It’s an unfortunate part of the balustrade industry, but at Steel Studio, we’re regularly faced with the following situation: An enraged client contacts us in a flat panic. After commissioning who they felt was a reputable and ethical balustrade contractor to design, manufacture and install the balustrades for their building project, they’re left with a substandard, noncompliant and potentially dangerous balustrade system that is simply unfit for occupation. To make matters worse, the client has already invested a large amount of capital into the balustrade system that in most cases needs to be completely removed, redesigned, remanufactured and reinstalled from scratch. Often due to damages from the first installation, the repair job could potentially cost more than the initial project. Unfortunately due to the fact that (at this stage) there is no governing body enforcing current regulations relating to SANS and scaly subcontractors who have carefully crafted legal contracts that negate any responsibility once the job is completed. Most of these victims are simply left in the dark without a leg to stand on. These fly-by-night operations are experts at misleading naïve consumers who simply presume that the subcontractor has their best interests at heart and automatically comply with all the required legislation relating to balustrade installations. While at first glance, to an uneducated eye, the completed installation appears safe and secure, it only takes a few months until suspicion starts to arise. From here the usual red flags start to appear:
- The subcontractor is unavailable or has simply vanished.
- Emails and phone calls are passed around in circles, or simply ignored.
- The subcontractor highlights the signed contract that leaves all responsibility in the hands of the client.
- The client is then left with a hole in his or her pocket and new and potentially more expensive bills left to pay in order to rectify the initial, substandard, balustrade installation.
While the harsh reality is that most of the time the client has little or no ground to pursue legal avenues. The only way to avoid this situation is to do you homework before hand and simply avoid choosing the cheapest or easiest option available. To prevent this happening to you, we at Steel Studio have highlighted a few simple steps to take before selecting your balustrade subcontractor:
- Ask for recommendations from more than one previous client.
- Enquire about (and research) how long the subcontractor has been around.
- Research the company online for any sign of dodgy dealings and substandard work. Consumer reviews are a great way of catching fraudsters or consistent poor workmanship.
- Get at least three quotes to get a grasp of the industry’s standard rates.
- Most importantly, ensure that they are SANS compliant.
If you wish to learn about more things to look for when hiring a balustrade contractor, read the previous article we wrote here. By doing your homework beforehand you can do your best to ensure that you get the best balustrade installation possible for your building project, within your allocated budget.