Window Shopping: Sears

Recently, we refinanced out mortgage, as I have mentioned plenty of times before. The refinance was dual purpose: to get out of our ARM into a 30-year fixed, and to take some cash out for some remodeling projects. The first remodeling project is windows. We are looking to replace 10 double hung windows and our big picture window. The picture window may or may not end up being converted to a bay window.
This appointment had the elements I always worry about when I have people coming over to our house. First, the facts about Sears. They have their own custom made product that comes from their factory in Florida. The specifications are very similar to the Thompson Creek window: double panes coated, argon gas fill, etc. The guy even did the cheesy demo, though instead of a heat lamp, he used a can of air turned upside down so that it made the window cold. He pointed his laser thermometer at it, and it read 23 degrees, while the other side read 80. “See?” he said. “100% energy efficient.” Uh no, sorry. There is no such thing. If there was, it would pretty much break every known law of science. And there is where I had some problems. The guy was making stuff up too much, and putting on the pressure too much. “You can’t get our technology with any other window.” Everyone has the same shit, my friend, and you should know we are aware of this since we have all these other people telling us so. He also claimed that we would get a $500 tax credit, which was also false. Windows are only eligible for a credit of 10% of the cost, up to $200.
At any rate, we weren’t all that impressed with Sears. The same product as Thompson Creek, but for a national chain, and at pretty much the same price. His quote (which he did not leave us in written form, WTF?) was $11,800, which included, ahem, special discounts. This is pretty clearly a scam that all the window companies do. They’re like car dealers, they quote you a high price, then pretend like they’re doing you a favor by cutting the price, “special for you, only today.” Adding a bay window would add about $3000 to the project, so it’s looking more and more like we may be sticking with the big picture window. The worst part of the whole experience was that it really did look like the guy wasn’t going to leave. We were very clear that we were not making a decision that instant, but he still was trying to get us to sign something, saying that we had until July 7 to cancel or some nonsense. Meanwhile, Lisa’s trying to feed Evan and Ellie is begging me to play with her, and we just want him to leave. Finally, he relented and left.
At this point, I have no idea how American Home Centers is coming in with such a low price, but it appears that we are actually comparing apples to apples. I talked to the guy again, and he said that everything is included in their price, and the windows are custom made. It’s just shocking that they are half of the other guys, with no haggling. We got the name of one more guy who did two of our neighbors’ windows, and had another wishing he had picked them, so we’ll try to get them out as well. We also have one more appointment next week.