Hey guys, so there is this house that has about 20 screens. All the screens are pella screens. The windows have two pins at the top the screen sits on to and than at the bottom there are two plastic clips ( one on each side) that are attached to the screen and clip inside on the window frame. The clips are about 3-4 inches long. However every clip is old and cracked from the sun and elements and once you grab it to un-hook it or re-attach it they break. So how do you explain this to your customer? How do you tell I can’t remove your screens or clean your windows because I’ll run the risk of breaking all of them? How would you handle this ? I researched the clips you can’t buy them separately they are attached to the frame from the factory so I would be replacing all of her screens.
Show them the deteriorated condition of the screens and ask them how they would like you to proceed. If they don’t open their windows, then the screens are just dirt magnets and serve no other purpose. If they do open the windows and therefore use them, and the screens are Pella proprietary, then suggest that they contact the manufacturer for replacements. Explain that removing them will damage them since they are in such fragile condition since they have reached their life span.
Great information, my apologies they aren’t pella they are Malta. If you google Malta plastic screen clips you will see how crappy they are.
And if you can make new screens you could always suggest they get new ones made by you 
Oh, thought you were saying Pella screens which I believe are proprietary. Just offer to build new screens or re-screen as needed. Good up sell.
I’ve run into this many times with Pella screen corners. If I know they are prone to breakage and do them fairly often, I have a bag of spare parts in the van ordered from Circle Glass. My secondary skill is screen repair so it just dovetails right into window cleaning.
I have actually added a line to my quotes which states “We take no responsibility for any breakage to screens or components that are old, weathered or damaged”
I had an issue a few months ago where a screen broke on the corners (old plastic) so I offered to fix the screen up as I already had a packet of corners and thought it would take a few minutes to fix. Once I went to repair the screen I found that this particular screen had rivets in the screen that locked the corners in place, once the rivets were drilled out the holes were to large, I ended up having to remake the whole screen, frame, and all new accessories, cost me about $30 in parts and about 2 hours in labour.
It is pretty easy to show the customer with the first screen how fragile they have become with age. If they want them repaired there is a charge for that, if not they get set aside because taking them out and putting them back in again will likely break them with the deteriorated condition that have become.
Not in all cases
For the issue I had was a small townhouse with had a southerly aspect for all but 2 of the windows, the screen frames are powder coated aluminum, a quality installer manufacturer would have used the steel/aluminum corners that are inside the frame with no possible way to inspect.
All the windows on the southerly aspect ( in the shade) were in perfect condition, it was only on the rear of the home where the 2 double hungs were that had large screens, when I told the customer that it broke due to age/sun damage they were very shocked, they assume they pay good money for quality fixtures only to find out the previous contractor has taken the cheap way out.
You are right most of the time you can see when quoting if the screens are torn up have holes in them or the frames are beyond salvage.
But ther are always things that can not be seen which can arrise which the customer will assume it is your fault evenif it is not.
I get that, but if something is fragile enough from exposure to break, then it is very evident, as opposed to rough handling and breaking something that should not have broken. The customer can pretend that it doesn’t break in their hands with little effort all they want.
