Daily Home Renovation Tips

You have heard of the express “The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.” before, right?

Well, here is a classic example. If it weren’t happening to us, it would indeed be funny.

And, yes, this is a renovation tip because the more you understand about our perils in using a big box building supply retailer to replace our front door the more informed a decision you can make when you decide to do this as well.

OK, here is where we left off in our replacement front door renovation. After 7 hours, the door was installed by the sub-contractor of the company contracted by the retailer to install our door but with several outstanding items. After several attempts to finish the outstanding items over several weeks, the following items remained outstanding:

• the fibre tear in the glass insert remains

• the buckling of the  fascia immediately above the door frame continues

• the white plugs which were hand painted black and inserted into most, but not all, of the holds in the exterior black cladding remains

• and, some exterior vertical black cladding was still missing the finishing caulking.

After more than 6 months from the order date, 6 and 1/2 months from the initial day we went to the retailer to first order the replacement front door, the installation is not finished.

Now, remember last time I indicated that Amy, the fourth customer service representative of the retailer, was supposed to be ‘on the case’ to get these outstanding items resolved. Well, here is what she told me on Friday March 21st:

1. The sub-contractor would not be returning to our house, and the firm contracted by the retailer to install our door and the repeated visits to finish the installation was no longer in the picture.
2. No inspection of the fibre tear defect in the door’s glass insert by the door manufacturer was needed; it would be replaced
3. When the door’s glass insert is replaced, the other outstanding items will also be attended to by the door manufacturer’s field staff.
4. There was no timetable when all of the outstanding tasks would be completed. Amy indicated that she was waiting to hear on how long it would take for the replacement glass insert to be manufactured and available to be installed. She would follow up and let me know how long this would take early the following week.

I heard nothing back from Amy on Monday or Tuesday the following week so I called her on Wednesday. I reached her voice mail and left a message.  On Thursday I called her again and, again, reached her voice mail. I left another message. I then decided to call the retailer’s store directly.

When I reached the installation service person, Tracy, at the retailer’s store where we had initially placed the order for the replacement door here is what she told me (compare them to the above 4 items):

1. The sub-contractor would be returning to our house to finish the fascia buckling and missing caulking items. She would follow up to schedule his visit.
2. The inspection of the glass insert defect still needed to be performed by the manufacturer’s representative but she did not know when.
3. She did not have anything about the white plugs being painted black nor that they needed to be replaced.
4. While, she knew who Amy was and had dealt with her before, there was no record that Amy had become involved.

Wow.

When I told her what Amy had told me, she stated that the Amy could see the details in the computer system used by the store but that she could not see what was in the computer system that Amy used.

Wow.

She then said she would call Amy.

A whole ten minutes later my phone rings. It’s Tracy, the installation service person from the retailer’s store. She asked me if I could give her Amy’s phone number as the one she had did not work.

Wow.

To continue with the next article in this series, simply select this link to Part 19.