We are looking to replace the windows in our house. The current windows were put in sometime in the 80s. They were better than the original 1950 vintage windows that came with the house, but we can do better now. It's time for them to go. So when one of those pesky telemarketers called wanting to put me in touch with people who could help me with my home improvement project, I said okay.
A bit of background - having been a home inspector for the past 12 years, Mark has seen more windows than the average bear. And as a HUD consultant, he knows what windows should cost. His requirements are fairly simple - double-glazed, vinyl, and the price should include installation. On the other hand, I care about how they look. The color, whether or not they have grids. And of course, how much they cost.
But back to the phone - I only answered the phone when I felt like it, because I knew I would be getting calls from all sorts of people, and fortunately, whoever that middle-man was had a "made-up" email address for me, so if I didn't want to hear from them again, I didn't correct the email address.
Sears was first up. Their salesman advised me when he made the appointment that "both of us needed to be present for his presentation". Right. He arrived with his window demo kit and Mark was NOT at home. He seemed a bit disappointed but he showed me his wares and measured the windows. He gave me a written estimate that remains the high bidder at over $30K.
Another company, and truthfully I don't remember who it was, was giving me the same line of BS about how both of us needed to be home. I tried to explain that when I got estimates to replace the HVAC unit, no one insisted that both of us be home and that I didn't see the need for it on this occasion. It was funny because the young lady was being fed the answers to my questions/objections by her supervisor. I know because I could hear him tell her what to say and then she would say it. It got really funny when she said it was for the "client's protection". "Protection from what?" I asked. Apparently no one had ever asked that before because the answer was bordering on the nonsensical.
I suggested that the real reason they wanted us both there was so they could apply high pressure sales tactics and get us to sign a contract. But of course, they would never do ANYTHING like that. They did NOT employ high pressure tactics. Right. It was fairly high pressure just being on the phone with them.
There was another company that wanted us both to be there that I ended up making an appointment with. Mark was there when the salesman arrived but he'd barely started his pitch when Mark said he felt ill and excused himself. That guy lost his mind. He refused to continue his presentation (which I could care less about anyway. I only wanted to know if it met our criteria and how much it cost.) He proceeded to scold me for letting him drive for an hour and half only to have to reschedule. (Sorry, I don't get advance notice when Mark is going to be sick.) He also belittled my knowledge of housing in general. And then he implied that I didn't know what I was talking about when I said that contractors needed to be registered with the city in order to pull a permit in Celina. (He'd never heard of such a thing.) Clearly, he'd not done business in Celina before. He was clearly trying to impress me with his superior knowledge of home improvements. Funny thing is, this guy was old enough to know better. Just as well he never called to reschedule because I wouldn't have let him back in my house anyway.
But I guess it could be worse. Window salesmen in the UK are known as "double-glazing" salesmen and apparently they've gained quite a bit of notoriety there. Mark told me that he let one in his house once and ended up signing the contract just so the guy would shut up and leave. Of course, Mark called and canceled the contract the following day.
We still haven't made a decision on the windows. I've got a couple more companies I want to look at. But you can bet that if both of us need to be home in order to get an estimate, it won't be happening.
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