Vintage Peddler Beth Insalaco Destroyed two high end bookcases by shoddy workmanship. Medina Ohio

I hired this business to paint and wax/glaze two bookcases in French blue and with antique white accents.  I had been in her shop in 2018 and seen her work.  She also did good work for an acquaintance and I saw that work.  So, in 2021, I hired her.  After being pomised in May that she would come pick them up, she finally showed up on June 11th and picked up the bookcases.  I paid a $175 fee for pick up and delivery and we even brought the cases down to our barn to make it easy on her and her "moving helper."

First, there is no longer a storefront shop, which I didn't know, as I'd kept her business card and she moved out of the storefront shortly before I hired her. I provided a photo as a sample for her to follow for painting and we had a few conversations.  She was to add trim to both of these beautiful old bookcases, so there would be some detail. 

She kept my bookcases for three months, repeatedly telling me the extended time and many delays were because of her attention and devotion to detail and her desire for "absolute perfection."  That's the term she used frequently:  perfection.  She also explained delays by claiming personal things in her life (grandchildren being born, needing to care for a parent, her son being sick, etc. etc.), and also blaming it on the weather.  I later found out that she did not paint inside her storage facility (she only has a storage facility now) and painted outside under a tent. 





At one point, when I asked for an estimated time of completion, she sarcastically said that she could "certainly rush" the job if I wanted.  The bookcases are horrible and have been ruined.

In spite of my being required to visit her storage facility to pick out the wood trim, when she dropped off the bookcases, she announced that she ran out of the trim and had to use a different trim, but that I would "flip out over" what she chose.  She did not seek my opinion or approval.  The edges of the wood trim were not sanded and look like beavers were having a snack.  On two shelves, the trim does not meet the edge and there is a full quarter inch gap (cut on wrong side of blade according to my husband).  She tried to hide one gap by painting white in the gap to fool the eye.  Further, the paint job was sloppy...in some places (these were to be French blue with antique white accents) she painted the white OVER the blue and the blue shows through...there are splatters and drips on the cupboard bottoms. 





I was charged $1,000.00 for this shoddy workmanship, but that isn't all.

This person also verbally abused me, insulted me, and bullied me once she had the bookcases in her possession.  At some point, due to the delays and her abuse, I wasn't even sure I'd get them back and I was nervous about that. Lastly, after posting my story on social media, another person came forward who shared a similar story of verbal abuse. 

The other person experienced similar verbal abuse. 



She bought two chairs from her and paid her $350 for them and asked to have them stored for awhile, as she was in the middle of a move, after losing her job.  When she later went to retrieve them, the owner ridiculed her for being "irresponsible," and taking so long to retrieve them and insulted and intimidated her.  The owner of the business had sold the chairs and refused to refund even a part of the money, even threatening to charge the gal $600 for a storage fee.