The most insane customer you ever had - Page 2 - Paint Talk

BenPaintinTooLong · 02-01-2010, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenPaintinTooLong

I had a customer not the worst for sure , but I had repainted a rental unit total wreack walls was a mess lots of dints and dings , just wanted the nail holes filled and one coat of white on wall, I finish and here he comes in with a 500 watt haligeon light to shine on the walls to make sure it was done properlyhe said, I am protesting as he ,with a smurk on his face, plugs in the light and it wont work , he tried for a half hr in all plugs and took out the bulb ,but no good.
He gave up finaly and paid me, if he had shined that light on those walls it would have looked like an abortion, and he knew it

Some people! Thank God for blown bulbs

OOPS!some how I got in the wrong place

Help!!!!

Rcon · 02-01-2010, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenPaintinTooLong

OOPS!some how I got in the wrong place

Help!!!!

lol wrong thread or not thats a great story!

**daArch** · 02-01-2010, 04:38 PM

Once more I advise that the PDCA standards spell our proper inspection of finished paint job.

As long as the PDCA is going to ffoer them to all you non members for free, you might as well use these INDUSTRY standards to get the OCD's off your back

(No I am not a member, but am certainly appreciative of those standards - the more everyone uses them, the more authority they have)

http://www.pdca.org/architectdesignpro/Standards.htm

Picky Painter · 02-01-2010, 04:41 PM

I'm sure they'll move it for ya Ben, death to customers who shine halogen lights on walls!!!

Picky Painter · 02-01-2010, 04:51 PM

I'm just curious as to how you guys approach the subject with your clients before the job starts. I like to ask point-blank: "what are your expectations as far as detail goes?". I know a drywall finisher who seems to get alot of calls to skim over walls and ceilings for customers who want perfection. His standard line to them is: "it's a wall, not a 57 chevy".

Wolfgang · 02-01-2010, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Picky Painter

I'm just curious as to how you guys approach the subject with your clients before the job starts. I like to ask point-blank: "what are your expectations as far as detail goes?". I know a drywall finisher who seems to get alot of calls to skim over walls and ceilings for customers who want perfection. His standard line to them is: "it's a wall, not a 57 chevy".

On repaints I always do a walk-thru with the HO paying particular attention to the condition of the walls noting what is repairable, (within reason), and what isnt. Also I check for prior paint on the trim and ceilings.

Not only is it important that you make the HO aware of your findings, but that you also detail it in your estimate/contract. I have a strict rule that whatever is said to the HO is written into the contract. I tell the HO that the reason is for both of our benefits, and that way there are no misunderstandings.

If the HO is willing to pay to take care of any pre-existing conditions, then it is your obligation to tell them what they should expect within reason. I do alot of older homes with the plaster & lathe walls and there is only so much you can do to make them look like new drywall. Letting the HO know what to expect is just saving yourself alot of grief at the end. Good and constant communication throughout the job is the key.

DeanV · 02-01-2010, 06:44 PM

The problem with the PDCA standard is that in the repaint world. so homes just cannot be brought up to that standard without complete skim coating of walls. Think of a job where some one already painted over poorly repaired walls after a mediocre wallpaper removal job.

aaron61 · 02-01-2010, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeanV

The problem with the PDCA standard is that in the repaint world. so homes just cannot be brought up to that standard without complete skim coating of walls. Think of a job where some one already painted over poorly repaired walls after a mediocre wallpaper removal job.

If you read the standards they have different levels of what is to be considered acceptable and sometimes you have to use common sense.

NEPS.US · 02-01-2010, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paint and Hammer

My craziest customer was an older gay couple. Big guys...the term is "bears", who just inherited a few million dollars. They bought a fairly big house with 1700 sqft pool area.

The colours were outrageous! Purple doors with bright green trim, pinks, reds ect.....the place looked like a carnival. To be honest, painting those colours was fun, a nice break from earth tones and another shade of white.

So far....who cares right? Not the way I choose to live my life, but it's a good job and their paying.

Well, a disco ball was put up in the pool area and the place filled with partying gay guys. Wasn't long before the clothes came off and 'stuff' happening. We were painting in another part of the house and naked guys were 'wondering' over.

I got paid (I think it was around $7000) in cash by a fat naked guy with at least 30 more naked gay guys dancing and swimming in the pool area.

Talk about bee lining it to the front door!

That wasnt in Vermont by any chance was it?

JNLP · 02-01-2010, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisn

Something like this?

Ohhh man. I snapped this one a couple weeks ago & sent it to their phone thanking them for pointing out ALL the putty holes on the door I was not complete with yet. I found great humor in it.

That pic though? Ohhh man I don't know what I would've said about that one.

Schmidt & Co. · 02-01-2010, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfgang

Not only is it important that you make the HO aware of your findings, but that you also detail it in your estimate/contract. I have a strict rule that whatever is said to the HO is written into the contract. I tell the HO that the reason is for both of our benefits, and that way there are no misunderstandings.

I do the exact same thing. I can't tell you how many times a customer would recall a conversation with another contractor they met with, thinking it was me!

DeanV · 02-01-2010, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaron61

If you read the standards they have different levels of what is to be considered acceptable and sometimes you have to use common sense.

I do not remember there being different levels in the set I downloaded a couple years ago. I will have to read them again and see.

j0tun · 02-01-2010, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisn

Something like this?

LOL. UM wow. No not quite to that extent

DeanV · 02-01-2010, 11:55 PM

I just downloaded the standards again and only see the 1 meter distance specification and no multiple levels. Which standard are you referring to?

SterlingPainting · 02-02-2010, 12:14 AM

Oh man, which do I choose there has been so many crappy jobs I've had to take out of desperation in my earlier years. There was the Cat lady who let her cats crap all over her house and I had to wear my mask not because of the paint but because of the horrible smell!

Then there was the maniacal psychiatrist who really hadn't taken his medication a real blue-taper to the enth degree.

An last but not least I painted 3 rooms inside a women's prison in Maple Ridge, BC,..now I know how some girls feel like after being stared at like that LMAO.

aaron61 · 02-02-2010, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeanV

I just downloaded the standards again and only see the 1 meter distance specification and no multiple levels. Which standard are you referring to?

http://www.pdca.org/PDCAStandards/Standard-P14-06.pdf Levels 1 2 3 4

Paint and Hammer · 02-02-2010, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NEPS.US

That wasnt in Vermont by any chance was it?

Nope. Whose in Vermont? Anyone you know that fits the bill?

One Coat Coverage · 02-02-2010, 05:12 PM

Yeah, I had a lady with a baaaaad case of OCD. It was a $10,000 repaint in an old McMansion. The first red flag was that the previous painters got fired. I figured I could save the day, but I got fired also. On the first day, she ran crying out of the kitchen as we were discussing sheens, too much for her to handle. She wanted a perfect finish on the doors (too many to count), no brush marks etc... She would not let me spray, nor would she let me use oil. Could only use latex, no rollers. She got her brush marks. My hands were tied. She goes on to tell me that she sued the floor guy who refinished all of the wood floors in her house. We lasted a week on a three week job. The husband calls me on a Sunday night, tells me that all of my equipment is in the driveway. He kept the entire paint order in the house. $750.00 worth of Benjamin Moore, which I still owed on. That was the last time I ever bought all of the paint for a job all at once. After a couple of months I finally got the white paint and primer back. Had no use for the tinted stuff. Had to pick it all up from their lawyers office.Thank God I took a third down on the first day and cashed the check! The lady was a total nut-job, and that was hard to get over.

Rcon · 02-02-2010, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by One Coat Coverage

Yeah, I had a lady with a baaaaad case of OCD. It was a $10,000 repaint in an old McMansion. The first red flag was that the previous painters got fired. I figured I could save the day, but I got fired also. On the first day, she ran crying out of the kitchen as we were discussing sheens, too much for her to handle. She wanted a perfect finish on the doors (too many to count), no brush marks etc... She would not let me spray, nor would she let me use oil. Could only use latex, no rollers. She got her brush marks. My hands were tied. She goes on to tell me that she sued the floor guy who refinished all of the wood floors in her house. We lasted a week on a three week job. The husband calls me on a Sunday night, tells me that all of my equipment is in the driveway. He kept the entire paint order in the house. $750.00 worth of Benjamin Moore, which I still owed on. That was the last time I ever bought all of the paint for a job all at once. After a couple of months I finally got the white paint and primer back. Had no use for the tinted stuff. Had to pick it all up from their lawyers office.Thank God I took a third down on the first day and cashed the check! The lady was a total nut-job, and that was hard to get over.

In a situation like that is where you haul the doors out to a shop. And then you charge double for the inconvenience.

I can't believe some of the stories on here! Wow! I guess i've been lucky in that i've never had an overly picky/ocd/crazy customer....only a few 'eccentric' ones, but nothing I couldn't handle.

I feel sorry for you guys who have had to deal with such people! I guess it only goes to stressing the importance of pre-qualifying potential customers.

high fibre · 02-03-2010, 08:13 AM

thats the beauty of shop work.

you have their stuff.