Champion Windows, Sun Rooms & Home Exteriors Company of Greensboro

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/08/12) */
Contact Name and Title: John K***
Contact Phone: ***
Contact Email: ***@getchampion.com
I have spoken personally to Mrs G*** regarding thisWe do not think MrsG*** is stupid as she states we do she is just not well informed
on installation techniquesOur installation techniques are not shoddy at all but tried and trueIn response to her queries we sent our service technician to her property on Oct 8, and he verified that all the windows were caulked properlyWe only caulk the corners of our trim as that is the only area that it is neededThe trim is set to overlap each other therefore by the way it's installed it sheds the water awayWe only need to caulk the bottom jointOur goal is to minimize the caulk as it provides no benefit yet will require maintenance because it will need to be redone at some point or at the very least cleanedBecause of it's tacky nature, airborne dirt and pollen will adhere to it detracting from the appearance of the windowsWe are not trying to get out of caulking, why would we ? We have already gone through the expense of sending a tech out, the cost of caulk is inconsequentialShe hired us as professionals to do a professional job which we didThere are no claims of any water infiltration at all so obviously the installation was done correctlyShe is just assuming we did something improper, she is mistakenWe have installed her windows properly as such there will be no money refundedWe will be happy to add additional caulk for her but with her signed agreement not to hold us accountable for the appearance of the windows going forward because of all the additional unnecessary caulk
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/08/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not accept the response from Champion windowsThe last time I talked with the manager in October he told me that they would caulk the windowsI was specific about what I wantedHe said they would handle it and I never had another call from him saying that they wouldn't do itI know that there is upkeep with caulk on the windows, that's part of home maintenanceI guess we'll just have to disagree about the need for windows to be caulked
Final Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2016/08/23) */
We will schedule the windows to receive additional caulkMay be 2-weeks to get on schedule
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 13, 2016/08/24) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2016/08/05) */
Contact Name and Title: John K***
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@getchampion.com
Mrs*** has brought her concerns to our attentionWe water tested her windows and could not find any areas that visibly leakedOn June
we went to her home again and met with her and spent almost an hour water testing the windowsSoaking the outside walls, even filling up the sills until the point of overflowing and no leakage was indicated from this testingThe attic and crawl space were also examined
And it was in the crawl space where we believe the issue isThis is an old home and the crawl space had no vapor barrier on the ground anywhereThe insulation and wood framing were covered with moldAlso the H-vac lines had considerable condensation on them (water spots) and were drippingOur belief is that the water damage is from this moisture wicking up into the wallsIn each spot where she has wall damage there are registers in the wall/floorWe explained this to her at that time
A few weeks later she asked us to come back again and we didShe had hired a carpenter to remove the wrap on the back window to look for leaksIt was his and hence her belief that the leak was coming in around the steel lintel supporting the brickAnd there were water spots on the lintel but no indication of water damage to the wood framing around the window and sillIf there was extensive and long term leaking, water damage should have been visibleWe were and continue to believe the issue with rotting walls rests with the moisture in the crawl space and H-vac trunks lines as it was very damp and dripping with waterThe wood and sheet rock begin absorbing water, and as it is absorbed it moves up the wall material called wicking
At this point we didn't want to get into an endless discussion on where the root cause of this issue arose fromUnderstandably our opinion might seem suspect and even though we feel sure of it where the issue lies we decided to turn it over to our insurance companyWe informed her of such prior to this complaint being initiatedIt is our hope to have a more neutral source review the situation and use their resources to ascertain where the problem arises from and then to either confirm or dis-spell our conclusion
Also since it was mentioned in the complaint the replacement siding and sashes have indeed been ordered and are received, they are on hold pending the resolution of this issue
It is our desire to help Mrs*** and although we feel the problem lies elsewhere we are hopeful we can help pin point it to aid in resolving the problem she is having
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2016/08/21) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
If Champion was so sure it was not their windows, they should have unwrapped one to seeWhen the windows were installed in 2004/2005, they were 100% positive the moisture on the inside the windows (within weeks or installation) were because of the new HVAC system I had and this was JanuaryChampion tried to blame it on the HVAC company thenI talked with an engineer that new right then the windows were not insulated by ChampionJohn K*** came to my house at that time and they found when unwrapping a window at my request/demand, the windows were indeed not insulated as they say they always are so they got to redo them
I had a licensed general contractor to come out following Champion this year, not carpenter, which said the windows were not wrapped correctlyThe vinyl came out past the brick siding and turned up creating a "cup" for any rain water to go directly behind the vinylYou can see cracks down the side of the old window frame that has been beat to death large enough to put your pinky finger through and YES their is damage to the wood and the bottom of the window and the paint is bubbled up and separated from the wood on the side where the water damage is insideThe licensed contractor said this is a slow leak and the reason for no water damage on the sides of the window is because this window gets direct sunlight in the morning/afternoon that would likely cause the moisture trapped between vinyl and wood to evaporateWater from heavy rains that go behind the vinyl have several routes to take like the cracked areas that lead to the wall cavities along with coming out the bottom of the windowThis would have been a quick thing for Champion to look at rather than me have to get someoneThe HVAC company said the duct work is fine under the house and is connected in a way that unconditioned air and conditioned air are not mixing in the house or wall cavity creating a moisture problemThe HVAC company did not replace the metal part that comes up through the floor that the white vent sits onThe metal pieces coming up through the floor go inside the vents you see in your house so conditioned air is not mixing with unconditioned air creating a moisture problem in the wall cavityIt is common for older houses to not have vapor barriersThe HVAC company said in their opinion the wood, etclooked typical with the amount of mold on it for a house this oldHe said there were two areas that he saw, directly under the living room window and the back bedroom window with the damage, that looked different and evidence of water damage/stainingHe could not get a good look at the bedroom window on the side because of a plumbing leak discussed belowHe said the wood, etcwas not infested with mold as Champion made it out to be saying they would not go under there because it was so badThe HVAC company recommended getting a reputable contractor to take the vinyl off to look at and see if there was evidence of a window problemThe HVAC company said they would not call Champion back at that point to unwrap the window since they had not made an effort to do it and call a contractor which I did
There are HVAC vents under three of the areas that are damaged but typically vents are under windowsChampion pointed out a slight hairline crack between the roof line and walls that you can barely see daylight in the bedroom with the damageThis is common for older homesBrian said he thought that area may be where the water damage is coming from which is at least feet away both directions to the two windowsI told him not possible because too far away to be causing a problem with nothing in betweenHe said he has seen water travel through wall cavities up to feetI think he forgot that when he told me on the prior visit that it was not possible for water to travel one foot diagonally to the cracked open wall in the living roomAnyway, there was no damage to the panelled walls within feet of this area where water was being sprayed in the bedroom when Champion was hereI went in bedroom yesterday and the panelled wall is buckeled/rippled approximately one foot by two foot directly below where they were spraying water which would have come from them spraying water in this areaNever had a problem with this area but now I do because of them spraying water up in a hairline crack that has never had a problem since house built around When you do a water test and you spray water in directions that rain water does not naturally go (up and under eaves), you are not performing a test that you should rely onI am sure older houses have hairline cracks along rooflines and walls that are never impacted by rain events unless tornadoes or hurricanes or people spraying water that should not be
Even though my house was built around 1950, I have not had problems with the roof, walls, or windows until the new windows were installed in 2004/Shortly after the windows were installed (within first year to two years) and Champion came back to replace several window sills (not sure which trip since they have been here multiple times), I pointed out one of the areas in the bedroom with the bowed panelling at that time that Champion blew off and tried to blame on something elseThis area was under the window with no vent so not HVAC companyThis room is used as a storage/junk room so I do not go in there often and look aroundThis same area is a lot worse now that it was thenThe living room cracked open wall that I discovered in March caused me to go look at the other windows and move furniture and beds to see about the other windows
I painted my bathroom about a month ago because it was a dark royal blueIt is a pale gray now and I noticed over the last few days, there is an area directly under the corner of the bathroom window where the wall paper has come loose from the drywallThe wall paper is still connected to the window trim but is loose behind itThe area is wider as it starts and gets narrower which would be typical for water intrusionI have not put a moisture meter into the area because if it is wet which I suspect, I do not want to create an opening for mold/fungal spores to be in the bathroomI already have an issue in one room that has likely spread throughout the house
When Brian with Champion was here during his initial visit in March, I told him about the musty smell that we keep in the house and have had it for at least three yearsHe said he did not smell anythingWhen he came back with Jason with Champion for the water test, he made it a point to mention he did not smell anything as I brought it up and my partner that lives in the houseAfter he went under the house, which he said he did not go far because of the smell and mold everywhere, he came back in the house and told me what he saw and said that would explain the moldy/musty smell I have in the houseFunny he did not smell anything when Champion may have been at fault but his nose started working after he found someone else could be at faultMy partner went on to tell him how sick she is and she is worried about the mold exposure and cracked open wall in living room
When the HVAC company came out, they told me a sewer pipe in the bathroom had come loose from the bathroom sink and there was water standing in one areaOther than that, the rest of the dirt under the house is as dry as it can beI had a plumber to come shortly after that and fix the problem
I have pointed out to Champion through stopping in their office and showing pictures, them coming out pretty quick to look at things about the cracked open drywall and black mold visible through the drywall beside the window that a disabled person lives in the house the majority of the day and is being exposed to whatever is in the airSeeing that there is a cracked open wall and black mold on the wall, they should have made it a point to do water testing, removed vinyl wrap to start an investigation pretty quickThey came out for the initial site visit and said may be two weeks before he could do water testIt took almost months for Champion to come back and that is because I called to make an issue out of it
The bottom line is Champion has tried to pass the buck both times I have had an issue with condensation/water intrusion with visible mold to the HVAC companyI have not been confrontational, disrespectful, or unprofessional out of the times we have interacted over the years because I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt that they would do the right thingLike I said, they tried to pass the buck by saying they always insulate windows the first time which I would never say unless I actually did the work which we found to not be trueThe bottom line is this needs to be fixedChampion said they turned over to insurance company on July and it is August and no word from insuranceSo did
Final Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2016/08/24) */
*** is correct, she has not been confrontational or belligerent with us in any wayOur intention is to help herIf we are at fault it will be repairedHowever we have drawn a different conclusion on the root source of this issue then she hasAnd much like the HVAC contractor who came out to her home and saw no issue with his work, we do not see it with oursThis case has indeed been turned over to our insurance carrier, ***, to draw upon their resources to determine the source of this issueUpon receiving her response herein I have followed up with *** having thought they had already been in contact with *** The Claim Specialist is *** claim #***
and he has assured me he would contact her right awayI will follow up this reply with a call to ***and provide her with his direct phone # in case she has not heard from him
Again it is our hope that they can determine the issue and if it is ours the claim will proceedWe just have drawn a different conclusion, it is not a case of passing the buckTo avoid going round and round on this as we understand our opinion, much like that of the HVAC contractor may be suspect, we have our insurance carrier involved and they will take over from this point on for us

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/09/30) */
Mrs. [redacted] was contacted via email in response to her query on September 29 at 5:00 pm. I indicated that I had sent the gift cards to her via mail. The gift cards were offered to her in error but upon our due diligence we found the call...

center employee did indeed offer her the cards. The cards have already been mailed to the Mrs. [redacted]
.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2016/10/04) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
They did eventually contact me. They stated that the gift-card was offered in error. However, upon listening to my recorded phone-call and to the promises made, they purchased cards and sent them to me. I received them yesterday in the exact amount offered to me.