Rhodes Custom Finishes Painting Company

Rhodes Custom Finishes was hired to paint a new construction home that was to be general contracted by the home owner themselvesThis individual received their estimate on 6-12-During the bidding process the homeowner was asked if a taper had been selectedThe homeowner stated a taper had not been selectedAt this time, RCF referred them to a taper we had done work with before and suggested, if interested, RCF would sub-contract the taper to assist in saving the homeowner money, covering the taper under RCF's insurance, and streamlining the billing process due to the homeowner's loan arrangementsThe homeowner agreed this would be in their best interestRCF proceeded to sub-contract the taper for the ownerThe homeowner agreed to our bid and we were scheduled to start the job on 6-20- Due to the homeowners lack of General Contracting knowledge, this project proceeded without a concrete timeline/job scheduleThe conditions of the site were deplorable, with mud being tracked in the house from people being there after hours, saw dust, general construction trash in which many times resulted in RCF employees having to sweep and clean at the start of each day in order to be able to apply finishesRCF was on the job site each day and worked from 7am to 3:pmWe applied all finishes according to manufactures recommendations, as we would on any projectRCF was held up on many occasions due to lack of schedule or slow completion of the many DIY projects such as the flooring throughout, tile, and many other items often resulting in lost productionDespite many delays in production, RCF thoroughly completed this project in a timely manner When the job was completed Myself and the home owner did walk-throughs (end of August 2014) and any item the home owner was unsatisfied with we fixed without hesitationThis is the punch list process that happens on any new construction homeThe home owner paid RCF for our services and the job was done the first week of September About a month after the final walk through on (October 2014) RCF received a call about a "bubble" in the kitchen ceilingI went by and took a look and agreed to address it for them, even though the bubble was not the result of anything RCF or the tapers had causedIn the meantime, while the taper and I were there we addressed a couple other items that were overlooked by the homeowner/general contractor on the walkthrough and even repaired some drywall damage caused by the homeowner at no chargeWe then returned the following day to finish paint the repaired areas 12-14- months have passed and RCF received additional contact from the homeowner stating there were nail pops forming in the drywallAt that time, I informed the homeowner that nail pops are typically not a result of the tapers and painters but can be caused by over screwing of the drywall or from the home settlingI also informed the homeowner, that it is typical of most builders to do a month walk through and some even offer a year walk through on new homes for this exact reasonBeing the fact they had general contracted the home themselves, these items of complaint would fall under their responsibilityRCF offered to fix any issues, however explained, it would not be free of charge since we have already completed our portion of the project The home owner claimed that RCF verbally offered to honor nail pops for yearRCF has never offered a warranty to any customer for nail popsOur warranty is a 30-day guarantee, in which we obliged Over the next months (December to February of 2015) RCF received many random texts from this homeowner saying the quality of work from the taper was poor but felt it was not a painting issueI then again explained to her that nail pops and in some cases seams appear as the home settlesIn an attempt to please the customer, we both agreed that it would be best to wait until spring of when the house has had a full year to settle to review the issuesRCF did not receive contact from the homeowner until June 14th, asking for the project to be looked at again While waiting for the spring to arrive, the homeowner left a negative review about RCF online on 2-5-despite the agreementRCF later learned of this review and again reached out for clarificationRCF offered for the homeowner to select a taper of their choice to provide them with an estimate and RCF would pay for any repairs in order to satisfy the customerThe homeowner declined this resolution, stating they did not want RCF to pay for any repairs and asked if the original taper would come back to take a look at the home to determine the cause of the drywall issuesIn which at that time I asked the homeowner to reach out to the taper directly to avoid any miscommunication RCF did not hear from this customer again until January 22nd 2016, a full months later when notification was received from google that again a negative review had been leftI reached out to the homeowner and asked why a review was left, after so long and after many attempts to recover the complaintThe homeowner informed me that a friend had asked about general contracting their own house and at that time the homeowner felt it necessary "to go ahead and write another review." The home owner claims we did not attempt to help resolve the issue and demanded money for the items to be fixedCustomer satisfaction is highly important to RCFI again attempted to make a resolution in exchange for the reviews to be removedI requested the homeowner provide pictures of each item (which RCF received) and a defined list of the items they wanted fixedThese items were to be made into a final walk through list and would be required to be checked off by RCF and the homeowner once repaired in order ensure the customer's satisfactionThe homeowner did not care for this resolution and felt they shouldn't have to "work" to get this completedI explained once the list was received we could schedule a pre-walkthrough to establish the necessary issues and then schedule the work to be doneThe homeowner was again dissatisfied with the resolutionRCF offered to complete the work to meet the homeowner's satisfaction, however the homeowner declined the offer, as they were unwilling to make arrangements to miss work to do the walkthrough and the repairsRCF agreed to do the walk through after hours but informed them the repairs would have to be made during business hoursThe home owner informed me they would not miss any work thus again refusing a resolution I received contact from the homeowner weeks later 2-10-asking when we would come out to do the walkthrough and at that time I informed them after several unsuccessful attempts to reconcile, we unfortunately, would not be returning to do any work This experience has been very disappointing, but at the same time it has become the best learning experience one could ask forOver the past year and a half RCF has acquired additional, trained professionals, as part of our crewRCF has grown to be one of the leading companies in the St Charles County areaWe have made many great changes within our company and not because of this one particular job but because of all of our jobs and our desire to improve people's homesWe use every job as a training opportunity to be better at our process and execute with extreme efficiency while providing top of the line finishesWe have many great reviews from other customers and regrettably we were not able to satisfy this oneWe appreciate this opportunity to learn, and will continue growing and learning from every job we perform

Rhodes Custom Finishes was hired to paint a new construction home that was to be general contracted by the home owner themselves. This individual received their estimate on 6-12-2014. During the bidding process the homeowner was asked if a taper had been selected. The homeowner stated a taper had...

not been selected. At this time, RCF referred them to a taper we had done work with before and suggested, if interested, RCF would sub-contract the taper to assist in saving the homeowner money, covering the taper under RCF's insurance, and streamlining the billing process due to the homeowner's loan arrangements. The homeowner agreed this would be in their best interest. RCF proceeded to sub-contract the taper for the owner. The homeowner agreed to our bid and we were scheduled to start the job on 6-20-2014.
Due to the homeowners lack of General Contracting knowledge, this project proceeded without a concrete timeline/job schedule. The conditions of the site were deplorable, with mud being tracked in the house from people being there after hours, saw dust, general construction trash in which many times resulted in RCF employees having to sweep and clean at the start of each day in order to be able to apply finishes. RCF was on the job site each day and worked from 7am to 3:30 pm. We applied all finishes according to manufactures recommendations, as we would on any project. RCF was held up on many occasions due to lack of schedule or slow completion of the many DIY projects such as the flooring throughout, tile, and many other items often resulting in lost production. Despite many delays in production, RCF thoroughly completed this project in a timely manner.
When the job was completed Myself and the home owner did 2 walk-throughs (end of August 2014) and any item the home owner was unsatisfied with we fixed without hesitation. This is the punch list process that happens on any new construction home. The home owner paid RCF for our services and the job was done the first week of September 2014.
About a month after the final walk through on (October 2014) RCF received a call about a "bubble" in the kitchen ceiling. I went by and took a look and agreed to address it for them, even though the bubble was not the result of anything RCF or the tapers had caused. In the meantime, while the taper and I were there we addressed a couple other items that were overlooked by the homeowner/general contractor on the walkthrough and even repaired some drywall damage caused by the homeowner at no charge. We then returned the following day to finish paint the repaired areas.
12-14-14
3 months have passed and RCF received additional contact from the homeowner stating there were nail pops forming in the drywall. At that time, I informed the homeowner that nail pops are typically not a result of the tapers and painters but can be caused by over screwing of the drywall or from the home settling. I also informed the homeowner, that it is typical of most builders to do a 6 month walk through and some even offer a 1 year walk through on new homes for this exact reason. Being the fact they had general contracted the home themselves, these items of complaint would fall under their responsibility. RCF offered to fix any issues, however explained, it would not be free of charge since we have already completed our portion of the project.
The home owner claimed that RCF verbally offered to honor nail pops for 1 year. RCF has never offered a warranty to any customer for nail pops. Our warranty is a 30-day guarantee, in which we obliged.
Over the next 3 months (December to February of 2015) RCF received many random texts from this homeowner saying the quality of work from the taper was poor but felt it was not a painting issue. I then again explained to her that nail pops and in some cases seams appear as the home settles. In an attempt to please the customer, we both agreed that it would be best to wait until spring of 2015 when the house has had a full year to settle to review the issues. RCF did not receive contact from the homeowner until June 14th, 2015 asking for the project to be looked at again.
While waiting for the spring to arrive, the homeowner left a negative review about RCF online on 2-5-2015 despite the agreement. RCF later learned of this review and again reached out for clarification. RCF offered for the homeowner to select a taper of their choice to provide them with an estimate and RCF would pay for any repairs in order to satisfy the customer. The homeowner declined this resolution, stating they did not want RCF to pay for any repairs and asked if the original taper would come back to take a look at the home to determine the cause of the drywall issues. In which at that time I asked the homeowner to reach out to the taper directly to avoid any miscommunication.
RCF did not hear from this customer again until January 22nd 2016, a full 7 months later when notification was received from google that again a negative review had been left. I reached out to the homeowner and asked why a review was left, after so long and after many attempts to recover the complaint. The homeowner informed me that a friend had asked about general contracting their own house and at that time the homeowner felt it necessary "to go ahead and write another review." The home owner claims we did not attempt to help resolve the issue and demanded money for the items to be fixed. Customer satisfaction is highly important to RCF. I again attempted to make a resolution in exchange for the reviews to be removed. I requested the homeowner provide pictures of each item (which RCF received) and a defined list of the items they wanted fixed. These items were to be made into a final walk through list and would be required to be checked off by RCF and the homeowner once repaired in order ensure the customer's satisfaction. The homeowner did not care for this resolution and felt they shouldn't have to "work" to get this completed. I explained once the list was received we could schedule a pre-walkthrough to establish the necessary issues and then schedule the work to be done. The homeowner was again dissatisfied with the resolution. RCF offered to complete the work to meet the homeowner's satisfaction, however the homeowner declined the offer, as they were unwilling to make arrangements to miss work to do the walkthrough and the repairs. RCF agreed to do the walk through after hours but informed them the repairs would have to be made during normal business hours. The home owner informed me they would not miss any work thus again refusing a resolution.
I received contact from the homeowner 2 weeks later 2-10-2016 asking when we would come out to do the walkthrough and at that time I informed them after several unsuccessful attempts to reconcile, we unfortunately, would not be returning to do any work.
This experience has been very disappointing, but at the same time it has become the best learning experience one could ask for. Over the past year and a half RCF has acquired additional, trained professionals, as part of our crew. RCF has grown to be one of the leading companies in the St Charles County area. We have made many great changes within our company and not because of this one particular job but because of all of our jobs and our desire to improve people's homes. We use every job as a training opportunity to be better at our process and execute with extreme efficiency while providing top of the line finishes. We have many great reviews from other customers and regrettably we were not able to satisfy this one. We appreciate this opportunity to learn, and will continue growing and learning from every job we perform.

I read his response.
1.) we never knew he was sub contracting the taping work until afterwards when problems started coming up. This would've actually been against our loan agreement.
2.) the condition were never unclean or after hours. Everything was done during hours considering everything was done by professionals. We have lien wavers and had to have everything done by professional companies per our loan agreement as well.
3.) the company guaranteed to honor a one year walk through for one year. When I contacted him of the issues months ago, he stated they are now not honoring. I have witnesses of this.
4.) the solution he states never happened. He told me he was not paying for someone else to fix the issues that I needed to contact his taper. I attempted to call the taper 4 times and could never get a response. Every single time this guy offers to fix it he then changes his mind. The first time he changed his mind and told me to contact his taper, the second time he told me I had to wait until spring and the third time he told me he wouldn't because I left a negative review on Google.
5.) when he last asked for me to send him pictures and to describe everything in an email format, I did. I also agreed to sign contracts. But he has yet to follow through. Last week he text me and told me he would not honor anything. I also have those emails that I can forward to you if need be. In his text message he said he would not come fix his work b/c I left him a negative review. In his letter to you he said it was b/c of several attempts to reconcile, which he never did. I attached that text. (image1.PNG)