I have a client that has requested me to come out and sand a paint a small portion of his masterbath wall that we missed. My warranty book clearly states that no painting fixes will occur unless documented prior to occupancy.The homeowner had two walk throughs to document such problems.Im trying to run a business here but at the same time be ethical.The homeowner has been in the house for six months.I would like some advice on the issue.
I think you should be generous and fix the missed spot. Especially if you know you missed it, even though it's been 6 months. I'm glad New houses give a year warranty because sometimes you just don't notice things until later. A positive response is going to do your business a lot more good than a negative one. Like they say if you leave customers feeling good about you they will recomend you to at least one other person compared to if you leave a negative feeling, then they will tell at least 10. And it is true. It's not a big job let her know the warranty has run out but that you will fix it for her anyway. She will love you for it.
I agree, I'm a contractor too and I say stand behind your work and go fix it. Contractors in general have a hard time holding a positive reputation, like Catalina said, it could have a big impact down the road.
General Contractor/Home Builder
Posts: 288 | Location: Minnesota | Registered: 15 January 2007
Thanks for the advice guys. I am a new homebuilders with this being just my second home I have sold. So I am trying to learn the the business as i go. I did fix the spot but after i visited the house i realized it was a spot the homeowner had damaged herself, I let her know it wasnt covered but i can tell she really did appreciate me fixing the spot anyway.
The way we do this type of warranty is to have a one year warranty repair date. We make all necessary repairs that are on their punch list that is covered by our written warranty. We do come out for emergency repairs all year long, but with things such as this we only cover it at the end of the warranty period. If you do not draw a line in the sand, you will be getting called every time they have a issue. Also beware of making repairs outside of the regular warranty. Although its good business to keep the client happy, and making the repair is good business, do not do it until the warranty period date of repair comes up. If you come out sooner, they will call you every time they see a nail pop.
Posts: 1004 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 31 January 2006