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Window scratches - probably not left by pole but how prove it?

Chimera

Member
Messages
35
Location
South east
Greetings,

Had a custy of about 9 months text me the other day saying he's got scratches on 2/3 panes of glass (2 separate windows) which he believes was caused last clean around 2 weeks ago now.

I've not noticed them before as my helper has done those windows the last couple times and they're fairly faint plus don't really fit the brush strokes (though it would be hard to say for sure on that alone as they're on the ground floor) which combined with keeping my soft gardiner sill brush clean between cleans means I'm 99% certain that I've not caused them which leads me onto thinking how I can satisfy the customer of this (Reasonable person and good customer otherwise).

I'm seeing him Saturday and will take the pole along to show him how soft the bristles are and say it's a quality brand brush designed not to scratch glass but beyond letting him have a go scrubbing the glass as hard as he can to try and cause some scratches on purpose I'm at a loss of how I can resolve this amicably without him potentially trying to insist I replace the panes. Any suggestions/experiences?

Cheers,

J

 
Was it an Xtreme brush with fan jets? I've found that because of the lack of bristles combined with the protruding fan jet, the jet can hit the glass if used with force with this type of brush.

 
Nah, It was the gardiner sill brush I was using and on account of it being a regular clean on windows that don't get too dirty; Other than the first clean the pressure used will always have been pretty light.

 
oh thats scary...i had one on a new job on a velux and he emailed to say it was scratched...i didnt sleep much that weekend,when i went back monday morn i had every known googled scratch remover in my bucket....but....as i pointed out...i had done it by pole from the bottom gutter and naturally pulled my blade down and the scratches went diagonally across and i said it had been made by a broken roof tile ....he agreed ...and so that episode ended...

doesnt help you much but there are some scratch removal kits on ebay cheap for car windscreens..however....it takes an awful long time...the one i liked the most was plain old toothpaste...left to dry then buffed off ..

hope you can work something out....

 
At anytime have you or your helper used a scraper?

I've used gardiner dt & silll brushes for a long time now and never had anyone accuse me of scratching their glass. Sounds to me he/she is trying to pull a fast one if you ask me. Stand your ground is what I would do in your case as he/she can't prove otherwise.

 
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All the best with that, sorry I have no experience of that, but have heard of custys blame scratches on window cleaners. as you already said, show them the brush you use and perhaps brush your face with it to see if it leaves any scratches, maybe it will lighten the mood, on second thoughts, maybe not.

 
The scratches were probably there before, maybe now the glass is so clean using pure-water that the scratches are more noticeable in certain light conditions.

Even 'NEW' glazing units can have scratches which aren't noticeable when first installed and are only noticeable depending on direction of sunlight.

I've even noticed on some NEW and OLD double glazed units, that sometimes there are smears and/or faint scratch marks on the inside of the sealed unit.

 
I experienced this , we cleaned a managers house of a large business we used to do , after a few cleans of the house she rang up and explained they was a huge scratch on her sons bedroom window and knowing I had reversed the brush around to scrub off stubborn bird muck I knew I'd done it , it wasn't worth arguing and losing work so I payed and had the unit replaced , 2 weeks later she cancelled anyway /emoticons/sad.png lol

 
At anytime have you or your helper used a scraper?
I've used gardiner dt & silll brushes for a long time now and never had anyone accuse me of scratching their glass. Sounds to me he/she is trying to pull a fast one if you ask me. Stand your ground is what I would do in your case as he/she can't prove otherwise.
No scrapers, nor do the marks really fit. Will just have to go down and see what he says, if it was just one window I could understand a bit of grit getting on the brush for one pane on one window before being flicked off as you go over the frame between frames but a 3 panes over 2 windows (thus lots of flicking of the bristles over the frame) in patterns that don't really match the brush strokes makes me pretty certain it wasn't the brush.

Cheers for the two cents

 
iv had this a couple of times over the years,where its deep old scratches and the customer tries it on. once they complain i take a good look at the window in question {usually already have seen the scratch many times ]. if the customer is present i make eye contact and say clearly "these scratches are nothing to do with me " but offer no other opinion. i walk away ignoring anything else that might be said , the jobs lost and i block them on my phone . Because if you do allow any more contact ,they can sense if you may be a sucker ,then they might take the next step and pursue the claim / plus you might incriminate yourself .

if by chance they write you a letter or text on a different phone id totally ignore . it will then be up to them to prove that its you ,with no evidence at all .

years ago a long time businessman gave me good advice , in event of a complaint whatever you do,dont reply in writing [or text] or you will regret it

 
on the cleanitup forum i read of rubbing colgate toothpaste into scratches,to fill them, using brown paper to rub it it . i tried this on a glass that an employee of mine scratched removing cement spots /luckily the customer never saw it/ and believe it or not it worked . 4 yrs later i still cannot see the scratch , so its worth having a tube of colgate with you in the day to day .

however i would not try this quick- fix out if a customer was blatantly trying it on

 
Lightbulb moment! Ground floor you say? Does she have a cat? I have a house with a window on the ground floor that's scratched to feck. It's the cat climbing through the window. I'll try and find a pic I took of it....

 
Found it

IMAG0236_zpsa4ae3718.jpg


 
My own patio & conservatory doors are also scratched by pet claws as are others that I clean for.

 
The scratches were probably there before, maybe now the glass is so clean using pure-water that the scratches are more noticeable in certain light conditions.Even 'NEW' glazing units can have scratches which aren't noticeable when first installed and are only noticeable depending on direction of sunlight.

I've even noticed on some NEW and OLD double glazed units, that sometimes there are smears and/or faint scratch marks on the inside of the sealed unit.
bloomin annoying that bingo.../emoticons/biggrin.png

 
Greetings,
Had a custy of about 9 months text me the other day saying he's got scratches on 2/3 panes of glass (2 separate windows) which he believes was caused last clean around 2 weeks ago now.

I've not noticed them before as my helper has done those windows the last couple times and they're fairly faint plus don't really fit the brush strokes (though it would be hard to say for sure on that alone as they're on the ground floor) which combined with keeping my soft gardiner sill brush clean between cleans means I'm 99% certain that I've not caused them which leads me onto thinking how I can satisfy the customer of this (Reasonable person and good customer otherwise).

I'm seeing him Saturday and will take the pole along to show him how soft the bristles are and say it's a quality brand brush designed not to scratch glass but beyond letting him have a go scrubbing the glass as hard as he can to try and cause some scratches on purpose I'm at a loss of how I can resolve this amicably without him potentially trying to insist I replace the panes. Any suggestions/experiences?

Cheers,

J

Hold old are the windows/glass, over time glass can accumulate scratches, you could also check the inside for any similar type of scratches.

Pure water does clean extremely well, over time almost degreases the glass and can show up any fine scratches for the customer to then notice, tends to be older single pane glass.

If you are using the recommended Brush monofilaments, i.e. certain types Polyester & Nylon for glass / wfp brushes they can’t scratch glass, other type’s of artificial monofilament or as above with a different specification are not recommenced for glass cleaning at all.

Grit ingrained in the bristles can cause scratching or any hard substance on the glass that you are trying to remove with the brush, regardless of the bristle type

Brushes with stapled in bristles are always more likely to cause scratches not only with the staples protruding, the fewer the bristles the brush has will mean an increases in the chance for scratches. Cheaper brushes are made with a soft or very brittle plastic brush stocks. Better quality stapled brushes tend to have a combination of a much thicker and harder/firmer brush stock and more bristles.

If the brush is the cause, I have met window cleaners who have scratched hundreds of panes of glass, without the customers even noticing. Wear & tear has to be considered with everything and this is not your fault if that’s the case.

Change you brush regular, in any case. It’s just not worth the risk to keep using an old brush.

Richard

 
i was very good smurf and i kept washing my brush...and then flipped it and washed it again...not so sure what virisol does to the lawn...maybe find out soon../emoticons/biggrin.png

 

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