WINDOWS PLUS INC

1) Pete and 1 assistant installed 1 sliding door in 1 day, then the remaining sliding doors and windows in 1 day, 1/2 the estimated time. 2) Interior trim did not match pre-existing trim. 3) Sliding doors installed off-center, requiring our handyman to custom cut trim with asymmetrical widths. 4) The final invoice included hundreds extra dollars for siding to cover gaps left along sides of doors. 5) When "done" Pete left 1 inch gap between installed pieces and floor, informing us for the first time that addressing it was "our responsibility." 6) When "done" we pointed out loose pieces of glass trim along the view window glass panes, Pete stated that he had "forgotten" to fasten them and hastily stapled them to the frame. 7) Dented wood on a sliding door was never repaired or replaced. 8) Most important: After this spring's rains we discovered leaks between the glass and frames of the view windows. Pete admits, and the company we had originally contacted for the windows, who did the original home visit, and who sent us Pete to do the installation, confirms that Pete taped, but did not caulk, the windows, and thus installed them incorrectly. Pete offered to come at the end of a work day to quickly apply the silicone seal, but I contacted Marvin and was informed that sealing it in place would not be adequate since water had entered and would be sealed in. Marvin says the glass must be removed and re-installed correctly, which they offered to do, at full cost to us. Furthermore, now that they know about this problem, Marvin "will no longer warranty the window frame for wood rot, because there's been water in there" even if we hire them to do the work. While Pete admits he failed to seal the glass properly thus causing the leaks, he only offered an incomplete quick fix. Neither Marvin nor the original company will stand behind their product or their installer to make us whole.

Very poor job which made for a very stressful situation. They ordered the wrong windows (these windows had built in muttons and he ordered the wrong design). We discovered this just as they started to install. They told us that they wanted to complete the install and they could fix it later because it was the same frame. Big mistake. This led to a long (6 week or so) protracted dispute which ended in a modest $1,000 compensation. Also, they did a really bad job on finishing the trim work. The contract stated "a finished job." After weeks of arguing over what "finished" meant, they did a sloppy job tossing some paint on and putting our interior shutters back in, but in hindsight we should have had someone else do it because it was more damaging than worthwhile. They also put in a door in the basement that was completely the wrong design. It took multiple installs by the distributor (at this point Pete handed it off to the guys he bought it from to fix it) and they installed it improperly, which has resulted in water leakage. I'd also note that the windows weren't installed well, the screens are very hard to get in and out after a few years. Kept missing scheduled appointments for work throughout the process. Pete was completely unorganized during the whole process. It's my advice to avoid these guys like the plague.

THEY WERE VERY WILLING TO PICK UP THE DOOR FOR ME, WHICH WAS A BIG HELP. THE INSTALLATION SEEMS A PERFECT FIT AND THE DOOR WORKS GREAT; THE CLEAN UP WAS GOOD. THEY WERE WILLING TO DO THE WORK WHILE I WASN'T HOME. VERY QUICK ONCE THEY WERE ABLE TO SCHEDULE IT.

PETE WAS EXTREMELY KIND AND FRIENDLY. FUNCTIONALLY, THE WORK WAS ADEQUATE. HOWEVER, THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL WAS POOR. PETE DIDN'T TAKE THE TIME UP FRONT TO ASSESS OUR NEEDS, WHICH ADDED TO MANY OF THE PROBLEMS WE WOULD LATER HAVE. ALTHOUGH WE PAID FOR TEMPERED GLASS IN ONE WINDOW, THEY NEVER CHECKED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY RECEIVED ONE FROM THEIR DISTRIBUTOR (THEY DIDN'T) NOR THAT IT WAS INSTALLED IN THE RIGHT PLACE. WE WANTED TO PRESERVE THE LOOK OF THE ORIGINAL WINDOW, WHICH HAD WINDOW LIFTS. HOWEVER, PETE NEVER ASKED US ABOUT THIS OR ORDERED THEM FOR OUR WINDOWS. WE ASKED THAT THE WINDOWS BE PAINED BY WINDOWS PLUS. HOWEVER, THEY SIMPLY PAINTED THE REPLACEMENT WINDOW PRIOR TO THE INSTALL. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF DAMAGE AND THE NATURE OF THE INSTALL PROCESS, I HAD TO REPAINT MUCH OF THE WINDOWS. THERE WERE AN MANY OTHER AREAS IN WHICH THEY FAILED TO TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE THE LOOK OF MY 1920'S HOUSE.

I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH WINDOWS PLUS. THEY HANDLED ORDERING AND DELIVERY OF THE WINDOW AND DID A BEAUTIFUL JOB WITH INSTALLATION. I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT MY PLASTER WALLS BEING CRACKED IN THE DESTRUCTION PROCESS. WHILE TOM SAID HE COULDN'T GUARANTEE NO CRACKS HE SAID HE'D DO HIS BEST AND IF THERE WERE CRACKS THAT THEY WOULD MUD THEM. TOM AND MIKE MANAGED TO GET THE OLD WINDOW OUT WITH NO CRACKS IN MY PLASTER! YEAH. THEY WERE VERY PATIENT WITH ME, AS I HOVERED, AND ASKED LOTS OF QUESTIONS THE WHOLE TIME THEY WERE WORKING. THEY CAREFULLY REMOVED MY TRIM SO IT COULD BE RE-USED AND THEY RE-INSTALLED IT TO MY SPECIFICATIONS AT THE END OF THE JOB. WE HAD ONE PROBLEM--THE EXTERIOR LEFT SIDE DIDN'T GET CAULKED. I CALLED, TOLD THEM ABOUT THE OVERSIGHT AND THEY FIXED IT THAT VERY DAY. THIS IS A SMALL COMPANY AND HAS ONE CREW (THAT INCLUDES AN OWNER) FOR INSTALLATION. THEY CLEARLY STAND BY THEIR WORK. EVERYBODY THERE WAS GREAT TO WORK WITH.

THEY WERE THE ONLY COMPANY I CONTACTED THAT I DID NOT NEED TO REPLACE THE EXTERIOR WRAP WHICH SAVED ABOUT $1000, THEY ALSO UNDERBID THE JOB, BUT I HAD CALLED TWICE PRIOR TO ACCEPTING PROPOSAL, THEY STUCK TO THEIR ORIGINAL QUOTE (THEY HAD ESTIMATED THE WRONG WINDOWS) I WOULD DEFINITELY HIRE THEM AGAIN.