Various Other Pacesetter Corporation Experiences
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Thanks to Pacesetter Corp. and their attempted legal action to shut down this site, we have now started asking each author to swear, under penalty of perjury, that everything stated in their story is true. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to contact this author. However, someone seems to have posted this story on the misc.consumers.house newsgroup, and thus it can now be read there.
From: Private
E-Mail: Private
Subject: Pacesetter Corporation (windows)
Wow, after reading your experience and the others we don't feel like the lone stranger anymore. Here is our little to-do.
December 14th, 1994 we moved into our home on the 29th a Pacesetter Sales Representative came over to show us their wares, (this was unsolicited out of the blue) he had brought his wife out with him, this was OK with us (we were excited about our new home and wanted to show it off). We were talked into purchasing (7) 6000 series vinyluxe double hung windows to be installed February 1st 1995. Windows in, look great. The following winter 95/96 they started to fall apart. (We were watching the tube when all of a sudden twing one of the windows started to fall apart, counter spring went flying pulling the mullion off of the window plastic pieces falling (they informed us that it was not plastic but virgin vinyl, (they weren't that either those windows sure screwed us).
We contacted The Pacesetter Corporation continually about the problem, finally after we consented to getting a new front door they would fix the windows.(we started having more problems the top windows would start falling or when the bottoms were pulled down the top would follow and the latches wouldn't lock)(they told us that that was because our house was settling, its been in the same location since 1925 with foot thick basement walls) They put the new door in.
A short time later, a couple of days a Pacesetter technician came out to fix the windows, boy did he fix them (if interested have photos) he took drywall screws and screwed the upper windows shut. I was hot !!! At this we wanted the windows out and our monies refunded, we repeatedly called Pacesetter and got answers like: on vacation, out to lunch, will call right back etc. They told us days that they would call and my wife or I would take a day off of work and wait, no calls.
We thought that maybe if we stopped paying on the windows and door that we would get some attention wrong, they informed us that they took out a lien on our house and that they would foreclose on us. We had to take out a loan to pay off Pacesetter.
Finally in July 1999 Bill Bowden (General Manager) came out and put in new windows, the door had by then been replaced(it had been falling apart). During the winter of 99/00 the windows started falling apart again. Each time a sales person came out we showed him the windows that were falling apart we got responses like: I've never seen anything like that happen, I'll contact the company, if you buy more windows or siding Pacesetter will fix them. Each and every salesperson told us that they would contact Pacesetter about our problem and get right back to us. We were even told that Pacesetter no longer made vinyl windows that they were all fiberglass now.
After the windows were exchanged (we still just wanted them out and our money back) we got a letter from Stanley M. Edelstein (Executive Vice President) stating that.(postmarked 08-17-99 16:15)
- Pacesetter will remove and replace all of the 7 vinylluxe 6000 windows on your home at no charge to you. If you are not satisfied with the new windows, I will refund all amounts you have paid to Pacesetter.
- Subsequent to the installation of your new windows, you will have a new warranty period during which the products will be covered by our 10 year limited warranty.
- To compensate you to some extent for your inconvenience thus far, Pacesetter will make the next 3 monthly payments to Federal Diversified Services(FDS) on your behalf. In other words, a credit in the amount of $482.31 will be applied to your account. As promised in my letter of July 19, a credit in the amount of $321.54 already has been applied to your account with FDS, which represents a credit for two monthly payments.(We had already paid Pacesetter in full prior to this letter whose pocket did that money go in, not ours?)
After the windows started falling apart and we showed the first salesperson the problems, my stepmother suffered a stroke, we needed to go down to Milwaukee WI and were afraid that the broken window would fallout (winter 99/00 Northern WI) I was forced to make modifications in the house to lose one window.
Friday July 19th 2002 I called Mr. Edelstein he wasn't in and would call back Friday July 26th Mr. Bowden called and spoke to my wife and that he "Mr. Bowden" would call back on 7/29 or 7/30 no calls 7/30 I called "Mr Bowden" the morning of 7/31 (1-800-666-8581) his secretary said that Mr.Bowden would call me right back. At approximately. 4pm I got tired of waiting and called Mr. Bowden back he said that would be out to pick up the windows and refund all of our money.
Friday August 2, 2002 approximately. 11:30 am Mr. Bowden called and said that they weren't coming over to take back the windows and that he wasn't in a position to refund our money that Pacesetters legal obligation had been met.
We got legal counsel and they advised us to get in contact with the Wisconsin Attorney General. So we sent them copies of all of our correspondences and now we are waiting. Is it worth while to contact the BBB?
We will be happy to send copies of all of our correspondences if you would like.
Follow-up message:
Sorry we didn't get right back, out looking for work to no avail. Here is some more info, but first a correction. where it says that they gave us a credit , they did my wife thought that we got our home loan before we got the credit but it was after. We wrote to the Wisconsin Department of Justice I am sending their reply on a separate e-mail (programs don't conform), sending photos of current window problems (seperate e-mail, same reason). If you want to you can publish this with our permission. Did you want copies of the contracts?
Admin's Note: This post may have been altered from the original version to remove the sender's name and e-mail. Spelling and grammar have not been corrected.