My Sour Experience with Eternia Windows (Aditya Birla Group)

Background

After scanning the market for some time, I selected AlumiExpert Building Solutions (Noida), a vendor of Eternia, for the supply and installation. Although my property is in Uttarakhand, there was no top-tier solution provider in that region. In the NCR region, all I could find was a newly opened experience store in Lajpat Nagar (not functional in mid-2025) and one in Noida. I later learnt there are also stores in Connaught Place and Gurgaon. Since the Noida store was functional and the people were responsive initially, I chose it.

Several rounds of discussions were held, including with the owner of AlumiExpert and an Eternia representative (I was told he is the regional manager). Both assured me of an average turnaround time (delivery period) of 45 days, with a caveat that it could extend by a couple of weeks under special circumstances. The AlumiExpert team surveyed the site on 11th April 2026 and submitted the quotation. After final negotiation, I confirmed the order for Rs. 17 lakh, including GST, installation and transport. This also included Retractable Insect Mesh on the openable windows.

First Red Flag – No Order or Payment Receipt

The final quote was sent by AlumiExpert via WhatsApp on 23rd April and again via email on 27th April. Payment terms were 10% on booking, 40% on survey and the remaining 50% on dispatch. Since the survey had already been done on 11th April, I paid 50%, i.e. Rs. 8.5 lakh (booking + survey), on 4th May 2026, into the account of the AlumiExpert owner. On the same day, I received a WhatsApp message from Eternia's business account saying the site survey was completed, the order was under fabrication and the expected delivery date was 23rd June 2026, i.e. 7 weeks from the payment date. The AlumiExpert owner verbally confirmed that the order was placed.

The first red flag was that I was not given any order receipt or payment receipt. I overlooked this because I trusted the AlumiExpert and Eternia representatives, as well as the order confirmation message from Eternia. Please note that I had requested Eternia and AlumiExpert many times to ensure delivery before the end of June, since it rains heavily in Uttarakhand and my building has many large window openings that cannot be left open in the rains.

Beginning of Challenges – Delivery Delays

On 17th June, a week before the expected delivery, I called AlumiExpert to check whether the material was ready for dispatch the following week. The call was not answered, and I followed up again. On 22nd June, a day before the expected delivery, I received a casual WhatsApp message from AlumiExpert saying the order had been placed 15 days late and, due to some other issues, dispatch was now scheduled for 27th July. I was not informed of the delay proactively, and only after my follow-up was the delivery date pushed back by over a month.

On a call, I was told that the ERP software used by vendors to place orders was not working, which caused the 15-day delay in placing the order. I found it hard to understand how a large corporation like the Aditya Birla Group could have order placement stalled for 15 days, and no convincing reason was given for the further delay. All I had was a WhatsApp message.

Haggling for a Delivery Date

Over the next few days, I had several heated calls with the AlumiExpert owner and the Eternia representative. My request was to dispatch as soon as possible. The AlumiExpert owner confirmed 26th July, to which I agreed. However, the Eternia representative said dispatch was not possible before 10th August and that AlumiExpert should not have communicated 26th July. When I asked why the order was delayed, he gave further reasons which I did not find convincing, and placed the blame on AlumiExpert. He assured me that he was on my side and would work out the best solution for me (before 10th August).

Over the next few weeks, there were more calls, and I waited patiently for both parties to confirm the date. In the meantime, I was told informally that the delay may not have been due to the ERP fault, and that my order may have been deprioritised in favour of other orders. I had no way to verify this, so I continued to follow up. Finally, I was given a dispatch date of 3rd August. I was relieved that I would still get delivery before the peak of the monsoon, but more surprises were in store.

Payment Dispute Before Dispatch

AlumiExpert demanded full payment before dispatch. By now I had lost trust, so I asked for two things: confirmation from Eternia that the full material was ready, and confirmation that the steel mesh was also ready. To my surprise, I learnt that the steel mesh was not being supplied by Eternia at all (this was not made clear during the showroom visit or any discussion), and that it was being manufactured by a third party contracted by AlumiExpert. The AlumiExpert owner told me the mesh sections had been painted and would be dispatched soon; however, the mesh has still not been delivered as of today (8th November 2026).

I stated that I was not liable to pay the full balance while the mesh was not ready, and that I would also retain 5% of the Eternia amount until delivery and installation were satisfactorily completed. I paid another Rs. 6.3 lakh (Rs. 14.8 lakh in total), which, by my calculation, covered the full Eternia amount and over 40% advance for the mesh. In my view, AlumiExpert's demand for full payment for the mesh went beyond the agreed payment terms, since the mesh is neither manufactured by Eternia nor delivered to date.

On the material details, the Eternia representative could not provide an itemised Bill of Materials with which I could identify my order. I had to settle for a generic email confirmation from Eternia that all my material, as per the survey sheet, was ready for dispatch.

Unloading Headache

The material was eventually delivered on 4th August. Unloading was in Eternia's scope (in the presence of AlumiExpert), and for warranty claims and safe unloading, the Eternia/AlumiExpert team needed to be present. However, the transport vehicle reached the site before the team, and without any staff for unloading. I had been tracking the vehicle since dispatch and had asked the AlumiExpert owner several times to time the team's arrival with the vehicle, but to no avail.

The driver was in a rush and asked me to spare some labourers. When I refused, he approached the labourers at my construction site and offered them money to unload, without my permission, while the AlumiExpert team kept pushing him over the phone to finish the unloading somehow. I firmly asked the driver whether he would take responsibility for material broken during transit or unloading, and he understood the issue. The AlumiExpert team reached the next day, and unloading was done in their presence.

Installation Outsourced to a Technician Not Dedicated to Eternia Windows

AlumiExpert had outsourced the entire installation, at a fixed rate, to a technician who works on both uPVC and aluminium windows of any brand. In my view, they should have sent someone experienced in aluminium windows, specifically Eternia, since the process and hardware vary with technology and brand. AlumiExpert had committed its best staff, but that person never arrived. The AlumiExpert owner travelled to the site with a supervisor, but their supervision made little difference.

Several issues occurred due to the technician's lack of experience, lack of supervision and attempts to cut down on labour:

1. The technician tried to skip bolts here and there, telling me, "Itna kaafi hai. Company zyada extra holes deti hai" ("This is enough. The company gives extra holes").
2. Two of the large windows (12 × 8 ft) were wrongly assembled, with the left and right sections switched. As a result, the factory-provided points for mounting the locks were switched too, and new holes were crudely drilled to accommodate the locks. The same mistake was made twice, and AlumiExpert did not catch it.
3. Improper sealing: brick dust from drilling was not properly removed from the gaps between the window sections and the walls/sill, despite my repeated requests. An air blower should have been used, but a paint brush was used instead. The dust got trapped in the silicone seal, which weakens it and leads to water leakage. The technician said, "Sir, hamein apna kaam karne do" ("Sir, let us do our work"), and the AlumiExpert supervisor said, "Sir, office mein blower rakha hai par laana bhool gaye" ("Sir, the blower is at the office but we forgot to bring it").
4. Sealant was smudged, and missed in a few places on the outer side of the windows, where it is hard to check from inside.
5. The technician tried to skip some hardware, such as door stoppers and drain plugs; one omission was caught by the AlumiExpert supervisor.

I called the Eternia representative and shared videos and pictures, but the response was the usual one.

Missing Items in Dispatch and Manufacturing Quality Issues

While the quality of Eternia's sections is good, there were manufacturing and dispatch issues:

1. The biggest problem was that a steel section meant for one window was missing. Eternia said it was AlumiExpert's responsibility, and AlumiExpert said otherwise. As a result, only the fixed bottom part of the window was installed and the top part was left open, which led to the issues described in the next section.
2. The wrong gasket was supplied for the same window, causing water leakage throughout the monsoon.
3. A special drain plug with a ball valve was supplied, but its size did not match the factory-made holes in the sections. It was resupplied later (when the missing window part was installed), but this time it was smaller than the hole. In the end, the technician used silicone sealant to hold the plugs in place.
4. The technician often had to drill new holes in the sections, as some were missing in certain ventilator-style casement windows.
5. Sealant smudges were found on the sections and glass, and spray-paint marks on the glass. It looked like rushed, last-minute work to meet delivery timelines.
6. The slider installed on one window (installed later) has a very sharp edge at the bottom that can easily cut someone's hand. It is unsafe and looks like a part is missing, but neither Eternia nor AlumiExpert has given an answer.
7. The 3-channel sliding doors move in both directions and could cause serious finger injuries if a hand is trapped between two moving heavy doors. In my view, there should be a stopper mechanism. This will be clearer from the pictures in the gallery below.

A Missing Steel Section and a Window Still Unfinished

As mentioned above, one window installation is still incomplete as of November 2026. The causes:

1. a simple rectangular steel section, about 14 feet long and 3 inches wide, of the kind available in any local hardware store;
2. missing gaskets, also widely available; and
3. a lack of follow-through by AlumiExpert.

Eternia and AlumiExpert blamed each other for the missing section. Eternia, being somewhat more professional, required the section to have matching paint, so it had to be sent from NCR. AlumiExpert took a long time to get this done, and the section was dispatched around 25th August. To save on transport costs, AlumiExpert sent it along with another customer's material to a location 40 km from my site. After considerable difficulty recovering it, the AlumiExpert owner delivered it to my site on 18th September, coming himself with a different technician. Some other pending jobs were completed and the window was installed.

However, despite several reminders and the earlier experience, the correctly sized gaskets for the fixed part of the window were not brought. The new technician also rushed the job, drilling new holes in places and hurrying the sealant application. The window remains unfinished to this day, and I suffered considerable mental stress and losses due to water seepage through that window during the peak rains.

Status as of today

As on 8th november, while I have paid an amount of 14.8 Lakh (which covers the Eternia Windows entirely) and an advance for mesh, the leaking window still remains to be fixed. Eternia representative has committed that Warranty will only begin when the installtion is complete. Meantime Alumiexpert is demanding balance payment to deliver mesh and finish window installation job (gaskets, resealing etc.). However, there is no guarantee that the material is even ready or that there will be no missouts or installation will be satsfactory since there is no documentary evidence. I am trying to hold some payment on account of mesh but that leaves me with a leaking window as well.

Neither Eternia, nor Alumiexpeert has shared any invoice or payment receipt yet although the Eternia material has been delivered long back. There is no acccountability of anyone.