Not paying painter due to carpet stains?

[Reasonswhy]

Starting off with - I’m the most under confident person in the world so any form of potential confrontation feels so hard for me, appreciate I may be making a mountain out of a molehill.
Had a painter out this week to paint 2 rooms. He said on Monday he woolr
get it done that day, but has taken 3 days as said he had other jobs chasing him and his apprentice off sick - fine, no big deal. He finished today while I was out, and I’ve come home to an ok job but it’s patchy still in places and the carpet in one room has a lot of paint on the carpet 😢I’ve attached pics of the smaller areas - for some reason the larger patches pics have been flagged as sensitive😂The areas are damp and slightly white so he’s clearly already put something on it to soak it up which isn’t worked.
I summoned up the courage to call him and he sounded defensive from the off, said he was coming back to finish the darker blue room which had been a “nightmare” as such a dark colour. I told him about the carpet and he said oh is just a dribble? And I said no, there are lots of areas and given they are damp I’m guessing you knew about it and put something down- I just need to know how to get the paint off. He said he’ll sort it over the coming days and rang off.
What do I do? He left an invoice for £680 including materials asking politely for it to be paid within 48 hours. I don’t want to pay it in case he doesn’t come back to fix it, and I don’t think the paint will come easily unless he has a magic solution. WWYD? Do I deduct something from the amount to cover carpet cleaning? If so what would be reasonable? Or will this cause a confrontation?

ugh. TIA

Pay nothing.
Don't reply to the message.
He rectifies all his mess - the carpet, sink and bath, yes make him clean it tomorrow.
Accept the £100 off and if he doesn't get the carpet clean, he pays for the carpet cleaner.
Only then, do you pay the invoice.

OP,
You need to try not to get into a long discussion with him about this. Tell him you can’t pay him until the carpet is in the same condition as it was before. Keep repeating this and don’t get drawn into any negotiations. Let him suggest how to clean it. It’s not up to you to work out how to get rid of the stains.

Have you got the details of how much the carpet cost? Can you gather together some information about the cost of replacing them? I really hope it’s not too much more than the amount he’s charging for the work. Having some paperwork about the carpet will help show him you are serious about the condition of the carpet.

Also, don’t think you have to make a decision while he is there. Even if it looks like he’s got the stains out the carpet then I’d suggest telling him you want to check that the carpet dries out ok and that you will get back to him in a day or so.

Op don't let the carpet dry out....as soon as it dries I don't think you'd get it out. Id advise getting as much soapy water on it as possible and then get a carpet cleaning machine on it.

Thank you all again for steadying my arm here.
I’ve managed to find my invoice for the carpets last year - the affected room is boys bed and the landing + stair are all one area carpet as the top stair leads directly
onto the small landing, so in total £525 + fitting + disposal old carpet + whipping stairs (whatever that means!) and glue etc as listed in invoice. Basically I think it’s more than the painting invoice if I need it replaced 😢

Nope, he's clearly used something to clean up the blue which looks like it's bleached the carpet. If it can't be cleaned he can claim on his insurance for a replacement carpet.

I don't see those stains coming out at all if I'm honest. Does he have insurance?

nothing to do with the invoice but I spilt paint on my cream and grey carpets when I painted a few weeks ago and I got it off with baby oil. Like just off before my very eyes!

If you clean the sink and bath be sure to keep the photos as evidence

As @ButtonMoonLoon said, you need to inspect the stain removal in natural bright daylight. Not artificial light.

Wow! The painter is very careless and unprofessional. You will probably need to get the carpet professionally cleaned and deduct the cost from what the painter is asking.

Don’t pay him anything

You are providing him with an opportunity to make good tomorrow

If, as you expect, he fails then wait until he is off your property and then tell him that you are disputing the invoice and the cost of replacement / cleaning should be deducted.

Looking at the carpet invoice you posted, I think you will still be out of pocket / he will owe you money

You can claim this from him (if he has insurance then they will handle the claim for him and payout … but that’s a big if)

He’s very very slapdash. It makes me wonder whether he’s even done painting before.

I would show him the carpet costs and ask him to invoke his insurance. (Which he blatantly doesn’t have).

I would ask for his insurance details at best you need a professional cleaning company to come in and try and save them but if not you need new, his insurance or he should cover that surely? I’m so sorry for you I would be so upset x

Wow this guy is really crap! Does he even know what he’s doing?!

The best painter we’ve ever had was one who even hoovered up after himself, I’ve never known a tradesperson to be so clean as he was.

Pay 2/3 of the bill and say you'll pay the rest when he has sorted out the carpet stains and you think that will require a professional carpet cleaning company. Be professional, firm and brief about it. Professional carpet cleaners are quite good - especially if it is emulsion paint but dark on light is tricky - good luck. He has been sloppy - one spillage is a mishap, several is carelessness.

I think whipping means the edging/stitching on the side of a runner or rug

A professional carpet cleaner may be able to sort it (at the decorator's expense). Years ago I had a brand new cream carpet fitted in a new home. A friend came to visit with their young child. It was chaos because I had boxes everywhere. The young child found a lipstick and decorated the carpet, hiding under a blanket (so we were unaware). I tried a few things to get it out and none worked. It just looked terrible. So I claimed on the insurance and the insurers asked to try a carpet cleaner first before replacing. They came and within an hour it was perfect. It was quite incredible.

I'd be concerned that he doesn't have insurance based on his carelessness and his attempts to pretend he 'hadn't realised'.

Just ask him what his process is to sort out expensive mistakes - is it covered by his insurance or should you hold back the payment and he recoups his payment on his insurance?

Tell him the cost of the carpet install. Be matter of fact, put the ball in his court “how do you typically resolve issues like this”. If he asks for payment simply say “I’d like to agree a way forward to resolve this mistake before I pay”.

DO NOT pay 2/3 of the bill!! If he’s not insured, you’ve absolutely fuck all chance of getting reimbursed for your carpets. I’d not pay a penny for now!

I hope I’m wrong but I don’t think it’ll come out. I’ve got a dark teal living + dining room and a muted blue spare room, all water based emulsion, and they stain easily. My overalls, roller sleeves and clothes are all proof!

Omg I'm shocked that people are suggesting you pay 1/2 or 2/3 of the bill!!!??? He knows he messed up at this point, so he'll be thrilled with half the pay and you'll never hear from him again. As someone who just got new carpets.... those photos hurt!! 😭 I'm so sorry he was not respectful to your property. He needs to replace the carpets as I doubt the paint will come out. Hopefully he has insurance to help him with this.

And absolutely terrible behaviour to not pre warn you about the carpet marks before you saw them. Instead just leaves an invoice and hopes for the best🤦‍♀️

Tell him you will pay once it’s finished and the carpet has either been cleaned or replaced

Don't pay him anything until your carpets look like they did before he arrived. If he cannot/ will not make them right, take him to small claims court to claim the cost of the carpet.

Sorry OP, I've only read the first page, and all of your posts, but can I ask how you found this guy? Was he recommended? Did you check his work at other houses? Did you check that he actually has insurance? I ask all this, as no professional painter and decorator would make that amount of mess. If he or a professional carpet cleaner can't get out the paint and stains, then if he has insurance tell him you want to claim on that, and if he doesn't then I suggest you try claiming on your own house insurance, it may or may not be covered depending on whether you have 'accidental damage' cover. Failing that, check whether your home insurance includes 'Legal Cover', if it does then call them, they usually have a 24 hours helpline where you can get free advice. Alternatively you could take him to the 'Small Claims Court'.

Whatever you have to do, I hope you'll come back and let us know how things work out, and if he gets stroppy with you, just tell him to leave until he's ready to talk to you as the valued customer you should be, but DO NOT under any circumstance, agree to any sort of settlement with him, ie, the £100 discount, until the whole situation is resolved to your satisfaction.