Schucco/NuView Remodeling/DC Metro Area-the best

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vdotmatrix
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2005 4:52 pm

Schucco/NuView Remodeling/DC Metro Area-the best

#1 Post by vdotmatrix »

AFTER months of the early morning eastern sun warming our main living space, triggering the nearby thermostat to run needlessly summer, fall, winter and spring, Nuview finally replaced the defective 3-part slider; the window finally works as designed.

The president and vice-president of Nuview personally brought an entire crew from their secret fairfax staging area, as well as, flying in Todd, a technical installation expert from the main Connecticut Schucco Factory, to personally re-install a brand new 3-part slider.

Todd and Greg ripped out the old 3-part slider and re-installed the new 3-part slider, that had baffled the Nuview Corporation for the better part of a year.

The 3-part slider is a beautifully engineered product when installed properly, and with the exception of this installation, they are installed with 100% success.

Nuview is a great company and bends over backwards to ensure their customer satisfaction; this is why their customers refer NuView to their friends. Schucco windows are quite frankly, the best on the market.

George Sr. sent a set of Black Diamond Viper ice climbing tools to me, for such an embarrassing delay in rectifying this problem ,that has cost our family added cooling costs all of last summer and this year. WOW!

Thanks to Nuview of the DC Metro Area. :lol:
Last edited by vdotmatrix on Fri Jun 09, 2006 12:29 am, edited 9 times in total.

chrisexv6
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2006 11:02 pm

#2 Post by chrisexv6 »

Any idea what was wrong with the original slider? I noticed they are *very* sensitive even to such little things as a vinyl burr or two.

Luckily all of our sliders went in without any large hitches. One of them seems like its a tad out of square, but Ill have the installer fix that hopefully.

They are nice windows though, eh? I think they even make the *interior* of the house look better.

-Chris

vdotmatrix
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2005 4:52 pm

#3 Post by vdotmatrix »

There were a couple of issues that plagued this job.

-The initial crew saved the hardest most sensitive window for the end of the day and rushed just a little bit. The window was not square in all dimensions, most notably the sash tilted downward which made opening either window very difficult. They sent crews out 2 more times in 2005 with no success.

-Next, The window came defective from the factory as it was missing the holes on the left side, that aligned with the pins used to secure it when swinging it inward to clean the windows.

The window now FLOATS EFFORTLESSLY to open or close.

I went to LOWES this morning and bought (2) 12' sections of 1x6 and an 8' section to re-do the fluted trim on the interior. We lived with an unfinished window in the livingroom with out shades for over a year until they could figure out a good time to fixxx this. But hey shit happens, they made very good on their lifetime warranty, free Clopay Garage door incentive and George Sr.'s bonus..... What more could anyone in the DC Metro want from a reputable dealer.

Cheers![/list]

nmmmm
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:38 pm

#4 Post by nmmmm »

Wow, we’ve had the total opposite experience with our NuView installation!

Our project was supposed to be finished in September 2005, and now it is June 2006, and the job is still not complete, and customer service is a joke, and the workmanship is a disaster – look at these photos, as an example of the problems we have with their quality standards.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/onlineacc ... e2&.src=ph

Judging by the growing number of BBB complaints in the past year, I’d guess our experience is quite common now.

You can read more on this other replacement window forum.

http://www.replacement-windows.com/windowbb/index.php


Of course don’t just take our word for it – Do your BBB due diligence without fail.

That said, I think the shoddy work in the photos should speak for itself. And this is what they did after ripping out and redoing the first capping job, which was worse if you can believe it!

In other words, “buyer beware" Do a LOT of research before signing up with a contractor.

homeowner
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2006 1:52 pm

#5 Post by homeowner »

im confused. i thought this guy wasnt happy with his schucco windows. when people say bad things about window world, that doesnt seem to be a problem. you guys should quit protecting schucco/nuview and causing people to get burned. my understanding was the poster thought they should be sued.

vdotmatrix
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2005 4:52 pm

#6 Post by vdotmatrix »

homeowner wrote:im confused. i thought this guy wasnt happy with his schucco windows. when people say bad things about window world, that doesnt seem to be a problem. you guys should quit protecting schucco/nuview and causing people to get burned. my understanding was the poster thought they should be sued.
Read it again for content I suppose. I really cannot understand the phenom with this company. They sell the greatest window on the planet but based on what you see on the BBB website they have had 7 complaints since 2004. They are not a member of BBB. They told me this when we first met. This may be average for any company, I don't know.

This is not a smear campaign against this company. Our windows work just fine and all other issues I will rectify myself.

The comment about sueing anyone. I was this close to filing, look , this close. I understand that stuff happens, but it took muscle to resolve this thing.

I even drove out to their posted Clifton address only to find a residence property. This pissed me off, since they wouldn't tell me where their double secret fairfax compound was, so i could personally speak with a live body instead of listening to that retarded new faux brittish accent message on their machine; how annoying.

I am not saying ANYONE should take any against this company. Do we really know what the real issues are between the parties? I just know my experiences.

We love our Schucco windows OK. With the amount of business this company does, or any business for that matter, there is bound to be a percentage of issues that do not go as expected. c'est la vie

So, SCARY AS THIS SEEMS, FOR MY MONEY, I WOULD BUY SCHUCCO WINDOWS IN A HEARTBEAT. Anderson Renewals? HA! can't hold a candle.

Nu-View, pound for pound, delivered their product and then some. So, if you are looking for condemnation...These guys had their issues, but they have integrity and they did come through in the end.....I would still buy this product from this company, along with installation, but either with hold some money up front, or stand over them during installation or both. This is my policy for anything in these parts anymore.

You cannot buy a better window in this area.

nmmmm
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:38 pm

#7 Post by nmmmm »

I would add very much buyer beware and do your due diligence. I learned today of another customer who is having trouble getting their deposit back after many months of NuView "not" placing their order and clearly being in breach of contract.

So there is trouble also with getting back one's money it appears. I asked around and spoke with some consumer affairs folks and this appears to be a growing pattern.

So it is great that customers get to share their experiences online and learn that they are not alone, and that others are having the same kinds of problems with a particular company.

Again, I urge those with issues to file with the BBB and consumer groups such as Washington Check Book (so that others looking for information about the firm can see their track record) and also with the State and County Consumer Services folks (these are the people that control their business license.)

There are also third party people who will come out and do an assessment of the installation, and note whether it is up to industry standard or not.

windowmannjny

#8 Post by windowmannjny »

this just goes to show everyone out there that just because you have a good window and you do your own "research" and after hours and hours and hours of deliberating and thinking you made a good choice and an educated decision, and heard good things about the company you selected in the end you failed in your quest for a job done to your satisfaction. its like i tell all my customers, you will not know how good my work is until im done

vdotmatrix
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2005 4:52 pm

#9 Post by vdotmatrix »

vdotmatrix wrote:
I went to LOWES this morning and bought (2) 12' sections of 1x6 and an 8' section to re-do the fluted trim on the interior. We lived with an unfinished window in the livingroom with out shades for over a year until they could figure out a good time to fixxx this.
Cheers![/list]
I had to go to SMOOTS lumber for some 5/4 x 6 x16 ($60), because the 1x6 will not pad the fluted trim out far enough. I also had to buy a 3/8" babbet bit ( $28 ) to notch the left piece ( four foot section) of 5/4 x 6 to frame the window frame on the left side since the frame is not flush to the wall on that side :cry: ; the right side is just fine. :roll: It will look great once if get done with it.

vdotmatrix
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2005 4:52 pm

#10 Post by vdotmatrix »

windowmannjny wrote:this just goes to show everyone out there that just because you have a good window and you do your own "research" and after hours and hours and hours of deliberating and thinking you made a good choice and an educated decision, and heard good things about the company you selected in the end you failed in your quest for a job done to your satisfaction. its like i tell all my customers, you will not know how good my work is until im done
You know this is certainly the case. I didn't rush out and spend a GO-zillion dollars on windows. I had 3 bids come over and bend my ear, with the horse and pony show on our kitchen table.

The info I got from this website and the NFRC site was brilliant in sorting through the windows racket.

Otherwise, the consumer has no ^&$&^$&^ idea what they are buying. PERIOD. I read and read and read about windows, gases and price and performance and picked SCHUCCO.

There is this new device on the market that measures the noble gases supposedly present in between panes of glass....The Windows industry is creaming in their overalls. Have you read the claims about most windows and their garauntee?

I would love for a watch dog group to get out there and buy one of these $12,ooo instruments and go on tour.

We are at the mercy of this market...

Scott1q1
Posts: 27
Joined: Sat Nov 19, 2005 7:04 pm
Location: Atlanta, Ga

#11 Post by Scott1q1 »

I would be interested in knowing wether either of you went out and looked at other jobs by the company before buying.

I'm not trying to be negative just honestly curious, it amazes me how few people will take the time to drive to 3 or 4 houses to see real completed jobs as opposed to just comparing sales info from web sites or salesman.

I would agree 100% from your posts that you paid for a premium job and did not get anything close, to say the least.

Having read alot of posts lately from people saying the window business is just a crapshoot, how on earth can you get a good job no matter what you spend, etc. etc. one obvious thing you can do is take a more hands on approach and go look for yourself.

You may not know exactly what to look for true, but you know enough that you don't like what you have now.

You could also see four nice jobs and get an ugly one, but I think that would be very rare.

People seem to like to use auto analogies when comparing windows, I have a new one!

You wouldn't research and pick your next car online then go to all the dealers and just buy it from the one that had the best price without a test drive would you? Maybe some people do, dunno, I always like to take it out for a spin.

homeowner
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2006 1:52 pm

#12 Post by homeowner »

scott, thats exactly how i bought my last 2 hondas and 1 miata. searched for best price and bought. looked at NO other factor. i can easily compare apples in the car industry. make my best deal, service/warranty it where i choose. as far as i can tell about install, nothing is safe other than do it yourself or hope for the best. the product $ and the labor $ should be clear and separate. like all legitimate business.

nmmmm
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:38 pm

#13 Post by nmmmm »

Unfortunately in our case, it seems that a once good company has suddenly fallen apart, and the people and places we checked with didn't have the updated information.

I guess it didn't even occur to us that a professional and dealer of a good manufacturer would do such a sloppy job and that we should watch out for that! Now we know of course...

We did check references and the BBB and Washington Check Book too, and we even had a referral to them as a low pressure sales team on one of these boards. We didn't ask how long ago the jobs had been done, and I realize now that would have been important to ask - but of course referrals will only be to those clients who will say nice things. If there were unhappy clients, we weren't given their names of course.

I think that indeed you check things up front as best as you can, but also have safeguards in place in case things don't work out, like for example...

We will not do business unless we can use a credit card from now on (unless it is with one of the contractors we have used in the past, and know is a company of quality and integrity) - so we have some consumer protection, and also won't be bullied into a final full payment if there are issues that are unresolved (tho we did get in writing that the job was not satisfactory, and I listed all the issues on the contract.)

This is so frustrating after spending hours reading about windows, and picking what we thought was best for our needs (Schuco) and also at the time, this was the only dealer in the area selling the windows - they still advertise as exclusive dealers for Schuco in the area, but a new company now offers Schuco in the Northern Virginia area too -- as of March of this year. That was certainly a big part of the problem - no competition of the same window with a different installer.

Anyway, we are still kicking ourselves for ending up with this, but I hope that this answers your questions?

vdotmatrix
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2005 4:52 pm

#14 Post by vdotmatrix »

Scott1q1 wrote:I would be interested in knowing wether either of you went out and looked at other jobs by the company before buying.

I'm not trying to be negative just honestly curious, it amazes me how few people will take the time to drive to 3 or 4 houses to see real completed jobs as opposed to just comparing sales info from web sites or salesman.

I would agree 100% from your posts that you paid for a premium job and did not get anything close, to say the least.

You may not know exactly what to look for true, but you know enough that you don't like what you have now.
Well for one thing.

Technically speaking, at the expense of being seemingly contrary to my posts, WE LOVE OUR SCHUUCCO WINDOWS, these triple paned-krypton filled windows look mirrored from the outside and you almost do not need shades for them; they beat the crap out of any double-pane with storm window.

I, on the contrary, Scott, knew exactly what I was shopping for and was well versed in the 4 main parameters that the consumer should be aware of regarding the technical features of any given window; how else could anyone sort apples from anderson renewals?

I used the information from the NFRC and energy star to guide me in narrowing an audience to 3 companies.

Lastly, Scott, I we followed up with references whom I spoke to at length about worksmanship and personnel.

You know, NO BODY is going to do work on your house better than YOU yourself would if you knew how to do the work.

Most people don't even go through this kind of trouble because they have NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE BUYING. Thanks for your input Scott:)

rixer7
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2006 3:44 pm

Getting angry

#15 Post by rixer7 »

I ordered Schuco's Corona 4000 triple from Nuview in the early spring and had a tentative install date of June 12. It rained in the early morning and they cancelled. They did not call me. I had to call them and get that stupid answering machine so I left a message expecting someone to call me back. No one did. I called at 3:30 and spoke to someone and asked if they were gonna come out and he said "no". I asked if anyone was going to call me. He stated that they would call me the next day for a reschedule. The next day no call. I called them back @ 5:30 and the guy that answered the phone said that he would have the vice president call me the next day. No call the next day. I have not gotten anyone to call me back or answer the phone since last Wednesday. Their website has been pulled down too. Does anyone have contact info for these guys?

What is the normal re-install time if you get rained out? I assumed that they would put me in the next day.

Am I rushing to judgement on this company because I really want these windows?

Locked