Conservatory completed but company have used different glass that was specified

jonnywells

Around a week ago my conservatory was finished. Am happy with the job apart from top layer of concrete cracking away (going to be fixed with a self leveler)

Today i was in there and was thinking "the roof does not seem as blue as i remembered looking in the showroom".

I specified i wanted pilkington activ blue, but on closer inspection you can see "K2" on the metal edge around the pieces of glass.

I can remember also seeing a pealled off sticker saying Celsius.

This has lead me to believe they have installed somthing called " K2 celsius glass". Never heard of it before googling!

Am quite annoyed of this because looking at it the K2 stuff done have self cleaning which is the reason i wanted activ blue (seen it before and it does actually work)

What grounds do i have to stand on? I have paided them already but in all my paperwork it clearly states that pilkington would be used.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

jonnywells wrote: »

What grounds do i have to stand on? I have paided them already but in all my paperwork it clearly states that pilkington would be used.

If they havent fitted Pilkington you can get them to replace it.

What you will probably find is they have fitted Pilkington but a different product to the one you wanted. In which case you are stuffed unless the exact type of Pilkington glass is listed on the order.

keystone

jonnywells wrote: »

Around a week ago my conservatory was finished. Am happy with the job apart from top layer of concrete cracking away (going to be fixed with a self leveler)

Today i was in there and was thinking "the roof does not seem as blue as i remembered looking in the showroom".

I specified i wanted pilkington activ blue, but on closer inspection you can see "K2" on the metal edge around the pieces of glass.

I can remember also seeing a pealled off sticker saying Celsius.

This has lead me to believe they have installed somthing called " K2 celsius glass". Never heard of it before googling!

Am quite annoyed of this because looking at it the K2 stuff done have self cleaning which is the reason i wanted activ blue (seen it before and it does actually work)

What grounds do i have to stand on? I have paided them already but in all my paperwork it clearly states that pilkington would be used.

There are three issues here:

1. Contractual

If you specified Activ Blue and that is what is in the contract then that is what you should have.

2. Cost

The cost of wholesale glass has doubled in the last few months. No idea why. That could have pushed the cost to the company of buying in the Pilkington to unacceptable levels. Yes OK they could have come back and renegotiated the contract (price increase for you perhaps) and they should have done I would say.

3. Technical

What is the comparative performance difference between the K2 and the Activ Blue? If there is no appreciable difference then I can't see the problem from a technical perspective but they should have told you they were changing it.

BTW I hope you didn't get taken in by the "self-cleaning" marketing BS. The theory is great and it "appears" to work on a high rise where the glass is vertical and its only surface dirt to contend with. It doesn't on a conservatory roof. Bird poo is bird poo!

Cheers

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Is the roof active blue & the sides K?

jonnywells

The roof is activ and the sides are just normal K glass.

Im going to give pilkington a call in the new year and chat with 1 of there tech people.... see if they can confirm before i start pointing the finger

leveller2911

keystone wrote: »

There are three issues here:


"The cost of wholesale glass has doubled in the last few months. No idea why."




Our supplier usually sends us a letter periodically with glass price increase/decrease linked to the price of oil.

Recently the price of oil has been stable and yet they have told us Pilkington and others have ALL put their prices up.

I'm beginning to wonder that because many companies have gone out of business and Pilk etc have bad debts the rest of us are paying the price with increases to cover their loses..;)

jonnywells

leveller2911 wrote: »

keystone wrote: »

There are three issues here:


"The cost of wholesale glass has doubled in the last few months. No idea why."




Our supplier usually sends us a letter periodically with glass price increase/decrease linked to the price of oil.

Recently the price of oil has been stable and yet they have told us Pilkington and others have ALL put their prices up.

I'm beginning to wonder that because many companies have gone out of business and Pilk etc have bad debts the rest of use are paying the price with increases to cover their loses..;)

Are you in the glass business?

Pilkington must be closed for n/y as i just get a answer machine, although im 99% sure maybe you can help. Is there anyway to verify which glass is in the roof? Although the "K2 glass" followed by some numbers is a giveaway on my invoice it does say "K2 roofing system" so its possible the marking refer to that

keystone

No way on earth will Pilkington admit that "self-cleaning" is a triumph of marketing hype over reality!

Cheers

leveller2911

jonnywells wrote: »

leveller2911 wrote: »

Are you in the glass business?

Pilkington must be closed for n/y as i just get a answer machine, although im 99% sure maybe you can help. Is there anyway to verify which glass is in the roof? Although the "K2 glass" followed by some numbers is a giveaway on my invoice it does say "K2 roofing system" so its possible the marking refer to that

Hi Jonnywell, I have a small joinery workshop.The only evidence that its def Pilkington glass is that my supplier always sends me a copy of the letter from Pilkingtons when they hike up the price......The sealed units have the spacer bar between the sheets of glass which is stamped with the date of manufacute and the company name but never any sign of Pilkingtons..

usignuolo

I had a new double glazed skylight installed in the roof recently, custom made, and specified self cleaning glass on the exterior. When it arrived the joiner, (who is FENSA registered) told me it was the very latest in self cleaning glass, one of the first he had done with the new Pilkington product, which is clear glass and not blueish as it always used to be.

It seems to be working very well: usual pigeon splotter etc dessicates and then washes away. Is your glass, as provided, supposed to be self cleaning - because if it is same as mine (I can't recall off hand the brand) it may well be clear not blueish.

Gimlet

Hi jonnywells - K2 is nothing to do with Pilkington so I'd say you've got grounds to get the installer to replace.

Regarding the price of glass - the recent increases are due to the main manufacturers making significant losses over the previous 12 months and therefore deciding reduced volumes at a margin is better than selling at a loss. The link to oil prices is more to do with the energy surcharge that Pilkington pass on to their customers. This surcharge has remained in line with oil prices whilst the wholesale cost of raw glass has risen.