New house - Double glazing warranty transfer

investa69

The company who installed the windows (in 2003) in the house I've just bought, has asked me to pay £102 in order to transfer the warranty into my name.

I would expect this to be done free of charge or for a small nominal charge considering that it is simply a name change from their point of view. Also there is only two years left on the warranty.

I'd even question if they are legally allowed to charge this much for effectively doing next to nothing, even if I do subsequently claim on the warranty. Does anyone know if there is anything I can do?

Many thanks for your help
Dan

Richard_Webster

Double glazing is double glazing. There are thousands of houses with 10-20 year old double glazing that is still OK with no guarantees etc at all and the owner of those houses are not losing sleep about the lack of a warranty.

Warranties are only as good as the person or company that gives them and a significant h proportion of double glazing companies don't last more than a few yaers - so if they are still going and the windows were put in in 2003 that is plus!

They don't have to give you any warranty - what would you do if the company no longer existed, as is often the case. Frankly, is it really worth bothering to mess around over the transfer if they are going to charge that much? They might go out of business soon after they have taken your £102!

investa69

Thanks for that Richard, if it was just a case of having a warranty I would definitely be thinking that I wouldnt bother, however I do get some condensation on two of the windows and also have quite a bad draught coming in through the back door which I was considering claiming for.

I did mention that I might want to submit a claim and they said that is fine "as long as the previous owners had followed the normal maintenance instructions for the windows e.g. correct cleaning etc" obviously I have no idea if they have or not.

Sounds like they're trying to get out of it already! Do you think i'm wasting my time?

mac2008

Sounds like a complete rip-off unless you're certain the back door needs more than £102 worth of attention and they will definately honour the warranty for the work that needs doing. Could be a 5 minute job adjusting the hinges with a screw driver or allen key, or they could claim its just fair wear & tear etc. Further, condensation ON the glass is not a claim. If the DG unit has failed (condensation between panes), it MIGHT be claimable, but some places don't warrant the sealed units for as long as the frames. It could also be cheaper than £102 if only one or two small units. Finally, if they've been there for 8 years already, I can't really see what (warrantable) thing is likely to go wrong with them in the next two.

themull1

If you didnt take the warranty on, a glazier will fit new double glazed units at a fraction of the price into existing upvc frames.

investa69

Thankc Mac, dont know what the back door would cost and defo can't guarantee it would be covered, will try the hinges though, good idea. The condensation is ON rather than IN so I guess that means its ok....

Think you've persuaded me not to bother going for it then (my initial thoughts anyway). Will try the door and not worry about the rest. Cheers guys

investa69

"If you didnt take the warranty on, a glazier will fit new double glazed units at a fraction of the price into existing upvc frames. "

A fraction of the £102?? seems unlikely themull. But if you know for sure can you recommend anyone in kent as I also have a cracked window pane?

Many thanks
Dan

mac2008

The 'in my home & DIY' sub-forum on this site is usually a good source of info. If you can locate the problem with the door and post a few pictures, someone might be able to diagnose the problem for your particular type - It could be, e.g. hinges, mushroom cams or rollers poorly adjusted, or a knackered seal.

And I agree that new DG units are not likely to be a small fraction of £102. I'd take a wild guess at an average sized unit in a basic door being £40-£60? Perhaps a DG installer on the other subforum could confirm. Could be a lot more if large, or you want/need laminated or toughened glass (a requirement in doors).

Chris_Church

investa69 wrote: »

Thanks for that Richard, if it was just a case of having a warranty I would definitely be thinking that I wouldnt bother, however I do get some condensation on two of the windows and also have quite a bad draught coming in through the back door which I was considering claiming for.

I did mention that I might want to submit a claim and they said that is fine "as long as the previous owners had followed the normal maintenance instructions for the windows e.g. correct cleaning etc" obviously I have no idea if they have or not.

Sounds like they're trying to get out of it already! Do you think i'm wasting my time?

The maintenance thing might sound like a cop-out - and I'm sure some may use it that way - but our members (Network VEKA) estimate that anything from half to 80% of windows that fail before their time can be blamed on jammed and seized mechanisms. It only takes a couple of spots of oil a couple of times a year to add years to their life. Worth thinking about.

investa69

nice on cheers guys, will try a few of the suggestions and see how i get on

Errata

I did mention that I might want to submit a claim and they said that is fine "as long as the previous owners had followed the normal maintenance instructions for the windows e.g. correct cleaning etc" obviously I have no idea if they have or not.

Equally obviously, neither will the DG company. However, that won't stop them swearing until the end of time that normal maintenance wasn't carried out, and turn your claim down.