Problem resolution
Glass Company Apologizes for Damage
Dear “PROPERTY MANAGER”
cc: “TENNANT”
I wanted to take a moment to apologize for the situation that arose with the damaged window blind vanes.It is our policy to inform all clients of any issue that may arise during installations we are performing, and in this case we did not.
I have asked my guys what happened during this installation, and they indicated that the blind vanes broke as they were removing them from the window opening. They apologized for not informing me so that I could inform you and your client of the situation.
We are willing to reduce the cost of the associated invoice to mitigate any cost of blind repairs, (please advise me).
As a reminder, the ideal situation would have homeowners prepare the area that our technicians will be working in.
(Furniture, toys, figurines, window treatments, etc. Should always be removed prior to our arrival.)
We do understand that some preparations are difficult for homeowners to perform, and therefore we are willing to do favours and help out, but it’s not part of our scope of work that we are charging for.
Regards,
“THE GLASS COMPANY”
Tenant Reply
Dear “PROPERTY MANAGER”
cc: “THE GLASS COMPANY”
Thanks, but I am not replacing, so there is no cost, I repaired, took two hours. An important point has been missed here.
There is no need to remove any of the vanes from the blind in dining room. The solarium glass was done previously without any vane removal. I was never present at either installation. However, good logic and common sense tells me there is a need to simply angle the pane of glass for removal and install, to gain more clearance.
Perhaps, at its worst, the workmen may not have even realized that the vanes can be drawn to both sides of the window from the centre. Thus, they may have remove them because they were there in the way, all twenty of them, right in front of the glass to be replaced!
It would have been better if the manager had recognized there was no need to remove, which caused the damage, due to brittleness with age from sunshine on plastic. Failure to recognize means it will happen again. I would have been happier with recognition of the cause rather than the offer of money/discount [which does acknowledge the damages, so thank you, but it was avoidable!].
Please forward to “THE GLASS COMPANY”, to avoid similar occurrence at our building and elsewhere.
Regards,
“THE TENANT”
Glass Company Response
Dear “TENNANT”
cc: “PROPERTY MANAGER”
During the installation process both wet and dry sealants are applied to the aluminum framing on the interior. These sealants are very difficult to remove, and therefore our installers are instructed to be very careful not to get any on adjacent surfaces. Window treatments near the area to be worked on should be moved or removed prior to our arrival to assist in this regard.
We are not supposed to face a situation in which we are forced to touch our clients personal items, (tables, chairs, china dolls, blinds, etc.), but instead we are supposed to advise the building management that suite preparations were not complete by the tenant prior to our arrival, since that is why tenants are given 24 hours notice, and that the specific suite will not receive new glazing until the site conditions are corrected. Naturally a charge would be levied against the building management for the inconvenience caused, and the work would be completed on the next visit to the building.
Building air pressures vary in every situation we face when removing glass, sometimes positive and sometimes negative. It is difficult to predict what direction the air will move and what affect will take place. In either case, with air moving in or out of the building, blinds or curtains on either side of the opening will flap and blow about.
During this sometimes violent movement they may contact the previously mentioned sealants, or knock over adjacent vases (with our luck Ming Dynasty), or break in shear if they are old and brittle like the ones it appears were contained in your suite.
When my technicians selected to remove your entire blind system, a decision that is left to their best judgement (between them they have over 30 years experience), it was done so with the very best intentions to preserve your property from damage and ensure their safety. (The extra time taken by them to do this work is never charged to our clients.) This is one advantage of dealing with a firm like ours that still pays their technicians by the hour, opposed to those that pay piece work, the technicians can “afford to care!” and do the right thing. Unfortunately even with careful removal and placement on the ground, the movement the blinds experienced exceed their brittle capacity.
In your statement, “It would have been better if the manager had recognize there was no need to remove, which caused the damage, due to brittleness with age from sunshine on plastic. Failure to recognize means it will happen again. I would have been happier with recognition of the cause rather than the offer of money/discount [which does acknowledge the damages, so thank you, but it was avoidable!].” you are suggesting that I missed the point with respect to the situation at hand.
I want to assure you that I have not missed the point. During the removal and installation process of any glazing, in any building, at any time, people can be injured, due to the unpredictable nature of the substrate that we have chosen to dedicate our lives to working with. One moment of distraction while working with glass, can be fatal to the technician or others in the area. The most important thing to me is the safety of my employees, and the clients that we serve. If while installing we are distracted by blinds flapping around us, the unthinkable could happen, which is unacceptable to me! My technicians will continue to perform their duties the same way they have always done, and continue to impress me with the extent of care and consideration they continually show towards our clients and their property. When we find a work location not prepared by the homeowner in the appropriate manner, we will continue to do it for them, when possible to do so, and in the unfortunate situation where our best intentions go awry, we will take responsibility for our actions.
Best Regards,
“THE GLASS COMPANY”