Pella

We purchased our entire house with Pella windows in 2004. Install was great, but, unfortunately, one of the panes was accidentally broken this year (2012). In calling Pella customer service, and speaking to Darcy, we quickly found out Pella does not care about service after the sale! Darcy is very unprofessional and could not care less about Pella! We were finally able to order a replacement pane and were told by Darcy it would be 7-10 business days. After 20 business days, still no window and Darcy said she never gave a date! She is rude and a liar! Buyers beware! Choose another window company other than Pella if you want to be headache free! Absolutely worst customer service! Do not buy!

Do not buy Pella Windows! We replaced all of the doors and windows in our home 3 years ago. We selected Pella believing they were the best. We purchased from them to ensure the highest quality windows and Pella installers vs the "big box" Pella window that is less expensive. We spent just shy of $60K. It took almost a year to get them in right, one problem after another. Installation was a nightmare.

Now 3 years later, the covering has come loose from the fiberglass door and is fading in areas. We called, thinking there's no problem, and it's in warranty. Not so fast. Yes, the warranty covers the cover, but not putting it on the door. When I went to the website to read about their warranty, the "lifetime", "20 year" and "10 year" warranties, all require that you report the issue within the first 2 years. Are we supposed to be psychic or is this really just a 2 year warranty? Don't be silly like we were, do your homework. Their reputation is better than reality.

We had most of our windows replaced by Pella and they hammered them in marring the outside because the measurements they made before making the custom (expensive) windows were not right. We also had a new screen door made and installed. It leaks and it wasn't until the first wind storm that we realized that they had not put on the spring to keep it from opening too far in the wind. The hinges are now bent and to close this expensive door we have to pull hard to get it to close. Our phone calls go unanswered.

Wood rot occurred on both Pella ProLine doors purchased and installed in 2006. The outside vinyl pulled away from the glass on both doors which caused moisture to seep in and the inside wooden frame leached the moisture to cause wood rot on both doors. Pella refuses to take responsibility for the installation expense. They want $1,414 for installation. If Pella's product was of good quality, I would not have to have them replaced. Through no fault of mine did the doors fail. Pella (AKA Gunton Corporation) clearly made an inferior product.

Looking at other comments/complaints against Pella, I see several similar issues with wood rot. Though Pella sales rep denies this as being a repeated complaint, one Pella employee told me they (Pella) have had to replace many of the doors purchased around 2006 because Pella had changed the wood at that time. Without questions, Pella has replaced the doors which are within the 10-year warranty. The doors, still in delivery boxes, seem to be correct and to my satisfaction. Kudos, Pella. I still need to spend money to install the replacement doors. Pella is not the company they claim to be when it comes to satisfying the customer.

During my spring window cleaning, I noticed another 3 Pella windows rotted out. I have called Pella in the past, they sent someone out, say they'll get back to me, and nothing happens! Now, it's a total of 10, yes, 10 Pella windows that are rotted out!

I installed 8 large ThermaStar windows - four 36 x 72 and four 36 x83 side lights. After the first season, the glass started making a popping noise every morning and evening when the temperature changes, especially in the morning when the sun hits. The install is perfect with new framing around windows - no foam insulation. When the sun hits the windows for the first couple of hours, they let out a loud pop. If I press on the glass itself, they make a cracking noise. It's embarrassing. The noise can be as loud as a pop gun. I suspect their glazing procedure.

When I called, I was a month past the 1-year warranty and Lowe's sales made me think they had 10 years or something. I called Pella several times and they said they would re-glaze for over $100 per window. Our lower level has tile floors and that popping noise echos through the house every morning and really sounds like a pop gun. Pella wouldn't own up to the problem and I felt as though I was deceived by Lowe's sales. I have also a large Jeld-Wen and have experienced no similar problems.

Patio doors (6) and 1 window had no caulking. Now, I have mold and water stains. I wrote the BBB and Pella said it was the installer's fault (the one they hired) and they didn't stand by him. I was never told when I purchased the items that Pella outsourced.

I'm so sorry about your choice to purchase Pella doors, Texas. As you are finding out from experience, Pella does not service their products. They blame everything on "installation". All of us know that the installation is done correctly. I would like to encourage you to make a video of your door problems and post it in YouTube. This will help to keep others from making the same mistake that your family and mine made when we purchased Pella. You need to do everything you can to post your issues on the internet, on every site that you have time to locate. My heart breaks every time I get an email, or read a new situation that Pella products caused. In you search, you will read several places online, that some Pella employee has been paid to write. These sites say that Pella is going to service your doors, if you just contact them.

You and I know that you have already spent hours and hours attempting to contact them. Pella does not provide quality products. We live just 40 minutes from Pella Iowa, where these are manufactured. We have attempted to visit their plant to get help. Just like your phone calls, Pella has "gate watchers" that won't allow us to get inside the building to visit the customer service people. We are currently in the process of a lawsuit. It has been exceptionally expensive, but we are homeless. We have no other options, as we gave Pella 2 years to solve our 49 window issues. They refused! I know that you will not get any satisfaction either, sorry.

I suggest that you take them to a small claims court. Your installer will go with you to show that they were installed properly. Take a video. From now on, every time that you talk to Pella, make sure you tape the conversations, as they will lie, lie, and lie. We have hours of taped conversations to use as proof. Hopefully, through all of our postings, we can save other families from making the same fateful decision that we have made. If you are someone looking for windows or doors, do your research. Pella does not stand behind their products, or provide any customer service.

10 years ago, we had Pella windows installed. I am very happy with the installation. The gentleman that installed them did a wonderful job and for 10 years, I have been happy. However, this year, I am not. The windows obviously leak because there is mold between the pane and the casing. It is on all the windows whether they open or picture windows. Please tell me what I can do about this issue.

We bought 4 Pella patio doors with 4 screens last October. We hired another professional company to install them last October. There are 1/4 inches gap between the screen frame and the main door frame; a lot of bugs come inside from the gaps. We called Pella right away after the installation. A Pella inspector came over and told us the sizes of the screens are not correct. He wanted us to be patient. 6 months passed, no reply has been received from them since last October 18. I called them 3 weeks ago. A lot of unhappy stories happened here. They refused to take my calls. The phone representative transferred me to their voicemail. I left tons of messages and no reply was received.

Until I called the supervisor, another Pella inspector came over yesterday. He said he just received the report documents from the previous inspector in October and that is why the reply is delayed. He said the sizes are correct, the reason is installations. Pella is not going to responsible for it. I don't trust him. He is lying. Summer is coming. The bugs keep on coming inside. We have bug bites all over arms and legs now. I also tried Raid but it almost killed me. We have spent over $4K on changing doors, but we can not open the glass door now. What we can do? Could anyone let me know how to sue them without much cost? Please give me some suggestions.

We purchased 49 Architect Series Douglas Fir Double Hung windows and one 4 panel patio door from John ** in the fall of 2009. The windows and door were delivered 2 week past the delivery date stated on our contract. Pella was not concerned that our entire project was held up for those 2 weeks, as everyone knows without windows there is no way to secure a project to continue many items within the project. Once the windows were delivered they were immediately installed. Problems arose immediately when many would not latch and many allowed rain to flow between the panes. Taking their own sweet time, Pella finally addressed the issue, several weeks after being informed. Pella sent out a team of engineers, installers, and other Pella experts to review the issues at our home.

From that meeting, Pella decided that the windows need to be replaced, due to manufacturing defects. We had ordered and paid for Douglas Fir, which is an upgrade to the order. We receive cheap pine windows with a Douglas Fir veneer. The 2nd set was delivered in February 2010. All were installed by Pella, except for 21 windows that were left stacked inside our garage, where they are still stacked to this day. It is our belief that the Pella installers saw that the 2nd set also had the exact same manufacturing issues, so they refused to install the last 21 windows. Pella then refused to talk to us from February 2010 to January 2011, when they, once again, sent to our home a team of Pella 2 engineers and 2 other Pella installation experts. At this meeting, we were told that these men could, once again, see the manufacturing defects in our windows. These include the cladding defects, the weather stripping defects, the locking defects and the wrong wood type. These 4 men told us that Pella would manufacture a 3rd set and have that 3rd set installed by the end of February 2011.

We agreed with the Pella solution to our window issues. As in many other forms of communication we got from Pella corporate, is seemed as though Pella had never sent out teams to our home. The corporate letter was straight out of left field, meaning that it was absolutely disjointed from any type of personal communication we had from the team in our home. Pella cooperate absolutely does not provide any type of customer service. Pella corporate refused to acknowledge their own teams conversation. At this point in time, the only things we are sure of are as follows: 1) we paid for our expensive windows 2) Pella has our money 3) our windows leak and 4) Pella does not stand behind their products. Our family has been 100% homeless since we made the fateful decision to purchase from Pella in 2009. Because of all the water issues inside our home, caused by the snow/water that flows through our high end Pella Architect Series Douglas Fir Double Hung windows, we are unable to finish the drywall.

Now we have a home full of mold. If it were not for a wonderful neighbor, we would be still living in our camper during the past 3, yes 3, Iowa winters. We strongly suggest that you do your research. A Pella window purchase might leave your family in the same boat as hundreds of other families. We thought that we should purchase Green and purchase windows from a local company. Well, that decision has left us homeless!

I purchased a new home in 2005 with Pella Proline Double Hung Casement windows. I have had continual issues with moisture and mold in the winter. I called Pella and they state we have too much humidity in the home. I began using dehumidifier in the living room and windows still have condensation. Try to wipe up the condensation daily, but this also does no good. This winter, the moisture is so bad that the wood is now black and rotting and mold returns daily.

I purchased Pella wood windows (12 over 12 mullions so spent over $30,000! ) when I built my house in 2004. The wood casings and sills are rotting from water damage. I had to hire a master carpenter to fabricate new sills out of cedar and replaced 10 already. The design of the windows have a level ledge on top of the sill for screens to sit on which caused water to track to corners. Complaint and pics were sent to Pella and they told me it was "caulk failure" and therefore not their problem. Pella sent out a "rep" to look at the windows who did not have a clue. The claim was denied. I thought Pella was the King of wood windows but I should have gone with something else!

Pella Windows- My husband and I have a professional window cleaning company that has been in business for 17 years and we will not clean Pella windows do to the liability. The quality of the glass surfaces on most Pella windows are of such low quality that the chances of them becoming scratched during cleaning is too high. Plus to mention all the pea brain time consuming aspects of taking some of them apart to clean is a nightmare and costs the home owners two or three times more than normal to have them professionally cleaned. Do not purchase Pella Windows.

I have spent way too much money on window to have condensation on the inside of my window. If i wanted to keep dealing with that problem I would of kept the ones in that I had in. Now since the cold weather is among us, the condensation has turn to ice around the lock on them. I have had a rep out here and the only thing I get is the house has high humidity in it .I would like to know how with the temp. in my house does our get over 68 degrees and it takes a week to get 2 inches of water in the dehumidifier. You tell me I have high humidity.

After dealing with the business I bought these windows from, I get a call and I am told the window are working the way they are to and the only thing they can do is give me a discount on a new dehumidifier. This is like getting slapped in the face for giving them my business and money for complaining about the window that I am very dissatisfied with, Never again will I buy something from them again.

After requesting an invoice from Pella Windows several times and never receiving one, our company was sent to collections. Their customer service is horrible. They are rude as is their collection company Ross, Stuart, & Dawson. Pella did not call our office. They send an invoice and certainly did not try to make their customer happy. Dear Pella, I hope $240 billing mistake on your end and rudeness was worth losing a contractor who easily spends $60,000 on average per window package for their homes. We will not recommend this company to any client and will never install another window manufactured by Pella again.

I have 8 out of 17 Pella Proline windows, that are rotting from the outside in. The house was built in 1998, and I notice issues in early 2010. I contacted the local Pella dealer, and they never mentioned anything about known issues. I sent many emails and pics to Pella Corp. I get the same response, "sorry out of warranty".

85% Pella replacement windows in 2006. A large window in a bedroom that had to be removed, so adjoining windows could be replaced was re-installed incorrectly. We are getting severe condensation and molding damage. Another two replaced windows have severe sun damage. The window cranks loosened and detached almost immediately. We feel as though we were totally ripped off and have received no satisfaction from Pella.

I built my house in 2008 and decided to use Pella over Anderson, because we liked the Architect series windows and thought Pella was one of the best windows on the market. First in 2009, a double hung window in our bedroom leaked severely. The glazing failed and water filled the bottom window rail ruining the wood. They sent me a replacement sash. December 2011, my picture window leaked severely. Once again the glazing failed allowing the window to fill up with water and ruining the wood. They were supposed to come and replace the window.

I also noticed, that on almost all the windows in the house, I had a large amount of condensation on the windows, saturating the wood. The salesman was trying to tell me it's normal. It's sad when I knew more than the window 'professionals'. The condensation occurs when warm meets cold. The glazing that Pella uses was obviously failing as time goes on. It must be drying and shrinking. Air molecules are smaller than water, so you'll have cold air infiltrating the glazing first, filling the void under the window and meeting the warm air inside the house causing condensation.

The worse the leak the more condensation. It was 10 degrees last night, I have ice on the inside corners of several of my casements. We heat with wood stoves so the humidity inside the house is not an issue. This is clearly an issue with the quality of products and/or window manufacturing. All the wood windows will rot from all the moisture that is saturating the wood. Very disappointed. I spent a lot of time and money finishing these windows (they are unfinished wood windows) and every time one fails I have to refinish its replacement. Very Unhappy with these windows.

We had all of our windows replaced with Pella windows beginning in 2008. It was an enormous expense for us, but the cost-benefit would be worth it we thought. Pella has some spectacular windows. First, the black brushy things on the screens fell off of several windows. When I called customer service, they told me to just crazy glue them, because that's what they'd do if they came out for a service call anyway. When we open any of the windows, the top window falls down just enough and we have to tilt the bottom window in to push the top window up in order to close/lock them.

Also, we are now noticing condensation in the corners of several of the panes facing inside the house. This was before it actually got cold this winter. And now, reading all the similar reviews here, I'm hesitant to even call Pella about it. The sales and installation crew were awesome here. It's just the window quality that we're disappointed with. I'd give them a C+. I'd expect C+ if I spent 1/2 the money with some other company on replacement windows. With Pella, I expected at least an A-. I'm not quite sorry we had them installed yet, but have yet to contact Pella about the condensation. So, I'll see what they have to say.

My husband installed our newly purchased Pella Brand double hung wood windows himself over 8 years ago. I love them, they are a pleasure to clean. We purchased the low E glass and slim shades. I open them from the inside once during the winter and then once during the summer to clean them. Tilting the sash inwards is so easy for me. The sash tilts easy when opening and then again when I close my windows. I have never had any form of water damage or rotting wood appear on my Pella Brand windows.

This is about Pella Proline. I built a new home in 1999 using Pella Proline. I bought my whole window package from Home Depot. The casement windows condensate relentlessly in the winter. Humidity levels in home are at nosebleed level and still the windows drip. There are wood molds and rots. Junk windows!

We have a Pella window that is completely rotten. We call Pella and they say that since we are over the warranty period they can't do anything about it .

We built our home in 1995/96 using all Pella Proline casement windows. When we first had problems with the windows, McComb Windows told us the windows had been improperly installed. Later, we were told there was a faulty design. The bottom part of the frame is apparently sloping toward the house. Therefore water collects and runs into the house, not away from it. They did tell us they would give us a special discount to replace windows for up to 10 years.

Within five years, we had problems with rotting wood in the middle of the fixed window in our living room. This was soon followed by a fixed basement window rotting. We replaced both these windows. Since that time, we have replaced two left-sided opening windows, one in the kitchen, one in the dining room. Just recently (2010), the left opening kitchen bay window has dropped and does not close properly. We were working in the basement during the summer of 2011 when we noticed water damage which is underneath the kitchen bay window.

The brickwork was damp, as was the insulation and wall board. We have since removed this to watch the situation. Just in the last few weeks, we have noted yet another left side opening window in an upstairs bedroom not closing properly. It takes two of us to close it; one of us pushing upward with the opening window frame, while the other winds in the window to close it. We have also recently noticed the left opening bathroom window is rotting out. All replacement windows are hard to close.

Another problem occurred with the small transoms over two large 3-window casements in the front of the house. Several of the small transom windows have popped, the inside pane of double glazing shattered. We have had to replace three out of six of these small windows.

Condensation and ice are forming inside the house on windows that were installed in 2001 and manufactured in 2001 by Pella. The wood frame inside is rotting and mold covered due to the moisture despite effort around wicking up extra moisture, humidity variation inside, and ventilation adjustments.

We contacted Pella, in 2008. We paid for an inspection, we got one free window to replace since our warranty was up. There are over 20 windows in the house. We got a song and dance about humidity levels in the house and temperatures outside. Based on that information, we did a test. We varied the inside humidity from bone dry to 45%. The colder it got outside, the drier we controlled inside based on University of Minnesota testing (chart on Pella, Anderson Windows website). When it was really cold, we were drier than a popcorn fart inside. Anyway, we couldn't stop it, all the way around the perimeter of the inside of the window, there was condensation. I have seen reports of metal components in the windows conducting heat. This is another explanation for a poor quality product.

For those who want to join in the Pella class action law suit, get in touch with the law firm in Chicago called Freed and Weiss. You can locate their contact information online. They have just won the class action law suit against Pella for their Pro Line series. They are now going to file a class action against Pella for their Designer series. After they win the Designer suit, they will be filing a class action suit against Pella for their Architect series. They need your help and want to help you. This firm knows that Pella is an extremely dishonest company.

It is too bad that Pella has chosen to not meet the customers' needs and go through a class action suit. This tells me that Pella makes so much money from their poorly manufactured windows, that they would rather lose a class action suit than just take care of their customers. This also tells me that Pella is banking on the fact that most of us, as customers, will get too tired of fighting and just quit. Please don't quit! We need to make it clear that we are tired of Pella cheating families!

I have 26 of Pella's Proline series windows that were purchased in 1999. Every winter, since, I have to dry the bottom where the water puddles from condensation. Pella has obviously wash their hands of their design/manufacturing incompetence and their consumers are stuck with a mistake. I have received the same response- "that is the windows doing their job, I'll send you some information" nothing sent. Or, "we can have a service man come out at $XX to look at your situation". I don't know why there is not a class action suit against Pella. Good Luck! Don't buy Pella anything.

Wood clad windows. You are all correct, Pella does **!

We had Pella install an Architect Series Classic 4-wide Casement bow window. These are vinyl on the outside and wood on the inside. The value added items were single birch head board and single birch seat board. The bow window's cost was $2,238.67, not including installation. The work was done in December 2000.

Shortly after 3 years, the bow was sagging and we could not shut/lock all 4 windows. Pella told us that it was out of warranty, and they no longer make that bow, and they would have to charge us $200.00 to fix. I told Pella that was unacceptable, and after much debate, they came and put a wood brace on the outside of the house under the bow window. This only lasted about 1-2 years. We have been pushing the windows shut from the outside for many years. We have a lot of cold air coming in and the windows no longer line up to be locked. We can hear the street noise when cars go by and we also have rot on the bottom of the wood windows.

I have all Pella products; expensive divided light with transoms, fixed and french doors, fixed and moving. I am experiencing separation at the lowest glass, to vinyl joint on the lower panes, resulting in hidden sash rot. The windows were in new construction, in early 2000. The initial purchase value was above $85,000.00. I am now looking at buying, painting, and replacing the casements, at a cost of roughly, $900.00 per window panel. I feel this is a factory defect that started in my case, prior to the end of the 10 year warranty, but went undetected. I am looking to join with other affected parties in a class action suit.