Call Kurtis: Company Claimed My Windows Were Different From The Warranty I Have

ELK GROVE (CBS13) — An Elk Grove man has mildew growing in between his dual pane windows.

When he filed a claim under his warranty, he got denied.

It all has to do with what types of windows were put into the homes, in the nine year old subdivision called The Preserve in Elk Grove.

He has a warranty in hand for his windows so how can they tell him, he has different windows?

"It looks scary, I'm not sure if it's spore life growing in there," said Chester Chu.

Chester can't get a clear look through his windows.

"I'm thinking I might be crazy, I'm seeing spots everywhere," said Chester.

Spots of mildew and condensation in between his dual pane windows, he can't clean.

"I have about 10 windows that are failed," said Chester.

That means the seals have been compromised and they're no longer blocking out the cold or heat efficiently.

Still within the 10 year warranty, Chester called the window manufacturer Alside Windows but the company told him, he had a different warranty and this wouldn't be covered.

"I looked at the warranty I got and I compared it to my neighbors and it was exactly the same," said Chester.

And we confirmed it with Chester's neighbor, who has the same exact warranty for Alside Windows.

"I'm very devastated. I thought they would have better customer service," said Chester.

"Well it's totally absurd," said Eric Ratinoff, consumer attorney, KCR Legal.

Ratinoff says if the homeowner has a warranty and it's in writing, that's what the company should stand by.

"If the company made a mistake and gave him the wrong written warranty, that's their problem, not his," said Ratinoff.

The home builder, Centex, has been taken over by Pulte Homes. We contacted them and they also confirmed Chester's warranty is correct and with Alside.

We then contacted Alside's parent company, Associated Materials, which tells us:

Somehow, Chester was "given a warranty for products made on the east coast."

Agreeing the windows has a "seal failure," they agreed to replace his failed windows.

-- Dana Schindler, spokesperson

Chester can't wait for the day he'll stop seeing spots.

"I'd be ecstatic, it would almost be a new house," said Chester.

Pulte Homes pulled out the contract and confirmed all 90 homes in that subdivision have Alside Windows.

We wanted to know if Alside would stand by the warranty for those homes and the company tells us quote, "we honor all our product warranties."

Chester tells us after waiting five months, his windows will be replaced next week.