BLUME DECORATING

Overall the experience was horrible. Jim Blume appeared very professional at first meeting. Jim reviewed the job scope commented on the dry wall patching, wallpaper removal and painting required. Jim wrote a clear proposal with the work to be done in 4 days at an amount of $965. I google him and check the Better Business Bureau for complaints and find nothing. I get quotes from 2 other painters but because Jim's proposal was very clear and he seemed very knowledgable regarding the job my husband and I hire him. Jim required a $465 deposit to start which seemed a bit high but I wrote him a check and the work was to be done 9/18 and completed 9/22. We were to be out of town on vacation at the time so we gave him access to our house so we could come home and the work would be completed. I notified my neighbors that a painter would be working while we were out of town plus my adult children were to checkup and pickup mail for us. On 9/17 Jim calls me at 7 AM to tell me the job would be delayed 2 days in starting but he will work the weekend. We are OK with that as we feel he will be done before the end of week. On Friday 9/21 about 7PM I get a call from Jim Blume stating the wallpaper removal was a bigger job than expected and he is removing his crew as he needs an additional $425 to continue. I am shocked at the amount but I am $465 in already and I need to get the job done so I agree. He does not work the weekend as promised but requires I make an additional payment of $325 of the $425 for supplies and to pay the crew. I comment this is unusual for so much prepayment ($790 total for paint and supplies?) but write him another check plus sign another proposal for the additional work scope/change. Jim promises me no more delays they will be done on Wednesday 9/26. Monday a bit more dry wall repair and paint is at the house on Monday so I expect progress. My husband is home from work by 3 PM daily but we see no one working when he gets home. On Tuesday night I expected to see a first coat of paint on my walls but just minor dry wall repair for 4 days now. I am fuming that he has been scamming me for more money and we see very little progress. I call him on it and the conversation gets very heated on Tuesday night but I agree to give him one more day to finish the job. He swears he will be done with the job on Wednesday night. I take the day off work to supervise since I am not trusting him to get the job done. Jim and another man, Charles his helper, arrive at 8:30 AM 9/26 and they need to work a miracle to get the job done in 1 day. They sand and paint until 9:30 PM at which point Jim is exhausted and I have 1 coat of paint on all my walls. As the bedroom paint begins to dry I can see the old green paint showing through the new beige in spots and the sitting room where the wallpaper was removed I can see brush marks and the paint is patchy and uneven. It's been a long day and we came a long way but I am not satisfied with the quality of the work. Jim comes up to the bedroom and says he is exhausted, it's dark but he wants us to be satisfied with the work. Can we pay him another $400 in cash and he will come back on Friday at 3 PM to finish. This way we can allow the paint to dry and evaluate what needs to be repainted. My husband agrees but I have a bad feeling. Jim arrives Friday 9/28 at 4PM (per my husband as I was at work still) and my husband shows him the sitting room needs to be repainted top to bottom as the wall color is patchy and not solid. For a professional painter of 30 years he should be able to tell the job quality is shoddy at best. Actually the whole bedroom needs a second coat of paint to look professional in my opinion. According to my husband, Jim starts to insult me for being too picky and my husband asks him to leave the house and we will repaint the room ourselves and keep the final $200. Jim refuses to leave the paint and my husband and Jim get into an argument involving pushing and death threats with his helper Charles trying to referee. My husband calls 911 and the police arrive but Jim refuses to surrender the paint. What a nightmare this relationship has been. I feel I did not get the professional paint job I paid for and I do not want anyone else to get taken advantage of. I have filed a complaint against him with the Better Business Burearu today as well.

Jim hung the wallpaper, however he did NOT match it properly in 2 places. I've called him 4 times and left a message about how we can make this right. I also went above and beyond and offered to take the 1 full strip of wallpaper off and the 2 smaller pieces that did not match (most of the wall was a window). He has never returned my call. I was not on site when this job was completed and did not notice the issue until arriving home. At that time, I called and have called 3 more times. He is not returning the calls.