Vent: Customer supplied hardware that was clearly wrong, who's fault is it really?

Had a job last week where the client brought their own soft close drawer slides. They looked fine in the box but when I went to install them, the mounting holes didn't line up with any standard drawer box I make. I told them they needed different ones, and they got mad saying I should have checked before cutting. I get that side, but also I'm not gonna tear apart every box of hardware they hand me. Where do you guys draw the line? Do you just accept whatever they give you and figure it out, or do you have a policy about checking everything first?

2 comments

2 Comments

xenar141mo ago

Learned that one the hard way too. Now I just tell clients upfront - I'll install what they give me but no guarantees on fit or returns. Saves a headache when the holes don't match.

jamiesingh1mo ago

Saves a headache when the holes don't match" - boy, ain't that the truth. But here's what I'm curious about: when you tell them no guarantees on fit or returns, do you ever get pushback from the clients who insist you should've measured it yourself? I've had a few customers act like I'm the one at fault even after I warned them, and it makes me wonder if there's a way to word that disclaimer so they actually hear it. Seems like some people just assume everything will work out fine until the screws don't line up.