ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Imagine never having to paint your house again.
A Central Florida man bought a product and thought that’s what he was getting with a multi-year warranty, but it’s hard to miss the imperfections on the side of Basem Saidi’s East Orange County home.
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“You can see all of the defects basically,” Saidi said. “Faded here. Faded there. Discoloration there.”
Saidi said he called about Rhino Shield, after hearing a commercial that claimed “never paint your house again,” and the product has a 25-year warranty.
Saidi gave Rhino Shield a chance, even though he says it was more expensive than the previous quotes he had gotten for paint.
“It won’t stain, basically it’s a godsend, but it was almost double the money,” Saidi said.
Saidi signed a contract with Rhino Shield Gulf South in February of 2014.
The total: nearly $6,000 in three installments.
It even came with a 25-year warranty that protected against chipping, flaking or peeling, according to the warranty.
But four years later, Saidi started to notice what appeared to be streaks that continued getting worse.
His HOA did too and sent him a letter. “The exterior of your home needs painting,” the letter stated.
“I mean you just feel like you were robbed. Put your hand in my pocket. Took my money and I can’t do anything,” Saidi said.
When Saidi tried to contact the company that sold him the product and applied it, he found it was out of business. So he contacted the Rhino Shield manufacturer.
News 6 did too and the manufacturer told us the product isn’t the problem, the house is the problem.
“We determined that the discoloration issues he is experiencing are due to underlying wall moisture, as well as runoff from shutters and outdoor lamp fixtures. And there are systemic issues with the home that are causing the problems,” Terry Andre, the CEO of AmCoat industries wrote in an email.
When you take a close look at that 25-year warranty, remember it protects against “chipping, flaking or peeling.” It specifically says it does not warranty against discoloring or fading. However, to assist Saidi, the company would provide the product, but according to the warranty, only the first 12 months covered free labor.
Eddie Saxon the president of the Florida Paint and Coatings Association and is not affiliated with Rhino Shield.
He said what the company’s offering is common.
“That is standard operating procedure,” Saxon said. “If there’s a complaint, it is standard practice for them to provide additional paint for the house to be repainted.”
The takeaway: don’t just pay attention to what an ad says, read the fine print of all warranties.
After we contacted the manufacturer, the new local Rhino Shield contractor agreed to paint Saidi’s house at a discounted rate. The discount they offered is $5,500, not much less than what he originally paid.
Saidi said it’s a lesson learned.
“Just be careful. Do the best due diligence you can.”