Tuesday, July 21, 2009

window shopping

So John and I have this huge picture window flanked by two regular windows in our family room. They are the only windows in our home that haven't been replaced. During last winter we discovered that those particular windows let in the cold better than an open door. So we recently started a quest to find an energy efficient (as in functional AND qualifies for the federal tax credit) replacement.
Have you ever called a window company for a free estimate? First of all you and your spouse both have to be home so they can pressure you into buying the windows that day and you also have to set aside at least 2 hours for the entire process.
We had a guy from Company A come last Saturday. He was polite and knowledgeable and kept his presentation to an hour and a half. But as he was our first estimate we told him we would pass on the quick decision one-time-only-rebate and let him know after we had gotten another estimate or two.
A guy from Company B came last night around 7:45. I was impressed originally that the company had appointments that late but as the night wore on I realized it was a spectacular marketing ploy. The guy was nice and all and knew his stuff (scary how his presentation was almost identical to the first company) but he wouldn't leave! 10:00pm rolled around and as I was obviously very pregnant and exhausted you would think that he would understand and leave when we told him we would like to think about it and get back to him. Nope. He chatted for a while about inconsequential things and then would push again for a decision, phrasing his argument in a different way. Like I said, nice guy but tenacious as all get out! Anyway, he and John started chatting about various ways of financing (starting this conversation by asking about the flatscreen tv that John got on black Friday) and he found John's weakness... He promised a six months same as cash financing to pay for the window. John sat back and smiled, "Now you are speaking my language." Personally, I was ready to let this company replace all of the windows in the house just to get the guy to leave so I could go to sleep. After another chat of nothing in particular (it was about 11:00pm at this point) they got down to it and signed the paperwork. We finally closed the door behind him at 11:30pm!
In all honesty, I like Company B and we have used them before so I am slightly more comfortable with them than with Company A, but otherwise the products were almost identical. The only reason Company B ended up with our business is that they wore us down completely via the late hour and the financing option which Company A never brought up.
So a warning to you window shoppers out there... never, ever schedule a late visit with a window rep unless you are planning on actually buying from them- you could end up with new siding and a new roof as well if you aren't careful, not to mention some serious sleep deprivation.

3 comments:

Jamie said...

too funny!

Generational stitcher said...

I would have looked at him at 10 and said ever so rude and bluntly, that if his company really wanted our business he would get his butt out your door so you could go get some sleep that you OBVIOUSLY need. Sorry you were up so late...that drives me nuts when its so obvious that you need to be sleeping instead of doing whatever it currently is :P

Heather said...

Blast! I hate it when they wear you down. Wicked evil tenacious people. I hope it all works out! I'm excited to see baby #3 good luck with everything!