This company did not actually do any painting for me - for all I know, they're awesome at that. We never got that far. I am writing this because I don't want anyone else to have the experience I have had.
This is a very casual, unprofessional business. Old fashioned, if you will. I think it is a husband and wife outfit - you talk to Karen at the office, and Gregg does estimates and some painting. I am assuming they have painting crews as well, as I got this recommendation from a friend of one of their painters. I called in asking for an estimate, and Karen could not have been nicer -- but couldn't schedule a time for Gregg to do an estimate. "He'll just swing by when he's in the area and then let you know." Okay...fast forward a week, and Gregg knocked on my door at 4:30 one day with no warning. He was super nice, seemed knowledgeable, and we had a good conversation. He and Karen combined answered some follow up questions by email and he sent me an estimate the next day. There is a corner of my garage that has rotted siding--1-2 planks need replacing, a repair I've already done on the opposite corner--I said I would get that replaced before the painting began, but Karen said Gregg would be happy to do that for me if I wanted. "He does things like that around here all the time. He's a good husband." Well...ok. I asked about a warranty--is it 5 years, like everyone seems to have? "Well, if you have problems, he'll just come out and fix it. He wants you to be happy." Well...ok. The informality of it kind of bugged me, but maybe this is how small contractors operate?
The estimate said "1/2 to start and 1/2 upon completion". I replied by email, "Great, let's book this job! Can you start June 19 or June 26?". Gregg replied "Yes we can start on those dates". I called in to Karen and asked about the down payment, "Well, we prefer people do that." I said of course, and I would pay the half down after May 15 after my credit card turned over--"Sure, lots of people do it like that!" And he can still start in June? "If he said yes to the dates in an email, yes." No mention of a contract, ever. I called on May 23 (admittedly not May 16) and Karen brightly stated that their whole summer had totally filled up since we last spoke! They might be able to fit me in the fall, depending on weather! Did I want that? Oh, and by the way, they don't take credit cards! They take personal checks, bank checks, money orders! WTF?!
I was stunned nearly speechless. I started this process in late March because I KNOW these schedules fill up (I got their estimate April 20)! What about that email I have wherein Gregg stated yes to June start dates? What nothing. There was no call to me saying they were filling up and what about that half down payment. Of course, they can do whatever they want when they have no contract. I get it, they need to make money. My house is very small and a relatively small job (though not nothing, thanks to the lead paint), and contractors want the biggest possible jobs to make the most money possible. I put in repeated calls and emails to this company to finally get an answer 5/30 stating: "We don't believe we would be able to satisfy your requirements for your house. Therefore we cannot take this job." This is the first I've heard of any of this. They couldn't reassure me enough when we were communicating in late April! Literally the only special things about this job are the lead paint (and they are certified), backbrushing the first coat (something other contractors took in stride), and the corner of the garage, which I had said I would get taken care of myself prior to painting.
Thanks to this company treating me with no integrity, all the other contractors are full and I probably can't get my house painted this summer. They screwed me over and I highly recommend against working with them. I contacted my second choice company (who won't backbrush, but my priorities have changed!), and they are SO professional and competent in comparison--responsive to phone calls, putting me in line just in case there's time this fall to paint, and coming over tomorrow to have me sign an actual contract which locks in the price and details the work, including a 5 year warranty. They also bid slightly cheaper than this company, and have a pile of positive reviews on multiple sites. I suspect they take credit cards like most companies in 2017. Honestly, I'm kind of glad Rock'N'Roll exposed their unprofessional nature before I paid them any money. read more
