Gem Windows and Doors

In early July we ordered two exterior doors from Gem. We were told 6-8 weeks. When that time frame had passed we called. After many unreturned phone calls and emails we were given an install date in mid November. All good.

Installation team showed up on time. In terms of the job these guys did, make no mistake, they know what they are doing. They were precise and the doors are sealed and finished beautifully. And are airtight. We can really feel the difference in the house. So maybe they are not so good at customer service? I'll get over it. Not their job. And the younger gentleman did take the time to talk to us in a clam personable way.

Our back door is perfect. It was installed without an issue. It is steel with a full glass window with an internal blind. Everything we ordered and expected. Happiness.
Now where is the screen door we also ordered?
Probably last thing to go in.

Then we come to the front door.
During the install I tried to stay out of the way in the basement as they tore apart the old door surrounds (front and back) and cut through the brick. (by the way guys - there was a white sofa two feet from the door that was left with a layer of grey dust and debris. Probably my bad but you must have seen it. I could have covered it in a few seconds.) They did put down floor covering front to back.

As I came upstairs I could see the front door was not the one I had been picturing for almost five months. They sent and installed the wrong door.

The salesman then arrived and I first mentioned the colour being so dark. He assured me it was the position of the sun.
My partner then arrived home and was also shocked at seeing the wrong door. He then pulled out the catalogue page we had from the showroom to compare. It was a different door. The salesman then said he had never seen that picture before. We then reminded him it was the picture he had photocopied in the showroom and made us sign so there could be no mistake what door we ordered. It says the wood grain is Fir and the panels are flat. He said it was the same door and anyway this is much better. Here we go.

We ordered light wood
We got dark wood

We orderer shaker/mission style panels
We got raised detailed panels

We ordered a flush-mount window
We got a window with trim around the edges holding it in place

I should mention all we had around the front door trim as the installers finished was exposed brick, dust and sealing foam. They wouldn't be installing the trim today as the wrong colour was sent.
And where is our back screen door?
Forgot to order it. Did anyone measure for that?
We thought so.
He left saying final charges would be put through on the VISA card they had on file. He was still insisting it was the correct door and that it was what we ordered. It was the sun.

My partner picked up the phone called his bank and cancelled his VISA card. Suddenly GEM was calling us. Sales wanted to assure us that they were calling to hear our concerns and to assure us they would never try to put through the final payment until were happy. Okay.
Finally we were told told the door we had first ordered was not available in our size. Then why take our order in the first place?
No answer.
If there needs to be an order change tell us. That's seems reasonable.

This maybe just be the case of an overzealous salesman trying to make a sale and figuring "close enough". Well it's not. These thing aren't cheap. Imagine buying a car and getting a different style and colour. You guys deal with hundreds of doors but we only have one and it would have been nice to choose our own

What followed was numerous attempts from us by email to resolve this matter. No response. At all from anyone. All this time the owner Jim was being cc'd. Nothing. That seemed strange.

Then after a few more unreturned emails we had an unexpected late evening visit from the salesman who was sitting in his car in front of our house. As my partner was on the porch taking out garbage in his PJ's he came up the steps and said he was going to come in and we had to come to a deal. He was asked to go, He raised his voice. Then they both did and he was asked again to leave and please respond to our emails and the door was closed. He then knocked of the front door on and off for the next 20 minutes. It was not peasant.

The next day we outlined this incident in an email to GEM and also made an offer to resolve this ASAP and at least to start the conversation. It worked and we heard from Melissa on behalf of Jim.

We settled matters with GEM and sent off a check just before Christmas. Thanks to Melissa in the office who was some voice of sense and clarity in this matter.

We did in fact hear from the owner-only once. He was cc'd all our correspondence but never lent his voice directly or even acknowledged what was going on. Then we did hear from him over Christmas (a voice message we didn't get for a week as we were away). A message to tell us they had received our check and this did it not settle the account at that we owed a balance of exactly the same amount as we had before. Here we go again?

An email from Melissa clarified that he hadn't received the memo with our agreement when he left the message. But no follow call to clarify that it was a mistake. Or an email? Something.
I have honestly had better customer care at my local greasy spoon (love ya Anna and Jackie).

I have tried to be fair in my review here. As I said before installation was great and the truth is as we don't want our old house torn apart anymore. We will live with the door we didn't order. There are bigger problems in life. But when you are a door company it's a big deal

Our new patio door was professionally installed and he very detailed. The door was sealed beautifully. No more draft! The office staff very helpful and the work was done when promised.

This problem has now been rectified by Gem; the clips have arrived as promised and repair the issue.
It's interesting to note that it took off-and-on consumer contact spanning (in my case, personally) a period of almost a year and a half to get this issue solved and even then, only after registered complaints on Home Stars and the BBB.
While this problem has been fixed, it was, to me, entirely a service issue. I would think twice about engaging their services again.

several "Magic" windows with roll-away retractable screens. Clasps for holding screens extended have broken off, even though usage has been minor, at best.
Logged repeated phone and e'mail messages to Gem's install guy; the only return call that I received was from an irate representative ("Jim") who promised several times and re-assured me that he had the [common] parts in stock and would deliver them forthwith. This has not happened, though I've been phoning since October 1st and there has been ZERO follow-up on Gem's part. Apparently, no one at Gem knows how to lick a stamp, stick it on an envelope and drop the package in the mail.
As things stand, I cannot use the "Magic" screen features I've paid for (and are still under warranty). Gem has been very irresponsible with their lack of prompt service on this issue.

I would not recommend their product to ANYone - the manufacturer fails to follow through as well, citing their Parts and Service policy is taken care of by Gem.

How pathetic. Your due diligence is a must, here.

We purchased a home for years ago that was built in the 1950s and had very little insulation. On top of that, the windows which were many years old were badly installed and many were letting child air into the house. The front door had a large draft coming from under it. Brrr! So we went to gem and spoke to spiros who is one of the owners. We brought him a photo of the house. From there he immediately laid out a plan for all the windows.. The style, the colour, etc. We wanted a bay window but he shower is a box bay and explained why it would fit or house better. We also designed the front door together and also a new railing for our upset patio. Basically everything we had been thinking of- he read our mind.

The quality of product is great and we are very happy with our purchase. His installers were also very professional and quick and no mess was left in our house. We would definitely recommend gem windows for someone looking for a quality product and knowledgeable staff.

i was very pleased with the pricing of this Pella window over the one other Pella place. The window arrived on schedule. The installers were great. However, the top trim is angled and not straight. Perfection is not always possible with a retrofit window.
I would recommend them because the timing was right and they did everything as promised.

Very unsatisfied with this company. Unresponsive, arrogant, very poor communication throughout the organization. Waiting 5 months for windows but they have our money. Too bad for us, be afraid, very afraid.

Excellent customer service. Dealing with GEM Windows and Doors was seamless. Telephone messages were returned promptly with thorough answers. They arrived as scheduled for both the measure and the installation.

Spiros showed us all the door types and makes and explained the benefits of each. It allowed us to make the best decision for our house and budget. The installers were great - the doors exactly what we were expected. Our main door is a beautiful fibreglass - hard to tell that it is not wood. Our back door is a steel door. We are glad that we choose GEM and will recommend to family/friends

Had French doors and retractable screens installed back in 2013 to replace a window. One side of the retractable screen never worked properly and would shut only about half way. Getting a service technician in from Gem took months. When a rep from the manufacturer (not Gem) came to our house he noticed that the screen casing was bowed due to incorrect installation. He removed the screen but said we had to call Gem back to get it fixed. Months later, after several calls, I visited Gems showroom to get answers. My sales rep was not in and I was told I would be called. After I didn't receive a call, I visited the showroom again and met with Jim. Jim came to our house that day to assess the situation and blamed the manufacturer who pre-installs the screen for the bowing. A Gem rep came to reinstall the screen but it didn't fix the problem. The screen still only retracts about half way. I waited a long time to write this review hoping I would have a better customer service story to tell.

The installers were friendly, professional and cleaned up the work area once the installation was completed. The sales rep was knowledgeable and friendly. I would recommend GEM windows & Doors to family and friends.