Is your quote too good to be true?
Everyone loves a bargain, but getting good work done costs money – and if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
We recently met Sarah and Joe* and heard their story of a great deal gone terribly wrong. They had moved to New Zealand from the United States about 18 months ago and were lucky enough to have a landlord that allowed them to paint the interior of their apartment.
Not wanting to invest too much on a rental, and not having engaged a tradesperson in New Zealand before, the young couple bought a Grab One voucher for a painter. They were assured the work would be completed within two days and at a price that they were able to spend.
A team of four painters arrived on time and got straight to work. They left at midday, and didn’t return.
After over a dozen calls the couple were told one of the painters had fallen off a roof and was in hospital. The contractor promised to be in touch once he was discharged. After several weeks of waiting they were told one of the painters had attended a surprise party and was too tired to come to work.
Finally, the painting contractor said the painters were no longer interested in continuing with the job. By this time, weeks had passed with the apartment in various stages of progress.
- There was no evidence of any masking or preparation work
- Varnished timber that was outside the scope of work had paint splatters
- Curtains were not removed and had paint on them
- Walls that had been painted had an extremely patchy finish
After an inspection from the landlord Sarah and Joe were issued with a 14 day notice to get the work completed. Otherwise she would send in painters of her choice and they would have to foot the bill.
Sarah and Joe have learnt a valuable lesson about engaging tradespeople and assessing quotes. This two-bedroom apartment has a stairwell, a living area and a hallway. It would have not been possible for professional painters to have completed the work within two days.
Our Insider’s Guide outlines the Top 5 mistakes people make when getting their home painted, and could have saved Sarah and Joe a lot of strife.
When choosing a painter for your project:
- Get more than one quote: Getting a range of quotes means you know if the quotes are reasonable, and you can query differences in quotes to gain an understanding of what is included and the calibre of work you can expect. This is especially important if you haven’t engaged a tradesperson before.
- Seek testimonials: Your contractor should have some testimonials about their work, but make sure you look beyond the quality of the workmanship itself. This is important of course, but so is their communication, project management and the conduct of their team while onsite.
- Reviews: There are lots of review sites for tradespeople, check out No Cowboys and see how your tradesperson rates.
- Industry associations:Are they a member of any industry associations? As a member of Auckland Master Painters we know there are certain standards we are expected to uphold, which offer an additional layer of protection to our clients.
If you want your home painted by award winning Auckland Master Painters who consistently provide excellent workmanship and superior customer service, get in touch for a quote.
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*names changed
