Neat Stuff

Comfort Windows and Doors - Not Recommended

If you have been following the saga of my struggle to get some resolution to a problem we had with a bow window that was installed in June 2006, here's the latest. As I last reported, the company agreed to replace two of the four panels with triple pane glass to see if it would solve the condensation problem. Today (April 17, 2007) they followed through with that promise. They would have done it a couple of weeks sooner, but we were away on vacation when the windows arrived. The installer was courteous and I received a follow-up call from the office about an hour after he left. They have promised to replace the remaining panels at no cost to me if the triple pane solves the problem. I won't know whether or not the problem has been solved until it gets hot enough to run the air conditioning. Here in western New York State, that could be a couple of months yet.

So, at this point, the company is making an honest effort to solve the problem. It would have been better if they had addressed the problem when I raised the concern last summer, but I'm now willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that it was a communication problem within their office rather than an attempt to evade the issue. Therefore, I'm upgrading my "not-so-neat" listing for them to a "probably OK" status. Of course, if the window still has problems after the top-of-the-line panels are installed, I'll be back to put out the word.

Update Aug. 11, 2007: The upgraded panels are no better than the originals. I advised Comfort Windows more than a month ago that the problem was back as soon as the air conditioning was used. I have sent pictures of the continuing problem to the local manager of Comfort Windows here in Rochester. He said he would forward them to the factory and get back to me. There has been no response. The problem has now gone on for more than a year with no resolution. If there is a change in the situation, I will update this space.
Update Oct. 31, 2007: I received an email from the local manager who contacted the head of Comfort Windows at the Syracuse office. He reports that he has the same window in his own house and it does the same thing, so therefore it must be normal. For the first year of this situation, the local office acknowledged that there was a problem. Why did they replace panels if all the windows do this? Clearly, Comfort Windows is a bad company to do business with. They know that they have inferior products and that they have no intention of fixing the problem. I may pursue legal action or I may just "bite the bullet" and have the window replaced at my own expense, but it is clearly not acceptable the way it is.

Update Dec. 14, 2007: In an attempt to spare others from spending money on a window that actually provides less insulation than the window that it replaces, I contacted the folks at the Energy Star program. I asked them to re-evaluate the products from Comfort Windows. They were quite responsive but basically said that the products were tested by an independent lab and they couldn't revisit certification. That's too bad because a company apparently only has to build one good product, get it certified by Energy Star, then build everything else to a lower standard. Anyway, the Energy Star folks contacted Comfort Windows and asked them to contact me to try and resolve the problem. That was six weeks ago so I guess that isn't going to happen. So, if you live in the Rochester, Syracuse, or Albany areas, I would advise you to avoid Comfort Windows and Doors.

Update Jan. 24, 2010: Hopefully this is the final update. The problem appears to be solved! Unfortunately, not by Comfort Windows, but by one of their competitors. We struck up a conversation with a representative of Pace Windows and Doors. By then we had given up on Comfort Windows. We described our problem and the gentleman offered to send someone out to take a look. Steve showed up and made an offer that we couldn't refuse. He offered to replace one panel in the four-panel bow window at no cost and no obligation. The difference was startling! All the problems were gone on the Pace panel. The fact that the glass was crystal clear as opposed to the slight yellow tint of the Comfort window was an added bonus. We contracted with Pace Windows and Doors to replace the other three bow window panels, replace three other casement windows, and replace both the main entry and storm doors. The work has all been done and we are completely satisfied. Pace stuck with their word and there was no charge for the first window panel they replaced. We paid retail for the remainder of the work, less a 20% discount that was being promoted in radio ads. Steve the sales representative was extremely professional and courteous. The installers Scott and Charlie were competent, friendly, and courteous. Their workmanship is outstanding. I can't find a single flaw or anything that could have been done better. I have heard through the grapevine (Hilton is a small town), that Comfort Windows representative(s) is/are telling people that I am somehow being compensated by Pace for this posting. That is simply not the case. With the exception of the free trial panel, we paid what everybody else pays. So, Comfort Windows, if you don't want a libel suit, put a sock in it.