Home/Operations/🎨 Painting/ServiceTitan is screwing over us painters in north jersey with their damn fees
ServiceTitan is screwing over us painters in north jersey with their damn fees
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BrushStrokeBoss
·6mo·79 replies·67 participants
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BrushStrokeBoss⭐ ExpertOP6mo
254
Guys im in north jersey, been using ServiceTitan for invoicing my interior repaint jobs for about two years now, and its pissing me off more every month. Charged a client $3200 for a full kitchen redo with Benjamin Moore Advance and their fees ate up 15% of that, way higher than the 8% they quoted me at signup. The dispatch module sucks for tracking brush times on multiple rooms, and every time i try to run reports on paint supply costs it glitches out. Saw a rant in the Painting Contractors Facebook group about this crap, and someone mentioned switching to Jobber but im locked in with the contract. These software companies act like were made of money, but were just trying to get paid for scraping ceilings and masking trim all day. Anyone else dealing with this BS, or am i the only one ready to smash my laptop?
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GutterGuru2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
58
Switch to Housecall Pro, its half the price and handles paint job invoices without the bloat.
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PaintSplatterPro⭐ Expert6mo
62
Tried Housecall last year, but their custom fields for tracking Sherwin-Williams product codes were weak.
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PaintSplatter2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
102
Same here, those fees are killing my margins on every two-coat exterior job.
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MoverMayhemMike⚒️ Journeyman6mo
30
Tell me about it, had to eat $200 in fees on a $1500 trim repaint last week.
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HeatPumpHero2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
34
Its not just painters, HVAC guys are bailing too, but yeah the paint industry gets hit hard.
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BrushStrokePro11⚒️ Journeyman6mo
32
Exactly, we dont have the big commercial gigs to offset it like plumbers do.
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BoltBoss2⭐ Expert6mo
33
F this software, went back to QuickBooks and a spreadsheet for my small crew.
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BrushStrokePro11⚒️ Journeyman6mo
28
North Jersey here too, and yeah ServiceTitan is a nightmare for variable paint costs.
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ColorBlindPainter⚒️ Journeyman6mo
55
Their updates never fix the invoicing delays, always chasing payments after a big job.
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MowAndGo⭐ Expert6mo
35
At least with landscaping we can bill by the yard, but painters get screwed on material markups.
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ColorBlindPainter⚒️ Journeyman6mo
36
Man, i feel your pain, lost a whole afternoon debugging their app after a long day of rolling walls.
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BoxHauler4⚒️ Journeyman6mo
93
Same, and the customer service is a joke, takes days to fix a simple invoice error.
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PackRatPaul2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
34
Its like they design it to waste our time, especially on detailed paint bids.
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MowAndGo⭐ Expert6mo
33
Dont get me started, im switching to FreshBooks next month to save on those hidden charges.
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BoxHauler4⚒️ Journeyman6mo
50
ServiceTitan reps lied about the fees, now im stuck paying extra for every Benjamin Moore invoice.
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ChillMasterHV⭐ Expert6mo
53
Yeah, they nickel and dime you on add-ons like paint tracking modules.
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CircuitClown⭐ Expert6mo
35
Hate how it inflates costs for small jobs like trim touch-ups.
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PackRatPaul2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
42
Ugh, just dealt with a billing glitch on a $2k interior job, took hours to sort.
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ChillMasterHV⭐ Expert6mo
46
These companies dont get the grind of masking and taping all day then fighting software.
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DrainDevil⚒️ Journeyman6mo
60
Right, and for painters its worse with all the color matching notes that dont import right.
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DuctTapeDuke2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
31
Lost a referral because the invoice came late, thanks to their slow processing.
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CircuitClown⭐ Expert6mo
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What alternatives you guys using that actually work for paint crew scheduling?
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DrainDevil⚒️ Journeyman6mo
59
ServiceTitan is the worst for us trades, preying on painters with their overpriced crap.
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DuctTapeDuke2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
49
Big software giants buying up the market and jacking prices, its all PE bullshit now.
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RoofRat⭐ Expert6mo
49
Yeah, they target small painting outfits like us, no mercy on the fees.
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RollMaster⚒️ Journeyman6mo
55
Jobber has a free trial, give it a shot for your next repaint estimate.
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DeckBuilderDan⭐ Expert6mo
38
Switched and saved $500 a month on invoicing alone.
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DeckBuilderDan⭐ Expert6mo
94
I hear ya, been there with the fee hikes on every job.
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GarageGuru2⭐ Expert6mo
103
Same struggle, but at least in painting we can upsell colors to offset some.
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MopMaestro⚒️ Journeyman6mo
36
ServiceTitan sucks, but QuickBooks integrates better with paint supplier accounts.
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HammerTimeGuy5⚒️ Journeyman6mo
68
Proud i ditched it last year, now my invoices go out same day after taping.
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ShingleShuffler4⚒️ Journeyman6mo
29
Man, that software rage is real after a full day on ladders.
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AntAnnihilator6⚒️ Journeyman6mo
37
These corps are ruining the game for independent painters everywhere.
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GreenthumbGreg⚒️ Journeyman6mo
30
PE firms gobbling up software and squeezing us dry, fight back by switching.
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WattTheHeck24⚒️ Journeyman6mo
109
All the big players are the same, designed to bleed small crews.
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NailGunNinja14⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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Painters get hit hardest because our jobs are so material heavy.
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FlashingFox⚒️ Journeyman6mo
124
Haha, id rather handwrite invoices with a brush than deal with that glitchy mess.
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HammerTimeGuy2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
40
Use Joist app, its simple and free for basic paint job billing.
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RoofRat4⚒️ Journeyman6mo
48
Lost $300 to a fee dispute last month, so frustrating after a solid repaint.
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BrushStrokePro4⚒️ Journeyman6mo
52
Yeah, feels like were funding their yachts with our hard-earned paint money.
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BlowerDoorBob⚒️ Journeyman6mo
41
I get it, the constant updates just break more than they fix.
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SparkPlugMike⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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What do you charge for a standard two-room interior to make up for it?
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WrenchWally🔧 Apprentice6mo
54
ServiceTitan is a scam, built for big fish not us ladder-climbing painters.
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FixItFelix5⚒️ Journeyman6mo
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Try AccuLynx if you do any exterior work, better for quoting paint quantities.
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BugBusterJoe2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
46
Housecall Pro saved my ass, integrates with Home Depot for supply orders.
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NailGunNinja14⚒️ Journeyman6mo
28
Totally sympathize, been fighting their system on every color change add-on.
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FreonFiend⚒️ Journeyman6mo
58
Screw these monopolies, they dont care about the time we waste inputting trim details.
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CircuitBreakerBob⚒️ Journeyman6mo
56
After a 10-hour day scraping, last thing i need is billing headaches.
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PipeLord4206⭐ Expert6mo
87
Haha, my crews calls it the Paint Pain Titan.
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NotAnElectrician13⚒️ Journeyman6mo
61
FieldEdge is cheaper for painters, focuses on job photos for before-after invoices.
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CoolCatCraig⚒️ Journeyman6mo
35
Yeah, the rage builds up when it crashes mid-estimate.
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DoorDoc2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
6
What features are you missing most in the current setup?
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LeakFinder42🔧 Apprentice6mo
60
These software leeches are destroying small painting businesses one fee at a time.
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VinylVirtuoso⚒️ Journeyman5mo
60
I feel that, especially with variable costs like premium paints.
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HueHustler4⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Go with Service Fusion, way better for tracking crew hours on big jobs.
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TileTerrorist⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Anyone tried integrating it with Sherwin-Williams ordering? Total fail.
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JointJockey2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
37
Man, i hate how it slows down getting paid after a rush job.
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AmpedUp3⚒️ Journeyman5mo
63
Thryv works great for my painting side hustle, low fees and easy.
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SawdustSavant25⚒️ Journeyman5mo
60
ServiceTitan, more like ServiceTitan-ic sinking our profits.
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ChiselChamp⚒️ Journeyman5mo
35
Solidarity brother, we all hate this corporate overreach in the trades.
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SparkleSquad2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Warning: dont sign long contracts, i got trapped for 3 years.
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SweepStakeSue⚒️ Journeyman5mo
135
LOL, id pay extra just to never log in again.
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SweepSquad⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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How many painters here are actually profitable after these fees?
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FramingFool2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
40
Been venting about this for months, time to unionize or something.
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DrainDragon8⚒️ Journeyman5mo
50
Totally get the frustration, its like they forgot were small operators.
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DuctDude⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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steer clear of service titan if youre a small outfit, i saw a hvac buddy lose half his margins to their fees and end up ditching the platform last year.
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RollerRage⚒️ Journeyman5mo
112
Same boat, but hey at least the paint goes on smooth.
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GeneralFixIt⭐ Expert5mo
55
Switch to mHelpDesk, tailored for service trades like painting.
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LiftAndHaulHarry⚒️ Journeyman5mo
38
Workiz is free for basics and handles invoice templates well.
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BrushStrokePro8⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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yeah workiz is a lifesaver for us small outfits, cant justify service titans fees when theyre eating half my margins. been there trying to switch back and forth, total headache.
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PaintSplatterPro⭐ Expert5mo
35
These PE-backed tools are the devil for independent painters.
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ColorChaos⚒️ Journeyman5mo
49
All in on the rage, theyre killing the mom and pop shops.
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CircuitClown2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
53
Never trust their demos, the real fees come later.
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SharkBiteKing⚒️ Journeyman5mo
12
SharkBites for plumbing, but for software? Stick to basics like Excel.
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LaminateLegend🔧 Apprentice5mo
32
I hear you, the collective screw-over is real.
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SlateSavage🔧 Apprentice5mo
28
Painters unite against this billing tyranny!
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FrameFreak8⚒️ Journeyman5mo
55
Yeah, and it only gets worse with every 'update'.
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ColorChanger2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
27
Big agree, time to boycott these fee gougers.
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DuctDude⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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serviceTITAN is just another PE-backed vampire sucking the life outta small outfits like ours. they jack up those fees every quarter while their software glitches worse than a bad batch of R-410a. time we all ditch this crap and go back to housecall pro before they ruin us all.