"Should I expect perfection on wall surface?"

Only if you paid for a Level 5 wall finish BEFORE it was painted.

That said, uncovered portions of wall and drips aren't really acceptable from any "pro".

As to whether tinted primer should have been use- that's debatable. Some of the modern paints have "primer" built in, and even if it it is bunk, two coats of high quality latex should cover all but the most extreme color changes on properly prepared wall.

PREPERATION IS THE KEY TO ANY PAINT JOB.

In your case, I think most "pros" would agree that a good quality primer should cover a wall that used to have wallpaper on it. We'd spec BIN or Kilz or Fresh Start from Ben Moore.

I think the problem with yours is that they "primed" with the wall paint - which is probably fine, but then they patched and sanded ! The second coat is really the 1st coat cause the patching wasn't really primed again. You should be fine with another top coat - minus the drips.

They used BM Super Spec Eggshell Surface

I'm no expert. We've always done our own. But who paints the first coat then sands and patches before the second coat? That seems very strange. We always patch **before** primer, then we paint. We have always primed after removing wall paper. Actually, we prime (white or tinted) every wall before we paint regardless.

I would be asking them to come fix their mistakes. Good luck!

I've used Ben Moore Super Spec eggshell, and it does have excellent coverage. If your base coat was white, you would need only two coats max without a primer, because your color is a taupe color, which makes me think some sort of medium shade. However, why would they patch and sand after they had used your paint? They just wasted your paint. That is so stupid. I am VERY picky about my walls - I hate dents or chips or drips. I would make them fix all the little dents, sand down the drip marks, and apply one more coat of paint. If you yourself paid for that paint, and they run out, they should buy the next gallon or two. There is no way they should have patched AFTER applying paint!!!!

Did you pay them for drywall preparation or just painting? As Antss says, your paint job is only as good as the surface it goes over. You can't have a glass smooth paint job with out EXTENSIVE drywall work. Extra work that you, well pay extra for. Standard paint jobs only cover minor patching, not wholesale wall refinishing. You shouldn't have any drips or thin spots, but you're going to see every imperfection that your wall has.

I think that the pro gave their estimate based on your actual walls, so that to say after the fact that they did not charge for smooth walls is bunk. Unless you chose to get a less good outcome, they owe you smooth, well painted walls. I am not saying perfection, but it sounds like you are quite far from that. If they patched after the first paint coat, then they should have given the affected areas a second coat before going over it all one last time. They did things improperly and need to fix it for you.

"I think that the pro gave their estimate based on your actual walls, so that to say after the fact that they did not charge for smooth walls is bunk."

sorry diana - this is not entirely accurate. Just as GD says, MOST painters figure in a cursory sand and fill of scrapes nail holes and minor dings. They are not going to take hours fixing that botched patched job by the CATV guy or previous homeowner that didn't sand down the patching compound enough before the last paint job. Those walls will never be smooth again unless hours and hours or sanding and possibly a skim coat are applied. THAT IS NOT included in a typical re-paint regardless of whether the painter previews your walls beforehand or not. A good painter will ask you about these things beforehand and would give levels of pricing based on how close to perfect you want your walls.

"If they patched after the first paint coat, then they should have given the affected areas a second coat before going over it all one last time. "

Absolutely !

"They did things improperly and need to fix it for you."

I'm not sure this is accurate either. The drips aren't really professional and should be addressed along with the poor / uneven coverage. Assuming the BM spec paint is a "primer inclusive" type paint I think all that's needed is a light sand and a final coat of taupe. This is quite a ways away from improper.

kansas - when you went shopping for a painter did you go looking for the best painter, the best deal, or a rec from a friend or colleague? It shouldn't make a difference, as sloppy is sloppy at any level , but I'm curious none the less.