What to do if you are a Window Select customer with an issue

 

WAUKESHA COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) --- Concerns about Menomonee Falls window company, Window Select, continue as complaints against the company are still rolling in. Many customers report paying for products and never receiving what they ordered.

Other customers say they waited months for their orders and when they finally got their windows installed, there were issues.

Michele Bashaw is a Window Select customer who lives in Lisbon. "Our windows were supposed to be installed in August and then they came back and said oh there's manufacturing issues," she said.

The Bashaw family waited months for the windows and screens they ordered. "I was not happy about being charged the full financing and paying interest on charges for a product that I hadn't received yet," she said.

After some back and forth, the windows were installed in December but one window came in the wrong color and her screens were the wrong size. 

It's been months and she says Window Select still has not resolved the situation, despite the fact that she is making payments on the order worth thousands of dollars. Bashaw says everything she was supposed to get is detailed in her sales contract but she's still waiting.

"I would like my project finished...the project we paid for and continue to pay for," she said.

Bashaw is also concerned about the 30 year warranty she purchased. "If I have issues in the future, i'm concerned that i'm not going to be able to claim a warranty on my windows because I don't know what the state of the company is going to be," she said.

Dozens of other customers have reached out to CBS 58 with similar stories and concerns. A representative with Window Select pointed to supply chain issues as the main reason for customer delays.

Wisconsin's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is providing some guidance for customers who are having issues.

Michael Domke is the Director for DATCP's Bureau of Consumer Protection. He says DATCP has received more than 40 complaints about Window Select. 

"I can confirm that we're reviewing their business practices and the complaints we have received," said Domke. For customers impacted, Domke says they should first determine if they want to wait things out and try to negotiate with the business.

For those fed up and just looking to get their money back, he says you should provide the company with a notice of your right to cancel.

"Giving them a written cancellation of the contract and within that they can demand all the money back that the contractor hasn't spent on the contract yet," he said.

Domke says the consumer also has a right to demand the company deliver any materials and you can demand a written accounting of all the money you've put down and how it was spent.

Once you take these steps, you should file a complaint with DATCP.

"We have specific authority over some of these areas and that gives us the tools we need to try to get a better resolution for the consumer," said Domke. You can also review DATCP's consumer protection fact sheet for home improvement project for guidance.

As CBS 58 reported on Tuesday, the Brown County Sheriff's office is investigating Window Select to determine if fraud has occurred. If you are a customer with an issue and you believe a crime has occurred, you should notify local law enforcement in addition to filing a complaint with DATCP. 

Wisconsin's Better Business Bureau also encourages customers to notify them. Since CBS 58 first reported this story, the BBB says it has received nearly 50 additional complaints. Window Select is no long a BBB accredited business.

Here are some additional tips from the BBB on hiring a contractor:

• Research and gather information. 
• Ask for references.
• Ask for multiple quotes. 
• Get it in writing.
• Verify license and insurance. 
• Confirm building permits. 
• Inquire about a lien waiver. 
• Think about future service issues.
• Arrange a payment schedule.
• Get a receipt.
• Keep your contract.