The following are the guts of a letter that I wrote to give to the manager of Regional Supply. It never got that far. The letter never had to be delivered as I settled with him at the return price of $325. The only purpose for me to post this letter is because I am too lazy to tell all the facts of the "progress" on my tank and to let everyone know to watch their back when... (they rest of that sentence will not be posted for legal reasons, each of you can make your own assumptions)
The purpose of my letter is two fold. First, and foremost, I would like to state my position regarding my purchase of numerous supplies from your company on March 25, 2004. These supplies consisted of the following materials: two full sheets of 12mm thick cell-cast acrylic “Acrylite GP”; a cutting charge; a piece of black 18” x 21.75” acrylic; 12 linear feet of ¼” x ¼” extruded acrylic square rod; and a two-part bonder “Weld-On #40”. The total amount of my purchase was $465.61.
At the time of purchase I inquired of your sales associate, Eric, if there was any crucial information that I should be aware of regarding the Weld-On #40. Eric informed me that he had never used Weld-ON #40 and that the instructions on the package would provide me with ample information.
After transporting the materials to my home, I became aware that the cuts in the acrylic had been improperly made. Six cuts were made at 49.75” instead of 48” as reflected on my invoice and my cutting diagram. I immediately contacted Eric via the telephone to report the improper cuts. Eric was apologetic and was willing to re-cut the materials to the proper length if I would bring them back down. However, due to time constraints on my schedule, I was willing to make due with the sizes of the cuts. I again phoned your company and spoke to a different salesman as Eric was unavailable. I explained my situation to this sales associate and asked to be partially compensated for my inconvenience. Unfortunately, my concerns were never addressed. I was place on hold for approximately ten minutes prior to the phone being disconnected.
On Sunday, Ryan Williams, a personal friend who is extremely knowledgeable with the workings of acrylic, and I began assembling and cementing the cut acrylic pieces into the shape of a box. We followed the instructions on the side of the cement exactly. The seams were glued at room temperature in my kitchen. The edges were sanded with 400 grit sand paper to clean and smooth the saw cuts. The cement was mixed to a 100:5 ratio and applied approximately 30 seconds before each seam was made. Three different batches of cement were prepared so that none of it would dry out during the wait time. The acrylic box was then clamped together, tight enough to hold but not so tight as to squeeze the cement out of the joint. The box sat unmoved and untouched for approximately 24 hours. At that time, I moved it to its permanent location where it again sat untouched for approximately 6 days.
On Sunday, April 4th 2004, Ryan Williams and I began cleaning up the edges by routing and buffing them. However, we determined that the simplest approach to finalizing and perfecting the tank would be best addressed at Ryan’s place of employment as he has access to the tools required to complete the steps. On Monday, April 5, 2004, I carefully loaded the tank into the back of my truck and wrapped it in an old quilt. The tank was secured by two tie-downs. I arrived at Ryan’s place of employment at around 7:00 p.m. As we unloaded the tank, we noted that one of the panels had come completely off the tank and two other seems that separated. There was no undue pressure, stress or impact that would have inadvertently caused this type of separation. In some regards I am grateful that the weakness of the tank was discovered prior to adding water. If the structural weakness had become evidence by the pressure of water, the damage to my home would have been significant. Fortunately, the only destruction caused by the inability of the acryclic and the cement to properly adhere together were restricted to the tank itself. Upon my discovery of the separation in the seams, I returned the tank to Regional Supply Company and requested a refund.
I was perplexed as to the problems surrounding my purchase from your company as I had followed the instruction on the package, per your sales associate, without deviation. Consequently, I contacted IPS Corporation, the manufacturer of Weld-ON #40, and spoke to Chad, a technical representative. I relayed my entire story to Chad and discussed the course of events in an effort to address the problems I encountered. Chad informed me that he doesn’t recommend Weld-On #40 for ½” acrylic. He recommends a #3 followed by #16. Chad further stated that I should have sanded the face of the seam and cleaned it with denatured alcohol, neither of which is written on the package nor was told tome by Regional Supply Company.
After my discussion with Chad, I contacted Jeff, a technical representative with Cyro Industries, the manufacturer of the Acrylite GP. I again relayed my entire story and the course of events in order to obtain his opinion. Jeff reiterated and confirmed Chad’s statement regarding the sanding of the faces. Jeff informed me that when working with Weld-On #40, as it is a polymerizing cement and not a solvent cement, you have to account for and provide a gap between the two pieces of acrylic that are being bonded together. This is best achieved by cutting the edge at a 10 degree angle to form a “>” where the two pieces of acrylic meet. By making this type of cut, the cement can bond to a larger surface area and not be squeezed out of the joint.
After being apprised of the foregoing, I returned to Regional Supply Company at approximately 10:00 am on Tuesday, April 6th 2004. I spoke with Eric and reported all of my finding to him. Eric was professional and politely listened to my concerns. Unfortunately, he was unable to directly address my concerns and my request for a refund. Consequently, I spoke with you and attempted to outline my situation. During our conversation, you verbally confirmed the facts that I had been told my Chad and Jeff. When I told you of the directions they had provided me, you retorted, “That’s the way I would have done it.” I had fully informed Eric, your sales associate, of how I would be utilizing the materials I was purchasing from your company. Further, I specifically asked if there was any crucial information that I need prior to beginning work on my tank. I was never provided with any additional recommendations, directions or instructions other than to follow the instructions on the package. This is not an inquiring regarding trade secrets, but rather the selling of correct and proper materials.
I received a voicemail from Eric at 5:07pm on April 6th 2004 stating that Regional Supply would credit me a total of $290.28 including tax. Eric stated that Clifford Birkeland had asked him to read me a side note saying that “I must assume some responsibility for my trade” and that “I should have tested my procedure on a smaller piece first”.
The second purpose of my letter is to verbally request a full refund from your company. A disclosure on my receipt does not render your company unaccountable for incorrect information. I appreciate the fact that Regional Supply Company cannot possibly be held liable for mistakes made by people who purchase their products and utilize them incorrectly. However, I strongly support the notion that the Regional Supply Company needs to provide the correct products and information to the public. Building tanks from acrylic is a hobby for me, not a trade. If Regional Supply Company’s stance is that I should be responsible for my trade, then I hope that they will be responsible for giving out incorrect and incomplete information.
In an effort to resolve this problem amicably, I would be willing to pay a 15% restocking fee on the material I purchased. If, after reading the foregoing, this is acceptable to Regional Supply Company, please inform me of such within two business days from the date of this letter.
Thank you in advance for your attention and professionalism in this regard...
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