10/01/2022
How do you avoid hiring unscrupulous skills/labor businesses? If you’re unsure, I’d like to help! I’m starting a small painting business, so this information is tailored to the painting trade, but will be useful in hiring any company for home repairs, remodels, or upgrades!
Need painting services? Overwhelmed with the endless search result options? Spending your time reading the company reviews trying to find one that’ll do a good job? Afraid you’ll be left with unsatisfactory results after exhausting your finances?
The sheer number of painting companies to choose from is enough to make you re-think your decision. If you’re thinking “maybe this existing paint/color isn’t that bad, I can live with it awhile longer”, I have a few tips that can help ensure the company you choose is reputable and customer satisfaction oriented…
Check out the list I’ve put together to help you narrow down the list:
👍 •ACTIVE AND RESPONSIVE LISTENING: you should be given
helpful suggestions, advice, and options once you’ve explained the desired outcome. Also, they should be taking notes if you express specific concerns. Any problem areas or areas in need of repair should be notated. Do you have any rooms that would benefit from applying a higher durability paint? (play room, game room, etc)
👍 •KNOWLEDGEABLE IN THEIR TRADE. They should be able to clearly answer any questions you have. Whether it concerns needed supplies, expected time frame, the process and work flow, and ESPECIALLY the types of paints and which ones would provide optimal and lasting results for your specific needs. Nobody should have to paint and repaint every couple of years, unless it is solely for color change. (The type, quality, and durability of paint REALLY makes a difference)
✍️ •WRITTEN ESTIMATE OR IMPLIED VERBAL CONTRACT? Once the initial walkthrough evaluation is complete, should you expect them to email or deliver a written estimate or is the offer of services a verbal agreement? I personally would INSIST on a thoroughly detailed written estimate. If they seem uneasy or flat out avoid writing what they’ve verbalized, personally, I would show them the door, my only other advice is to start voice recording before you open the front door. Then consistently, without fail, record every single communication until the jobs complete and final payment has cleared. I’m almost willing to bet you’ll refer to the recordings, more than once, and may even have to let them know you have said recordings, in the event they try to backtrack and sidestep. I’ve been in this industry for quite sometime and written estimates for painting is not the norm. Unfortunately, finding a painting business that will keep its word, do the job without cutting corners, and make needed corrections to reach customer satisfaction is not the norm, either. It’s more like seeing an 18 ft tall mermaid-fairy wearing snow boots and riding a 3 ft tall 2 headed unicorn over the double rainbow of world peace. I can’t tell you how many customers I’ve witnessed be blatantly lied to, manipulated, dismissed, and ripped off, for lack of a better phrase. That’s actually a pretty accurate description of what to expect from A LOT of these self-employed business owners. I’m definitely not saying the professional painting industry of Onslow County has be infiltrated and overtaken by deviance so we’re all doomed to live out eternity with only the existing paint. Not all of them are dishonest, lazy, con people, in fact, some of them are real stand-up, honest, and hardworking folks. Just be aware of the shady ones. Follow your gut when it’s time to decide who gets the privilege of coming into your home.
The lack of integrity, ethics, and morals in this trade is shocking. Unscrupulous “business” owners are plentiful and very skilled at doing whatever is necessary to take every last penny they can while doing the absolute least amount of actual work. Be cautious of talking that doesn’t really say anything.
💵 •”CASH ONLY” Insistent on being paid in cash, RED FLAG! While this is not uncommon in the industry, it still makes me uncomfortable. Make sure they have a receipt in their hand BEFORE you hand-over the cash. “I don’t have my receipt book on me at the moment” is not a valid excuse, as any piece of paper and a pen will do. No immediate receipt, no money. Period.
📆 •SCHEDULE A FEW COMPANIES to come look at the job. Decent business owners offer them free of charge. Talk to your neighbors about who they would suggest, contact your HOA, or (and this is one of the best ways to find out who’s good and who to avoid) ask the local paint store employees, because they hear everything! It’s always smart to get more than one estimate, personally, I’d suggest no less than three. Compare the services, details, product quality, and most importantly, your gut! What kind of experience did you have interacting with them? Don’t base your decision solely on just the bottom line, that can always be tweaked and adjusted. While you absolutely do not want to be taken advantage of, you are seeking and expecting the quality workmanship that comes from years of experience.
~Experience isn’t cheap, and I would consider it a red flag if it was. Years of experience at an unbelievable price, will more than likely end up in a “you get what you pay for” situation. ~
🙋♀️ •Ask for CUSTOMER REFERENCES and reach out to them. Best bet for getting honest feedback is to join local area community groups make a post asking if anyones used “the” company and if they would refer said company to friends and family. That’s sure to tell you everything you need to know.
A few additional tips:
>Watch out for “necessary” services to fix a problem you didn’t know you had and do not need. If what they’re saying doesn’t make sense to you, and they can’t physically point out a visible problem, they’re likely pushing fabricated problems and solutions just to beef up the bottom line.
>“I’ll take care of you and treat you right” types are unfortunately red flags, to me anyway. If an All Star Professional Painting Super Hero is at your door, slam it closed! Anyone acting like they’ve come to resolve all your drywall imperfections and leave you with an unrivaled awe inspiring paint application is only there to overload your stress capacity and syphon your bank account.
>Don’t let anyone rush you into accepting their offer on the spot or implying you only have a short time to jump on getting scheduled. They most likely just want to immediately get a hold of the deposit, which is usually between 1/4 and 1/2 of the total estimated cost, upfront and right now. If they’re trying to get the deposit without anything in writing, show them
the door. That’s simply unacceptable and you’ll want to remove them from the list…and your property.
>Running down other companies, previous employees, and/or previous customers is a HUGE indicator of poor character. Be weary of anyone openly bragging and building themselves up, or excessively stating they’re a good person and an honest businessman. An overinflated ego is something you do not want exploding inside your house. The best response to this; Thank you for your time, here’s the door, don’t call me, I’ll call you. NEXT!
>Claiming to have been in business for years and years, or have vast painting experience but very few reviews or few but all overly positive reviews….Nope, NEXT! (Don’t get me started on those who rate themselves 🙄) No human being is capable of reaching 100% perfection or 100% satisfaction ratings. Less that perfect reviews should be treated as constructive criticism! What better way to improve and grow your business? An overly defensive response to any areas of concern or subpar workmanship….yep HUGE red toxic FLAG!
Still wavering on committing to a company? Hire them to paint one room in your home, or even one accent wall. That will give you a personal interaction, and you’ll see firsthand how prompt, skilled, and dedicated to customer satisfaction they are.
Hope this helps!
