Simonton 5500s

[Stebby]

First, thanks to everyone here for all of the info. We didn't really know where to start when thinking about new windows (other than CR, ha...) but this board really helped.

We are replacing four double hung windows in our kids' bedrooms in our home just outside of Washington DC. We would like to get good but not necessarily top-end windows. From everything we've seen, the Simonton 5500s fit what we have in mind, although we don't mean to rule out others that are similar.

We've had several different installers give us estimates. We have had a hard time finding good recommendations on installers so we feel like we're making a bit of an uninformed choice, although several people have made it fairly easy to not go with them.

There are two quotes in particular that we are considering at this point. Both are for Simonton 5500 double hungs (35x52), low e, argon, double strength, with contoured grids. We got one quote from a dealer off the Simonton website for $2800 (that day only and $3200 otherwise). The other quote is from an independent installer for $2100 (supposedly their best price with no timing attached).

These quotes are more different than we expected. We would generally go with the official dealers but the price difference is too big to make that easy. On the other hand, we thought the second guy was credible but his price seems too good compared to other one. so, now we're unsure. We can get more quotes too but we don't have any other installers in mind and at some point we have to make a decision.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks for the help!

[Windows on Washington]

The second price is very competitive.

I would never do business with someone that gives me a one day price. It is insulting and I as a consumer never appreciated it.

I can legitimize maybe taking a hundred bucks off maybe to save the follow up trip out or something like that but almost 15% tells me that he is charging too much.

He is making money on that deal at 2800 so 3200 is insulting.

[Skydawggy.]

Many dealers have a minimum number of windows they will install at certain times of the year. This is especially true in a very expensive area like Northern Virginia. It's possible the higher price is due to the fact you only want 4 windows and the larger dealers aren't interested in a $2100 install when they are backed up with a lot of 20-40 window jobs.

[Skydawggy.]

I can legitimize maybe taking a hundred bucks off maybe to save the follow up trip out or something like that but almost 15% tells me that he is charging too much.

So a $100 price drop for an immediate order is OK but $300 isn't? How about $200? Would that be acceptable? If you offered them $100 off for an immediate order, how come you wouldn't honor it the next day?

Just trying to follow your logic.

[windowrep]

Disposal fees that are built into the price and can be taken off are no longer disposal fees, they are a price drop. you have built 100 dollars into the price and someone else has built 15% into the price. Both are the same just wrapped in different packages.

[Windows on Washington]

Disposal fees that are built into the price and can be taken off are no longer disposal fees, they are a price drop. you have built 100 dollars into the price and someone else has built 15% into the price. Both are the same just wrapped in different packages.

The disposal fee is not built into the price, it is a line item on the contract.

Also, how exactly is $100 the same as $300....just checking my math.

As I said before, it is never something that I don't renege on either if the customer ultimately decides to enter a contract anyway. It is just the number that I have a handle on as a quality of life number. If you live in the Washington DC area and commute in this traffic...you are more than welcome to comment on that. There are some areas that I travel where homeowners are well outside what is considered normal commute times and are unable or unfamiliar electronically transmitable contracts. In those situations where I am fairly certain the person wants to sign, but is afraid of signing a contract that day because of past experiences, I can offer them that carrot. It is more than worth it to me from a commute standpoint.

What difference does it make anyway seeing as it is coming out of a salespersons commission anyway. It is an option that salespeople have to save themselves some commute time and peace of mind.

In the case of a contract that small, a salesperson might offer 1/2 off the disposal fee.