Christie McGowen and her husband signed a contract with BNT Services in late February 2026 and paid an $8,356 deposit, expecting new hurricane-rated windows and doors for their home. Months later, the windows never came, the company filed for bankruptcy, and McGowen says she is one of more than 400 customers left in the same bind.
According to WSVN, BNT Services Inc., which also operates as BNT Impact and Doors, held more than $1 million in customer deposits when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2026. McGowen went to the company's warehouse in Pompano and contacted the owner directly, but says she never received her windows and the owner did not respond to her later messages. She and her husband had saved for a long time to pay for the project. “Eight thousand dollars is a significant amount of money,” McGowen said, per the station's report.
Court records reviewed by USGlass Magazine show BNT filed its Chapter 11 petition on July 27, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida under case number 26-19877, with attorney Andrew Kamensky listed as legal counsel. The filing estimated total assets of between $1 million and $10 million against liabilities of $10 million to $50 million, and listed between 200 and 999 total creditors — a gap that leaves both customers and suppliers competing for what remains.
A Pompano Beach Company With a Regional Footprint
BNT Impact Windows & Doors, based in Pompano Beach, provided installation and replacement services across seven South Florida counties, including Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Martin, St. Lucie, Lee, and Collier, according to WhatNow. The company handled both residential and commercial projects, including multifamily and office properties, and had been in business since 2007, per WSVN. Before the filing, BNT employed 25 people across installation, project administration, management, and support roles, USGlass Magazine reports.
Among the creditors named in the bankruptcy filing are major window and door manufacturers ES Windows, PGT Innovations, Custom Window Systems, CGI Windows and Doors, and WinDoor, according to the same USGlass Magazine filing review. BNT operated as an installer, purchasing hurricane-rated products directly from those regional manufacturers, which explains why product deliveries halted once the company's finances collapsed. The station's report notes BNT had held an A+ Better Business Bureau rating.
Customers Describe Losses and Unanswered Calls
Fort Lauderdale resident Bertha Morgan signed a $16,000 contract for impact-window installation in April 2026 and paid a $6,275 deposit — more than 40 percent of the total cost. She told WSVN she could not reach BNT's office after weeks passed without her windows arriving. Morgan said she wanted the windows to protect her condo during a hurricane and keep it cooler, but she remains without either benefit.
BNT president Bret Robbins said in court filings that operational continuity depended on uninterrupted customer payments, per USGlass Magazine's reporting. Speaking with WSVN, Robbins said placing customers in this situation was not intentional, and that the destination of the deposit money would be determined, though he declined to comment on what specifically happened to it. He apologized to people who now face liens against their homes.
Liens, Legal Exposure and the Recovery Fund
Affected customers face liens against their homes even though many paid their deposits in full, WSVN reports. Under Florida's Construction Lien Law, unpaid subcontractors and suppliers can file mechanics liens against a customer's property regardless of whether the homeowner already paid the primary contractor, according to Jonathan P. Cohen, P.A. The bankruptcy filing does impose a temporary stay on collection lawsuits against BNT under Section 362 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, but that protection does not necessarily block lien filings against homeowners' properties.
Consumer attorney Robert Pelier told WSVN that contracts should be clear and written in plain language, and that each payment should be tied to project progress rather than paid entirely upfront. He said typical upfront deposits in the industry run 10 to 20 percent, far below the 40-plus percent Morgan paid, and advised consumers to be wary of large upfront deposits in general.
Under Florida Statute § 489.126, contractors who accept residential deposits exceeding 10% must apply for permits within 30 days and begin work within 90 days of permit issuance, according to Andrew Douglas, P.A. Failure to perform within that window can trigger a statutory inference of intent to defraud, opening the door to criminal theft charges separate from the civil bankruptcy case.
Where Customers Can Turn for Relief
Consumers can file a claim within the bankruptcy proceeding, file police reports, or lodge complaints through the local state attorney's office, per WSVN's reporting. The Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund offers up to $100,000 per claim for losses tied to licensed contractor financial misconduct, but requires victims to first obtain a court judgment, restitution order, or bankruptcy court order, according to Wyman Legal Solutions. State records cited by that firm show the fund has paid more than $7 million across 435 claims historically, though strict eligibility criteria and mandatory collection steps have kept many affected homeowners from securing payouts.
BNT is not the only South Florida hurricane-window installer to hit this wall. Boca Raton-based Armored Impact Windows & Doors Inc. filed for Chapter 11 in March 2026 before its case was dismissed in June 2026 due to continuing financial losses, USGlass Magazine reported, citing mounting debts similar to those now facing BNT's customers. As bankruptcy claims, police reports, and state attorney complaints all take time to resolve, homeowners like McGowen and Morgan are left waiting — without their windows, and in some cases with new liens on the very homes they hoped to protect.
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