How does one calculate the value of the SignForce GUARANTEE?

Illuminated signs

Candice Berman shop front sign

In the modern world of skeptics, especially in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa (where SignForce South Africa is headquartered) and where it currently seems that nothing is as it seems, buyers must be forgiven for believing that EVERYONE offers some guarantee.

Guarantees help sell because they give the buyer comfort and peace of mind, and, unfortunately, sometimes a false sense of security. This is because it feels fantastic knowing that one is “covered”, until, that is,  one reads the fine print, when, too often, it seems that unless one does a head stand under water for no less than 50 seconds on an even numbered day Tuesday in the second week of a month starting with F while a pink elephant ties one’s hand to a good mate’s foot …. you get the idea!

At SignForce we are proud to have been in the signage business for more than 20 years under the current management. We are also proud to have honored the SignForce guarantee 100% of the time there has been a LEGITIMATE claim. (Yes, we have also had claims that were not legitimate, such as the time a sign was damaged by thieves (as was evident by the photo’s the client provided) and the client demanded SignForce replace the sign. But sorry, I digress).

The reason SignForce are in any position to honor the SignForce guarantee is that (a) SignForce work with the best available material, which generally carry their own guarantees, (b) SignForce make a point of working with reputable suppliers, (c) SignForce have skilled staff and (d) SignForce use an automated quote system that has a built in factor for each sign in order to ensure there is sufficient margin on a job so that, in the event of their being an issue with the sign, SignForce can afford to go back and make good.

Unfortunately this ‘factor’ does increase the cost of the sign, and this may seem unnecessary to the potential buyer, especially if they are highly price sensitive. That is, price sensitive until there is an issue with the sign…

The photo on this blog happens to be one of the 4% of signs that SignForce produce that WENT WRONG. Yes, the odds are in the client’s favor that NOTHING will go wrong, but when it does, as with all insurance, is the cost of the risk not worth being covered.

In the case of this Candice Berman signage, what we do know is that something (we don’t know what) made contact with the sign resulting in the sign tearing and falling off the wall. Obviously this is not something any sign company likes to admit to or takes lightly. (In SignForce’s case we have fortunately only had 3 signs fall off walls in over 20 years, two of which were while installing and were the result of faulty fixings).

In this case the signage was replaced at no cost to the client, which, had the client not been with SignForce, could have cost the client the same as the original sign. Now if one thinks about the cost of the guarantee versus true peace of mind, how does a buyer calculate the value of the SignForce guarantee?

As a rule of thumb, when a price is ‘too’ low, it is often because short cuts are being taken or simple numbers such as guarantees are not factored into the cost. This may make the up-front cost more competitive, however, when something goes wrong, (and it will, even, as in SignForce’s case when it is under 4% of jobs) if the cost of errors has not been factored into the price of the sign, there is a better than average chance that the supplier simply cannot afford to go back to make good.

Working with SignForce provides peace of mind!

Contact SignForce on info@signforce.co.za or call us now on +27 (0)11 440 7524 / 5 to see how much we care for you and our clients.