ComplaintsforSmiths Painting Co.

• Initial Complaint

  01/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Initial estimate was provided on 12/19/22 for $12,000, which broke out to: $4,000 to organize and clean the entire house; $500 to caulk, sand and paint master bath walls; $1,000 to paint ceiling in kitchen/dining, great room, and hallway; $5,000 to prep and paint the trim, walls and doors in the same three rooms; $250 to add one row of vinyl plank flooring in office and great room and one row plus the closet opening in the laundry room; $1,250 to replace trim in front hall, install baseboard in baths, and install quarter round throughout.I paid a $4,000 deposit, then $6,500 when the painting was finished - there is still A LOT that needs to be done or fixed. I also paid $218 in advance for supplies, but only received a receipt for $68. The contractors completed poor quality painting and only organized enough so they could paint. They did not remove switch and outlet plates or doorknobs, picture hangers, brackets, etc. and five doors were painted then closed while wet. They dont know how to fix a nail pop or sand a wall after adding plaster to repair holes. Then they wanted me to pay the remaining $1,500 of the original estimate even though they hadnt even done half off the organizing and cleaning that was promised, plus an ADDITIONAL $3,450. They werent going to take off the extra $150 I paid for materials. When I wouldnt pay ANY additional money, they went around and tore out the baseboard, flooring, and trim that they had just finished installing, plus some they DID NOT INSTALL, ruining some of the trim and pulling off paint in the process.They actually made up a third invoice that came out to $10,500 as if that justified what I paid them. I have attached a full explanation of what I paid and the work that was done. Invoices and pictures of the quality of the work are included. Other pictures show where the trim and baseboard were removed and the damage they caused.

  Business response

  01/23/2023

  Hi *******! 

  This is ********************* with Smiths Painting Co.  Glad we got the opportunity to speak this morning. Here is my reply to ****** complaint: 
  

  On 12/19/22 an initial estimate was sent to ******************** for $12,000 to clean and organize her home, paint the living room, kitchen & dining room, entryway/ hallway and to finish painting and sanding her master bathroom. Also to install the flooring and quarter round that a previous contractor didnt finish. When we started our cleaning and organizing, we found several decomposing mice and birds, along with bird bones, and decomposition stains, mouse dropping and bird droppings all over her floor. 
  

  We stayed in contact with ******************** during our time working on her home, she never mentioned a problem with the quality of work, or what we had done until we finished working, then proceeded to tell us that she wasnt going to pay us because she wasnt happy with the work. We hadnt had a single complaint from her until we were finished. 
  

  As for materials, ******************** received all of the receipts from the material bought. 
  

  We were not contracted to fix any drywall in the home (including nail pops from the inside of the wall). We did remove the picture hangers, but upon removing the first outlet cover, we found it was riddled with mold, so we did leave the rest of the covers on, but taped them and painted around them the right way. When we painted Ms. ********* doors, they were open, when we came back the next day, she had shut them over before they were dry and they stuck to the door frames. 
  

  After ******************** told us she wasnt going to pay us for the flooring and trim we had installed, we did remove it. We did NOT cause any damage to her home or remove trim that we didnt install. 
  

  And finally, we did send her a final updated invoice for what we did complete, and have ceased communication with her since then. ******************** berated us, and screamed at us when we told her we would be charging her for the clean up of all of the dead animals. We will not be issuing a refund, as a refund is not due. 
  

  We are attaching the final invoice, and photos of the condition of her home prior to when we got there, and after. 
  

  Customer response

  01/24/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  The response contained outright LIES! I did not close the doors after they were painted, THEY DID and I told them about them the next time they came. I told them about brackets, picture hangers, nail pops, etc and they either had an excuse or ignored me! They RIPPED OUT ALL FLOORING AND EDGES THEY DID plus some they did not do!!! I paid for that work! My flooring was left in worse condition than when they got here after they promised to help me. I am desperate to get the work done so I can place my furniture and start putting stuff away! They told me they would fix and organize everything. I paid $10,650 for c*** painting that was ruined in places when they ripped out the rest of the work they did. Trying to charge $400 per dead animal to take LESS THAN THREE MINUTES TO CLEAN UP is an attempt to rip me off. I do not believe they even found 8 animals and I have no intention of paying that kind of money.  They keep saying they have pictures of the dead animals but I still HAVE NOT SEEN THEM. I was only told about three animals and I am not able to open the .msg attachment. They basically did NO organizing and little cleaning. Everyday I search for things they put away or find paint on more of my floor or furniture. I will be taking them to court for elder abuse if needed. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  

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