Long: New Custom Entry Door is Wrong!

15 years ago

Hello GWers! I ordered a new entry door (door, two full sidelights, overhead transom window) from a reputable local lumberyard. The door is manufactured by BWI, a national millwork company. I originally ordered the door on 11/21/10. A door was delivered 12/21 but BWI did not get the order right. The threshold was aluminum and I ordered bronze. The door jambs (the door frame, basically) was dark green, and I ordered white.

The lumberyard sent that first wrong door back and resubmitted the order. The new door arrived yesterday. It was wrapped tight. The contractors removed my old door to prepare the opening for the new one. Lo and behold, the new one is still wrong. I ordered paintable composite jambs but what I got are jambs wrapped in a shiny vinyl material, like vinyl siding, that is very glossy and does not look like it should be painted. Even worse, the vinyl coating is not pristine so if I wanted to leave it alone it already looks dirty and dinged up starting out.

There are numerous other dings and scratches. The screws BWI used to set the transom window (window over the door) are too long and the tore through the bottom of one of the jambs. The interior of the door has gouges (the contractor says he can fix these w/Bondo and sanding but I'm like "it's a new door, why isn't it perfect?" Furthermore, IT ISN'T WHAT I ORDERED!!!

It looks like something from the seconds pile. The biggest worry is that thing with the jambs, I have NEVER believed painted vinyl can hold up the way a paint-ready composite material can. The owner of the lumberyard said I was getting something that would look like Azek board, not this shiny glossy stuff. I do not want future maintenance headaches because this vinyl like stuff doesn't hold paint.

The contractor/installer came yesterday and ripped out my old door. The whole front of the house was opened before I realized the problems with this new door. We had to let them put it in or our house would not have been secure. Not to mention freezing cold!

The owner of the lumberyard is coming to look at the door today. He says the rep from BWI says the glossy vinyl jambs can be painted -- I'm not so sure. BWI has made too many mistakes to be trusted and all I can see is years of constant battle with a surface that was not what I ordered and should not have been painted.

The total cost of the door is $2200. The cost of installation is $1600 (with extra trim work to fix rotten parts around the door. THis door is supposed to last for the life of my house.

If you were me, would you accept a settlement from the lumberyard for this partially installed door? Would you order a new door elsewhere and start from scratch? The lumberyard owner has already said he would pay for the cost of removing this door and reinstalling another one. I wish someone at the lumberyard had really inspected the door before it came out and caught this but the door was wrapped up and I understand they didn't want to unwrap it. Once they saw the materials were the right colors they basically figured it was all set.

All I can say is if you need a door or windows or ANYTHING made by BWI stay away. They have been nothing but a nightmare to work with. Their catalogs say they can produce custom color combinations and quality products but this has certainly not been true in my case.

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Comments (6)

sandra_zone6
15 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I ordered a door back in October from Provia, it was installed early in December. Once they went to install it, we all realized the doorknob was on the wrong side. It was installed, it was not my error nor was it Provia's, it was actually the person who entered the order who keyed in the opening wrong. I accepted it since I had a hole in my house and it was winter in New England, but a new one will be installed once it warms up around here. I have not completed payment on the door.

I would not accept the door since it was not what you ordered. Stand strong, it is a huge expense, you had a contract with them - you paid for and expect to receive what you ordered.
Oakley
15 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I'd have them take the door back, get a refund and go elsewhere. One mistake is okay, but two?

We had our door custom made in another state, and when it came, it was a perfect fit.

Sorry you have to go through this, how irritating!
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User
15 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I concur with what's been said as well and suspect your intuition is telling you the same thing. If that's the case, follow your gut and return it. The other thing is even if that vinyl can be painted, you paid for something else entirely and the vinyl is most likely an inferior option. And...lastly, let's say you keep it and paint it. Where's that fella who's telling you it's going to be fine going to be years from now if/when it starts peeling? Instead of trying to talk you into keeping that door, they should be apologizing for a 2nd mistake, offering you a discount for the inconvenience and insisting on covering the costs to have the door removed and the new one reinstalled.
igloochic
15 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Yuck, I'd be furious. Order a door right away from someone else and when it arrives immediately unwrap it before removing the yucky one. Remove the crap and have it returned to the manager of the yard you got it from. If you paid with a credit card now is the time to file a dispute! Hopefully you didn't pay cash. Yuck, what a pain! But stand firm...this is the entry to your home....do you want to enter through crap? Or through a door you will love?

We ordered two custom doors for our townhouse. One came with a shipping ding. The lumber company offered to pay for it's install and removal while another was made so I wouldn't go without a door (custom glass so it was a 60 day wait). I didn't take them up on it as we didn't live in the house yet, but they made the order without request. I'd order from them any day after that. Oh and they inspect the product before it leaves their yard, then wrap it again to send to the house....don't deal with your yucky company a third time. You gave them enough chances.
wi-sailorgirl
15 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Stand firm on this. I've just been through hell and back with a custom vanity and was essentially forced to accept something that is less than perfect. It's fine, and I can deal with it, but it's not what it was supposed to be and that's irritating.

I should have stood my ground at the first sign that things were not good and just made them give me my money back and gone elsewhere but I didn't want to be the evil remodeling woman.

Unless they offer to give this to you for an incredibly discount, I'd get your money back. Of course this is complicated by the fact that it has been installed. I think I would have made them put the old door back in if that would have worked but maybe that wasn't possible.

It's just too much money to not get what you want.
Carol_from_ny
15 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
You ordered one thing got another. That is unacceptable. They had two chances to fix the problem and failed miserable. Find someone else to do the job.
To pay over 2 grand for a door and not get what you want..no way should you allow that to happen.