How do I find out how a millwork shop handles remakes and installation callbacks?
Ask the shop to show you its remake and callback log for recent projects, with the cause and the cost of each. Then ask who decides what gets redone, who pays and how the crew learns from it. A shop that cannot show you any record probably cannot show you a pattern either.
Begin with the paper trail. Ask for remake orders, installer call notes and any customer emails about problems. Group them by cause: measurement error, drawing error, shop error, damage in transit, installer error or a change by the customer. Each group points to a different fix, and the groups that repeat matter most.
Ask who decides. When a door is wrong or a panel is chipped, does the owner see it first, or does a lead hand? Who pays for the redo, and does the shop ever charge back the installer or the customer? Ask how quickly callbacks are answered, and what the shop does when the cause is unclear.
Ask about the installers. Are they employees or outside crews? Who checks field measurements before cutting begins? A shop that measures twice and confirms in writing often has fewer remakes. Last, talk to a recent customer, or a general contractor, about how a problem was handled. Their account is a useful check on the seller’s account, especially if it differs from it. Your accountant can help you see whether remake costs are shown in the books or hidden in material and labour.
Key takeaways
- Ask for remake and callback records and group them by cause.
- Find out who decides, who pays and how fast the shop responds.
- Check the seller’s account against a recent customer or contractor.
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
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