Customer argued with me about plywood edges and was right the whole time

Had a client in Austin last month who insisted on seeing the unfinished edge of every cabinet box before we installed. I thought she was just being picky, told her nobody does that, the face frames cover everything. She pulled out a flashlight and pointed at a tiny gap where the edge tape had lifted on one panel, said she'd seen it happen in her last kitchen after 2 summers. I almost walked off the job right there, but she offered to pay for the extra time to check all 14 boxes. Turned out 4 of them had the same issue, cheap tape from a batch I'd used for weeks. She was calm the whole time, never said I told you so, just asked if I'd switch to a better brand going forward. Has anyone else had a customer catch something you'd have sworn was fine? I still feel dumb about it, but I switched to a Wilsonart tape and it's been solid for the last 3 projects.

2 comments

2 Comments

henrycooper24d ago

Take a step back though, she caught a real issue but youre acting like this was a major quality sin. Edge tape lifting happens on cheap batches all the time, and it takes years before anyone notices unless theyre looking with a flashlight. You swapped the brand, it works, so honestly you came out ahead without having to eat a whole redo.

taylor.amy22d ago

Did your buddy ever have that thing happen where you buy something from a "reputable" brand and it fails in a weird, specific way? My friend bought a drill that had this tiny crack in the housing, not even visible unless you held it up to the light. Took him two years to notice, but by then the whole thing just gave out mid-project. He wasn't even mad about the cost, it was the principle that they sold it knowing it was cheaply made. You're right that edge tape is small, but it's a sign they cut corners somewhere else too, you know? So yeah, swapping brands early probably saved her a headache down the road, even if it feels like overkill right now.