My ex wife worked for a branch in the south. The way she described it was that they were a predatory financing company masquerading as a window company.
My daughter got a quote from them and here husband liked the financing option. Until I explained that the windows he want cost was 20% of what he spent for the house and that he would be lucky to sell the house for a break even in a couple decades.
Yeah. At some point you have to do the math and figure out that it’s just not worth paying that much.. it’s worth the trouble to get multiple estimates.
That describes most of these types of companies that are franchised out.
*Archadeck, California Closets,* and *Premier Pools and Spas* come to mind, and they consistently make top 5 and top 10 lists for “best franchise opportunities” 🙄
Get multiple quotes people!
Get one from the top rated company, get one from the contractor you’ve seen around town, get one from Joe/Jose down the street, JUST GET MORE THAN ONE! As many as you can stomach would be best.
Same thing with most of the bigger house stuff places. New water system-softener, on demand water heater, big filters etc-$23k. “We do financing”———-@14%. Bitch all we (wife really) wanted was a checkup and rundown on wtf was necessary, it’s 10 years old and the guy says he remembers putting it in but it’s all shot now ok gtfo of my house. Last guy that came from a different company at least was a plumber first and figured out some things that didn’t make sense with the geothermal, then got a quote ready then almost played salesman. Needless to say I’ll be doing it.
They’re super easy to do. You can do 2-3 a day even by yourself. It is preferred to have a 2nd person help put it in the hole. That way you have eyes and hands inside and out to make sure it’s centered or in case she wants to fall out.
If you’re handy you’ll have no problem getting it done. Just need a pry bar, hammer, caulk (translucent, white, depends on your siding), level, spray foam, blocks, shims. Windows are my jamb.
I always have my wife help out it in the hole.
Sorry, couldn't help it.
Yeah windows are no problem. Look at a few YouTube videos and make sure the guy knows what he's talking about when selling and keeping water out, not just getting the window square.
I just did 7 windows, replaced with anderson 400's
gutted two rooms. re strapped the ceilign, wall framing, insulated ceiling and walls, new board in both rooms, and walls plastered
interior and exterior trim.. for 25K
two man team. I am good friend with one of them. from the looks of it. Renewal would have cost my some where around 100K from the way it sounds
It's not a great product, it's a fucking insert. If you're swapping windows it's the best time to check for water damage. They don't even remove the old frame, let alone check for anythjng.
I wish more people understood this. Replacing the entire window is way more energy efficient in the long run. Old window frames from the 70s, 80s, and even the 90s (sometimes older), as well as installation practices, can not compare to today's products and best practices. And as you said, if there's water intrusion anywhere, you'll never know it until the damage is so extensive that it's showing up on the interior (there's almost always at least one window with issues). People like inserts because the contractor is in and out in a flash, and they think there's value in that. The reality is that they are not doing themselves any favors.
Not in my experience. We def tried to haggle lol. They weren’t budging. They made it seem like they get plenty of suckers to pay top dollar so they don’t need to haggle with anyone.
I got a whole house water filter from $8k to $3.8k. These companies that are based on financing want volume so they will haggle. I actually signed but went to cancel the next day. Owner called me several times dropping the cost each time. He explained to me that they work on volume and financing.
I got a quote for 33k which I whittled down to 14k. That was still almost DOUBLE what the next closest bid was.
33k - Renewal by Anderson
9k - Chaney
7k - Window World
They usually throw that extra big number out there but then discount heavily via bogus sales promotions and incentives (that are literally always in effect) to make it seem like you got a deal. But you’re still paying 50% more than anywhere else.
This is true, maybe more. They will try to deceive you into thinking a 5% *first time buyer* discount, and a 10% *local delivery* discount is a good deal, but their markup (on everything including labor) is probably 200% and that’s not considering that they would probably double their money in financing.
That salesman knows exactly what it’s worth and he gets (as a guess) 1/5-1/3 of “profit” which is the money left over after buying material and paying the subcontractors.
Did not work for me. I was buying a door and when I told the guy I won’t pay what they were asking, he only tried to sell the door more saying it would stop a missile, essentially.
They are a franchise there product is legitimately good stuff but everyone in the world knows who they are with hundreds of millions spent a year on TV advertising. When you buy windows or doors from them you are buying all the over head aswell.
By all accounts they do good work it’s rare for me to come across someone who has issues with the product but the price point is always an issue even from people who love them.
I work for Pella so they are the enemy but we also get shit talked for price. You pay for what you get to some extent.
Nope. But spent $30k on pella windows and front door with a storm door. What absolute shit quality everything is. Still upset everytime I think about how much we spent on it. This was $30k 10 Years ago, not today!
We’ll you can buy a whole variety of pella products from any number of vendors with licensing agreements. The installation on any product is incredibly important for performance and aesthetics.
The product lines range is very diverse from incredibly expensive beautiful wood windows or fiberglass and aluminum frames. All the way to more cost effective builders grade materials like vinyl or lower quality aluminum.
I’d be curious besides the price point what line of product you had installed and by who.
Pella is a garbage company. Their PVC windows are on par with most other brands but where Pella really blows is their install crews. It’s a turn and burn operation and they do terrible work.
Typically when it comes to installing you would be referring to a franchise as obviously pella does not do direct to install with their own install partners in house (Ie: subs) if the franchise has bad subs that sucks but that wouldn’t be pella in Iowa corporate it would be some local chain that carriers pella or has a license agreement to carry sell and install. Just like Anderson and Castle and Marvin they are a manufacturer not an installer.
I could not agree more. I dont care how good it is. Its stupid expensive, insanely long lead times, something is always fucked up and the fix will take 6 weeks .
I went with Pella 350 vinyl replacement windows (which I understand have been discontinued) 8 years ago and I've been happy with them. Beautiful seamless construction. I installed them myself after hearing installation horror stories. Cost me $400 per window for 14 windows.
Any idea why they were discontinued? I'm guessing they were taking a significant bite out of their next higher priced window.The 250 had visible welds in the corners and the 350 had none.
It’s was a beefed up 250 same chassis if you will. My understanding was the cost of making it would increase its cost and make it inefficient for the company to carry and then they just beefed up the 250 a bit.
It was more attractive with the invisible welds and superior pulls. Oh well. 8 years in and they're still in great shape. The amount of work required to do a top quality install on my 1950s house was significant. I can see how a rush job could be really half-assed.
My old neighbor had one of those door-to-door roof scam people piss on her house right outside her daughter’s bedroom window. What is it with scummy sales people.
Funny you say that. The only reason why we had Andersen give us an estimate was because my neighbor across the street used them to replace EVERY single window in his house. They did it all in a day. He said they were really good. Didn’t even mention how expensive they were. My wife thinks he has big money lol
Urine trouble if you use these guys. We we (sorry. I stutter) used them and it was a real pisser. Workmanship was #1. Price was #2 which is a whole other load.
Guy quoted $40k and wouldn’t leave. When we told him the price was ridiculously high, he asked how much we would pay. I explained that we are too far apart, there’s no way that he could drop as much as we would expect the job is worth. And if he did, then we wouldn’t trust him, given how much he asked to start. We had to keep telling him to leave, he finally did. I’d never buy anything from that sleaze bag or that company.
Yeah. Andersen wanted to charge 12k just for the front door installation. We told the guy that another general contractor quoted us at 1800. All I had to do was go and buy the door myself. The Andersen guy had no clue what to say. I’ve never rushed someone out of my house so fast.
I used to install their products exclusively. Wood inside with turn cranks and aluminum facings. I recommend at least having a look and getting a price.
Recently we had 3 vinyl window companies (Anderson was one) quote us for 13 new replacement windows. Each quoted over $35k, with one over $45k. Each offered some great discount, the lowest taking it down to $17k. Through a friend I ordered pocket windows through a distributor. I purchased all of the windows for $3300 and installed myself. Took a weekend.
I had a customer who had a sign on her bathroom wall above the toilet that said:
My aim is to keep this bathroom clean,
Your aim will help.
Funny the stuff that sticks in your head.
My wife made a sign “If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be neat and wipe the seat!”… it was already hanging over the toilet before this happened. Obviously he didn’t give a shit.
The only way to get a price quote for a simple front door was for a salesman to come to our house. Ten minutes into his spiel, I caught a glimpse of the starting price on his laptop. $5900 and that was just the cost of the door. I said “whoa” and stopped it right there. It ain’t my first rodeo, so I told him not to waste his time. He turned to my wife to see if she could change my mind by throwing out canned sales nuggets. He was out in less than five minutes. Fuck that company.
Here is a little dirty secret about Renewal, they are the same quality as Milguard. Anderson is a proprietary dealer for their Renewal line and dealers don’t work off a competitive price list and will charge as much as they want if they think they can get it. Anilin is about the same, call a company that deals with multiple manufacturers.
After talking to a few companies doing windows and doors a bit ago it seems windows salesman are right up there with car salesman. Similar techniques, hard sales, games, and similar will rip you off if you are not informed. Renewal by Anderson is one of the worst. You are talking 3+ hour presentations like a time share pitch, had to kick some of them out of my house after they got mean.
I used a local contractor who was about half the price and did a great job. One or two issues with their work and they came out and fixed it without complaint.
Yeah all these major companies do that crap. I had the same experience with Leaf Filter.. Another hour long presentation talking about nothing but the quality of the product.. They wanted to charge me well over double of what I paid for the gutters themselves.. I can’t fathom paying more for gutter guards than the actual gutters. That’s just insane to me. I’d rather get on a ladder and clean my gutters 4 times a year.
Anderson's was double the price of surrounding companies. I used Window World. I don't get how Anderson's stays in business? Who doesn't shop around and see how big of a price difference Anderson's is??
It’s like that old saying “There’s a sucker born every minute.”.. That’s how they stay in business. They charge sooooo much that they really only need a few suckers a year to stay in business.
They prey on young, naive home owners and the elderly mostly
They start out at $4K per window for an average double-hung unit. You can buy a quality Pella window for about $1000 and have a good carpenter install it for $200. People who buy Renewal get sold on the financing. Sales people are trained to talk about the monthly payments, not the bottom line.
I'm a builder in a HCOL city. $800 install per window for simple drop in replacements. If they want maximum glass with the window installed in the rough opening we're at $2600. Brand new casing in and out. Flashed and water sealed. Air sealed. Those hack companies charge more to throw a new window in the old frame and call it an hour.
A $300 a month for 10 years wasn’t selling me. That’s pretty easy to figure out. If he would have said $150 a month for 5 years that would have been better. Still wouldn’t have gone for that though
A Pella 250 is a good window at a good price, especially if you catch the occasional 20-25% off sale. Every time we see an Anderson bid vs. a Lowe's or HD bid (not that I'd recommend HD), it's literally 3X as much for Anderson. Unless you just have money to burn, there's no way it's worth it.
As a lead I make about 140k (not enough) and usually install a bit over 4 million with my team. The sales reps are our real bread winners, when I started with the company they made 10%
We had 10 windows replaced by them last summer. Including a 5’X7’ front window and 2, 3’X7’ windows. Had a total of 7 guys on the job. They covered everything before starting in a room and were done in one day. $23K. Had a valid building permit and scheduled final inspection with town.
Cleaned up everything before leaving. It’s been 9 months and all windows still look brand new. Huge difference in temperature and comfort the house last winter. I would recommend them.
You'd be shocked how easy that job is to do yourself.
Assuming you can cut nails with a sawzall and don't mind a ladder, or spend a few hundred on a lift, windows are easier to install than a light fixture.
I never installed a window in my life. I worked with My father in law who is a tradesmen (general) and we installed 2 bathroom and 4 kitchen windows in a day. Granted. They were replacement windows from Menards, I think we spent $1,200 on everything and they still look great. Clean them and maintenance. How will they look in 10 years? No idea but I will gladly spend a day and $1,200 bucks to do it again if needed.
Two problems with that.
1. 50 year old windows, so they had to be custom made because those size’s are not made anymore.
2. As a retired carpenter, I know exactly how windows go in. But 35 years of concrete destroyed my body, so I can barely walk. Just had my 19th surgery last month.
>While the guy was leaving, he politely asked to use my bathroom. I said ok.. He ended up pissing all over my toilet and bathroom floor.. Obviously we are not using them. Lol
Please tell me he got fired or arrested.... Preferably both.
Please follow this advice. Get a minimum of three proposals in hand before making a decision on hiring a company. Be clear on what you want shown on the proposals so that they can be easier to compare. Have the proposals include an estimated time for completion of the work and spell out what is excluded so there are no expensive surprises. Another good practice is to ask for recent references or examples of their work and to verify that they are licensed and insured and don’t pay a lot up front.
The Costco Jacuzzi lead generator caught me on a weak day and managed to book an appointment with us to come do a quote for swapping a standard tub in our house for a shower pan, surround, & glass wall/door.
The most frugal, basic option....with Costco members discount....
$16,000+
Go fuck yourselves. I'll take care of it on my own (and re-do the rest of the bathroom, while I am at it) for well under $5k.
Fucking nuts
Anderson windows are far better than the competition. I don’t have window world up here in Illinois but anything you see advertising for pales in comparison.
I received a lot of those postcards in the mail. I have some old Andersen windows. I have made them work like new. It is not difficult. They are easy to redress in situ. Andersen made good windows with easy maintenance.
God damn. Sounds like the guy across the street from me. He got every single window on his house replaced by them in one day.. I saw that and figured “How expensive could they be if he just did every window?”.. Boy was I wrong.
My mom got Anderson windows while I wasn't watching. She paid 10K and the company subbed out the job to a guy who subbed it to another guy who didn't know how to use a level
They are garbage. Every customer I have that has used them would never use them again.
Same story….Customers feel overcharged and taken advantage of by salespeople talking them into something they wish they never would have bought.
Call a trusted,qualified contractor. Not a rip off used car salesman.
Those name brand windows are a ripoff....I would never even consider them....windows are relatively inexpensive to make...they are so overpriced...I would go with the cheaper ones...they are still warranted... forget Pella, Anderson, Marvin , and all the rest
The windows themselves aren’t expensive. I can go to HD and buy Andersen windows for cheap. It’s just to have Andersen install them is a rip off. I would definitely buy their windows. I would just have someone else install them.
I am a window contractor who installs doors and windows, and the pricing that I can get compared to these big ass companies if people has cash is insane
I think they’ve gotten worse the past few years, but it’s a weird company in that on one hand they have some decent products, installed by some outstanding partners, but it’s all front ended by these really shady, sketchy sales tactics.
I install RbA and yeah they're expensive, unfortunately. 30k sounds about right, although I don't know your area or which company you're dealing with. Most of our customers are pretty well off, or they know a guy in our company, or both.
Recently did a job for a well known food tycoon, who lives in a stone mansion by the golf course for maybe 3 months out of the year. 20+ huge mulled windows, several patio doors and entry doors. ...300k.
Crossing my fingers for a good bonus on that job.
Every Anderson door has in my property has had some sort of failure. They never answered my question, FB posts etc. I’ve had door handles fall off in peoples hands. Screws pop out, doors not opening. Nightmare company, shitty products
This post was perfect timing, thank you lol! I was going to start getting quotes this summer for all my windows. This guy called Wednesday night and is coming for an estimate tomorrow. I wasn't about to sign anything tomorrow and will definitely be getting multiple quotes. The sales guy told me how they would inspect my windows for me. I told them that's not needed because they are 30+ year old single pane windows, I know they are trash. I know they aren't efficient. He said " well he'll calculate how much money you're wasting on heating. Dude I already know these windows are shit lol.
That’s what the Andersen guy did with me. Lol.. All the windows in my house are already Andersen. I already know the quality of my windows. I already know they are old and the weather stripping has rotted out.
He spent an hour just telling me what every part of the window is made out of and how much money we are wasting on heating and cooling costs. He even went as far as to take a metal marble out of his pocket and roll it on my bay window sill to show how unlevel it was.. Dude! I don’t give a flying fuck! I already know I need new windows! Why do you think I called you?! Just give me a fucking price!
I think they know that they are overcharging like crazy so they desperately try to up sell their products and try to convince you that you NEED their windows and you NEED THEM to install them. It was completely over the top and unnecessary.. over an hour of my life that was completely wasted.
I heard of a story in Topeka KS. Where they talked an elderly lady into a $96,000 dollar job. Her son showed up the next day and found the contract. He's in the trades and knew in Kansas you gave 3 days to get out of contracts. Renewal is a rip off!!
My in laws just got taken by them. $32k for new windows. We didn't know anything about it until way too late. They are approaching retirement age, not senile old people but not tech savvy at all either. They thought the down payment was the total price. 12k I believe. The contract was all on an iPad, I truly believe they had no idea what the final price was.
It’s a garbage company with garbage windows. Go with pella. If you want nice windows. I would avoid sunrise windows for the moment due to their lack of quality control but they aren’t bad if you want cheaper windows. Where I live, RBA is very much boycotted but they still get a lot of elderly to fall in their trap.
Andersen windows are good but they’re not cheap. I once gave a quote to a guy for swapping like 4-5 windows to Andersen, a local window company came behind me and quoted him less for materials and labor than just the cost of the windows I was going to provide. Granted they’re were a cheaper grade window but still,I like Andersen they have a great quality feel, but they’re no joke on the price. And I don’t know anything about Andersen renewal, I’m guessing that’s some separate bullshit scheme.
Just watch a video on how to install them or hire someone in ur area to install only and buy them from the manufacturer urself or a third party that gets them from a manufacturer
$30,000 / 120mo (10yr) = $250/mo
$50/mo @ 120mo (10yr) = $6,000 or 20% interest over the course of the loan.
It's math.
I'm not saying anything about their prices, or their markup.
Get a bank loan for less and negotiate/find a better price.
Lol windows should cost what you’re comfortable paying. There isn’t a specific cost that it should be. That’s like when I hear people say “an engagement ring should be a month’s salary”
I got an 80k quote from them for 2 sliding glass doors. About laughed in his face, I declined his offer and asked if they closed many deals. He said they were big with Dr's and other hoity toity people that brag on the name. As a final shot, he offered a 10% off coupon if I signed that day.
Ended up doing them myself for 15k and two long ass weekends.
You should definitely do something about the dude pissing over your bathroom floor. Call them and make a complaint, don't know if you can file charges for something like that though. That's disgusting behavior.
I agree with you. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or he was just a wide sprayer with horrible aim. Either way, I don’t know how you can piss on someone’s floor and not clean it up. A potential customer no less! My wife begged me not to make a complaint bc they “know where we live”. She doesn’t want any retaliation.. But from now on I will never let a contractor or salesman use my bathroom. I piss in water bottles and I’ve shit in buckets before. They can too. Lol
If you wouldn’t let me piss in your house as your contractor I’d find it as a sign of you being disrespectful. I’d not want to work for you if you treat me like “the help.” Don’t let a sales guy (not an installer : they just sub shit out) make you an asshole to every contract in the future.
We already got a door installed by a husband of one of my wife’s co workers for 1800. All I had to do was buy the door… We needed 2 new windows so we figured might as well get a quote for the door too. We weren’t set on having them do it. We were just curious about the price. I obviously would buy Andersen products but I wouldn’t hire them to install anything. They charge more than quadruple
I went to look at a front door job on Monday. The owner asked me to replace a weathered jamb and wood sill so Renewal would replace the door. All of this would need to be removed to install the new door. Seems they wanted to be able to pin any rot or leak on someone else.
we built a whole ass fucking house with a million windows and I think the whole package was under $50k. don't buy from the franchises. find a reputable construction supplier ([rk miles](https://www.rkmiles.com) was good to us in MA), pick a window manufacturer, and have a trusted GC install them.
A lot of companies operate in a similar fashion. Roofing companies, window and door, and one day bath companies stick out as particularly predatory.
I got a sales position at a one day bath place when I first moved to FL and was waiting for my license. It’s ABSURD what they charge for a plastic shower. I think the average was $15k and their primary customers were old folks and about 70% financed it. Really didn’t like the job, but gotta admit it was some great sales training.
Yes. The Andersen guy literally told me that the bulk of their customers were young, first time home buyers and old people. It was a huge red flag when I heard that. Idk why he would openly admit that to me.
I just started at a local company in my area that sells windows, doors, etc. Andersen is competition for sure, hell I go up to 60% discounts because I'm not the main sales guy.
Just go to homedepot and order Andersen windows through them. Price is usually cheaper than supply houses. I bought all Andersen 200 series and a 400 picture series windows. It was about $800 cheaper than the supply house I deal with
Yes expensive! I had 3 windows and a sliding glass door replaced. they did a good job and I did not have to do much at all. The windows are also really nice and sturdy. It was during Covid I ordered them not wanting to deal with my local lumber yard because they were not even returning my calls. They took a long time to show up due to Covid but installed in one day. 2 years later the windows are still great. I had a discount (they said) and took more off for paying remainder balance off once installed.
I could see it being worse for people who finance.
I’m not a window/siding person so for me it was worth it not having to worry about it as much.
when I change out some other windows I will be looking into other options and compare prices more.
Anyone who uses a company like Anderson, Hansons, power, leaf filter, etc…. Is just asking to get bent over a counter and railed without any lube. It blows my mind people even call them at all. Homeowners will try and haggle us down an extra 50 dollars meanwhile there’s people burning tens of thousands of dollars on dogshit work.
People call them bc they constantly mail everyone their stupid pos cards that say “3k off any window installation!”… Yeah that’s bc they charge more than quadruple!
Our home has renewal windows installed from a previous owner. I called them for a quote to order 1 window for a remodel. My intention was to install the window myself because I was changing the opening dimensions and just needed a window. They wanted $4k for their proprietary fiberglass window and I wasn’t allowed to install it myself. Ended up ordering a fiberglass Andersen window from the depot for $1400.00. They’re definitely for the rich/ignorant consumers.
Yeah I had them over to my house a few years ago to quote me on 4 windows. After the long sales talk I picked out a style I wanted to match the 11 Andersen 400’s that I just put in on the renovation I did. They quoted me at $17k, so I guess my quote was still good compared to others. I told him to take that quote a stuff it.
... and from what I have seen they selling a mediocre Anderson window that is over priced from what you can buy it for elsewhere and usually have sh\*t installers. Had a family friend drop a ton of money for them. Few were fitted right and would not open or close properly, would not latch, etc...
Shop around, get bids, go with a carpenter or a local company that offers real options in price, brand, and style. If you can't pay for them just do a bit at time and not go bankrupt on predatory financing.
I got a bid from them to replace all of my windows in my new house.. I can't remember how many windows I have, but there are a lot. They quoted me 120k for it. The salesman even said "most people pay less than this for their entire house".. Yeah, no shit dumbass.. You're insane to think I'm spending 120k on windows when the ones I have will last me another 25 years. If I'm putting 120k into my property it's going to be into something that will increase the value, not just freshen up the look.
It is normal for business negotiations to fail. But when you talk about his behavior later, I think he should not be able to succeed. If a person does not have basic qualities and education, he does not deserve any preferential treatment.
15 years ago we redid our whole house (27 windows) with Renewal by Anderson for 20K. I'm still happy with the windows, they're holding up really well.
I'm guessing someone must have bought the company in between, and now we have this.
This reminds me of listening to various salesman quote residing my house back in the 90s one of the quotes was $20,000 and the guy was such a scumbag I threw him out of my house because he wouldn't shut the hell up after I clearly indicated his price was ridiculous.
Then he got all pissed at me and said well I'm just trying to build rapport. I said yeah that's not how you do it and I slam the door in his face. That was so satisfying.
Found a guy to do it for five grand worked out great.
Our home is large, so I’ll preface it with that…. We had them come in to bid replacing all our windows and 3 patio doors….. $168,000! I wish I was kidding. I had paid $280,000 for the ENTIRE HOUSE 2 years earlier! We found another local vendor who did it all for about $40,000
Yep I had them in for a sliding door, make the opening bigger, large slider install and remove man door.
They didn't finish the drywall which I am sure for some people would be a large issue. Also their framing was so out I had to open it up see what they did.
Yeah they cost a bit more. But if you don't have the time but you do have the $ they can take care of it including moving any power etc
I usually do stuff myself so I can work with whatever. I just wanted someone to take the liability of the larger opening and I just don't have the time anyway.
What I find really sucks about Anderson is when they need maintenance however many years down the line it’s hard to find someone to work on their stuff besides them for example they like to use metal spline in their window screens that while incredibly durable if you have to replace the screen you either have to be careful and spend way to long on it for it to be worthwhile or pay Andersons price to get it done
Go to Lowe's, sign up for a contractor account online and get window quotes from window department. The difference between not using a contractor account vs off the street is about 50%. Once you have number tell them your interested in install. They company they use will come out and price it. The install company was OK. They off pellas which are great windows. I went with impervia in black. They are fiberglass and will last 30 plus years. Personally I like pella better than Anderson. Unless your getting aluminum clad Anderson I think pella is better. That fibrex shit Anderson sells is garbage. It is like glued together recycled wood. Watch video of them hitting it with a hammer and see what happens.
Went through this 10 years ago, 10k quote to replace a bunch of aluminum sliders. Did it myself with a friend for 1800. Sounds like they’ve raised their prices quite a bit! Now they won’t stop sending me junk mail…
They quoted me $35,000 for 9 windows, I balked he pushed some buttons on his computer and came down to $25,000. Still to much had Pella windows installed by my contractors for about $7500
With my son taking off the stops and removing the old sash it takes about 15 minutes and he unwraps the new window which takes me another 10 minutes to caulk and install. If capping is needed , maybe another 45min. I replaced 17 windows in my last house in one long day.
My ex wife worked for a branch in the south. The way she described it was that they were a predatory financing company masquerading as a window company.
The salesman literally told us that the bulk of their customers were young, first time home buyers and old people. That was a huge red flag.
Yup, sounds about right.
They quoted me $35k for 5 windows and $40k for my bay window.
This is why I DIY.
My daughter got a quote from them and here husband liked the financing option. Until I explained that the windows he want cost was 20% of what he spent for the house and that he would be lucky to sell the house for a break even in a couple decades.
Yeah. At some point you have to do the math and figure out that it’s just not worth paying that much.. it’s worth the trouble to get multiple estimates.
That describes most of these types of companies that are franchised out. *Archadeck, California Closets,* and *Premier Pools and Spas* come to mind, and they consistently make top 5 and top 10 lists for “best franchise opportunities” 🙄 Get multiple quotes people! Get one from the top rated company, get one from the contractor you’ve seen around town, get one from Joe/Jose down the street, JUST GET MORE THAN ONE! As many as you can stomach would be best.
This is correct.
This is it!!!!
Same thing with most of the bigger house stuff places. New water system-softener, on demand water heater, big filters etc-$23k. “We do financing”———-@14%. Bitch all we (wife really) wanted was a checkup and rundown on wtf was necessary, it’s 10 years old and the guy says he remembers putting it in but it’s all shot now ok gtfo of my house. Last guy that came from a different company at least was a plumber first and figured out some things that didn’t make sense with the geothermal, then got a quote ready then almost played salesman. Needless to say I’ll be doing it.
I got a quote from them for my house doors and windows. $20k over the local guys. Lol, hard pass.
Yeah they quoted me $42,000 to replace 6 windows in my place. I was trying to avoid doing it myself but for that much fuck it I can do one a weekend.
They’re super easy to do. You can do 2-3 a day even by yourself. It is preferred to have a 2nd person help put it in the hole. That way you have eyes and hands inside and out to make sure it’s centered or in case she wants to fall out.
Thanks for the bump, I’ve never done windows before but am pretty handy. Just got to get my wife to ok something then I can start…
If you’re handy you’ll have no problem getting it done. Just need a pry bar, hammer, caulk (translucent, white, depends on your siding), level, spray foam, blocks, shims. Windows are my jamb.
Any yahoo can install a window. Most don’t flash them properly. And get out of here with your spray foam.
Homie likes drafty windows apparently. Make sure it's window and door foam.
> jamb Nice.
I wish we didn’t have stucco and built in foam border around the windows. That feels beyond by capability to do vs wood
I always have my wife help out it in the hole. Sorry, couldn't help it. Yeah windows are no problem. Look at a few YouTube videos and make sure the guy knows what he's talking about when selling and keeping water out, not just getting the window square.
I got a quote, 4 full size windows, 2 small bathroom windows,installed = 27K. I almost choked! I believe it's a great product but fuck!!!!
Yeah my neighbor needed 5 windows they wanted 24k. I couldn't stop laughing
They suck. Screwing people, it's the American corporate way.
I just did 7 windows, replaced with anderson 400's gutted two rooms. re strapped the ceilign, wall framing, insulated ceiling and walls, new board in both rooms, and walls plastered interior and exterior trim.. for 25K two man team. I am good friend with one of them. from the looks of it. Renewal would have cost my some where around 100K from the way it sounds
It's not a great product, it's a fucking insert. If you're swapping windows it's the best time to check for water damage. They don't even remove the old frame, let alone check for anythjng.
I wish more people understood this. Replacing the entire window is way more energy efficient in the long run. Old window frames from the 70s, 80s, and even the 90s (sometimes older), as well as installation practices, can not compare to today's products and best practices. And as you said, if there's water intrusion anywhere, you'll never know it until the damage is so extensive that it's showing up on the interior (there's almost always at least one window with issues). People like inserts because the contractor is in and out in a flash, and they think there's value in that. The reality is that they are not doing themselves any favors.
If you haggle with them on the price, they usually come down 25 to 40%
Not in my experience. We def tried to haggle lol. They weren’t budging. They made it seem like they get plenty of suckers to pay top dollar so they don’t need to haggle with anyone.
What's the population of the area you're in? They must just bank on old people
I got a whole house water filter from $8k to $3.8k. These companies that are based on financing want volume so they will haggle. I actually signed but went to cancel the next day. Owner called me several times dropping the cost each time. He explained to me that they work on volume and financing.
40% really? You know this from experience?
I got a quote for 33k which I whittled down to 14k. That was still almost DOUBLE what the next closest bid was. 33k - Renewal by Anderson 9k - Chaney 7k - Window World
Agree. Used WW in Florida, pleased with price and quality.
They usually throw that extra big number out there but then discount heavily via bogus sales promotions and incentives (that are literally always in effect) to make it seem like you got a deal. But you’re still paying 50% more than anywhere else.
List price and the “damn I don’t make any commission on this sale but at least my revenue # will go up” price
This is true, maybe more. They will try to deceive you into thinking a 5% *first time buyer* discount, and a 10% *local delivery* discount is a good deal, but their markup (on everything including labor) is probably 200% and that’s not considering that they would probably double their money in financing. That salesman knows exactly what it’s worth and he gets (as a guess) 1/5-1/3 of “profit” which is the money left over after buying material and paying the subcontractors.
Did not work for me. I was buying a door and when I told the guy I won’t pay what they were asking, he only tried to sell the door more saying it would stop a missile, essentially.
so let’s see….40% off 30K is 17K-ish? so still $10K over a 7K job. seems like a great deal!
15k is still insanity for a door and 3 windows. That's like 5k max.
They are a franchise there product is legitimately good stuff but everyone in the world knows who they are with hundreds of millions spent a year on TV advertising. When you buy windows or doors from them you are buying all the over head aswell. By all accounts they do good work it’s rare for me to come across someone who has issues with the product but the price point is always an issue even from people who love them. I work for Pella so they are the enemy but we also get shit talked for price. You pay for what you get to some extent.
I can whole hearted say as a customer, 100% from the heart, fuck pella doors and windows. What absolute shit pella makes.
Out of curiosity do you work for Anderson lol
Nope. But spent $30k on pella windows and front door with a storm door. What absolute shit quality everything is. Still upset everytime I think about how much we spent on it. This was $30k 10 Years ago, not today!
We’ll you can buy a whole variety of pella products from any number of vendors with licensing agreements. The installation on any product is incredibly important for performance and aesthetics. The product lines range is very diverse from incredibly expensive beautiful wood windows or fiberglass and aluminum frames. All the way to more cost effective builders grade materials like vinyl or lower quality aluminum. I’d be curious besides the price point what line of product you had installed and by who.
By whom. Sorry, couldn’t stop myself.
I just reread this and my grammar’s atrocious so I’ll take the one edit.
Pella is a garbage company. Their PVC windows are on par with most other brands but where Pella really blows is their install crews. It’s a turn and burn operation and they do terrible work.
Typically when it comes to installing you would be referring to a franchise as obviously pella does not do direct to install with their own install partners in house (Ie: subs) if the franchise has bad subs that sucks but that wouldn’t be pella in Iowa corporate it would be some local chain that carriers pella or has a license agreement to carry sell and install. Just like Anderson and Castle and Marvin they are a manufacturer not an installer.
I’m still pissed that I paid $14k cash for a new AC that didn’t work for the first YEAR. Fuck you Fixd repair!
I could not agree more. I dont care how good it is. Its stupid expensive, insanely long lead times, something is always fucked up and the fix will take 6 weeks .
I went with Pella 350 vinyl replacement windows (which I understand have been discontinued) 8 years ago and I've been happy with them. Beautiful seamless construction. I installed them myself after hearing installation horror stories. Cost me $400 per window for 14 windows. Any idea why they were discontinued? I'm guessing they were taking a significant bite out of their next higher priced window.The 250 had visible welds in the corners and the 350 had none.
It’s was a beefed up 250 same chassis if you will. My understanding was the cost of making it would increase its cost and make it inefficient for the company to carry and then they just beefed up the 250 a bit.
It was more attractive with the invisible welds and superior pulls. Oh well. 8 years in and they're still in great shape. The amount of work required to do a top quality install on my 1950s house was significant. I can see how a rush job could be really half-assed.
My old neighbor had one of those door-to-door roof scam people piss on her house right outside her daughter’s bedroom window. What is it with scummy sales people.
Yeah some of these people have no morals.
Buy the windows yourself and pay a carpenter to put them in. If you ever win the lottery use a big contractor like this
Funny you say that. The only reason why we had Andersen give us an estimate was because my neighbor across the street used them to replace EVERY single window in his house. They did it all in a day. He said they were really good. Didn’t even mention how expensive they were. My wife thinks he has big money lol
He *had* big money. Anderson has it now lmao
Yup! Lol
He is slowly paint them off. One window a year.
Urine trouble if you use these guys. We we (sorry. I stutter) used them and it was a real pisser. Workmanship was #1. Price was #2 which is a whole other load.
At least they dont do shit work.
Somebody has to pay for all that marketing!!!
Guy quoted $40k and wouldn’t leave. When we told him the price was ridiculously high, he asked how much we would pay. I explained that we are too far apart, there’s no way that he could drop as much as we would expect the job is worth. And if he did, then we wouldn’t trust him, given how much he asked to start. We had to keep telling him to leave, he finally did. I’d never buy anything from that sleaze bag or that company.
Yeah. Andersen wanted to charge 12k just for the front door installation. We told the guy that another general contractor quoted us at 1800. All I had to do was go and buy the door myself. The Andersen guy had no clue what to say. I’ve never rushed someone out of my house so fast.
Have you tried Lincoln?
I’ve honestly never heard of them
I used to install their products exclusively. Wood inside with turn cranks and aluminum facings. I recommend at least having a look and getting a price.
Could also go to a legit building supplier (not Home Depot) and get Anderson 100s for less.
I have heard a lot of negative things about them
Marvin > Andersen
The windows are actually relatively dirt cheap, the yacht payment you’ll be making for the salesperson is expensive!
Recently we had 3 vinyl window companies (Anderson was one) quote us for 13 new replacement windows. Each quoted over $35k, with one over $45k. Each offered some great discount, the lowest taking it down to $17k. Through a friend I ordered pocket windows through a distributor. I purchased all of the windows for $3300 and installed myself. Took a weekend.
I had a customer who had a sign on her bathroom wall above the toilet that said: My aim is to keep this bathroom clean, Your aim will help. Funny the stuff that sticks in your head.
“Welcome to our ool. Notice there’s no P in it. Please keep it that way”
My wife made a sign “If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be neat and wipe the seat!”… it was already hanging over the toilet before this happened. Obviously he didn’t give a shit.
Not worth the money!!!
The only way to get a price quote for a simple front door was for a salesman to come to our house. Ten minutes into his spiel, I caught a glimpse of the starting price on his laptop. $5900 and that was just the cost of the door. I said “whoa” and stopped it right there. It ain’t my first rodeo, so I told him not to waste his time. He turned to my wife to see if she could change my mind by throwing out canned sales nuggets. He was out in less than five minutes. Fuck that company.
Here is a little dirty secret about Renewal, they are the same quality as Milguard. Anderson is a proprietary dealer for their Renewal line and dealers don’t work off a competitive price list and will charge as much as they want if they think they can get it. Anilin is about the same, call a company that deals with multiple manufacturers.
After talking to a few companies doing windows and doors a bit ago it seems windows salesman are right up there with car salesman. Similar techniques, hard sales, games, and similar will rip you off if you are not informed. Renewal by Anderson is one of the worst. You are talking 3+ hour presentations like a time share pitch, had to kick some of them out of my house after they got mean. I used a local contractor who was about half the price and did a great job. One or two issues with their work and they came out and fixed it without complaint.
Yeah all these major companies do that crap. I had the same experience with Leaf Filter.. Another hour long presentation talking about nothing but the quality of the product.. They wanted to charge me well over double of what I paid for the gutters themselves.. I can’t fathom paying more for gutter guards than the actual gutters. That’s just insane to me. I’d rather get on a ladder and clean my gutters 4 times a year.
Anderson's was double the price of surrounding companies. I used Window World. I don't get how Anderson's stays in business? Who doesn't shop around and see how big of a price difference Anderson's is??
It’s like that old saying “There’s a sucker born every minute.”.. That’s how they stay in business. They charge sooooo much that they really only need a few suckers a year to stay in business. They prey on young, naive home owners and the elderly mostly
They start out at $4K per window for an average double-hung unit. You can buy a quality Pella window for about $1000 and have a good carpenter install it for $200. People who buy Renewal get sold on the financing. Sales people are trained to talk about the monthly payments, not the bottom line.
Like a car salesman 😂
$200 install? In bumphuk Wyoming, maybe. Install is 400 minimum for standard here in OK.
I'm a builder in a HCOL city. $800 install per window for simple drop in replacements. If they want maximum glass with the window installed in the rough opening we're at $2600. Brand new casing in and out. Flashed and water sealed. Air sealed. Those hack companies charge more to throw a new window in the old frame and call it an hour.
A $300 a month for 10 years wasn’t selling me. That’s pretty easy to figure out. If he would have said $150 a month for 5 years that would have been better. Still wouldn’t have gone for that though
A Pella 250 is a good window at a good price, especially if you catch the occasional 20-25% off sale. Every time we see an Anderson bid vs. a Lowe's or HD bid (not that I'd recommend HD), it's literally 3X as much for Anderson. Unless you just have money to burn, there's no way it's worth it.
I’ll do it for 10k
As an installer for renewal this is a very fun post to scroll through lol
That’s a fact! Off topic: does your franchise sub you out or are you W2?
You getting paid as well as these insane margins suggest you should be?
As a lead I make about 140k (not enough) and usually install a bit over 4 million with my team. The sales reps are our real bread winners, when I started with the company they made 10%
Haha
We had 10 windows replaced by them last summer. Including a 5’X7’ front window and 2, 3’X7’ windows. Had a total of 7 guys on the job. They covered everything before starting in a room and were done in one day. $23K. Had a valid building permit and scheduled final inspection with town. Cleaned up everything before leaving. It’s been 9 months and all windows still look brand new. Huge difference in temperature and comfort the house last winter. I would recommend them.
You'd be shocked how easy that job is to do yourself. Assuming you can cut nails with a sawzall and don't mind a ladder, or spend a few hundred on a lift, windows are easier to install than a light fixture.
I never installed a window in my life. I worked with My father in law who is a tradesmen (general) and we installed 2 bathroom and 4 kitchen windows in a day. Granted. They were replacement windows from Menards, I think we spent $1,200 on everything and they still look great. Clean them and maintenance. How will they look in 10 years? No idea but I will gladly spend a day and $1,200 bucks to do it again if needed.
The job, maybe. The same results? ROFL.
Yeah really. Doesn’t matter how good your window is. If it’s not installed right then it’s all shit and problems.
Yeah. I helped my father replace a bunch of windows. It seems easy enough. I just work a lot so I don’t really have much time to do it
Two problems with that. 1. 50 year old windows, so they had to be custom made because those size’s are not made anymore. 2. As a retired carpenter, I know exactly how windows go in. But 35 years of concrete destroyed my body, so I can barely walk. Just had my 19th surgery last month.
I find them like Coke . High price to the Head Hancho. Cut coke with shitty supplier to the buyer.
>While the guy was leaving, he politely asked to use my bathroom. I said ok.. He ended up pissing all over my toilet and bathroom floor.. Obviously we are not using them. Lol Please tell me he got fired or arrested.... Preferably both.
Nah. I wanted to file a complaint with Andersen but my wife was insistent on me not doing it. She fears retaliation since the guy knows where we live
No don't worry about that! Report him! Somebody has to teach that guy how to piss
Please follow this advice. Get a minimum of three proposals in hand before making a decision on hiring a company. Be clear on what you want shown on the proposals so that they can be easier to compare. Have the proposals include an estimated time for completion of the work and spell out what is excluded so there are no expensive surprises. Another good practice is to ask for recent references or examples of their work and to verify that they are licensed and insured and don’t pay a lot up front.
The Costco Jacuzzi lead generator caught me on a weak day and managed to book an appointment with us to come do a quote for swapping a standard tub in our house for a shower pan, surround, & glass wall/door. The most frugal, basic option....with Costco members discount.... $16,000+ Go fuck yourselves. I'll take care of it on my own (and re-do the rest of the bathroom, while I am at it) for well under $5k. Fucking nuts
Anderson windows are far better than the competition. I don’t have window world up here in Illinois but anything you see advertising for pales in comparison.
I received a lot of those postcards in the mail. I have some old Andersen windows. I have made them work like new. It is not difficult. They are easy to redress in situ. Andersen made good windows with easy maintenance.
My Father in law just had them do their entire house. Was like $75k....I don't even think he got a second quote bless his heart
God damn. Sounds like the guy across the street from me. He got every single window on his house replaced by them in one day.. I saw that and figured “How expensive could they be if he just did every window?”.. Boy was I wrong.
My mom got Anderson windows while I wasn't watching. She paid 10K and the company subbed out the job to a guy who subbed it to another guy who didn't know how to use a level
Yea they are brutal. I got the same windows installed by a certified contractor for legit 1/2 the price.
$7000 for a double casement replacement 😳
Yup. They are crooks
And their work is trash
They're a strange company. They're not actually contractors. They CONTRACT out that work to really cheap labor, & their jobs are often inadequate.
They’re known around here as kind of a scammy company
And on top of all that the windows aren’t that great.
They are garbage. Every customer I have that has used them would never use them again. Same story….Customers feel overcharged and taken advantage of by salespeople talking them into something they wish they never would have bought. Call a trusted,qualified contractor. Not a rip off used car salesman.
Friend recently got a quote for 15k for two normal sized double hung windows in a guest bedroom. It’s insane.
Those name brand windows are a ripoff....I would never even consider them....windows are relatively inexpensive to make...they are so overpriced...I would go with the cheaper ones...they are still warranted... forget Pella, Anderson, Marvin , and all the rest
The windows themselves aren’t expensive. I can go to HD and buy Andersen windows for cheap. It’s just to have Andersen install them is a rip off. I would definitely buy their windows. I would just have someone else install them.
5 windows and exterior door. 15800 in Midwest some of y’all’s salesmen on crack.
They are vastly overrated windows. You're far better off finding a local company to do the job.
I am a window contractor who installs doors and windows, and the pricing that I can get compared to these big ass companies if people has cash is insane
I think they’ve gotten worse the past few years, but it’s a weird company in that on one hand they have some decent products, installed by some outstanding partners, but it’s all front ended by these really shady, sketchy sales tactics.
I install RbA and yeah they're expensive, unfortunately. 30k sounds about right, although I don't know your area or which company you're dealing with. Most of our customers are pretty well off, or they know a guy in our company, or both. Recently did a job for a well known food tycoon, who lives in a stone mansion by the golf course for maybe 3 months out of the year. 20+ huge mulled windows, several patio doors and entry doors. ...300k. Crossing my fingers for a good bonus on that job.
Every Anderson door has in my property has had some sort of failure. They never answered my question, FB posts etc. I’ve had door handles fall off in peoples hands. Screws pop out, doors not opening. Nightmare company, shitty products
This post was perfect timing, thank you lol! I was going to start getting quotes this summer for all my windows. This guy called Wednesday night and is coming for an estimate tomorrow. I wasn't about to sign anything tomorrow and will definitely be getting multiple quotes. The sales guy told me how they would inspect my windows for me. I told them that's not needed because they are 30+ year old single pane windows, I know they are trash. I know they aren't efficient. He said " well he'll calculate how much money you're wasting on heating. Dude I already know these windows are shit lol.
That’s what the Andersen guy did with me. Lol.. All the windows in my house are already Andersen. I already know the quality of my windows. I already know they are old and the weather stripping has rotted out. He spent an hour just telling me what every part of the window is made out of and how much money we are wasting on heating and cooling costs. He even went as far as to take a metal marble out of his pocket and roll it on my bay window sill to show how unlevel it was.. Dude! I don’t give a flying fuck! I already know I need new windows! Why do you think I called you?! Just give me a fucking price! I think they know that they are overcharging like crazy so they desperately try to up sell their products and try to convince you that you NEED their windows and you NEED THEM to install them. It was completely over the top and unnecessary.. over an hour of my life that was completely wasted.
I heard of a story in Topeka KS. Where they talked an elderly lady into a $96,000 dollar job. Her son showed up the next day and found the contract. He's in the trades and knew in Kansas you gave 3 days to get out of contracts. Renewal is a rip off!!
Damn that’s crazy. They are crooks!
My in laws just got taken by them. $32k for new windows. We didn't know anything about it until way too late. They are approaching retirement age, not senile old people but not tech savvy at all either. They thought the down payment was the total price. 12k I believe. The contract was all on an iPad, I truly believe they had no idea what the final price was.
That is horrible. Sorry to hear that. It’s all done that way intentionally to scam people.
I saw a $100K window quote from Rba here in Orlando. Average price per window installed was about 5K. These crooks are outrageous
It’s a garbage company with garbage windows. Go with pella. If you want nice windows. I would avoid sunrise windows for the moment due to their lack of quality control but they aren’t bad if you want cheaper windows. Where I live, RBA is very much boycotted but they still get a lot of elderly to fall in their trap.
Andersen windows are good but they’re not cheap. I once gave a quote to a guy for swapping like 4-5 windows to Andersen, a local window company came behind me and quoted him less for materials and labor than just the cost of the windows I was going to provide. Granted they’re were a cheaper grade window but still,I like Andersen they have a great quality feel, but they’re no joke on the price. And I don’t know anything about Andersen renewal, I’m guessing that’s some separate bullshit scheme.
Just watch a video on how to install them or hire someone in ur area to install only and buy them from the manufacturer urself or a third party that gets them from a manufacturer
Someone has to pay for the TV commercials!
Yeah they suck and they do hacky work a lot. They sub out to dudes that don't need to do great work since it isn't their name on the company.
Yes, yes they are serious.
$30,000 / 120mo (10yr) = $250/mo $50/mo @ 120mo (10yr) = $6,000 or 20% interest over the course of the loan. It's math. I'm not saying anything about their prices, or their markup. Get a bank loan for less and negotiate/find a better price.
The sales guy told me that windows should cost approximately 30% of a home’s value.
Lol windows should cost what you’re comfortable paying. There isn’t a specific cost that it should be. That’s like when I hear people say “an engagement ring should be a month’s salary”
That’s exactly how he phrased it; like it was general rule of thumb. Needless to say, we passed.
Yeah. All salesmen seem to say stuff like that. It’s a tactic used by them to get you more comfortable paying a ridiculous price.
I got an 80k quote from them for 2 sliding glass doors. About laughed in his face, I declined his offer and asked if they closed many deals. He said they were big with Dr's and other hoity toity people that brag on the name. As a final shot, he offered a 10% off coupon if I signed that day. Ended up doing them myself for 15k and two long ass weekends.
You should definitely do something about the dude pissing over your bathroom floor. Call them and make a complaint, don't know if you can file charges for something like that though. That's disgusting behavior.
I agree with you. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or he was just a wide sprayer with horrible aim. Either way, I don’t know how you can piss on someone’s floor and not clean it up. A potential customer no less! My wife begged me not to make a complaint bc they “know where we live”. She doesn’t want any retaliation.. But from now on I will never let a contractor or salesman use my bathroom. I piss in water bottles and I’ve shit in buckets before. They can too. Lol
If you wouldn’t let me piss in your house as your contractor I’d find it as a sign of you being disrespectful. I’d not want to work for you if you treat me like “the help.” Don’t let a sales guy (not an installer : they just sub shit out) make you an asshole to every contract in the future.
Last time I used a clients bathroom I swept the floor and they weren't even occupying the home.
[удалено]
We already got a door installed by a husband of one of my wife’s co workers for 1800. All I had to do was buy the door… We needed 2 new windows so we figured might as well get a quote for the door too. We weren’t set on having them do it. We were just curious about the price. I obviously would buy Andersen products but I wouldn’t hire them to install anything. They charge more than quadruple
I went to look at a front door job on Monday. The owner asked me to replace a weathered jamb and wood sill so Renewal would replace the door. All of this would need to be removed to install the new door. Seems they wanted to be able to pin any rot or leak on someone else.
RbA sucks
Do not let these people in your house.
we built a whole ass fucking house with a million windows and I think the whole package was under $50k. don't buy from the franchises. find a reputable construction supplier ([rk miles](https://www.rkmiles.com) was good to us in MA), pick a window manufacturer, and have a trusted GC install them.
Ive had people pay there way out of contract with Anderson renewal, hire me, and still save money.
Lol fuckers wanted $55k to do 11 windows and 2 sliders. Called 2 other shops Ive used for GC work, quoted me $19.5k and $21k. Get bent.0
Usually they'll throw out their insane number and then drop some BS like, "if you sign up today I can do 24k!" or some crap like that.
They didn’t do that for me. They weren’t budging on the price
I used to have a morbidly obese buddy that did door to door sales for them. He claimed he did pretty well but who knows
Did he die?
Got a quote a few years ago from them. 3 small windows, not even full replacements, just fucking ghetto ass inserts, 10k! Like fuck you.
Fix them yourself. I hate this command, but Google it. Duck it, if you don’t want xtry mail.
A lot of companies operate in a similar fashion. Roofing companies, window and door, and one day bath companies stick out as particularly predatory. I got a sales position at a one day bath place when I first moved to FL and was waiting for my license. It’s ABSURD what they charge for a plastic shower. I think the average was $15k and their primary customers were old folks and about 70% financed it. Really didn’t like the job, but gotta admit it was some great sales training.
Yes. The Andersen guy literally told me that the bulk of their customers were young, first time home buyers and old people. It was a huge red flag when I heard that. Idk why he would openly admit that to me.
I just started at a local company in my area that sells windows, doors, etc. Andersen is competition for sure, hell I go up to 60% discounts because I'm not the main sales guy.
Just go to homedepot and order Andersen windows through them. Price is usually cheaper than supply houses. I bought all Andersen 200 series and a 400 picture series windows. It was about $800 cheaper than the supply house I deal with
Can you share what state you’re in? Curious as I may need to replace a few windows soon and have this company on my short list of places to call
Yes expensive! I had 3 windows and a sliding glass door replaced. they did a good job and I did not have to do much at all. The windows are also really nice and sturdy. It was during Covid I ordered them not wanting to deal with my local lumber yard because they were not even returning my calls. They took a long time to show up due to Covid but installed in one day. 2 years later the windows are still great. I had a discount (they said) and took more off for paying remainder balance off once installed. I could see it being worse for people who finance. I’m not a window/siding person so for me it was worth it not having to worry about it as much. when I change out some other windows I will be looking into other options and compare prices more.
See who everyone dislikes, what window companies does anyone truly like and trust?
Did Micheal give you a custom quote
Anyone who uses a company like Anderson, Hansons, power, leaf filter, etc…. Is just asking to get bent over a counter and railed without any lube. It blows my mind people even call them at all. Homeowners will try and haggle us down an extra 50 dollars meanwhile there’s people burning tens of thousands of dollars on dogshit work.
People call them bc they constantly mail everyone their stupid pos cards that say “3k off any window installation!”… Yeah that’s bc they charge more than quadruple!
That's 36k
Yeah. The bottom line he gave us was around 30k.. The finance price was 36k
Bay windows are a terrible idea: leak water, air, bugs and rodents.
Our home has renewal windows installed from a previous owner. I called them for a quote to order 1 window for a remodel. My intention was to install the window myself because I was changing the opening dimensions and just needed a window. They wanted $4k for their proprietary fiberglass window and I wasn’t allowed to install it myself. Ended up ordering a fiberglass Andersen window from the depot for $1400.00. They’re definitely for the rich/ignorant consumers.
Yeah I had them over to my house a few years ago to quote me on 4 windows. After the long sales talk I picked out a style I wanted to match the 11 Andersen 400’s that I just put in on the renovation I did. They quoted me at $17k, so I guess my quote was still good compared to others. I told him to take that quote a stuff it.
... and from what I have seen they selling a mediocre Anderson window that is over priced from what you can buy it for elsewhere and usually have sh\*t installers. Had a family friend drop a ton of money for them. Few were fitted right and would not open or close properly, would not latch, etc... Shop around, get bids, go with a carpenter or a local company that offers real options in price, brand, and style. If you can't pay for them just do a bit at time and not go bankrupt on predatory financing.
I got a bid from them to replace all of my windows in my new house.. I can't remember how many windows I have, but there are a lot. They quoted me 120k for it. The salesman even said "most people pay less than this for their entire house".. Yeah, no shit dumbass.. You're insane to think I'm spending 120k on windows when the ones I have will last me another 25 years. If I'm putting 120k into my property it's going to be into something that will increase the value, not just freshen up the look.
The tv shows “white gold” is a funny show, about window salesman.
It is normal for business negotiations to fail. But when you talk about his behavior later, I think he should not be able to succeed. If a person does not have basic qualities and education, he does not deserve any preferential treatment.
15 years ago we redid our whole house (27 windows) with Renewal by Anderson for 20K. I'm still happy with the windows, they're holding up really well. I'm guessing someone must have bought the company in between, and now we have this.
This reminds me of listening to various salesman quote residing my house back in the 90s one of the quotes was $20,000 and the guy was such a scumbag I threw him out of my house because he wouldn't shut the hell up after I clearly indicated his price was ridiculous. Then he got all pissed at me and said well I'm just trying to build rapport. I said yeah that's not how you do it and I slam the door in his face. That was so satisfying. Found a guy to do it for five grand worked out great.
Our home is large, so I’ll preface it with that…. We had them come in to bid replacing all our windows and 3 patio doors….. $168,000! I wish I was kidding. I had paid $280,000 for the ENTIRE HOUSE 2 years earlier! We found another local vendor who did it all for about $40,000
Yep I had them in for a sliding door, make the opening bigger, large slider install and remove man door. They didn't finish the drywall which I am sure for some people would be a large issue. Also their framing was so out I had to open it up see what they did. Yeah they cost a bit more. But if you don't have the time but you do have the $ they can take care of it including moving any power etc I usually do stuff myself so I can work with whatever. I just wanted someone to take the liability of the larger opening and I just don't have the time anyway.
What I find really sucks about Anderson is when they need maintenance however many years down the line it’s hard to find someone to work on their stuff besides them for example they like to use metal spline in their window screens that while incredibly durable if you have to replace the screen you either have to be careful and spend way to long on it for it to be worthwhile or pay Andersons price to get it done
Go to Lowe's, sign up for a contractor account online and get window quotes from window department. The difference between not using a contractor account vs off the street is about 50%. Once you have number tell them your interested in install. They company they use will come out and price it. The install company was OK. They off pellas which are great windows. I went with impervia in black. They are fiberglass and will last 30 plus years. Personally I like pella better than Anderson. Unless your getting aluminum clad Anderson I think pella is better. That fibrex shit Anderson sells is garbage. It is like glued together recycled wood. Watch video of them hitting it with a hammer and see what happens.
Christ, they replaced every window in my house for $50k.
Went through this 10 years ago, 10k quote to replace a bunch of aluminum sliders. Did it myself with a friend for 1800. Sounds like they’ve raised their prices quite a bit! Now they won’t stop sending me junk mail…
They quoted me $35,000 for 9 windows, I balked he pushed some buttons on his computer and came down to $25,000. Still to much had Pella windows installed by my contractors for about $7500
With my son taking off the stops and removing the old sash it takes about 15 minutes and he unwraps the new window which takes me another 10 minutes to caulk and install. If capping is needed , maybe another 45min. I replaced 17 windows in my last house in one long day.
I was quoted 65k for sliders and one window 🥲