[johnm]

I got a call today from a customer who said we scratched his conservatory roof while cleaning it ,the rest of the house is fine so I don't know what to do he seems pretty genuine and the conservatory is only 1 year old ha has had some panels replaced because he said they were scratched during fitting so he knows they were alright will my public liability cover this if I need to it's a big conservatory so would cost thousands

[p1w1]

Why don't you just read your policy  don't mean to sound rude but how are we supposed to know what policy you have there are so many different types.

[Tom White]

I got a call today from a customer who said we scratched his conservatory roof while cleaning it ,

Did you scratch it?

How did you clean it?

It's pretty difficult to scratch glass unintentionally, IME.

[Tom White]

he said they were scratched during fitting so he knows they were alright

Not necessarily so; maybe he missed that particular scratch; maybe it can only be seen from a certain position.

I know of a local window cleaner who was accused of scratching new glass.  I was asked to quote for the job after they sacked him.

There was no way these scratches - from the pattern of them - that I saw were made by a window cleaner, and not this particular window cleaner who knows what he's doing.

[AuRavelling79]

I got a call today from a customer who said we scratched his conservatory roof while cleaning it ,the rest of the house is fine so I don't know what to do he seems pretty genuine and the conservatory is only 1 year old ha has had some panels replaced because he said they were scratched during fitting so he knows they were alright will my public liability cover this if I need to it's a big conservatory so would cost thousands

Do you doubt you scratched his roof? If so then you probably didn't. Ask him to show you the marks and ask yourself whether it is likely you caused it. If you don't think so then say to the customer.

"In (X) years of cleaning windows I have never been accused of scratching (glass) and with the equipment I use I do not believe it possible for me to have done so. I believe you are mistaken."

Don't apologise, don't enter into a long debate just repeat the above.

If he blusters or goes on a rant just say: - "It's obvious the trust between us has broken down and I shall no longer work for you.  Good day." Then walk away and leave the ball in his court.

If you get a follow up then take further advice before responding.

[nathankaye]

I think weve all been accused of scratching glass or not doing a good job because a mark has been left and when you go and have a look........the bit i most like about it......is more than not its on the inside.

Also point out that cleaning with purified water etc will take off a fine layer of dirt n dust etc taking it back to just glass and so imperfections then come readily seen.

[Delta]

Ask for a meeting and take a new wfp brush with you, ask the customer if he thinks that the soft brushes you use can scratch his glass.

Then blame it on storm Doris.

[Marc Stock]

Best way to deal with this is to not go on the defensive. I was accused of scratching some very old crittle glass once. I simply said, oh right ok, lets have a look then. And after looking, yes there was scratches on the glass and i simply asked the householder did you actually see the brush scratch the glass,  and are you 100% sure that the action of cleaning has scratched the glass? Can you please show me how you think the brush scratched it. Honestly speaking she couldnt. Now i didn't go on the defensive, i asked her to reason on the subject.

I said to her we had better check the brush over, so we checked it over for grit, she could see that the only real way any scratches could have been made was if i had dipped the brush on the driveway, and we couldnt find any abrasive materials on the brush.

We finally looked at the rest of the windows, and couldn't find any further scratches, so she came to her own conclusion that it was very unlikely that I had scratched the glass, and even if i did we both agreed that she couldn't with 100% confidence insist that i had scratched the glass, as i couldn't with 100% confidence disprove it either.

I asked her at that point would she like me to carry on cleaning, and she said yes. I then said lets monitor it and if you think or can see that any new scratches happening ill stop immediately. So she followed me around from inside and i asked her to signal if she thought any damage was happening after this she satisfied herself that the brush was fine.

Now i cant prove or disprove, weather i did scratch the glass ir not, neither can she... the important thing is i gave the customer time to fully understand the scenario, to investigate the probability, and be objective about the situation.

[dazmond]

i was accused of scratching 2 panes of glass(on different windows on the same property!)last year.they d just had new windows fitted about a month before.

there is no way i scratched any glass.i told him it will be the window fitters and offered him my brush to see if he could scratch another pane!

he s still a good customer and has accepted it wasnt me!

[dazmond]

I got a call today from a customer who said we scratched his conservatory roof while cleaning it ,the rest of the house is fine so I don't know what to do he seems pretty genuine and the conservatory is only 1 year old ha has had some panels replaced because he said they were scratched during fitting so he knows they were alright will my public liability cover this if I need to it's a big conservatory so would cost thousands

was it a polycarbon roof?as i scratched a roof quite badly years ago with a stiff vikan sill brush!(YES!theyre super stiff bristles!).

HE NEVER NOTICED!

and i still clean his windows 7 years later!

[Dave Willis]

Very unlikely your insurance will cover you unless you specified cover for glass being worked on.

[Stoots]

Shaggy

[NWH]

Sad but true some people just try it on and think you'll cave in.

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

Quite often marks and scratches which are already present don't show up or aren't so obvious until the glass is actually clean. Builders cleans are a nightmare for this.

[Arnold Palmer]

Some interesting reading here:

http://www.scratched-glass.net/pdfs/fabricatingdebris.pdf

[Arnold Palmer]

And here:

http://www.cleanlink.com/cleanlinkminute/details/Window-Care-Fabricating-Debris-On-Tempered-Glass--22017

Ask the glass fabricator if they are doing their own scrape tests to check for fabricating debris. If they don’t, chances are the glass is to blame, not the cleaner. Also, it’s a good idea to require the building owner to sign a damage liability waiver that indicates window cleaners are not held responsible for damage to tempered glass with fabricating debris.

[NWH]

The worst scraper you'll ever buy are the little 3" ones you get with the one sided blades,they scratch the glass big time.

[Spruce]

Its up to your customer to prove you guilty, its not for you to prove your innocence.
.

[keyser soze]

was there any stubborn bird dirt on the glass in question . sometimes if its hard  a window cleaner could scratch the glass whilst trying to get it off . I'm looking at one possible scenario. regards andy

[johnm]

The roof  has scratches in every panel and the rest of the house is fine  I don't think the customer is at it butt I don't know how we could have done this with wfp I'll need to contact my insurance on Monday and say what they say