HELP!! I signed a contract for Comfortworld windows........

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voldaddy
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:12 pm

HELP!! I signed a contract for Comfortworld windows........

#1 Post by voldaddy »

Hi,

I just found this site after signing a contract for Comfortworld windows with Window World. I have 10 double hung, 1 picture window, and 1 two light slider swing and clean, all with low E and argon, grids in all of the double hung. I also have a bay window with 3 double hungs in it. It is their 4000 series, price of $4,400 installed and capped. I have read for over an hour here and see where these windows aren't very well thought of. I can't afford the $8,500 windows mentioned here-what are my other options in my price range? Please....and and all replies will be greatly appreciated!
TIA.

jtfpie
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2005 2:39 pm

#2 Post by jtfpie »

I am about to pull the trigger for new windows and understand your concern. I received a quote for 6k for 14 double hung, 4 casement and 2 sliders from comfortworld. Home depot was over 10k and a contractor with the same windows was 9k. This web site and others have been a wealth of information and I am sure the contractors who post here would do a great job and even put in a higher quality window. But all decisions are cost benefit decisions. I am willing to take the risk. Why? I used to be in the contracting business and I understand how that are able to offer such a dramatic different in cost vs the contractors. If they were cutting corners poor installs etc it would be all over the internet. I have yet to find any consumer complaining about the windows falling out etc. What they are doing is high volume purchasing like walmart so their cost of the window is probably less than half the contractor pays who quoted the same windows. As for the warranty issues, the contactors who complained do not understand how warranties work. As for the using subcontractors I recently had a sunroom installed by one of the major window contractors in my area. The owner talked up how their employees are expects etc and when they came to install the sunroom the person installing it was a subcontractor installing his first sunroom, so unless it is family or a friend you have to take what the salesmen says with a grain of salt. My guess is whatever window, window world uses someone would complain because they are a threat to their business. So in the next couple of days I will sign the contract unless I can find concrete reasons not to because I just can not justify paying 30% more for similar windows. By the way they told me their windows are not alside but American Weatherseal.

HipKat
Posts: 301
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2005 9:22 pm
Location: Peoria, IL
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#3 Post by HipKat »

You don't have to take his word with a grain of salt if he shows credentials backing everything he says up.
Not ALL of us are liars, cheats, thieves, or crooks. Some of us actually do honor our jobs and take pride in our customers needs and our ability to fulfill them.

handyman19619
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 9:34 pm

#4 Post by handyman19619 »

I do not have a problem with their quality or warranty. I just cant compete with their price.
It is not a bad window. They have all the features thet you should want If you got the low e and argon. The 4000 is made by alside go to their web site check them out for yourself the 6000 is made Aws they are both affiliated. Personally I like the excaliber 4000 better.
If you compare the 4000 to simonton you would pick the 4000 it is a better window unless you are talking to a Sears salesman at 900 a pop
The only problem I have is with the installers. Make sure you check some of their references and be satisfied with what they do.
They pay less and their subs come and go request (DEMAND) the installer with the best references.

HipKat
Posts: 301
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2005 9:22 pm
Location: Peoria, IL
Contact:

#5 Post by HipKat »

Yeah, alot of people think buy the windows is the most critical part, but if the rolls royce isn't built right, it isn't worth a chevette. Installation IS THE MOST critical part of ANY window order. A company that has company/ factory trained installers beats out a company that uses sub contractors, who have revolving door employees any day of the week, in my opinion.

handyman19619
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 9:34 pm

#6 Post by handyman19619 »

Look at it this way
If you are any good at what you do why would you work for $12 an hour if you could make $60 per window and still be factory trained
I do not buy into the whole employee thing. When you are good at what you do people seek you out. When you are not you work for someone else and try to get where they are.

windowrep
Posts: 135
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:57 am
Location: ne ohio

#7 Post by windowrep »

hipkat, get out now while you can. quality is still important to you and dont let people talk you out of quality. this is the end of the market that you do not want to get involved with. you will never be able to answer all their questions on the reason not to by quality. some people must learn for themselves and do not listen to honest advise. save yourself the hassle brother. this same arguement is made on every other thread here.

jtfpie
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2005 2:39 pm

#8 Post by jtfpie »

Handyman, Hipkat

Thanks for being honest, I was not taking any shots at the contractors on this board. I am sure all the contractors on this board are honest and try to do what best for there customers. It is just hard for a consumer to find a good honest contractor. In my sunroom case the company had been in business for 20 years had a radio show for a number of years and I met with the owner not one of their salesmen so I was surprised I was lied to. To their credit they were prompt in fixing the problems but it cost them a job now that I am ready to replace my windows. Window World is the latest company that uses large purchasing power to undercut the small business owner, just like Walmart, home depot, bass pro shop etc. As a consumer it is hard not to be attracted to the low price when you don't have a relationship and trust with another contractor. If I have any problems I will be the first one to throw them under the bus.

handyman19619
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 9:34 pm

#9 Post by handyman19619 »

I hate to admit it but I like Walmart . I just hate what they do to small local business.
But if the small business ripped me off for years because they were the only game in town for years and laughed every time they got a check from me then to H with them.
You should hear what some of these salesmen say about their latest conquest in the sales meetings and break rooms.
If you have problems with WW adress your problems locally then if need be to their corporate web site you will get results

windowrep
Posts: 135
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:57 am
Location: ne ohio

#10 Post by windowrep »

how many walmart heirs on the top ten billionaires list this year? how many of your local business owners are on there? there are reasons they were laughing at you, but it is not because they were getting rich. there is nothing wrong with windowmart or windowworld or windowpalooza or windowmax or windows-r-us, sorry i was amusing myself. all those places support the economy by hiring installers that would normally be unemployed. i applaud them. there is a market that they target and to there target market they are reinventing business practices. their customers get good windows for next to nothing, all the while they [ww] are losing money. oh yeah i forgot one- mcwindows, nahh that sucked.

handyman19619
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 9:34 pm

#11 Post by handyman19619 »

Not to be mean but! Take your swiggle seal, mechanical frame ,and sash back to Cinci and oh by the way tell your past customers they really do not have to keep putting those signs in their yards for the demo house discount.They are getting tired of moving them every time they mow the lawn.Really liked the McWindow 1 that was good.
Ever see what an AirTite window looks like 2 years later when the swiggle melts and sags on the south side of the house. The glass pack is free if you wanted me to change it for you well that will be $100 please.
Frame goes bad well we will change that side but not the whole window and oh by the way you want us to do it $100 please

windowrep
Posts: 135
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:57 am
Location: ne ohio

#12 Post by windowrep »

not to be mean. that was very mean and hurt my feelings. you got a way with words. you are happy with your window and i am with mine. although mixing a little truth in between your sentences would not hurt. later

voldaddy
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:12 pm

#13 Post by voldaddy »

Wow-this thread really took off......Tomorrow is my last day to cancel, so does anybody have an opinion if I should look for a different window for around the same price? Or is Window World ok? Again-I can't afford to put $15k in windows in my house, I am getting 10 DH, low-e/argon, w/grids, a picture window low-e/argon, 1 bay window [windows only, to replace existing DH windows so they match, 3 DH low-e/argon/grids], & 1 two light slider swing and clean, low-e/argon, no grids, It is about $4400 installed. Thanks for any and all replies!

profFrink
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:26 am

#14 Post by profFrink »

voldaddy wrote:Wow-this thread really took off......Tomorrow is my last day to cancel, so does anybody have an opinion if I should look for a different window for around the same price? Or is Window World ok? Again-I can't afford to put $15k in windows in my house, I am getting 10 DH, low-e/argon, w/grids, a picture window low-e/argon, 1 bay window [windows only, to replace existing DH windows so they match, 3 DH low-e/argon/grids], & 1 two light slider swing and clean, low-e/argon, no grids, It is about $4400 installed. Thanks for any and all replies!
Well, I've been shopping for windows for almost 2 months now, I've looked at 10+ contractors and windows. There is quite a price range, and I was this close to just choosing the Gorell 5100 AC Masters, but had also looked at a number of other windows. I actually went to WW today - and was surprisingly impressed. AFTER looking at everyone else, the window seemed ok, very similar to other windows I've seen, like people have stated their 4000 series is basically the Alside Excalibur. Not a great window, had some basic features I was looking for, but the price is unbeatable by far, and they claim to have a lifetime warranty (can anyone legitimately dispute this? I guess I'll check that long topic again..). This argument has persisted in this messageboard for a long time, and I'm sure a lot of the guys on here that have been here a while are sick of it. Most of the people on this board see WW as competition, and very tough competition because of their pricing. Windows are one of the most profitable industries in the house improvement market, and WW is just cutting everyone down. Which is PART of the reason why many people on here bad mouth them so much. Another reason is that of the window quality - it is not an upper-end window by any means (but it seemed ok to me), and when it comes to window quality you basically get what you pay for. So expect a higher CHANCE of something going wrong with this window than more expensive ones. Now, WW sells a crapload of windows, I checked my local WW BBB and they only had 3 complaints in the past 3 years - for installing that many windows and to only have 1 complaint a year in my opinion tells me that they seem to be doing something right. Another issue is their install people, but, again, in my opinion, it's not rocket science (no offense guys) - I was even considering putting them in myself - but their installers are probably not as professional as some of the guys out there for 10+ years - but I'd suggest to be there during the install - I think them knowing they have someone keeping an eye on them will prevent them from cutting corners. And be knowledgable about the install process, ask them questions as they do it if you think they're not doing it right, make sure everything's plumb and straight, and looks good before they leave.

Basically, what it comes down to in my opinion, if you want a quality window and you plan on living in the house for many years, you may want to look at many of the better options out there. But, if you're just looking for replacement windows to replace some old, single pane aluminum windows and don't plan on staying in the house a lifetime, then WW is a valid option. I will tell you that noone I know will even come close to their prices, especially since their window is "decent" in my opinion (I've seen many worse). They have BUYING POWER and volume whereas local contractors do not, and contractors often have to go through a middleman (distributor/wholesaler) which jacks up their costs even more. Looking at past messages on this board, most everyone in the industry speaks very badly of them, and scares many people off, but like I said, they have to be doing something right to have not many complaints as a percentage of the business they do. You have a chance of having a problem with ANY window you get, granted your chances are higher with a cheaper window, but what is the percentage that something will go wrong? I don't think it's very high, from the research that I've done, and as I've said before I can't recall anyone in my lifetime having a problem with the windows on their house (and trust me, there are a lot of cheaply made houses down here with crappy construction grade windows with no problem in 15 years). Even IF I have to replace one window here or there 5 years down the road - and IF the warranty doesn't cover it (like it should) - I'm STILL making out better - by thousands of dollars. And you won't really see any difference in energy efficiency between comparable glass selections, there may be some variance, but negligible.

Either way, you should shop around before making a large purchase decision, and not only listen to people's advice on here. My opinion's are that of a consumer who has done a lot of research, I am not an expert by any means, but I believe my opinions are unbiased (vs. many ppl on here because they are in the industry as competition) and based on the research I've done. Many people on here are very knowledgeable, and experts in the industry, and I value their opinions. If I had the money, I would definitely get a better window, I liked the Gorell's a lot, but, being only 26, just bought a house that needs many other things other than windows, on a very limited budget, WW is a very enticing option.

Nobody
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2005 2:12 pm

#15 Post by Nobody »

A friend of mine works as an independent installer and does some work for Window World. But only when he has to, because they pay less than half what he gets for the same install for Sears. At least that is what he tells me.

I chatted with him recently and he told me that the WW 4000 is no longer the equivalent of the Alside Excalibur. A few months ago they changed which window they used for the 4000, however they left the name the same. He noticed it when he picked up for another install job and found the windows were different than what he had been installing for the past 3 years. When he checked the labels, they still said ComfortWorld 4000.

In his opinion, the new window is a cheaper design. The vinyl extrusion is thinner, the window is lighter. The latest WW brochures show the new window and it is different than what WW shows on their web pages for the 4000. As they never promised anyone that it would be an Alside Excalibur, I guess they can change it any time they wish to.

He added that the 6000 window still appears to be the Alside Sheffield, and in his opinion, is a far superior window to the 4000. As it is only about $30-$40 more per window, he thinks it is well worth the price as it only adds about $500 to the whole job cost. The WW web site illustration for the 6000 makes it look like it is the Alside Ultramaxx, but it isn't. The Ultramaxx has a pocket sill, while the 6000 does not.

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