Nightmare from beginning to the end
I initially contacted Window and Door Specialists because they were the authorized dealer for Jel-wen windows. I met with Michael the salesman in Jan/2011 for a quote on my windows and doors. During our meeting, he explained to me that the Jel-wen windows were not the greatest and recommendeded another company. Beware of Michael, he will promise you anything before you sign the contract. He said the price quoted would not change but that didn’t happen. When the installer came to the house to do the official measurements, he indicated that he need to charge me more to install my windows – at that point the contract was already signed. Even though this was a rush order, it still took 5 weeks for my windows and the patio and entry doors were still not ready. Then I find out that the Door manufacturer made a mistake on the hinges. We ordered custom patio doors about 7 feet tall; the door guys told us if we want to have the hinges placed evenly then it would take them longer. Of course we wanted it done evenly so that took more time. When the installer finally came, he informed me that he was missing one of my windows. I called their office and spoke to Tony. We went through my order and indeed we were missing one. At that point I was very upset. How could I be missing one? A day later I got a call from Michael (the salesman) conferenced with the office manager Louis. He basically blamed me for not counting all my windows? Hello, it's not my job. As the customer I pay them and they do their job. My whole project was now delayed.
My doors were finally ready in March. I wanted the colour of my doors and windows to be the same, guess what they were different. Their explanation was the doors and the windows are made by different manufacturers, what kind of excuse is that and the installer did a terrible job, there were gaps on the patio doors and my entry door was not level. Both sets of doors had to be removed. To top it off, my order said the glass on my front door was to be frosted and it arrived clear. Also, my windows – once I started opening them to test the mechanisms the weather stripping started coming off. Called Tony and he got the manufacturer's people to fix all the weather stripping.
It’s now May, my patio and entry doors are finally ready. The colour is finally the same and the glass is clear. The installer came and installed my doors. I checked for the problems that I had previously and it was fine. Two weeks later I found problems again; the jam for both doors were short and the patio door’s aluminium frame started to bubble. Called Tony again, he advised that because I’d chosen black, the heat of the sun was making the aluminium bubble. It’s not been a month yet. I don’t think it should do that. Apparentally Louis's own doors did the same thing, my question to him was, if you knew the aluminium bubbles why would you still sell these products to your customers.
Six months later, there is a leak in one of my windows and the sash buckled. Window and Door Speciality claims it’s not the window or the installation and blamed it on my other trades. They always give excuses which make no sense to me. I truly believe it’s the window itself.
To sum it up, not sure doing business with Window and Door Specialist was worth it. They don’t seem to know their products; their excuses change every minute. These Windows and Doors cost me a lot. It’s not worth the headache and sleepless nights. Remember… have everything written down on the agreement, if they tell you that the price won’t increase after the quote, make sure that is written down on the agreement.
The worst thing about this reno is that all trades refuse to take responsibility for their errors. They will blame each other to no end but at the end it is the customer left holding the bag.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $19,000.00
- Company Response
In order to have this review put into proper perspective I'll begin with a sequence of events; the homeowner hired a rough carpenter to reframe their entire house. The carpenter was provided with the size of the windows required by our installer to accommodate brick openings. The carpenter framed the house with openings of up to 6" wider than indicated. Due to the improper framing, our installer had to build up the framing which added to the customer’s costs.
The thickness of the wall studding was not consistent. No lintels (horizontal support structure above window openings) were in place. The building inspector could not approve framing done by carpenter. We advised homeowner to have someone more experienced do the framing work. Insufficient support provided under bay window.
The framing of the doorways was 2x4 when we initially measured for the new doors. The customer had this changed to 2X6 framing without notifying us which is why the door jambs were shorter than the frame. Next the electrician forced an electrical box in between studs causing the door frame to compress thus hindering the proper operation of the door.
The stucco company hired stucco’d our painted window.
The window missing was never ordered in the first place.
Customer decided to add window when their attempts to have window supplied at no charge failed.
Approximately 6 months after the window installation, someone other than our company poked holes in the caulking which lead to the leak problems with the window. Our installer shimmed the bottom of the brickmould to accommodate an uneven sill. Both homeowners were present when the installer went to service this window and were shown the holes in the caulking.
We did our very best to satisfy this customer despite raising of their voices, and continual unwarranted threats to badmouth our company publicly if they didn't get what they wanted immediately regardless of whether it was part of the order or not.
We have an A+ rating with BBB; the highest possible rating.
Feel free to contact either myself or Tony our Manager of Operations if you require further information.
Louis Radocchia
905-770-3719