| Because Steve,
He has already tried the product and decided he did not like it, me or Pond Armor. I do not have a problem with that. Those are his opinions. However, trying to convince others some of the things he was saying was just unproductive. His basis for the statements that revolve around what I just spoke about had absolutely nothing to do with whether or not a specific type of epoxy would work on concrete or not. Would the fact that I wear blue jeans on Fridays make a difference? Certainly not. It is my hope, as I stated in my first post that anyone and I mean anyone wanting to purchase any product should do their home work and make sure the product is correct for them and their application. I also stated that though I might try, I cannot make every customer I do business with happy. There are circumstances that revolve around every transaction and I do my best to accommodate. But I will not accommodate past a certain point. I have to draw the line somewhere. Unfortunately this makes a person unhappy, but I cannot be responsible for a misapplication.
Someone saying that I blamed their construction method or I blamed their application need only listen to what is being presented as the problem. Especially after I have given the person more product at my own cost including shipping. Take your house for example. Sherwin Williams will require that you prepare the house properly before applying their paint to it. If you decided that sanding is just not something you are willing to do, then how is Sherwin Williams responsible when the paint will not stick? Obviously, as some pointed out here, certain instructions must be followed. If you have a problem with your pond leaking after having applied Pond Shield, I will go through all the questions I feel are necessary in order to get to the bottom of the problem. Sometimes egos are unwilling to allow for forward movement at times.
As Birdman said, he had trouble with his coating. He'll be the first to tell you as he did, that it was his own fault. I covered him though. It's what I do, but one cannot expect me to give away the farm in doing so either. I can't just send him a barrel of material and say "Here you go, you'll eventually seal the leak". It doesn't work that way. I have seen people coat and recoat the exact same areas, only to miss the spot they should have been paying attention to in the first place. That's not a sign of bad product. If you do not cover 100%, you will have a potential leak problem on your hands.
Birdman was willing to listen to what I told him and try and solve the problem, not just decide it was product failure. Like I said, with a leak it's tricky, but the person applying the coating has to be willing to at least try and follow through. The installer is the one standing there and I certainly cannot fly out to each job where a problem arises.
I'll give you an example. I had been told once that the Pond Shield started coming off in big patches. I asked for pictures. The person sent me pictures. Sure enough it was coming off. Needless to say this person was very irritated and he let me know. I asked if he would send me pieces of the flaking material. He sent them. Do you know what I found? Under the scope while looking at the back side of the coating I found that what was attached to the coating was not concrete, but rather the calcium deposits that form on concrete during the hydration process. I called him and asked what he did to prepare the surface. I was told a litany of things that did not include acid etching. I asked why there was no acid etching and was told that it was because that was a nasty job. Well when the calcium deposits flaked off, the new coating went with it.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the answer that he expected. Was skipping a crucial step my fault? The coating's fault? No. So the story goes.
So I apologize if you now feel reluctant to try Pond Shield. That is your choice though. I only urge you to do your homework like I suggested though before you purchase anything.
Butch |