GreenON is over but not the mess it left behind
GreenON aftermath
GreenON is over but not the mess it left behind. About 90 per cent of SAWDAC members install windows, so it’s no surprise that window installation issues represent three quarters of all the consumer complaints we get at the office. The majority of these consumer calls have come from complaints around installations during the GreeON program, which ran for seven months. These installation issues we’re seeing are coming from dealers that only ran with the Window Wise banner over that time and have since dropped off or didn’t adhere to the proper installation techniques taught in our Window Wise training seminars. Nonetheless, we treat all complaints the same. Dealing with a true Window Wise member means that the customer’s chance of having a problem is less and the response time to fixing any issue is shorter. That’s because all legacy Window Wise members are committed to a minimum five-year guarantee on their workmanship.
We have heard from many homeowners that have installation issues that their window dealer told them they are a Window Wise-certified dealer but came to realize that they weren’t. The dealer sold them on being in the Window Wise program and how they would receive a certificate for a full five-year transferable warranty. Now that there have been installation problems, we have been fielding these calls and trying to help the customer as best we can to make sure our industry’s integrity stays intact. What usually happens in these cases is that there is no record in our system that the dealer installed these windows because they didn’t register the job and the homeowner is left out in the cold holding the bag.
Window Wise comes to the rescue anyway. How? First, we listen to the homeowner and offer simple advice. We ask the homeowner to send an email that lists the deficiencies with their installation and their expected remedy. We provide the contractor with the complaint and ask for their response. We assist the two parties to arrive at an agreed course of action. We can have an inspector do a site visit and prepare a written report. If no resolution is achieved, we withdraw and the parties are free to seek a court ruling
Not so Window Wise
We have been getting some amusing calls where windows were installed upside down or inside out, but here’s one of the top examples of poor installation.
A consumer called our office and said, “I woke up a few minutes ago to find my bedroom window gone!”
We asked, “Where did it go?”
“Well, I looked out my bedroom window to see the window lying on the ground below. There’s no insulation, no nails, no nothing.”
“How did you get our number?”, we asked.
“I Googled ‘missing window’ and your name popped up.”
This bedroom window fell out because positive and negative wind loads over a period of time (a short time) loosened it because it was only fastened by its jam extensions. Typically, jamb extensions are held on with friction or stapled to the window. The scary part is that a lot of windows are installed this way. In many cases, it’s only caulking or foam that is holding them in place.
The bottom line is Window Wise is the industry standard for proper installation that mitigates problems for the manufacturer, dealer, installer and homeowner. Stand out from your peers and join Window Wise today.
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