Michael Grinstead

Michael was hired to paint my kitchen, living room, small bath and two bedrooms. No trim work. No patching. He was also supposed to paint metal posts on carport. He estimated this would take about 5 days. He showed up late the first day, left early. He didn't show up the second day. Third day he was even later, fourth day he worked 3 or so hours but he promised he'd be through "no later" than the sixth day, Saturday. And he needed more money to buy gas on the fourth day. He had already been given a deposit. He showed up at noon on Saturday. He brought his 10-12 year old special needs son with him. This child was going through every drawer, box, and closet in our house. We tried to be nice and ask him to not do this. Even Michael would try to make him stop bouncing a ball on my hardwood floors and keep his hands out of the boxes we had packed but his attention span was very, very short. He was inside, outside, upside down in our home. On Monday Michael called to tell me he was through with the painting and wanted us to leave him cash on the counter so he could pick it up the next day. He left an itemized list of charges - which added up exactly to the original list that I had in my purse. Except he had left off doing the work on the outside and added that amount to the cost of painting one bedroom. PLUS he wanted $20.00 for "gas money". Of course, we inspected the house that afternoon. You could see the old colors shining through every where he had cut in - top of walls, around light switches, etc. He had slopped yellow paint on my white woodwork. And he had not touched the outside work. I left him a detailed note of what needed to be done and that we would inspect the work the following afternoon before we paid him. At noon the following day he called my husband at work to tell him he was finished and wanted him to drive 74 miles to bring him cash. We did not do that. We went home that afternoon, looked at the paint job, subtracted the outside amount, left off the gas money and paid him. Then we called a real painter who straightened out the ONE coat he'd painted (not TWO that we'd paid for), fixed the nail holes, and caulked the holes he'd left uncaulked. Michael will tell you he does "all the handywork for many clients in Mountain Brook". If so, they don't apparently give him gas money.