The Cheating Painting Contractor

by Ron
(Houston, TX)

I once hired a painting contractor because he agreed to do the work cheaper than all the other contractors.

We spent time making the arrangements and when he arrived at the house he said the cost was going to be higher than his estimate. Since the difference was not unbearable, I accepted it because I didn't want to go through the hassle of finding a new house painter and even with the price increase he was still quite low.

Then while he was painting the walls, I realized that he was using very low quality paint. I asked him about it and he said nice paint would cost extra. At this point I was furious about all these hidden costs.

The contractor agreed to give me half price for the more expensive paint so I relented and accepted the offer. Here is where things got terrible. The more expensive paint the contractor charged me for was simply the same paint in a different container. He just told me it was better.

I first checked the consistensies and other paint qualities and was almost positive they were the same. I then called in another painting contractor to confirm my suspicions. I refused to pay the old contractor the remainder of the money and hired the new one who was honest and did the work right.

The best way to avoid these mishaps is to get a contractor with references. Also, if the price seems too good to be true, it usually isn't true.

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