This was a very low score of 2. Fieldstone has contacted me and I believe we have resolved the problem. They are going to order new screens for us. I will monitor the situation and change the rating to very high as soon as I receive the screens. For now, I've bumped it up. Here was the original review, slightly modified:
"Over the past 7 years, we’ve slowly been replacing our old windows with Loewen windows. The previous two times, we’ve simply called Loewen up directly and they sent their own salesperson to measure. About 6 weeks later, after waiting for the windows to be custom made, they sent a contractor to install.
It was different this time. Instead of sending a salesperson, Loewen told us to use one of their Toronto agents, Fieldstone Windows, from the outset. After setting up an appointment, Fieldstone sent an initial salesperson to assess our needs. A week later, one of their expert fitters came, measured everything and took down details. We showed him the other Loewen windows. A contract was prepared, and again we were told 6-8 weeks for intstallation.
Loewen make beautiful windows – I used to think of them as the BMW of windows. Fieldstone is a very professional outfit.
Both statements are true; but only partly. Once the windows were installed, everything went south.
The problem is pretty simple. Our existing Loewen casement windows have a brushed stainless steel finish for the frames around the screens. After the new windows were installed, we noticed that the new screen frames were not stainless steel, but a dark grey, gun metal colour. It should never have happened: Loewen knows what our windows were like in the past because they have a record of our previous orders; Fieldstone saw all of the windows in the house and based the contract on that. (As an interesting aside, the new windows came with the correct stainless steel finish for the hardware cranks, suggesting an inconsistency in their very inconsistency!)
Eight weeks later, with only our prompting to sort the problem out, we received our final offer from Loewen and Fieldstone to resolve the problem: we could get the proper coloured screens for cost. Think about that for a second. Custom ordered windows are prepared in accordance with windows we already have, two salespersons/experts see our current windows, and 8 weeks later when the windows arrive they aren’t correct. Their proposed solution is that we have to pay for the privilege of having this problem fixed.
Our friend ordered a BMW a year ago. Delivery was promised in 8 weeks. When the car arrived from Germany, it was the wrong colour. He was devastated. BMW gave him two options: (i) he could take the wrong coloured car and they would DEDUCT $8000 from the negotiated price for the mistake; or (ii) he could wait another 8 weeks for the correct colour car to arrive. He chose the latter. Others might settle for the wrong colour but lower price. Obviously, BMW thought they may not have to order another car for him, but were prepared to.
BMW’s approach is the right one. Fieldstone and Loewen’s isn’t – they seem to have it completely backward. They should be ashamed of their stinginess. We are clearly caught in the middle of some unknown issue between the two of them and unable to resolve it."
- Approximate cost of services:
- $6,000.00