Smart Systems Front Page Avis 9

In my opinion the locks are shoddy, my lock broke within months of installation and when I contacted smart systems they have just ignored me , they don’t answer any emails, and offer absolutely no after sales service. I have paid nearly £2,000.00 for a front door that won’t lock . My advice is TO AVOID THIS COMPANY AND THEIR PRODUCTS at all cost.

My property formed part of the same self-build project where windows were fabricated and supplied by North East Bifolds Ltd using the Smart Alitherm 600 system.

When serious technical concerns emerged with the supplied windows, independent expert reports were obtained as part of the dispute affecting the project. Those reports identified several issues with the supplied products, including frames that experts concluded were unsuitable to meet the wind load performance requirements specified for the installation and deviations from the type-tested configuration of the system.

Much of the communication with Smart Systems was handled by my brother on behalf of the project. Initially some responses were received from their technical team, but once the scale of the issues became clear communication stopped and further attempts to obtain clarification went unanswered.

Like the neighbouring property, the windows installed at my house ultimately had to be fully removed and replaced following expert investigation, resulting in significant cost and disruption.

Given that the products were fabricated using the Smart Alitherm system, it was disappointing that the system supplier did not engage more constructively when these concerns were raised.

I selected the Smart Alitherm 600 system for a high-end self-build project based on its reputation for quality and certification.

During the early stages of the project I contacted Smart Systems with some technical queries and initially received helpful responses from their technical team, including Steve Fitzpatrick.

However, once significant issues emerged with the windows supplied by the fabricator (North East Bifolds Ltd), communication effectively stopped. During one phone conversation I was told that he needed to be “careful what he said” because it could affect his job, and after that point my attempts to obtain further clarification went unanswered despite multiple emails and calls.

Independent expert reports were later commissioned as part of the dispute. Those reports identified a number of technical concerns with the supplied products, including frames that experts concluded were unsuitable to meet the wind load performance requirements specified for the installation and several deviations from the type-tested configuration of the system.

One of the windows involved a very large glazed unit installed above the main entrance of the property. The experts concluded that the supplied configuration could not be evidenced as meeting the required performance standards for the installation.

Ultimately the installation had to be fully removed and replaced following expert investigation, resulting in significant cost and delay to the project.

Given that the products involved were fabricated using the Smart system, I had hoped the system supplier would be willing to engage more constructively when these concerns were raised. Unfortunately that was not my experience.

Order ref: J630-545561
Asked to reduce front door height from 2180mm to 2160mm – a simple trim, not a design change – 7 days after placing order — and 40+ days before dispatch.

Smart Doors refused. Their sales manager Scott sent an email claiming their system can’t handle changes once processed, even if the door hasn't been started yet. They threatened a 50% scrappage fee to cancel.

Makes no sense – the new height is shorter, not longer. Lead time is 4 weeks, we were still over 5 weeks out. Why is cutting less material a problem?

Brian at Stevenswood tried to help. But Smart Doors have been rigid, unreasonable and totally lacking in customer service.

Avoid at all costs. If anything goes wrong after order is placed, you're stuck. Absolutely dreadful experience.

I spent 10's of £1,000's on Smart windows, French Doors and a Designer Door. I was very pleased until the glass in my Designer Door cracked from top to bottom in 4 places. The cracks couldn't be felt from the outside, it was inside in the cavity. I believed the hype on Smarts website that I could purchase with confidence because of the warranties. Don't believe what you read, Smart is awful to deal with when things go wrong. My installer was brilliant, they kept trying to get Smart to interact and eventually Smart agreed to replace the door. Fantastic! Unfortunately no. They have now reneged on the agreement and decided that the cracks were due to impact (rubbish) and have refused to replace the door. No one from Smart came to look at the door, they have just refused to replace it after manufacturing the new door. I find this unbelievable, they basically want to make a profit from replacing a faulty door. Please, if you are looking at Smart products, look at other companies as there are plenty out there. Thankfully my installer is amazing and I will be giving them a 5 star review.

The smarts system itself ,if manufactured correctly and installed to the correct standard works well and looks great as a crittle window.

Personally and in the trade myself ,I have received such a poorly manufactured product,after an independent inspection from RISA LTD ,all of my windows and doors are condemned .
I’m currently In a three year legal dispute with the manufacturer and installer that smarts supply there products to .
Personally I would stay well away from using anything products that smarts produce .
There customer service is appalling and not helpful whatsoever,
I have used there product for many years ,but unfortunately after experiencing the poor aftercare I’ve resorted to using more reputable companies which are out there .
JML BESPOKE

We used Smart Systems for our crittal style glazing at the back of our extention. We were told it would be a 3-4 week turnaround but once our order was placed and deposit paid, this kept being moved back taking a total of 4months! This caused major delays on our project. Apparently they had a large commercial project which was taking priorty over any other orders. If we were told this at order stage, we would have avoided.

When the glazing frames were installed, there were aluminium sections which were cut too short in the factory meaning we have multiule gaps at various sections. For the cost of these, this is not acceptable and to cover, black silicone has had to be used which doesnt look very smart.

We have 2x french style doors that open outwards to 180 degrees. These have no restrictors on so if there is a breeze outside the door can fling back and smash against the rest of the glazing on either side.

When queried with our installer we were told that Smarts don't do any door restraights or hindge restrictors. We have since recently purhcased magnet bi-fold holders ourselves so the doors can be pinned back against the glazing. We will likely need to look at retro fitting a restrictor so in highwinds the door can't be flung open.

Overall, for the money, the lead time I wouldn't use Smarts again and would recommend to others to seek alternative solutions.

Customer service is not good and not professional. They cannot help you anything.

We specified Smart Visiofold 1000 bifold doors for a new extension, at the recommendation of our builder and window installer. The door was delivered within a month of order, which was very good during the height of the covid pandemic. From the first day of use, we noticed that the door was very stiff when engaging the locking mechanism, by pushing up the door handle. This had led to several visits over several months from the installer Maxglass who has not been able to fix the problem. I decided to contact SmartSystems directly for advice, but when I called them they said they did not deal direct with the public and to get the installer to call them. They do not have any field technical staff who can go out and trouble shoot problematic products, they rely completely on their installer base to do this. My installer eventually claimed that the doors were about 4mm too short inside the frame and needed spacers inserting into the hinges. I was not happy with this proposal, suggesting that spacers would open up the door seals. So I decided to try calling Smarts again, I spoke to Tony in their technical department, who eventually asked me to send images of the problem, which I did. After 2 weeks of no response I first emailed (no response) then I called the company back and asked to speak to Tony again, their receptionist said he was on lunch and could I call back. I asked if he could call me and she told be he had a reputation for not getting back to people, so I best call him later. I am in a situation where the installer wont speak to Smarts, Smarts wont speak to me and I have an expensive door that doesnt work properly. It seems to me that Smarts simply wash their hands of any responsibility for their product once it has left their factory.