Those Out For A Pound Of Flesh

It’s been a funny year, in all sorts of senses. A busy one yes. We have a family run installations business and sales have been pretty good in a year that threatened all sorts of bumps in the road. So far it looks like we’re going to exceed the sales of 2016. And if we do, my oh my will it have been hard work.

In my 12 years in sales in this industry, I can confidently say that this is the single worst year for home owners looking for their pound of flesh. It has been stressful, depressing, demoralising and infuriating.

Right now, as a business we feel about as open and vulnerable to abuse from rogue home owners as we ever have been. And I bet there are others who feel the same.

Little protection for business

Almost two years to the day, the Consumer Rights Act was updated. It’s purpose was to simplify and strengthen rights and consumer law for the general public. A commendable idea. There are some terrible businesses out there, including in the window industry, that consumers need protecting from.

The problem is however, business can be abused from both sides of the fence. There is little to no press about rogue customers looking to take advantage of a good, honest business where they see an opportunity. Whilst these laws are here for a reason, they have also left the door very wide open for businesses to be abused.

I said at the time that these new laws would lead some customer’s to seek to take advantage of certain situations, and I sit here writing this having been proved right. We have had quite frankly some ridiculous situations with certain home owners this year, clearly looking to take a pound where they have been given an inch.

Before I go on, if you haven’t already got yourself up to scratch with the 2015 Consumer Rights Act, check out this Which? guide to it all: http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-rights-act

I hope you’ve read that installers. The implications of even a small fault that takes a little bit of time to rectify could leave you wide open to compensation in frankly unfair circumstances.

These rules are massively open to interpretation and opinion, and can be ammo for a rogue customer who if smart enough and with a letter worded in just the right way might be able to coerce compensation from an installer. Where’s the protection for business? Where are the conditions for customers to have to comply to in order to get their compensation fairly? There ain’t much there if you ask me.

I have forgotten the number of times this year where the line “not fit for purpose” has been reeled off by home owners who make it less than veiled as to what their intentions are. From where I sit, certain types of rogue customers have latched onto the “not fit for purpose” line of the Consumer Rights Act and build up their case for their money back from there, often forgetting that the installer has a chance to put right whatever is wrong first. It often gets aggressive, unreasonable and downright rude.

The more I deal with the general public these days, the more I truly believe that they think businesses, not just window companies but all sorts of businesses, are there for the taking. They see them as a chance to get something for nothing. Free money.

With the complexities of our industry right now, and the various problems we face, the 2015 Consumer Rights Act is something all installers absolutely have to know. We’re vulnerable as an industry, and we all have a part to play to make sure that rogue customer’s don’t get the chance to take us for a ride, and to make sure genuine and honest customers get window and door products that are up to standard.

Fabricators have to be up to scratch

More and more fabricators are delving into the realms of the home owner. It used to be that installers would be the only point of call for the home owner when it came to the window and door sector. In the past few years however a number of fabricators and manufacturers have decided to go straight to the home owners themselves in an attempt to build up brand recognition and create leads. All well and good, but getting involved with home owners and striking that relationship up is a very different beast than dealing business to business. And it comes with a lot more risk too.

Given the nature of dealing with customers right now, and the stringent and fairly vague 2015 laws, fabricators have a duty more than ever to ensure that their products are delivered right on time, properly quality control checked and in good condition. If suppliers are going to start having direct relationships with both home owner and installer, they have as much responsibility at that point as the installer does. That’s where it gets tricky.

As I see it, the 2015 laws give very little chance for an installer to come back from a mistake, whether it is their fault or the fabricator’s. Say a fabricator delivers a house full of windows and doors to an installer, which are then installed into the home. What the installer doesn’t know until the protective tapes are off is that there are a number of faults on the frames that are beyond a simple repair. That then requires the installer to go back to the fabricator, negotiate remake frames, get them delivered as quickly as possible and then re-schedule a time to re-fit the frames that were damaged. A scenario most installers have been familiar with at one point or another.

The problem then however, as I understand the laws, is if the installer cannot either do the repairs or replace the frames in the above scenario in 30 days or less, the home owner can declare those products not fit for purpose and is eligible for some or all of their money back. Consider that it will take time for new frames in the above scenario to be made and delivered, and the installer may not be able to just drop everything and go and re-fit the new frames. That will take time. Now add into the mix the possibility that the home owner knows these 2015 laws and decides that they suddenly not available for the installer to come round and replace said damaged frames until a much later date, perhaps even surpassing the 30 day threshold. See how easily the laws can be manipulated? And of course most installers won’t dare challenge the home owner and accuse them of bending the laws to suit an agenda.

Product quality appears to have been a universal problem throughout the industry this year. But now, more than ever, with the laws so heavily weighted in favour of consumers leaving business with little to no protection, installers have to be able to rely on their fabricators to make sure the products they have delivered are almost perfect. I understand how daft that sounds, as nothing in this world is ever perfect. But I believe home owners are so finely tuned into the compensation culture, that if we as an industry fail to push up standards, installers are going to find themselves at the thick end of a lot of abuse.

Picture above: from left to right, Paul Mcnamee , Brenden Mcnamee  and John Mcnamee

In-line sliding Patio Door specialists PatioMaster has just expanded its growing network by opening its latest fabrication centre in Scotland. PatioMaster Scotland, based in Glasgow, will cater for the growing number of customers operating throughout the central belt of Scotland.

Commenting on the latest PatioMaster addition Carmen Velilla, PatioMaster’s Brand Manager said, “We are delighted to welcome on board PatioMaster Scotland. The team have been working with Epwin for over two decades so it made good sense for them to join the PatioMaster network. Their commitment to quality is superb and we are looking forward to working with them as we continue to develop this market leading brand.”

PatioMaster’s inline sliding doors offer some of the best features in the business and the company’s expertise is evident in every detail. The doors are perfect for design-conscious homeowners because of their elegant aesthetics and superb quality. They have low profile frames and are available in a wide range of configurations, colours and finishes. They are complemented with impressive security features such as a six point locking system and a wide range of accessories and their network of now 10 fabricating partners allow customers to enjoy the benefits of a local business with the backing and recognition of a national brand.

The decision to become a PatioMaster fabricating partner was straightforward for Paul McNamee Director of PatioMaster Scotland. He said: “We have worked with Epwin for some years and have been delighted with what we have seen. The PatioMaster brand and product offer is extremely impressive. Having heavily invested in new Stuga manufacturing machinery over the last two years we know we have the capability, commitment and passion to drive the PatioMaster brand in our local area. Sales of patio doors are continuing to grow, even against other types of sliding doors, so it makes sense to have a strong product in your portfolio to meet demand. We are delighted to have joined the network.” Every PatioMaster door is unique, precision made to exacting standards and is usually delivered within just five working days.

PatioMaster Scotland opened its doors on 1^st September from its site in Dykehead Street, Glasgow.

www.patiomaster.co.uk

Two years’ work on turning manufacturing and operations into a well-tuned service engine is paying off at the Solidor Group. The composite door manufacturer has achieved an impressive 100% OTIF (orders delivered On Time, In Full) for four months in a row between June and September, says the company.

By keeping to a five-day delivery promise for both Solidor and Residor, installers and their customers can rely on orders being fulfilled on time, in full, exactly as ordered. This makes a huge difference to service and satisfaction all the way along the supply chain. And by managing its own fleet of lorries and team of drivers, the Solidor and Residor doors arrive in perfect condition too.

The premium Solidor timber core composite door was joined by Residor’s GRP foam composite door in 2016. Both ranges come with Ultion locks fitted as standard and Solidor can also add the most secure options in the market, including Lock Lock handles and Winkhaus AV3 autolock magnets.

Residor is also now available in a range of new designs and styles, as well as the full palette of RAL colours.  This means that architects and other specifiers, installers and builders have an astonishing 2,328 shades to offer customers.

The highest service standards, combined with what the company describe as “the most secure and beautiful doors”, are reflected in a 20% increase in sales in the first half of 2017. CEO Gareth Mobley comments: “We’re really excited about our continuing strong growth and that we can match our quality products with a quality service to satisfy our customers.”

For more information go to www.solidor.co.uk and www.residor.co.uk

The architectural grandeur of a former Masonic Hall has provided the inspiration for a new sixth form campus for d’Overbroeck’s College in Oxford which features glazing solutions from Senior Architectural System’s Hybrid range.

Designed by TSH Architects, the new sixth form college is located at the site of the city’s former Masonic Hall which dates back to 1823 and which has been sympathetically restored and extended to provide a number of new facilities.  The construction materials for the new build elements, which comprise a new sixth form college and separate hall, have been carefully specified to both complement and enhance the existing Italianate Villa style of the older building. Doors, windows and curtain walling from Senior’s innovative Hybrid range, which features aluminium on the exterior to provide a durable and low maintenance solution and engineered timber on the interior for a natural look and feel, provided the perfect solution.

Fabricated and installed by Soundcraft Doors and Windows for main contractor Kingerlee Ltd, Senior’s Hybrid series 3 curtain walling system and Hybrid series 1 windows were installed to give a light and spacious feel to the two-storey teaching building and to provide exceptional views of the surrounding parklands. As well as complementing the existing architecture of the site, Senior’s high-performance Hybrid system also ensured that the required U-values and thermal efficiency requirements were successfully met.

Senior’s Hybrid curtain wall and windows were also installed to the college’s new hall that is adjacent to the main building and which provides dining facilities and a 180-seat auditorium for performance and events.  A key challenge, and one which illustrates both Soundcraft’s skill as an installer and the design flexibility of Senior’s Hybrid range, was the creation of the hall’s curved elevation that features a complex faceted curtain wall screen.

To complete the fenestration package, Soundcraft also installed Senior’s robust SPW501 aluminium doors, with an attractive feature of the college’s main building being an attractive 300mm deep entrance door system.

For more information about Senior, visit www.seniorarchitectural.co.uk