DIY Glass Pool Fencing Latest News

ARCHIVED NEWS

25/03/11
AS2208 - 1996 SAFETY GLAZING MATERIALS IN BUILDINGS
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13/03/11
GLASS POOL FENCING CERTIFICATION
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04/03/11
Earthing Requirements
Part 8 – 8.1 Page 30
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03/03/11
POOL FENCE EQUIPOTENTIAL BONDING (EARTHING THE FENCE)
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CURRENT STORY

22/10/11 - WHY YOU "DON'T" BUY A POOL FENCE FROM THE BIG HARDWARE RETAILERS

Yesterday (18th Oct) we received a phone call from a lady asking if we sold glass gate hinges and latches separately.

Later she came into our reception with a request to buy those hinges and a latch for a glass gate, she lugged the 21kg glass gate in with her.

We asked her why she didn't buy the hinges and latch where she purchased the glass gate. Her reply was that her large hardware retailer had no stock. It seems their range is extremely limited. The large hardware retailers usually have a corner down the back and very little or no expertise at point of sale.

We measured the glass gate she had brought in only to find our "industry standard" hinges would not fit the gate and the glass didn't have a cutout for the latch.

In desperation her husband came in this morning (19th Oct) thinking he could get the products to work on the gate she had bought but again we demonstrated that they would not fit. He thought that maybe he could drill holes in the glass to fit the hinges. Obviously the large hardware retail representative did not tell him that you cannot drill or cut toughened glass, or maybe he didn’t know that information to pass it on to his customer.

The unhappy couple now have a "cheap" glass gate with no hinges or latch. They cannot finish their fence which means they cannot get final approval and fill their pool. It is like buying a car without wheels, why would you do it?

Wouldn't it make sense to purchase something as precise as a glass pool fence from a company that actually specialises in the product and keeps a full range of stock?

Our range is comprehensive not to mention our knowledge of the products. We have a 1200 square metre factory filled with our products and staff who have a combined total of over 150 years experience in the fencing industry.

WE CANNOT BELIEVE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT COME TO US IN AN ATTEMPT TO COMPLETE THEIR PROJECT AFTER PURCHASING SOME OR PART OF THE FENCE FROM LARGE HARDWARE RETAILERS WHO HAVE LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PRODUCT THEY SELL. It happens daily.

Many of the larger retailers may have a vast range of specialty products, but they don't always have the detailed knowledge that only a specialist has. If you want to know the level of knowledge a hardware retailer has of the pool fencing they sell, next time you go there, ask the sales person which Australian Standard applies to pool fencing, you may get a blank look similar to the one I got!

The consumer thinks it's cheaper because they are buying the product from larger retailers who claim "lowest prices" when in actual fact that's a myth.

Compare the following before buying from a large hardware retailer;

quality of the product
the level or service
product knowledge
ability to provide a layout (plan) of your fence
engineering of the product
certification of the product
availability of custom products
the price

And last but not least, after sales service.

You will find that overall, we are extremely competitive and in most cases, cheaper than larger hardware retailers, but the main difference is that we know the product we sell.

We believe that selling a glass gate without an approved set of hinges or latch is of no use to the consumer.

We would not sell a glass gate to a customer unless we knew our tried and tested hardware was on it because we care about the safety of your family. The bottom line is, to be able to obtain certification for your pool fence, you have to have approved latch and hinges fitted correctly.

I shake my head in disbelief and ask myself why anyone would buy a gate without the hardware or glass without the posts, after all, buying a glass pool fence is hardly an "impulse" buy. Why walk out without the most important components that will allow your fence to be certified?

We don't sell part of a fence to the consumer and then have them running all over the countryside to find components to make it work. Our product works every time.