Student Works Painting

I am extremely disappointed with the service provided by this company. Many of my friends warned me not to deal with them but I just wanted to try it out. On March 19, one operator and the "district manager" showed up at my door to write me a quote. The operator, Tatiana, showed to have no experience in the painting business. The manager convinced me and my husband with his business talk, and said that he would vouch for the job that we wanted done. We decided to close a deal with them. Big mistake! We signed a contract, and gave a 25% deposit ($362.00) for the job. The operator Tatiana came to get the cheque on April 2nd, but we never heard from her, even though she said she would call to give us a date to start sometime in May. In the middle of May I got worried. I called Tatiana. She gave me a starting date (June 3) for job, and said she would come before to collect our choice of colours. That never happened. Again, she never called back. One day before she was supposed to start the job, we called her again. She didn't answer, only until later to tell us that our contract had been transferred to another operator (someone named Mathew, for whom we don't know his family name). By then, I lost confidence in these people. I called Zach (the district manager who came with Tatiana, and vouched for her). I briefly discussed my disappointment in dealing with people that take money and kind of run away with it. He said he would call me back, but he never did, till this day. He had Mathew calling me back. I explained to him my case and that I have lost confidence in the company, and that I don't want to deal with them anymore. To my surprise, when I asked for my deposit back he says it's not refundable. He said he can't give it back because it would come out of his pockets. How is this possible? I called the Consumer's Protection Office, and they told me that I should write a complaint, and there are several violations in the contract that we signed. Nowhere in the contract says that the deposit is not refundable. They can’t keep my money if they haven’t provided the service, within 10 days of cashing my cheque (it has been more than two months). These people haven't painted a wall in my house, why do I have to lose my money? They couldn't have invested in materials either, because they don't even know the colours that I want. I don't understand. I called the Hotline (1-866-675-9675), and as someone has well put it here, they are just an answering service. I had Mathew calling me the next day on behalf of his manager, Zach, because of the complaint that I left at the Hotline. Mathew believes we can trust him after all that has happened. I called Student Works line (1-800-803-1100). When I said that my operator was Tatiana, they told me that she doesn't work for them. Should I think that this is a case of fraud? I haven't been able to explain my case to anyone, like in the Hotline, they just took my information, and said that someone would call me back. So far, no calls. My only consolation is that I tracked down who cashed my cheque, and it was 863650 Ontario Inc., which I believe is Student Works Painting. Please, I don’t want more headaches, I just want my money back. It’s mine I shouldn’t be begging for it!

I dealt with Dominique Ruest. She is a solid young lady and it was a pleasure to deal with her, from start to finish, even though it has been a bit of a "costly" experience for her (miscalculation of the time required to do the job). She kept a positive attitude despite the situation. I am very satisfied of the job done and her employees were also efficient and polite.

It is our pleasure to write a note of recommendation for Tyson and his painting crew. He and his two helpers have done a meticulous job of painting our two wooden overhead garage doors. They worked well as a team and took the time to paint very carefully - no splatters or drips! They also allowed adequate time between coats. It was evident they took real pride in their work. We are happy customers and proud of their efforts to give us a first-rate paint job! We certainly recommend this leader and his team!

Glenn and Helen Hepburn
Owen Sound

Dominique Ruest was very helpful, did a great job, was professional and flexible. I would definately use her again for any other painting jobs I will require. Thank you Dominique.

From the first time I met Tyson Perry for the quote until the completion of the job I knew I was in good hands with Tyson and his crew. Tyson and his crew were on time, very friendly, and completed the work as scheduled. The work was excellent and I recommend them highly. Wendy Law

Byrn Patmore, Chris and Tim were a very professional crew. With Bryn's leadership the crew worked with and without supervision - arrived on time, work area clean, courteous service, shoes off in house, frequent updates - end result VERY happy!! I Recommend Bryn Patmore

The crew turned up earlier than expected but helped me move furniture, take down wall art and rip up old trim free of charge. All workers were polite and helpful while working in my home.

Cole and his team were very professional, taking great care to understand the details of colours and what we needed. He and his team were friendly, completed the job on time, and left the work site tidy! We are so happy with how our home looks with the new coat of paint!!