Obscene pricing with sales tactics designed to exploit vulnerable people
We are looking to replace 8 windows and two sliding glass doors in a ~1,500 s.f., 1978 spec home — all standard-sized windows that do not require special ordering. The most common size was just under 3' x 5'. The sliding doors are standard, just under 72" x 80". This is in Riverside County, a modest-income area. The cost for Andersen 100 series windows (essentially the same as Renewal by Andersen, made with their Fibrex composite material), in black, with the CA-required extra sun shield coating, and all tempered for extra fire resistance, is about $7700. For a reasonable estimate of installation costs, we described the home in detail to a Gemini, which estimated another ~$7,000 to $9,000 for a full-frame installation, not the retrofit installations that use your existing frames, which significantly reduce labor costs but are an inferior product. The total cost should be between ~$14,000 and $17,000. This includes the costs of pulling permits, repairing stucco and drywall, and cleanup, but not touch-up paint. It may be that the average homeowner (like us) will pay a bit more, since we're a one-time customer rather than a contractor with repeat business. For this job, Renewal by Andersen quoted $55,000 for retrofit windows and over $70,000 for full-frame installation. This was a "special deal" as the normal price was over $100,000, but several specials that day brought our cost down to $70K. They then offered gimmicky financing (two years free, no interest—install now, pay later), as well as monthly 10-year financing at a decent 7% interest rate (still well above the HELOC rates we can get). It is obscene for a company to try to exploit people this way. Although their windows (series 100, installed by a trusted contractor) appear to be good and perhaps best for our project, I'm choosing another product because they are part of the same parent company, and I don't want to support practices I consider unethical. In a sane world, this would be illegal. If you are a Renewal by Andersen salesperson, get a life. I hope this behavior haunts you. Go sell used cars, houses, or something else besides Andersen windows. Try to do some good in the world.