Mary Jo Schleis; Bartelt/Filo Design/Build Remodel; Milwaukee; Big 50 1998
When we have warranty work, it's handled through the expeditor or through the company owners. Generally clients contact us with their problem, and as a courtesy we will make the arrangements to have the appropriate person get a hold of the client and go from there.
Normally we can get somebody out to follow up on any repair work. It's rather quick. We warranty our work for a year. Certain subs have additional warranties. Some carry separate material warranties direct from the manufacturer.
Peter Dell; Peter Dell Custom Remodeling; Yakima, Wash.; Big 50 1995
If it's something a sub or a distributor needs to supply, we call and ask them to take care of it properly and follow up with a fax. If it's something our field crews need to do, we schedule a guy as soon as we can, normally within 48 hours. We follow it up with a telephone call.
Terry Blessing; Blessing and Associates; St. Louis Park, Minn.; Big 50 1999
We assume it's our problem unless it's evident upon inspection that something else is going on. We try to respond as soon as possible. Handling warranty work quickly helps us maintain our quality assurance. It lets customers know that we take care of them and many times leads to further work as we're there looking at current issues.
We do some specific things with drywall: After the punch list is done, if they have a drywall crack we recommend they wait a year before patching. We only want to patch once and waiting through the seasonal changes helps any evident cracks all come up. We don't include repainting the whole place when patching the plaster. Our subs honor our warranty with the work they do, so that helps a lot.
Ed Ferrentino; Ferrentino and Son; Ocala, Fla.; Big 50 1994
To be truthful, we don't have a whole lot of warranty work. When we do, I send my superintendent out and if it was something we didn't do right, we fix it. Even if it's something that wasn't our responsibility, we generally take care of it. The last major call was on a four-year-old project, where the cabinet doors had warped. The warranty period had expired, but I got with my supplier and he got with the manufacturer, who said they would take care of it.
Tim Martin; Lee Kimball Kitchens; Boston; Big 50 1998
A client will call either the production office or a showroom location and request a service call. We will return their call the following day and either set up the appointment then or notify them that we'll call them in a couple of days to schedule. There is absolutely no hassle for them.
Tom Avallone; Cobb Hill Construction; Concord, N.H.; Big 50 1999
We let them know at the close of the job that, one year later, we initiate a call back, a warranty walk-through. Eleven months later, we contact the homeowner. Two people go out there, the project manger and the salesperson. Our purpose is marketing. Beyond minor repairs -- cracks in drywall, a loose cabinet door, doorknobs that need tightening -- this generally results in about a half dozen jobs that are billable or another minor project they've been thinking about for the past year.
