ComplaintsforA+ Bros Painting and More

• Initial Complaint

  04/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I hired them and they did a less than extraordinary job. They did a sloppy job. They washed their brushes in my sink. They put a roller on my bed and it ruined my sheet and and topper. They missed a lot of spots on my ceiling. I had to pay another painter in to fix their mistakes.

• Initial Complaint

  01/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  A+ Bros Painting and More was hired to complete a four week painting job. Their owner, *****, walked the job two times before providing a written estimate and confirmed verbally, via written estimate, and via text message the scope. He also confirmed he would personally oversee the job and two people would be on-site at all times. Less than 72 hours after he was scheduled to start the job, he instructed his team to leave because it was more work than he anticipated. His contractor was heard on camera saying they don't agree with the decision and think it is unfair to leave the home in such a state but that they were instructed to. Less than 10% of the job had been started. This is substantiated in both photos, text messages, and CCTV footage. He initially claimed the trim work was not part of the estimate and then later agreed to make it right as it was in the written estimate. After several weeks of inconsistent communication (and then no communication) and zero on-site appearance, he then quit a second time. His company caused damage to several items including the kitchen. Finally, they simply walked out of the job living the home in an unlivable condition. After having to find an alternative living location and work place (I work remotely for a national nonprofit) while I secured a replacement company he then sent a threatening demand letter wanting payment for services not provided. I am happy to provide any and all documentation needed to resolve this issue and do not want other first-time homeowners like myself in our community to fall victim to his predatory and dishonest business practices. An investigation by American Express concluded the same outcome that the payment was not valid as the work was not done.My desired outcome is a full release of the $2,500 he collected for work not performed. I am willing to set aside the additional damages he caused at this time but reserve the right to request them if he continues to claim the $2,500.

  Business response

  01/25/2022

  This is ***** *** with A Plus Bros Painting and More LLC.

  
  

  I am replying to the complaint the client ***** ****** had made on our company. We thank you for reaching out to us to allow us to dispute this matter under ID # ********.

  
  

  In Mr. ****** statement he mentioned I walked through two times before providing a estimate. That is half true, what Mr. ****** fail to mention was the first walkthrough I explained to his mother that it would cost anywhere from $8,000.00 to $10,000.00, to do all the things she was asking for. She did not agree with offer. Telling me that she had her interior walls painted in her home by another company for $4500.00, and that her and her son Mr. ****** simply did not have that kind of money at the moment. She asked what could I do to fit their budget. I told her that we would just paint the Trim, doors, ceilings and Walls and do some minor smoothing to areas that we could do. Anything more or outside of that would require more money for the extra service provide. She agreed that we just paint if I work with her on the price. I emailed her the estimate, and even screenshot the estimate and scope via text as well. They chose to pay $5000.00 to hand roll and brush on paint through Mr. ******'s home. They paid $2500.00 up front as a deposit to help pay our 1099 contractor ******* *******, paint and supplies. A stander amount of half down and the other half upon completion. I mentioned that I or the contractor would always be on the site until the job was finished during normal business hours. Once ******* started the job the client began to ask ******* to do other things like clean pickup and move personal affect around. Which is not our practice to touch the belongs of clients things when they are not home. When ******* began the paint on the Trim and doors, The client didn't like the way it looked. ******* asked the client to contact me. When they did I explained to them that house is over 100 years old and the layers of paint that have been on the trim would need to be resurfaced like I mentioned prior to the start date. And that the work required is an extra cost in service. They did not want to pay for the services and demanded it to be done anyways. I explain that her and her son only hired us to paint over the existing areas. I will not have the contractor do a job he doesn't get paid for. The client became very upset and began calling and texting my number at all hours of the night. Our hours of operation are 8am to 5pm Monday - Friday. When it became too much and was affecting my family life. I asked the contractor to stop working until the matter was resolved appropriately. The Client called and apologized and ask for my contractor to go back into work. I send him back he video taped his work and finished over half of the house. When the client decided he didn't like the way it looked still and wanted my contractor to redo it all and was not going to pay for any extra service or the paint it would need to redone. Not long afterwards the Client issued a refund through ****** in the amount of $2500.00 and took back the down payment. Which dropped our small business account into the negative. When the attorney asked the client to return the money because services were rendered and no damages where done to his home, he refused. We then had to seek legal action and he was asked by our attorney to refund the money or suit will be filed against him. We provided letters, written estimates, and scoped along with video of over half the work being done. He claims he has suffered damages yet he has not. A Plus Bro's Painting and More LLC did however suffered damages. We had to pay our contractors out of our personal accounts and pull our business account back into the positive due to lack of profits. This was this way for several weeks. The moment the client was asked to return the money Mr. ****** retaliated by contacting you folks  (BBB) instead of going through the proper channels like filing with our insurance agent if true damages where done to his home. It was clear there were no true damages. It is my belief that this is an attempt to discredit the business name along with my own. Because he is aware that the comments mentioned on here is public knowledge. Below are attached files of videos and documents. 

  
  
  

  Customer response

  01/29/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Please find a response below (in bold). I have tried to directly address as many of the mistruths Mr. *** expressed below in-context, but they may not be comprehensive to maintain brevity. I’m happy to expand on any areas that are unclear or provide supporting evidence where applicable. I reiterate that prior to contacting the BBB and Attorney General’s Office, we originally attempted to reach out to Mr. *** directly to allow him the opportunity to resolve the issue and return funds. 
  
  He directed us that he did not wish to, and we advised him we would be taking appropriate progressive actions, beginning with these. 
  
  In Mr. ****** statement he mentioned I walked through two times before providing a estimate. That is half true, what Mr. ****** fail to mention was the first walkthrough I explained to his mother that it would cost anywhere from $8,000.00 to $10,000.00, to do all the things she was asking for. 
  
  Response: This is not true. At no time during any of the final estimates did Mr. *** state this
  
  She did not agree with offer. Telling me that she had her interior walls painted in her home by another company for $4500.00, and that her and her son Mr. ****** simply did not have that kind of money at the moment. She asked what could I do to fit their budget. I told her that we would just paint the Trim, doors, ceilings and Walls and do some minor smoothing to areas that we could do. 
  
  Response: This is not true. Mr. *** was asked to provide a comprehensive quote for complete professional services. He confirmed these verbally on-site, in writing with a contract, and in follow-up communications when the contractor he provided said that Mr. *** had not instructed him to do that work. 
  
  Anything more or outside of that would require more money for the extra service provide. She agreed that we just paint if I work with her on the price.
  
  Response: I am not sure what this means. At no time was their discussion of extra services, other than a $500 upsell that Mr. *** offered and was agreed upon in the written contract.
  
  I emailed her the estimate, and even screenshot the estimate and scope via text as well. They chose to pay $5000.00 to hand roll and brush on paint through Mr. ******'s home. They paid $2500.00 up front as a deposit to help pay our 1099 contractor ******* *******, paint and supplies. A stander amount of half down and the other half upon completion. I mentioned that I or the contractor would always be on the site until the job was finished during normal business hours. 
  
  Response: This is not true. Mr. *** stated he would personally be overseeing the job multiple times. He also stated multiple times that two painters would be working at all times and the job would be complete in about four weeks.
  
  One contractor arrived and worked for less than 72 hours of the four week job period. During this time, the contractor’s girlfriend would arrive for limited periods to assist with taping. This has been confirmed thru supporting messages and CCTV footage of arrival/departure times. 
  
  Once ******* started the job the client began to ask ******* to do other things like clean pickup and move personal affect around. Which is not our practice to touch the belongs of clients things when they are not home. 
  
  Response: This is not true. At no time was Mr. ***’s painter asked to do any additional duties. The only additional ask was to ensure the property was locked as Mr. ***’s company left the property unlocked on the second day.
  
  Mr. *** did ask for some belongings to be moved. We moved them the same day at his request. 
  
  When ******* began the paint on the Trim and doors, The client didn't like the way it looked. ******* asked the client to contact me. When they did I explained to them that house is over 100 years old and the layers of paint that have been on the trim would need to be resurfaced like I mentioned prior to the start date. And that the work required is an extra cost in service. They did not want to pay for the services and demanded it to be done anyways. I explain that her and her son only hired us to paint over the existing areas. I will not have the contractor do a job he doesn't get paid for. 
  
  Response: This is not true. Mr. *** quoted the property twice on-site and explicitly discussed that all areas would be smoothed out and professionally repaired. Mr. *** personally spent time showing us the areas and also recommended the upsell to the roller vs. spray painting because of the amount of work his team would be doing to remove previous imperfections and repairs. 
  
  
  The client became very upset and began calling and texting my number at all hours of the night. Our hours of operation are 8am to 5pm Monday - Friday. When it became too much and was affecting my family life. I asked the contractor to stop working until the matter was resolved appropriately. 
  
  Response: This is not true. Mr. *** abandoned the job site prompting us to reach out to him to understand what was happening. He had been paid 50% of the funds and worked less than 5% of the job. In addition, he left the property in a state of disarray with spilled paint, half-finished walls, miscellaneous taping, supplies dumped in the back yard, and damage done to several areas including the kitchen sink. 
  
  The Client called and apologized and ask for my contractor to go back into work. I send him back he video taped his work and finished over half of the house. When the client decided he didn't like the way it looked still and wanted my contractor to redo it all and was not going to pay for any extra service or the paint it would need to redone.
  
  Response: This is not true. There was never any apology made. A+ Bro Painting did not to finish 50% of the job. Mr. *** told us over a three-week period he would be returning to finish the job and was “not stealing our money”. During this time, the house remained in a state of disarray from when he previously walked on the job. 
  
  After giving him multiple chances to return to finish the job in the three-plus weeks, Mr. *** informed us via a late-night text message that he would take a loss on the deposit and was moving on. 
  
  Not long afterwards the Client issued a refund through ****** in the amount of $2500.00 and took back the down payment. Which dropped our small business account into the negative. 
  
  Response: This is not true. We have no ability nor did we take any action via ******. We filed a fraud complaint with ******** *******, our card issuer, due to the above situation. ******** ******* reviewed the evidence and ruled in favor of our claim.
  
  When the attorney asked the client to return the money because services were rendered and no damages where done to his home, he refused. We then had to seek legal action and he was asked by our attorney to refund the money or suit will be filed against him. We provided letters, written estimates, and scoped along with video of over half the work being done. 
  
  Response: Mr. *** did take legal action. Due to on-going complaints regarding those actions we can not make specific comment here. Upon advice of legal counsel, we did temporarily return $2,500 due to the significant legal costs we would have incurred to meet the timeline he demanded. Mr. *** was informed that we intended to continue to peruse all avenues, beginning with this BBB complaint, to recover the funds. 
  
  He claims he has suffered damages yet he has not. A Plus Bro's Painting and More LLC did however suffered damages. We had to pay our contractors out of our personal accounts and pull our business account back into the positive due to lack of profits. This was this way for several weeks. The moment the client was asked to return the money Mr. ****** retaliated by contacting you folks  (BBB) instead of going through the proper channels like filing with our insurance agent if true damages where done to his home. It was clear there were no true damages. 
  
  Response: This is not true. We made a direct attempt to personally reach out to Mr. *** to resolve this matter before filing a BBB complaint and before filing the Attorney General complaint. Mr. *** told us he had no response. 
  
  Furthermore, his comment regarding resolving the damages via insurance is false. An additional filing was made with his insurance company as he requested via email (see attached).
  
  The insurance company Mr. *** provided stated they had no coverage or policy for him or A Plus Bro Painting and More until late December 2021; after the start date of his work at **** ** ****** and after he abandoned the project. They informed me they could provide no claim support as he was not under a policy. 
  
  It is my belief that this is an attempt to discredit the business name along with my own. Because he is aware that the comments mentioned on here is public knowledge. Below are attached files of videos and documents. 
  
  Response: This is again a materially false claim.
  
  The videos and photos Mr. *** provided show a quick walk thru of less than 30% of the home, which was not complete. 
  
  As can be seen in the metadata for the videos, they were taken in late December after Mr. *** had already abandoned the job. What he is showing is additional painting completed after he left. 
  
  Also attached is a dated screenshot of a text message with the man in Mr. ***’s attached statement (*******) acknowledging that Mr. *** had instructed him to no longer paint at the property. 
  
  While the attached documentation is by no means all-encompassing you can see several of the issues on-site including damage to the kitchen sink (which also requires plumbing evaluation due to potential damage done during disposal), paint all over historic hardwood floors, random marks and incomplete painting, damage to windows on historic french doors, and general issues with the limited space that was worked on in the 72 hours his team was on site during the four week contract.
  
  
  Next Steps: 
  Based on the latest development in this matter we have started an investigation in the validity of both his business and Mr. ***’s criminal background. We specifically asked Mr. *** if he had any criminal or business violations as well as if he had valid liability insurance for A Plus Bro Painting and More LLC. This was asked in the hopes of understanding that his business was credible. Through this process, we have already discovered other customers who claim he also took deposits from them, did limited work (potentially causing damages), and then never finished. 
  
  On a personal note, while it should not change the clear case of the scam we fell victim to, this issue has taken a tremendous toll. I looked forward to celebrating Thanksgiving by welcoming family into my first home, I had to find other places to be with my disabled grandmother after the house was left in disarray, and despite working significant hours for a non-profit I spend (and will continue spending) my off time perusing all means necessary to ensure accountability; not just for myself but so no one else in our community is pushed into a similar corner. 
  
  Overall, Mr. *** continues to make blatant false claims. In the meantime, I’m a first-time homeowner that has had to take additional loans out to complete the work he abandoned, fix damages on-site, and suffer through not having a home where I could take care of my family for more than six weeks. I am simply seeking Mr. *** return the $2,500 rather than perusing more aggressive remedies to close this matter and move on.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

*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. ↩