ComplaintsforFive Star Painting of New Port Richey & Citrus Park

• Initial Complaint

  12/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 1/22/22, I signed an agreement with 5 Star Painting to paint the exterior of my house including my front door (see attached contract) for $2850. The work was completed 2/11/22 and paid in full. 11/23/22, I contacted Jeff Hawkins, President, informing him that the front door paint was bubbling. 11/28/22 he sent his PM to repaint the door and I paid $150 for the work. Neither the original or subsequent work were performed correctly (see attached photo). 5 Star never stripped the old paint off resulting in the paint bubbling both times. 12/8/22 I notified Hawkins telling him of the shoddy work. He told me the front door was not included in the scope of work. The contract clearly states the front door WAS INCLUDED. I told him I was going to file a BBB complaint and he proceeded to threaten me that he would bill me $650 to repaint the door. I find it egregious for Hawkins to prey on and threaten senior citizens. 12/16 he sent his rep back to drop off the $150 if I signed his waiver dated 12/12/22 (see attached). I refused to sign it and contacted another painter to remedy the situation. 12/23, this painter charged $450 to paint the door properly (see attached detailed quote). He did the job correctly (see attached photo). I am seeking restitution of $600 from 5 Star Painting to cover both his and Pete Koulianos costs. This doesn’t include the time and aggravation I had to endure. After reviewing prior complaints, I don’t understand how they have a A+ rating. Clearly I will never recommend 5 Star Painting to anyone in the future.

  Customer response

  12/29/2022

  I will resend the additional photos shortly 

  Customer response

  12/29/2022

  Documents Attached

  

  Business response

  01/17/2023

  Almost none of this complaint from Mr Rummel is accurate.  Our team is dedicated to creating great painting outcome for our customers and quick resolution for any issues that may arise during the project.  Our history of more than 4000 completed jobs and 100s of 5-star reviews speak to the integrity of our Team and our business and the measures we take to create satisfied customers.  During the quoting process, we made it clear that we would paint the front door for no additional charge as we do for the vast majority of our customers.  The process is to clean, lightly sand, and then apply 1 coat of Sherwin Williams product using either Lattitude, Snap Dry, or Emerald Urethane depending on the specific situation including substrate, existing paints, and condition.  We provide this service at NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE but will offer more specific door repaints the involve mechanical sanding, staining, or chemical stripping at an additional charge (usually between $450 and $850 additional). 

  In this specific case, Mr. Rummell received an excellent painting outcome, and the crew went way above and beyond even though they experienced constant interference while attempting to professionally complete their work.  I received multiple complaints from our painters and Production Manager (PM) during the job concerning Mr Rummell's outbursts.  While it's nearly impossible to understand his true intentions at that time, it was clear that he had unrealistic expectations about painting his front door and what we had initially agreed for scope and price.  After the job was completed, he kept saying that he wanted the door stripped down to bare metal and repainted.  While this was not part of the original scope of work, we did offer to upgrade for him but a change order would be necessary and price would increase by $450-$650 depending on the products used.  He rejected that change in price but still wanted the work completed his way.

  While Mr Rummell has a history of online complaints.  In this case, when he didn't get his way, he attempted to extort FREE work from our team by threatening our Production Manager (and later me by phone) with this BBB complaint and resorted to what I consider rather vulgar language.  In a serious attempt to resolve his concern, we sent our PM back out to re-sand and repaint his front door using an upgraded SW product.  In exchange for this service, we asked him to pay for the additional paint product and $50 for our PM efforts that would require 2-3 hours effort.  While that was not FREE as he wanted, it was a compromise that  was much less than our normal charge of $650 for this service.   After our PM completed the work, my PM called to inform me that Mr Rummell was still not happy with the result because first we did not send out an entire team (since only 1 person is needed to paint a door and not 3) and second because he was not happy because our PM did not take the door off its hinges and chemically strip down to bare metal (again not included and not normal practice for our teams.  Still, the work completed was excellent and our PM showed me pictures of the result and the door looked great!  Mr Rummell then threatened us again with online retaliation and said that he wanted us to take the door down from its hinges, strip to bare metal, apply an industrial metal primer, then apply 2 coats of Acrylic Urethane paint, and then rehang.  Our charge for a job like he requested would be $850 and generally require a full day to deliver.  He still did not want to pay the adjusted amount and again attempted to extort FREE work from us by threatening to lodge this BBB Complaint. This time, we held firm and refused to submit to his extortion but instead offered him $150 as a legitimate refund to cover the additional paint he purchased and the $50 he paid our PM for the second attempt to make him happy.  It was clear at that point, that his true intention was not to resolution but rather to lodge this complaint in an effort to damage our reputation and to “get even”. Regardless, in exchange for the refund offered, we requested a signed agreement that this would close the issue and we requested that he would refrain from this BBB Complaint.   When our PM met with him to issue the refund check, Mr Rummell became verbally abusive towards our PM, vulgar, threatening, and slammed the door in his face. 

  While we take every honest customer's concerns very seriously, we will never tolerate verbal abuse, vulgarity, hostility towards our employees, or any attempts to extort FREE work (or in this case refunded money) in exchange for refraining from online complaints against our business

  Customer response

  01/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 18654777
  
  I am rejecting this response because of the following. 
  

  Before I respond to Mr. Hawkins, a.k.a., George Santos, I need to pose a question to those of you reading this. Have you ever contracted a vendor to perform substandard work on a multi thousand dollar project?  No of course not and that is what Hawkins is insinuating. That is the the crux of the matter. Who in their right mind would take shortcuts on painting the initial impression visitors have when they come to your house and look at your front door.? Unlike Hawkins I provided specific facts, not heresy, by providing details with dates and descriptions of the work that transpired. Before I go through the numerous lies in his response, understand that he speaks of nothing but lies, innuendos and hearsay. Now to go into the details of each of his claims, I will take them one by one as they appear in his response. 
  
  
  First, regarding his claims that he’s completed 4000 jobs and has hundreds of five star ratings has no bearing with this project. Each job needs to be taken on a case by case basis. As far of his inaccurate claim that the front door work was free of charge is again an OUT AND OUT LIE. He knew I was going out to bid with multiple vendors to complete this project. NEVER once in his quoting process did he say that the front door was included at no additional charge. In FACT in his actual contract  it stated the front door was included in the quote, not free of charge. Knowing that I was receiving multiple bids he lowballed his quote to get the job. If I were quoted $450-$850 to have the front door painted correctly in addition to entire house, I would NEVER have selected Five Star Paunting, pure and simple.
  
  
  He is correct that his painters did an excellent job on the house, albeit the front door, if Mr. Hawkins had instructed them to paint the door correctly, I feel confident that this issue would not come to pass. As far as my constant interference and vulgarity with the painters AGAIN ANOTHER FALSEHOOD.  I had no interaction whatsoever with the painters, offered no suggestions, made no demands and let them do their job. As he fully knows, the correct way to painting over existing enamel painted door is to strip, scrap and sand the old paint off. Not the simply lightly sand the door and repaint over the existing paint. Look on any YouTube video on how to repaint over existing enamel based paint and you will find that the stripping to the metal is one of the key elements to a successful paint job. As with all paint jobs the preparation of the surface is key to a successful outcome. He did not follow that simple, and obvious conclusion, rather he decided to do a half assed job as he described in his response to my complaint.
  
  
  He also stated that I have a history of online complaints. I have never issued an online complaint nor filed a Better Business Bureau complaint in my life.  His untrue and unfounded statement should be a WARNING to anyone considering using Five Star Paunting. I have never, nor would I ever ask somebody to do something for free. If anything, Hawkins tried to EXTORT me by not meeting his contractual obligations. All I ask, is that the individual or contractor be truthful and honest when providing a quote. 
  
  
  CLEARLY, he is NEITHER TRUTHFUL OR HAS THE SCRUPLES to meet his contractual obligations. His PM did come out a couple times to repeat the same incorrect approach by lightly sanding down the door, and simply putting another coat of paint on. He saw for himself that the work was shoddy and agreed with me that it was unacceptable. He came back a second time tried a little harder, but again did not perform the task correctly, that’s when I contacted Hawkins and demanded that the door be painted correctly and reimburse me for the monies that I would have to spend to have an outside party paint my front door in a professional manner. The statement of threats are totally unfounded. Hawkins and his approach on how to do business is unprofessional.  To lowball a quote and then come back and try to EXTORT money from his customer while. That is the crux of the matter 
  
  
  I will be learning very quickly how to issue social media complaints, if this is not resolved within 10 days. A word to the wise, DON’T entertain hiring Hawkins, President of Five Star Painting.
  
  
  YOU WILL REGRET IT!!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  James Rummell

• Initial Complaint

  08/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In approx Nov/Dec 2021, I contracted with FiveStar Painting of New Port Richey to paint 2 rooms in my home (mstr. **** and child's bedroom). Total cost was $1,790, of which I paid $290 upfront. The painting work was awful!. They painted the baseboards and crown molding the wrong color (bright white vs. off white). There were also several drips, spaces not calked, splatter on top of cabinets, etc. I sent numerous pictures detailing all the issues with their work.Company began calling almost everyday attempting to come to my home and collect the balance. When they asked me to pay add'l $1,500, I replied I will pay when the job is complete and issues fixed/addressed. Admittedly, I was very upset at their attempts to collect and their ambivalence toward completion and and let them now as much. The conversations became rude and hostile, and after several arguments with company, they refused to come back to fix the job; however, maintained that I still owed the entire $1,500 balance. I contacted another company and they provided an estimate to fix 5 stars' work. Estimate came in at $900. So, I offered to pay 5 star $600 ($1,500 owed minus the $900 cost to complete/fix their work). They declined and hired ******************* (LAB) to collect this debt. LAB recently filed a negative credit report, despite my written attempts disputing the debt, and providing supporting materials.

  Customer response

  09/01/2022

  ***Document Attached***
  Invoice to correct and complete painting work that 5 star Painting left unfinished or did poorly.
  See Attachment/File: Painting Invoice to fix 5 star unfinished job.pdf

  

  Business response

  09/09/2022

  The customer's recollection of the events is not entirely accurate and does not address the root cause leading us to turn the matter over to a Collection Agency.  This was the first time in more than **** completed jobs where this course of action was necessary.   Our primary goal for every job is to deliver an outstanding result along with an exceptional customer service.  That was our goal for this customer and our body of work for thousands of prior customers speaks for itself.  We are very proud of our excellent reputationit has been well-earned.   

  In this specific case, we assigned one of our most experienced Production Managers and paint crews since this customer was referred by one of our *** referral partners.  This is a crew with more than 50 years of combined painting industry experience and a paint crew that receives very frequent rave reviews from those customers.  For this particular client, our team made every effort to complete this job in a professional and timely fashion.  When the work was near completion, our PM received a text message from this customer stating that work looked great and there were still a few very minor touch-ups.  This meant that a final visit with the painters would be necessary.  We estimated another 30 minutes to wrap up the work.see attached Text #1.   However, instead of working with our PM to quickly schedule that final visit, this customer became confrontational, combative, abusive, and then threatening through texts, phone calls, and voicemails.see attached files.  While attempting to schedule that final visit, the customer lost control of his temper multiple times and instead resorted to insults and profanity directed at our Production Manager, then our Sales Manager, and finally with me after the issue was escalated.see attached emails.  I recall that our Production Team demonstrated great composure and made extraordinary efforts to close out this job successfully even in the midst of a toxic environment.  Ultimately, since the customer was not able to control his temper and all interactions had become combative and threatening, we were forced to stand down from our attempts to resolve the painting and instead offered him a $100 credit so that he could hire his handyman to finish up the touch ups.   At this point, we made the decision that we would not put any of our painters or other employees in a potentially dangerous situation.  We issued a final invoice with the credit to the customer and then waited more than 30 days for payment.  When that payment was not received and after that 30-day period, we turned the invoice over to a collection agency.  Not our first choice.  At that point, it was out of our hands.  We did receive periodic status updates from the Agency and learned that this customer also lost his temper with them and after multiple attempts to collect, they chose to report the issue to the various Credit Reporting companies. 

  In an effort to finally resolve this matter and to close out our open receivables we will accept a good faith partial payment from this customer.  Since the matter is currently with a ****************** much of this will be out of our control.  I will reach out to see what can be done to finally settle with the goal of removing the negative events on his credit report.  Once I hear back from ****************** I will update this thread with their recommended next steps.  

  Customer response

  09/12/2022

   
  Complaint: 17910022
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This is simply more "noise" from 5 star painting.  The facts of this case are indisputable:

  Fact- 5 star painted base boards and crown molding in the master bathroom the wrong color (painted bright white instead of off white like the rest of the trim in that room).

  Fact- no fewer than 5 people from 5 star painting never bothered to notice they selected the wrong color- orig estimator, project manager, "color specialist", 2 painters

  Fact- 5 star did poor work in other areas that needed to be fixed- drips in corners, paint on cabinets, towel holders, etc, sloppy edges, uncalked areas.

  Fact- Project manager called almost daily seeking "collection" of the unpaid balance ($1,500), yet never addressed "completion" of the work that need to be corrected

  Fact- I sent 5 star an estimate from another company to/complete the job.  The total was over $900.  The estimate included several pictures of areas that were not done properly (this is attached to this complaint as well).

  Fact- 5 star refused to return to my home to complete the job, and offered a take-it-or-leave-it offer of $100 off the bill.

  Fact- When 5 star claimed the work would take 30 minutes to complete and offered $100 credit, I was irate.  Did I tell the owner and PM to GFY?  Absolutely

  Fact- Whatever unpleasantries were exchanged between myself and 5 star staff, and they certainly went both ways, none of those people painted an inch of my home.  The painters themselves had no issues with me.

  Fact- When I contacted by "collection agency" hired by 5 star, I offered to pay $600 to settle the bill ($1,500 minus $900 to hire other company to fix complete the job since 5 star refused to do so).

  Fact- ***************** replied that he would need to run that offer by 5 star for approval.  5 star owner's contention that it is "out of his hands" seems disingenuous.  Someone is lying- either 5 star owner, or collection agency

  Fact-***************** said 5 star owner would accept $1,000 to settle the bill.  I declined and again offered $600.  Collection agent threatened "putting lien on my home" and "ruining my credit".

  Fact- After I filed a complaint with the ** ************************** 5 star (through their collection agency) filed a negative credit report against me in retaliation.

  Noise

  - 5 star's ****+ jobs, "well-earned reputation", etc.  5 people from their company couldn't didn't realize they chose the wrong trim color

  - 50 years combined experience of the painters- the pictures don't lie, their work was shoddy

  - Customer is a big meanie- your PM would call me almost daily wanting to come over with only hours notice.

  - Customer lost temper with collection agency- customer told collection agent to stop calling his home/work and filed a complaint with the ******* Attorney General's office

   

  The facts are clear- 5 star did poor work.  It will cost over $900 to fix the job they abandoned.  They refuse to fix and/or complete the work, and offered a ridiculous $100 credit.  And it was only after I filed a complaint with the ** ************************** 5 star (through their collection agency) filed a negative credit report against me in retaliation.  This is not a reputable company and consumers should be made aware of their tactics.

   

  Sincerely,

  
  *************************

  

  Business response

  09/15/2022

  We received notification from our Collection Agent that the customer called to settle.   We are accepting that offer and he is free to send the check directly to us or to the *****************.    When the check clears, the ***************** will release the negative credit reporting.

  Customer response

  09/15/2022

   
  Complaint: 17910022
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  What an absolute liar!!!  I NEVER called the collection agency.  Even after telling that man several times to stop calling my home/work, he continues to do so.  Please see attached photos of the call I recently rec'd from ******************* on Sept 13.  Those are pictures of the caller ID on my home/work phone.

  During this call I said several times that I have asked him not to call me and only communicate via writing.  He ignored me and then mispronounced my name at least 6 times.  Each time I asked him to stop, he continued to do so, like it was a sick game.

  5 star painting is clearly a liar.  The picture of my phone doesn't lie.  The ease in which this man attempts to distort the truth is sickening.

  I hope the BBB will see through their deception and make consumers aware of their business practices....

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

• Initial Complaint

  04/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  5 Star Painting failed to return to my home to repair and replace the following items that were identified and agreed upon during the final walk through: Replace Lanai Screens (Overspray and hole) Home address numbers (missing) Grill cover (overspray) Pressure Gauge on pool equipment broken Overspray on pavers Downspouts (overspray/ reattach) Window screen (hole) Window trim strips (replace the ones they removed) Remove mud wasp nest that were painted over and not removed during prep.

  

  Business response

  05/19/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/04/21) */ As a business, we take our reputation very seriously and so took the time and effort needed to thoroughly review and understand the issues so that we can provide a thoughtful response. I just completed that investigation and I am providing the following in an effort to resolve. During this review, I have interviewed the crew, the crew foreman, and our Production Managers who were assigned to this client. Additionally, I reviewed our Production Procedures and Quality Management System to see if any changes would be necessary in the future if needed to improve our services. Here is what I learned from those involved along with my own observation of the completed work and our systems and processes followed. To start, Five Star Painting of New Port Richey has an impeccable reputation and a long history of delivering happy customers. We take our online reputation very seriously and we have complete 1000s of homes resulting in 100s of 5-Star reviews. In particular, this crew and this Production Manager assigned to the job are highly experienced and have completed 100s of jobs with absolutely no issues and I can say that they are easily the most highly reviewed crew we have. For this project our Production Processes and our Production Checklists were followed to the tee, our QMS approach was followed, and the painting results were excellent and professional. I also believe that our PM and painters conducted themselves professionally and made every reasonable attempt to please this customer. As a result, this customer's reaction has left me perplexed and curious about intent....a real head-scratcher from my experience. While we pride ourselves in doing what is needed to deliver great customer service, under no circumstance will we ever tolerate or bend to dishonesty, racism, or any attempts at extortion. Specifically, this job was sold on 05/22/21 for our non-discounted price of $4260. This customer was offered a $480 discount that is reserved for active duty Military (and those that actively serve our community like Firefighters, Police Officers, and nurses). Even though, we received no proof of his service, we still gladly applied the $480 discount to the job based on his word. The quote was based on an estimated paint usage of 20-25 gallons (15-20 gallons body and approx. 5 gallons for accents and trims) using a premium exterior paint, namely the Sherwin Williams Resilience. Additionally, we planned on the appropriate primer/conditioner/sealer, elastomeric patch to seal stucco cracks, and other incidentals (tape, paper, plastic, etc) needed to complete the job in a professional manner. This customer's front door, back porch ceiling, and front porch ceiling were included and painted for NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE. The PM confirmed the job was completed according to industry best-practices and our Production Checklist adopted from painting industry experts. During our scheduled final walk-through, we determined that painting results for this job were impressive given the colors selected and color change. The crew went well above and beyond and completed the job professionally and on-time. Additionally: 1. The customer selected colors that required significant additional paint product and significant additional labor. At no charge, we provided an additional 10 gallons of body paint, 2 gallons for the overhang trim, and extra gallon of Urethane Acrylic for the for the front door all totaling $470+. The crew and PM made the decision to waive a Change Order in favor of trying to create another happy customer. 2. At the direction of the crew foreman and our PM, the additional labor charges of $400 was also waived in favor of attempting to generate a great result for this customer. 3. Even though, the customer's requests were becoming increasingly unreasonable and overly demanding, our PM made every attempt to resolve, even though, in some cases, we were clearly not at fault. 4. For example, our PM returned to the home to clean off the "wasp nests" listed in this complaint. We discovered that those nests were in fact new and built after the work was completed and were not in fact the result of a lack of prep. Regardless, the crew again went way above and beyond for this customer and on their own time cleaned off the new nests. 5. For the remaining matters of contention, our PM made three attempts to meet this customer at the home with the intention of resolving those lingering concerns listed above and to finally close things out to everyone's satisfaction. Our PM was granted my authority to issue a check to cover the grill cover for $40 and screen replacement for $60...more than expected value and costs. On each of those scheduled meetings our PM and customer had agreed to a specific time and on each of those occasions this customer ghosted our PM. Eventually, the PM gave up trying to schedule yet another meeting. We have not charged this customer our customary $125 per visit service charge for a "no-show" on any of those return trips. 6. 8 months after the final contact, we were given this ultimatum that lead to the BBB complaint and this response. In summary, this customer received an outstanding and professional outcome using top quality paints at a very competitive price. To date, we have waived significant up-charges for the paint and labor. Additionally, I would add that this crew went way above and beyond to please this customer (much more than would be customary) in an effort to create one more happy customer and one more great review! Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/05/01) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) 4 screens @ $75 is the least expensive I can find Traeger Grill cover @ $69 Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/05/09) */ It's hard to tell but looks like this customer is asking for $379 to close this out. If that's the case, I can process the final payment. We will need some paperwork signed by the customer accepting this as a final resolution before a check can be sent. Thanks Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2022/05/12) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

*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. ↩