Wellington Windows: Total Window Failure, Part 1

About two months after installation is when everything went wrong. Fall ended and winter had just begun. Snow would be in Minnesota soon. And so it was one Saturday afternoon as I looked out our new windows that I saw what seemed to be condensation on the outside of the window, as if it had just rained. But it hadn't rained. And the closer I looked, I noticed it wasn't condensation on the outside of the window, but between the panes of glass. Most probable cause, window seal failure. It was something I was aware could happen, as it happened to the friend of mine who also had Wellington Windows. But then I noticed the window right next to it also had condensation between the panes, as well as the window next to that one.

And then the search began, checking window to window, and sure enough, every single window in our house, as well as the sliding patio door they installed, had the condensation between the glass. In other words, 100% failure.

I bet you can guess what we did next: Called the salesperson, who called the installer. We were prepared for some kind of shock on their end. Or perhaps they would have someone come out to check the window. But it was strange. They believed us, no questions asked. Wellington would build replacement windows, no questions asked. At first, we thought it was terrific service, but what we would soon learn, is that perhaps we weren't the only family whose windows that had a 100% failure rate. It seems as if Wellington Windows had been installing improperly constructed windows, all across Minnesota, for more than six months, and were apparently just waiting for them to fail. But it would take another two months for us to get to the bottom of the problem.