This is hard to write: the process was a real pain and they did everything to lose the business up front, but the at-site service and quality of work was very good. CertaPro arrived on time for the quote and the guy was great - helpful, pleasant and provided a clear, detailed written quote. Of the 3 quotes I took, this was marginally the highest, however, the work they planned to do on the preparation of the windows/ garage doors was very good (washing, caulking, puttying, scraping, patch cracking, sanding, and spot priming bare areas as well as using the paint consumer reports rated the best/second best for exterior jobs). This was important because the south facing side of my house takes a lot of weather and expansion/contraction and the previous owners clearly didn't do much to maintain. I took about a month to call and book... I called 3 times and left a message: no response, I called the 1-800 line and they didn't know who I was talking about - said they'd give him the message and never did (2x), I received a message saying they would like my business (impressive) but I couldn't reach them. Turns out that the number on the form was wrong - but that didn't excuse the horrific lack of service at the 1-800. Not sure why I persisted - but I did and a date was set and the paint colour was chosen (I chose a colour from another company and had it matched in the brand they use). The delay of getting the paint meant they didn't work on the day set because they couldn't arrive before I left for work (access to premise). The second appointment my spouse stayed home - and I got a call to say that the painters needed specific direction of what to paint. They ended up using the wrong colour on the wrong part: and it had to be repainted. They did repaint the next day and they did it well with no hassles.
Communications were a nightmare and a mess of errors at every level. The painting quality was great... very thorough, they were meticulous, willing to work with the home owner and very focused on fixing the mistakes (we had Leslie and her crew). Look - mistakes happen - but how a company fixes it makes every difference. And now after the winter I can say it has really held up. My house looks great and I know its better protected against the elements - I'm glad I did it. That's why they are getting the decent rating. Once they get it together, they could be great.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $800.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Communications at every level. the 1-800 number was awful and didn't assist. The local rep didn't communicate well with his team. I got 2 different customer feedback forms - the corporate and the local don't share info with each other. Not a smooth transaction. My neighbor took a quote from them but gave up with all the nonsense.
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- I found that going professional on this job was worth it for me though I paint my interior myself. What is included for your money?