One of my first ‘jobs’ when I became a ‘lady of leisure’ was to get our house painted. Over the years we have struggled to find good, reliable decorators so I wasn’t looking forward to this challenge!
Residents of our Park often leave names of tradesmen, good and bad, in the club house so that was my first port if call. Only one name was listed as ‘reliable but needs supervision’ and the other three were ‘to avoid at all cost’! A start but I always get three quotes so had to find two others. I had kept hold of a few ‘fliers’ pushed through our door over the last few months so found another one.
The first gentleman I interviewed was the recommended decorator. He was very short and voiced his concern about the height of the two gables on either side of the house. He also insisted that he would need scaffolding over the conservatory as a ‘health and safety’ precaution. He was happy for us to buy the paint so quoted a day rate. I would have preferred the total cost of the job, although he said about four days, so thanked him for his time and waited for decorator number two.
He arrived at 6:00 pm on a Friday evening after I had to telephone him to confirm the time. I had written 5:00 pm in my diary but he insisted that he had told me 7:00 pm. Not a good start. He came covered in paint so presumed he hadn’t gone home. This assumption was correct. He had just come from the pub, which apparently serves excellent cider! He also needed scaffolding over the conservatory and on one side of the house. He would buy the paint and quoted for the complete job. The price had doubled.
So, not only did I have to find a decorator, I also had to find a scaffolding company! As luck would have it, a house at the top of our road was having new windows fitted so rang their scaffolding company for a quote. The next morning I received a visit from the manager and was shocked to hear the price! He also gave me the name of a decorator and suggested we paint our gutters and facia boards brown to match the garage door and save on cleaning, something we had already discussed. I arranged to meet decorator number three.
I’ll call him Sam. He looked at the gutters and facia boards and told me about their fantastic product that paints plastic and has a 10 year guarantee. This dramatically reduces the cost. They also supply a special paint which they spray on the walls and comes with a 20 year guarantee. He gave me the price which was five times higher than the original decorator but included scaffolding, gutters and facia boards. He told me that he would ‘throw in the garage at no extra cost’. I had taken an instant dislike to the man and didn’t trust him!
My husband came home while Sam was in full swing, explaining how fantastic this new paint from America was in covering cracks and preventing algae and moss build up! He gave us a brochure filled with scientific facts and guarantees. After another half an hour we had to explain that we were meeting friends for a meal or else Sam would have spent the rest of the evening with us!
To cut a long story short and many debates later, Sam was given the job. I still didn’t trust him but I am a cynic and my husband, after researching the products on line, was happy to give Sam a chance.
Sam did not disappoint! The job was unprofessionally handled from start to finish. His staff were not supported and his promise to be involved in everything, from start to finish, just didn’t happen. I saw him briefly on day one and that was it! I became the project manager as Sam hadn’t briefed his staff properly but just left them to get on with it!
Last Saturday, after running out of paint early on Friday afternoon, an older gentlemen joined the younger one and both worked tirelessly to finish while the dry weather lasted. They also had to start a new job on Monday. Still no Sam but, on Saturday evening, after my husband and I were invited to walk around and confirm all was fine, Sam was on the phone wanting his final payment.
I had felt sorry for his staff. They seemed to show some pride in their work. The walls looked okay (although the paint hadn’t fully dried) and the gutters and facia boards were a vast improvement. I paid by credit card, knowing that I could recall the funds if necessary.
Alas, once payment was received, Sam washed his hands off us. I am now trying to get the front wall repainted. It has fully dried and dark spots have appeared which need to be covered. Sam promised to see me on Monday and then last night. He sent the two gentlemen who had worked on Saturday to clear the rest of the rubbish left on the back lawn. They agreed that the wall needed to be repainted. I have still not received the promised guarantee and credit card receipt in the post! Nor have I seen Sam!
I sincerely hope that we get the wall repainted and someone comes to remove the scaffolding soon. I also hope that I don’t have to post a warning on their Facebook page and on the decorator list kept at the club house. However, I won’t be recommending Sam or his company either! I also hope that I don’t have to go through the process of raising a dispute with my credit card company! These are hassles I can do without! I just want to get shot of Sam. My gut instinct has always served me well in the past and will continue to do so in the future! I think I’m going to suggest that my husband does a decorating course at our local college when he retires! I don’t want to go through this fiasco ever again!
The sun is shining. My friend and I are going to the care home to give the residents their weekly exercise class. I’m going for a walk with friends this afternoon and then to the club house tonight for the weekly quiz. On Friday I meet two good friends for lunch. Next week we leave for South Africa. I’m forgetting Sam already …..👠,
Jenny Burrell 