I had my house painted a few weeks ago and as part of it they were also doing my iron gate. I had recently replaced the old wood slats with new synthetic ones and as each one was different I painstakingly used the old slats as templates and match the holes...this was something I told the paint company verbally 2X and in writing once, stressing that they had to make sure the slats went back exactly as they were or they would line up.

Fast forward to painting day...instructions were ignored resulting in crooked slats and stripped screw holes.

I brought this to contractors attention and he sent over his "handyman" who replaced slats as needed but "muscle fucked" new screws in as opposed to actually measuring.

The gate looked good for a day until it slammed and 2 slats popped off reveling very elongated holes and upon closer inspection I saw that the whole this was half assed.

I contacted contractor and instead of losing my shit was patient and told him I know mistakes happen but I would like my gate fixed right and once and for all...At this point he said he wanted to send handy bot over again and I said that is fine but this is last chance and after that I want a professional brought in to which I was told "oh then just get some estimates and I will let you take care of it"

I got 3 estimates to repair/replace and the contractor said he would allow up to XXX but did not wnat to hear from me again after that...Again, staying calm I opted to replace to cover my ass.

Contractor paid gate company direct and they replaced today doing a great job. After it was all done I sent him a note telling his that I really appreciated him owning the issue and taking care of the problem.

I just got email back from contractor telling me to leave old gate in yard so he can pick up with no apology or acknowledgment of my thanks...I really do appreciate him not making me chase him but it irritates me that not once has he or his PM uttered the phrase "Im sorry" and not treated me like I am a pain in their asses.

The sad part is i was refereed to him from a neighborhood message board and people have messaged me for an opinion on using him: I dont want to hurt his rep and he did do the right thing but only after I caught him doing the wrong thing.

If I may ask, how much $$ was the house painting?

Some people were never taught how to apologize. My in-laws, for instance.

I can easily say superficial words of gratitude and apology at work and other non-personal settings.

Amongst friends and family and people I care about, true expressions of thanks and apology are very difficult for me. Actually, expressing any emotion verbally is difficult for me. Somehow, the sentiment of actions over words was perhaps ingrained in me.

However, in professional settings like this -- these verbals expressions can sometimes make or break you. Even if there is no sincerity behind it - it needs to get done.

I believe there is a triangle formed by product (all aspects, including quality), customer service/orientation and price (reasonableness). Start cutting any of those corners and business gets hurt.

I deal a lot in customer service. If something goes wrong a simple apology and allowing someone to vent goes a long way. It likely won't even cost any money, just the time it takes to apologize and listen to the person get it off their chest.

In your case, pay for the F-up, apologize and move on.

They skipped a step.

quote:

Originally posted by KMitch200:
If I may ask, how much $$ was the house painting?

It was just under @2000.00 and I got about 4 estimates....they were not the cheapest nor were they the most and on the painting side of things did a decent job (could have been a little cleaner)

Working with the public every day, I can tell you that an apology (or sometimes just manning up and saying "yeah, I thought x, but I was wrong. This is Y" is the only thing someone really wants.

Often it isn't about money at all. If I let them know I identify with their frustration, and make a goodwill effort to fix it to their satisfaction, they're generally very happy.

Not a hard concept to grasp, but for some I guess it's like higher math.

I'd pull the rec and put the story out there.

Sounds like people need to watch out for this crooked guy. Folks that ONLY fix their mistakes after they are found out don't deserve your money or praise.

Here's the thing. For me, actions speak louder than words. I'm just trying to read his mind here.

He did right by you. He thought you were overly picky but he wants to keep his reputation intact. So he negotiated with you and made you whole. he's out bucks that he wasn't counting on spending. What more do you want? You want him to prostate himself before you and beg your forgiveness?

And I'm not trying to argue with you. I agree "I'm sorry" would have made a difference.

While I agree an apology may have been warranted, an apology tends to admits fault. Admitting fault goes a long way in court when determining fault.

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
While I agree an apology may have been warranted, an apology tends to admits fault. Admitting fault goes a long way in court when determining fault.

Oh it gets better...The painter stopped by this AM because he wanted old gate and sent me a snarky, passive-aggressive email insinuating that I had "unrealistic expectations"!

I replied by pointing out that absolutely none of this was my fault and added that I was a little bent that through it all I have never received a simple apology. I also mentioned that if he wan ts to point fingers he should look at his handyman and project manager that were at fault.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
While I agree an apology may have been warranted, an apology tends to admits fault. Admitting fault goes a long way in court when determining fault.

Oh it gets better...The painter stopped by this AM because he wanted old gate and sent me a snarky, passive-aggressive email insinuating that I had "unrealistic expectations"!

I replied by pointing out that absolutely none of this was my fault and added that I was a little bent that through it all I have never received a simple apology. I also mentioned that if he wan ts to point fingers he should look at his handyman and project manager that were at fault.

Don't forget to include the original set of instructions which you provided.

If that person failed then the painter needs to address the issue there.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
While I agree an apology may have been warranted, an apology tends to admits fault. Admitting fault goes a long way in court when determining fault.

Oh it gets better...The painter stopped by this AM because he wanted old gate and sent me a snarky, passive-aggressive email insinuating that I had "unrealistic expectations"!

I replied by pointing out that absolutely none of this was my fault and added that I was a little bent that through it all I have never received a simple apology. I also mentioned that if he wan ts to point fingers he should look at his handyman and project manager that were at fault.

Apparently you cared more about his reputation than he did. Burn him.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGguy229:

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
While I agree an apology may have been warranted, an apology tends to admits fault. Admitting fault goes a long way in court when determining fault.

Oh it gets better...The painter stopped by this AM because he wanted old gate and sent me a snarky, passive-aggressive email insinuating that I had "unrealistic expectations"!

I replied by pointing out that absolutely none of this was my fault and added that I was a little bent that through it all I have never received a simple apology. I also mentioned that if he wan ts to point fingers he should look at his handyman and project manager that were at fault.

Apparently you cared more about his reputation than he did. Burn him.

I am not going to go out of my way to burn him BUT if asked I will be completely honest.

Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

An apology and admitting fault are two completely different things and in a service industry a little compassion goes a long way.

Being honest about your experience isn't burning anyone. If ointment is needed it's because they burned themselves.

On the other hand, be aware that their inability to apologize has nothing to do with you and everything to do with their maturity level.

It costs exactly nothing to be polite.

I worked in residential plumbing and electrical service for ~18 years.

Callbacks cost money so you always do everything to prevent them. But regardless stuff happens.

On the rare occasion I got a callback I did it with an apology and a smile, and would make it right. It's just good business, and it will likely insure you have a customer that can trust and will depend on you for life.

If a service provider does any less than that you need a new provider.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:
people have messaged me for an opinion on using him: I dont want to hurt his rep and he did do the right thing but only after I caught him doing the wrong thing.

I would not slam him publically by posting a bad review but would privately message or email anyone who asked.