Asking Eric: Who’s to blame when the painter uses the wrong colors?

Dear Eric: I recently hired a painter whom I’ve hired before. He told me to text him my colors, and he collected the paint from the paint store.

I was home while he painted and noticed that the name of the ceiling paint was different from what I asked for, but I understand that names can change. I liked the color, so I didn’t think much about it.

But for the walls of a bedroom, the paint color was clearly wrong, and I hate the look of it now. I didn’t see the final work until it was done.

I asked if this was the color I ordered, and he said yes. I paid off the contract, and he left.

Then I went to stow the paint cans in the garage and realized that the ceiling paint and the bedroom wall paint were each wrong. Their codes were one digit off from what I actually wanted. When I asked him about it, he said the paint store gave him the wrong paint and admitted that he didn’t check the cans.

Who’s ultimately at fault here? I feel like I am, since I’m the project owner. But I admit I am rankled at having to eat the cost of having the room repainted, as it will likely cost me $500.

Is this just a live and learn situation? The paint store and painter bear no responsibility here? The painter’s contract has no verbiage about liability for errors of any kind.

— Painted Over

Dear Painted Over: He should have checked the product he was receiving before he left the store. The store is “at fault” for giving him the wrong code (if they were the ones who mistyped, and not him). But part of providing good service is making sure that you’ve got the right tools. Sometimes mistakes can’t be painted over, but in this case, they literally can. He should have offered to fix his mistake, if not for free, then for a discount.

(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)

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