AIBU - Painter has painted onto glass of windows?

[Sunandsea13]

Hi all, we had the kitchen painted and the painter has painted the wooden windows too. They are 2 windows separated into 4 panes/8 in total. In all of them there is white paint onto the glass, not even straight just sloppy at the sides/uneven. It’s about 1-2 cm. The invoice is £480.

The wallpaper is also not a complete match in places, but I can live with that.

YAIBU - remove yourself with a glass scraper

YANBU - ask the painter to fix himself

I'd be worried about him scratching the glass if he tries to scrape it off in a huff.

I hate confrontation, so I'd absolutely be dreading it, too. However from the photos I've seen, it really is very shoddy work. I feel like you (or I, or anyone) could have done better. The whole point of getting a professional in to help is so that a professional job can be done, and that's not happened here. You don't have to pay for a job that hasn't been done properly. You've given him the chance to fix, and when he's fixed it, THEN you pay.

Thank you! I really was going to just scrape the windows and live with it! So glad I posted on here now! It’s so frustrating as all you want is a nice home and it annoys me he’s left it like this. I don’t know if he actually sees nothing wrong with the work or if he’s trying it on. It’s so weird tho as he did the dining room ceiling really well and painted the living room door well, but just a massive mess of the kitchen. He really is well known, but even on a bad day, it just seems too awful to justify.

So it was not just a poor job, but also poor customer service - he didn't ask you to look at the job before he left to check you were happy.

We had tradesmen here last week doing a job outdoors, and every day they knocked to check we were happy with what they had done so far.

I hope your painter admits defeat and offers money off.

Me too! My fault really as I was breastfeeding my daughter, he could have said he’d like me to check I suppose or I could have asked him to wait. Maybe he thought a lucky escape but surely he knows he has to be paid! I’m glad I didn’t pay him as another painter I used once asked for payment on the day via bank transfer in front of him. Didn’t use him again either!

What do you mean, you want to know if he'll accept a reduced payment? He has no choice but to accept it.

Also to add, I always pay immediately on receipt of an invoice and don’t want mess anyone around. It feels very weird to me not to be paying him, but then he’s not even sent the final invoice yet.

Sorry I mean rather than coming to fix it. I would rather he not do that, but he has the right to. I just don’t want nastiness when I have a young baby or him turning up demanding money.

Just for clarity, those saying its upside down are incorrect - the wallpaper has a line of symmetry and even says it's symmetrical in the name

I was going to ask if he'd been recommended on Facebook or something, by people who'd never had work done but just wanted to "big up" a friend - it happens all the time - but it seems not

This may sound silly, but are you sure it's the same man who did the neighbour's work and he's not sent someone else? Unless you already knew him I find one guy up a ladder can look much like another unless they're quite distinctive, and it's just about the only thing I can think of which might explain this

That is so bad. He's not even tried to fill out some rough bits and as for painting over the screws

I wouldn't be giving him a penny.

His work is awful. Why should you pay him anything when you have to rebuy the wall paper?

I wouldn't be paying a thing for that. He should be paying for replacement wallpaper. That's awful. Even someone completely unused to decorating could DIY it better than that.

No advice but that wallpapering is terrible lol i couldn't live with that, looks like a child done it

@Puzzledandpissedoff This may sound silly, but are you sure it's the same man who did the neighbour's work and he's not sent someone else?

That happened to me once. He sent around a (rubbish) apprentice.

It’s definitely him as he’s a one man band, still no response !

You and me both, snotathing, hence my question!!

However OP's now kindly replied and said it's a one man band, so this beats the hell out of me

As someone who decorated my own home my whole life and so above average but not professional, this is appalling! There should have been at least half a day/1 day prepping and filling (depending on the room) and then the decorating the next day- all the filler/caulking needed will take time to dry and set and be sanded down. Wallpapering is tricky depending on pattern but it should absolutely line up.

windows - I would expect a very tiny amount could get onto the windows and lightly scrapped off- not a whole stroke. That could have been wiped off as they went along. You don’t leave it to dry on the window like that!

This is awful, shoddy work- my DH is a painter and decorator by trade and would never leave a job like this. He never advertises and relies totally on recommendations and word of mouth. He has a thriving business due to his skills and pride in his work.
I honestly wouldn’t worry about other local tradesmen being put off working for you if you complain about this person, if they are half decent professionals in their trades they will be horrified by this standard of work.
Does the person who did this describe themselves as a painter and decorator or was it someone you happen to know who offered to do the job?
I think in all fairness you should maybe offer this person the opportunity to make good their mistakes, and if they refuse definitely reduce the payment to them. Take as many photos as you can as proof of their terrible workmanship.
sorry this has happened to you.
good luck in resolving this mess.

Did the price include him buying the paint and wall paper? @Sunandsea13

Congrats on the new baby BTW 🎉🥳

I totally agree. It puts my teeth in edge just looking at the pictures 😬
No way would I accept that !

Just the paint, I bought the wallpaper! It was trade paint so not F&B or anything

And thank you!! 🩷

You're right. I totally missed that.

Honestly could cry - the flooring fitter has broken the kick board in the kitchen 🙁 I just give in!