HOME DEPOT AT HOME SERVICES INC

Typical sales visit

We had a number of original construction windows in my 25 year old house where the seal had broken or part of the wood exterior had rotted and I wanted to replace them with similar quality windows that would not change the character of the house. We were at Home Depot for other purchases and talked with a person about windows. She said they could send someone to the house, show us options, and let us decide what we'd like to do. So I signed up for the estimate. The Sales Consultant came to the house with a little model window and we talked through what we wanted. He made an impressive pitch about the warranty and follow up service and the quotes he provided were quite reasonable. I was concerned that the replacement windows not change the character of the house, but he assured me that their product was of equal or better quality to the existing windows. He also promised that they would repair the rotted areas with the installation of the new windows. At no time did he explain that the windows would have about 15% less glass area than my existing windows and make the room feel darker and more closed in. We made our choice from all the options and placed the order. We selected what the sales consultant identified as their best windows - the series 6500. I knew that the product was not top end, but figured that by buying the "best" of the mid-market options, I was getting a very good window, and the house itself is petty middle of the road. The windows arrived about 3 weeks later - exactly when we were promised - and we easily scheduled the installation. Mary Ann, the project coordinator, was very pleasant to work with. The day arrived and the installers arrived at 9:00 am as I was told they would. They got right to work and by 1:00 they had installed all 8 windows. Once the installers left I examined the new windows. I was tremendously disappointed. The installation itself appears to mostly be fine, except for trim above a half circle window at the front of my house. Instead of a circular trim piece that goes smoothly around the top of the window, they took a piece of straight trim and cut it into little tiles, that they then installed by fanning them up and around the window. The effect looks quite cheap, especially compared to the original wood trim which they replaced. Even the installer commented on it, saying it was too bad, but they don't make circular trim so this was the way they had to do it. Even more shocking was the apparent quality of the windows themselves. Talk about cheap! At least one of the windows doesn't fit plumb and it is hard to close and lock. They feel light and flimsy compared to my original windows. But most disappointing was the way the design of the windows changed the character of the rooms they are in and the look of the exterior of the house. The totally unexpected loss of about 15% of the glass area is very notable. Whereas my original windows had a 2 1/2 inch area of white vinyl from the wall to the glass - all the way around - the new windows are 4 inches. In addition the original windows are about 4 inches thick, while the new windows look about 10 inches thick, giving the window a pronounced tunnel effect. I spoke with Mary Ann, the project coordinator, and she understood instantly my concern. I asked for my original windows back, but she said they had already been dropped off at Colonie dump. She said that there might be things that could be done but I needed to talk to the manager, Bill, who could give me a better idea of the options. So I called Bill the manager. Its been 2 days and I'm still waiting to hear back from him. In retrospect, the installation work was done on time and at a reasonable price. But you get what you pay for, I guess, because the trim work out front looks cheap. As for the windows themselves, I guess "best" doesn't mean very good. If I knew up front what I know now I would definitely have gone with another vendor - because Home Depot just doesn't offer the quality and product I was looking for. I'm now trying to find a way to correct this $4,500 error.

My interaction with them was very good. I disliked just the price. I would use them in the future.

Everything has been good. If anything, they contact me too much. We are paying for it right now, and when we are ready then we will call them. There is always someone there that can help no matter when we go there or call. They are really patient with us, because we have changed our minds quite a few times. They are always there when I need to ask a question.

We had a big job and did a lot of research. We like Simonton windows which Home Depot installs. Also Home Depot has a very good 100% warranty which impressed us. We had two picture windows, one of which was a window wall. The first installation had to be replaced because they got the dimensions wrong due to a misunderstanding. they were very good about re-ordering and replacing. Then this same window had to be replaced again becuse it came in with double, not triple pane. Again they were very responsive and we now have everything right. When they say 100% satisfaction they really mean it. The tinted windows helped us survive the hot, hot summer in cool condition. We are hoping to save a lot of money on our oil bill this window. All in all we were pleased with the job.

Very well. I am reluctant to have sales people come because they won't leave. Tim Rease was very congenial, took his time and at no time pressured me.

There are not enough characters, or superlatives, to describe how abominable my experience with this company, at every level, has been. Their salesman was duplicitous. He said they sub-contracted only with two local companies, they would take extensive precautions to protect the house None of this turned out to be true. They were 3 months late in starting the job and came only after we had canceled our contract with them. There was supposed to be a project supervisor on-site at all times. The supervisor couldn't communicate with the crew b/c they didn't speak English. They didn't have our paperwork so they didn't install to specifications (ex: Omitting vents). They filled our house with debris b/c they didn't take promised precautions. They didn't honor a promised settlement, extorted a certificate of completion illegally. We have not heard from the insurance company 4 years later for damages at the time. We have recently had a roof leak. They should be in jail rather than business.