We appreciate that Restoration Works has expertise that can essentially make a century-old window look, feel and operate as if it were brand new. Their website lists 10 reasons to choose them as your restorer. Read them, and you will see that those reasons relate to their technical restoration services and capacity for work that requires great precision with a high level of quality.
That's definitely admirable, but I'm struck by what's missing from that list - anything pertaining to customer service. I would wager Restoration Works considers itself a "premier" restorer/installer - a company that takes great pride in being a "full service" provider for this type of work. Their website does indeed make the statement "we are #1 in America for historic authenticity..."
I don't know that I can argue with that. We had several other contractors out to our home before selecting Restoration Works, and we did so because we were led to believe we were in the best of hands. As far as the workmanship, I think that is most likely true; but the customer service was not of correspondingly high quality.
Specifically, we ran into an issue with the windows in the attic dormers on our home. Prior to the work beginning, we had three windows in the attic (two casements in front, one large casement in back). One of the front casements did not have glass but rather, a metal vent, providing additional ventilation in the attic, which includes a whole-house fan.
The issue was raised early on when the windows were removed for restoration, as it was noted that the dimensions listed in the estimate for the work did not match what we had measured. As novices/laymen with respect to window restoration and window terminology, and owing in part to the lack of specifics in the contract and the lack of regular face-to-face consultation, we had stated that we wanted the two dormer windows replaced. Unfortunately this was interpreted to mean a casement in the front dormer, and a casement in the back dormer. However, I specifically asked, after reviewing the estimate, that we be sure there is not a part or section of the attic windows that was being untouched. Again, because we are laymen, we offered to send pictures to help explain what we meant. This email went unanswered.
15 weeks later, the misunderstanding became clear when the new windows arrived, and we could see that there was no window replacing the metal vent. It was decided to have an additional window fit this space, but it was frustrating that our questions were not answered nor was care applied to the customer service aspect of the project, which would have made the scope clear and prevented the never-fun-scenario of having to add to the total cost of the project post-estimate. Rather, it was suggested that jargon can get confusing for the customer (is it not RW's duty to provide clarity?), and it's often the case that details get overlooked if not explicitly mentioned. To that I must respond: if you have even an inkling of an idea of what customer service is, you know it is the responsibility of the business, not the customer, to provide. In other words, if there is confusing jargon, explain it; if it's unclear, make the drive, come over, point to it, and use your words.
Ultimately, I would award two more stars, but this has been a loose tooth - a snag that hasn't gone away - and the selection of two stars is summarized by Yelp as "could've been better," which fits in this case. We recently noticed staining, possibly rust or some other chemical bleeding out, in two spots directly under the leaded glass we had restored. We have provided pictures and asked if Restoration Works would be able to take a closer look. Appointments have been made TWICE, and each time broken after the anticipated arrival time without so much as a call, a text, or an email. It's been months and we are waiting on a simple repair. Granted, one of us is in a work-from-home situation; that said, we still block out time to have the smallest of issues looked at, and are, essentially, blown off with the excuse that "it is a busy time of year" - this is followed by a partially scuttled apology ("Some appointments are made without my knowledge that I am not able to move.").
All in all, I expect more from an experienced provider of restoration services that touts its work on historic buildings. Turns out its customer service is similarly antiquated. read more
