Material Failure or Damaged by customer?

[MarioDesign]

We had a customer come in saying he wants us to repair his back window perf. He claims there was a large air bubble that he tried to press down and it cracked. I am calling BS on this one. He is a new customer and seems like a nice guy but I have never seen a material failure that looks like this in over 15 years in the industry. What are your thoughts and how would you handle this?

 

[MtnView]

What the heck was he using to press down with? Customer explanation is suspect.

 

[qmr55]

Man looks like it was whacked by the end of a tool or something. Tough call...

 

[CES020]

You might consider sending the photos to the manufacturer of the product you used, get them official response to it, present him with the official response from the factory.

 

[JBusch260]

Wow, definitely looks suspect... what kind of perf and lam did you use?

 

[CanuckSigns]

I think he's full of it, vinyl doesn't just tear like that, he had to have dragged something against it.

however, how you approach this is up to you, is he worth the cost of a few sq/ft of perf & lam to keep happy?

 

[TXFB.INS]

when you say new customer, is he wanting you to repair someone else install or you did the install?

regarding the images,
would say it was over heated, bubbled and popped

and it does not look like material failure

 

[graphicwarning]

I'm in the customer damaged column. If there was in fact a large bubble, then he should have brought it in for you to fix. And secondly, there looks like two trouble spots... if he pushed the "bubble" on the first spot and got the pictured results, why would he have kept trying and damaged it further?

Having said that though... as others mentioned... for the cost of perf and lam, maybe it's a small price to pay to keep him happy and have repeat business? Maybe just note that you'd do it as a gesture of good faith, and not because you think the material failed.

 

[Billct2]

something that was loaded into the back of the truck tore the vinyl
how you handle it is up to you

 

[laserman70]

something that was loaded into the back of the truck tore the vinyl
how you handle it is up to you

+1

 

[SightLine]

and it was about 3/8" of an inch wide...... after they jabbed it into the window once they then did it again

You can see where the flat edge of whatever it was hit it to begin with on both tears. Customer is trying to pull one on you.

 

[SignManiac]

Physical damage by a foreign object. My back window is mangled the same and I know it was by something I loaded in the truck. I will admit that I was the culprit in my own case.

 

[d fleming]

Def customer damaged. It's one thing if they come and tell you "hey I screwed this up can you help me?", totally different when they lie to you. Proceed accordingly. I might tell him look, I'm glad to help you out but come on, tell me the truth, what happened?

 

[petepaz]

i have had a few window perf failure on a few jobs and it never ripped or came up from the center. looks like something ripped it up

 

[Cross Signs]

A job with that large of a bubble in it never would have left the shop..Until it was fixed. Did you do this job? If not why doesn't he get it fixed at the shop where it was done? I call
SHENANIGANS

 

[Techman]

I have never seen perf install with a large bubble in it. Never. I only installed about 500 ft of it though.
That was gouged by something. Tell them to pound sand.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

that's no crack... and it wasn't pushed down on. TWICE!

 

[CES020]

Just to show what everyone else is saying.....odd how the shapes of the tears are the same in both places.....

View attachment 102133

 

[visual800]

A bubble in perf? PLEASE MAN! You know good and well thats no. Ublle unless he pushed it out with some angle iron. I would ignore any requests from him, send him on down the road. He lied and he should pay for that

 

[Graphic Destruction]

Shenanigans have been called. It's over now.