Very "limited" warranty.

[v1_0]

Bought some Pella doors about 2.5 years ago through Lowes. They are the fiberglass "wood grained" ones, the idea was that they didn't need so much maintenance and they would look good.

Well, now 2 out of the 3 are 'delaminating' on the outside side.

Went to Lowes, they said to call Pella. Called Pella, they took our information down and said they needed to send someone out to look at the door. That we would get a call back (by the sub-contractor, I am guessing) to schedule the visit. Waited, waited... nothing.
Called Pella back, left a message. Waited. Called Pella, left a message. Waited. (repeat many times). Finally got through - so now it's been about a month between the first call and this.
Again, they are having someone come out - but now we have a date & time.

BUT we have to pay ($80 or so) for having someone come out - regardless of if the door is defective or not. The warrantee does not cover this.

Once they come out, they will probably spend about 5 minutes looking at the doors to agree that they are delaminating, there are no storm doors - and that one is under a porch (doesn't get wet, and is shielded from the sun most of the day).

Now, if they determine that the doors are defective they will provide replacements under warranty.

Installation is NOT covered under the warrantee. That has me a bit hot. There would be no need to have any installation if the doors were good to begin with. The installation costs are a direct result of the doors being bad...

Whatever the outcome, the net effect is: Pella is off the list of contenders for some windows I want to replace.

 

[JB]

Re: Very "limited" warranty.

Well, some companies believe that maximum customer satisfaction and service ensure profit and success (Garmin comes to mind).

Others seem to believe that satisfied customers and repeat business aren't worth the trouble.

In recent years I have had several experiences with companies that want me happy, regardless of immediate cost. I mentioned Garmin, but also Park Place Motors in the DFW Metroplex, Peerless faucet, DirecTV, Sony.

Those companies always get my repeat business.

 

[Navy Jr.]

Re: Very "limited" warranty.

Just curious, by any chance were any of these fees (claim assessment and installation) spelled out in the written warranty and claim information that came with the doors? Are customers allowed to review warranty information at the store before buying?

If not, then Lowes has a problem on their hands; if so, and I'm truly not meaning to be insensitive to your case, then it appears Lowes and Pella have their tracks covered.

The other question is: if the doors failed so miserably after less than 3 years, do you really want to replace them with the same thing? It might be worth asking Pella if they would be willing to give you a better warranty first.

 

[v1_0]

Re: Very "limited" lifetime warranty (1 life = 10 years).

Re: Very "limited" lifetime warranty (1 life = 10 years).

Just curious, by any chance were any of these fees (claim assessment and installation) spelled out in the written warranty and claim information that came with the doors? Are customers allowed to review warranty information at the store before buying?

Good point. I don't recall reviewing the details (small print) of Pella's warranty. I was aware of the 1 year installation warranty by Lowes.

I did go out and read the Pella warranty (off their website) and found some interesting things.

If not, then Lowes has a problem on their hands; if so, and I'm truly not meaning to be insensitive to your case, then it appears Lowes and Pella have their tracks covered.

I'm sure that they have their tracks legally covered. I'm fine with Lowes they were up-front with things.

The other question is: if the doors failed so miserably after less than 3 years, do you really want to replace them with the same thing? It might be worth asking Pella if they would be willing to give you a better warranty first.

I certainly don't want to have to buy some more doors - I considered them expensive to begin with.

Now for some more information:

The Pella warranty is titled "LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY", but I didn't realize that it was more limited than lifetime.

Or maybe Pella considers the lifetime of the door to be 10 years - that's what the structure is limited to. The non-decorative glass actually goes out to 20 years, and other items (grilles, decorative ironwork) go much shorter (2-5 years).

So, I consider the use of "lifetime" a legal deception, as it seems to be defined as equalling 10 years - but gives the (strong) impression of being longer unless you are 'in the know' about doors.

Oh, and they do cover installation - if your door fails within 2 years from installation.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Very "limited" lifetime warranty (1 life = 10 years).

Re: Very "limited" lifetime warranty (1 life = 10 years).

The door does mount on hinges, correct? Why not just pop the hinge pins and replace just the door and keep the mounting in place? Installation should be a matter of an extra pair of hands and 20 minutes that way.

 

[v1_0]

Re: Very "limited" lifetime warranty (1 life = 10 years).

Re: Very "limited" lifetime warranty (1 life = 10 years).

The door does mount on hinges, correct? Why not just pop the hinge pins and replace just the door and keep the mounting in place? Installation should be a matter of an extra pair of hands and 20 minutes that way.

You are absolutely right, barring frame issues. The doors are pre-hung, so the hinges should match right up.

The only problem that I can forsee is that I'm not a qualified Pella installer. Technically, I would void the warranty (such that it is)...

 

[eaglejim]

Re: Very "limited" warranty.

You should read a paint can one day, their warranty are pretty much a joke ,You got to do this,apply that, have all receipts and all they do is give the person some paint no labor at anytime,every once in a while we get a call from a person and they want us to come paint with their paint and want us to charge the paint company for the labor it is hard not to laugh when I have to say the paint store could care less about labor and than you got some hot people

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Very "limited" warranty.

being a retired contractor, i am really surprized at Pella, they use to have the best guarantee and service.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Very "limited" warranty.

I am not surprised at the wording. If you purchase a muffler or starter or alternator at napa (as an example) the part is warranted but does not include the labor. That is the point where Lowes should step up to the plate ......

 

[JRJ]

Re: Very "limited" warranty.

I agree with Bob. Lowes should step up.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Very "limited" warranty.

Go jump up and down a little at Lowes.

 

[Navy Jr.]

Re: Very "limited" warranty.

And here's another who agrees. It would be great for Lowe's reputation. Imagine if the story of this thread was something like "...and Lowe's sent new doors and someone out to handle the installation for us at no charge." Now that would be impressive!

 

[mscher]

Re: Very "limited" warranty.

Lowes should step up and do exactly what?

They offered a 1 year installation labor warranty, for windows that are now 2 1/2 years old.

That's why it is a limited warranty. The Pella windows are probably cheaper in price than windows with a full lifetime warranty for a reason.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Very "limited" warranty.

For the name that Pella has, I am sometimes surprised at the problems I have seen with their windows. My parents put a large addition on their home in the 80s. The main room of the addition was a large den, with a cathedral ceiling of two stories. They had double pane Pella "picture windows" installed all the way to the ceiling. Every one of them ended up with condensation between the panes, because the seals failed. This happened within a couple of years of the installation.

I don't really know what Pella did to mitigate the situation, because it was my Dad's house, not mine. I do know this, however, it was a big deal to replace all of them. There were quite a few individual windows involved and the labor to do the work, was extensive.

On the flip side, I recently recounted a experience that I had with Academy Sports, in another thread. Without getting into the whole story, suffice it to say that they gave me a trailer winch when they didn't have to. I have been a loyal and frequent customer of theirs ever since.