A yard sign out front when they finish that reads "DaBella windows performed work on my property and I do NOT recommend them."
Also followed up with the call to the local news station. News stations love to interview people and have anything other than sports and weather to talk about. Don't call anyone names or be slanderous. Simply state the facts.
Construction material supply is a disaster at the moment. There is a pile of money out there and everyone is running wide open. Most are burning up the overtime. Some really crappy product is being shipped out. The commercial side is a mess and I can only imagine what the residential side looks like.
In the last 4 months I have sent better than $25k in doors and hardware back that has been manufactured incorrectly. Complete packages that aren't even remotely like the submitted build sheets. It has gotten to where I have to open, measure and double check everything before it ever leaves my shop just to save the wasted man hours of sending a crew out with improperly built product. Many of the door units I'm assembling in the warehouse, measuring, verifying that the package is complete and prepped correctly and only then disassembling and hauling them to the jobs to be built again and installed. It's a waste of time and money, but it's the only way to not look like a fool from showing up with material that is wrong.
On the flip side, I'm also making a killing on it. The big national outfits are hiring anyone they can find to install their equipment for pennies. They hire fly by night outfits for little money to show up and throw in a bunch of material without caring if any of it works or fits correctly. Many of them are hiring people that have no clue as to what they are doing. If you can see lightning, hear thunder and are willing to show up for work they will hire you. That leaves contractors desperate for anyone that can finish the job correctly, before deadlines or so they can collect their next draw. I'm charging them big money by the hour and making more than if I had sold the job in the first place.
Good luck. It will probably get sorted. Stay on top of them and be the squeaky wheel. Do not pay the final ballance of the invoice until you are 100% satisfied or you will never see them again.
Toyman01 said:Good luck. It will probably get sorted. Stay on top of them and be the squeaky wheel. Do not pay the final ballance of the invoice until you are 100% satisfied or you will never see them again.
Thank you, I will absolutely do that.
FWIW, my stuff was (supposedly) made here in the USA.
Lawn signs:
"Ask me how terrible my DaBella Windows experience was"
"Thinking about using DaBella Windows? I can tell you why you shouldn't."
This thread makes me happy our experience could not have been any better. We bought through a local furniture company that had a good reputation. They take the measurements and order from the window supplier. They have a sub they use to install the windows. He was a one man operation and did 20+ windows in three days. he did use a helper the last day to caulk the windows from the inside.
I've been using Angie's List to find people with high ratings the search the internet for complaints to see if the Angie's List rating matches up with on line reviews. And I have still gotten bad or slow service. Stuff like this is the reason myself and a few friends rebuild my home's interior after the Harvey Flood in Houston.
The few things I had to hire a contractor to do involved some salesman showing up, selling the job, and never taking my calls again. The craftsmen showed up and I had to closely manage them to get the work done correctly. And they were good guys, hard workers, just not given any management or clear instructions.
Angie's List is far from an unbiased review site.
Cooter said:Angie's List is far from an unbiased review site.
Any suggestions?
I've had good luck two times I've used people from Angie's List. Then had a very good and a very bad experience with a local plumbing company depending on who showed up.
I tend to do almost everything around the house myself.
Not because I like to. But because every time I hire a "pro" to do work, I am disappointed. The only time I have had any success was with my plumber. And that was from the recommendation of a friend who had used him. Word of mouth of a small family company is the best chance to get someone reliable. That said, I still do most of my own plumbing work.
call Kyle.....
As a window company, one would hope the corporate bigwigs would make some effort at transparency.
oldeskewltoy said:call Kyle.....
Called. Let's see what happens...
1988RedT2 said:As a window company, one would hope the corporate bigwigs would make some effort at transparency.
I don't know, that could wind up being a big pane.
Back up idea, wait for them to come through. If they actually install the windows and do a good job, then great. After the job is finished, go on a full force social media smear campaign. If they violate the contract, then suck it to them in court. Furthermore, you do have the means of trolling them for Decades to come.
Get mechanics lien release from the company you write the check to before you make final payment. Protects you if they don't pay the installers and the window manufacturer.
LarryNH said:Get mechanics lien release from the company you write the check to before you make final payment. Protects you if they don't pay the installers and the window manufacturer.
Excellent suggestion!
I'm in the home remodeling business. Have been for a long time.
The first alarm is if a "business" needs money up front. I maintain enough capital and credit lines to handle 30, 60 and sometimes 90 days of business. I have good relationships with my suppliers (I pay my bills) with solid credit lines. So, I don't ask for money up front. Especially for something as small as a few windows.
I hear so many horror stories. Sometimes I'm going in behind to repair the damage.
We are in a crisis currently for a supply of skilled craftsmen/tradesmen. Three problems. 1. labor rates have not kept up with inflation the last 20 years, so a working stiff struggles to make a decent living. Folks are looking for other ways to make a living. 2. You can't install a window by looking at your phone and trying to use an ap. It requires working and getting dirty, and the supply of folks that want to do that is scarce. 3. Even if you want to get in a trade it takes a certain amount of capital to get started. Not something a lot of kids have.
Guys that are doing piece work are really squeezed to work fast and get to the next piece to try to make a decent wage. That promotes problems.
My phone keeps ringing of the proverbial hook, but I can't take on all the work coming at me just from word-of-mouth. I'm in the business and I don't even know who to recommend to folks. I tried to retire 5 years ago, but find myself still billing over 50 hours each week.
My best advice to folks that need work done. Get personal references from people you know and trust that have had that kind of work done for themselves. Don't look at internet reviews. YMMV
In reply to Purple Frog :
I usually get a small advance on pretty much everything, not because I don't have the capitol, but because it's a trust check for the client. If they ball at paying a tiny sum, they won't want to pay a large sum and trust is broken.
Not sure i agree with labor rates right now, I do concrete and they have gone up considerably in the last 2 years. No one really wants to do concrete anymore because, like you said, it's dirty and hard work so there's few that will touch it
I admit I'm probably lucky in that most of my clients come by word-of-mouth, and may be of a certain financial demographic. I find that the poor struggle to pay their bills, and the super rich can be a royal PIA to get paid.
Sometimes I happily do charity work for the poor. If i feel like i'll need a lawyer to get paid by the rich. I just turn down the job, an ability I have because there is too much work.
LarryNH said:Get mechanics lien release from the company you write the check to before you make final payment. Protects you if they don't pay the installers and the window manufacturer.
That protects you from the company you wrote the check to filing a lien, but the subcontractors and material suppliers are not bound by that release. That's why it's important to know who is supplying the materials and who is supplying the actual labor.
In reply to dculberson :
True. I should have written require the company you write the check to to provide you mechanic lien releases from all of the subs and material providers on your job.
RX Reven' said:1988RedT2 said:As a window company, one would hope the corporate bigwigs would make some effort at transparency.
I don't know, that could wind up being a big pane.
That's true. Until it becomes ingrained into the corporate culture, it may be that certain unenlightened employees will need to receive a good, swift kick in the sash.
I'm also having some new windows installed in my house. Two came in manufactured to the wrong shape (rectangular vs. eyebrow) and one came with a cracked pane. My local installer is doing the best he can, but the factory and shipping company are lacking.
I need 3 windows replaced and this kind of stuff shows up on just about every company's reviews. This makes me nervous
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