On perseverance (Also: do not ever buy these windows.)
When Mr. FG and I bought our house, the windows were in unusable shape. They were so bad, a good percentage of them wouldn't even shut.
So, we got an allowance from the seller to replace the windows. We hired a guy who put in windows that came with a lifetime warranty (sounds good, right??)
The windows were originally made by Napco, but Napco has since gone out of business.
(whomp, whomp)
Fortunately, a company called PlyGem picked up all of Napco's warranty business.
So, when the seal failed on a window sash a year and a half ago, I was able to get a replacement.
At the same time I ordered the replacement glass panel, I let them know that the lock on a window in the bathroom had rusted and broken
They sent me a new one along with the glass panel, but it turned out to be just slightly different.
I let my customer service rep know, sent her a photo, and she said she'd have her team figure something out. That's where things started to go really south.
Weeks and months would go by and I would call and email with no response. When I finally did hear from her, she kept saying they were, "working on a solution".
Finally this year, I got sick of it and managed to snag a new representative, who had the brilliant idea of just sending me a new window.
Except, the one she sent me six weeks later was wrong. In fact, the window wouldn't fit anywhere in my house at all.
And it didn't have the obscured glass, which is important because this window is in the shower.
(Yeah. Kind of a home design fail.)
But after more phone calls (and another six week wait), they finally shipped me the right window.
Sort of.
The top panel came as a complete unit, while they sent me only the glass part of the lower sash.
I thought this wasn't going to work, but I actually was able to make the locks function properly by replacing just the top sash.
I am awfully relieved, because I was really not looking forward to more phone calls with PlyGem.
I'm so disappointed in them, not only because of the incompetence of the warranty team and the total lack of follow-up on their part (the customer should not have to call back repeatedly in order to get service!) but because the manner of the reps is so off-putting.
If I sent someone the wrong window or didn't get back to them for months, I would feel like a profuse apology was in order. Somehow, though, no matter how polite and kind I am, the reps behave as though it's a huge inconvenience even to speak with me, as though they can barely stand it.
(I poked around online and apparently my experience is typical on all fronts.)
So.
I've managed to get replacements to fix my window issues (that's the upside!), but it has been an enormous headache, and I would never, ever buy these windows again.
Because of PlyGem's errors, I now have several window sashes that I can't use, and I'm not sure anyone else can use them either since they have no frames.
(the sashes come in a huge box with sprayed-on foam padding)
My plan is to find someone who installs these windows to see if perhaps they can use them. If not, I'm not sure what I can possibly do with them, but I am not going to stress about it because this is not my fault.
Lifetime warranties are sometimes not all they're cracked up to be, you know?
Oh wow, I would've given up and either cob jobbed it or more likely lived with it until I could replace the whole thing with a new window.
Still, I'm amazed that it's the year 2015 and we haven't moved to a stardard system for doors and windows. I mean, at least doorknobs are more or less universal.
Out here we have stores run by Habitat for Humanity, called the ReStore, and they take donations on this type of stuff, from individuals as well as contractors, hardware stores, etc.. If you can't find anything else to do with them, that may be a good option for you, if available in your area- Habitat may be able to get some kind of use out of it, if not, they can re-sell in the store and make some money toward a good cause.
Great suggestion!!
ReStore and Habitat were my first thought as well!
Sadly, I called them and they said they can't sell the sashes without the frame. Bummer!
You might be able to use as a picture frame type treatment. But I sincerely doubt you want to look at them. Make a mini greenhouse...?? I'd probably donate or freecycle.
I tried freecycle, but no bites. I could try again.
What a frustrating experience!
Do you have Freecycle in your area? Building materials are popular on there.
Or craigslist.
Tried Habitat and freecycle, but craiglist I have not tried yet!
You could also try a gardening website or contact a local Master Gardener (I *think* a list is available from your state's DOA Exention Office); maybe someone could use them to build a cold frame. I used to have a list of gardening/composting websites, from when I had hot piles and a 3 bin system going; maybe some of those sites are active.
Do something else with them? Funky piece with hooks/knobs or hats/jewelry/etc. Make an art project out of them and have the kids paint them - kind of a stained glass thing.
Congratulations, Kristen! You did well to persevere.
My experience with lifetime warranties has been such that when I hear the word, I "run the other way." Instead of a selling feature, it's become a deterrent to me.
Back in 1977 I bought an expensive set of stainless steel pots and pans that had a lifetime warranty for my hope chest. The company has since gone out of business and there are no replacements for broken knobs or handles, although the stainless steel has endured with only minor warping.
The most memorable lifetime warranty item was a furnace. When we moved into our house in 1978, there was a combination wood/oil furnace here. When there was a push to "get off oil," we purchased a combination wood/electric furnace (we live in the boonies, so no natural gas available) with a lifetime warranty. About a dozen years later, the fire chamber was warped and dangerous, and the company out of business.
In either case, no one took over any warranties, so you are fortunate indeed to have had that feature.
When I hear "lifetime warranty," I tend to say "yeah, right," and walk on...
I have to say, my experience has been exactly the same. If something says maybe 10yr. I'm more likely to buy than 'Lifetime' because they will always either go out of business, or they will have a loophole that says 'Lifetime of the item'. So, I figure if I get the 5 or 10yrs. worth, then it's a pretty good deal. So far, that's worked out. Not sure if it always will, but hey, better than the false hope of 'Lifetime'. LOL
This is really smart. Duly noted!
Poor customer service is so infuriating. I'm glad you persevered and held them accountable.
You might find a gardener who would use them as a cold frame for plants.
A lifetime warranty is only as good as the company that provides it. Unfortunately this means you have to research the company as well as the product.
What's the sash and what's the frame? (Maybe even post a pix???) I'm trying to figure out whether my windows need to be replaced or just painted, and one of the hurdles is nomenclature: what part has what name.
The frame is the part that's actually attached to your wall. The sashes are the upper and lower sections of your windows. So, the sashes fit within the wall frame of the window.
I hope that makes sense!
Crafters love old window parts! They can use them for interesting picture frames.
I've had to deal with Plygem several times, also. They are very difficult to work with. We had twenty windows installed when we first bought our house and over the 17 years we've lived here have had to replace something on just about every one of them. I also have the glass panels that didn't fit, and I don't know what to do with them. I'm glad you were able to get your window lock fixed!
Ugh, I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this too!
I'm not sure if this would work with new windows, but we've taken old three and six pane windows and turned them into large photo displays. We just used black poster board as a backdrop and treated each section as a picture frame. The windows we have were panted several times in their life, so we distressed them a bit to let the layers show and then clear-coated them to prevent peeling. With new metal windows, it might be cool to paint them black for a sleek, modern feel.
That does look super cool with old windows. Unfortunately these are new ones that don't have any rustic charm...just plastic and glass.
Did you buy them directly from the company or through a store?
We had a similar problem with storm doors we bought from Home Depot. The lower door panel just disintegrated - very strange. The metal seemed to be eaten away from the inside out. Anyway, after replacing the door twice in about ten years we decided we did not want that same brand anymore. So we went through Home Depot. The company reimbursded Hoem Depot & Hoem Dpeot gave us a gift card for the amount of the replacement door. Not a perfect option because we've been so disappointed with many things we've bought at Home Depot but we took it.
So we went to Lowes & bought a different brand & have used the gift card for less important things as we need them.
If you keep having problems & bought through a store you might try going through the store instead. What a frustration! We've had to cut our losses & just start over on things like this before. You live & learn. We always check Consumer Report for ratings before we buy - it helps but still doesn't guarantee no problems.
Ours were bought through a window-installation guy, who has since gone out of business, unfortunately!
You could see if the company would take them back (not for credit, just to get rid of them), try another contractor or put them out at the end of your driveway (or someone's with a lot of drive by traffic). Facebook has a local yard sale feature where you could try selling them.
Kristen - on another note, I know it is super inconvenient to have a window on the inside of a shower. One thing you can do to keep the water out of it is to hang a tension shower rod on the inside of the shower next to the wall and hang a shower curtain on it to be closed during use. I have hung a clear curtain on the inside of a glass shower enclosure just to keep the water spot issue to a minimum. Worked great. When we sold the house after five years, the glass looked brand new.
Great idea
I'm sorry for your experience but glad you wrote about it. We have been in our house 16 years and some of the windows (we built the house) will hardly open and shut now. We are researching windows to start replacing them, and I will make a note -- not Plygem! As a matter of fact, ours are Reliabilt,(sp?) and they have not done very well at all. Maybe it's just our experience and we were unlucky, but I won't replace them with more Reliabilt.
I've had the same thought about lifetime warranties -- it's only as good as the company. If the company goes out of business, then the consumer is left, usually, with nothing.
We have had Anderson and Pella windows in our homes. I have been so happy with the Anderson windows. I think they are worth the extra cost.
Reading all comments and situations. I've learned a lot, ladies, thank you. I need windows and will replace what I need a few at a time from Pella or Anderson. They have been in business a long time and while really too expensive for me, one or two at a time might be doable.
You could build an adorable tiny greenhouse with them. Like this one I saw on Pinterest: http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2010/12/outdoor-whites.html
That is really cute! Does it serve a purpose, or is it just decorative?
I haven't built one, but I think it could be either decorative or functional. I have my eyes open at yard sales for old windows, though. 😉
Old windows are so charming, they lend themselves to a lot of upcycling projects. These ones are vinyl and glass, though, so the charm factor is a lot lower!
Oh, this topic is near to my heart at the moment. I have a rental/eventual retirement home near Palm Springs, CA. I always have the windows professionally cleaned between tenants. The last tenant complained that the windows didn't sparkle and that I'd lied about having them cleaned. He complained so charmingly about so many things that I eventually just began to tune him out. When he moved out, we decided to re-paint the exterior for the first time since it was built. In doing so, we discovered that nearly every dual-pane, low-e window has failed in the eleven years since the house was constructed, hence the clouding that prevented the windows from "sparkling".
I checked around and found that the problems with these windows are legion. Any warranty work was done at such high labor rates that it cost more than to install new windows on your own. Oh, and the warranty ended a year ago. We're resigned to the fact that we will have to pay to replace them, but we're wondering what works best in a very hot, often windy climate. Are there any readers out there who live in similar climates who have windows that have stood the test of time?
Oh wow! That makes me feel like I'm awfully lucky that only ONE of mine has failed.
Darn it! My touchpad is so sensitive that this published before I checked the "Notify" box. This comment is just so I can follow any replies. Thanks!
Hi, I too have Napco windows that are failing. I just got off the phone with ply gem and they said they did not buy Napco windows just siding. Wondering if you have a more specific point of contact at ply gem that I could try. Thanks
I'm sorry-I don't have any fresh information outside of what I put into this post. So sorry to hear you are having the same problem as I did!