Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Gary Barker on March 17, 2015, 09:15:20 pm
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I just had an email from the husband of a lady customer I canvassed recently and they have a nice new house on a Barratt Development. I cleaned the windows the other week and they paid by BACS as good as gold. they're the second visit next week on a 4 wk cycle. His email is as follows: -
I would prefer that the windows not be cleaned. My wife is currently away but would appreciate if you could call me (07475 XXXXXX) to arrange a time to visit the house before the next clean. During recent sunny weather we noticed that at least two of the windows of the house are extremely badly scratched. The windows were not scratched before cleaning as this was a point for close attention during snagging of the property. I want to discuss how these scratches can be remedied.
I use WFP by the way. I just wondered if anyone else had ever had a similar issue - or is the guy trying it on? He's a respected local business man so any advice please on how to move forward on this.
Thank you.
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I just had an email from the husband of a lady customer I canvassed recently and they have a nice new house on a Barratt Development. I cleaned the windows the other week and they paid by BACS as good as gold. they're the second visit next week on a 4 wk cycle. His email is as follows: -
I would prefer that the windows not be cleaned. My wife is currently away but would appreciate if you could call me (07475 XXXXXX) to arrange a time to visit the house before the next clean. During recent sunny weather we noticed that at least two of the windows of the house are extremely badly scratched. The windows were not scratched before cleaning as this was a point for close attention during snagging of the property. I want to discuss how these scratches can be remedied.
I use WFP by the way. I just wondered if anyone else had ever had a similar issue - or is the guy trying it on? He's a respected local business man so any advice please on how to move forward on this.
Thank you.
There are a few clues in there for possible reasons for scratched glass previously unnoticed! 1= recent sunny weather. 2= new house, Barrett Development. With these new build properties, builders can scratch the glass, fine dust fills the scratch until cleaned with pure.
Out of the whole house, are there just the two panes scratched? How is it you haven't scratched them all?
Was your brush in contact with brick and sand / cement fragments?
I would think it highly unlikely that you have caused this. You could show him your equipment and process of cleaning.
Hopefully you can win him over with good reasoning.
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He never saw the scratches before because his windows were dirty thus the scratches weren't noticeable. As said, why only two windows if it was your brush that was doing the damage? I can't recall ever doing a builders clean where there wasn't any scratched glass & ALL caused by the builders!!
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He never saw the scratches before because his windows were dirty thus the scratches weren't noticeable. As said, why only two windows if it was your brush that was doing the damage? I can't recall ever doing a builders clean where there wasn't any scratched glass & ALL caused by the builders!!
That pretty much sums it up.
I live 14 floors up and last year the whole block had new windows fitted. Last month and for the first time, and yes I'm lazy, I cleaned the windows as they all open inwards and yes, there were quite a few scratches that I didn't see before.
If wfp scratched windows, then some of the customers whose windows I've been doing for years would be covered all over in scratches by now but they're not.
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My guess is that they were scratched by a builders clean.
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When a customer has new windows fitted I always check downstairs windows for scratch's mostly I can find some then tell customer before I will clean .Even had scratches on a door fitted by Everest when they fitted new one that was scratched .
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nip round and look at the scratches yourself.deny all liability and explain that pure water cleans the windows very deeply and it will have washed the dirt out of the scratches making them visible. pass him your brush and ask him to try and scratch a window.
if he doesnt except your explanation politely dump him and never go back. :)
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I have a chum who manages a upvc window manufacturing company. He told me the other day they had an order for 130 units that the window cleaner had scratched :o
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As said all ready probably the builders clean, but see if you can see any on the inside if there is there is your proof.
Roy
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Hmmm , if only there was some kind of additive that would give your brush extra glide which almost eliminates any risk of scratching glass........ ;D
On a serious note it's extremely unlikely that you've scratched his windows. It is possible, but very unlikely.
I've only ever scratched glass once and that was when I was using a razor blade, you hear the noise instantly and you realise that you've done it.
Unless you've been using the brush stock to scrape off bird mess, that can also scratch the glass.
My advise is to what's been previously said about giving him the brush head and saying to try and scratch any glass, if it does scratch you will replace it. This will show him how unlikely it is that it's been you.
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I might add- we are assuming you don't have two brass/metal jets protruding significantly beyond the inner brush stock?
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LOL. Nooooo
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LOL. Nooooo
An Extreme brush with red fan jets?
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I just had an email from the husband of a lady customer I canvassed recently and they have a nice new house on a Barratt Development. I cleaned the windows the other week and they paid by BACS as good as gold. they're the second visit next week on a 4 wk cycle. His email is as follows: -
I would prefer that the windows not be cleaned. My wife is currently away but would appreciate if you could call me (07475 XXXXXX) to arrange a time to visit the house before the next clean. During recent sunny weather we noticed that at least two of the windows of the house are extremely badly scratched. The windows were not scratched before cleaning as this was a point for close attention during snagging of the property. I want to discuss how these scratches can be remedied.
I use WFP by the way. I just wondered if anyone else had ever had a similar issue - or is the guy trying it on? He's a respected local business man so any advice please on how to move forward on this.
Thank you.
Was your brush in contact with brick and sand / cement fragments?
Not pointing a finger but some folk are plain simple and deem it acceptable when in-between cleaning windows they place the brush on the brick work seen it a good few times were i work .
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Hi Gary. I did a full estate of builders cleans over 15 years ago, and out of over 100 plots, not 1 did not have at least a couple of units that had been scratched by painters brickies etc! Not1!
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Thanks for all the comments guys.
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Dear Mr "Too much time on your hands"
My equipment cannot scratch glass. I clean hundreds of windows a day and have done year in and year out. It is nylon and plastic where any contact with the glass comes. My guess is that your snagging was done on grey or rainy day when the sun was not evident. Or maybe not as attentively as it should have been.
Now lets think of your property's unique circumstances - it is a new build - so why might scratches become evident at the first sign of low angled sunlight.
Occasionally with new builds tradesmen (or often their assistants or apprentices who are inexperienced and given the job of cleaning up) will scratch glass unwittingly (using scrapers and tools to remove dust, labels, paint, mastic and the like) and can even exacerbate the problem if they do a final wipe over with a cloth containing building materials or grit particles.
Less common is a fault with the glass unit where it has not been fired properly in manufacture and not hardened properly.
As it is over two weeks since I cleaned the windows and you had not noticed any scratches I believe one of the above is the explanation.
However if you agree to using my equipment on your window and seeing if you can replicate the damage I will consider your claim.
Finally as I believe you have not thought this through and that you have just decided to "blame the window cleaner" I do not wish to keep you as a customer.
Best Wishes for the future,
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I have a chum who manages a upvc window manufacturing company. He told me the other day they had an order for 130 units that the window cleaner had scratched :o
I'm guessing that this was a cleaner who used a scraper blade of the wrong type or an applicator that had a bit of grit in it - rather than a WFP brush. I've even known a so-called window cleaner to use a washing up pad that was too coarse to clean extra debris.
It was either someone who didn't know what they were doing or perhaps he had been wrongly blamed so someone else could cover their backs.
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This new system is craaaapppp
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Dear Mr "Too much time on your hands"
My equipment cannot scratch glass. I clean hundreds of windows a day and have done year in and year out. It is nylon and plastic where any contact with the glass comes. My guess is that your snagging was done on grey or rainy day when the sun was not evident. Or maybe not as attentively as it should have been.
Now lets think of your property's unique circumstances - it is a new build - so why might scratches become evident at the first sign of low angled sunlight.
Occasionally with new builds tradesmen (or often their assistants or apprentices who are inexperienced and given the job of cleaning up) will scratch glass unwittingly (using scrapers and tools to remove dust, labels, paint, mastic and the like) and can even exacerbate the problem if they do a final wipe over with a cloth containing building materials or grit particles.
Less common is a fault with the glass unit where it has not been fired properly in manufacture and not hardened properly.
As it is over two weeks since I cleaned the windows and you had not noticed any scratches I believe one of the above is the explanation.
However if you agree to using my equipment on your window and seeing if you can replicate the damage I will consider your claim.
Finally as I believe you have not thought this through and that you have just decided to "blame the window cleaner" I do not wish to keep you as a customer.
Best Wishes for the future,
ive missed your pithy comments ;D
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A very frustrating dilema, no matter what you say you'll no doubt been seen as accountable, so unless your willing to pay to keep them onboard I suggest you state your case and walk away.
I always say "I'm sorry to hear you've discovered scratches on your window/s however, I can assure you that it is impossible for the brush to cause such damage and we are in no way liable for them".
Hope this helps
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Give the w****r a pole and tell him you will pay for the two window if he can scratch to more.
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How will this gentleman prove the scratches were not there before you did a clean. Or that you even scratched it.