[Updated]American Craftsman windows by Andersen warranty claim. A positive review

[bbhaag]

Back in '03 or '04 we installed 15 new windows in our house. We decided to go with American Craftsman 8500 series windows because of cost. They were purchased through Home Depot. Over the years three top sashes and one bottom sash had the seals break and the glass fogged.

Today I called the 800 number and filed a claim under their lifetime guarantee. I was pleasantly surprised when all the woman asked for was the serial number and the dimensions of the sashes needing replaced. After about fifteen minutes she asked for my cc# to process the $25 s&h fee. All in all a nice experience considering how long it has been. I received an email about 5 minutes after I hung up the phone with a pdf containing the dimensions and parts that are being replaced under warranty. All of the replacements seem to be correct but of course I won't know until they arrive.

Just wanted to let anyone out there know that if you're thinking about replacing your windows don't overlook American Craftsman. They've held up fairly well for us in a Midwestern climate that sees all four seasons and their lifetime warranty appears to be very good.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Just don't have Home Depot install them.

 

[bbhaag]

Just don't have Home Depot install them.

haha no I would never trust Home Depot installers for a job like that. We did most of them ourselves and a few were done by a trusted family handyman who does excellent work.
Come to think of it do places like HD or Lowes even have their own contractors for jobs like this or do they sub-contract them out to local places?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

haha no I would never trust Home Depot installers for a job like that. We did most of them ourselves and a few were done by a trusted family handyman who does excellent work.
Come to think of it do places like HD or Lowes even have their own contractors for jobs like this or do they sub-contract them out to local places?

Sub contracted to the lowest bidder. Never have work done by the big box stores.

 

[NutBucket]

Not bad. I've had Milgard out to replace failed panes. In this case they are able to just replace the glass. Obviously these aren't wood sashes. Like you said, no fuss.

 

[KeithP]

Sub contracted to the lowest bidder. Never have work done by the big box stores.

Unless things have recently changed, that isn't how Home Depot works (at least based on my experience). They refer you to their "Pro Desk" which lists a variety of contractors with reviews. Home Depot wasn't even really involved other than providing a website with the contractor's listing and any reviews they may have accumulated. From what I saw, the contractors were all locals that had their own businesses separate from HD and you can check out their background just like you would any contractor.

Maybe it is different based on what you are having done?

-KeithP

 

[lykaon78]

Unless things have recently changed, that isn't how Home Depot works (at least based on my experience). They refer you to their "Pro Desk" which lists a variety of contractors with reviews. Home Depot wasn't even really involved other than providing a website with the contractor's listing and any reviews they may have accumulated. From what I saw, the contractors were all locals that had their own businesses separate from HD and you can check out their background just like you would any contractor.

Maybe it is different based on what you are having done?

-KeithP

That is still a list of people that will agree to Home Depot's lower per job prices. Ultimately, depending on the complexity of your job, you may not need a super pro for a reasonably common task. Obligatory YMMV.

 

[KeithP]

That is still a list of people that will agree to Home Depot's lower per job prices.

Home Depot didn't set the price, at least not for me. Each contractor did their own quotes/prices. Home Depot did nothing more than act as a referral service and provide a place for client reviews.

-KeithP

 

[bbhaag]

The three replacement sashes arrived five days ago. While one of them had a broken pane due to shipping the other two went in just fine and look great. Unfortunately I have to call back and get a replacement sent for the replacement but it is not all bad because there are three more that need replacing that I didn't get the first time.
All in all a good experience so far and the broken pane looks like it was more of a guy having a bad day at UPS not due to insufficient packing by American Craftsman. They also arrived in the time frame that American Craftsman said they would. I'll update this thread as needed but so far it has been a relatively pain free experience getting the sashes replaced under warranty.

 

[gorcorps]

The three replacement sashes arrived five days ago. While one of them had a broken pane due to shipping the other two went in just fine and look great. Unfortunately I have to call back and get a replacement sent for the replacement but it is not all bad because there are three more that need replacing that I didn't get the first time.
All in all a good experience so far and the broken pane looks like it was more of a guy having a bad day at UPS not due to insufficient packing by American Craftsman. They also arrived in the time frame that American Craftsman said they would. I'll update this thread as needed but so far it has been a relatively pain free experience getting the sashes replaced under warranty.

The real test will be if they charge you a 2nd shipping fee to replace the one that broke. It may not have been their fault, but it certainly shouldn't be on you either.