Am I being scammed?

I received a quote from a salesman for $16,000. For 14 average-sized double-hung 2-pane windows. He said they use only Simonton, but he claimed that his windows are made especially for his company and cannot be found on the Simonton website. He claimed that he was giving us a 40% discount on labor because he wanted to make our house a model house.

The model home scam is one of the most overused and unfortunately tried and true hustles.

Yes...it is a scam.

His window is not made just for him as it is just an adaptation of another window they already make.

Where is the home located? Vinyl windows are somewhat regional and recommendations will also be regional.

What else can you tell us about the installation?

I'm in the Rocky Mountains. Since I posted the question, I got a quote from a local doors & windows company that will install Simonton Platinum Windows at my place for $7000.

Amazing how some scams go on forever. Rent the movie "Tin Men" sometime, it's a great movie starring Richard Dreyfus and Danny Devito, in which siding salesmen scam homeowners by telling them that they are going to use their house as a "model" home for advertising.

You are swinging to the extremes now.

Make sure you get a solid unit in that area of the country. Windows can be a real weak spot in the home if they leak air or aren't up to snuff.

While a dark movie in parts, that is a good flick.

This was an over the phone quote from a company I was referred to by multiple friends who are very experienced with home remodeling. They'll inspect my home tonight to get a more accurate quote. The quote, more specifically, was $500 for a 27X55 Simonton Platinum window including installlation. I have 14 Windows.

At least I know it won't cost 16K.

+1

You are doing much better already.

Make sure they quote either the Prism Platinum, Reflections 5500, or the Impression 9800.

Inside each of those, look for an upgrade spacer package and triple pane is never a bad investment.

Roughly how much extra per window should I expect to pay for those upgrades?

Impossible to tell.

They might have had the warm edge spacer and reinforcement in there.

No way of telling what someone charges for triple pane.

+1. TP upgrade may range anywhere from $50 to $150 depending upon product and dealer... By the looks of it, you are now on the right track. That looks like a very good price on a decent window.