Scratches on windows

idle

Will try to keep this as brief as possible.

Built an extension, mostly glass. Got a local window cleaner to clean our windows. The ones in the extension were filthy due to the construction works. When he was finishing up I had a look at the windows in the extension and they're destroyed with scratches.

I brought it to his attention and he said it wasn't him that put those scratches on it. I explained nothing had touched them since they were put in. He told me he was in a bit of a rush to get going. I told him I couldn't pay him for this as the windows were destroyed. He left.

We live in a small rural community (I'm not local, herself is) so herself doesn't want to be causing any 'trouble' in the community by getting into some sort of battle with this guy.

I don't know what to do!

Duffryman

This won't help you much, but would seem to me there's a possibility that the scratches were there during construction work, but just weren't visible until this guy cleaned all the dirt off.

What sort of tools/materials/cleaning agents was he using that you think would be powerful enough to scratch glass? Mops/sponges/water jets/etc. won't normally do that sort of damage.

the_pen_turner

Duffryman wrote: »

This won't help you much, but would seem to me there's a possibility that the scratches were there during construction work, but just weren't visible until this guy cleaned all the dirt off.

What sort of tools/materials/cleaning agents was he using that you think would be powerful enough to scratch glass? Mops/sponges/water jets/etc. won't normally do that sort of damage.

Highly probable that they were thee before the cleaning.

Legally you would have to be sure there were no scratches before the work was done

Mousewar

Did he clean all the windows in the house or just the extension ones? Were the scratches only on the extension windows? If he cleaned all the house windows but there's only scratches on the extension ones then it's surely the case that he didn't put them there.
Either way, you'd have a better chance of redress if you pursued the builder for the scratches. Don't think you'll get far pursuing a window cleaner.

skallywag

If he cleans windows for a living then I would consider it unlikely that he left them 'destroyed' with scratches.

coylemj

The glass may have been 'dirty' because it was covered in cement dust, the windows probably should have been hosed down before anyone took a sponge to them. I'd be of the view that a window cleaner isn't going to suddenly start sratching windows, it must have been what was on the glass already.

You could argue that he should have known not to rub glass with cement dust on it, he in turn could say that it's the builder's job to leave the glass clear of abrasive material before the householder took over and engaged a window cleaner. If this was a self-build, I don't think you can go after the window cleaner, it sounds like your fault for not taking the precaution of hosing the dust off the glass first.

You said yourself...

The ones in the extension were filthy due to the construction works.

The bar for 'duty of care' would be very low for a relatively unskilled job like window cleaner which means that that guy would probably be able to claim a fool's pardon if you tried to sue him.