Painter charged $2000 for 12 hours of work

[Anonymous]

The only issue I’m seeing here is with you OP. If you didn’t ask for a description of what the painter was going to be doing then that’s on you. Every painter I’ve ever hired provided a work scope in their quote. Something along the lines of clean/prep/sand surfaces, one coat of primer, two coats of paint (Type, color, brand) work area cleaned up upon completion.
Before spending $2K you should have also gotten their insurance information emailed from their carrier and their contactor’s license (if required in your area.) If it was a top quality job - great. It’s on you if you agreed to price but now have ‘payer’s regret.’

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your painter shouldn’t have a middle class life? 320k is, according to the pundits of DCUM, right in the middle of middle class.

Lol, Tell that to the teachers, all the govt employees, half the physicians…

[Anonymous]

I disagree- a decent paint job includes proper prep, even without spelling it out. Unless it’s agreed that you just slap on paint, which will peel off in about 1 year from the exterior.
Just like, say, a medical procedure or test follows standard medical care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dentist made $2000 in 10 min extracting a couple teeth.

No, they didn’t. When is the last time you went to the dentist?

If they did, you need a new dentist just like OP should have hired a better painter.

[Anonymous]

Many contractors determine their pricing when they show up at your house and take a guess on how much they think you will pay. Painting is not a skilled trade like electricians or plumbers. I had landscaping company come to my house to give me an estimate for several tasks. Like clean up, tree and shrub trimming, beds, etc. They said I could have two guys for 8 hours for $4000! That comes out to $250 per hour per guy. I'm certain these workers are not employees and do not receive any benefits like paid time off, retirement, or disability insurance. Most likely they are paid $20-25 per hour and rest goes into the owner's pocket.

[Anonymous]

Actually, in some European countries, painting is a skilled craft, 3-year apprenticeship- and we could tell the difference when we hired painters originally from the “old country”. For starters, they didn’t tape off anything and their lines were crisp. Exterior paint job lasted about 15 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many contractors determine their pricing when they show up at your house and take a guess on how much they think you will pay. Painting is not a skilled trade like electricians or plumbers. I had landscaping company come to my house to give me an estimate for several tasks. Like clean up, tree and shrub trimming, beds, etc. They said I could have two guys for 8 hours for $4000! That comes out to $250 per hour per guy. I'm certain these workers are not employees and do not receive any benefits like paid time off, retirement, or disability insurance. Most likely they are paid $20-25 per hour and rest goes into the owner's pocket.

Likely, but most likely it is also going to disability insurance, and all of the equipment for landscaping as well as hauling away the refuse---most places they don't just get to dump for free.
It also goes to support the website, any ads, the admin answering the phone at the office, etc. The smaller the company, the less you pay.