Double Glazing Window Handles and Locks.

[Mr Mc]

Hi,

We recently purchased a house, which had double glazing installed in 2004 by a local company.

We were passed the FENSA Certificate as part of the purchase.

Since moving in, when I decided to lock the window handles one weekend, I found out that the handles to not lock properly. And I am unsure if this is a design feature for emergency escape or a design fault or just broken.

Every single window handle is the same...

You can turn the key, but the button element of the lock that you would push in with your thumb feels locked (i.e. wont travel all the way in), but if you apply pressure to the tip of this button, it releases the lock and allows you to open the window.

Now this isn’t really a big issue, and I appreciate that the windows cannot be opened from the outside, but I feel they are not working as they should, so I contacted the company who installed them.

They won’t enter into anymore conversation with me, as my name is not on the original guarantee and are saying I have to pay a £125 administration fee to change the name on the guarantee.

I can't justify doing this just for the locks, but it seriously worries me if something were to ever go wrong with the actual windows themselves, and need replacing or something.

I have spoken to the solicitor who dealt with the sale, and they have written back saying the guarantee should be with the property and not the individual, and that I should show them the FENSA certificate.

I have managed to speak to the director of the glazing company and after much discussion, he agreed to come out and view the windows and the locks.

He agreed that they were not working as they should, and he has never seen this before. But stands by the £125 Admin charge, if I wanted anything done about them.

But I do not agree with this charge and feel like I have hit a brick wall with what to do next.

Can anyone within the industry point me in the right direction, with how to proceed with this?

Or should I just let it go, replace the handles myself as I may not need to use the 10 year guarantee in the 7 years left of it?

Any help or guidance would be appreciated....

Thank you.
Mr Mc.

 

[Trazor]

Never come across this before.

But you should compare the costs of buying the handles and fitting them, to the £125.00 admin charge.
If there is not to much difference, pay it and get the extra 7 years guarantee.

Also, what if when you come to fit the handles there is a deeper underlying problem, that may require more than just new handles, £125.00 may seem cheap then......

 

[HandyHands]

Unlikely that all the handles are faulty - more likely they have been installed incorrectly. To replace, I'd budget between £5-10 per handle, plus time to fit. I'd be looking into the underlying problem though.

 

[Mr Mc]

Thank you both for the replies.

Is the company right and legal in asking for the Admin Charge?

Has anyone heard of the charge before? Is it common throughout the industry?

The house could change hands numerous times within the 10 year guarantee period!

I've no clue on what’s the best way forward with this....I would like to challenge the charge, could anyone advise on how best to do this?

Thank you.
Mr Mc.

 

[Richard C]

Thank you both for the replies.

Is the company right and legal in asking for the Admin Charge?

Has anyone heard of the charge before? Is it common throughout the industry?

The house could change hands numerous times within the 10 year guarantee period!

I've no clue on what’s the best way forward with this....I would like to challenge the charge, could anyone advise on how best to do this?

Thank you.
Mr Mc.

I don't think so otherwise there is not much point in having a 10 year warranty; I think what he's trying to do is to recover the trade cost of supplying new handles; try contacting FENSA & trading Standards for advice.

 

[conservatoryTV]

I run a window installation company, and a window manufacturing company. I can confirm that most companies in our industry do not offer a transferrable guarantee, as the guarantee normally remains with the person who bought the windows, rather than the property.

Do you have a copy of the window contract? If the terms and conditions confirm this you will struggle legally. If the contract doesn't mention whether the contract is transferrable then you may have an argument.

However, our company tends to honour the guarantee anyway in these instances as its not worth the hassle arguing and creating a bad reputation.

It looks like you are struggling with this company, so I'd recommend you buy some new ones. Have a look at our window handle range at ************ Advertising link removed Rupert ************ If you like the handles I can work a price out for sending you some. It'll work out a lot less than £125!

Thanks

Matthew