An Update on Windows

So it was just about last year at this time that we started to think about getting our windows replaced. We did our research and found a reliable company and have been pretty happy with the way the windows turned out. I can't compare our heating saving or comfort level before and after, because at the time we had them installed upstairs, we were still living downstairs. But it certainly feels warm and cozy there and it's nice to be able to open them in the nice weather and still be protected from bugs.

But and this is a BIG BUT (but not a big butt--ok, couldn't resist), a small repair with our company of choice turned out to be incredibly annoying and has made me rethink my initial thoughts on their reliability. In mid-September, I discovered this:

A giant gash in our screen. We couldn't open the window because it was so big, a cat might fall through.  No idea what caused it--probably a falling branch--and we were glad it didn't hurt the glass, but obviously something had to be done. So I followed the terms of my contract and called our window people. The man I spoke to was very nice and I gave him all the necessary information. He told me he would call me back and let me know when someone would be around to pick it up. That was on September 30.

Almost 2 weeks go by with no word. I call back on October 12. Same guy. He was very nice and apologetic and said he promptly lost my information right after I called him and he was so glad I called back. He would call me back about a pick up.

I call several times over the next 3 weeks, sometimes getting that guy, sometimes getting someone else. They are all nice and claim that they will set something up. Once when I got a different guy, he claimed that there was no record of me needing my screen fixed. Starting to get a little irritated. It's just a darn screen, people! This is not rocket science.

Finally on November 1, a Monday, I get the original guy. He's apologetic and guarantees he will call me back on Tuesday with a pick up date. Tuesday come and nothing. On Wednesday afternoon, I call him again. He tells me to leave the screen outside my house on Thursday. I do. Thursday goes by and nothing. I call back Friday morning and he promises someone will be by that day. Finally, hallelujah, on Friday (the 5th, for those keeping track), the screen disappears from our front stoop.

But our wait has only just begun....

I call on November 19 to check in. The guy on the phone has no idea who I am or what is going on. He can't find a record about me or my screen. He tells me to call back again another time.

I call on November 22 and the guy tells me that he sees my request and that the screen isn't finished yet. Call back next week.

I call on November 29. The screen is there, finished and ready for delivery. Yay! Now this is where I get a little fuzzy because my rage stopped me from keeping good records (yes, I wrote this stuff all down). Somehow over the next 2 weeks, I managed to keep getting told "yes, we'll have someone drop it off right away" by very polite people without seeing actual results.

On December 13 I called again, exasperated, and demanded that they just tell me a date when they would be by. I didn't care if it was this week or next week or the week after that, but just tell me when, for goodness sake! And they do: December 15. So I wait. And of course, no one shows up.

It was around then that D jumped in, because I was so angry that I was afraid I would literally explode at the next poor soul that happened to answer the phone at the window place. D is much calmer and more measured than me and so I trusted he could make something happen without getting issued a restraining order. He calls periodically for another week, trying to impress on the window company that we had family coming to town on the 21st and couldn't we please (pretty please!) get the window before then. They said yes, of course, and told D several dates that they would show up and then promptly did not. We are told they will come on the 20th, the 21st, the 22nd. Each night or following morning, we call to check in. Then it is Christmas, so we wait.

D calls on Monday, December 27, and they say that it is on the truck and will be arriving shortly. It does not. He calls on December 28 and is told the driver was sick and couldn't come. He is actually connected to the driver, who apologizes. He starts to sound testy, which for D is a big deal. I think they must have realized that we were at the end of our rope. Finally, lo and behold, a screen appears at our door on December 29. Three months--THREE--since we called about the screen.

So here we are, with a working screen but the sense that this company deceived us about their customer service. Fortunately, we didn't need the screen, it being winter (we did back in September and October, but oh well). But what if this were a window. An actual broken window which is also covered in our contract? So we are writing the company a letter and telling them essentially exactly what I just told you on this post. Yes, all of the service representatives were polite. Yes, they all tried to handle the issue. But they failed. And were unreliable. And kept us waiting for months. And you know, if we had called in September and they had said "ok, we'll pick it up in about a month and have it ready just before the New Year" then that would have been fine. But they didn't. And so we wasted time trying to figure out just exactly what they were doing with our screen.

And--and this is the key part--if they do it again, we will amend our Angie's List review and reveal them to be unreliable. Because everyone gets a second chance, but that's about it. Other customers deserve to know that this could be a problem.

Bottom line? Well, I don't know. I guess that you can be fooled by a company that has good sales and good products but bad customer service and it's just a risk you take. Certainly does stink though.