As you know I have recently purchased the Glass Renu scratch removal machine and have been able to have a brief discussion w/ Cody of GR about the FD issue. I have thought quite a bit about the reality of the issue and here’s my take on it. Even if overnight the manufacturers grew a conscious there would still be millions of sq ft of defective product out there. Since the GR system is being used to fix FD laden glass in many areas I plan on using it in my area as a insurance policy against the defect. I still plan on getting a waiver signed but can now give the customer the comfort of knowing that if they have been sold this defect it can be fixed.
In fact this insurance policy has already helped. I had given a bid and sent my FD education packet. When I checked on the bid the customer said she wanted the job done but was worried about possible scratches. I helped her understand that it’s not all tempered and the nature of the scratches and then let her know that if she had some defective glass we now had a way to eliminate the problem for her. She scheduled the job right then. The job represents over 10% of my investment.
Even though we haven’t been able to unite as an industry on how to deal w/ FD I have hope that this could be the answer we all are looking for, or at least we might see it as a realistic option.
It sounds like a good option to have. Do you plan to charge a customer if the glass gets scratched, or will it be free? Also, if you repair it for free, are you in some legal way accepting responsibility for the FD? Would they not have a legal claim against you if they were not satisfied with the repair, and wanted the glass replaced?
Those are good questions Woody. I will still use the waiver so they understand the defect is the issue and that I am not accepting responsibility for it. As such I am offering them a way to make their windows better than I found them and will charge for the service. For those who find themselves in the situation where the customer refuses to pay and wants them fixed this is an inexpensive insurance policy. It will also save those who don’t have a waiver in place.
As far as them not being satisfied w/ the repair, since the GR system gives a distortion free repair there is nothing to be dissatisfied about.
Worst case scenario for me - someone decides that despite signing the waiver they want me to repair the windows for free. It costs me some labor and a small amount of materials and I get to keep the customer happy and never have to deal w/ FD on those windows again.
I hear what your saying Tony. I have full confidence in the GR system. It’s just that if there is a legal loophole for some person to use against you, eventually someone may try to use it.
I could see someone saying after you repaired the window, that they didn’t like the job and you need to replace it now. You know and I know that is BS, and the customer knows it as well. But maybe they only wanted free glass to begin with.
One of my initial thoughts was that even if you have the waiver in place, if you agree to fix scratches that were caused by FD- you are essentially accepting responsibility for correcting the defect and the scratches that resulted from dislodging it. However, with a waiver in place AND you charge for the repair (doesn’t have to be much) you will be sending the message that yes there is FD and scratches are the result, but you are not liable because the customer signed the waiver and was aware of the potential risk beforehand. And by charging for the repair, you are saying in essence, “I’m being paid to fix a problem” instead doing it for free and essentially saying “I screwed up and I’ll repair it at my cost”.
I’m not a lawyer so maybe this is all irrelevant, but it merits having a lawyer look into whether doing it for free is a sound idea. I mean, personally, I would want to do it for free just because I want to take care of my customer. But not if doing so legally means I am accepting the blame/responsibility for FD and scratches that result from removing it.
Just food for thought.
I also think this is a way to truly protect window cleaners and is a far better and more realistic option than any IWCA/GANA alliance or ASTM standard. We clean the windows the way they need to be cleaned and remove the defect if it’s present.
I know some will say “it’s a lot to invest in the system”. That may be true but it’s cheaper than paying to replace scratched glass and if you network w/ other window cleaners who already have a system they can do the repair work for you until you can get one of their own.
I hear you Woody and I don’t plan on doing any FD removal for free.
Plus you will be using it on damage that was caused by other things (not you or FD) and being paid a premium to repair it. The system would easily pay for itself in short order.
could it be seen as a conflict of interest?
offering CCU, not accepting scratch responsibility, then offering to fix it for an additional fee
not my opinion, just going along with Brightside’s legal angle
How is Glass Renu different that the other systems out there?
is it faster?
cheaper in materials to operate?
give a better result?
Yes to all three.
Cody used a great analogy for this in my opinion - let’s say Dodge has a flaw in their engine block that means you risk cracking the block if the oil filter is not put on just right. Of course Dodge says it’s not our problem and to just be careful. In your town you have two oil change places and both require a waiver that says you agree that there is a potential danger in doing the work. However one of them has a way to to fix the problem if it happens. They can bore out the hole and put in a sleeve so you never have to worry about it again.
Are they accepting responsibility or solving a problem in a unique way.
I agree. I don’t see a conflict of intrest here.
Hey Tony, I know you just got your system, but I’m sure your more well read on the system than I. So I wonder how you would repair a scratch or remove FD that is up tight in the corner of a window. Wouldn’t it be difficult to get into a corner with the GR polisher, or any other polisher out there?
Another good question Woody. I’ll have to run that one by Cody.
My thought is that you could use a oscillating tool w/ a cut to fit piece of GR disk and polishing pad. Of course the system goes down to a 1 1/2" size so you would be taking about a very small part of the corner in the first place.
Cool. I look forward to following along with your learning of the new system. Hopefully you will make more videos to illustrate your experiences.
