Euro Star Windows & Doors 2015 - comments on service (or lack of)
May/June 2015 I started looking at different companies to order my windows/doors from. I visited Euro Star a couple of times without an appointment and first spoke to a woman and the second time spoke to a man (with one arm) about my project.
In July I made my decision to go with Euro Star as I had bought the rest of my windows in my house from EuroTech (around the time they moved from the east end to Merivale Rd.) Unfortunate the salesman I had spoken to was on holidays …so I dealt with Les Delzel.
Around July 20, Les visited my residence and we discussed the project. He had a great idea to switch one 6’ sliding door with a 12’ sliding door and eliminate the two windows on either side of the door. My contractor was part of the conversation re the timing of delivery Toronto made vs Germany made. Les affirmed that we could expect the German made windows/doors mid August to Sept. some time. At some point Les and I also discussed the vinyl rosettes trim vs the wood and I decided on the rosettes to match the rest of the house despite them being slightly more expensive than wood.
On July 24 I got a quote and noticed the trapezoid was missing. Les said he thought I had decided against it. I had not said so. The contract was made up including the trapezoid and I signed it on July 25.
On August 4 ,11 days later, I received the standard welcome e-mail from Cindy. I was shocked when I read it. It stated that I had 7 days to cancel the contract from the date I signed it. Impossible now! Also what really shocked me was the 12-18 weeks delivery time for German made windows, which, by my calculations, came to late November to mid December. I immediately got in touch with Les to cancel the German made and request Toronto made in order to expedite the timing. I could not wait because I was having a Stucco finish put on the addition and this cannot be done properly in cold weather. I also asked him the size of the German made mistake window in the warehouse that he had earlier mentioned to me. He checked with David and got back to me with 70”w X 56”h and that I could have it for a bargain price of $850. Les gave me the impression (or thought) it was in storage in Toronto. We also discussed changing the facing window to half the size of the mistake window. He made a math mistake (which I caught) by dividing the height instead of the width.
Finally, on August 10 I gave him the OK to amend the contract by email.
At some point after all the above I called Christina to ask how many days installation would be required for this job? She confirmed about 2 days. So I asked her it it was possible to split the two days and get the mistake window installed earlier and/or the door, if ready, because she told me she had ordered the door when I first signed the contract as it was not being made in Germany. We were anxious to get some natural light in that room. She then told me the order was not put in until August 17th. When I asked why the 7 day delay I was told she went on holidays. I cannot believe only one person is able process an order.
On my second or third call I asked to speak to the manager (she called him David) and she said Les would call me back. Les did not call back despite me e-mailing him telling him I was waiting to hear from him.
Also, on one call I was given the excuse for the delay in receiving my windows was that the trapezoid had to be sent out for bending which took a long time. The trapezoid does NOT have any bends in it. While on the subject of the trapezoid, while it was being installed Les called me to advise me that they cannot use the vinyl with the rosettes on it as it cannot be cut on an angle and did I want wood on the trapezoid and vinyl on the rest. When I asked, he staid that the wood was a little cheaper. At my end it means having to paint the wood. I agreed to all wood - but never got a reduction as it is slightly cheaper.
At one point Christina told me a tentative date of Oct. 8-9, then when I called to confirm I was told by Cindy that Christine was in the hospital. Finally I got to speak to David who apparently struggled to move jobs around in order to get my project done Oct. 16-17.
The installers showed up and had the wrong mistake window in the truck and could not work on the 17th. They came back on Oct. 19 Monday afternoon at 2:30 with the right mistake window but when installing it I noticed it was too short by 1 1/2 inches, it was 70” X 54.5” I did not accept the window and called David who’s excuse was that he was alone to measure the window which was buried behind other mistake windows and gave Les an approximate measurement. So we are responsible for the rough opening but Euro Star are allowed to approximate the size of the window??? We modified our plans and cut the rough opening hole for the measurements we were given.
At this point I consulted my lawyer and was told the different options I had.
David dropped by to see the project and finally agreed to give me a credit of $200, (in hindsight, what about the tax on the $200?) never admitting he made a mistake, still insisting approximate measurement are OK to give clients. In order to expedite this project I accepted that they come back and install the window as high as possible and patch the inside and outside with drywall, plywood and blueskin.
On Oct. 20 I got an e-mail from David requesting I have a cheque ready, - in which he made a mistake when he gave me the balance amount due. He also pretended that he was doing me a big favour by allowing me to hold back $150 until the door sill was installed after the Stucco - likely next Spring. It is not a favour to hold back, it is the law. On Oct. 22 I sent David an e-mail indicating that I adjusted the cheque I made to them to correct/reflect the error he made and my extra blueskin used (as the installers did not have enough) with them. I also stated that Euro Star should be responsible for problems these patches cause in future as it is part of the installation. I have not heard back from David.
Later I noticed the track for the screen door was not aligned properly. On Nov. 2, I sent Christina at Eurostar a photo. On Nov. 3, I got a reply saying they sent the photo to service and would get back to me in 48 hrs or less. On Nov. 9 I emailed her again asking for a response.
Nov. 9 response received
“It seems as though your screen track shifted, possibly during shipping. The good news is that it is a very easy fix.....I need to send a service tech to your home and he will shift it back to where it is supposed to go! I will do my best to have this done for you as soon as I can.
As soon as a spot becomes available for the service on the patio door screen track, I will contact you with a service date.....shouldn't be very long. The service itself takes minutes. I will be in touch soon!”
Since the Nov. 9 I heard no response. After me calling again a Repair appointment was scheduled for Dec. 18 3-5 p.m. NO SHOW NO CALL
I called again to reschedule,
Repair appointment rescheduled Dec. 23 Noon -2:00 p.m. NO SHOW NO CALL
When I emailed about the 2nd no show I got an e-mail response that she was away on holidays until Jan. 11. I had to call to reschedule the 3rd visit. I left a voice message, in case by chance someone else would look after responding.
A 3rd repair appointment was scheduled for Jan 28 between 4:00-5:00 p.m. because I called yet again. They showed up at 5:45 and attempted to tell me the problem was just a little stone in the way, even though it was obvious the track was misaligned. I showed him a photo of what was happening to the screen when it was catching on the track and finally they understood and fixed it.
In scheduling this last service appointment I was instructed to pay the balance of $150 (which I had held back because the kick plate had to be installed in coordination with the stucco work) by giving a cheque to the service guy. . EuroStar insisted in a 3 week notice for this service which is impossible to coordinate with the stucco worker so MY contractor cut it and installed it and the $150 went for MY contractor’s labour. Christina agreed to “forgo” the $150 balance.
Euro Star Windows & Doors 2015 - comments on service (or lack of)
May/June 2015 I started looking at different companies to order my windows/doors from. I visited Euro Star a couple of times without an appointment and first spoke to a woman and the second time spoke to a man (with one arm) about my project.
In July I made my decision to go with Euro Star as I had bought the rest of my windows in my house from EuroTech (around the time they moved from the east end to Merivale Rd.) Unfortunate the salesman I had spoken to was on holidays …so I dealt with Les Delzel.
Around July 20, Les visited my residence and we discussed the project. He had a great idea to switch one 6’ sliding door with a 12’ sliding door and eliminate the two windows on either side of the door. My contractor was part of the conversation re the timing of delivery Toronto made vs Germany made. Les affirmed that we could expect the German made windows/doors mid August to Sept. some time. At some point Les and I also discussed the vinyl rosettes trim vs the wood and I decided on the rosettes to match the rest of the house despite them being slightly more expensive than wood.
On July 24 I got a quote and noticed the trapezoid was missing. Les said he thought I had decided against it. I had not said so. The contract was made up including the trapezoid and I signed it on July 25.
On August 4 ,11 days later, I received the standard welcome e-mail from Cindy. I was shocked when I read it. It stated that I had 7 days to cancel the contract from the date I signed it. Impossible now! Also what really shocked me was the 12-18 weeks delivery time for German made windows, which, by my calculations, came to late November to mid December. I immediately got in touch with Les to cancel the German made and request Toronto made in order to expedite the timing. I could not wait because I was having a Stucco finish put on the addition and this cannot be done properly in cold weather. I also asked him the size of the German made mistake window in the warehouse that he had earlier mentioned to me. He checked with David and got back to me with 70”w X 56”h and that I could have it for a bargain price of $850. Les gave me the impression (or thought) it was in storage in Toronto. We also discussed changing the facing window to half the size of the mistake window. He made a math mistake (which I caught) by dividing the height instead of the width.
Finally, on August 10 I gave him the OK to amend the contract by email.
At some point after all the above I called Christina to ask how many days installation would be required for this job? She confirmed about 2 days. So I asked her it it was possible to split the two days and get the mistake window installed earlier and/or the door, if ready, because she told me she had ordered the door when I first signed the contract as it was not being made in Germany. We were anxious to get some natural light in that room. She then told me the order was not put in until August 17th. When I asked why the 7 day delay I was told she went on holidays. I cannot believe only one person is able process an order.
On my second or third call I asked to speak to the manager (she called him David) and she said Les would call me back. Les did not call back despite me e-mailing him telling him I was waiting to hear from him.
Also, on one call I was given the excuse for the delay in receiving my windows was that the trapezoid had to be sent out for bending which took a long time. The trapezoid does NOT have any bends in it. While on the subject of the trapezoid, while it was being installed Les called me to advise me that they cannot use the vinyl with the rosettes on it as it cannot be cut on an angle and did I want wood on the trapezoid and vinyl on the rest. When I asked, he staid that the wood was a little cheaper. At my end it means having to paint the wood. I agreed to all wood - but never got a reduction as it is slightly cheaper.
At one point Christina told me a tentative date of Oct. 8-9, then when I called to confirm I was told by Cindy that Christine was in the hospital. Finally I got to speak to David who apparently struggled to move jobs around in order to get my project done Oct. 16-17.
The installers showed up and had the wrong mistake window in the truck and could not work on the 17th. They came back on Oct. 19 Monday afternoon at 2:30 with the right mistake window but when installing it I noticed it was too short by 1 1/2 inches, it was 70” X 54.5” I did not accept the window and called David who’s excuse was that he was alone to measure the window which was buried behind other mistake windows and gave Les an approximate measurement. So we are responsible for the rough opening but Euro Star are allowed to approximate the size of the window??? We modified our plans and cut the rough opening hole for the measurements we were given.
At this point I consulted my lawyer and was told the different options I had.
David dropped by to see the project and finally agreed to give me a credit of $200, (in hindsight, what about the tax on the $200?) never admitting he made a mistake, still insisting approximate measurement are OK to give clients. In order to expedite this project I accepted that they come back and install the window as high as possible and patch the inside and outside with drywall, plywood and blueskin.
On Oct. 20 I got an e-mail from David requesting I have a cheque ready, - in which he made a mistake when he gave me the balance amount due. He also pretended that he was doing me a big favour by allowing me to hold back $150 until the door sill was installed after the Stucco - likely next Spring. It is not a favour to hold back, it is the law. On Oct. 22 I sent David an e-mail indicating that I adjusted the cheque I made to them to correct/reflect the error he made and my extra blueskin used (as the installers did not have enough) with them. I also stated that Euro Star should be responsible for problems these patches cause in future as it is part of the installation. I have not heard back from David.
Later I noticed the track for the screen door was not aligned properly. On Nov. 2, I sent Christina at Eurostar a photo. On Nov. 3, I got a reply saying they sent the photo to service and would get back to me in 48 hrs or less. On Nov. 9 I emailed her again asking for a response.
Nov. 9 response received
“It seems as though your screen track shifted, possibly during shipping. The good news is that it is a very easy fix.....I need to send a service tech to your home and he will shift it back to where it is supposed to go! I will do my best to have this done for you as soon as I can.
As soon as a spot becomes available for the service on the patio door screen track, I will contact you with a service date.....shouldn't be very long. The service itself takes minutes. I will be in touch soon!”
Since the Nov. 9 I heard no response. After me calling again a Repair appointment was scheduled for Dec. 18 3-5 p.m. NO SHOW NO CALL
I called again to reschedule,
Repair appointment rescheduled Dec. 23 Noon -2:00 p.m. NO SHOW NO CALL
When I emailed about the 2nd no show I got an e-mail response that she was away on holidays until Jan. 11. I had to call to reschedule the 3rd visit. I left a voice message, in case by chance someone else would look after responding.
A 3rd repair appointment was scheduled for Jan 28 between 4:00-5:00 p.m. because I called yet again. They showed up at 5:45 and attempted to tell me the problem was just a little stone in the way, even though it was obvious the track was misaligned. I showed him a photo of what was happening to the screen when it was catching on the track and finally they understood and fixed it.
In scheduling this last service appointment I was instructed to pay the balance of $150 (which I had held back because the kick plate had to be installed in coordination with the stucco work) by giving a cheque to the service guy. . EuroStar insisted in a 3 week notice for this service which is impossible to coordinate with the stucco worker so MY contractor cut it and installed it and the $150 went for MY contractor’s labour. Christina agreed to “forgo” the $150 balance.
They can't measure properly, sent wrong window, make appointments and don't show up or call,
The only positive is the German windows are good products.
I tried to download a written document outlining ALL their mistakes but the file would not load as I think it wanted a photo JPG GIF
For all of the above reasons I would definitely NOT recommend dealing with this Ottawa EuroStar company on Merivale Rd.
