In May, 2020, I asked Redpoint for an estimate to re-side or paint my garage. The person who did the estimate was not good at following directions, and has since been fired. He kept returning at random times to take more measurements and ask more questions (reminded me of Columbo), often forgetting my answers. It took three full months to get the final estimate, down to the penny. Assuming it was free, as were estimates I have had done by others, I was patient. Since it was lower than one I had received from someone else, I signed a contract with Redpoint in August of that year.
Somebody came in December to do some pre-painting carpentry work. After that, I got a bill for the work done so far. It included fifteen hours at $50 per hour - $750 - for the estimate! I was floored.
I didn't notice it at the time, but they also installed the wrong-color shutters; their proposed solution was to paint the brand new shutters and charge me for it. I told them I'd live with the off-color.
In late August of this year, the painter stopped by for about 15 minutes to take a look at the garage and review what I wanted done. After that, Redpoint told me the remaining cost estimate would be considerably more than what they had originally said. So what did I pay $750, or sign a contract for?? When I expressed frustration, they said they could cancel the job. After well over a year, I didn't want to have to start over with someone else, so I told them to finish the job.
They finally did the painting last month, more than 16 months after I first contacted them, and 13 months after I signed the contract. The work was fine, but the bill was not. Even after a "courtesy discount," the final tally was about $900 (23%) more than I signed up for. If they had given me an accurate estimate to begin with, I would have gone with the other company. Maybe that was the whole strategy here.
Just to cap off the story, our porch motion light stopped working. After 1 1/2 hours, a handyman found the problem: the painters had flipped a hidden three-way switch on the garage. I also discovered my carport latch was no longer operable.
I appealed to the owner throughout the process. He claimed the 15 hours for the estimate included ordering and delivering of materials (why would they order materials if I hadn't signed a contract?), but my main point was that no one told me I would be charged for it. I asked if I would have been charged for the estimate had I decided not to sign a contract with Redpoint; he said no. In other words, I was charged extra for doing business with them! He was condescending, boasting about million-dollar houses he has built, and saying that he wouldn't bother doing "little jobs" like mine any more. read more
