Before I selected Brock, I had contacted well over 10 window vendors --selected from Homestars, local flyers, and the Internet -- and had them each come and give me their dog and pony show to educate me on why they were unique and should be the vendor for me. I boiled down that list of 10 to more manageable and comparable list of 3 similar vendors that could give me a comparable apples-to-apples quote and also meeting my requirements – financing, quality windows, and competitive price.
In the end I selected Brock Windows due to a)the quality of the North Star windows, b) Walter the sales representative’s knowledge and recommendations, c) their competitive price and ability to provide 6-months no interest financing. In my opinion the windows that Brock sells (North Star) are excellent in quality windows –- both energy efficient with the highest CSA ratings for r-value and security -- and look great. However, in hindsight I was not scrutinizing enough with ‘installation’ as a selection requirement.
I experienced first-hand the issues and challenges of dealing with a 3rd party contractor that a window & door vendor uses to install their product. While the bulk of the issues I identified have since been taken care of at the time of this posting, I had a stressful time dealing with issues caused by mediocre installation and added complexity of dealing with multiple parties.
First issue: 2 of the 13 windows I ordered were ordered incorrectly – a mistake made by the installer during detailed measuring, although he originally did not admit to this.
Second issue: Scratches and loose flashing due to rushing installation -- the installer has since replaced the front-door flashing and screwed down loose areas
Third issue: Dent in door -- The door manufacturer replaced the door , given dent was from factory
Fourth issue: Missing rear garage door flashing – The installer forgot to install the flashing around the door due to rushing the job and running out of time in the day; it was only taken care of after I pointed it out the next visit.
In the end I waited an additional 1.5 months (took 4 months from order to complete install) and had to live with a drafty temporary window covering given my old window was removed (this was the fix after I had complained that the first temporary window covering was inadequate -- it let soot, a larger draft, and water into the wall.
In my opinion the mediocre installation was a result of squeezing a 3 day job into 2 days. This does not reflect on the skill of the installation crew as I believe they are capable and were initially pleasant to work with. Things turned awkward when the head-installer asked me to sign a ‘completion of work’ form stating that the I was satisfied with the job and that it was complete. As a result of me kindly refusing to sign the form given the job was NOT complete the installer attempted to pressure me into signing it citing he won’t get paid until the form is signed. After going back and forth, he finally gave up, but left upset. I believe this incident caused him to drag his heals in finishing the job.
Overall, I am thoroughly enjoying my North Star Windows and I do feel that the recommendations that Walter from Brock gave make the windows stand out, I highly recommend that anyone considering new windows scrutinize the installation practices of the vendor they end up choosing.
**Update: I have changed my initial rating from a 7 to a 9. I have to say that Brock Windows does an excellent job of follow-up on customer service -- from emailing a copy of my invoice promptly, to mailing me touch up paint for my windows, to repairing defects in the install over a year later. The original contractor came back and made things look better than the first go around. Thank you! **
