Just got some bad news

Kleankings

Kleankings

New member
Earlier this summer we cleaned a condo complex, all of the bldg. had call boxes. I contacted the PM to inquire about payment which I had not received (Net 30). The PM said that 1 of the call boxes was damaged ($1000 to replace) as a result of Pressure Washing. I explained to her our cleaning process, how those boxes didn't get anymore water on them than when it rains. This is a bummer because they were ready to sign the contract for recurring.

We didn't cover the boxes but also was careful not to spray them directly. Not to mention, we used brushes around the front entrances.

Can this situation be salvaged or should I press on?
 
How did he say how he knew it was caused by pressure washing?

I had an apartment complex tell me i ruined their brass number plates with bleach and I had to replace them (at something like $5 x 300 units). That was until we checked all the areas we didn't clean and those plates were ruined as well.

Unless they can prove you did it, or you recognize there's a good probability that you did it, I wouldn't pay anything. You get walked on at the beginning and theyll do it forever. If you DID ruin it, pay up.
 
Well, I'd be wondering why they didn't contact you shortly after the damage was known about,...Seems like they didn't care that much until you asked for payment. Not to mention,.I don't think it's legal to hold property or payment in lieu of damages,..unless it's in the contract,..which I doubt. I think you get paid, and you handle the call box issue with replacement, fix or whatever.....

Jeff
 
junker1 said:
If you did not do it do not pay.
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Maybe i see things differently... if it could cost him much more then 1000$ in future work and he cant prove to the customer that he didnt do it, then fixing it on his own dime is an act of good faith and could go a long way in building trust and relationship with the customer.

We soft washed a house for a customer and their new fiberglass front door reacted during the wash and had issues where there some texteure issues and color chang to the door. Lowes, and our local pro painter said it was a manufacturing defect that our washing "shouldnt have caused" and to ask the customer to submit a warranty claim on the door...... Long story short the customer was putting the house on the market in 2 days so we gladly paid to have their door repainted rather then letting them deal with the headache of a door thats an eyesore while waiting on the months long warrant claim.

Sometimes customer service is our business. Make others happy and believe in karma and it will come back to you 10 fold
 
Throws up a flag for me. If they are decent people and just think you broke something ok. But some ppl always find some reason not to pay the full amount or for you to come back out. It might make sense to pay for the box to show good will but it might not be a customer worth having.
 
It doesn't matter what the problem is. It matters how you take care of it. Especially if you take care of it, no problem, and they still toss you, it is probably not an account worth having.
 
$1000 for a squak box? Sounds pretty hi to me.


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Thanks for all the advice guys. I am truly grateful for all this bbs and the pros associated with it have done. I'm going to go with my gut on this one and many of you are spot on. I will update tomorrow. Now its time to have a cold one and chase the wife.

"you can not fail as long as you keep trying..."

Better days ahead and I'm still extremely blessed...
 
Price out the box and fix it yourself(1 option) May only be half the price, and you save the account. Or just see what the reaction from the PM is when you say "I will get it fixed."

If they are playing games, you should be able to tell pretty quickly, go with your gut.
 
If you do keep the account, talk with PM and let them know any damage they believe is caused form washing needs to be brought to your attention as soon as it's noticed. 30 days later, and not calling you is ridiculous.
 
junker1 said:
I hear ya, but i can't find something like that as the cost of doing business.
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Honestly, there are nearly zero times that I have been falsely accused of breaking things. The few times it has happened, I was usually able to prove that the allegations were false. I still paid up, and was able to get a refund every single time I was falsely accused.

BTW, there have also been a few times where we had a problem, something broke because of us, and they said they would cover it, because they really like our work, and we told them as soon as something broke.
 
Talked with the PM today, everything went great! The board really liked our work, and were understanding to the "accident". Were going to pay for the damaged call box, covers those fvckers from now on, and not only keep this account which is 4 blgs, we will also be doing 2 more 4 units properties.

Of course there will be a "slight increase " on the price for the other communities...

All in all, we keep the account, still in good with the PM, and have a chance to make a lot of money in the coming years from this one.

Quick question, do I eat the charge on the work we did as well? Or do I say keep the money owed and here's a check for the remaining balance?Or should I just make a claim with insurance. Really don't want the premium increase next year . Thoughts Please...
 
1 insurance claim is not going to increase your insurance too much, if any, all depends on your deductible. If your deductible is less than the damage then it may be something to consider. We usually have 1 or 2 insurance claims a year and I have not seen our prices sky rocket or change much at all. Usually our claims are small stuff.

If you don't go through insurance, I'd ask for a full check for the work you performed from them, and then cut them a check for the damage back. So there is a paper trail and you can write off the expense of the damage.
 
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