Category: Window Complaints

Home Depot Window Complaints – What’s wrong with Home Depot?

The process of buying new windows can seem complicated. Sometimes people think it would just be easier to order windows from a store they know, like Home Depot. If you’re thinking about going this route you should understand what causes Home Depot window complaints so you can avoid ending up an unhappy customer.

Home Depot is obviously a huge company. They’re in almost every town all over the country. They carry all sorts of home products so you might think they’d be a great place to order windows. In my humble opinion you’d be wrong.

You see they’re a retailer, just like a Wal-Mart or Costco or another big store. That’s a completely different business than being a window installer. In fact, Home Depot isn’t really a window installer at all. If you order windows from them they’ll hire someone else to install your windows. Will that person be a good person to work with? I don’t know and you don’t know either.

Home depot window complaints and prices and warranty

Are Home Depot window installations bad?

Not necessarily, but it’s a risk. I’d suggest it’s a risk that’s not really worth taking. While it’s true that there’s a Home Depot in almost every town, there’s also likely a great window company in every town too.

Why hire a box store to do a job they don’t really specialize in instead of a company that focuses on windows every day? I’d suggest that it doesn’t really make any sense to do that. There are plenty of great window companies that are full of people who work on windows every single day.

You see Home Depot will still send over a commissioned salesperson, they’ll still try to get you to place the order. They’re not making the windows, rather they’re buying them from one company, marking them up and selling them to you.

There’s really nothing special that you get from Home Depot and there are a few downsides. The subcontracted installations are one factor that can lead to Home Depot window complaints, but they’re not the only factor.

Are the windows Home Depot offers any good?

They’re not great. In most markets it seems that Home Depot offers windows from Simonton. You can find our reviews of Simonton windows here.

Simonton makes several product lines, just like most window manufacturers. They use a special model number for windows sold through Home Depot. Usually it’s Simonton 6500 but that can change.

The windows are fine, but they’ll have higher air infiltration rates than many other options. That means they’ll let in more light when closed and locked. They’ll also use thicker frames that block more light which is not ideal.

Why isn’t Home Depot great at windows?

I can only guess it’s because selling home services has never been a huge focus for them. They could very easily be a real force in this industry as they have enormous scale, but they’ve never really been able to take advantage of that scale.

I guess it’s good for me and most owners of window companies that Home Depot has not figured out the window business. Maybe one day they’ll buy my company and we’ll leverage their scale to take over the industry. Until then, I’d look elsewhere if you’re looking for new windows.

So, how should I decide who to work with?

The window business is challenging, that’s for sure. Every company says they’re the best and they all say that everyone else is horrible. It can feel difficult to navigate, but luckily it’s really not that hard.

I always suggest starting with a company with a good reputation and a solid track record. Then listed to what they have to suggest. Ask any questions about it, ask about options both more expensive and less expensive. When you feel like they’re offering a reasonable value that fits your needs you should buy it.

It is not a good idea to fall in love with a window brand before yo’ve found someone to install them. That said, you can find the best window reviews on the internet right here.

To try to help in that regard we’ve compiled a list of great companies all over the country. We may not know anyone in your neighborhood yet but it doesn’t’ hurt to ask. You can find our list of the best replacement window companies right here.

Pella Window Complaints – What is the problem?

If you’ve been considering ordering new Pella windows for your house you may have come across Pella window complaints online. You may be wondering if this is something to be concerned about. We’ll get to the bottom of it right here.

For starters, Pella primarily makes windows for new construction which means as a company they don’t always understand the remodeling customer. We wrote about this in a recent post about Jeld-Wen window complaints as they’re in the same boat.

New construction is just a different animal. Pella does make remodeling products like wood windows, fiberglass windows, vinyl winnows like the Pella 250 and the Pella 350, but they just don’t understand the customers.

There is a difference between Jeld-Wen and Pella in terms of how they’re able to satisfy customers and we’ll get into that as well.

You can also find our Pella window reviews here. They may help when you’re shopping for the best new windows.

Pella window complaints wood vs fiberglass vs vinyl

I thought Pella was the best?

That’s part of the problem. Pella is one of the window manufacturers that spends the most on marketing. There are hundreds of window manufacturers in the country making both new construction and replacement windows. Unless you’re in the window business I bet you can only name 3 or 4 of them.

Why are there 3 or 4 window companies that you know and probably 200 that you don’t? Marketing. Does marketing make the windows better? No.

Pella and Andersen and Marvin windows spend a whole lot of money on marketing and advertising every year which is they they’re probably the only manufacturers you can think of.

Does this mean they’re better window manufacturers or that they make better windows? No. It had just about no relation to the quality of the products they produce, but nobody really thinks about that.

So, why are there Pella window complaints?

Mostly it’s a problem of expectations. People see an ad for Pella and it says “viewed to be the best”. I don’t know if you’d find anyone in this industry who would tell you that Pella windows are the very best windows. Whether we’re talking about wood windows or vinyl windows they’re perfectly fine, but unremarkable.

Unfortunately, the customers don’t know this. Someone might see an ad for Pella windows and give them a ring. A commissioned salesperson will come to your house and tell you that Pella is the absolute best. They’ll tell there’s nothing better out there. What they’re really telling you is they want you to buy so they can get their commission. Read about some funny and sad window sales tactics here.

Based on this the customer buys the windows and then might be disappointed when the actual windows show up. Pella makes fine windows, but not at all nicer than anyone else. In fact, I’d say their vinyl windows are definitely less nice than many replacement window brands. That causes customers to have Pella window complaints.

So, how should I decide who to work with?

The window business is challenging, that’s for sure. Every company says they’re the best and they all say that everyone else is horrible. It can feel difficult to navigate, but luckily it’s really not that hard.

I always suggest starting with a company with a good reputation and a solid track record. Then listed to what they have to suggest. Ask any questions about it, ask about options both more expensive and less expensive. When you feel like they’re offering a reasonable value that fits your needs you should buy it.

It is not a good idea to fall in love with a window brand before yo’ve found someone to install them. That said, you can find the best window reviews on the internet right here.

To try to help in that regard we’ve compiled a list of great companies all over the country. We may not know anyone in your neighborhood yet but it doesn’t’ hurt to ask. You can find our list of the best replacement window companies right here.

Jeld-Wen Window Complaints – What’s the issue?

If you’re considering ordering Jeld-Wen windows you may have seen Jeld-Wen window complaints online. Is there a a problem with these windows that you should be aware of? Let’s find out.

The first thing you should keep in mind is that someone will complain about anything online. This is just a fact of life on the internet. Just because you read something from an unhappy customer or two doesn’t mean a product is horrible.

That said, in my experience Jeld-Wen windows are pretty close to horrible. You might also find our Jeld-Wen window reviews page to be interesting.

jeld-wen window complaints and prices and warranty

What is wrong with Jeld-Wen windows?

The first factor to consider is that Jeld-Wen windows are primarily produced for new construction. They do make remodeling focused products, but in my experience they’re a new construction company. They have a new construction mindset. This isn’t great for customers.

Companies that focus on the new construction market like Pella, Jeld-Wen, Andersen, Atrium, etc typically sell to builders rather than the end users. That means they care much more about keeping builders happy than the end users. What makes builders happy? Low prices and not much else.

Would you pay $5 more for a nicer product? Probably, but a builder wouldn’t.

That means a company that is primarily focused on the new construction market will not be as focused on quality as you might hope.

Builders know that when you’re buying a new house you’re focused on the kitchen and the deck and the beautiful family room and the finished basement. Windows are typically not a huge priority which means they can use cheaper windows and still sell just as many houses.

This causes builders to use cheaper and cheaper products. That causes manufacturers to make cheaper and cheaper products and it causes owners of newly build houses to be unhappy with their windows several years later.

Remember, Jeld-Wen does make remodeling products. The problem is they’re not much nicer than their new construction products.

Why are there Jeld-Wen window complaints online?

In my experience it’s because people are often unhappy with their Jeld-Wen windows. It’s just that simple. My company offered Jeld-Wen windows for several years for remodeling projects. It didn’t go very well. I personally had plenty of Jeld-Wen window complaints.

We primarily used their wood windows for historic window replacement projects. We did some fun higher profile projects like embassies in DC or cool historic buildings on the east coast. We even replaced windows for several celebrities. They were expensive wood windows, but the quality was not great. I can’t even imagine what their cheaper vinyl windows were like.

Ultimately we stopped offering them because we could almost never get a project completed without callbacks.

We never did deal with their vinyl windows but I got a good idea of what I could expect. One day I was talking to our Jeld-Wen rep about their vinyl windows and he told me not to sell them. He flat out told me that we wouldn’t be happy with them. I’m confident he was right.

To their credit we were always able to get every issue resolved with new parts or a service call, but it was a never ending hassle and we stopped selling them.

Are Jeld-Wen windows worse than other new construction windows?

Not really. All new construction windows are designed to be cheap regardless of what the brochure (or the salesperson) tells you. You can find Jeld-Wen window complaints and you can also find Atrium window complaints and Andersen window complaints and Pella window complaints too. You’ll never get the same quality that you get in a remodeling focused product.

The reason for this is simple. A remodeling customer is only buying windows. They’re specifically looking at the windows. They’re unhappy if something is wrong with the windows. That’s why a remodeling focused company has to produce higher quality products. A new construction focused company can get away with selling cheaper lower quality products so that’s what they do.

So, how should I decide who to work with?

The window business is challenging, that’s for sure. Every company says they’re the best and they all say that everyone else is horrible. It can feel difficult to navigate, but luckily it’s really not that hard.

I always suggest starting with a company with a good reputation and a solid track record. Then listed to what they have to suggest. Ask any questions about it, ask about options both more expensive and less expensive. When you feel like they’re offering a reasonable value that fits your needs you should buy it.

It is not a good idea to fall in love with a window brand before yo’ve found someone to install them. That said, you can find the best window reviews on the internet right here.

To try to help in that regard we’ve compiled a list of great companies all over the country. We may not know anyone in your neighborhood yet but it doesn’t’ hurt to ask. You can find our list of the best replacement window companies right here.

Sunrise Window Complaints – Is there a problem here?

If you’ve received a quote for Sunrise windows and done some googling you may find Sunrise window complaints. Is that a sign of a problem that you should be aware of?

First, I’d say it’s important to be aware that you can find complaints about anything on the internet. That may be one of the joys of living in the 21st century. Someone hates everything and they’re happy to tell you all about it. Sunrise window complaints aren’t any different.

They are known for their sales training which can cause problems.

Sunrise windows does have a reputation in the industry for offering very in-depth sales training. This could be training from the manufacturer for the dealers or for the dealers from outside consultants.

Either way, you can sometimes find Sunrise window salespeople making claims that are a little on the creative side. The folks selling Sunrise windows are often paid 100% commission (this is not unusual in the window business) so they’re very focused on getting an order. They may tell you all about Cardinal glass or upgraded balances or full frame installation or super special foam insulation.

If they get you to sign on the dotted line they likely make 10% or more of the contract price in commission. If they don’t they get nothing.

You can probably see how this would lead to someone doing anything they can to get an order. I’m not saying Sunrise windows teaches this directly. On average I do think their dealers are going to be on the aggressive side. That sales pressure can lead to Sunrise window complaints.

Sunrise window complaints, sales, cost and warranties.

Is this unique to Sunrise windows?

No. You’ll find a similar situation with most in-home window salespeople. That’s why we write about common window sales tactics here in one of the most popular sections of the website.

While this isn’t unique to Sunrise windows you may find it happening in a larger percentage of the total customer interactions with Sunrise salespeople than many other manufacturers because of their focus on sales.

We’ve written about a similar phenomena with Renewal by Andersen complaints and while I’m throwing out links you can find our Sunrise window reviews here.

Does this mean you can’t get a good deal on Sunrise windows?

Absolutely not. I’m sure there are dealers out there offering perfectly fine deals on Sunrise windows every day. We know some of them and recommend them on our site. Their windows are perfectly fine, the challenge can be finding a good dealer.

I do think you’d find that the average selling price of Sunrise windows nationally might be higher than other brands and I don’t know that there’s anything special about them to justify that cost. I’m sure their salespeople will be happy to disagree, but that’s my opinion.

The average would be higher because some companies out there are really marking up their prices and using their fancy sales skills to try to justify the additional cost. Is a company doing that offering the best deal to you? Probably not.

So, how should I decide who to work with?

The window business is challenging, that’s for sure. Every company says they’re the best and they all say that everyone else is horrible. It can feel difficult to navigate, but luckily it’s really not that hard.

I always suggest starting with a company with a good reputation and a solid track record. Then listed to what they have to suggest. Ask any questions about it, ask about options both more expensive and less expensive. When you feel like they’re offering a reasonable value that fits your needs you should buy it.

To try to help in that regard we’ve compiled a list of great companies all over the country. We may not know anyone in your neighborhood yet but it doesn’t’ hurt to ask. You can find our list of the best replacement window companies right here.

Other popular posts about Sunrise Windows:

How can you find a great window company?

That part is easy.  Check this section for recommendations of window companies all over the country. There’s no better way to get new windows.

Other posts you might find interesting:

Simonton Window Complaints – Do they have more unhappy customers?

I talk to a lot of people about windows. Probably too many, but that’s a story for another day. Today is a story about a reader who asked me about Simonton window complaints.

The reader was from Florida where my company doesn’t currently offer windows so I wasn’t trying to sell anything. I was just trying to be helpful. She had read some Simonton window complaints online and was concerned that she would be unhappy if she ordered Simonton windows.

Simonton window complaints and window warranty

As an aside, I did recently write another post about Alside window complains where we talked about how the end user of the window typically don’t know a lot about windows and will often assign the blame for an issue in the wrong place. I won’t repeat that topic, but you can find that post here.

There are several factors to consider when opinions from folks online, whether they’re “experts” or customers. One is that you can find someone in the world who is unhappy with anything. They could be giving out free Rolls Royce’s and someone would write “one star, too comfortable”. There is someone out there who really will complain about anything. Have you seen the complaints that people write about national parks? They’re hilarious.

The important factor to keep in mind is scale.

You see Simonton is a pretty big window manufacturer. They make millions of windows and probably have millions of customers. Some percentage of customers will be less than pleased with any product. That’s not unusual and it’s not very important.

Think about it this way. If Company A has 1,000,000 customers and has 100 window complaints online they have an unhappiness rate of 0.01%. You could read 100 negative reviews and think it’s bad, but I think we’d all call an unhappiness rate of 0.01% pretty good.

If Company B has 200,000 customers and has 40 window complaints they would have less than half as many window complaints online. You might be a casual googler and think that you find much less negativity about Company B so they must be better. You see less than half as many unhappy people so it would be easy to assume that Company B is better.

You don’t realize that they’re 1/5 the size.

In fact, company B has an unhappiness rate of 0.02%. That means they have twice as many unhappy customers as a percentage of the total. That is much worse, but it looks better when you’re googling. It’s tricky to navigate.

If you were to hire Company B you’d be twice as likely to be unhappy about something at the end of your project, but you’d have no way of knowing that at the beginning.

The moral of the story is that it can be very easy for a small manufacturer to look great online. That doesn’t mean they’re actually great.

Should I work with a larger company or a smaller company?

When thinking about window manufacturers I always suggest working with larger and more well established companies. I don’t recommend Simonton windows too frequently but they are an example of a large brand that has been around for a long time and likely will be around for many years to come. Even if you read some Simonton window complaints it doesn’t’ mean they’re making a bad product. It just means they’re large.

It’s very easy for small manufacturers to pop on the scene, sign up a handful of dealers, get them to write great feedback online and the window manufacturer looks great. Then they hit a financial challenge for one reason or another, they don’t have any resources and they close their doors.

Unfortunately this happens all the time and it leaves people who thought they were buying windows from a very well respected manufacturer completely out of luck with no warranty or access to replacement parts. When you see people complaining that a lifetime warranty isn’t really lifetime this is usually the cause. If the company goes belly up you have no warranty.

So, how should I decide who to work with?

The window business is challenging, that’s for sure. Every company says they’re the best and they all say that everyone else is horrible. It can feel difficult to navigate, but luckily it’s really not that hard.

I always suggest starting with a company with a good reputation and a solid track record. Then listed to what they have to suggest. Ask any questions about it, ask about options both more expensive and less expensive. When you feel like they’re offering a reasonable value that fits your needs you should buy it.

To try to help in that regard we’ve compiled a list of great companies all over the country. We may not know anyone in your neighborhood yet but it doesn’t’ hurt to ask. You can find our list of the best replacement window companies right here.

Preservation Window Complaints – Is something wrong?

Preservation windows were designed by very savvy marketing folks. They’re intended to be sold by some of the highest priced replacement window companies in the country. They’re produced by one of the largest replacement window manufacturers in the country too. So why might you find Preservation window complaints online? The answer is pretty simple, mostly.

The cause is similar to some of the other manufacturers we’ve discussed. A common thread in Preservation window complaints has to do with the pricing. The sales tactics used by some of the door to door type salespeople can leave a lot to be desired.

This product line was developed by Associated Materials with the specific intention of being sold through the highest priced dealers around. Typically they’ll only offer them through one dealer in each city. Limited distribution is usually not great for customers but it might have an upside or two. Now if you’re a window dealer and you’re trying to sell products for a premium price this could be a good thing. If you’re buying windows it might not be so great.

A window contractor selling high priced windows will have his work cut out for him. He’ll typically need to tell some fancy stories. He’ll also often be a little tricky with the pricing to get people to buy. This isn’t unique to the window industry or to Preservation windows. It’s just a fact.

When you give customers tricky pricing and sales claims you’re likely to make some people unhappy. That’ll lead to Preservation window complaints.

Preservation windows complaints, price, warranty and cost.

Are Preservation windows good enough to justify the price?

This one is a little tricky as each individual dealer or contractor will set the retail pricing. It’s always possible that someone could offer a fair deal but you’ll usually see higher prices than might be warranted.

In general Preservation windows do use some higher end components. They’ll have things like upgraded balance mechanisms and non-metallic spacers in the insulated glass units. You might hear about fiberglass reinforcement or a sloped sill. Unfortunately for them it’s perfectly possible to find the same type of higher end components in most cost effective windows. As an example, my company tends to offer a much better value for very similar products. So, I know it can be done.

You can find more information on Preservation windows including info on the price, warranty and cost on our Preservation window review post right here.

Are Preservation windows good quality windows?

Sure, they’re perfectly nice but really not that remarkable. For example, according to the manufacturers data a Preservation double hung window has an air infiltration rate of 0.10 which is around 2.5x higher than another popular model made by the same parent company that my company offers.

They’ll also use thicker frames that block a little more light than other models. For some people this is a big deal, others don’t care too much.

The brochures, iPad demos and all marketing information for Preservation really are top notch. They do a great job of presenting the products and trying to justify the prices. In my mind they’re often not the best value around. They’re not a product I would buy for my house but different people make different choices.

Are Preservation window dealers all bad?

Defininltey not. I’ve known several of them over the years. There are perfectly nice companies offering Preservation windows. There are also not so great companies using the limited distribution of this product line to charge a premium price. For example there’s one Preservation window dealer in the Pacific Northwest that I’d suggest staying away from based on his interaction with my company over the years but that’s a story for another day.

So, how should I decide who to work with?

The window business is challenging, that’s for sure. Every company says they’re the best and they all say that everyone else is horrible. It can feel difficult to navigate, but luckily it’s really not that hard.

I always suggest starting with a company with a good reputation and a solid track record. Then listed to what they have to suggest. Ask any questions about it, ask about options both more expensive and less expensive. When you feel like they’re offering a reasonable value that fits your needs you should buy it.

It is not a good idea to fall in love with a window brand before yo’ve found someone to install them. That said, you can find the best window reviews on the internet right here.

To try to help in that regard we’ve compiled a list of great companies all over the country. We may not know anyone in your neighborhood yet but it doesn’t’ hurt to ask. You can find our list of the best replacement window companies right here.

Soft-Lite Windows Complaints

Soft-Lite windows complaints can be caused by several factors. If you’re considering buying these windows it’s worthwhile to understand what makes some customers unhappy. With that knowledge you should be able to make a decision regarding which windows to purchase with less stress.

So, let’s find out what causes customers to be unhappy about Soft-Lite windows.

What causes Soft-Lite windows complaints?

Believe it or not the majority of the Soft-Lite windows complaints that I’ve heard have more to do with the in-home salesmen than the windows themselves.

SoftLite windows are commonly sold through window dealers which are often little more than sales companies. These companies will generate leads either by knocking on doors or going to home and garden shows or maybe approaching you at a Home Depot, Lowes or Sam’s Club store.

home improvement sales tricks

They’ll tell you they’re “working in the neighborhood” or they have a super special promotion available and they’ll ask if you’d like a quote on new windows or siding or a roof.

If you agree to that free quote they send in a well trained commission based in-home salesman to close the deal. These guys can seem great, but they’re sometimes not operating with your best interests in mind.

When they arrive they’ll seem nice, they’ll put your dog and make great small talk. They might say they went to the same school as you or they could have kids in the same program as your kids.

Be cautious because the sales process has already started.

Why are in-home window salesmen bad?

They’re certainly not all bad. I don’t mean to imply that everyone selling windows is out to rip you off, but plenty of them are.

These guys usually drive their own cars for hours to your house. They’ll burn their own gas and waste their own time for $0 if they don’t get you to buy their windows.

That means they can have every incentive to close the deal without a whole lot of concern about whether or not the solution they’re proposing is actually what you need.

For example, I’ve heard of one salesman going on for a long time about the high-quality balances in the windows he sells. The issue was that the customer was buying sliding windows and sliding windows don’t even have balances at all. He was just following his script and selling something that was not going to be delivered.

This can be a funny business.

Other than the pushy salesmen are Soft-Lite windows ok?

They certainly can be. There are some downsides, but you could say that about almost any windows out there.

What about warranty issues?

In addition to Soft-Lite windows complaints about sales people you’ll also sometimes see complaints about warranty coverage.

In my experience this has more to do with the customer not understanding the coverage. For example, there is no warranty coverage for labor to fix an issue or for faulty installation.

So, if the dealer you hire to install your windows screws it all up that’s between you and the dealer. Soft-Lite has nothing to do with it and they would deny any warranty claim. That’s not them being bad guys, it’s just them honoring their written warranty.

For more info on the SoftLite windows warranty check this window warranty review.

Should you buy SoftLite windows?

That’s really up to you. I’m sure there are plenty of Soft-Lite dealers out there who are completely great. I actually know several of them and I do recommend them to readers.

In my opinion there’s no fundamental issue with Soft-Lite windows, but some of their dealers can be less than fantastic.

Their limited dealer network means that there may only be one company in town offering a certain Soft-Lite window model. If that one company doesn’t seem great you should NOT work with them.

What’s the bottom line?

We sometimes hear from readers who have fallen in love with a certain window model, but they don’t like the local dealer. They always ask if they should buy the windows anyway to get the outstanding quality.

That’s an indication that they’ve received a pretty good sales pitch because there are plenty of good windows out there. There’s absolutely no need to work with a company that doesn’t treat you well in the beginning. How do you think they’ll treat you when there’s a problem at the end?

With all that said, if you do find a great dealer of SoftLite windows and you think the prices are fair you’ll likely be perfectly happy with the results.

How can you find a great window company?

That part is easy.  Check this section for recommendations of window companies all over the country. There’s no better way to get new windows.

Other posts you might find interesting:

Great Lakes Windows Complaints – What’s Wrong Here?

If you’ve seen Great Lakes windows complaints you may be wondering if there’s a systemic problem with these products. Are Great Lakes windows something you should avoid? Let’s find out.

First, it’s important to note that people can complain about anything. Also, when someone is unhappy with their windows they know that they’re unhappy, but they often don’t actually understand who or what is the real cause of their unhappiness.

So, it’s important to take any Great Lakes windows complaints with a grain of salt.

Great Lakes windows complaints and info, warranty, prices and more.

What causes Great Lakes windows complaints?

The biggest factor that I’ve seen is the fact that Great Lakes windows are only distributed through a few dealers in any part of the country. These dealers may be great and they may not.

Sometimes these old fashioned window dealers use all of the old fashioned window sales tactics that we talk about on the site.

They use in-home salespeople who are paid 100% commission. They usually drive their own cars, burn their own gas and make $0 if you don’t buy their windows.

That can lead to salespeople who are overly pushy which can give the customer a bad experience. Commission based in-home salespeople may also have an incentive to tell the customer whatever they want to hear in order to get the order.

Salesmen overpromising can be a common cause of customer complaints.

Find the top lies told by window salespeople here.

How can you avoid being an unhappy Great Lakes window customer?

This can be hard for the customer to manage. It’s definitely possible that the salesman sitting in your living room is great. It’s also possible that he’s not.

Now, I know you may think that the person you met with seemed like a friendly and helpful fellow. They all seem that way. That’s who they get paid to be.

Unfortunately they’re not always as great as they may seem. My best piece of advice is to get everything in writing. Things like the followign should all be writing down in your order:

  • What will the efficiency ratings be for the new windows?
  • What will happen if the stickers on the windows don’t match the claims?
  • How long will it take to get your Great Lakes windows?
  • What will happen if they take longer?
  • What type of window and labor warranty will you get?
  • What are the colors, options and features that you’ll get in the new windows?

If you have these details nailed down in writing before you start your project you’ll be less likely to have a problem down the road. If the salesman made claims that don’t match what you actually received you’ll have record of what you were told.

The he said / she said scenario that results from the customer trusting (or maybe misinterpreting) a commission based in-home salesman can be a huge cause of frustration.

Other posts about Great Lakes windows that you might find helpful:

How can you find a great window company?

That part is easy.  Check this section for recommendations of window companies all over the country. There’s no better way to get new windows.

Other posts you might find interesting:

Polaris Windows Complaints – What’s Wrong Here?

When you’re shopping for new windows you can find complaints about almost anyone. That’s certainly true with Polaris windows complaints too. It’s important to understand what is causing these complaints.

You’ll want to understand what causes these complaints so you can avoid finding yourself in the same situation. Maybe you can make better choices than the customer who finds themselves complaining or maybe you should avoid Polaris windows altogether. Let’s find out.

What causes Polaris windows complaints?

The most common cause of Polaris windows complaints is the sales process. This is really something caused by their old fashioned dealers rather than by Polaris themselves, but it’s something customers need to deal with.

In my experience many Polaris window dealers will still use commission based in-home salesmen who use some of the most old school window sales tactics out there.

Window salesmen scams and tactics
Most window salespeople are great folks, but if you’ve been in this business long enough you’ve surely met some characters like this fella!

Dealing with a salesman who is paid 100% commission can be a real hassle. They can be pushy, they can full of misinformation, etc. You see, these guys and gals typically don’t make any money if they don’t sell you windows right now.

Worse than that, they even have to pay for gas and tires and depreciation on their cars to get to your house. So, if they don’t get the order right away they’ve lost money. It’s not always a great deal for them and it’s often not a great deal for you either.

Other causes of Polaris windows complaints can be the limited features available or the limited Polaris warranty which we’ve also written about.

Are these complaints serious?

They can be. If you get a pushy salesman who isn’t 100% accurate with the truth you could easily find yourself in a pickle. These sales meetings can last 2 hours or more so a lot gets said but nothing gets recorded.

The risk there is that if the salesman tells you something that is inaccurate you don’t have any recourse down the road. He’ll say he never told you that and you swear that he did. It can turn into a sticky situation very quickly.

How can you tell if the company selling you Polaris windows is doing this?

It’s easy to see what is going on when it’s time for them to finally show you how much the new Polaris windows will cost. If they show you one price that is very high and then another price that is lower if you buy today, you can be sure you’re not getting a very good deal at all.

I know they can seem like very genuine, nice, helpful people. That’s their job. Just remember, if there’s a problem down the road nothing will matter if it’s not in writing. When you ask about efficiency ratings, air infiltration ratings, labor warranties, etc be sure to write all of that in the actual contract. If they won’t let you do that you should not buy their windows.

The pricing gimmicks can also be tricky. For example, if the regular price was $30,000, why is he offering to sell you the windows for $12,000. Does anyone ever actually pay the $30,000 or is that just a trick to make the $12,000 seem low?

The world of commission based in-home sales can be like the wild west. Be careful out there.

What’s the bottom line?

The Polaris windows complaints I’ve heard over the years tend to be more about the sales process than about the windows themselves. Overall the windows are decent and you can find more info in our reviews of the UltraWeld, ThermalWeld and DynaWeld windows. The options can be limited since they’re a smaller manufacturer but I’d say the products are fine.

The complaints tend to stem from the in-home sales process. Everyone says they would never fall for the old school sales gimmicks, but these window dealers sell a lot of windows so someone is buying them.

If the prices go down every time you say “no” and the salesman won’t leave your living room you should probably kick him out. Almost nothing is still sold this way, like it’s 1970, but windows are an exception to that. Buyer beware.

Other posts about Polaris windows that you might find helpful:

How can you find a great window company?

That part is easy.  Check this section for recommendations of window companies all over the country. There’s no better way to get new windows.

Other posts you might find interesting:

Vytex Windows Complaints – What’s Wrong?

When you’re shopping for new windows you’ll find complaints out there about almost everyone. It’s certainly possible to find Vytex windows complaints and it’s important to understand what is often causing these customers to be so unhappy.

What causes Vytex windows complaints?

There could be a few causes, but one is probably the fact that Vytex installs windows for many of their dealers without the customers knowing about it. The fact that Vytex does the installations ins’t bad, but the fact that many of their dealers will lie about this fact is cause for concern.

For example, years ago I was in the Vytex manufacturing plant picking up a sample and I overheard one of their customer service reps calling a customer. She said she was calling from one of their dealers to schedule a measurement appointment.

Obviously she was working for Vytex, not for the dealer, but the customer couldn’t have known that.

It’s strange to me that some window salespeople will lie to their customers about something so simple, but it happens all the time. The salesman says his company has the absolute best window installers when they actually don’t employ any installers at all. The salesman might also say that they never use sub-contractors when the manufacturer is hiring subs to install the windows.

In my experience this happens all the time.

Why does this cause Vytex windows complaints?

Usually the issue is communication. Since the salesperson only works for the sales company he probably doesn’t know anything about installation. The installers are usually subcontractors working for the manufacturer so they’re a few steps removed from the commission based salespeople.

These salespeople are often only focused on getting the order so they make their commission. Then the order gets turned over to the installers and the salesman goes on to the next sales lead.

How can you tell if a company is doing this?

It’s basically impossible to find out if this is happening. Everyone involved knows that they need to fib about this. The installers know that if you ask who they work for they need to say the dealer. The reps on the phone know that they need to say they’re calling from “Window Company X” when they call to make an appointment. It’ just the way the system works.

What’s the bottom line?

Overall I’d say this isn’t a huge issue. I do always suggest avoiding the high pressure commission based in-home salespeople. That’s true if you’re buying Vytex windows or any other brand.

If you get a good quality product from a company that will be honest with you from the start it’s likely you’ll get a good result at the end.

How can you find a great window company?

That part is easy.  Check this section for recommendations of window companies all over the country. There’s no better way to get new windows. You can find my company here and you can find recommendations of other companies in other parts of the country here.

Other posts you might find interesting: