New windows and door. Cr Smith = Total joke.

Kennysevenfold · 12 Jan 2012 at 13:57

Afternoon all

Just got new windows and a door fitted by CR Smith yesterday.

Dunfermline branch. Avoid at all costs. More hassle than it was worth.

Just thought i would share my experience with this great company. :mad:

1 - glass on the door is the wrong way around (lead on the inside, frosted glass on the outside)

2 - bathroom glass wrong way around (frosted on the outside, clear on the inside)

3 - small chunk out of the frame of the door (brown door so the white underneath is showing.)

4 - they have just glued the door sill on the inside ontop of the old sill.

5 - they have just left the pvc sill on the outside of the door from my old door ( they tried to clean it and have re-sealed it but you can still see old specs of paint still on it from when the house was painted)

Cosimo · 12 Jan 2012 at 14:25

I guess you’re asking them back for some rework.

arknor · 12 Jan 2012 at 18:56

why didnt you bring this up as it was fitteD? man up

Fourstar · 12 Jan 2012 at 19:21

I hope you haven't paid them yet or you'll never get them back!

[FnG]magnolia · 12 Jan 2012 at 19:29

I remember them being viewed as cowboys back in the late 80's. Surprised they're still in business.

batsy · 13 Jan 2012 at 01:31

Nightmare. Any pics of the work?

Kazz · 13 Jan 2012 at 12:42

Any idea if they are FENSA or CERTASS registered? I don't just mean if there's a sticker on their van either.

G.s Glazing · 15 Jan 2012 at 10:10

Kennysevenfold said:
Afternoon all

Just got new windows and a door fitted by CR Smith yesterday.

Dunfermline branch. Avoid at all costs. More hassle than it was worth.

Just thought i would share my experience with this great company.

1 - glass on the door is the wrong way around (lead on the inside, frosted glass on the outside)

2 - bathroom glass wrong way around (frosted on the outside, clear on the inside)

3 - small chunk out of the frame of the door (brown door so the white underneath is showing.)

4 - they have just glued the door sill on the inside ontop of the old sill.

5 - they have just left the pvc sill on the outside of the door from my old door ( they tried to clean it and have re-sealed it but you can still see old specs of paint still on it from when the house was painted)

After lurking for over 4 years i finally made an account to reply to this thread.

Due to the soft/hard coating pilkington and sgg apply to glass now days to achieve enrgy ratings, they have had to change the way IGU's are installed.
10+years ago, obscure went on the inside with clear on the outside. now we use energy rated glass which has to be the inside to work, meaning the obscure sheet has to go on the outside.

Lead work should have been applied to the frosted side of the unit, if an energy rated glass was used, as i do it. Is the door fitted with a panel which contains glass then check to make sure it's installed the correct way around.

Add a few pictures of the problem areas, i may be able to advise and even point out further mistakes. Like do you have fire escape hinges fitted to your opening sash's in bedrooms.

And also, what energy rating did you settle on when ordering, a,b,c?

Glad to be a member after so long lurking, it feels good!

Aod · 15 Jan 2012 at 11:07

G.s Glazing said:
After lurking for over 4 years i finally made an account to reply to this thread.

Due to the soft/hard coating pilkington and sgg apply to glass now days to achieve enrgy ratings, they have had to change the way IGU's are installed.
10+years ago, obscure went on the inside with clear on the outside. now we use energy rated glass which has to be the inside to work, meaning the obscure sheet has to go on the outside.

Lead work should have been applied to the frosted side of the unit, if an energy rated glass was used, as i do it. Is the door fitted with a panel which contains glass then check to make sure it's installed the correct way around.

Add a few pictures of the problem areas, i may be able to advise and even point out further mistakes. Like do you have fire escape hinges fitted to your opening sash's in bedrooms.

And also, what energy rating did you settle on when ordering, a,b,c?

Glad to be a member after so long lurking, it feels good!

No Commercial posting!

Just kidding, but welcome!

G.s Glazing · 15 Jan 2012 at 11:09

Aod said:
No Commercial posting!
Just kidding, but welcome!

Thanks!

Westerton · 20 Oct 2016 at 17:48

Interesting reading, now 2016, had similar issues with CR Smith in 2014, still trying to get them resolved after 270 e mails, lost count of how many visits by staff and managers, six complete window units removed and refitted, (two still leak) all the units so badly made that they recently agreed to remake all the units, (28) two sealed units been replaced due to dirt inside the sealed until, leaving only the french doors to be fitted, with a signed contract and price, they said we will do a "special" deal for you due to all the problems, they did, they doubled the price!!. The glass I asked for was Planitherm, I was told it would be, then it was Planitherm, but even when I proved they had lied, they claimed it was OK as it was the same, and OK for them to install a different glass without telling me, as long as it was better glass, but you told me it was the same!!
You cannot win with CR Smith, reading other reviews online it seems they have not improved, and customer service is still as bad, even the boss does not reply, so clearly he does not care either.
Best advise, stay well clear of the man in the blue and white van.

Orionaut · 20 Oct 2016 at 18:16

Kennysevenfold said:
Afternoon all

Just got new windows and a door fitted by CR Smith yesterday.

Dunfermline branch. Avoid at all costs. More hassle than it was worth.

Just thought i would share my experience with this great company.

1 - glass on the door is the wrong way around (lead on the inside, frosted glass on the outside)

2 - bathroom glass wrong way around (frosted on the outside, clear on the inside)

3 - small chunk out of the frame of the door (brown door so the white underneath is showing.)

4 - they have just glued the door sill on the inside ontop of the old sill.

5 - they have just left the pvc sill on the outside of the door from my old door ( they tried to clean it and have re-sealed it but you can still see old specs of paint still on it from when the house was painted)

Had two freinds who had new windows/doors fitted.

#1 Everest,

#2 Anglian.

Both sets of units were satisfactory, though in both cases they had to go through the stupid haggling nonsense to get the regular price (Why not just quote a sensible price to begin with and save every bodies time. :mad:

)

However, in both cases the reasonable quality units were let down by poor installation. (Scratched glass, ill fitting units, etc)

I do not know if the installers are in-house or whether they are sub contracted. But my very strong impression is that the installers are allocated (say) a 2 day job, and then rush it so that they can knock off at lunchtime on the second day. And that is why people have so many problems, even with suposed quality installers.

Macro · 20 Oct 2016 at 18:29

I've had the same thing with Anglian, decent products at a sensible price (eventually) completely let down by awful install team

Holst1981 · 20 Oct 2016 at 19:02

Macro said:
I've had the same thing with Anglian, decent products at a sensible price (eventually) completely let down by awful install team

I work with a guy who used to work for one of these window places.

The culture of the fitters was awful, almost a competition to see who could do the worst job and get away with it.
Some of the stories he told me made me feel very sorry for the customers.

I hate getting people in to do jobs on the house.
Very difficult to tell who will do good job.

We had new glass fitted by "Lee glass" in Nottingham and the fitter was very good, but it was a lottery picking who to use.

Diddums · 20 Oct 2016 at 19:05

Almost 5 years :eek:

Tunney · 20 Oct 2016 at 20:49

OCuk does pretty well in Google's search rankings. It's always annoying when I search for something and up pops an OCuk thread that I've already read.

CR Smith might want to pay OCuk a back-hander to get this thread deleted.

Pawnless Endgame · 20 Oct 2016 at 22:56

Westerton said:
Interesting reading, now 2016, had similar issues with CR Smith in 2014, still trying to get them resolved after 270 e mails, lost count of how many visits by staff and managers, six complete window units removed and refitted, (two still leak) all the units so badly made that they recently agreed to remake all the units, (28) two sealed units been replaced due to dirt inside the sealed until, leaving only the french doors to be fitted, with a signed contract and price, they said we will do a "special" deal for you due to all the problems, they did, they doubled the price!!. The glass I asked for was Planitherm, I was told it would be, then it was Planitherm, but even when I proved they had lied, they claimed it was OK as it was the same, and OK for them to install a different glass without telling me, as long as it was better glass, but you told me it was the same!!
You cannot win with CR Smith, reading other reviews online it seems they have not improved, and customer service is still as bad, even the boss does not reply, so clearly he does not care either.
Best advise, stay well clear of the man in the blue and white van.

Personally, I would have started a new thread with a link-back to the old one.

But for now...