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Had a service call last week on an e-stone job. It was installed about one year ago. Lets say it is an “L” shape. One length is about 9′ and the return on the left is about 15″ in the front. Sink in the center of the longer length with the dishwasher on the right of sink. The top has a two inch radius inside corner and the free standing stove is to the left of the return. Sorry, I dont have pictures to post as this is unresolved yet and dont want to irritate anyone. The top cracked a few inches to the right of the inside corner and traveled about 1/3 of the depth of the top on an angle towards the sink.
Manufacturer sends out a rep and can not find anything wrong with the install or the countertop, other than the large crack! Says to the customer “I don’t see anything wrong so it is not covered under the warranty”. Needless to say the customer is not real happy since he bought it because it had a ten year warranty. I am confused since there is nothing wrong with the install why is it not covered?
John:
This rep has not suffered enough cage rattling. Customer needs to step up squeeky-wheelishness several notches.
Tell the rep I’ll suck some water-thin acrylic through the top with a vacuum and polish it out for $600.00 plus expenses. Hurry, before the crack is fully contaminated.
Joe
Sorry, but with the information you provided, very simply put, no install error, no fabrication error, no customer abuse, “I don’t see anything wrong” = PRODUCT FAILURE. Customer gets covered! It sure sounds like someone who does not understand what warranty means opened their mouth at the wrong time, hopefully by mistake. I would call the warranty people at the manufacturing level.
Posted By William Wolle on 12 Jul 2010 06:19 PM
Sorry, but with the information you provided, very simply put, no install error, no fabrication error, no customer abuse, “I don’t see anything wrong” = PRODUCT FAILURE. Customer gets covered! It sure sounds like someone who does not understand what warranty means opened their mouth at the wrong time, hopefully by mistake. I would call the warranty people at the manufacturing level.I agree with Bill, I hope BTP was not involved in this issue, please let me know if we are.
Thanks
Cause they say no first and hope is sticks. If you complain enough and threaten to sue, you might get lucky. It sounds like it should be covered.
I bet if you were to post pictures, brand and rep who told you it wasn’t covered, it would be covered.
I would ask the manufacture to send out the same rep and also your distributors rep to explain there warranty and why exactly it isnt covered. I would expect, if they are not honoring there warranty they should give you and the customer a specific reason for the denial. If your purchasing the product from a distributor, they want to keep you as a happy returning customer they should act in your interest and help you get this resolved. I agree with Andy about they will first say NO and hope it goes away.
Andy and Steve,
If the manufacturer/distributor I was working with had that as SOP, I would be with another material pretty fast. I as a business owner should not have to threaten or bribe people to get what is deserved. And I never had this issue when I was a fabricator or distributor, never!
Posted By William Wolle on 13 Jul 2010 08:52 AM
Andy and Steve,
If the manufacturer/distributor I was working with had that as SOP, I would be with another material pretty fast. I as a business owner should not have to threaten or bribe people to get what is deserved. And I never had this issue when I was a fabricator or distributor, never! I agree with Bill here.
Also do everything you can to correct this issue for this customer. Give him a reason to have a smiley face when thinking about his experience with you. Then drop this product like a hot E-Stone.
Johnny C
I’m not sure if Quartz reacts the same way as solid surface, but there is a *chance* that the rep is right.
We do multiple unit projects, and on one particular project we had a flurry of cracks in unusual spots, similar to the one you described. We fixed them, but the interesting thing is that they were all in the same spot. Right near a plug outlet…..
We finally figured out what was happening when one customer said during the repair “I heard a loud noise when I was cooking with my electric Wok.”
Apparently electric Woks were all the rage at the time, and there must have been a special at the local WalMart. Some models produce prodigious amounts of heat, but since it’s not directly placed on the counter, there is no tell-tale white mark. When we asked some of the folks who had previously had repairs done, they fessed up to using a Wok in the same spot. It was one of the few outlet locations where there was room for a free standing Wok.
All I’m saying is that on rare occasions, there really is more to the story.
We fixed the cracks (maybe a dozen out of 300 units) for the benefit of our customer, but we helped them with an educational campaign so customers would know how to care for their tops. It also helped keep the material and our company stay in a positive light with our customer.
John –
Let me know who the rep is and I could see if I have any contacts higher up with the distributor / manufacturer.At first I was hoping that it wasn’t something that we installed but you said that it was installed correctly so at least I don’t have to worry about that.
Brian
Len,
I will agree with you if the information is known. However, in this case it is still unknown cause, until a cause is determined (the wok in your case was customer abuse) is always product failure. I would also tell you that if the repair is completed and the consumer lets you know some additional info on your way out the door, it is too late generally to do anything about it. I had this happen to me 3 times and was told all three times by the manufacturer “Oh well, they got us. Put a note in the file in case it happens again.”
Yup, I agree Bill. That’s what is difficult about one-off problems, the customer rarely gives all the information in fear that their claim will be tossed.
The rep’s handling of the complaint, if it was as detailed, is sorely lacking.
This might be a case where “shooting the messenger” (the rep) is appropriate!
If he/she is not following orders, he/she is hurting the brand. If following orders, oh well. The customer has the phone number for the manuf. (no dist or middle company here) and was told to call every day. There was no evidence of cutomer abuse. For the size of the crack one would think they put a scolding hot cast iron fry pan there but there is no evidence of that. No clouding or haziness around the area nothing. The manuf. rep that went out repaired the crack when it should be replaced. Looks like crap to put it nicely. You can see and feel they are unlevel and the filled crack might as well have falshing neon lights around it.
Posted By John Cristina on 14 Jul 2010 06:06 AM
The manuf. rep that went out repaired the crack when it should be replaced. Looks like crap to put it nicely. You can see and feel they are unlevel and the filled crack might as well have falshing neon lights around it.John:
This hurts more than a single customer, it hurts our entire industry. You gave them a chance to make it right they’ve blown it. You should make their name public so we can return the hurt by not purchasing or recommending this manufacuter.
Joe
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