Durham Woman's Window Warranty Slips Through Cracks

In April 2003, Bennett paid Allgood Construction nearly $7,000 to replace all of the windows in her house. The purchase included a lifetime warranty that covers replacement costs if the glass ever breaks.

In September, she needed to use the warranty when a lawn mower flung a stone through the first pane of glass in one of her windows.

So, Bennett called Allgood and paid a $280 labor charge. She said someone came to her house, measured the window and told her it would take several weeks for a new window to arrive.

After repeated phone calls and almost four months of waiting with a broken window, Bennett called Five On Your Side.

"I didn't particularly care about having to make so many phone calls to try to get it resolved, and it was frustrating that I couldn't get it resolved on my own.," Bennett said.

So, Five On Your Side contacted Allgood. General manager Dave Marcone said there were "no excuses" and that the work order on Bennett's home "fell through the cracks."

Marcone apologized for Bennett's wait. He said part of the delay was that the first window they ordered came in broken. He agrees, though, it should not have taken almost four months to repair.

"As to why it took her the number of calls that it did, I don't know," Marcone said. "I don't have any excuses. We're just going to make sure that kind of thing doesn't happen again."

Three days later, Allgood replaced Bennett's window.

And to help make sure it does not happen again, Marcone has plans for the stone taken from Bennett's window. He said he will display it in the service department as a reminder to the staff.