Tough choice because

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Inquirer
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 12:10 pm

Tough choice because

#1 Post by Inquirer »

I currently have Gorell windows that have seal failures. Gorell was a small company no longer in business, so I am out of luck. What are the top recommended windows? Soft-Lite, Sunrise and Okna. Aren't they all small companies?

Okna has had a class action lawsuit in the past, Sunrise seems to have limited distribution and it seems like they have all been guilty of aggressive sales tactics and at least Soft-Lite and Okna have been reported to have customer service issues. Not sure about Sunrise.

So it seems like the name brand choices worth making all have the possibility of me ending up in the same position as I am now unless I went to Simonton which seem to be a drop in quality. Another choice would be RiteWindow which what I see suggests they have a very good product and the business is honest, no games and customer oriented. I have not seen anything stating the Rite Window has reinforced sashes though. It refers to it as heavy duty.

Whereas going with a small dealer presents the possibility that they could go under, I would still have the manufacturer I could deal with directly although that can present it's own problems. On the other hand RiteWindow supposedly has their window made for them, so if they went under I am not sure there would be any available options for warranty claims.

Don't get me wrong, I am not losing sleep over this and I understand there is no guarantee with anything in life. I would just like to limit my chances for a repeat of what happened with Gorell. At the same time I want a quality product. I also understand that no matter how good the windows and installers are it is not impossible for things to go wrong.

Question, I have not seen anything stating the Rite Window has reinforced sashes unless I missed it. It refers to it as heavy duty.How much of an issue would it be if the sashes were not reinforced?

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HomeSealed
Posts: 2996
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2010 3:46 pm
Location: Milwaukee, Madison, SE Wisconsin

Re: Tough choice because

#2 Post by HomeSealed »

Inquirer, every window company should be judged on its own merit. Gorell went under for a host of reasons, none of which due to their size which really was not that small. There are a few conglomerates in the exterior home products industry, and then many others that are of healthy size and history. All of those you mentioned are in the top 100 window manufacturers in the US (there are thousands), and have sales volume of $20-$30 million plus, and history of quality beyond 20 years. Many companies large and small have also filed bk's and such, where consumers may not even be aware that they no longer have warranty coverage.

On reputation, you will find something negative on any company that you search. What you want to see is an overwhelming sentiment one way or the other. Be careful about placing too much stock in one source of information, as everyone has motives and biases, some more pronounced than others. Every manufacturer also has a host dealer "types" selling their products, ranging from high-priced and high pressure, to "chuck in a truck" where he makes just enough to afford weekend beer.

Specifically on Softlite, Sunrise, and Okna, these are 3 companies that have a long history of leading our industry in product innovation and performance, good customer service, and very few skeletons. In fact, I'd venture to say that the very few negative things that you have read on these three companies is mostly hot air blown up to be a bigger deal by their competitors... Keep your focus on objective data, along with a composite review of each manufacturer's quality and history and you should find yourself in good hands at the end of the day.

Inquirer
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 12:10 pm

Re: Tough choice because

#3 Post by Inquirer »

Here is an example of why it is tough. 1st company was RiteWindow. Liked their approach to doing business. After I saw some other windows , I wanted to take another look at theirs so I went to their showroom. Don't ask me why I ended up doing this but if you grab the part of the window that you use to lift it up and push and pull it a little bit horizontally there is play in it and it pulls away a little from the vertical seal on the side of the window. Both of them in the showroom were exactly the same. I tried that after with 2 different Soft Lite windows in a showroom including the Bainbridge and there was no play, just a tight seal and a solid feeling build quality. I can't imaging the RiteWindow would have a good seal. I have to believe that the Soft Lite is a better window.

2nd person was the guy who seemed to really care about how he does the job and the installation and customer service. He has been in business 2 years. 11 reviews 4 five star and 7 As on Angies List, no bad reviews but very few reviews overall and short time in business.

3rd person, a local company that says all the right things and is even recommended. 5 time Angies Super Service Award. 140 A(s) and only a few bad some of which were unreasonable and they made every effort and then some to rectify the situations. They give you a price which is ridiculously low that makes you feel something is wrong.

4th comapny I was researching did not come to the house but over 30 years experience with over 200 customers and no reviews on BBB although he had an A rating, a few on Angies List with an overall C and an F in there too. That was all I find anywhere. He did not respond to any complaints. Only gives a 5 year warranty on installation. Seems like a really nice guy but not sure what to think under the circumstances. He is the Okna dealer. I told him the installation warranty was a dealbreaker.

People who can go to you guys on here are lucky because it is a no brainer but some of us have to choose under different circumstances but that is life.

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