When Landscape Lighting Goes wrong

When Landscape Lighting Goes wrong

By Mike Gambino

Landscape Lighting Liabilities

DSCN0544Who should pay for the labor to remove and replace faulty landscape lighting equipment?

The Home Owner

The Designer Builder

Insurance Company

The Manufacturer

In my 26 years of designing landscape lighting systems for mostly residential home owners, People seem to be of the opinion that if you sell it to them–you are at least partially liable for replacing it when things go wrong. You know what they say you are only as strong as your weakest link in business and in life. Right, Wrong or indifferent- The product brand and manufacturer that you choose to represent and specify directly reflects upon you as a landscape lighting design build contractor. Long after you’ve left the jobsite the products will represent you and shape the perception the owner has of you depending upon how they perform and last. This is something that most in the business of landscape lighting fail to be aware of.

The important consideration here is that since the manufacturer refuses to pay for the removal, disposal and installation of the replacement components (under warranty). The specifier DESIGNER BUILDER may well be shamed into, or worse still forced to through litigation to replace failed landscape lighting products.

This fixture has lost its paint is totally pitted unsightly and ready for the trash heap

Let the contractor buy all the materials. That keeps you from being stuck in the middle when something goes wrong. What I mean by that is the place that sold you the materials blames the contractor and the contractor blames the place that sold you the materials. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what they will and won’t guarantee and for how long.

In my mind any external factor that could put you at odds with a happy client is simply not something we as high end landscape lighting design builders should ever risk. I don’t like having to tell people “No Maam, even though I specified and sold you landscape lighting products that turned out to be defective, I couldn’t possibly replace it for you for free”. The majority of high quality landscape lighting designer builders have steered clear of steel aluminum and composite materials for this simple reason and the fact that we don’t believe it to be the best material to use.

In the act of selling people landscape lighting components as part of your custom designed landscape lighting system one must make clear that in the event of a warranty claim you will not be supplying free labor to replace the products should the materials turn out to be defective. You need to tell them verbally and include it as a term within your contract. If you don’t make this perfectly clear up front, your act of selling the product could leave you vulnerable later.

failed BKAs landscape lighting design builders we need to choose what we sell carefully. We need to look at the company and warranty and decide if the risk is worth the potential gains. It is your lighting business and only you decide what you will or will not represent and sell.

I would be wary of any product that does not clearly have a brand name on it. There are plenty of generic products made in Asia being sold by a multitude of resellers over the internet and in bricks and mortar stores. Good lucking tracing back the responsible party in the case that things go wrong. And with most low grade products like that its not just a matter of if but when.

 

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This landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all rights reserved. Mike is 20160627_004632146_iOSa professional landscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 20 years. Mike resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 2 sons. To visit his website go to www.Gambinolighting.com . To inquire about hiring Mike please click here .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.

4 Comments
  • Mark Carlson
    Posted at 06:57h, 23 July Reply

    Excellent article and points again Mike. This is a topic not normally discussed, as it should be. There is one point that you didn’t cover much here that should be…….the ownership of the system by the homeowner or client. As part of this ownership, there NEEDS TO BE an inclusion for “routine services”, as it applies to regular maintenance of these lighting systems. No matter the products used, if routine maintenance is not performed, then these products will suffer (in most cases).

    Grant it, the Gambino products are some of the finest used today, they still need regular maintenance–cleaning, lubrication, adjustment, and possible relocation. There is NO WAY around this, as the landscape environment is a “growing” form and these environments provide for harsh conditions. Those homeowners or clients who choose not to have services done are only hurting themselves and the longevity of the system.

    You are absolutely correct about brass and copper being the best metals to work with. The other cheaper and inferior metals or composites will corrode and breakdown at a much faster rate, which only adds to this overall problem.

    Thanks for posting…..great topic and comments.

  • Mike Gambino
    Posted at 19:09h, 23 July Reply

    Good points Mark about maintenance. My feeling has always been that it is my system hosted by the owner on their property. Many astute clients do heed our strong recommendations to retain us to care for their systems after the sale and some do not. Inevitably since our brand name is on all of our products we usually end up back on the property at one time or another (even for a new owner) to put things back together. The hard good products are rock solid and will last forever. Expendables like lamps even LED will not last forever contrary to what some may want you to believe. However without periodic care the system will just not perform as good as it should and could. Plants and trees will grow and adjusted will be needed. The outdoor environment -dust, dirt, water, fertilizers etc. will all play their part in putting their patina on the fixtures. Regular cleaning is required. Thanks for your contributions Mark.

  • Les Lemasters
    Posted at 17:14h, 12 August Reply

    I’ve always struggled convincing the client that the system needs regular maintenance when I stress quality, durability, and warranty during the initial meeting. Is there a contract clause that states warranty will only be honored if regular maintenance occurs?

    • Mike Gambino
      Posted at 17:43h, 12 August Reply

      Les as you know landscape lighting requires regular scheduled maintenance to look its best. Just like an automobile whose warranty is dependent upon following normal scheduled maintenance service so is landscape lighting.

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