I’ve been a contractor for over 30 years and have watched some incredible products come and go. Maybe I should rephrase that last statement and say that I have seen plenty of so-called fantastic products, come and go.
Some of these products should have never made it to the market, but they did.
I’ve seen retaining walls, paint, exterior coatings, windows, garage doors, regular doors and the worst one of all, roofing materials, enter into the construction market and disappear within a few years. Whenever you see the word lifetime guarantee, limited lifetime guarantee or even the best guarantee you will ever get, don’t buy it.
I’m just kidding of course, but there are plenty of tricky companies out there who know how to manipulate and create the perfect illusion. If there’s one thing I can say about a lifetime guarantee, it’s this,” It’s only as good as the company.”
This is where consumers need to be careful, because it’s easy for a company to create a false illusion about their products. Guaranteed for life, usually means that the company will be going out of business.
Limited lifetime warranty usually means that the lifetime warranty has a couple of catches. Most limited lifetime guarantees don’t provide the consumer with very much protection.
One window manufacturer that I purchased products from guarantees your windows for life, as long as you own the home. Oh I forgot to mention, and as long as you have all of your paperwork and your original warranty.
Now when it comes to roofing materials, these people have created their own super limited lifetime niche, because someone comes up with a brilliant idea and actually finds a market for it. Some of these roofing materials are literally junk, but most homeowners, don’t know enough about them, to make an educated decision.
That’s when the super salesman comes in and clinches the deal, simply by using their charm and charisma. Uneducated homeowners are the ones that usually fall victim to inferior products, backed up by superior sales pitches
If I had a quarter for every home that I repaired, because of a material flaw or poor installation, I would have a lot of quarters. Even though things are starting to get better, we need to send articles like these to everyone we know, just in case.
It’s our responsibility to stop the scammers, before it’s too late.
The next time anyone tells you that you have any type of guarantee, either throw it in the trash can or read it and try to understand what type of consumer protection, they are actually providing.
