Energy Masters Direct

See full complaints below. Will continue to update as this unfolds. (Pop some popcorn...) **Update 4/8- we filed a BBB complaint and left negative reviews. **Update 4/9- EMD "temporarily closed" their business on Google, and took down their website. I received a call from the BBB, who states that they attempted to call, left a voicemail regarding my complaint and that business is now marked as closed. This means they cannot follow up. Laurie Cole texts and emails me that they have contacted their attorney about my "slander" and cancelled my order. I ask again for proof my windows were ordered or a refund of my deposit. **Update 4/10- EMD is still marked as temporarily closed, website is still down. Laurie Cole texts me that they will be refunding my deposit. I asked for their attorney contact information and how my refund will be processed. No response. I send a Zelle payment request. No response. I ask for attorney contact info. No response. **Update 4/11- EMD is once again active on Google and no longer listed as temporarily closed. The website is still under construction. Run. What was apparently a forthright company has gone completely off the rails... They are scamming customers out of money and not performing the work or ordering the goods they are contracted for. If you Google their recent reviews you will see they have multiple instances of accepting funds from upcoming orders only in the form of cash and then not delivering or completing the work. In some cases, delays are over 6 months later. We contacted Laurie Cole in Jan 2024 to replace 13 windows in a home. They insisted on a cash only deposit, stating that they couldn't accept credit cards. This should have been a red flag but I had checked their reviews and they had all been positive up to that point. We forwarded over $4300-- a 50% deposit on February 5th 2024. We were given an estimate of 4 to 6 weeks for the windows to be delivered and a following two to three weeks for installation. Since the project was a flip, we told her the windows needed to be in before April so we could market the property. We continued to follow up throughout the month of March with no response. On 3-19-2024 after not receiving any response to our repeated emails, phone calls and text messages about when installation would take place, Ms. Cole reached out to say we needed to sign the contract from February. I asked her at that time if the windows had been ordered yet, because they should be able to install and she responded "Oh no! No no the windows have already been ordered." I sent her the signed contract and asked for proof that the windows had been ordered. She ghosted us again, with no response to phone calls, text messages, or emails, requesting an update on the timeline, proof that the windows had been ordered, and when installation could be expected. On 4-8- 2024, my husband called from a different number pretending to be a new client and they immediately phoned us back to schedule an appointment to come out and give an estimate. I emailed her that I was consulting with our attorney and seeking a refund of our deposit or for the windows to be able to be picked up by our crew and she finally responded with a long list of family issues, delays, Calvin being ill... But again no time line for installation or whether the windows had actually been ordered over 9 weeks ago when our deposit was sent. We still have no update on whether the windows have actually been ordered.... Do not waste your money or time.

We ordered a replacement window for our living room Jan. 13, 2023, and as yet have not had it installed. We have made numerous phone calls and sent many emails to Energy Masters Direct (EMD) and they just do not communicate. We contracted EMD in 2018 and again in 2019 and were pleased with their work. However, we would never use them again nor recommend them. We paid them a substantial amount as a deposit Jan. 17, 2023, then in May, 2023, they claimed the order had been lost, therefore, it had to be reordered. Think twice about using Energy Masters Direct and go with a company that is more professional, reputable, and accepts credit cards. That should have been a red flag to us, but as we had used them in the past, we figured they would not mess us around. They have no morals and do not care whether or not your window gets installed, as long as they have your deposit money, they can spend it willy-nilly without consequences. They claim they cannot give us a refund due to the window being custom, but on the work order they sent us, there is no mention the window is custom. The window comprises two 48 X 72 Jeldwen grid picture windows. As far as we know, that is not custom. When we first met with Calvin, owner of EMD, he gave us an approximate date of early April for installation. There was no indication at that time there were issues getting the product delivered and installed in a timely fashion. We can accept a delay up to a point, but almost a year is unacceptable. DO NOT DEAL WITH ENERGY MASTERS DIRECT UNLESS YOU WANT TO GAMBLE WITH YOUR HARD-EARNED DOLLARS! Shortly after posting this review on Google, which was a month ago, I received this reply from EMD: Lucinda please contact me as all the details Have not been shared nor do we feel This is appropriate to air them Here. We have written authority do installation in January. Everything will be 100% to your satisfaction as it was in the past when we worked together. thank you. I look forward to hearing from you Our response: EMD never received written authority to complete the work as we stated it had to be done by a certain date, Jan. 10, 2024 and the reply we received from EMD was a date in February, after they originally suggested January, 2024 to us. Laurie from EMD stated above, "I look forward to hearing from you." What an absolute farce. We called and emailed immediately after this comment and several times since and still no reply from EMD. I called EMD yesterday, January 3, 2024 and left messages and I know they will not reply, but at least we are trying to communicate, EMD does not even make an effort. EMD has our contact details and yet we are asked to contact them? So unprofessional.

The contractor said they would be at my address between 9-10 AM. They arrived at 9:30. The contractor brought with him a crew of three men. They took out the new windows from the pickup truck. They removed the venetian blinds from each of the windows. They took out the old windows and placed them in the trailer so they could dispose of the old windows. They then installed the new windows( I ordered five windows from the provider via Angie's List) They caulked the windows inside and outside. They did a very professional job. They installed  8 windows in less than 3.5 hrs.

It went well.

Bathroom floor was sagging and separating from wall. Calvin removed existing tile, commode and subfloor and found the problem was far more extensive than initially thought. The problems with the floor extended into an adjoining storage closet. Toilet drain was too shallowly sloped, sections of joists were cut through and left unjoined with an 12 inch gap, joists were bowed and some were split almost completely through. There was a leak in the wall near the sink and when he attempted to remove the cabinets, they collapsed.  If he had just tried to correct the problems in the crawl space, many of the problems would not have shown up. We have had 3 different contractors try that in the past, each time costing thousands of dollars without full success. I think Calvin is brilliant! He actually FINDS , IDENTIFIES and then CORRECTS THE PROBLEM! 
Costs , of course, increased and were certainly within reason (initial estimate was $6600.00)
The crew worked long and hard in a very low crawl space. We were kept informed and shown each new problem, with full explanation of both problem and solution.
We now have a spectacular bathroom, with beautiful tile details, level floors and a commode that doesn't back up every other day. We are certainly "happy campers" now!

We decided to have them reinsulate and secure with Tyvec the whole house crawl space as well. The work took about 6 days. We are delighted with the solidness of the flooring now - no bounce, no squeeks!
The crawl space looks so clean and neat. The insulation in the past was always sagging and drooping, at least now it should stay put.

The slider was a Great Lakes 3 panel sliding door. He removed the old door and glass and inspected and reflashed before installing the new door. The new door was OUTSTANDING! Locking mechanism was far superior to the old (which was top of the line at the time  of installation). The quality and looks of the new system blew us away. Even his crew kept coming back to admire their handiwork all day. 
When he replaced the garage entry door, Calvin suggested we reverse the swing of the door. What a great suggestion! He is very creative and always seems to be full of really good ideas to improve function. The work was done in a timely manner and his crew were always professional and friendly.

Calvin came to the house and showed us the windows.  He explained how they were constructed and how easy they are to clean. 
We have ordered the remainder of the windows from him.

We went over and above the Big Deal and had 11 windows replaced with the deluxe installation. Crew was very professoinal, coureous, and neat. Very nice finished product. |We were impressed enough to call them back and order the remaining 9 windows to be complete the house. We would reccommend to friends and neighbors.

Calvin Cole and his team transformed a minimally used concrete patio to a functional well used screened in patio. The craftsmanship, attention to detail, and pride in their work these employees present is becoming harder and harder to find. All individuals were very respectful and knowledgable during the prodject. Laurie Cole served as the main contact during the project which was very helpful about keeping us updated on time line and scheduling. Because of their quality work they are a very busy team. Needless to say, we are very pleased with the project and will use them again in the future.

Calvin and his wife are a very nice and professional couple to deal with. Clear communication and they answered all of our questions and satisfied our concerns. They had to order our windows and should be installing them in early October. I can't wait to have the new windows in our house. The sample they brought over was an excellent quality window. I am very please so far. I will re post after windows are installed.

Update, 12/11/2013 to Installation:

Quick, excellent work. Highly recommend.

Job was performed.

I have the utmost respect for Calvin Cole and company. All of the workers were professional, courteous, and attentive to our needs.
The quality of work that they provide is amazing. Calvin is an artist with the banding. To be honest in the beginning - I was not looking forward to replacing every single window but now I am very happy and realize it was no big deal!  I believe this company is passsionate about their work and it shows.

It started when I found this company and started to talk to Calvin the owner, after reviewing Angie's List and other sources I felt comfortable with this company. I proceeded to put down a 50% deposit for the work, and Calvin had an emergency and I was told in the hospital this was in late 2012. Ever since then I have tried to follow up and give him a chance to do the work but all forms of communication have failed and he has seemed to left town.

From the first time we met Calvin, we felt that he is a man who knows construction.  We also came away feeling that he is reputable, trustworthy and professional.  We checked out his work at a previous job, liked what we saw and decided to plunge into the depths of spending a ton of money on our house.  Now that the work is done, I can honestly say that we feel better than ever about having "spent" the money, and that we know that it was truly an investment.  First, we have very little maintenance on our house, and second, we have already felt the benefits and the windows have been in only one month.
Calvin helped us decide on a color for our coil and vinyl siding based on our brick color.  His experience really helped us, and the end product looks fabulous. To minimize cost, we decided to go with white windows, and hoped for the best.  Usually, windows are the same color on the exterior as the trim.  We were going to be pioneers and we were nervous.  Recently, I've had neighbors tell me that our house looks new and I know that it's because of the way the new coil and siding make the new windows pop.  I think our house looks much more elegant than it ever has.  More important, though, I checked out a lot of windows on the internet and in showrooms.  I was most impressed with Alside Window company, and Calvin sells and installs their windows.  I also liked dealing with a company that has presence in my home state.
Calvin and his crew (yes, the owner is here with his crew of guys who have been with him for many years - something that was important to us) started the fascia work in late fall.  We wanted a construction company that had employees, not a crew picked from a line up at a temp agency (no offense to those agencies, just had bad experience once).  We were very impressed with the crew's respect for our property.  We have a dog, and she pretty much has the run of the backyard.  The men laid down tarp to catch the pieces of wood and debris that fell onto the ground.  Any of those pieces could have been a choking hazard for our dog, and they took great care to ensure the yard was safe for her to run around in while they weren't working there.  It also made their clean up much easier, I think.
The guys took a lot of pride in their work, and it shows.  Everyone had a job to do, and did their jobs well.  I am kind of a stickler for the finishes product, and even followed the guys around the house a bit while they were installing the windows.  My parents put in new windows many years ago, and always had trouble with them because the installation was horrendous.  You can put in the best of windows, but unless the installation is well done, you've wasted money.  Calvin's guys did a great job, were careful and took the time to do the job really well.  I even followed the guy who did all of the caulking - I've done caulking around the house and can never get the corners right.  Well, the caulking guy is a pro, and the windows are sealed beautifully, inside and out.
The only downside that I am able to report (and I don't look at it like it's a horrible downside) is that this is not a fast project (actually, neither of our projects were).  In order to replace and repair the wood properly; cover all of the wood trim properly; take out old windows and install new ones professionally all takes time.  We were patient and were rewarded with a nearly maintenance free house that is much better insulated.  So - plan on a little bit of inconvenience (any major home project is!) as a price you pay for fabulous, long lasting results.
Now for the best part:
We have lived in this house for 17 years - we are original owners.  For the past 16 winters, we have had to close the doors to our back sun room because it was too cold to use.  Yes, we have 2 heating/cooling floor vents, but the wood windows leaked horribly.  The room is entirely covered in windows and a set of double doors.  For the past month that our new windows have been in, we have been able to use the room comfortably every day - even during our recent snow!  It is SO nice to be able to have an extra room in the winter time!  I am looking forward to using it more comfortably in the summertime when it's blazing hot outside!
Now for the bad part:
We are going to save up for new garage doors so that the floor of the room above the garage is less freezing. We live in a money pit!  But, the good thing is that we can get new doors and installation through Calvin!

I got estimates for replacement vinyl windows from several contractors and Calvin had the most detailed scope of work, terms, and lowest price. (I got a discount on the windows in December, so be sure to ask him if he is running a special). I also got a 10 yr written warranty on the windows. Calvin is certified in window replacement and was recommended to me by the window manufacturer in Charlotte. I did a lot of research on Calvin and these windows before making a decision.  I couldn't be any happier with the way everything turned out.  I even hired Calvin to do some extra painting and carpentry work at the same time. He had some extra molding left over from another job and gave it to me at no extra charge.  He did everything he could to save me money! I trusted him so much that I went shopping and left him alone at my house.  I don't do that with other contractors!

I have had bad experiences in the past with big companies that subcontract their work. The installers made a mess and didn't care about the quality of their work because their name was not on the contract.  It was important to me that Calvin did all of the work himself with his helper.  He took great pride in his work and made sure I was completely satisfied.   He is such a good-natured, nice guy.  I plan on using him to do more carpentry work on my house in the near future.