Lowe's St Petersburg Pella ThermaStar Lowe's Ripoff St Petersburg Florida

This is an addition to a complaint made way back in 2006 by another homeowner.  Too bad I didn't see it before I purchased replacement  vinyl Pella Thermastar #219552  windows from Lowe's of St Petersburg FL  in 2014 and 2015.  When I went to get them permitted this month (had to wait to I got the money to have them installed) I discovered that the windows sold to me by Lowe's are Florida accepted, however they cannot be hung side by side as Pella does manufacture the required mullet bars to go with this particular  vinyl window. You must have Florida accepted mull bars that go with the windows to have them permitted. Lowe's sells other Pellas windows for full price and they all have mull bars to go with them. Only Lowe's "on sale" Pella windows do not.

 When I spoke to Lowe's this morning to see what I could get to go with these windows as a mull bar,  I was informed that the sales person should have told us  there were none sold for this particular Pella window.  The windows that are always on sale cannot be hung side by side and be permitted for FL. He did not on either occasion when we purchased them.  There is no notice or sign to alert the homebuyer that these windows cannot be hung side by side  and get them Florida permitted. I asked him if a contractor woud buy these windows for Florida use. The representative told us no, they would not. I then stated that, " It is the indiviual homeowner who doesn't know any better that are buying these windows and being ripped off". So Lowe's has continued for the last 9 years knowingly selling onsale(non-returnable) Pella Thermastar windows that cannot be double hung to Florida code.  

Lowe's markets it's products and representatives as being there for the average consumer.  They say they give knowledgable help, that we can count on them to know what to do. Yet, they do not stand behind that. I feel it is deceptive advertising when you sell a product that must be used for a specific purpose (building to Florida code standards) when as a corporation you already know that it cannot be used for that purpose.  Once the "sale" is made, and the item can't be returned, then when directly questioned they admit that the purchaser should have been informed.  Not to have the customer go home, write up a permit, only to discover that it can't be done.Lowe's knows of the issue, continues to sell these windows as Florida replacement to code windows, and the consumer has to find out once the money has been spent, that he/she has been had.  Who knows how many homeowners this has happened to that don't know how to complain and stand up for themseves?

It should be stated somewhere on the specs for these windows ,visible to the purchaser, that these cannot be hung side by side. Period. Why they are still getting away with misleading consumers since 2006 is hard to understand.  So far, Lowe's has not offered me any solution.  They have not offered to let me return the windows I still have unused (10), or what I am to do with the one already installed that isn't safe in a severe wind storm.

They need to be stopped from this practice and product.

Sincerely,

Jenny D

St Petersburg FL