THE VILLAGES - Diane Wolensky is no longer welcome in this giant retirement community that bills itself as "America's Friendliest Hometown," after she complained about the quality of her new three-bedroom home.

It all started about a year ago, when Wolensky, her mother and grandmother of Ohio moved into a custom-built home they thought would fulfill their dreams. They were attracted to The Villages, a megadevelopment northwest of Orlando, because it offered a slew of activities. They were impressed with the pools, golf courses and clubhouses, and they wanted to live in the sunshine.

But the women began to notice flaws in their home the day they moved in. Carpet was not tacked down in some corners, tile was laid crooked, molding was nicked and dented. Arched doorways meant to be 30 inches wide were 28 inches wide, preventing them from moving furniture into certain rooms.

"They painted a really nice picture," Wolensky said. "And then when we got here the picture wasn't what it was cracked up to be, to say the least. I picked up and came all the way across the country to move here, and it was a disaster."

Developers ultimately agreed to buy back the home under the condition that Wolensky could not purchase another new one in the community. Wolensky said she felt she had no choice but to accept the terms of the contract.

Real-estate experts called Wolensky's situation highly uncommon. Buybacks happen, but a developer shutting out customers is unheard of, they said. "Builders do punish people who complain sometimes, but I can honestly say I don't know of anybody that has gone through something like this where they couldn't buy another house in the community," said Nancy Seats, president of the Homeowners Association Against Deficient Dwellings, a group that assists consumers in resolving problems with their homes.

"This is just an extremely unusual situation."

Wolensky, 44, called Villages officials to complain as soon as she noticed problems such as light seeping into the garage from outside between the wall and the floor. She also called an inspector, who produced a report detailing roof and drywall damage and problems with the slab, among other things.

Representatives from the builder came out and offered a solution: the women could move into the front room of the house while workers tore down walls and ripped up tile and linoleum in the master bathroom. The other problems would be fixed one by one.

But Wolensky thought her house should have been built properly in the first place, and she was upset that the developer expected her to live amid construction dust while fixing problems that never ought to have existed.

Eventually, Wolensky got the ear of someone who mattered: Jennifer Parr, The Villages director of sales. Parr visited their home, but they could not come to an agreement.

"I was really looking forward to her coming here," said Wolensky, who moved from California. "I was told she was a sweetheart like her grandfather [developer Harold Schwartz] and she would do anything to help the customer."

Instead, Parr offered to buy the home back from the women.

"OK, then we'd like to build another one," Wolensky said. But Parr said no, according to Wolensky.

"Why not? What's wrong with us?" Wolensky asked. She recalled that Parr then told her The Villages couldn't build anything that would satisfy Wolensky.

A November letter from Parr finalized the offer to fix warranty problems or buy back the home. It said if the buyback option was chosen, "The Villages would not be in a position to construct and/or sell a new home to you," the letter said.

Parr and other Villages officials did not return numerous phone calls seeking comment.

The letter ended the women's dream to live together in The Villages, now home to about 45,000 retirees and growing by more than 3,000 homes each year.

Wolensky's situation was particularly unusual because it's the developer -- not the builder -- who has barred Wolensky from buying a home in the community. She can't buy a home from any other builder in the community because the developer acts as a clearinghouse for all contractors in The Villages.

Janet Ahmad, president of a group called HomeOwners for Better Building, said Wolensky should count her blessings.

"She's fortunate for getting it bought back," said Ahmad, whose group works to encourage strict regulation in the homebuilding industry. "But she is being deprived of where she wants to live. As punishment for buying a bad house, she can't live in that community forever and ever."

The Villages closed on Wolensky's home last week, and Wolensky also signed an agreement saying she wouldn't sue them for anything related to the situation. She said she will move to Ohio temporarily but she plans to return to Central Florida to find another home -- one without defects.