The seals on two of the dual paned windows in our bow window failed years ago; accordingly, those two window panes were extremely murky. For years, the views of the front yard were best seen by opening the door and looking out, not by using the large windows that were meant for that purpose. The time had come to do something about this.
The windows were bought nearly a decade ago and we had no receipt or information about the manufacturer, so we called a few window companies to get an estimate for purchasing and installing a new window.
The first company came, took a look, and gave us an estimate of nearly $9,000. The second company’s estimate was about half of that. After checking the references of the second company, we were planning to use them, but something one of the sales people said stuck with us.
“I’m surprised the manufacturer won’t replace these windows – usually there’s a lifetime guarantee.”
Well, we knew where the window had been purchased, and it was certainly worth a try if we could get the windows for less than $4,000. So off we went to Home Depot, with relatively low hopes that we’d make any progress since we had no receipt and didn’t remember exactly when they were purchased or which company made them.
Wow, what a surprise.
Not only was the Home Depot sales associate extremely helpful, she was able to find the original purchase in the computer system. She contacted the manufacturer for us and found out the windows were discontinued and no longer available. But after discussing with the company, she was able to get them to agree to send two replacement window panes. She placed the order, and followed-up with us the next day to ensure we knew they were definitely ordered and would arrive in a few weeks.
A week or so later, we received a call that the windows were in. We picked them up, removed the old panes, installed the new ones, and as the old song goes, “I can see clearly now!”
Oh, and the cost?
Zero dollars. There were no costs at all. No shipping costs, no fee for the replacement glass, and no installation costs. We saved ourselves $4,000 at the low end, and $9,000 at the high end.
The moral of the story?
If you purchased windows at some point that need replacing, contact the manufacturer even if you no longer have a receipt. You might be able to replace your windows for free.
Repairing windows does not need to be costly.