Window World of Columbia
About us
If you are looking for the best Window Installation Service or Door Supplier in the area, please call Window World of Columbia today!
Business highlights
Services we offer
Door, Patio Enclosure Supplier, Screen Repair Service, Window Installation Service, Window Supplier
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 60% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 12% | ||
| 20% |
Elderly and anyone else please beware when dealing with this store.
"(removed member's name) had two separate contracts with us. First Project in 08. Second Project in 14. We have record of two Warranties in the 08 File. The factory made an error on the original contract. We reordered and installed the sashes on this original install. The next warranty was March of this year. In reviewing our Paperwork I am at a loss over this complaint?! On 3/20/15 we took the information down, ordered the replacements on 3/23/15, the Sashes arrived in our Warehouse on the week of 4/6/15 and we show a completion on 5/1/15. With our current Backlog in work our standard lead times are 8 - 10 weeks. We apologize for any inconvenience. And will continue to uphold our pledge to our customers and all original homeowner warranties per Window World contract. Kim B. Sutton President"
"In reviewing our records I see that I returned a call to [Member's name removed] on 2/9/15. The sashes were ordered on 2/9/15. The sashes arrived in our warehouse the week of 2/20/15. On March 3rd [Member's name removed] complained to the BBB. I researched on behalf of Window World and we Installed the sashes as quickly as we could respond to satisfy her. Was I unprofessional? I am not sure I agree. In an effort to satisfy a well established customer base we not only have established Programs in responding, we also - once again have 8 - 10 week lead times. Our attempt is to always treat each customer with respect and courtesy. Our current lead times are now running 8 - 10 weeks. We are diligently explaining this to our Customer Base and will always persevere through our Pledge to them when they purchase. I apologize to [Member's name removed]. And based on our notes, believe her to be satisfied with the warranty on her windows. Once again, we WILL stand behind our products. We have for 16 years, and counting. Sincerely, Kim B. Sutton President"
The crew was amazing. They showed up before lunch and my wife called to tell me how impressed she was. By the time I go home from work there was no sign they had ever been there other than new windows.
About 4 years later one of the windows fogged up inside the glass. I called them and then emailed a picture of the window serial number and 2 weeks later they came out and replaced the sash in 5 minutes.
"In reviewing [members name] file I see we have completed two warranty calls since 2003. One in 07 and the most recent in 12. My initial response is surprise......there are no notes in the file referring to any complaint that was lodged against the installers about trim or damaged paint during the original installation. We have a very exclusive Warranty, and have developed a cracker jack warranty department. If there are any other warranty issues we will gladly respond and repair any part of the window that may fail under normal use. The process includes the necessary information off of the window in question. We then order the material or part from the factory. There have been cases where the lead times out of the Plant vary depending upon the material needed. Once the material has been received in the warehouse it is recorded and the Warranty Visit is scheduled. Our response time from receipt of product is 1-2 weeks. Once again, based on mutual agreement in the scheduling process. We are always open to an opportunity to improve our ability to respond and help our customers. Kim B. Sutton President Window World of the Midlands, Inc Columbia SC"
"We Thank [member name removed] for her Ratings. She is correct - our Sales Person Miss Measured on the Original Order. Unfortunately our Manufacturing process varies based on Product. The Doors have an extended lead time. Our turn around was a bit slow based on product. I wish to extend my apology for the slow turn around, we certainly did not purposely drag out this process. Overall.....we are happy that we Out Performed our Competition in Product Quality and Overall Installation!!!!"
My experience with the salesman, receptionist and especially Kim the owner was the best. I've had the windows for close to 3 years and I could not be more pleased.
original single pane double hung windows and aluminum storm windows .
I've seen replacement windows in the past and was not impressed with how
poor the installation looked and how much of the original opening was
lost in the process. We visited a friend's home in Aiken and i was
extremely impressed with the quality of the new windows and the price.
They told my about Window World so I scheduled an appointment for an
estimate. Janet from Window World of the Midlands came to our our home,
carefully measured the existing windows, and quoted a price with several
options per my request. A couple weeks later my windows were ready and
I scheduled the installation for May 8th. I was told the installation
would probably take about a day. The morning of the 8th Frank showed up
at my home with my new windows by himself! (his coworker couldn't make
it) I was concerned that the project would drag on for days.
Wow, was I wrong! Frank was fantastic - extremely professional and
efficient - he finished the entire job by himself by 6:30 that evening.
"Member purchased 14 windows wrapped on 4/13/2012. We received the windows in and scheduled for installation on 5/10/2012. The home we performed the upgrade on was not the Member primary residence. In the original order we had a factory failure. One of the windows had a main frame that was visibly out of square. We installed all 14 windows and reordered the frame immediately. The reordered mainframe was in our warehouse by 5/28/2012. In the meantime we made two collection calls via voice mail during this time frame. Our procedure for paying our installers is based on a completion check. 90%+ of our customer base will pay for work completed, deducting any errors or unfinished work. On 5/29/2012 we started calling to schedule the final installation. At this point Member's schedule and our attempts to complete were conflicting. We understand and work closely with every client, being as flexible as possible however, my office is also expected to get jobs complete and collect. I personally make a public apology to Member. However completion,collections and customer service often become difficult depending on extraneous circumstances. My contracted installers inconsistency in this case is inexcusable. However, extraneous circumstances always not only test my staff but also our customers in handling issues as expedient and delicately as possible. The job was completed by Window World of the Midlands, Inc. as contracted and Member paid completion on June 5, 2012. We thank the Member family for their contract and ALWAYS honor our contracts Warranty and Customer Service. Kim Sutton President Window World of Midlands, Inc."
We like the window but the hassle make us wonder if it was all worth it.
"Hi, My name is Kim Sutton, President of this locally owned and operated Franchise! We have a nationwide policy that explicitly states a 5 window minimum. There is One primary reason for that: Economics. We are a high volume, low profit organization. Every penny is watched. We explained our Company Policy to this member from the beginning, as it worked out we arranged it so that I could come write the contract and take the measurement. His mother has been such a loyal customer. She was one of our first customers when we opened up in 2000. Through out this time (approx. 10 years) she has sent us many customers. All of them satisfied! Unfortunately I did miss measure the original order. We reordered the window immediately. However, due to our installation scheduling we choose to wait till one of our crews was in his area to combine the installation(s). Once again for economic reasons. The reordered window was installed. In the meantime one of the sashes developed a crack in it. We honor our Warranties! I took the information via phone call for the Warranty sash. We realized we were given the wrong sash information after our Installer made a trip to the house for the Warranty call. May I point out that this is ALL costing Window World more money than the window contract. However, we reordered the sash required for the window. In the mean time we were constantly harrassed by the client. Our factories run two to three weeks for manufacturing. Yes, the original order was my mistake. However the warranty information was not. We responded as quickly as we could under the circumstances. We will still honor any warranty issues this family may encounter irregardless! We stand behind all our contracts and appreciate every customer, large or small, treating each one equally."
Signed contract for four windows in November 2010 to get the tax credit. As of 6/16/2011 we are still waiting to have the job completed. We were told the windows would be installed in about three weeks. On Dec.10, the day the windows were to have been installed, we received a call that only one had come in. I was assured they would make everything right and we would get our tax credit. We had already removed storm windows and frames so we were left in very cold weather with very thin single pane glass. It was almost a month and a half before someone called back. When I asked why our order hadn't been expedited since it was their mistake, they said they can't tell the factory what to do. I wonder then, how they can even give delivery dates? When I asked about restitution for having no storm windows in the dead of winter, the office manager basically told me we were out of luck.
On the morning the remaining three windows were to have been installed (2/2/11) we got a call that one was broken. After leaving a couple messages for the salesman, he called me back (2/18/11) and said they wanted to install the broken window since the break was on the outside. The window was actually shattered and should not have been removed from the warehouse for safety reasons, but they had a contractor put it in, nonetheless. To make it worse, it was not the window we had ordered. So over three months after placing our order, the wrong window was installed.
I had written Blair Ingals, the president of the company. I received a call back from David Maston who said they can't tell their franchisees what to do, but he had spoken with the salesman and would have him call us that day about to go over issues and discuss resitiution. When he called, he did not know why he was calling, so there is a definite breakdown in communication somewhere. When I told him we just wanted out of the contract, the salesman said Window World could reduce the price by $100.00, but could do no more.
At the end of March we received a threatening sounding message from Annie, a co-owner, saying that we "need to" have the last window installed in 72 hours so they could collect the balance of the contract and, "I can see you went through corporate. It doesn't matter, ma'am...". She ended the call ironically by telling me to have a blessed day. I have a recording of the message.
Finally, and only after contacting the BBB, Kim, the president, understood that we had lost most of our planned tax credit, making the windows not such a great deal, so she did not charge us for the final window which still needed to be replaced. So on April 21, 2011, the correct window was installed, but no one thought to order screens. Then on May 12, someone called to install the screens that afternoon. He showed up on time, but the screens did not fit properly. He called me the next day (he was very nice) to tell me he had ordered new screens which take a couple weeks to be delivered. And today, June 16, we're still waiting to have screens that fit installed. I was also told by the salesman (2/18/11) that someone would fix a screen that was installed with a small puncture, but that, it seems, has long been forgotten. I did not want to submit a report until the job was complete, but I just can't wait any longer.
I've left out all the little annoying things like phone calls not returned; calls made unsafely while driving down the highway during which I had to yell to be heard and during which the salesman admitted he had a hard time hearing on a good day, let alone while driving; the too many times I left detailed messages or questions only to have someone call back and have no idea why they were calling, let alone information or answers; the lack of drop cloths over our furniture after we were told the crews would do so; the sharp aluminum shards left on the ground to be stepped on and other debris dumped in the hedges; the check I regret writing to the contractor who installed the broken window because he said he wouldn't get paid otherwise; or even the incorrect and misleading tax credit information we received and the NFRC stickers the salesman said we needed for the tax credit but which were lost by the company and which the office now says we don't need. I don't know who to believe.
A caveat to all: A business may make a deal look great by taking the tax credit total off the entire order, but the IRS specifically states the tax credit is for the windows only. This makes a huge difference in your credit. We were extremely misled in this sense. And because the 2010 tax credit states that windows must be installed in 2010, we were only able to get the credit for one window. Our tax credit went from their estimated $755 (entire order) to $105 (one window). As far as I know, the same holds true for 2011. Be careful whose advice you take. Window World at first told us to submit for credit for all the windows since the contract was written in 2010, but the government says otherwise. Corporate told us to consult a tax lawyer.
Another caveat: If any business uses a contract that states what you owe them and when you owe it, yet it does not state when they will finish or what rights you have it they fail to follow through in a timely manner, do not sign it. Get a finish date and consequences for them in writing before you sign anything. Window World uses such a contract which left us basically powerless. Do not be afraid to stand up for yourself. It will save you trouble, time and money in the end.
"After reviewing tirade #1. Here is a project that we disregarded our 5 window minimum rule. #2. The job came in short shipped , the 1/2 moon came in with wrong grid pattern #3. We do not paint. Thus the remark about an unfinished project. We did not and do not contract painting. #4. If it could go wrong it went wrong. Out of every contract we only have a 2% "Unhappy/Unsatisfied" customer response. We have worked very hard to avoid problems and keep our customer satisfied. #5. No excuses on the "gremlins" that we encountered with his windows. Accidents/Mistakes happen. #6. Mr. Cobb was reimbursed for the Tax credit, His windows were installed and we will happily honor our warranty on any future issues. Thank You for your valuable order and your input. Kim Sutton President"
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