Thompson Creek: An Extremely Frustrating Experience…read more
I cannot recommend Thompson Creek based on my experience. What should have been a straightforward home-improvement project has turned into one of the most frustrating customer-service experiences I have ever had.
The problems started before installation. The original sales presentation significantly misrepresented how much daylight would be lost with the proposed doors. Thankfully, the pre-construction technician caught the problem and acknowledged that approximately 10 inches of daylight would be lost per door, requiring us to change the design to sliding doors.
Then came the installation.
Thompson Creek simply didn't show up.
I was told the crew would arrive at 8:00 AM. I took an entire day off work and waited. I called, emailed, and left messages throughout the morning. I received no meaningful communication until approximately 3:00 PM, when I was finally told they probably weren't coming. An entire day of my leave was wasted.
When the installation finally occurred, the workmanship was unacceptable. I found missing caulk, sloppy caulk work with obvious gaps, misaligned and poorly fitted trim, missing components, and a broken door panel. One door was also so loud that the installers apparently removed a piece of hardware that was rubbing against the track.
I was also sold a dog door that was represented as having a fob that would unlock the door when my dog approached it. I subsequently learned that ProVia doesn't offer that functionality. The pet door does not have a fob.
Getting these problems corrected has been just as frustrating. I had a replacement panel appointment scheduled and confirmed, rearranged my work schedule, and took time off--only for Thompson Creek to cancel two days beforehand.
At the next appointment, the contractor arrived with the wrong replacement panel, so the work couldn't be completed. He also identified additional installation problems, including missing trim and other components.
Most recently, I had yet another appointment confirmed to address the broken panel, poor caulking, misfit trim, misaligned door, and missing components. I confirmed the appointment and submitted leave paperwork through my chain of command. Thompson Creek cancelled again on the day of the appointment because of weather--despite there being no rain and the work including interior trim, caulking, and replacing a broken panel.
At this point, I have burned an entire work week's worth of military leave dealing with Thompson Creek's failures.
I am active-duty military, so leave is not unlimited. Every day I've taken off for these appointments is a day I cannot spend with my family. This is particularly frustrating with my wife's pending deployment.
After all of this, Thompson Creek offered me $150 in compensation. I found that offer insulting given the amount of time lost and the repeated failures to complete the job.
I have also had difficulty getting a consistent answer about my remaining balance because Thompson Creek has two separate invoices for the same project and apparently cannot consistently reconcile them.
I don't expect every home-improvement project to go perfectly. Problems happen. What I expect is for a company to take responsibility when things go wrong and make a genuine effort to fix them.
That has not been my experience with Thompson Creek.
If you are considering using Thompson Creek, do your homework and ask very specific questions about installation, scheduling, warranty work, and what happens when something goes wrong. My experience has been an extraordinary amount of time, frustration, and wasted leave for a project that still isn't satisfactorily completed.