I'm extremely fed up with Safelite, the windshield replacement people, at present.
I called them last week to replace my vehicle's windshield after a large crack developed. They handled the initial appointment, insurance issues, etc. without difficulty. However, when the technician arrived at our home to do the installation, we noticed immediately that the replacement windshield was much, much thinner glass than the factory original. I queried this, but the installer assured me it was just as good as the original.
He took a couple of hours to replace the windshield, then left. Less than an hour later, I stepped outside to find that a crack had developed in the center of the new glass, from top to bottom - worse than the initial crack I'd asked Safelite to repair. Irritated (to put it mildly), I called Safelite at once, but could not get a human being on the line at all - everything was referred to their app or their Web site. I was eventually able to get an appointment for "warranty service" last Saturday morning.
Lo and behold, on Friday afternoon Safelite canceled the Saturday appointment, with no explanation given. We had to drive through the weekend in a vehicle whose windscreen I didn't trust not to develop further cracks. At any rate, yesterday morning I had a call from their technician (at last). He proceeded to inform me cheerfully that they couldn't replace my replacement windshield immediately, because the glue they used had to dry for at least a week before it was safe to remove it. Why that information couldn't have been provided last week, instead of making, then canceling, an appointment for work they knew they wouldn't be able to do for that reason, I do not know. Grrrr!
I pointed out that my wife and myself were leaving for Libertycon on Wednesday, and that the delay would mean we'd have to hire a vehicle for the journey, because I certainly wasn't prepared to trust their cracked windscreen to remain intact over a few thousand miles. I informed him that I expected Safelite to pay for the hired vehicle, because it was due to their botched repair and delays in fixing it that the hire was necessary. He told me that Safelite would not cover that cost, as it was their policy never to do so. We'll see about that. If necessary, Small Claims Court, here we come! I think he passed that on to his bosses, as I had a couple more calls later yesterday all trying to tell me that Safelite wasn't responsible for any further expenses. We'll find out.
Anyway, today I have to pick up our hired vehicle, hoping against hope that we can get the size we need at an affordable price. We've had good results from Enterprise, so we'll be using them again. Tomorrow it's off to Chattanooga with a carful of family, friends and luggage, to catch up with friends we haven't seen for some considerable time. Meanwhile, my vehicle will just have to bask in the North Texas sunshine, waiting for our return before the repairs can proceed.
I'm not impressed by Safelite so far. We'll see whether they can regain my trust and my future business, or whether it will be better to look elsewhere.
Peter
