This is to inform home owners interested in purchasing replacement home
windows about one couple's experience with a Northern Virginia firm,
CONSUMER CONSTRUCTION, INC.

In June 1999, Consumer Construction, Inc., Woodbridge, VA 22191,
703-491-0745, http://www.consumerconstruction.com, furnished and
installed 13 ea. replacement vinyl windows, Carefree brand, with Low E
glass and argon gas. Cost: $4,200.

Initially my wife Robin and I were generally pleased with the product,
however one double-hung unit toally filmed over within three years on
the inner (sealed) surfaces. Those surfaces cannot be cleaned.

We left several phone messages with Consumer Construction, Inc.
(hereinafter called the "company') but received no response. In June
2004, we sent the company an e-mail mesage via its e-mail response
line. A male from the company phoned and agreed to inspect the window,
but never showed up.

We subsequently contacted the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Greater
Washington, D.C. (202-393-8000, www.mybbb.org), which made contact with
the company. A company representative came to our house in May 2005,
and found that nine (9) windows had some degree of filming due he said
to "inner moisture."

The company agreed to contact the manufacturer to obtain an on-site
inspection, but a few weeks later, it was determined by the company
that the manufacturer of Carefree brand windows had gone bankrupt and
out of business. The company subsequently told us that it, therefore,
would not replace at no cost any of the filmed windows, since the
manufacturer was no longer in business. "I am at a dead end," we were
told by the company manager, Mr. Mitchell.

We went back to the BBB with this information; the BBB agreed to try to
arrange for arbitration of our case, but were met with silence on the
matter. The case remains in an unresolved category.

To summarize my wife's and my position, we believe that, at a minimum,
Consumer Construction, Inc. should be willing to replace at no cost the
two windows that are completely filmed over, especially since the
company's own inspector remarked, "You don't need blinds for these
[filmed windows]."

Consumer Construction's position is unacceptable to us, as customers,
and we believe it fails to meet standards of responsible business
practice as well. Consumer Construction SOLD us windows that failed;
THEY bear primary responsibility for resolving this case to our
satisfaction. The company's position is like a food market telling a
customer to go to the farmer who raised the steer from which a spoiled
cut of meat was originally obtained!

(It would be interesting to know how many of the company's other
customers have incurred problems such as ours.)


Ken Spalding
Dale City, VA

What was the original warranty on the windows? Thirteen windows
installed for $4,200 is pretty cheap. By the terms of the warranty they
may own you nothing. Your analogy to the food market and the spoiled
cut of meat is backwards. The construction company did not cause the
windows to leak did they? If so, then you do have a case against them
for faulty installation. If, on the other hand, they stated that the
windows are warranted strictly by the manufacturer, I think you don't
have a good case.