Complaint Review: Edwards Painting - Riverton Illinois

In September 2012, at the recommendation of our local pool supply center, we contracted with Edwards Painting, Riverton, Illinois to do minor patching and a complete paint job of the pool surface, including walls. The agreed amount was $1900. The recommendation was done based on our pool supply center’s previous customer’s positive experiences with the quality of workmanship of Edwards Painting.  However, such references were either aged, based on much more simple demand for craftsmanship, or both.  For, throughout this entirely abysmal customer service experience is the customer’s belief that the nature and demands of the work required a much higher skill set than the employees at Edwards Painting possessed.  

Upon arrival to do the work, the principal representative, Todd, for Edwards Painting told me that he wouldn’t do the walls, as that was not included in the $1900.  When I told him that I signed a contract with the expressed intent of having the “entire surface” painted, he explained that I was mistaken.  This was my first sign of trouble and should have put an end to this contract.  However, relying on the recommendation of my “trusted” and “phenomenal customer service” pool supply center; I agreed to an additional $300 for the walls to be painted.

Getting the initial work done proved very frustrating and difficult.  A job that should have taken four days, took 19.  Weather proved only a minor impediment.  The workers arriving to work for a day, then not returning for 2 to 3 days at a time was common.  The customer was provided with no phone calls, or other feedback as to why the work wasn’t being done.  When the job was completed and the three days wait, to allow the paint to dry and set was past; the customer noticed peeling paint in two different locations.  Upon which a call was made to Edwards Painting, explaining the circumstances.  Being told that they were too busy to return and touch up the paint; they agreed to return in the spring of 2013 and take care of the peeling paint; when the customer was going to open the pool for the summer.

Fast forward to May of 2013, the paint job that was covered up with water in September of 2012 was all one color and intact, except for the two locations previously discovered.  The paint job that was discovered, when the pool was drained on May 11, 2013, was peeling badly, two shades of blue and showed numerous roller streaking, hand brush streaking and touching up spotting throughout the pool surface.  The poor quality of paint and/or workmanship did not hold up over the winter months. 

The customer immediately called Edwards Painting and asked them to return, as agreed to in September of 2012, to correct the paint job and quality of the work to the customer’s satisfaction.  Trisha, who handled my call, told me she would be there on Monday, May 13, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. to resolve the problem.  She didn’t show up.  This would be the first of seven incidences where a verbal agreement to return at a specific time would not be honored by Edwards Painting.  Leaving the customer to wait, and then call numerous times to rearrange a time to return and correct the paint work.  Beginning on May 16, 2013, at 4:19 p.m. phone calls would stop being returned. 

Text messages were also sent, to include pictures of the poor quality of workmanship.  The last call was made on Saturday, May 18^th, from a different phone number.  However, this call was not answered and a voice mail was left.  This voice mail was very terse and direct to the nature of this customer’s extreme dissatisfaction and disappointment with the customer service and poor quality of the work done by Edwards Painting.  The call was returned a few hours later, by Trisha, whom immediately handed the call over to Todd.  The customer explained his position regarding the poor customer service, lack of professional communication and the quality of work. 

Todd proceeded to begin to mount a feeble defense of his failure to deliver on service and workmanship.  With that being a waste of the customer’s time, not being necessary, nor in the interest of serving the customer’s needs, this customer demanded specific action on the part of Edwards Painting, or a very severe review of this horrendous contractor encounter would be presented to all “reporting agencies” possible, including the customers own extensive business network within the local market area.  At which, Todd, once again, engaged in a diatribe regarding how busy they were, I was not the only customer, that the pool was old and it wouldn’t be able to hold a good paint job, that the compound in the cracked concrete was rubber and an epoxy paint was applied; which is an incompatible combination, he had pictures of the job when he left in September of 2012 and had 100’s of satisfied customers. 

Upon interruption and explaining that these statements, whether accurate or not, failed to serve to satisfy the customer, nor give the customer $2200 worth of quality pool painting.  I restated my position and told him there was no point in continuing the conversation.  Todd then explained that, “there is no way I’m going to reapply paint to the pool.”  Upon which I told him, the least you can do is give me enough paint to do it myself, because my paint job lasted five years, yours didn’t last five months.”  He told me that he couldn’t do that and that wasn’t going to happen.”  The customer ended the phone call.

Several hours later, Trisha called the customers wife and left a voice mail.  Trisha indicated that they would leave three gallons of paint on Monday, May 20, 2013.  Three gallons of paint were left at the customers door step.  However, the satisfactory resolution to the poor workmanship and service provided by Edwards Painting has not been resolved.  Therefore, I write to warn anyone looking for a pool patch and repair contractor to avoid Edwards Painting.  They are absolutely terrible in the quality of work, timeliness of work and customer service.  You will not get what you pay for.