Thomas Reliable Painting Co

DO NOT HIRE unless you only want HALF THE WORK COMPLETED! We purchased an Angie's List deal for 40 hours of painting for $1,000. Thomas "Reliable" Painting said they could do the ceilings and trim in that 40 hours. After the first day, they decided that they couldn't get it done, but we could hire them at full price to complete the job. Ummm...no, thank you. Completely unethical. The work they DID do was good, but they lied about what they would do. As professionals, I expect them to be able to identify the scope of work with relative accuracy.

Sullivan Painting did an excellent job.

Henry & his crew were wonderful to work with. I couldn't ask anymore from a contractor. He was prompt, communicated with me about everything they were doing and made sure I understood what was going to happen with process to completion. He also had some great suggestions on trim and color if asked. He was also willing to come back and do some additional work on painting some outside trim that my wife and I didn't originally realize needed to be done. Very thorough. Hands down the best contractor I've ever worked with.

Mr. Thomas and his team did excellent work with particular attention paid to detail work. They were prompt, courteous, and professional in all ways. They actually made their presence a "fun" experience for us. What great people!! And their pricing was very competitive and well worth having them paint our house, which now looks very contemporary and beautiful!! Thanks Mr. Thomas!!!

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Henry and crew were very prompt in coming everyday. Did everything that was asked of them and went above what was asked. Even did repairs to thing that was not included in price. Was able to come and go from home while they worked.

- Mr. Thomas originally quoted the work to be done at $2000 which i told him was way too high. He agreed to do both my project and my father's project for the same total of $2000. - Mr. Thomas and crew were very punctual and got the work done on time. - The first mistake we noticed was a small 1 inch spot underneath the door handle that wasn't painted. Mr. Thomas said he'd fix it but never did. - The painters splattered paint on one of our custom made window screens. Mr. Thomas attempted to clean it with paint thinner but it wasn't perfect. He said he'd pay for the replacement but we have yet to get a new screen. - Every window was painted shut. Mr. Thomas argued with me that they weren't painted shut. The windows would not open because paint sealed them, thus the windows were painted shut. Mr. Thomas used a tool to pry the windows open but didn't verify several of them which i had to do myself. The paint was chipped away from being removed in such a manner. - Very expensive for such sloppy quality.

Mr. Thomas was impressive and professional during the estimate. As I received quotes from several contractors, he was the only one that I actually met at that point since the estimates were being gathered by a friend. Mr. Thomas was selected from the array of vendors because of the time he quoted to get the job done (2 days) versus the 4 days provided by everyone else. He said that he and his crew would be able to handle it. The simplest way to tell the story is to post the communications I sent to Mr. Thomas directly after day 1 and the additional 1/2 day he requested because it wasn't possible to complete the work in 2 days. DAY #1 June 29, 2009 Henry Thomas Thomas Reliable Painting Company 213 Two Gait Lane Simpsonville, SC 29680 Mr. Thomas, As you know, I just visited my home with XXXXXX to check the status of your work today. There are several areas of concern which I will outline below and ask that you address: Re: Paint Work 1. The painting in the kitchen overlaps the trim in a way that doesn't seem necessary if the area had been properly prepped. I am specifically referencing the walls near the large kitchen window. There is no evidence that the work areas were taped off and the workmanship isn't such that this step could be omitted. Simply put, the work is sloppy and while it may be subject to correction when the trim is completed (giving you the benefit of the doubt here), it does not make a good impression. 2. The same issue as noted above is present with the area of blue paint already placed on the dining/sitting room wall near the front door. There is blue paint on my white door trim. I can think of no reason for that level of carelessness in this area. 3. If the ceilings are done, which is difficult to tell at this point, then I am not satisfied with the finish. From what I can see there are areas of bleed through and the coverage is not consistent. 4. It is apparent that you have prepped areas for primer and paint, but not uniformly addressed the repairs outlined during your initial visit. The dining/sitting area still shows two flaws that you'd committed to correcting. Re: Condition of the House Imagine my surprise to find several cigarette butts and b*** marks on my driveway near the garage door. That driveway was recently pressure washed and it certainly can't be acceptable to you that this was done by one of your workers. I understand your explanation to Ms. XXX to be that "it was XXX and not me since I don't smoke". Your workers are your responsibility on another person's property just as my employees behavior (or misbehavior) ultimately rolls up to me. I would like the area cleaned and all future smoking to take place away from my home, lawn and any surrounding areas. I think this is a reasonable request and expect immediate corrective action, especially in light of this incident. See the attached photos documenting the state of the driveway as described. Re: Project Completion Status From my estimation during this visual inspection, there is no way that you and XXX alone will be able to satisfactorily complete the job by day's end Tuesday June 30 (your originally stated two day timeframe). My concerns noted above are coupled with the fact that the dining/sitting room paint hasn't begun (besides the blue area near the front door), the half bath is only prepped and you obviously have to go back to the living room and kitchen. I understand that you told Ms. XXX that you were short a crew member today, but if that were the case I would have expected you to initiate an update with her. Instead, we find this information out when Ms. XXX calls you after discovery of the cigarette butts. I have other furniture and projects scheduled for completion this week before the July 4 holiday (Friday July 3 is the observed holiday which impacts others work schedules). It is imperative that this job be completed by Tuesday June 30 or Wednesday July 1 at the latest. I need you to commit to a firm completion date of June 30 or July 1 and then execute accordingly. Mr. Thomas, I will be on the property tomorrow morning to speak with you about this project directly. I have provided these issues in writing so that you are aware of my concerns and fully prepared to speak to them. After meeting you during the estimate, my expectations were that you would provide the best possible service. I would now like to see that level of service in the actual work product. > DAY 2 After meeting with Mr. Thomas on the morning of June 30 to review my concerns, he agreed to address everything. When asked about the paint overlapping the trim, he stated I wouldn't be able to tell a thing once they were done. He also asked that I allow him to manage his crew and he'd ensure that everything was completed as planned. I told him that I might be in and out of the property for other tasks, but he could manage his crew as he saw fit as long as the work was done. On that morning, once again there was only one crew member with him. After our talk, I was satisfied that Mr. Thomas would address the issues and didn't visit the property again until July 1. DAY #2.5 - 1/2 day's work July 1, 2009 Henry Thomas Thomas Reliable Painting Company 213 Two Gait Lane Simpsonville, SC 29680 Mr. Thomas, Today I am writing in follow-up to my visit to my home at XXXX after the scheduled completion of your work today. You will recall after our conversation on the morning of Tuesday June 30, that we agreed all work would be done and ready for review by 12 noon today. I arrived to my home around 6:30pm. At first glance, the work appears complete. It is upon closer inspection that areas of bleed through and inconsistent painting remain. The living room has major bleed through in several areas; frankly, in those places it does not look like two coats of paint were applied as you can see the primer. The dining/sitting room and half bath have paint drippings on the walls in places. Additionally, my concerns about the trim still remain as there is not complete coverage over the prior wall colors which were loosely applied. I also was surprised to find new trim problems throughout the house where the white paint applied now overlaps the colored walls. The living room ceiling also has areas of poor coverage and the kitchen ceiling shows obvious stains that weren't even touched. In your response to my initial written communication, you asserted that you have a team of "highly qualified painters" and I should permit you all to do your jobs. You also stated that you are "responsible for the job", that your "company provides the best service" and asked that I "not judge the workmanship until the job is completed." I have given you an opportunity to provide your best service and now it is time to judge the workmanship...to that end, I am not a satisfied customer despite your personal assurances on Tuesday. Additionally, the post job clean-up on my home was unsatisfactory. The kitchen sink was obviously used to clean brushes or wash hands. That is completely fine, but I expected it to be clean afterwards and it was not. In fact, there are areas on my stove and under-sink drawers where paint and/or paint water residue is present. There is also a paint stain on my garage floor near the kitchen entrance, as well as paint stains and a foot print on my patio slab. Like my driveway (as noted in my first email), those areas were pressure washed at the same time; a fact I am willing to verify if you so require. See the attached photos documenting the state of the above described areas. I would like to have you walk through the property with me on Thursday afternoon to see the exact areas of concern where paint was applied - walls and trim. It is difficult to capture the problems I've identified on the walls via photos due to lighting. Your in person review would be more valuable, but if necessary I will take every possible action to document the problem areas. Trust me, they are there or I would not be taking the time to provide this level of detail. Mr. Thomas, once again, I have provided this documentation so that you can review it and respond to my concerns accordingly. This project has exceeded the time initially proposed for completion and been filled with instances where I have questioned both the application and coverage of paint, in addition to having to tolerate unacceptable practices in your team's use of my home (cigarette butts on the driveway and other items noted above). By the time we meet tomorrow, I hope you will come with a solution as will I. I had hopes for better, but am now justifiably lacking confidence in your team's ability to perform to my satisfaction. > July 2, 2009 I met Mr. Thomas at my home and we walked through to see the areas of concern. One of his workers was also present. We started with the patio since there was a paint stain and footprint on the slab (yes, it is still there). Upon showing Mr. Thomas and the worker the stain, the worker just left saying "I don't have time for this" and we continued inside. The areas noted in my email were reviewed and each step of the way, Mr. Thomas would say "well, that can be fixed" or "that's not a big deal" or "I see, we did miss that" or "I don't see what you're talking about" in areas where the bleed through was very obvious. When I also talked with him about disrespecting my home, he insisted that it hadn't been and he wasn't going to let me tell him it was. In heated tones, I had to remind Mr. Thomas that I was his customer and could he stop and listen to his customer's concerns. Mr. Thomas said he would address the paint issues, even pulled out his drop cloths while my furniture movers were unwrapping items. I'd instructed the movers to unwrap the furniture and he'd told them the opposite! At that point, I told Mr. Thomas that I was no longer comfortable with him in my home. He wasn't taking my concerns seriously and I'd lost confidence in him. Additionally, I explained that he was selected primarily because he claimed he could get the job done in 2 days. That 2 days turned into 2.5 days and then he still had "finish work" to do. I'd already paid a deposit for the work and then gave him a portion of the balance due to settle up (his quote was for $900, down from an initial estimate of $1100). As I said to him, I would now have to get someone else to come in and complete what he'd not been able to do. Now I'm finding out that many of the walls need to be completely repainted due to the bleed through since the coverage should be uniform. Each of my new contractors can clearly see the problem areas and agree that the job was not satisfactory. For me, there is no remedy to be had through Mr. Thomas.

I was very happy with them. They move all the furniture and put it back themselves. They cover all the floors when they are painting. They clean up everything when there done everyday. It took them three days to paint the house.