Scratced window panes on new door. Help!!

I'm shocked!!

Lets's see. You went to the time and expense of registering a domain name, building a website, paying for hosting, and complaining to the world about $2.00 worth of double-strength glass? You are probably lucky that Karona hasn't yet sued you for trademark infringement and libel. But that's another story.

I could pull up in your driveway with my mobile stained glass studio, pull those panes out of the door, replace them with new glass, re-nail the wood trim stops and clean up my mess and be gone in 3 hours, or less.

You conveniently didn't show any closeups of the glass scratches so anybody who knows anything about glass could truly determine what the damage is, and how it might have occurred. Or if it even is damaged, as opposed to a surface defect in the float glass. At any rate, there is no way to make the scratches disappear, other than replacing the lites.

I'm not sure what you find so special about these doors. They are just a simple raised panel 12-lite interior door. My local millwright could duplicate it for me for about $400, and you are acting like Karona has stolen the crown jewels. And, personally, my money's on the damage occuring on the job-site, not at the manufacturer. If you paid $3K for these 4 doors, unfinished and un-hung, I want to talk to you about some land I just inherited in Okeechobee Co. FL.

In the scheme of all of the problems of the world, this is pretty darn small. And making this website makes you a candidate for "anal-retentive-of-the-month". Were I the management at Karona, I'd tell you to get over it. I wouldn't replace the door either.

Why do you feel the whole door should be replaced rather than just replacing the 5 pieces of glass? If you break one of the panes in the future will you replace the whole door?

Unless I'm missing something here I have to question the professional qualifications of your retailer and distributor. Seems like the two of them together wouldn't make a half wit.

It's really amazing how little homeowners actually know about their own homes and what can and can't be done.

At least every week, sometimes, several times a week, a housewife will tell me about her leaded glass door which has one or two cracked panes of glass, " we didn't know if it could be repaired, or if we were going to have to get a whole new door."

I'd bet it isn't the retailer or building supply house where the problem is...it's just an anal-retentive customer who got overcharged for some pretty ordinary doors and wants to make a Federal case out of it.

The door is new. Any contractor that has looked at the door tells me the door will never be the same if they replace the glass. It really looks like you would have to rip the oak apart to replace the glass. If it were an easy repair, I would just do that and be done with it.

I'm not aware that I've broken any laws. I have said nothing that wasn't factual. I haven't used any of their trademarks other than to describe the door.

I wish it were that easy. I am told that it is not.

What are "lites"? I have tried to photograph the scratches without much success. But I'll try again.

I don't know how to respond to this other than to say that the scratches are definately the result of the manufacturing process. They go across the glass and under the oak. The distrubuter who came to look at the door agreed and promised me a new door.

I appreciate your opinion.

Dave Burbank

If the scratches go under the mullions (wood), the glass was scratched BEFORE the door was assembled. If there are no dents or lines gouged into the wood, that will tend to support the glass being scratched before assembly.

IMHO (regardless of price or quality of the door/company), the purchaser should expect and receive a door with no scratches on the panes.

Just as an aside, made in USA? or made in Korea or some other such country.

h

Good question... If it were easy to replace the panes that would be the right route to choose. Maybe you're right, but I'm told by people who have looked at the door that replacing the glass would be difficult and that the oak would never look the same. If I broke the glass, I would certainly try. But since the door came this way, it seems that the manufacturer should make it right.

...

It is an easy repair for anybody who has a clue. One side of the door has little trim stops mitered to fit into the openings. The glass is dropped into the openings, the trim stops are brad nailed into the mullions and muttons. All one has to do is to slide a thin, stiff putty knife into the seam between the stop and the mullion and wiggle the wood out. Most of the time the nails will stay in the door, and you pull them out later with a pair of pliers. You don't have to destroy the trim to do this....some of the finish might get marred, that's true.

Why not have Karona send you 5 new sets of trim stop to pre-finish and install as new stops in those openings in case you mess up the finish or dent the wood. The fact that the trim is oak does make it a bit more difficult.

The guy who registered

thought so, too. Fooling with domain names is risky business.

You've been told that by a builder...not a glass expert. I rebuild dozens of leaded glass door inserts a month, and I'm telling you I could do this whilst sleepwalking. I take full bevel leaded panels and sidelights out of entryways for repair daily. Call a local stained glass shop that does on-site repairs.

Lites are the individual panes of glass.

If they are willing to replace the door....why are you telling US? Either sue them or learn to live with the scratches.

Thank you. I agree.

Thanks for your comments. Yes, the doors are made in the USA.

Do you see a problem with replacing the glass? The poster doesn't say whether or not the company offered to do this. I would expect them to do this but I wouldn't expect them to replace the whole door.

the way I see it is that the company should either replace the glass if they can do it without destroying the mullions. Should not be too hard if they were they were the ones who built it......... If they were to replace the DOOR, they could "special the old one out as is" What also convinced me that it was scratched (glass) before assembly is that if you rotate the one pane 180 degrees, ALL the scratches will line up in the same place....perhaps the multi-cutter heads slipped a little.....No excuse if there is any quality control for what the poster is considering an expensive set of doors.

h

If the glass is scratched under the wood, then obviously it was scratched before it left the factory. Thus this comes under the "defects in materials and workmanship" warranty clause.

If you go to their web site:

, you willdiscover an icon/link labeled "Cross Sections". Click on that to get anew window listing various door styles. Assuming you have standard1/8" glass, with a 1-3/4" thick door, click on "1/8" Glass & Muntin"under the 1-3/4" Ovolo heading to get an exploded drawing of just howit is constructed, and you'll find that there is a removable piece ofwood on one side that can be taken out in order to change the glass.On that same web page on the left-hand side is a link to their warrantywhich states that they are responsible for any defects, but if thedefect "is found to have a defect which can be reasonably discoveredby inspection of that door, buyer must, prior to hanging or fitting...send written notice to Korona..." So the question is whether or notthe defect could have reasonably been discovered before hanging. It sounds to me like they're skirting their resposibility. They are not necessarily obligated to replace the door, but they should be willing to at least replace the scratched panes (lites). The only question I see that they could legitimately raise is whether the scratches would have been visible before the protective plastic sheet was removed.

I suggest leaning on the distributor/dealer that you bought the doors from and let them lean on Korona. But don't have someone else make the repairs because they state specifically that such an action voids the warranty on the door. If you can't get them to act, you can always call your state attorney general's office and ask for the consumer protection unit. There are state laws that address specific performance under warranty of consumer goods, as well as federal laws (administered by the FTC).

I am not an attorney, so this isn't legal advice.

Clarke

Dave Burbank wrote:

I wish to thank those of you who helped me out with good, constructive answers to my Karona door inquiry. Karona has been in touch with me and we appear to be well on the way towards a resolution in this matter. Thanks again!!

Dave Burbank