Williams paint we had specified. When we confronted him about the substitution, he responded that Behr was better for trim. Regardless of his personal opinion about which product is preferable, **we specified Sherwin-Williams, and we expected the paint we requested to be used--not a different brand substituted without our approval.** A contractor should never make that decision on a customer's behalf without first discussing it with them.
Between the unexpected demand for additional money, the initial workmanship deficiencies, the need for a full day of corrective work, and the undisclosed paint substitution, this experience left us seriously disappointed in the professionalism and transparency of the service we received.
**Our recommendation is to proceed with caution if you are considering James Stone Painting.** Get the complete scope of work, the agreed-upon price, the specific paint brands and product lines, and any change-order procedures documented in writing before work begins. Inspect the finished work carefully and verify that the materials used match what was agreed upon.
We hired a painting contractor expecting quality workmanship, honest communication, and adherence to the agreed-upon specifications. Unfortunately, that was not our experience.
