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gjh_gw

Avoid Marvin Integrity and possibly the Company

gjh
13 years ago

I just bought a house full of Marvin Integrity (fiberglass) windows and they are horrible. The doors barely roll and the sliders bind and drag through the entire travel. The sales rep tried one window that my wife can barely move and he said it was "normal" and told me that these are a "low-end" window, but certainly not a low-end price. Marvin is apparently willing shovel manure and call it service. Avoid these windows and probably the entire Company.

Comments (27)

  • millworkman
    13 years ago

    Something does not sound right here, no way in hell a Marvin salesman would tell you they are a "low-end" window, because they are not and I assume your telling me they are installed properly as this sounds like an installation issue to me.

  • amber_windows
    13 years ago

    I agree that this issues sound like they are related to installation. You need to contact the local Marvin Distributor for your area to inspect. If you are in the West. U.S. that's me.

  • macv
    13 years ago

    Are they wood-Ultrex or all-Ultrex?

  • millworkman
    13 years ago

    "Are they wood-Ultrex or all-Ultrex?"

    With those issues I am not certain it would matter.

  • amber_windows
    13 years ago

    It's always good to have as much information as possible, but no, I do not believe that it matters if they are Wood-Ultrex or All-Ultrex. Please feel free to contact me and I can guide you to the correct source to have this checked out based on your location in the U.S. Amber 1-800-545-8648

  • friedajune
    13 years ago

    I could be wrong, but this sort of post, or the OP, sounds like "troll" to me. Perhaps written by someone who is selling a Marvin competitor, and getting whupped by Marvin? The person posted same day as signing up to the Forum, gave very little information, never came back to respond to the other posters, and related a very un-typical response by a Marvin sales rep. I guess just something about the tone sounds askew or wonky to me.

  • desertwest
    13 years ago

    I agree akchicago. And great to hear a Marvin rep is on the ball and looking to make things right! They get bonus points for that in my book!

  • skydawggy
    13 years ago

    I never take the "one post and run" posters seriously. They are generally either competitors tired of losing sales to Marvin or someone with an ax to grind for some hazy reasoning. Notice how the poster in this case didn't stick around to answer any questions and hasn't responded since the original "drive by" post?

  • desertwest
    13 years ago

    Not sure about the "integrity" of the poster but I have to chime in here because the Marvin rep here is doing something sneaky in my opinion.

    I live at 7000 ft and was interested in windows that qualify for the tax credit. In order to qualify these Marvin windows need argon. I noticed on their warranty that it is voided if windows are installed at >5000 ft without breather tubes. You can't have argon gas AND breather tubes as the argon leaks out immediately! I pointed this out and he said so I would still qualify for the tax credit they'd make an exception for my warranty. So he wants to sell me argon and no breather tubes. But if their warranty notes this issue then there must be a good reason for breather tubes at > 5000ft!

  • amber_windows
    13 years ago

    There is a very good reason for the breather tubes, and that is so that your units do not combust from the altitude. When the new tax rebates were brought about, there were areas that were going to be a challenge due to the issue of altitude. The peramiters of the tax rebate left a good portion of manufacturers scrambling to ensure that they could compete in markets such as Colorado where universally cap tubes have always been a standard.
    Marvin, as well as, many others have changed some of the guidelines through additional tests so that more consumers in these areas qualify. This qualification is based on a number of factors such as the altitude, and the type of units you are ordering. Although 7000 feet is above what I believe may be a qualified project, your dealer would be the best option to discuss this with. They can submit your project for approval from Marvin.
    There is a specific link to tax rebate information on the Marvin website at www.marvin.com. If you are still unsure then please call in. We are glad to discuss your options.

  • loomis
    13 years ago

    I, too, would be wary of anyone who registers and posts an inflammatory thread the same day.

    I have Marvin windows and chose this company because of their excellent reputation. Good windows and great people to work with.

  • lcsanjose
    13 years ago

    Good luck on follow up service issues. If you don't buy from a shop that services what they sell you usually wait months for help from Marvin. Integrity is crap to me it is low end and the warranty isn't worth the paper its written on, we installed them in a small cottage we built and ended up removing them ..to many issues overall for what you pay ..there are alot better windows out there for the price...

  • PRO
    East Bay 10
    13 years ago

    lcsanjose - I really don't understand your post(s). You have bashed Integrity and Pella among others with nothing positive offered. As for the service that Integrity offers it is some of the best in the industry and is a "bullet proof" window. As for installing in a small cottage and then pulling them out, I would like to see pictures. I doubt we will hear from you again.

  • amber_windows
    13 years ago

    eastbay10 - Thank You! My company does not represent the Integrity Line in N. Ca., but we do in S. Ca. and several other States. We work diligently to represent the homeowner in a fair and timely manner.

    lcsanjose - I am sorry that you had the experience that you did, but please understand that there are many factors that can attribute to the product not functioning to the homeowners expectations, and that unfortunately are not the fault of the manufacturer. Not having intimate knowledge of your situation, I am not going to assume that this was the case. If you would like to post the circumstances I would be happy to discuss it with you.

  • friedajune
    13 years ago

    Typically when someone signs up for the forum the same day they rant, as Lcsanjose did in this thread, and that rant is not seeking advice, or asking a question, or indicating any expectation for a response, it's a troll, a fake. Another tipoff - no information about the complaint. When someone is telling a true story, they don't just say their windows had "issues" as Lcsanjose did; people with true problems provide some details. Just ignore Lcsanjose's post.

  • sum_ting_wong
    13 years ago

    Hi Amber,
    Not trying to hijack this thread, but can you recommend any Marvin dealers in the San Diego area? I'm tired of the high quotes until a mgr is called, or not being given an exact price until...happens, etc.

    I've done months of research, and keep finding disappointment in the reps I've encountered to date.

    Thanks! Signed, not bitter, just frustrated, lol.

  • amber_windows
    13 years ago

    Builders Window Supply in San Diego.

  • gjharkin_gmail_com
    13 years ago

    No, I am not a troll. I bought the windows, and in spite of being told by the installer and the customer rep that the windows are the problem, they are not. It was an installation problem from day 1. I managed to get the dealer/installer out to fix some of them by stopping payment on the check, but two were damaged by their install procedures. Three months later I have just purchased two new windows and had them installed. The fight continues over who pays. Unfortunately, Marvin Integrity has actively worked on behalf of the Dealer to get me to pay him without getting my windows fixed.

  • skydawggy
    13 years ago

    So you started out blaming Marvin, the company that made the windows and now you admit the windows are fine, it's a problem with the independent installer due to a poor installation. How is this Marvins fault?

  • millworkman
    13 years ago

    "Unfortunately, Marvin Integrity has actively worked on behalf of the Dealer to get me to pay him without getting my windows fixed"

    And how would something like this even be possible, this really does not make sense.

  • wolfgang80
    12 years ago

    GJH--Any updates on your issues? I'm strongly considering the all Ultrex Integrity windows for our socal beach house due to some retailers' recommendations.

  • gjh
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I didn't realize this might attract others. I would say that the Integrity windows are decent, comparable to the Pella fiberglass, maybe a bit better. Definitely better than the Anderson composites. Little noise or air intrusion and the sliding mechanism is acceptable.

    I was told by the Marvin representative that the problems were with the windows themselves, not the installation. In his own words, "these are a low end window." I don't think that is true. Marvin, like Pella and Anderson, are more expensive, but I'm not going to say they are over-priced. If I had it to do over again, I would buy Integrity or Pella.

    I spent quite a bit of time and money undoing the disaster created by the dealer/installer and I got no help from Marvin Windows. So be sure the installer is good and expect nothing from Marvin Windows once they leave the factory.

  • HomeSealed
    11 years ago

    Your newest post sounds quite a bit different from the first one. You mention that the dealer/installer was the cause for this disaster, so it would seem unreasonable to expect that the manufacturer would take responsibility for that. You wouldn't complain about the farm if you get a bad steak at a restaurant, right?
    In my dealings with Marvin, their service after the sale is very good, and one of the best that I've seen. Ultimately though, your final advice is good: Be sure to choose a good installer. The installer/dealer is the entity that you as a consumer are dealing with, so this choice is of paramount importance to make sure your project goes smoothly.

  • PRO
    Straight A Builders, Inc.
    7 years ago

    We install Marvin and Integrity windows and have had great success and customer satisfaction. Even the best window money can buy will fail with a poor installation. I hardly ever deal with Marvin reps because the product is that good, but when needed for minor hardware issues they have been very responsive and helpful.

  • PRO
    QWD-VA
    7 years ago

    We are a dealer and have not sold Marvin in a long time but recently picked up this line to have a fiberglass option. We never would have if we didnt believe in the product. We didnt however pick up any of their other product lines. Who you buy from is very important and who installs the product is equally important .

  • inclag
    5 years ago
    We recently installed new construction Integrity windows as well and for the money they are really dissapointing. They use some high quality materials and have a very nice appearance, but the design detailing is piss poor. I'll be able to address all the problems I think, but it is frustrating that I'll need to spend several days working on them. Here's my list of problems

    1) The bottom weather strip is a rubber lip seal that is compressed. The seal for most the windows we received were crushed so that the lip is inverted at portions along the seal. Since they were delivered the way, they've taken a set. These seal inversion will have small air leaks.

    2) The side bulb seals for the sashes are just not designed/implemented correctly. These seals are mounted in an aluminum (I think) channel. There are 2 problems with the bulb. The first is the bulb portion that is within the aluminum channel. Ideally the foam would completely fill these channels which are square/rectangular in cross section. It doesn't and this introduces our first area of air infiltration about the middle sash portion of the window. Additionally the outside of the bulb should seal tightly against the side of the sash, but the tolerance variability between the parts is too large and not enough compression or allowance exists at this junction. All my windows were installed square and you could see visible light along the length of a few of the sash bulb seals. I actually needed to bow in the frames on most of my windows in order to have an acceptable amount of seal compression.......

    3) At the mid sash Marvin has installed an adhesive back piece hair style seal to try to address the obvious leak paths about this area as I noted above. This kind of helps but it is a Mickey Mouse bandaid that does not completely fix the problem and actually introduces a new one. The size of these pieces vary and the positioning of where they are adhered varies as well. Due to the stiff backing on the seal, several of these parts actually push the sash bulb seals around and can open up more area for air infiltration. If you look closely you can see all of these small ingress holes in the day light.

    To summarize, these are massive design flaws and problems and these are not associated with installation whatsoever. I plan on addressing these issues by purchasing adhesive backed closed cell silicone foam and systematically and tediously cutting and applying it to all of these areas of ingress. A total pain in the ass, but it should make a noticeable improvement.