[Caleb Morley]

Hi All,

Got a call from a customer this afternoon saying they have found a scratch on one of the windows of their new conservatory that I cleaned yesterday.

Im going round there to see it at 5.30pm and need some advice on how to play it. I dont think ive done it as im sure i would have noticed it yesterday. The customer is really nice though and definately not the type to make it up and try and have me over (as far as i know). They know im insured as do all my customers.

Ive tried calling polished insurance for advice on how to play it but their offices are closed. Any tips?

excess is £250 - really dont need to pay that on a claim this month.

Cheers,

Caleb

[Ian Lancaster]

Give him the brush and ask him to see if he can scratch the glass with it.  Tell him if he can you'll happily pay.  Unless you've got lumps of grit embedded in the brush stock, there's no way you can have scratched it.

There is just a vague possibility that it could have been 'manufacturing debris' - tiny bits left on the glass surface after the manufacturing process that can drag across the glass and scratch it, but this is very unlikely and anyway if you've done a good job and washed it well there won't be any of that on there now so go ahead with the challenge...

[niceandclean]

Just play it by ear, go and have a look but don't admit to anything. I had a good customer complain about scratched lead and making the glue run from the lead after cleaning with WFP. The first thing they said when i turned up was, "I hope you have bought your insurance details with you"! After a few exchanged words, i left them with a brush that i had used, a glass of pure water and said to give me a ring if they decide to take it further. Well after a phone call a few days later, it turns out that the window company had not cleaned the windows after installation, so they couldn't be sure if the problems were there before or not, but were quite sure it would of been me that damaged them! Oh and that they were going to find a good old fashioned window cleaner to clean them the proper way!  

[Caleb Morley]

Thanks for the replies.

Only problem is I was using a scraper as it was the first time cleaning the conservatory as it had glue on it from stickers etc. The customer saw me using a scraper. Not that I think ive caused the scratch even using that.

Just got to go and have a look i guess

[Ian Lancaster]

Learn from experience.  Next time you have a job like this get the customer to sign a simple disclaimer.  Why should you pick up the bill for lazy b****s installers?  They're supposed to clean off all the stickers etc as part of the installation.

[niceandclean]

With glue residue from the stickers, i always use white sprit to remove it, only takes a quick wipe over. If you soaped up the glass enough, should of been ok anyway. But i would just go look and see how bad it is. As Ian say's, they should of been cleaned off as part of the installation, i normally have the odd one, but not on every piece of glass!

[sven]

if youve used a scraper then to be honest its 95% chance its down to you.

you shouldn't be asking this lot for a list of excuses you should just come clean.

too many people on here try to use every excuse for things like this,   how does anyone else on here know if your at fault ?

and yet your being given advice on how to sherk responsability,  if your at fault then own up to the customer,  if its new glass there is a chance it can be repaired which wouldn't need to go through your insurance and will aslo make you more careful next time you take a scraper to a window.

[Caleb Morley]

Sven,

Where have I asked for a list of excuses? Nowhere - open your eyes and read properly sunshine.

All Ive asked for is advice from people as a new window cleaner. If I knew 100% I had done it I would come clean.....thats why I have insurance and Im an honest bloke.

As it is ive been round there and said I dont think ive done it but at the same time I cant say 100% that it wasnt and have offered to get it repaired etc. The customers are decent people, there not trying to have me over. I'll have to take it on the chin.

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

play it by ear mate come to some arrangment there are glass repair teams which can get the scatch out look in the yell pages

[niceandclean]

if youve used a scraper then to be honest its 95% chance its down to you.

you shouldn't be asking this lot for a list of excuses you should just come clean.

too many people on here try to use every excuse for things like this,   how does anyone else on here know if your at fault ?

and yet your being given advice on how to sherk responsability,  if your at fault then own up to the customer,  if its new glass there is a chance it can be repaired which wouldn't need to go through your insurance and will aslo make you more careful next time you take a scraper to a window.

 

Caleb, if you have scratched the glass using a scraper, i think you would of known about it. I've used scrapers for years, and to be honest it is very hard to scratch glass unless you use the corner of the blade. Just a thought, find out who installed it, give them a call and tell them what has happened, they may see some blame themselves, ie leaving sticker marks ect, and fit a new piece of glass at cost or something, worth a call?

[Mike #1]

so why the hell do all trad cleaners use scrapers for removing stubborn bird muck or stickers that window fitters should remove,     i still keep mine on me even though i am WFP and how the hell can it his fault if he used a scraper clearly the glass has not been cleaned properly or at at all by the people who fitted the conny so there fore how can the custy blame caleb , the scratch has only become visible when the glass has been cleaned properly so the window fitting company cannot pass the blame either.   MIKE

[Caleb Morley]

The customer said he initially thought it was a smear when he first discovered it and when he went rubbed his finger on it there were splinters of glass still in the scratch. On that basis its hard to think it wasnt me, plus the way he was, i can tell he wasnt trying to pull a fast one.  I am suprised I didnt see it yesterday though.

Anyone know much about glass repairs then? Would obviously prefer to go down that route rather than having to make a claim through insurance and pay £250 excess

Cheers,

Caleb

[AuRavelling79]

How big is the window unit? Is it safety glass? A non-safety sealed unit on a 1200 x 600 window shouldn't cost even £100 to replace if you use a "window doctor" type of co. that replaces misted units and hinges etc. Especially if you offer to hand out his business cards to all your custies.

If it's a floor length door safety unit it will be rather more.

I must say that alarm bells ring when it's a new installation - I would wonder if it was a manufacturer's fault or something an installer has done and was only revealed because you thoroughly cleaned it  - I mean what have you got to lose by using the point of the scraper on the glass and see if it marks it whereas other units are fine (obviously do this carefully - you don't want to stump up for two units let alone one!)

[bobby p]

The customer said he initially thought it was a smear when he first discovered it and when he went rubbed his finger on it there were splinters of glass still in the scratch. On that basis its hard to think it wasnt me, plus the way he was, i can tell he wasnt trying to pull a fast one.  I am suprised I didnt see it yesterday though.

Anyone know much about glass repairs then? Would obviously prefer to go down that route rather than having to make a claim through insurance and pay £250 excess

Cheers,

Caleb

splinters in the scratch, that doesnt sound right.   

[Caleb Morley]

Its a conservatory door (obviously double glazed), so a fairly large piece of glass. Not sure whether its safety glass or not.

I half think it could well of been done by someone else but I can prove it wasnt me the same as they cant prove it was me. The fact Ive cleaned it up probably has highlighted it, but again as Ive said im not 100% that i havent done it.

Good week for me as Ive already shelled out just under £300 to get my van through its MOT.

Can scratched glass be repaired like windscreens with cracks are?

Cheers,

Caleb

[Nathanael Jones]

Its a conservatory door (obviously double glazed), so a fairly large piece of glass. Not sure whether its safety glass or not.

I half think it could well of been done by someone else but I can prove it wasnt me the same as they cant prove it was me. The fact Ive cleaned it up probably has highlighted it, but again as Ive said im not 100% that i havent done it.

Good week for me as Ive already shelled out just under £300 to get my van through its MOT.

Can scratched glass be repaired like windscreens with cracks are?

Cheers,

Caleb

Scratches can be polished out, but with standard DG units its often cheaper to replace. By law all doors should be safety glass, and safety glass scratches much easier,...

Let me know your e-mail & I'll send you a waiver that you should ALWAYS get signed before a builders clean.

[Caleb Morley]

Hi Nathanel,

My email is info@lionsoflondon.co.uk

Cheers for the advice and waiver. I think I'll get a quote for both a replacement and a repair and just go for the cheapest.

[Nathanael Jones]

Sent. 

Hi Nathanel,

My email is info@lionsoflondon.co.uk

Cheers for the advice and waiver. I think I'll get a quote for both a replacement and a repair and just go for the cheapest.

[GB Window Cleaning]

if at all possible deny 

[john tomkins]

It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that it was there during initial installation.
I had double glazing installed 3 years ago and later noticed a scratch on one of the double glazed units, fitters and suppliers denied everything until it came to light, the scratch was on the inside of the double glazing