The mahogany storm and screen door I ordered was built to a high standard and met specifications. However, communications with the owner around (a) delivery and (b) a defect in the glass storm insert left something to be desired.
The delivery, which obviously required someone to be home, was two hours late with no notification from the company. The storm glass insert was not true to spec because the gap between it and the enclosing molding was not uniform. Why wasn't this checked at the shop beforehand?
Unlike the delivery man, who made every effort to accommodate me, the owner was unapologetic about the lack of communication for the delay. More importantly, he would only consider fixing the problem if the door and the glass and screen inserts were returned to the shop, in which case it would be my responsibility to retrieve them. He wouldn't pay for a second delivery. He would rather cancel the deal and eat the cost of the goods.
Having to pick up the door myself was a non-starter. I don't have a suitable vehicle, which is why I paid for delivery in the first place.
The only other option he offered was to have the door and inserts returned to the shop and refund my money in full. Then I would have had to start my search over again and suffer a lead time of 6 to 8 weeks or more, so my front entry wouldn't be well prepared for the onset of cold weather.
It fell to me to be the creative and save the deal by suggesting he give me a discount in return for which I would live with the defect. It seemed like he would rather have lost the sale than compromise. We came to terms, but the whole process was unnecessarily stressful. read more
