I Don't Do Windows...

...today anyway.

Do you own your home? Have you had people in to quote work for you? Do they do the "you have to sign now or you don't get the price" thing?

I hate that.

Yesterday a company that we had do some work on the house called and said they were having a special incentive program and did we have anything we might want to do. I told them we wanted to do some window replacements and they said great, and that their guy would come out, do some measurements, and give me a quote that would be good for a year.

Perhaps optimistically I thought that as a repeat customer I would be spared the hard sell. Alas no.

So Gene comes out, measures our windows and quotes me a price - a HUGE price by the way, in case you've never done replacement windows. Then he says he can do me 10% as a repeat customer. To me 10% an incentive program does not make.

Then he trots out the hard sell. The company and the manufacturer have allocated incentive funding that make "a substantial" difference, but you have to sign now.

Hmm. Go jump in a lake.

We chat and chat and finally he trots out the incentive price - one night only - an additional 30%. It's a decent price I guess. I can never seem to get my head wrapped around how much people want for home improvement work. It might even be a price I might pay, but not in a "before-I-leave-the-house" scenario.

Strangely, the work we're looking at is the balance of the job we did with them the first time and the "screaming deal" price this iteration is just barely 10% lower than the remainder on the first estimate. So much for a special incentive program.

I guess we'll see how our taxes come out and then decide if we really want to finish the work now and if we do we'll call and make them an offer. If they want the work, they'll take it, and if not - well they know where to find me.