I was referred to KIC Painting through Home Depot as it appeared on the top of their recommended list of local painters. He quoted the lowest price of all contractors I had met. I was skeptical at first but it appeared he was running a legitimate business along with high recommendation from Home Depot. I decided to give it a try.
I asked for 2 coats of paint throughout the condominium (about 1000 sq/ft), repair minor drywall problems, and remove popcorn ceilings in a small area. He moved very fast and got the condo painted in 3 days, which seemed very quick for all the work that was involved. In close inspection of his work, I noticed many shortcomings. He over-sprayed the wall paint on the ceiling, dry wall repairs were poorly done and visible, and did not use primer to cover the old paint in the bathrooms as I had requested from the beginning. As I pointed out these issues, he became increasingly agitated and decided to leave the job for another contractor of my choice. He left the job site later in the evening taking with him the keys to my condo unit as well as the garage door opener. He left a mess in the stairways leading to the condo that brought my neighbors to my door steps complaining.
I decided to go back to Home Depot for their input. They took my complaint and assured me they would reach out to Mr. Chai and find a resolution. I never heard back from Home Depot. So, I spent the following weeks completing the unfinished work and repairing the mess he had left for me. Meanwhile, I received several phone calls and text messages from Mr. Chai requesting to meet and discuss the pending payment. Eventually, I decided to meet with Mr. Chai and discuss the issue.
As I was waiting for him at the front gate, he took the liberty to enter the premise through the garage from the back street, park his car in my carport and enter the condo using the keys he had taken with him without my permission. I returned to the condo to meet with him all confused and pondering why would he allow himself to enter the premise without my permission.
As we met and discussed his work and the pending payment, he became increasing agitated and combative again; using profanity demanding payment for his work. I tried to calm him down to no avail. I felt threatened physically and asked him to leave the premise but he quickly jumped in front of the door; locking the front door and blocking the way so I can't leave. Meanwhile, he was shouting and demanding payment. As he continued speaking aggressively, he made several remarks about my ethnicity and the difficulty he has been experiencing working with people of my ethnic background. Luckily, I had the entire conversation recorded on my smartphone and warned him about the consequences of his behavior. He didn't seem unmoved and continued demanding his payment. It all lasted for over half an hour and he eventually accepted my offer for partial payment. read more