Pratt & D'Angelo, Inc.

Review: If I had to sum up my experience in a few phrases - unprofessional labor, incorrect materials, understaffed job, poor quality of work. I hired Pratt & D'Angelo to paint my hallway walls, and the ceilings in my living room, hallway, and bedroom. For a company that claims to be professional painters, the quality of the work was subpar. Sections of the ceiling and the hallway walls kept peeling through the fresh paint, even after two days of scraping, applying compound, and re-sanding. Then there were the sections of the ceiling where the compound kept bleeding through the paint causing "stains" on the ceiling. There came a point where I had to call the supervisor because it was becoming like one of those trick birthday candles that just won't blow out. The ultimate answer I was given was that a different type of primer was needed, and those sections would need to be redone. The “painter” had to redo both the hallway and living room ceilings a third time because they were streaked, had visible roller marks and sections that were shinier than other areas. There are still sections of the ceiling (mostly in my rushed bedroom) that look “patched,” but I was just so tired of trying to have the “painter” correct the work. Also, P&D sent one person to do a two person job, so the worker was rushing and getting exhausted. To add to this point, things were not given appropriate drying time before moving on to the next step. For example, letting the compound set before applying the paint and letting the first coat dry before applying the second. All of this is troubling to me. If a company claims they are professional painters, they should know the type of paint to use and how long things need to dry. To make matters worse, in less than one year, my living room and hallway ceilings are peeling and flaking in spots. I have reached out to the owner of company about my problem. He returned my phone call after about three weeks, saying he was "busy" with a personal move. After explaining the problem to him, he tried to tell me the paint that was on my ceiling must have been bad paint and never set properly. In my opinion, this is probably a result of the Pratt painter having to continuously repaint and "fix" areas of the ceiling. But, the owner, [redacted], wanted to tell me that the paint sitting on my ceiling for years - and in good condition - was the problem. Mr. [redacted] asked me to send him photos and said he would come out to look at my apartment. I have sent him two- three emails and left about one or two voice mails. He has failed to respond to any of them. Furthermore, I chose a paint from the two recommended brands provided by Pratt & D'Angelo. They ended up purchasing a brand different from the one I selected and then color matched. I didn't appreciate having the brand switched on me without my knowledge, especially when I asked beforehand which brands to choose from.Desired Settlement: I think the company should refund a portion of my payment since sections of my ceiling now look worse than it did before Pratt & D'Angelo painted it. It looks like it hasn't been painted in years, with significant peeling and flaking, when in fact it was painted less than one year ago.

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted]

contracted Pratt & D’Angelo to prepare and paint several walls and

ceilings in her co-op apartment in January 2013. Ms. [redacted]’s complaint is

about peeling on her ceilings that were recently painted. I personally

inspected Ms. [redacted]’s ceilings today, 11-**-13.

As evidenced in the enclosed photos, the ceilings are not peeling, however

there are several areas where the old, underlying layers of paint are

beginning to delaminate from the plaster beneath and small hairline cracks

are starting to telegraph through the newly applied paint. These areas where

extensively prepared, primed and painted at the time of her job, however the

original layers of paint that were bonded previously to the plaster beneath

are beginning to un-bond from either the presence of calcimine paint or

efflorescence of the plaster beneath. I explained to Ms. [redacted] that this is

a pre-existing condition that can only be permanently rectified by applying a

sheetrock ceiling over the existing ceiling or possibly applying mesh fabric

and skim coating the ceiling with plaster. Neither of these approaches were

discussed or priced as part of her original paint job.

I do recognize that my salesperson should have done a better job

communicating these issues to Ms. [redacted] and as such, I offered her a $150

credit as consolation. Ms. [redacted] agreed to the credit, and the attached

check is being mailed tomorrow.

I consider this issue closed and settled.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted]. I have accepted Mr. [redacted]'s small credit because I am tired, but I don't completely agree with his response. My living room ceiling was not crackling before being painting. I feel that I have no trust in this company. I paid for professionals to properly perform a job. Now that problems have arisen, they are back peddling and saying that the only way to have prevented this was to basically put in a new ceiling, which as Mr. [redacted] communicated to me during his visit, I would not have wanted to pay for. It was his staff that mixed an oil primer with latex paint (which I understand can be a cause of the crackling). He came in with a condescending attitude waving his engineering degrees. I do not discredit his summation regarding the cause of the crackling, but I do have a problem with his staff not properly accessing my apartment, and offering me to best approach. I am not happy that after less than a year, my "newly painting" ceilings look old.