COLLEGE PRO PAINTER Complaint: Untrained Employees, Dissatisfied Customers

“CL” posted on 7/25/14 (see below) that he is a Job Site Manager [JSM] and painter working for a College Pro Painters franchise owner.

He posted at:  COLLEGE PRO PAINTERS: Great Opportunity or Franchise Scam?

Also read:  COLLEGE PRO PAINTERS Franchise Complaints

He complained about inadequate training:  “I showed up my first day on the job with no painting experience and was told to start prepping a house with absolutely no training… The little training I did receive was given in the middle of the job from my then-JSM [JSM = Job Site Manager], who had been working for less than a week with no prior experience.”

He complained about unsafe working conditions:  “I have been put on ladders that I was uncomfortable working on, and basically just told to figure it out myself if there was a challenging spot or unclear ladder placement. I feel like my safety is of no concern to the management, even when I’ve explicitly expressed my discomfort with a task, I’m still told to just do it.”

He complained about customer dissatisfaction:  “Of the 10-15 sites I’ve worked on this summer, all but one or two were left dissatisfied with their experience and obviously will not be recommending us to anyone. I would never suggest to anyone to book with College Pro,…”

He warns against College Pro Painters:  “Just save yourself the trouble– don’t accept a franchise management position, don’t apply to be a painter, and definitely don’t book College Pro to paint your home.”

Have you had experience with College Pro Painters?  Please share a comment below.

College Pro Painter Complaint:  Untrained Painters & Dissatisfied Customers

7/25/14 commenter “CL” posted:

I am currently working as a JSM with a CPP [College Pro Painters]  franchise. I’ve seen a ton of posts on here with the franchisee perspective, and just thought I’d share mine as a painter.

I showed up my first day on the job with no painting experience and was told to start prepping a house with absolutely no training. When I asked for a basic run down or a few tips, I received nothing helpful. The little training I did receive was given in the middle of the job from my then-JSM [JSM = Job Site Manager], who had been working for less than a week with no prior experience. Two days into the summer, we received a visit from a couple higher ups in the company who basically told my franchisee that he was doing everything wrong (he was). They “promoted” me to Job Site Manager, but I really was given no choice in the matter, it was accept or quit.

I have been put on ladders that I was uncomfortable working on, and basically just told to figure it out myself if there was a challenging spot or unclear ladder placement. I feel like my safety is of no concern to the management, even when I’ve explicitly expressed my discomfort with a task, I’m still told to just do it.

When I agreed to take on the JSM duties, I was told that I would be making $12/hr. Instead, because we have consistently been so behind budget and on sites without paint or proper equipment, I have been working 40 hour weeks at minimum wage for the past month and a half. Because I take some level of pride in the work that I produce, which cannot be said for the other painters my franchisee has hired, I am basically getting paid minimum wage to clean up other peoples’ messes and deal with (rightfully) angry homeowners.

I think at the end of the day, regardless of how frustrated I am by the shit money I’m making for the work I’ve put in every week, the homeowners are ultimately the parties suffering the most from the CPP business model, which has been surprisingly understated in previous posts. I feel terrible about the paint jobs we’ve produced this summer, and while I have done my best to ensure my highest quality of work, at the end of the day these people are trusting their homes to kids with no experience who receive basically zero training. Of the 10-15 sites I’ve worked on this summer, all but one or two were left dissatisfied with their experience and obviously will not be recommending us to anyone. I would never suggest to anyone to book with College Pro, and am incredibly frustrated from working for a company in which I take no pride.

Yet because college students seeking summer work are their target employees, by the time we figure out that we basically agreed to write away our summer for minimum wage, it’s too late to find anywhere else who is willing to hire and train you for only a month or two or availability. I’ve been consistently looking for other jobs, but cannot afford to quit CPP because I’m a college kid with bills and loans and am desperate for a paycheck, even if it is minimum wage.

But to top it all off, a homeowner of an older house with lead paint was so dissatisfied with the way that her property has been handled that she called the EPA, who is coming to do an inspection in the next few days, meaning that after all the work I’ve put in over the summer it’s very likely the franchise is going to be shut down and I’ll be out of a paycheck anyway.

Just save yourself the trouble– don’t accept a franchise management position, don’t apply to be a painter, and definitely don’t book College Pro to paint your home.

The opinions and representations made by commenters are theirs alone and not necessarily shared by this website publisher.

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