How many of us have stories about those opportunistic "bystanders and passersby" who approach during or after an exterior paint project to inform you that you or your crew "Got paint all over my _______!"...Every time this topic has come up in conversation with other painters there's a catalog of incidents and angles from those looking for a free lunch at the painter's expense;
A few years ago I worked with a crew to paint the garages for a large apartment complex. There were several long, multi-unit garage buildings, which we sprayed and backrolled. We were finished late in the afternoon, and as we cleaned up I noticed a large older model Lincoln pull into the complex and park next to the
first garage we had done that morning...Thought nothing of it as a woman exited the car and went inside the apartments...
...Just before we were to drive out and back to the shop, the woman came running out of the building, all worked up and in form, and proceeded to rant about how we neglected to warn her or cover her car before we commenced to paint the garage (remember that car hadn't shown up until
after the job was completed), and look at all the overspray...Sure enough, the car was spattered, especially on the side AWAY from the garage...As I inspected "our" indiscretion, I noted tha the paint on her car was under a good layer of dust, and a VERY different color than what we applied to the garages...I diplomatically pointed this out--WOW--Should have let the lawyers take care of it, as the tantrum this woman put on was the stuff that Emmy's are made of...I told her to call the shop the next day and the issue would be resolved, but she apparently was looking for my guilt and shame to generate an instantaneous wad of cash, because we never heard from her again...