Renewal by Andersen, Pella Windows, Statewide Remodeling, Champion Windows - The big overpriced guys & Window World, Best Buy, Lowes, Home Depot - The Cheap Guys - BBB Buyoffs - "Free Financing" and other oddities

Renewal By Andersen Reviews - Dallas Texas

If you've gotten a quote from Renewal by Andersen you may have gotten serious sticker shock. Four grand a window, This picture shows a quote that Renewal did in late 2024 for a customer in Flower Mound and the contrasting quote I gave them for a very similar window.

The performance numbers are virtually identical on these two windows. The warranty is lifetime on both.

The biggest difference is that you found us on Google and they spend literally hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on advertising, overhead, profit margins, sales commisions and other things that just bring no quality of life to you or your home.

All that junk mail, the TV ads, the radio ads, and the full page newspaper ads are what have convinced you that they are "the best", but in reality, they just aren't that much better than a mid range window.

Even the reviews aren't that kind to Renewal. Because they are national, the reviews are from all corners of the country but if you look deeper and in depth here in Dallas, you find that they have lots of very unhappy customers with quality of workmanship, product and of course, the cost. Note that they don't even put the performance stats on their quote.

The Fibrex window is essentially fiberglass and wood chips. It is similar to fiberglass but there is a reason that 95% of windows sold are vinyl. It's due to value. There are no windows that are worth $300 per square foot. Here's a link to the full story:

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Pella Window Reviews- Dallas Texas

"Cheap builders grade" are the three words that go with the vinyl product.

The Impervia is the fiberglass version and is usually the pitched product by their installed sales department.

This window can be three to four thousand dollars and up for a basic standard sized window. Arched windows and Circle Top windows can be even more.

Higher priced companies require both homeowners to be on site to provide a quote because the tactics tend to be higher pressure with sales calls lasting potentially three to four hours and often conclude with a "hard close".

This is when they will often offer 20,30 or even 50% off the original quoted price If you agree to sign the paperwork and do the deal "today only".

This has been a pattern for decades with the hard close home improvement providers dating all the way back to Sears Home Improvement.

The product uses the same spring bar system and single weatherstrip approach that has been in place for decades. Nothing great about the window itself.

There is no "great new innovation" to the product aside from heat reflective glass and Argon gas, which are industry standards even for windows that are 25% the cost.

The real cost is in the advertising, overhead, commisions and marketing costs drive that bottom line to where it is. This is not where we find "value" in a window replacement project. None of that is on your house.

They try to tout the installation but that too can be lacking. It is a misnomer that "factory trained" has much meaning. Training doesn't happen in a warehouse, it happens on a house. Training an installer really just means "showing him how to do it" a few times.

Even this picture (below) on their ad shows a three quarter inch gap between two windows in a bow unit. Most skilled installers would say "that's too much". This window is a mismeasure. Not only do they hang it, but they foam it in and put it in an ad. It's really not "craftsmanship" by any reasonable standard. That's not me by the way. That's their guy in the reel.

Consumer Affairs Website - The rating at the top seems incongruent with the data at the mid point of the page. That chart shows 696 One Star Reviews and 451 Reviews at Two Stars or better. They somehow average to 4.1 but the site itself says that they may be paid by Pella (top of page).

Statewide Remodeling Reviews - Dallas Texas

Statewide Remodeling is one of the big advertisers. They fall into the same category as Pella or Renewal by Andersen.

Big budget advertising, huge beautiful showrooms, high pressure salesmen that blow you out of the water with huge price tags that then drop by 20, 30, 40 or even 50% as long as you "sign up today" for the big discount.

This one shows some things worth discussing...

Do you think that a $200 install can be done for $50? Do you think the window company will carry a $20,000 project on the books for 18 months? So what is really going on here?

The answer is markup. If they can get you approved for 20 grand, and do a job for $18,000, and pay a bank $2000 to carry the note, they still have sold you windows. Yes you paid for the interest up front in a fee, but it isn't "interest" is it?

Now the question becomes, how much can they sell a window for? If they sell you five windows for $20,000, but it only costs Statewide $5000 to do it, they are banking on your lack of understanding.

Knowledge is key. Even if they give you "the big discount, (TODAY ONLY) and mark that $20,000 job down to $12,000 then what?

Then they pay the bank 20% or $2400 and get the bank to carry the paper for you, buy $5000 in windows and installation and still have a $4600 markup that is pure profit.

This is a huge thing in the window replacement industry. the math doesn't math very well.

You should know up front that there is no free lunch. No one carrys the paper in house and no bank carrys the paper for less than 8 to 10%, if not 18%. There is only "no interest" if they pay a fee for that.

The same exact thing happens when they say "12 months "same as cash". That's a total lie. They will sell your $12,000 in credit to the bank for $10,000 and take their money and run.

The real question is: How much of the money is really used for Windows and Installation?

The window industry has some basic numbers that are impossible to deny. That salesman makes a 10% commission. That business owner makes (at least) 10% in profit. That company needs to spend 15% on advertising (based on industry standards for most companys), That beautiful showroom, staff and utilities take up 10%. The bank, that buys the paper and finances this show gets 20% to give you those great lines like "12 months same as cash", "No interest for 18 months" and so on. No window company is in the banking business and money is what makes any business work. They do not carry that paper. There went 65% of the money and we haven't even bought a window or installation or caulking or window foam yet. This is why an $800 window install is now $1,777.00. we haven't even talked about the discounts for "doing business today" or the 40% off sale. These things should all give you pause.

CLICK HERE FOR STATEWIDE REMODELING ON THE DALLAS BBB AND CLICK "COMPLAINTS"

Window World of Dallas - Fort Worth.

The cheap window guys. Window World. This is the well known provider. The problem here is that you can't build a good window and get someone talented to install it for $600. It just can't be done. It's like buying a new car for $5000. There just isn't enough money there to do the job.

They may seem okay from the advertising but applying the numbers to this price point is another story.

If a window is $600, and overhead and profit take up 20% of this total, you leave $480. Then the showroom needs 10% and the salesman needs his $60. This leaves us $360.

Two guys to hang a window takes up $200 and now we have $160 to buy a window, all the trim, the caulking and the insulating foam.

Needless to say... we ran out of money towards the end.

I had a customer tell me that their install team showed up with four guys in a Honda. This is just a recipe for disaster.

The reviews tell the story better than anyone. Lots and lots of unhappy customers and those are just the ones that reported the issues and none that just decided to "live with it" because it was cheap or they are kind and don't want to make waves.

The truth is, you're likely to be unhappy with the project. It's certainly not going to be a big upgrade and value adder to the home. It ends up being a really sad story.

The BBB says A+ but if you look closer, Window World has paid them to keep the reviews out of the story and it says so right on the website. You have to dig around for the tab that says "Reviews" and if you do it's a string or horror stories.

At the end of the day, there is no window company in the country that has a worse reputation with customers than Window World.

Even the cheapest builders grade window at the lumber store costs more than the total we have at the end of the math equation above. But you want to leave them in charge of the main thing on your home that keeps heat and cold out?

It just isn't wise. This is a classic case of "you get what you pay for".

Check the complaints tab on the BBB site. Poke around on Yelp. Look at the Rip Off Report. It's scary.

Years ago I thought these guys would be out of business in no time but they wage on today 23 years later.

So... bottom line. Cheapest window you can buy. Cheapest installers in the country. Cheap caulk, No foam or trim. Just a recipe for disaster on your most valuable asset and one that you will have to live with and look at for the forseable future.

It's like buying the cheapest car at the car lot. You have to know that it won't last and yet.. you still buy it.

Two words will apply. Buyers Remorse.

Best Buy Windows and Siding.

The cheap window guys. Window World is the better known but Best Buy Windows and Siding is one that has a big radio presence.

They seem to be able to price windows without even seeing your home.

The fine print here is that they are using average numbers on a small ranch house. These are not the prices on arched windows, half circles or oversized windows. Those are considerably higher.

I worked with Dax Prescott's dad in the 90"s when he owned All American Siding. They are focused on the cheapest product they can find, and the cheapest labor they car find.

This is obviously going to have some problems.

If you're selling your home and need windows to get more money for it, they may well be a good option. If it's a rental house that may also be the case.

The fact is, the cheapest companies focus on lower value homes, lower income households. This too is why they don't see as many complaints as other larger companies.

The expense and the expectations are quite a bit lower than if you have a home that you plan on being in for many years. Or perhaps a home with a value over $350,000.

Those types of homes require more diligent stewardship to retain their value.

You can't put cheap, crummy windows into a home that is worth half a million dollars or more.

Those buyers can afford the bigger payments and therefore have a more discerning eye towards the improvements that they see.

If you put cheap stuff in a great house, the buyer will notice and offer you less money than the neighborhood will bear.

In all homes, there is an average price per square foot. A low price and a high price per square foot. The improvements you've made will dictate where your home falls on the pricing scare.

If you're selling a house, flipping a house or it's simply an investment property, then cheap windows may be the right direction.

While we do sell cheap windows in Dallas,, we find that what most people are needing is a value related product with some level of endurance and long term performance value.

If it looks or works poorly in five years then it wasn't really an upgrade to the value and longevity of the home.

Window Nation Dallas

This is actually listed as "Best Discounts by Google's AI and it's a little disturbing overall.

Terrible reviews from homeowners.

These are the guys that offer half off all the time. They also tout things like "no interest for 5 years".

How do they do that? The answer is to charge outrageous amounts and pay the bank from the proceeds. No window company carries paper. They sell windows for a living. They are not a bank.

I've sat many times with many financing companies from Creatas to Hearth and countless others. The answer from the bank is to simply upcharge the contract.

As I sat with one banker, he said "Take your $10,000 project and mark it at $12,000. This gives you $2000 to pay fees."

For this very reason, most companies have stopped using the phrase "Twelve months same as cash". The reality is that this claim was a flat out lie and made everyone uncomfortable.

By saying "12 or even 60 months no interest, and by paying for the financing in fees up front instead of using the word "interest", they gently skirt the reality.

From my view of a quote from Window Nation, they charge roughly triple the cost of the project, enabling them to pay the bank for whatever "promotion" they advertise.

Reading through their reviews, they have all the same problems as the cheap guys but pull in customers with the false promotional offers.

Know this as well. The BBB is no longer a consumer advocacy group. Over time they have become an advertising company. Many organizations with huge complaint logs and hundreds of complaints can still have an A+ rating by being an "accredited business" with the BBB.

The cost is a small percentage of their gross sales. I have also seen "unrated" BBB businesses that have a disclamer reading "no rating while this company handles complaints", or "Due to the number of complaints we only list 50% of the complaints recieved."

These false advertising and promotions once caused a company to have lower ratings but that accreditation money changes everything as long as they try to respond to the complaint.

You see the same with Consumer Reports. Be careful and dig deep into the company's reputation. Often it is not what it appears to be on the surface.

INSTALLATION TEAMS:

I see a lot of discussion about hourly verses subcontractors. I think whatever the window company uses is usually presented as the best option.

Having done this for 40 years I can tell you a little on the subject.

Both approaches have good and bad aspects. Hourly guys go slower and can be more careful. That sounds good but those guys, even at $30 an hour, are probably not the most talented guys doing this kind of work.

When you're really good at installing windows, you do make a six figure income. If windows pay $120 each at a ground level, you need to install about 20 a week to net $2400. Your helper makes $800 of that and insurance, tools, gas and other expenses will take $300. We're back at $1300 a week.

This means the sub needs to install 40 units a week. Then he gets two helpers, liability and commercial truck insurance and tools, drill bits, saw blades and so on. That guy does have to have a very steady flow of 40 units a week to stay busy and keep his two helpers busy.

The perception is that the sub then goes too fast and isn't as detail concious.

I do not find that to be the case. I think that guy has to do great work to keep the flow rolling.

With my business model. We have an uber talented guy on the job with every project. Quality control is job one in either case, hourly or subcontractor.

Window Reviews Matter

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