| Wood Windows |
| DF Windows |
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Click here for the Product Description
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Avg |
| Air Tightness |
  
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3.0 |
| Ease of Use |
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4.0 |
| Easy to Maintain (clean) |
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3.0 |
| Material Quality |
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3.0 |
| Energy Efficiency |
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3.0 |
| Durability |
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3.0 |
| Review Rating |
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3.2 |
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| Reviews | | |
| Consumer | (2) |
| 3.2 |
| Feedback | (0) |
| 0.0 |
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Consumer Reviews
| | Reviewer : Robert Gamble from Prince Edward Island (6/1/2003) | | | Bad beyond belief! | | | In March of 1995 we moved into our new home that was built with materials largely bought from Schurman Building Supplies in Prince Edward Island – included in this was a house lot of DF casement windows. From the outset we have had nothing but problems with the windows. Starting in the spring or fall of 1995 we have had DF factory representatives out to repair broken casement window seals and window crank mechanisms. These problems - regardless of what the service staff did – have affected all but two or three windows in our home. Crank mechanisms and seals have continually failed.
The final straw came last winter, when in the middle of a rain storm, four of our windows leaked quite literally like Niagara Falls. A final desperate call to DF got a service representative, named Benoit, out to take one last look at our windows. In the first week of April 2003 he visited to inspect our windows and installation method. Measurements indicated that all of our larger windows have bowed significantly (by up to ½ to ¾ inch) in the middle of the sill. This was apparently the cause for the repeated seal and crank mechanism failures. One previous visit from a DF employee had revealed that bowing effect. His response to that was to crassly accuse us of insulating the windows with spray in foam insulation or over shimming them to cause the damage. Benoit’s visit in the revealed that was not the case. No over shimming was evident and no trace of foam insulation was present. We had used loosely inserted fibreglass insulation instead to prevent such a problem. The builder who constructed our home has since made over forty log homes all using DF windows without any installation problems. The only difference between our home and his subsequent construction work was that every home after ours had used vertical slider windows.
At the time of his visit Benoit took some pictures, completed a report and told us we would hear back within a two weeks. After four weeks with no calls back, we repeatedly tried to contact the DF customer service manager, Pierre Boufard, to find out where we stood in the whole process. The calls to Mr. Boufard were never returned. When we finally dod manage to contact Mr. Boufard, his response was less than gratifying and typified the arrogant and condescending service we have thus far received from DF. He continued to blame the installation process as the cause of our problems denying any possibility that there might be a manufacturing defect. Approximately one hour after I returned home I received a follow up call from Mr. Boufard advising me that I will be getting another visit from Benoit – his service technician – to further inspect for installation errors. Based on previous experience in dealing with DF I fully expect to receive little or no satisfaction as a result of this follow up call. I had thought on his first call Benoit had checked for these problems – but apparently he had not.
In talking with neighbours who had used DF products in recent home construction, I was able to determine that my experience with this company is the norm – not the exception. They too have had problems with the callous and cavalier attitude that DF displays towards customer satisfaction. Again, in their case, improper installation was blamed for the problems with their DF product. This I find rather strange for an experienced carpenter who has built countless houses without incident to incorrectly install the patio door on his own home… but then blaming the installer seems to be a recurrent theme with DF.
I also know one other new home less than a year old that has had similar problems with DF products. I have yet to talk with the owners, but will be e-mailing them tomorrow to document their experience in dealing with DF. Hopefully they will get better service than we - and our carpenter neighbour - received.
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| | Reviewer : Brad from Maine (1/20/2003) | | | Doors & Windows in whole house | | | We used DF doors and casement windows in the whole house. The crank mechanisms for the casement windows were signififcantly more solid than other major brands. The glass was thicker than the U.S. competitive products and the wood frames more solidly built. Each window was a lot heavier than normal windows so the builder had to use extra labor for the larger windows.
After 10 years the weatherstripping and operations of the doors and windows has been fine. We have had no trouble with them at all. |
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