Clearview National December 2018 - Issue 205 | Page 4

PROUD SPONSOR OF INDUSTRY NEWS FROMTHEEDITOR Fenestration gets festive Love it or loathe it, Christmas is almost here, and whether your halls are already decked, or you’re still putting it off, there’s no escaping the ‘joys’ of Yuletide… LETTER TO THE EDITOR At what cost? Since publishing our door furniture performance and warranty research in May, installers have told us about the true cost of product failure which is tarnishing reputations as well as furniture. » » AND, WHILE YOU MAY NOT THINK THAT » » THE DOOR FURNITURE Christmas is all that relevant to our industry, I’m here to change your mind; after all who do you think fits all the little doors for the advent calendars, or makes sure the roof is right for Santa and his reindeer, or ‘glazes’ the fruit cake we all know we shouldn’t eat after Turkey with all the trimmings, but always will anyway? Joking aside, this time of year is incredibly important for the industry in our effort to keep the warmth in – as the temperature drops, and the wind, rain, (and maybe even some of that white stuff) looms on the horizon; not to mention keeping the unwanted out as the pile of presents grows under the tree, and the darker, longer nights provide the perfect cover for intruders. For anyone thinking of moving house or renovating in the new year as well – and we’ve all muttered the ‘after Christmas’ mantra once or twice over the years – there will be people already planning their next skylight, conservatory or extension, new front door, or bathroom window, even if they’re maybe not ‘dreaming of white’ anymore, but most likely Anthracite Grey or even aluminium, if 2018 has taught us anything. In any industry, however, and fenestration has its highs and lows just like every other, a Christmas break offers the opportunity to sit back and relax, reflect on the past 12 months and start to think about the new year. Personally, I’m still getting used to shorter days and darker mornings and evenings, so I won’t apologise for the amount of fairy lights I’ll be hanging throughout my own house in an attempt to brighten the place up a bit. And, even if you’re more ‘Bah Humbug’ than ‘Fa la la la la’ (you may have guessed that I’m the latter – with jingle bells on), who can honestly argue the benefit of some time away from work, and with family and friends, great food, ‘quite good’ telly, and the thought of those new socks slipping onto our feet at approximately 9am on the 25th (I actually love new socks)? To all the readers of and contributors to Clearview magazine throughout 2018, every one of the team wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. See you on the other side. ‘credit on return’ policies, where a credit for the rotting component is paid only when the faulty product is brought back from site, packaged and shipped off to the supplier for inspection. This is a contributor of why 77.5% reported they are unhappy with how these warranty issues are handled. Gemma, Editor 4 » DEC 2018 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M ‘in many cases they simply don’t bother returning the item’ Customers tell us the return processes are so convoluted that in many cases they simply don’t bother returning the item. They pay the supplier of the faulty product for another one and fit the same again. The real cost to installers is taking the complaint from the homeowner, returning to site, ordering replacement products and then going back to make good a fault not of their making. But the cost is far greater than the hours and fuel, it’s the alternative cost of what they could have earned whilst servicing their suppliers warranty promise. Head Offices then don’t see the magnitude of a problem. If their return processes are so tortuous that products don’t get returned, they could be peddling the same product for 30 years without thinking there is a need to improve. This is why we created The Sweet Guarantee. If it pits, we handle it directly. A fit and forget, don’t involve yourself guarantee, supported with test data of 33 times the required standard at 8000+ hours in a salt spray chamber and still no reported issues. Nick Dutton, CEO, Brisant Secure. Do you have something to say? Email: [email protected]