CertaPro Painters® of Reading

They did a fantastic job and did the repairs to a lot of damaged walls before painting. They were very friendly, polite, and cleaned up after they were done. I would highly recommend them and I will hire them again soon to paint my deck and one more room.

Looks great

I won't hire them again. As I have looked at the work over the time they have done it I have had to have them come back and do some rework and I would like to have them come back again. Their work is supposed to be guaranteed, but I don't think I will ever hire them again in the future. There was nothing specific, I just think that they worked very fast and I think they worked too fast. I would rather have had them spend a little more time and a little more attention to detail. They wanted to get in, get out, just get the job done and get paid. The work shows that's how they operated. The could do a better job in the future and pay more attention to detail. Their responsiveness was good; they did come relatively quick.

Very well, they worked with me.

Good job, well done.

Estimating, scheduling and painting were all done quickly, cheerfully and professionally. Ben, the estimator took pictures and, using my list of the items to be done, gave us a great price on the 40 hours of work needed. We built our home in 1972 and added a carriage house, barn and bucket truck building over the past 12 years; Ben's estimate completely agreed with mine (one item was left off my estimate and two 'barn doors' were included in Ben's by my not being clear). Emailing items to be painted left no doubt what was covered in the contract; being certain of paint colors before painters arrive with a gallon of each color is important too. Choose your paint colors by painting a large piece of cardboard painted in what you think you'd like; a tiny paint chip is worthless. If you use your local Sherwin-Williams store regularly they might mix you a quart of inexpensive paint for free. I emailed my list of work to be done with the Sherwin-Williams color numbers; the supervisor arrived with my list printed and we went from door to door in three buildings, and the three windows on our original house. Read CertaPro's requirements carefully. We did such a through job of trimming bushes and cleaning surfaces to be painted that we got a bit of additional work done without affecting the contract. I replaced brick molding while they were painting, but with our experience coordinating contractors we understand how to avoid interfering with other workers. We'll be contacting CertaPro again; although most things are maintenance free, the house is getting old. CertaPro will paint our aluminum siding and guarantee the results. I've attached a horrible old 'before' photo. When I've taken an after photo I'll add it to this review; the improvement is teriffic.

unknown

We contacted CertaPro for an estimate to paint the stucco on the exterior of our home. Jason came out to speak with us about the details and take measurements. As soon as the measurements were taken, he was able to give us a written proposal right then and there. The paper work was very professional, and getting the proposal right away saved a lot of time. They put us on their schedule, and contacted us with all the final details. The plan was to power wash the surface, and then finish with 2 coats of Elastimeric paint. They always called, or e-mailed, to let us know when to expect them, and what was being done that day. After the two coats were applied, it looked as if the paint soaked into the surface, more in some places than in others, and the whole project looked uneven. I called Jill and asked her to come out and look at it herself. She was very concerned, and came out right away. She agreed with me, and said they would add another coat of paint to even it out. This was done with no cost to us. Jill was extremely easy to deal with , and very easy to get along with. Because of how she handled the issue, I would use them again on other projects. This is the way you hope someone responds when an issue arises. We were very happy with the results.

THE FOLLOWING IS MY REPLY TO THE COMPANY?S RESPONSE: It?s incredible that rather than attempting to be reasonable and work with the customer to come to a mutual, fair understanding, you attempted to misrepresent my words and at points even lied to make it appear as though nothing out of the ordinary took place when a negative pattern of behavior is evident. I will correct your fabrications in the hope that I can save anyone else from such a sad experience. 1) It is unbelievable how you can type a falsehood when you know quite well no one ever communicated a ?window? to me of between 8-9 A.M. I was only told 8 A.M. 2) Why do you request paint 4 days in advance if you will just wait until the last moment to get it and risk arriving late to your appointment? 3) Why did your team supervisor fail to call me and let me know he was running late? Why the lack of courtesy? Is this how you train your employees or do they just learn from example? 4) Your estimator and I came to the agreement that a power washer would be used on this specific job. This is as black and white as it gets. For your information, when I spoke with the estimator the day of the job, he was shocked that the team supervisor came to my house without a power wash. Is that something he failed to tell you, his boss? 5) While I did speak on the phone with your estimator the day of the job, at no time did I convey to him that painting the door trim for free would be enough to alleviate our multiple inconveniences. I told him that I wanted to speak with him later that night but later texted him that it was a long day and would catch up with him tomorrow, particularly via email. I sent an email to your estimator on Tuesday morning and after 4 days, by Saturday, he still had not responded, even after another phone call and text. I was then forced to call the office which was obvious was covering for him and just wanted this issue to disappear as quickly as possible with no intent of an adult discussion. 6) Yes, the three members of your team were hard working. 7) ?It is surprising that you were satisfied with that concession initially and then became disgruntled because they performed the work quickly and efficiently.? First, and once again, I was never satisfied with the concession and second I was not disgruntled at their quick work but rather your shady (for lack of a better word) manner in charging/discount. The prep/painting of the back door trims lasted 40 minutes, maximum, so to cite it as two hours of labor at $85.00 is deceiving and insulting. At less than an hour of labor, it should have cost about $30.00. Do you believe $30.00 is reasonable as a ?reduction for inconvenience? that lasted 6 ½ hours and cost us nearly $1,000? By the way, if you quote a standard charge on said items, I guess something can cost $500.00 but who cares if it takes 1/10 the time to complete. It sure looks good on paper to have a credit of $500.00 when in reality it cost only $50.00. 8) Yes, after 6 ½ hours the team?s work was solid. But the lost time and continued aggravation was not something we paid for or expected at all. Once we had a chance to look over the job, as rushed as the supervisor made us feel, we were satisfied but not thrilled; there is a big difference from a customer?s perspective. I did not receive a sincere apology from the estimator or you (unlike the manner in which I was treated with delays and childish avoidance, having to wait days for a response). What if I hadn?t called you, would I still be waiting? Furthermore, you did not present a financial discount that was not offensive in relation to the amount of money and time my wife and I invested in such a project. Even a discount on future work would have been a welcomed step in the right direction. You seem to say all the diplomatic words but your actions fall way short of sincere rectifications. As the customer you made me feel as though I did something wrong. When on the contrary, I was just trying to note and improve errors made on your team?s part. That?s when the situation became worse because you failed to do the right thing(s). My wife and I deserved better, period. No one is trying to take advantage of you, in any manner whatsoever, however, we feel as though that happened to us. Your business needs to learn to stop making excuses, find real, sensible solutions which both parties can agree to, and most importantly learn how to provide authentic apologies not hollow words.

First off, I contacted Tim in an urgent need to get this project done due to a disaster with a previous contractor. Tim called me on a Sunday and took his time to do what he could to get someone out ASAP. They got someone out to my home the next day. I am very appreciative to Tim and his team for getting this job done in a timely fashion and on such an urgency basis. Kip the estimator, was very professional. He explained everything relating to every element of the job very carefully. I found him to be very friendly. Seemed to care about our needs and was sympathetic to our situation with our previous contractor. Ivan was very detailed oriented, did quality work and was very tidy. They made sure we were pleased with every aspect of the job. I appreciate his hard work and think he is an asset to CertaPro. He seriously has more work ethic and determination than any other contractor that has ever worked in my home. He was very professional and constantly went over his work to ensure perfection. It would be our pleasure to have CertaPro come back and work for us again. We would like Ivan to come back if we have any work performed by CertaPro in the future. Thank you guys for a job well done and for getting it done so quickly. Ivan is a true asset to your company and you should be sure to keep him around. Everything about this company is professional. From the initial consult to the end. I especially enjoyed how thorough their contract was and how it spelled out everything. They also gave a certificate of insurance without asking for it. Call these guys. Highly recommend.

An error was made regarding the window treatments and removing the hardware. The company had painted the kitchen and family room prior to this job. Had done a wonderful job. Only problem is that we can't open the kitchen windows because they were painted closed. The deck job that was done by the company is chipping away. Were told they would be back to finish the project. That hasn't happened.

WOW!!! Again Brian and his team (David and Paul) provided exceptional service and professionalism. Our home looks brand new! Stephanie assisted us in selecting colors that would best suit our home and lifestyle.....Brian and his Team brought it to life. Brian did a walk through with us to ensure our understanding of the work to be completed and kept us abreast during each phase of the project. Brian is VERY knowledgeable regarding his profession and he is determined to leave a satisfied customer. We could not be more pleased with our decision to contract with Certapro - and even more pleased that Certapro has someone like Brian working for them. It you have the opportunity to have Brian's Team in your home - you can rest assured the project will be completed correctly! Brian and his team are respectful, courteous and professional. We had other estimates that were less than Certapro but I am convinced now the final result would have been 'less'; we cannot find one mistake in their work....absolutely great!! Great Job and Great Experience.

Excellent!!! Brian and David completed the work in an exceptional manner. We cannot say enough about their attention to detail and professionalism. They arrived each day exactly when they said they would and they were respectful and considerate of us and our home. Brian and David are sincere in their desire to provide a 'more than we bargained for experience'. The finished product looked fantastic and we are looking forward to them painting the interior of our home.

Excellent! Brian & Dave were great! Very careful of furniture and wood work, very trustworthy, very dependable and they were a great team.

Kip was an excellent sales person. He was responsive, friendly, helpful, and professional. He provided a detailed estimate which gave me flexibility to choose what we want to move forward with. We have not moved forward with a painter yet so I cannot speak to quality of the work. Their quote is higher than others we've received, but I believe that is because we have not yet discussed options for bringing the price down and because they quoted the whole project while others quoted only portion of the work, so it is not apples to apples. Overall, I wanted to write a review to praise Kip.

They were very nice and very good. They came out and inspected everything after it was painted and they even followed up with me by email.

Chose chocolate brown but crew started painting the house red! Told it would darken and it darkened to dark red. Acted like I picked out the wrong color when my contract specified the dark brown stain. Ruined door completely so it no longer closed properly and needed to pay another contractor to replace entire door. Many windows were painted shut. An entire colony of yellow jackets started a hive through a hole on the top of a sill that was not caulked. Bees inside of house! Our basement became musty and after the record-breaking rainfall last month, we discovered the painters stepped on the plastic piping on the downspout and dislodged it, causing a flood in a finished basement office. The downspout was behind a bush where there was no other foot traffic. I reported this to the owner who first said she would report this to her insurance, then backpedaled. She said she'd have her supervisor check it out when he returned to paint two basement windows that were overlooked. The supervisor was a no show twice and the third time arrived unannounced while I wasn't home. He painted the windows and was leaving as I returned home. I asked him to look at the downspout. He brushed me off, claiming the dislodgment was from another contractor despite the paint spatters on the downspout and pipe area indicating ample evidence. Exterior painting, $3000. Door replacement, $900. Exterminator, $80. Basement repair, over $4000. Hiring Certa Pro put me in the hole nearly $5000. Bargain pricing was no bargain! Concerning the comments below: CertaPro of Reading, not York was the contractor. The information below is not accurate. My contract clearly stated "match Cabot 0634 Mission Brown" yet the color applied was not "too red" but RED. It took their subcontractor several trips to the paint store to get a close but not complete match. I did not "change my mind" but had to wait for each new sample to dry in an attempt to duplicate the color already on the house. I do not understand why I was shown small paint chips of colors (after they started painting my house RED) for consideration when any competent paint store would easily duplicate "Cabot 0634 Mission Brown". The very apparent hole in the windowsill was not caulked and I did have an exterminator treat the infestation in the fall when the bees sought winter nesting. Which would have not occurred had the windowsill been caulked as was in the contract. I have since found caulking missing from more windows. NO PICTURES were shown to me so this is an outright fabrication. Rob, her "supervisor" (actually a subcontractor), did not look at the gutter in question which had paint spatters consistent with it being separated during the painting job since there were paint splatters inside the lower pipe. CertaPro did not send their insurance agent. Their subcontractor's agent recently came and the case is still pending. When I contacted the insurance agent whose "Certificate of Liability Insurance" was supplied with my contract, they informed me they no longer covered CertaPro of Reading. The Erie Insurance representative who covered the subcontractor at no time denied his client's liability. Furthermore, concerning the rear door: the subcontractor refunded us $500 of the $1500 in additional charges for wood repair. The damage to the frame of the door was so severe, we had to replace the entire door, which was NOT " inoperative and not working" until their "repair" of a few inches of wood deterioration at the base of the frame. The so called discussions concerning the door prior to the incident were absolute fabrications. We had to nail the door shut until another competent contractor was employed since now the door was so askew it would not close. I discussed my complaints in detail with the co-owner who stated "you cannot prove anything" and it wasn't until my poor review was posted that she asked for a list of my complaints. As stated, CertaPro of Readings's insurance agent was at no time in contact with me. I am not "confused"with the services or outcome and appalled at the numerous falsehoods in the response provided below!

The home paint was in very poor condition badly peeling with window seals showing alot of damage. They had a color consultant who not only helped me choose my colors but also helped me know how to accent the unique archtechual features of the home. The result was amazing. The crew was attentive to detail, always addressed my concerned, worked hard, courteous, polite and cleaned up after themselves. They even offered a plan to pay it off over 1year at 0%. Their price was very competitive.

They were great. They worked with my schedule and painted on a Saturday for me. They did a great job. They were very neat, cleaned up after themselves, and did an awesome job. I will definitely use them to have the rest if my house painted!

The Meades were prompt in returning my call and arranging a meeting to see the work needed and to give a job proposal. Mr. Tim Meade arrived promptly on the scheduled date. He was very professional in discussing the job with me and prepared a very fair written proposal. After agreeing to the proposal and signing it, I was soon contacted by Jill Meade to arrange a date for the work to be done. The workman called me the day before to confirm his arrival time and arrived the next day as promised. He worked hard all day and completed the job by late afternoon. I accompanied him on a walk around the house when he was finished and was very satisfied. I gave him a check as per contract which he noted on my contract copy. However, I also received a payment received invoice from Jill Meade. I was completely satified and pleased with the whole job experience.

Certa Pro came out a few weeks before and explained just what they would do and provided a "No Pressure" estimate. We felt the price was fine after a few other estimates. The painters arrived at the designated time and were able to accomplish the job in one full day. We also discussed the possibility of painting some interior rooms, although we did not ask for an estimate at that time. Based on the fantastic work that was done outdoors, and the way they left the entire property when finished, we have no doubt that we will contact them again for our interior painting needs. We have a very high entryway and a fairly high ceiling in our family room. If their inside work equals the outdoor work, we know that we will be pleased.

went very well according to our wishes. they are very detailed orientated

Certapro gave me an estimate more than $300.00 below the nearest competitor.The schedule was established, the painter showed up on schedule and was friendly, professional and efficient in his work. I will definitely use them again if need arises in the future. A+ performance.

It went pretty good. They were very cooperative and did whatever I asked them. If I saw something they missed, they went back and did it. They were thorough and neat. The house looks nice and I'm satisfied.

They were very good. They were very meticulous. They were very concerned about getting the job right to our satisfaction.