Girl Painter's Rock

Started fine but then a lot of missed spots and paint on the floor and used my ladder (which isn't for painting, etc)

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!! it's taken me months to write this review because i was so extremely upset with the job they did and i needed some time to cool off before writing rationally and without expletives. i originally liked the idea of female painters, though "girl painters rock" is actually run by a dude named Benny with a neck tattoo that says "mama's boy." This should have been our first red flag, but when they came do do an color consultation, i liked that they seemed really artistic and lower east side, and could do some non-typical stuff that we wanted like stencils. i thought i was hiring artists who would take pride in their work, but instead it was like working with a band of wild children who had never done business with anyone before, much less painted an apartment. The entire process was a nightmare from beginning to end. I consider myself a rational, forgiving, chill person, and these people pushed me to the absolute limit. We were patient, bought them lunch and dinner while they were working, and complied with everything they needed. They were dramatic and blasé at the same time if that's even possible. I literally lost sleep over these clowns and am totally disgusted with myself for being taken for a ride. Here is a run-down of our experience with this "company." The job which was supposed to take 3 days ended up taking them over 3 WEEKS. for a basic paint job of a 2-bedroom apartment. this left us feeling like prisoners in our own home, tip-toeing around strewn paint supplies for days waiting for them to come back, and not being able to unpack for almost a month in our new apartment. They did a very poor job painting - streaks, spots missing, bubbles, and sloppiness. Even at 6 months pregnant i would have done a better job. We literally had to go around and point out all the places they missed because they couldn't see them. They painted the living room the absolute wrong color, but Benny insisted it was the color we had agreed upon (which it definitely was not), so we ended up paying for all the extra paint for that room. He also tried to charge us for the extra labor, which we refused to pay. The "crew" consisted of people who had no experience painting - they literally hire and train the "girls" of "girl painters rock" on the job in your home. i found a "painting 101" training sheet that he had literally given them that morning, telling the crew how to paint. They were extremely messy and nonchalant about the mess they left in our home. Showed total disregard for our belongings and did not clean up after themselves. They left pain streaks on my couch, bedspread, floor, table, and sink, and left dirty brushes and garbage all over the house. EXTREME disorganization. I got a general quote at the outset, and they never specified the terms of payment upfront, nor did we get an invoice, or itemized list of expenses. Every day they came they would literally ask for cash so they could go to the store and buy the supplies, and pay their "crew." They don't have a vehicle or a ladder, so they would then have to find a way to get to the store, buy the paint, bring it back, and start - in an 8 hour day they would do about 3 hours of painting. luckily we have a ladder big enough to reach our ceiling. I have no idea what they would have done without it. They had no system of keeping track of how much we had already paid, and i frequently had to email them to make sure we were on the same page about how much paint they had bought, how much we had paid, and what was left to do. it was like babysitting with these people. They lost our keys, then never returned the second set we gave them. They were incredibly and inexcusably unprofessional. We went away for a long weekend, and the project was supposed to be finished when we got back, and we came home 4 days later to find the apartment in the exact same shape as when we left, though the cash we had left for them on the counter was gone. i was very upset and left Benny a voicemail asking why it hadn't been finished and he had the gall to send me back an email saying that since his bag had been stolen with my keys in it, they couldn't come back to finish the job (though no email letting us know ahead of time what had happened, and no explanation of how they magically could get into the apartment long enough to take our cash) and that i should be "thanking" him for the work they had done so far (like they were doing it for free??) and that it was his "BIRTHDAY" (his caps, not mine) and they were coming "asap" to finish the job as "a favor." i didn't see them again for a week. this was the last time i heard from Benny, and dealt with one of the "girls" for the rest of the time. Benny had assured us at the outset that he would have the crew clean up not only their mess, but also scrape the paint from the windows and tiles from the old paint job. He promised that they would throw in the second bathroom, paint a bookshelf, and generally take pride in what they were doing. "We got you" he said with a wink and a smile. Needless to say this never happened, then he tried to charge me extra later on saying that they would only do these extras for a price. Benny asked us to donate our unused paint to a single mom who had fled an abusive relationship, so we obviously said we would, but didn't realize that meant he would take the paint cans from our apartment, and go paint hers before our job was even completed. In hindsight the entire situation seems contrived - the single mom, their "client list" (which apparently includes Bon Jovi's loft, which now just seems like the punch line to a joke) and their sham of a "company." lesson learned, hire the painter named Jim who sends you references and looks like your dad, not the sweet-talker with the neck tattoo, selling the snake oil. BOTTOM LINE: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU WORK WITH THESE PEOPLE!! STAY AWAY!!

DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM!!! I'll start with non~paint related issues: 1. First of all, it's called "Girl Painters Rock" and then this weird tatooed guy ends up doing the job...already starting off a little strange...turns out HE runs the company 2. Showed up at least 45 minutes late EVERY time. 3. Left our keys in the door lock outside of our apartment for hours!!!! (My girlfriend's personal safety nightmare, even before this happened) 4. Left stinky cigarette butts in our kitchen and in the toilet. 5. Left p*** on our toilet seat 6. Left half eaten food out All that would be fine if he had done a good job....But wait it gets worse: Painting Flaws: 1. Painted doorframe and windowsill in eggshell, not semigloss (Any professional painter knows semigloss is standard) 2. Left a huge roller mark across the kitchen wall (That he claimed was "wall texture" that for some reason was never there before) 3. We had to go over a lot of spots in the bedroom that he just slopped on. 4. Got paint on the bedspread in the bedroom 5. Painted doorframes the wrong color 6. Left strange spots in the living room Even that stuff could be understandable, but this is what really got me: At the beginning he was more than happy to point out all of the flaws in our current paintjob, and he stood in my hallway and told me "Yeah, if you need any touch ups or have any issues it's not a problem, I'll take care of it, I've got you". At that point we got one price, then later got an email saying that he hadn't asked for enough money...and he needs money for his upcoming wedding...sob sob.... So we ended up giving him a 50% tip...which on an expensive paint job is not exactly pocket change. Then at the end...as soon as he has his money in hand...he pulls the old "Oh, baseboards, closet doors, that's not included" (even though the receipt says "entire apartment" and he hadn't told either of us anything like this before getting his $$) When we tried to have a discussion about finishing it, and fixing some of the flaws that he left, he grabs his stuff and literally wouldn't let us finish a sentence and RAN AWAY from the situation. Tried emailing, tried texting, he's done I guess....he literally ran away from the whole thing... The fact that he didn't have the common courtesy to even discuss any of the many issues we had, wouldn't communicate at all, took our money and LITERALLY ran, was pathetic and inexcusable. Definitely not a way to make your customer happy, or run a business. I hope that you will all take my warning into consideration. There are plenty of painters in the area, do yourself a favor and pick someone responsible!

My experience with this company was so horrifically bad that I am even now (several days later) suffering anxiety and anger. My building has strict hours for when they allow jobs to be done. I'd stressed this to Benny in every interaction we had. I paid extra for a third painter to ensure they completed the job in time. The painters arrived with a suitcase in tow. I wondered where their equipment was (surely painters have a ladder?), and gear to keep my furniture protected? I should have spoken up but decided to leave them to work. When I arrived a few hours later: there was a thin piece of plastic semi-covering my expensive and brand new living room furniture. I pointed out to one of the painters that they'd gotten paint on my dining room table. She wiped it off nonchalantly. My bedroom furniture wasn't covered at all. Despite in our interaction, I'd been assured my furniture would be covered. I also noticed one of the painters climbing on my furniture to paint, and another using my small step ladder. I saw no evidence they'd brought their own ladder, which explains why the ceiling area and wall closer to the ceiling don't look professionally paintd. When I arrived it was more than mid-way through time-wise, and I was instantly worried about them finishing on time. I brought this up and also pointed out a few things that they hadn't even started on that we'd agreed would be included in the price. I got a head-shake and no real response from Benny. I felt like I was intruding and left my apartment thinking maybe they were in the midst of the job, and that I should leave them to do their job, even though I was starting to feel really nervous. I came back up an hour before work was to be completed. Things were in disarray and they looked no where near completion. I was really worried at this point. I started taking a look at their work and noticing what had been completed also hadn't been done well. Also one whole door had been painted the wrong color. As my main contact through the process had been Benny I pointed this out to him in a respectful way. I got no response from him. I wanted reassurance that they'd be done on time. He at this point actually yelled at me, threatening they could leave right then if that's what I wanted. He then thrust one of the female painters at me and asked her to "deal" with me before he "exploded". As a female who had hired "girl painters" I was seriously feeling threated at this point. Anastacia was really nice and asked me to point out whatever I didn't think was done and that she'd make sure it was done. This was nice and all but I was still acutely aware of the time. I begged my super for an extra hour which he thankfully complied with. At this point, Benny started arguing that things we'd agreed to couldn't be done for the price he'd agreed to. A part of completing a job and being a professional is honoring your committment and being experienced in knowing how long a job would take. His response was to scream at me. I respectfully repeated repeatedly that I didn't appreciate his tone. He refused to do certain things that he'd agreed were included (the AC boxes, a whole door). When my Super who had been flexible enough said they had to leave, despite an incomplete job, Benny wanted payment in full. I refused. I can't imagine how he thought anyone would pay in full for an incomplete job. I was at this point near tears, and shaking. Anastasia once again pulled me aside and promised she'd come the next day and finish the job. When I stood firm on partial payment, he screamed at me, ran down the halls and stormed out of my building to everyone's shock. I paid Anastasia more than 80% of the payment as I fully honor my end of the agreement and we agreed she's come the next day. After they left, my husband and I had a huge mess on our hands including paint stains on furniture, floors, door knobs, windows, light fixtures, a clogged sink and a really poor paint job to top it all off. We were overwhelmed with how poorly they'd painted our apartment and had a long list of things that needed to be fixed. I was so traumatized by this experience that for the sake of my sanity we decided to focus on the big problem areas in the living room and have Anatasia fix those and leave. She arrived promptly, and I checked with the doorman that it was only her before letting her in, as I did not feel safe interacting with Benny again. This experience was that bad. To her credit took care of the things I pointed out in a pleasant manner. Unfortunately, we are now living amidst a bad paint job, with parts of the ceiling missing a coat of paint, and several parts of the wall suffering from uneven paint application. If I'd taken the time, I probably could have done a job of this poor caliber myself. I'm still suffering from anxiety from this experience of being taken for a ride and being verbally assaulted in my own home. I thought and re-thought posting this review, but finally decided if this experience saves anyone the hassle of dealing with this dishonest person, then I think it's worth it. Do not do business with Girl Painters Rock.

After seeing the Primo Painters ad on Craigslist, I called and spoke to Benny right away. He came to my apartment within a few hours to give me an estimate as well as some advice on what colors and stencils I should use on the walls. He was super friendly and helpful-I loved his suggestions and the rate was extremely fair so I booked him for the job. He came over on time the next day to prep the walls, cleaning off any material from previous paint jobs. He even cleaned excess paint from the windows left by previous painters. He came the following day, again on time, to paint. I left the house and when I came back a few hours later, he was just about to start cleaning up. I couldn't believe the quality and detail. I have to say I kind of had my doubts considering how affordable it was, but this was absolutely the most professional job I could possibly have gotten. The stenciling was beautiful, the lines were clean, the colors and accent walls he'd chosen were perfect. The only complaint I had was that the color in my bedroom was slightly different than what I'd expected. I mentioned it to Benny and once I showed him the curtains I'd bought to go in the room, he agreed that the color wasn't right...and he actually repainted the bedroom for free. After finishing the job, my apartment was as clean as it was before they started, and they even left some delicious chocolate! I highly recommend Primo Painters.