A painter added colors and trim to a Victorian house job without a signed change order, and the client wouldn't pay
As a college student running his painting business, the owner quoted a large Victorian house at about $6,500 for three colors. The customer then asked for five colors and more trim, and he agreed the extra cost out loud but never had it signed. At the end the customer paid only part of the bill and said they never signed for the extra. He chased the rest, a few thousand dollars, for two weeks, then gave up.
“No, I never signed for that.”
Co-host of the show who ran his own painting business, Price. Sell. Paint. (opens in a new tab), posted . Retold in our words; names left out of our retelling. Published here .
The ready-to-send reply for this: Confirm the job, price and any extras in writing
Step-by-step guide: Turn a long phone call into a written recap for the customer
This card was checked by our editor against the source. Found a mistake? Email [email protected].
The Tuesday email
Get better with difficult clients in 3 minutes a week.
Every Tuesday, a 3-minute email: one real owner's hard moment, the ready-to-copy message that handles it, and the check before you send. Every message stays on the site for you. Your first week starts with three short welcome emails.
At most one ad per issue, always labeled.