etpm
Veteran Member
I have been reading this complete thread though I don't know why. Actually, I do. I am a retired small business owner and I wanted to see how this situation turned out. I wanted to see what other folks would do and did. It seems like the OP wants to make the customer completely whole. The OP wants to make it like it never happened. I would have done the same. In fact, I have done the same, though the business was different because I owned and operated a machine shop.
I have had to repair parts because things went wrong that were beyond my control. Sometimes things went wrong with a third party but since I was the original contractor I was responsible. Other times I goofed and scrapped a job. But I always strove to make the customer whole. This philosophy has certainly cost me money. It has also paid off in at least two ways. No customer has been able to say in good conscience that I shorted them in any way. Also, I have been able to sleep well at night. For me this a big deal.
If this way my driveway and the contractor made a genuine effort to clean up the spill I would have called it good. But that is my choice, not the contractor's choice. Stuff happens and everything can't be perfect. In fact, we had a new walkway poured and when the forms were pulled away part of the new walkway pulled away too. It was a small defect and the contractor said he would be out to fix the walkway. But the defect was very small and the concrete was dyed and the rest of the job was great, so we declined the repair. And we are all happy.
My point is that I would do everything to make the customer whole and would not expect the customer to want or ask for anything less. And this is exactly what the OP is doing. It is up to the customer to say that they would accept some accidental damage. Some folks posting here seem to be saying that the OP should expect the customer to expect less, to maybe expect that there might be damage done to their property. I commend the OP for thinking they should make the customer whole.
Eric
I have had to repair parts because things went wrong that were beyond my control. Sometimes things went wrong with a third party but since I was the original contractor I was responsible. Other times I goofed and scrapped a job. But I always strove to make the customer whole. This philosophy has certainly cost me money. It has also paid off in at least two ways. No customer has been able to say in good conscience that I shorted them in any way. Also, I have been able to sleep well at night. For me this a big deal.
If this way my driveway and the contractor made a genuine effort to clean up the spill I would have called it good. But that is my choice, not the contractor's choice. Stuff happens and everything can't be perfect. In fact, we had a new walkway poured and when the forms were pulled away part of the new walkway pulled away too. It was a small defect and the contractor said he would be out to fix the walkway. But the defect was very small and the concrete was dyed and the rest of the job was great, so we declined the repair. And we are all happy.
My point is that I would do everything to make the customer whole and would not expect the customer to want or ask for anything less. And this is exactly what the OP is doing. It is up to the customer to say that they would accept some accidental damage. Some folks posting here seem to be saying that the OP should expect the customer to expect less, to maybe expect that there might be damage done to their property. I commend the OP for thinking they should make the customer whole.
Because TSP is hardly used now because it is a phosphate I completely forgot about it. But TSP is great at removing oil stains from stuff. Wear gloves though. I still use the stuff now and then to clean really greasy stuff. TSP is truly a great degreaser.
Eric
