@apilot14 Thanks for sharing your Window World experience. I was seriously considering them because of the price point marketing. Now I know what to expect. Sounds like it could still be an okay deal, but not as insanely cheap as advertised once you add things.
I might still get a quote from them, but I won’t have my hopes up for a miracle price. And I’ll be sure to compare the window quality with others as you did.
Appreciate the insight!
@waffles_campbell Seven quotes? You deserve a medal for patience! 😂 But I get it – knowledge is power. I thought I was overdoing it with four quotes, but you put me to shame.
It is pretty fascinating (and absurd) how much variance there is. When I went through mine, it was like playing Deal or No Deal. I can only imagine with seven, you could practically graph the whole market range.
Anyway, kudos for doing the homework and sharing the outcome. It reassures me that my plan to get multiple bids is the right way to go.
@marywolf990 Your story made me chuckle. It's a fine line between negotiating and offending 😂. Good on you for adjusting your approach. Most salespeople respond better to the “help me meet my budget” angle than “your price is bad and you should feel bad.”
I tried to keep it friendly with all the reps I dealt with. One even said, “I usually don’t do this, but I’ll talk to my manager and see what we can do,” which I think was because we were polite and personable with him.
So yeah, being nice can pay off too!
Reading all this, I'm convinced window shopping can be as tricky as buying a car 🙃. At least now I'm forewarned about the sales tactics and hidden costs!
100% agree @film495. We went with a slightly higher quote because the cheap one had sketchy reviews. Peace of mind is worth the cost difference.
My neighbor went with a slightly cheaper but less known contractor and had issues (missed appointment times, sloppy caulking, etc.). He saved maybe 5%, but got headaches.
So, lowest bid is not always best bid. Aim for the best value – which is quality and a fair price combined.
I'll wrap up with my experience: we finished our window replacement last month. We chose a mid-priced local company (not the cheapest, not the most expensive). The quote was detailed and ended up being spot on, except for one thing: they discovered one window had some framing damage from old water leaks. It cost an extra $250 to repair that area. They showed me the issue, explained it, so I was okay paying that.
Even with that, the final price was within 3% of the quote, so pretty darn close. I had kept a little contingency in my budget for surprises, which I recommend everyone do (maybe set aside an extra 5-10% just in case).
The best part: because I had everything in writing, there was no argument about what should or shouldn’t cost extra. The only extra was that rot repair; everything else was covered.
Now I have new windows that look and work great, and I feel the price was fair thanks to doing the homework and negotiation upfront.
Big thanks to this community – reading stuff like this ahead of time set me on the right path. Cheers!
Same here, just got my windows done and I’m happy with the outcome and the deal I got. I saved about $800 off the initial quote by negotiating and using tips from here, which was awesome. The crew did an excellent job and stuck exactly to the contract with no added fees.
For those still in process: trust the process (multiple quotes, lots of questions, don’t rush). It works. I ended up with quality windows at a price I could stomach.
And thank YOU all for sharing so much. I read this thread in detail before finalizing everything, and it was like having a team of experts on my side. 😁 Good luck to the next folks, you got this!
Jumping in a bit late, but this thread is fantastic. Quick confirmation: most quotes do include removal of old windows and disposal, right? I see many of you mentioning checking that. I would have assumed it’s standard, but now I won’t take it for granted. I’ll be sure to ask each place, “You guys haul away the old windows, yes?”
Would be quite a surprise if they left all the old windows on my lawn or something 😂.
@lpaws72 Definitely ask to be sure. In my experience most did include removal, but one actually had a separate line item (like “Remove and dispose of 10 windows: $300”). It was in the quote though. For others it just said “includes disposal.”
No one was going to leave the old windows behind without telling me, but the difference is whether it's included in the base price or an extra charge. As long as you clarify, you’re good.
So when you get the quote, scan for any mention of removal or disposal. If it’s not there, ask “what happens to the old windows?” and “is there any additional fee for that?”
One guy told me some homeowners choose to keep old windows (for salvage or resale) so that’s why they sometimes list removal separately. But most of us just want them gone, which they’ll do – for a price if not included.
@gaming_duke Got it, thanks! I'll make sure to confirm the disposal part with each contractor 👍.