Window Select customer waiting amid second company’s closure
MILWAUKEE - The company said his windows would be installed in twelve weeks. More than 150 weeks later, he still doesn’t have the windows he ordered.
Erick Angove’s family is heading into their third winter without new windows. One of their leaky windows is in a basement stairwell.
"Any time there’s a west wind, this whole stairwell and the whole basement is freezing," explained Angove.
Erick Angove
The long delay means yet another drafty school year for Angove’s four kids in homeschool. His household also includes twin foster babies.
"(I’m) tired of being a nice guy about it because there’s no reason to be," said Angove. "I’ve been taken advantage of for three years."
In December 2021, Angove paid $2,800 down for four windows to Window Select. Then, came months of delays. In January 2023, Window Select filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company left about 850 customers like Angove with unfinished work. Angove was reassured his project would be handled by another company.
"There’s a third party group that’s coming in and is going to take care of you," Angove recalled being told. "That was TruVista."
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
In the wake of Window Select’s collapse, TruVista was formed to tackle the company’s remaining projects.
On TruVista’s website it states, "The business model was built on the premise that TruVista would be able to fulfill contracts of Window Select at a direct loss to assist them. Our plan was to offset those losses with sufficient new business that would be driven by the goodwill gained from helping the Window Select customers…"
A bankruptcy court approved TruVista assuming the Window Select’s contracts. Since May 2023, TruVista tells Contact 6 it’s "been actively fulfilling contracts, many of which were below cost to help customers who were left out of pocket by Window Select."
Angove says for his family, it just meant more of the same: delays, mismeasured windows and an installation date that ended in disappointment.
"(The windows) were the wrong color. I wanted white, they sent me wood interior windows," said Angove.
The windows were not installed that day, as planned. Two months later, TruVista is another empty storefront. Its statement says, "TruVista has experienced challenging market conditions" and "made the difficult decision to cease operations."
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
TruVista says the closure leaves the company "unable to fulfill" its contracts.
Michael Weber was not a Window Select customer, but he did hire TruVista to install a picture window last year. He says the project went well, so he paid TruVista another $1,700 down to replace the windows and gutters in his garage.
"Last week, I did get a letter from them stating that they were going out of business," said Weber.
Michael Weber
Weber has since moved from South Milwaukee to Cudahy. To finish his garage project quickly before selling his old house, he hired a former TruVista subcontractor.
"He said he could do it for 100% of the bid and I would get no credit for my down payment," said Weber. "I still have not been reimbursed by TruVista for my downpayment."
Michael Weber
Angove won’t get a refund for his downpayment to Window Select. His only option is to buy his windows from TruVista’s supplier and pay someone else to install them. That, or keep his blinds drawn to minimize the drafts.
"I clean the windows every month because mold just builds up on them," said Angove.
TruVista says in a statement that it didn’t collect any money from Window Select customers, which is why they’re not getting refunds. In an email to Angove, TruVista customer service says it helped more than 150 Window Select customers but at a considerable loss on their investment.
TruVista tells Contact 6 its owners lost more than two million dollars in investments.
The former owner of Window Select, Justin Kiswardy, has a court date in Kenosha County next month. He’s charged with felony theft and false representation.
If you have a consumer complaint and want to see if Contact 6 can help, call 414-586-2666 or file a Contact 6 complaint form.