Exterior Residential Painting Company Horror Story-and it's not even Halloween, yet!
What’s in a price? Is it too high? too low? As a home owner, it’s hard to tell. The best thing to do, is get a few estimates and compare them. The best place to find a reputable painter in Venice, Fl is to ask your neighbors, go to the local chamber of commerce, and then verify it with the paint stores, as they are very familiar with all the painters in town.
But should you just compare prices and go with the lowest one? Our advice is no. And here is a true story to illustrate why:
Once upon a time, there was a gated community in North Venice, Florida. We, Burnett 1-800-PAINTING were trying to get our foot in the door to be the preferred painting company, but we were having a really hard time making any inroads. There was one specific painter who seemed to have a lock on the North Venice Community. All we heard were wonderful things about this painter. We will call him Stan. Stan was very personable and got along exceptionally well with the residents. On top of that, he had amazing prices! We found that he was charging about $2,000 a home, painting about 3 homes a week, and was booked out for a couple of months. Good for him!
Well, I popped into a local paint store and heard the dreaded news. He took off with the residents’ deposits!
This is really bad in many respects. It’s very unfortunate for the residents that lost their deposits-thousands of dollars. It also tarnishes the reputable painting companies working really hard to grow their business. Really, who can you trust if this guy had raving fans before he walked away with their money? (Note: he was not in the local chamber or any service organization, so please check out the local chamber for reputable companies tied to the community.) Another unfortunate aspect of the story is the price for his work.
It may be easier to see now, in retro-spect, why some companies prices are higher:
- in order to run a business above the law (insurance, workman’s comp., liability, and paying fair wages to employees, as these are not free) and
- to not paint yourself into a corner where running off with deposits and stealing customers’ hard earned money seems like an option
My guess, and I can only speculate, is that Stan, did not have a grasp on what his operating cost were and what his break even is. He was giving a price where he was gaining business, but losing money fast! When the cashflow slowed down or when he ran into a hiccup, he found he did not have enough cash to cover his operation.
Today Stan, is no where to be seen and now his former painter has taken the reins. And I will state he is a great painter! However, being a great painter does not automatically make us a wise business person. That takes year of experience, books, seminars, lessons, and a good calculation of operating costs. I have no doubt, the one who took over can do it.
Please consider the cost when hiring a painting company. If the price is too good to be true, it probable is and you will get what you pay for (or maybe less, as the story shows!). To properly prepare and paint an exterior home with 2 coats using premium paint (9 year warranty) plan on a minimum of $2,800 to $4,000. We have pricing listed on our site for you to view.
Remember, always check your local chamber first, before calling any painting contractor for an estimate.
