I’m new. I expect at some point I’ll scratch something. So if it does happen, you buy a new window? I’ve seen lots of controversy on scraping through my research. I’m hoping to avoid it if possible but nonetheless I feel like window scratching is an inevitable in this business- though hopefully not as bad as in this picture. Lol
Thing is, those deep scratches were probably done by either a really inept window cleaner using god-knows-what or a CCU crew trying to get junk off the window from construction debris. You really have to work at it to achieve that level of stupid.
In real life, after 24 years I’ve found that any scratches that do happen are fine and can mostly just be seen in direct sunlight. Just remember, if it sounds like hissing or popping and you can’t see any paint or artillery fungus, it’s time to put the scraper away.
Oh…and here’s an important thing my wife pointed out. Before you do a window, check it for damage and let them know before you clean it. 95% of customers will just brush it off, but the other 5% may try and pin you for the damage. It’s your company, protect it.
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There is a problem with that plan. A very big problem. Every piece of tempered or heat treated glass in a home may not have fabricated debris on it. Sometimes you can scrape and clean twenty tempered glass windows on a job and nothing happens. Then you get to the twenty first piece, you know, the one that wasn’t made on the same day as the other glass so it’s itchy. It scratches even though you tested one piece of glass and now you’re in big trouble. SO TESTING IS NO GUARANTEE.
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Insurance WILL cover it if Care, Custody and Control is included in your policy.
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Testing is not always reliable. I always test and I recently scratched glass, a lot of glass and the glass tested fine. The scratches where few and far between but deep and noticeable.
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Yes, basically you buy new glass, unless your insurance policy has CCC or the customer signed a scratch waiver.
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Can you document that statement. Care Custody and Control covers accidents, like a ladder falling, but it absolutely does not cover procedural errors. Anybody who ignores a manufacturer’s guide lines for cleaning their products would be considered negligent because they ignored manufacturers guide lines. All tempered glass manufacturers say “DO NOT USE RAZOR BLADES”. But we refuse to listen and use them any way. It is our fault 100% when we scratch the glass.
PS
The reason we don’t listen is ONLY A RAZOR achieves acceptable results.
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A waiver might work depending on the state you live in. A friend of mine lost several cases for cleaning dry clean only furniture because the colors may bleed if you use the hot water extraction method. The judge said It was unprofessional for him to get a Signed waiver from the customer because he knew his method of cleaning was very risky and would probably ruin the future. Just like scraping tempered glass is not recommended by the manufacturer because they know it scratches easily.
Now he tells the customer that the furniture can’t be dry cleaned because it’s to dirty and the dry clean only method will be less than satisfactory.
He is forced by our legal system to turn the customer down.
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I simply tell a customer that I assume they would rather live with a spot than a scratch. Haven’t had a complaint yet. I don’t do construction cleaning as a whole - I am not interested in cleaning up after careless contractors. The juice just isn’t worth the squeeze.
If I use a razor it is usually sparingly and in spot cleaning. Rarely do I just go wild over the entire pane.
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That is my policy as well. One fleck of paint on each stroke.
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True, that’s why I test every piece of glass.
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Ooh good point! I’m adding that to my list of do’s.
Thanks for the help and responses!
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So you test the entire piece of glass on every window? That sounds time consuming.
PS
Do you use a magnifying glass? I’m not joking. Did you know that Scratches grow with time. A FACT proven by Gary Mauer. He’s an industry expert when it comes to fabricated debris. Sometimes light scratches are almost invisible until days later or when the sun hits the glass at just the right angle.
Gary’s Scratched Glass Web Site
I think sometimes we give more attention to the instructions relating to tint (no ammonia) more than we give to the glass manufacturers.
As to scratch waivers, I feel that’s a bad approach. Imagine being asked to sign a waiver at a car wash. Most of us would pass I’m sure. Just doesn’t sit well with me as far as professionalism. Just my opinion.
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Correct. I was sold CCC for the express purpose of protecting the company from scratched window claims. I had a new but “experienced” employee come on. After a few months we put him in a residential post construction job and scratched almost 18k of windows. Our insurance agent then found out that ccc does not cover scratch claims like this. We got lucky, however, and the insurance policy holder did pay us 15k, but it could have easily gone the other way.
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Word on the street would be something like “let me tell you where you shouldn’t get your car washed. They won’t stand behind their service.”
According to the woman I spoke with at Joseph D Walters, CCC covers all procedural errors. That’s what CCC is for. Any policy not having CCC only covers accidents like a ladder falling through the glass.
I agree with you here and seriously doubt that any scratch waiver will hold up in court given the way the manufacturers have arranged things.
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This was my direct experience recently to the tune of $5,000. No apparent scratches when I finished.
2 weeks later, when I got called back there were scratches deeper and wider than almost any I have ever seen. and many of them had little curly-q’s of glass shred along their edges. Even when I dug the corner of my razor into the glass and pulled down hard it barely made a noticeable scratch.
That’s because glass is harder than steel and therefore can’t be scratched by steel. A corner can’t scratch glass. Only fabricated glass particles are hard enough to scratch glass. Our razors never scratch the glass it’s the glass debris we knock loose and push across the glass.
Alex knows window cleaning
