ComplaintsforPaint Force of Brevard, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  05/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired *****************************, who is the owner of Paint Force of Brevard, LLC, to repair my ceiling because he said he could do the job. I asked him if he knew how to do knockdown and he said yes. ******* sanded my ceiling on 4/29/2024 and then applied drywall mud to the ceiling. After he was finished the ceiling was still very wet and I could not see the ceiling very clearly. But later that evening when it dried, my husband and I took a look at it. It is clear that ***************************** did not know how to do a knockdown ceiling texture because my ceiling looks terrible. He knew how to sand and how to apply the mud, but he did not know how to do a knockdown texture. There is nothing about the texture that even comes close to matching the rest of my ceiling and it looks so bad that I now have to find somebody else to do the job. As soon as you walk into my house and look up at the ceiling you can notice the patch. I called ******* on 4/30/24 telling him that I wanted a refund of my money and the ceiling job is not acceptable to me. He said he would call me the next day. He did not call me, but instead sent me an email stating that he would not refund my $480. I will not recommend this contractor to anyone. And I will let everyone I know just how bad a job he has done.He should not have told me that he could do the job in the first place.I have had three people come and take a look at the ceiling and they all say how bad it looks.I uploaded a photo of the ceiling.I want a refund of $480 so that I can use that money to pay somebody else to fix my ceiling.

  Business response

  05/01/2024

  On March 13, 2024, our customer, ***************************, requested an estimate for painting the exterior of her home and assessing a previously repaired drywall patch on the interior ceiling.  ******* attended the estimate and when reviewing the interior ceiling repair ****** admitted that it was previously repaired by another contractor but did not look good to her.  (Please note - ****** also admitted to demanding a refund of payment from the previous contractor for the indicated interior ceiling drywall repair.)

  ******* informed ****** at the time of the estimate that he is a painting contractor and not a drywall specialist, but he would be willing to apply a new layer of drywall mud and primer/finish coats to the interior ceiling repair if the customer wished to move forward with the project.  We submitted an estimate to ****** via email, see attached, on March 13, 2024 at 7:00pm, that clearly states the drywall repair work that was going to be completed - including sanding the identified area, applying a skim coat of drywall mud to identified area, applying texture to identified area, and applying primer & finish coats to identified area.  We also added a disclaimer to the estimate to ensure ****** understood that if the project stemmed beyond the scope of a professional painter that it would be to be reassessed.  ****** responded to our estimate email promptly on March 13, 2024 at 8:14pm, stating she is good with both estimates (exterior and ceiling drywall repair) and thanked ******* for being willing to work on her ceiling repair project into our schedule in April.

  On March 22, 2024 ****** signed the contract - copy was provided by customer on original complaint.  ****** did not mention making any changes or adjustments to the contract at that time.

  On April 29, 2024, ******* completed the interior ceiling drywall repair as indicated in the signed contract: he sanded the identified area, applied a thin coat of drywall mud, applied texture, and applied a coat of primer and two coats of finish.  Upon completion of the project, ******* completed a punch-out and walk through with ****** at which point payment was provided in check format.  The check was deposited into the business bank account that evening and the contract was marked as complete on our records. 

   The following day, April 30, 2024, after 5pm in the evening, ****** called ******* and expressed her dissatisfaction with the ceiling drywall repair.  ****** was entirely disrespectful in her approach accusing ******* of being incapable of completing work appropriately, demanded a full refund of her $480 payment, threatened to post a complaint to BBB, threatened to take us to small claims court, and then also demanded to cancel her signed contract for the exterior project including a full refund of the $1150 deposit.  ******* expressed to ****** that the job was completed based on the contract and will review with his business partner and provide a response the following business day.

  After thorough review of the contract, the discussions ******* had with ******, and considering our rights as a small business company, we submitted an email to ******, in order to have a written paper trail, explaining that the signed contract was completed accordingly, and payment was non-refundable.  We also advised ****** she would need to return our PPG Color Deck to our business address provided, before we would provide a voided contract and refund of her deposit for the exterior project.  ****** left a voicemail for ******* once again threatening to post a complaint to BBB, take us to small claims course, and to speak poorly of ******* and his business to everyone she knows if she does not get the $480 refunded.  ****** then contacted *************************** on her personal phone on April 30th at 11:55am to continue the complaint, threats, and indicated that she verbally confirmed with ******* that she expected knockdown texture.  This is an entirely different process with drywall repairs, requiring more time and expense.  This was not indicated on the estimate or contract, of which ****** signed on March 22, 2024.  ****** also indicated that she watched several ******* videos and had other 'people' (confirmed they were NOT contractors) look at the ceiling and state it was not done correctly and it is not a knockdown drywall texture.  Again, we reiterated to ****** that the contact did not indicate knockdown, that she was notified that ******* is a painting contractor and a disclaimer was included on the estimate that if the drywall repair extended beyond the scope, that it would need to be reassessed. 

   The contract signed by both ******, the customer, and *******, the contractor, was completed on Monday, April 29, 2024, reviewed, approved and payment in the amount of $480 was paid by ******, the customer.  At this point the payment is non-refundable, ******'s complaint is unwarranted and her threats of defamation of character and slander are unacceptable.  We have been in business for 6 years and this is our first customer complaint.  We have our ************ and web site full of compliments from customers and have never experienced a disgruntled customer until today.  All of which is very unnerving for small business owners and not appreciated.  And as indicated at the beginning of this response, this is not the first contractor ****** has made a complaint against and demanded a refund for work that was completed according to a contract she signed.  

  Thank you for taking our response into consideration.  If you need any additional information please, contact *************************** at ************* or ********************************.  

  Best Regards, ****** & *****************************

  Customer response

  05/02/2024

   
  Complaint: 21650731
  
  I am rejecting this response because: It is reasonable to conclude in a contract that if you are patching a place on the ceiling that the finished patch would match the rest of the ceiling. The texture of the patch does not match the rest of the ceiling at all. ******* indicated that he would be able to patch the ceiling and that it would look good. It does not look good and as soon as you enter my home you can see the patch. The patch does not look like knockdown or any other standard texture. It is not even uniform throughout. It sticks out and you notice it immediately.

  The only disclaimer in the contract if for paint products applied over previously painted surfaces for decks and patios are not quaranteed. There is no other written disclaimer on the contract. I have attached the original signed contract that ******* and I signed on 3/22/2024.

  I admit that I was pretty upset about the work that ******* did. He came across very confident that he could do the job. It is reasonable for any customer having a patch done that the texture would match the existing ceiling or a wall. For example, if you had orange peel texture on a ceiling, you would not apply knockdown. If you have knockdown texture on a ceiling, you would apply knockdown texture. If you had orange peel texture on a ceiling, you would apply orange peel texture. If you didn't have any texture on the ceiling, you would not apply texture at all, but would rather apply mud and smooth it out flat and paint it.

  I am hoping that we can work something out. My ceiling needs to be repaired.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  05/02/2024

  As a Painting ****************** we are contracted to perform interior/exterior painting, pressure washing, and MINOR drywall repairs.  We are not drywall specialists, nor do we represent ourselves as such.  Upon the estimate, on March 13, 2024, the customer was informed of our scope as a ************************* Contractor.  The customer was advised that an attempt could be made to REPAIR the interior ceiling drywall damage that was already previously repaired by another contractor but did not 'look good' to the customer so she requested a second attempt by Paint Force of Brevard, LLC.  We explained, during the ESTIMATE, that the repair may not be perfect and that due to the nature of our customers drywall repair needed, we would be performing a MINOR drywall repair to ensure the seams of the failing drywall were secured.  Again, at no point did ******* or any other member of the Paint Force team indicate this REPAIR would appear perfect.  In fact, it is nearly impossible to make a drywall repair, especially those on a ceiling structure with an obvious failing of the drywall seams, look perfect.  This would require a drywall specialist to come in and completely remove sections of the drywall and reinstall the drywall, as the customer was informed of several times.  

  The estimate was submitted electronically via email on March 13th clearly noting that if the drywall repair exceeded the abilities of the painting contractor and what was lined out on the contract, it would require further assessment and most likely a referral to a drywall specialist.  However, despite this notation and several verbal notifications, the customer APPROVED the estimate and SIGNED the contract.  Yes, several methods of texturing can be completed.  This drywall repair, according to the contract, utilized standard mud as texturing.  At no point in the contract does it mention knockdown, although the customer may state she verbally requested this however, the customer never asked for the contract to be revised or amended.  Therefore, once again, the contract was completed by the terms in which were laid out, SIGNED by both the customer and contractor, and upon completion of the contract the customer reviewed, approved, and PAID in full therefore satisfying the contract.  Payments for services rendered based on the terms of the contract are NON-REFUNDABLE.

  To appease the customer, we have graciously agreed to VOID the additional contract for painting the exterior of her residence AND refund the deposit in the amount of $1150 in FULL upon receipt of our *** Color Deck.  This has caused a disruption in our business calendar, delaying our scheduled projects and a hardship in other ways when it comes to performing business however, we agreed to move forward with the void and full refund.  We have requested the customer refrain from contacting our business, our personal phones, and have denied her request to visit our business address which is also our private residence to return the color deck.  The customer was advised to mail the *** Color Deck to the address provided and once received a copy of the voided contract and refund check in the amount of $1150 would be returned via group **** certified mail.  That will conclude any and all business with *************************** and Paint Force of Brevard, LLC moving forward.  Thank you.

  Customer response

  05/02/2024

   
  Complaint: 21650731
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Paint Force should stand behind their work. The texture that was applied by Paint Force does not match the rest of my ceiling and their work is not acceptable to me. I showed the picture to a person in my family who has a handyman business. He said that the job looked very cheap and there is a definite hump from the drywall mud in the ceiling. He also said that it is expected whenever texture is applied that it should match the rest of the ceiling or the wall. There is nothing underlying the texture that is preventing a matching texture from being applied. I am still requesting a refund for this work as I will need to hire somebody who knows how to do the proper ceiling texture. I thought Paint Force could do the job, but I was mistaken.

  Other neighbors who have used Paint Force have been over to my home looking at the ceiling patch. These neighbors also agreed with me and feel that the job done is very poor. So it is not just me who thinks this way. Anybody who comes into my house and sees the ceiling says the same thing. Again, it is a reasonable expectation that the texture should match the texture on my original ceiling. But it does not. I think it is wrong that Paint Force will not refund my money. 

  If Paint Force really cared about their business, they would provide 100% customer satisfaction as other businesses do. I feel that Paint Force does not care about their customers at all.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Customer response

  05/03/2024

  Paint Force is incorrect that there is an underlying issue with the drywall. There was a hairline crack in my ceiling. I hired another contractor to fix my ceiling, but he did not do the job correctly because he put too much drywall mud on the ceiling. I have personally fixed cracks like this in the past. However, I am a senior citizen now and my arms are not as strong as they used to be, so it is hard for me to hold a sander. There are always seams in drywall. If somebody were to cut out the drywall in the ceiling, they would still have seams to deal with. The original installer of the drywall did not put the proper drywall mesh in between the seams and that is why the crack appeared. Once you apply the proper drywall mesh, then you can apply drywall mud and use different techniques for the texture finish. My ceiling problem has nothing to do with the seams. The ceiling can still be repaired by sanding it down, applying drywall mud and apply the proper knockdown texture. The drywall does not need to be cut out. This is a pretty easy fix for somebody who knows how to do the texture. Paint Force is wrong. I believe they did not know how to do the texture and they are trying to say that my ceiling has a seam problem. Seams get fixed with either tape or mesh.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩