A painter and decorator has shared how he got 'sweet revenge' on a customer who refused to pay for a garden fence painting job. The tradesman, known as Finishing Touch Sprayers on TikTok, posted a video showing how he stripped the grey paint from the fence after the client voiced dissatisfaction and declined to settle the invoice.
What happened?
The homeowner hired Finishing Touch Sprayers to transform their garden fence from brown to a dark grey finish. However, after the job was completed, the customer refused to pay, claiming they were unhappy with the work. The furious painter, who said he 'worked really hard' on the project, decided to take matters into his own hands.
The revenge
In a TikTok video, the painter declared: 'Can't pay, we'll take it away.' He then applied paint stripper to the fence and used a pressure washer to blast off the grey paint, restoring the panels to their original golden brown colour. 'Took our paint back because [the] customer wouldn't pay,' he stated. He asked his viewers: 'Would you do the same?'
Customer's change of heart
In a follow-up update, the painter revealed: 'They're asking me to come back and paint it again, saying they'll pay double the amount up front now.' The viral clip sparked a wave of reactions. One viewer commented: 'Never understand why people think they can just not pay for work done...no one has any morals anymore.' Another said: 'Looks better now.' A third added: 'I'll never understand why people ruin their fences with awful grey paint. I bet they were glad they didn't pay now.'
Expert advice on payment disputes
Consumer rights specialists at Resolver offered guidance for customers unhappy with a job. According to a spokesperson: 'If the tradesman failed to deliver what you expected when undertaking work you need to ensure you raise the issue with them as you notice it. It is important not to let lots of little things add up and fester as then they became hard to resolve. First raise the immediately and if you can keep a record of issues that you have raised and what was agreed.' They added: 'If you do not pay then the tradesman has the right to remove what they have done or they may take you to Court. You should therefore be fair and reasonable in your approach.'
