Sep 30, 2009 8:57 pm US/Pacific
Call Kurtis: Crooked Windows
CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. (CBS13) ―
Harry and Kim Black paid Quality First Home Improvement based in Citrus Heights $3,000.00 in April for what they thought would be five full replacement windows. Harry says they needed them in their front room.
"We had drafts and she was uncomfortable sitting out here."
But once the windows were put in, they say four out of five windows had problems. Kim noticed them first.
"I came in and right away just by visually looking you could see they were out of square."
Harry says, "You could see the top window compared to the bottom window was like this."
Alignment issues, one with bulging glass, so they called the company and a technician came out.
"And tried to convince me that this was normal. There was really nothing they could do about this and I wouldn't accept that."
That's when Harry discovered he didn't receive a brand new set of full windows, but these retrofit windows, which are essentially windows that slide in to the existing frames. That's not what he expected or wanted.
**
"First thing I did is I went and got my contract and sure enough there's two blocks for retrofit and replacement and the retrofit was marked. So it's my fault that I didn't ask."
Harry felt misled. Quality First did come out to adjust the four windows, but after the company damaged his third window, he says they refused to adjust the fourth. Harry filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and paid $50.00 to have the case go before an arbitrator.
"I felt that what the company was doing was incorrect, it was bad business practices."
But the BBB returned Harry's $50.00 because Quality First didn't agree to the type of arbitration Harry wanted.
"And it just so happens I saw Call Kurtis on another issue and said well you know what let me see if they can help me with this issue."
We called Quality first CEO Gerald Anderson. He assured us they'd take care of the Black's, and he decided to order a new retrofit window to replace the fourth window. The blacks hoped for a new full set of window s, but after signing that contract for retrofit windows, they were pleased to have them all fixed.
"I have to admit that the windows themselves do what they are suppose to do."
**Retrofit windows are new windows that are installed into
the existing window frame rather than into a new window
opening.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments