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Tips for clients looking for polyurethane spraying services
Based on a number of meetings and conversations with clients at the Budma trade fair, and the feedback received from our clients, we have decided it is time to write this short article.
Our goal is to communicate reliable information to end users to ensure they make an informed decision. Despite clear anti-monopoly regulations adopted by the European Union, we still have an impression that this is an uphill struggle. Clients are often misinformed and sometimes are given no choice whatsoever.
Therefore, we recommend that you read the following article.
Based on a number of meetings and conversations with clients at the Budma trade fair, and the feedback received from our clients, we have decided it is time to write this short article.
Our goal is to communicate reliable information to end users to ensure they make an informed decision. Despite clear anti-monopoly regulations adopted by the European Union, we still have an impression that this is an uphill struggle. Clients are often misinformed and sometimes are given no choice whatsoever.
Therefore, we recommend that you read the following article.
The cheapest PUR foam
At the trade fair, the most frequently asked question was:
"I am looking for the cheapest polyurethane foam to insulate the attic in my home”
After dozens of such questions and conversations with clients, we would usually arrive at a conclusion with the client that it essentially boils down to the following:
After dozens of such questions and conversations with clients, we would usually arrive at a conclusion with the client that it essentially boils down to the following:
"I am looking for the cheapest car to take my kids to school”
or
"I am looking for the cheapest cure for my cancer"
So the real question is: is it worth risking a lifetime investment of building and insulating your own home by using the cheapest products? Indeed, after a while the clients would come to the realization that they were not really looking for the cheapest polyurethane foam, but rather for a good-quality yet affordable product.
It came as a great surprise to us when a client would claim that the questions of comfort, safety and quality were not important at all, and that the price was the only criterion. However, it quickly turned out that the client was not aware that there are hundreds of open-cell foam products in the market offering different qualities than TornadoFoam®. Clients thought that there was only one type of open-cell polyurethane foam – and this is why they were looking for the cheapest option.
"I am looking for the cheapest cure for my cancer"
So the real question is: is it worth risking a lifetime investment of building and insulating your own home by using the cheapest products? Indeed, after a while the clients would come to the realization that they were not really looking for the cheapest polyurethane foam, but rather for a good-quality yet affordable product.
It came as a great surprise to us when a client would claim that the questions of comfort, safety and quality were not important at all, and that the price was the only criterion. However, it quickly turned out that the client was not aware that there are hundreds of open-cell foam products in the market offering different qualities than TornadoFoam®. Clients thought that there was only one type of open-cell polyurethane foam – and this is why they were looking for the cheapest option.
A small difference in price
It is worth pointing out that in 2018 we sold TornadoFoam® at a price higher by only 2.5% (two and a half per cent!) vs. the average market price, while offering unique and user-friendly qualities compared to other foams. As a result, the average difference in the net price paid in 2019 for the insulation of attic space would amount to 57 EUR for the entire building. This means that the client would risk quality for one-off net savings of merely 57 EUR…
This is when we realized that the end users of foam products need proper education. It is of prime importance for us that our clients make informed decisions and choose the most optimum foam product, while being confident that the foam of their choice is actually consistently used in the building. This does not apply to TornadoFoam® only – we believe that other producers are faced with the same problem, even though they do not discuss it openly.
Tricks used by contractors
Unfortunately, for years and years we have noticed a certain practice in the market. The clients who decided to insulate their homes with TornadoFoam® let us know that some contractors would resort to many tricks in order to persuade them to use another foam product instead. For instance, they would claim they had no skills necessary to apply our foam (while TornadoFoam® is actually one of the easiest foams to apply), that the machine was not compatible with TornadoFoam® (while in reality TornadoFoam® can be applied even with low-capacity machines), that they would offer better or cheaper foams instead… and other such nonsensical arguments would go on and on.
Therefore, if you have decided to apply TornadoFoam® and then your contractor puts forward such arguments, we strongly suggest that you change your contractor immediately. There are many reliable companies all around Europe that will be more than happy to insulate your home with TornadoFoam®.
Therefore, if you have decided to apply TornadoFoam® and then your contractor puts forward such arguments, we strongly suggest that you change your contractor immediately. There are many reliable companies all around Europe that will be more than happy to insulate your home with TornadoFoam®.
Loyalty agreements
We have also been informed of the cases where, after the client strongly refused to use other foams, the contractor would claim that he had signed a loyalty agreement and consequently he could not use the foam product selected by the client for fear of penalty payments. We have known of many contractors who claimed that they had to sign such contracts with the suppliers of spraying machines and could only apply one type of foam and not any other, otherwise they would risk financial penalties. We believe it is best to verify such information and simply ask your contractor a straightforward question!
Tip: Just inquire whether your contractor has signed a loyalty agreement to use only a given type of product other than the product of your choice.
Just imagine a similar situation: as a client, you pick breathable yellow paint for your walls, but your painter can only use latex paint… in pink. Otherwise, he would risk serious problems. Quite absurd, isn’t it?
Tip: Just inquire whether your contractor has signed a loyalty agreement to use only a given type of product other than the product of your choice.
Just imagine a similar situation: as a client, you pick breathable yellow paint for your walls, but your painter can only use latex paint… in pink. Otherwise, he would risk serious problems. Quite absurd, isn’t it?
Client’s choice
The question arises – what about the client? Amid all this confusion, have we forgotten about the client’s safety and his right of choice and informed decision?
As a supplier of foam who has seen attempts taken by many contractors to mislead end users, we have no other option but to educate the clients. The situation where you decide to apply TornadoFoam® in your home to ensure comfortable living, but the contractor forces you to apply a different product due to third-party demands, is simply unacceptable.
Please remember that the choice of a foam product is up to the client only, and we believe that the contractor should respect the client’s choice. Let us remind you again that TornadoFoam® can be applied by any user of a suitable spraying machine. There are no limitations, no loyalty agreements, no restrictions, no penalties, and no consequences. There is only a good-quality product and the client’s freedom of choice.
As usual, we wish do underline that this article does not apply to fair and reliable contractors – and there are surely many such companies in Europe. The choice of a product and of a contractor is the client’s individual decision, and all the statements in this article are to the best of our knowledge and according to the information we have received. Our company has no problems whatsoever with the products offered by our competitors – but we cannot turn a blind eye to the situations where the clients are simply misinformed. And if the contracts signed with third-party suppliers prohibit the use of other products, the client should be openly informed about such limitations in advance.
And, most importantly, please remember that “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” (Benjamin Franklin)
As a supplier of foam who has seen attempts taken by many contractors to mislead end users, we have no other option but to educate the clients. The situation where you decide to apply TornadoFoam® in your home to ensure comfortable living, but the contractor forces you to apply a different product due to third-party demands, is simply unacceptable.
Please remember that the choice of a foam product is up to the client only, and we believe that the contractor should respect the client’s choice. Let us remind you again that TornadoFoam® can be applied by any user of a suitable spraying machine. There are no limitations, no loyalty agreements, no restrictions, no penalties, and no consequences. There is only a good-quality product and the client’s freedom of choice.
As usual, we wish do underline that this article does not apply to fair and reliable contractors – and there are surely many such companies in Europe. The choice of a product and of a contractor is the client’s individual decision, and all the statements in this article are to the best of our knowledge and according to the information we have received. Our company has no problems whatsoever with the products offered by our competitors – but we cannot turn a blind eye to the situations where the clients are simply misinformed. And if the contracts signed with third-party suppliers prohibit the use of other products, the client should be openly informed about such limitations in advance.
And, most importantly, please remember that “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” (Benjamin Franklin)