BATES WINDOW & DOOR CO INC

Initial contacts and measurements were on time and communication went well with the business owner's salesman. Delivery of the windows was on time, but nobody was available to help unload these heavy units. Installation was delayed two weeks to allow for completion of a second job, which was mutually agreed upon to permit the use of the recommended installer, who was the installer normally used by Bates Loewen Window. Installation proceeded without delay once the installer was available for the job, The caulking was extremely sloppy and the windows leaked after the first rain during the first month, although the installer did good basic installation. The salesman had the installer return and we were told that the reason for leaking was because the owner didn't want to pay for the additional parts required to install these properly. The original caulking was removed and a new type of white caulking that didn't match the brown cladding of the windows was installed. I had to clean up and recaulk over this to try to cover up some of the unsightliness of that repair. The windows continued to leak underneath at the floor of the porch whenever it rained. It took many months to get the salesman and the installer back to do the repairs after I contacted a Loewen window field inspector in North Carolina to come and inspect the job. He agreed that these had been improperly installed, as there was no interlocking trim over the ganging of the windows and no sill under the gang to divert water. The salesman informed me a few months later that he would continue to try t help me but that he no longer worked for Bates Window. In addition, I was informed that Bates Window had lost its status as a distributor for Loewen Window. The installer also informed me that he had trouble getting paid by Bates Window for the job but that he would also continue to try to work with me. In May 2010, after I paid for additional parts directly from Loewen Window and they gave me some parts, the original salesman and the installer worked together to pull out and reinstall the windows. Prior to this, I had communicated with the business owner to ask him what he would do to remedy the problem. After blaming the installer and the salesman and essentially telling me that what they had said was untrue, he said he'd assist, but he made no concrete offers to reinstall or provide any additional assistance. Ultimately, the salesman and installer did reinstall the windows, using he additional parts that I had to pay an additional 300-400 dollars to acquire. While this mostly corrected the problem, there is still a small amount of leakage along the corner of the porch inside at the floor if the rain blows hard. I also had to recaulk myself and paint to make the job aesthetically acceptable.