Universal Windows Direct of Chicago

Gedas and his assistant were quick and efficient and even cleaned up the mess. :D Very satisfied with their work.

Took forever as sales person. And measuring people screwed up. Had to meet again and have windows remeasured then took twice as long to mfg then intall

I would and will advise everyone I come in contact with to stay away from this company. I signed a contract to purchase windows with them that would have replaced all the windows in my house. 5 days later I had a terrible family situation that is going to cost me who knows how much money over the next few months. In addition to calling off work, canceling vacations, etc., I call to cancel this window project. It’s been an unprofessional nightmare since then. I’ve had to request the project be canceled 7 times and I still haven’t received confirmation. Rather than simply respecting my request initially and letting me move on with what I need to do for my family, this guy Jason keeps calling and texting me asking me to extend the project and purchase less windows. I’ve emailed and requested to talk to senior management and I’ve heard nothing back from them either. This company has done no work, ordered no materials and they haven’t even been out to confirm measurements. My initial thought was that I would try to resolve my family situation then come back and restart the project after I got my arms around costs and logistics for my family. Universal wasn’t the best, but they were close enough to the best and the salesman Josh was an awesome guy. Josh is who I feel sorry for because Jason being tone deaf and this company’s lack of ability to police Jason just killed a $29K sale for Josh. I’m so irritated that I’m even still dealing with this that I’m complaining everywhere that has an inbox. In addition to being a leader at one of the biggest tech firms in the world, I’m a real estate broker in Chicago so Jason couldn’t have picked a worse person to do this with other than maybe an attorney. I sit on several boards for Real Estate start-ups and associations in Chicago and I’ve already sent them an email about this experience. I sit on the board of my own homeowner’s association for goodness’ sake. There are 20+ homes on my block alone. That email has already gone out as well and I’m just getting started. This is an indication of how this company will handle issues in the future and I suggest anyone considering doing work to their home avoid Universal Windows Direct at all costs. It’s not worth the headache if something needs to change in your project.

I had five windows replaced. I would not recommend this company because they did follow my request about my windows. I asked for someone to come out for a new door no one followed up. The crew that put in the widow was respectful. However the damaged my window frame and didn’t tell me about it.

Still waiting to have the job finished and the manager was going to return my call with info and has not returned 1 call, and has done this twice ! Sale and financing was also not clearly explained that payments started well before the job even started.

Nothing ever got installed. He scammed us for $4000. Luckily I went through a finance company, GreenSky and hopefully will not be liable for the $4000 John LaCognata scammed from me as no windows, patio doors, or doors were ever installed. Mr. LaCognata scammed other customers as well.

Please do not do business with Universal Windows Direct. Below is a timeline of what I've been dealing with since June: On June 26th John LaCognata (owner) from Universal Windows Direct came out, I placed an order for 5 windows for $3000. The contract says 6 to 8 weeks from the day they measure for the windows. The installer came out on July 7th to measure, at that time I gave him a check for half of the total amount. After well over the 10 week mark I called to see why I hadn't heard from them. Wow, my windows are in, wonder why I had to be the one to call. The installation was set for Tuesday, November 6th. The day before I get a call from John, they're having trouble on another job and will probably have to reschedule, he will call tomorrow to let me know for sure if they will be able to do the job. Tuesday morning an installer calls and says they will not be out to do the job but someone will call Friday to reschedule. I'm not happy at this point because I've already waited 18 weeks. I ask the installer to have John call me that day...guess what...no call Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. I waited all day Friday, no call to reschedule. I waited for a call on Monday, no call so I finally called at 2:30, no answer so I left a voicemail for someone to call me...no call back. Tuesday, no call back. By this time I'm so frustrated and I feel like I have no choice so I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Weeks go by and no answer to my BBB complaint. On November 28th Mike called the office for me on his phone, they answered right away which leads me to believe they have caller ID and were not answering calls coming from my phone number. They gave him the number of the installer. Isn't it their job to set up installation? I did finally get a hold of the installer who said he would call me on November 28th he did call and set up installation for January 4, 2019! The only person in the whole company that ever did what he said he would do was the installer Mario. The installers were supposed to arrive from 8am to 10am on Friday. I get a call from Mario at about 9:30. The installers are at the warehouse having trouble finding my windows, he'll keep me updated, another call about 10:00, they can only find part of my order and he will go pick up the rest of the windows and come Monday to install. I told him NO, I'm done I want someone to deliver a check TODAY to my home for $1500. Mario says that may be an issue since they have already ordered the windows. I told him I didn't care, he can take the loss, they've already had $1500 of my money since July. I told Mario I wanted someone to call me back by 11:00 this morning and let me know when someone would be here with my money. I haven't heard anything from anyone all day. I filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General today and I'll be filing a small claims complaint if I don't get a check by next Friday. This is the company information: Universal Windows Direct 1118 Tower Lane Bensenville IL 60106

So - after waiting all that time, we were delighted with the final result. Peter and his helper were great! The window unit and wall (which they insulated very well) came out beautiful and transformed the whole ambiance of our family room. They completed the job in one day with little disruption. John came out to see the work the same day, which we much appreciated. I would definitely recommend Universal in Bensenville. And one thing I respected is that John told me to give an honest review, as he knew we waited a long time to have the work done. And so I did! I can't vouch for other Universal Directs around the country, and see that some of them aren't doing the great job one would expect. Thanks, John, Peter and staff for bringing our vision to life!!!

John, the owner of the business, came out himself to the city on a weekday evening for our estimate. In setting up the appointment, he was very responsive and punctual. John assessed our window situation quickly and, after discussing our needs and priorities, gave us several recommended ways to proceed. His explanation of each option is very detailed, clear, and allows you to assess both the pros and cons very easily. He clearly knows what he's talking about; he talked about our window job the way someone discusses their favorite hobby - with lots of enthusiasm and an eye for detail. There's no BS sales talk, no pushy attitude, and a 100% sense of integrity. We were given a rough estimate on the spot and John quickly followed up with an offer for a more detailed written bid. John broke down exactly what the costs would be for each component. We ultimately decided not to proceed with the job because we did decided to prioritize spending our money on other areas. John understood and provided a friendly response even after we told him we were putting off the job for now. If or when we refocus on window replacements, we won't be calling anyone else. Highly recommend this company to anyone thinking about window replacement.

We met John from Universal at a home improvement show and were very impressed with the quality of the windows, far better than most. That was further shown to us by the salesman when he came to our home to go over their product line. We were disappointed in the delivery time which was about double what we were told to expect. The two gentlemen that did the installation did an outstanding job. Neat, fast and efficient. Top notch all the way around. They were on time and very courteous. Any of our concerns along the way were answered and attended to in a prompt manner. We are really enjoying the new windows. The delay in delivery was definitely worth waiting for.

unknown

Great company to work with.

They worked with me to find out my needs and did not try to up-sell. They are fairly priced and have good quality.

I worked with Universal Windows Direct to purchase and install four bedroom windows at my condo. I had an
additional requirement for the basement window, as the previous owner had installed an iron safety bar. The installation team had to remove the previously installed iron bar and reinstall it after the window installation. It was a pleasure working with every person in the company, from sales, to scheduling, to installers and the office manager. I felt that they were prompt and considerate. I windows I purchased feel and look good, and they carry a strong warranty. I highly recommend Universal Windows Direct to anyone who wants to invest in new windows.

Updated as of 6/21/2014 - Universal contacted us after we posted on Angie's List and we scheduled an appointment on May 31st. John came to our house and showed us how their windows worked, why they are different/better than other windows, and reviewed their warranty and the warranties of other window companies. He also explained how the communication error happened and apologized several times. We were very impressed with Universal's product and responsiveness once their realized their error. At this point of our renovation, we have not signed with Universal ONLY because we are waiting for our contractor's bid to come back so we can make a decision on our home renovation AND window replacement.

Everything was very good. They were prompt, on time, clean, and did everything they said they were going to do.

It well they did a nice job cleaned up after themselves. I wanted them to install 3 more windows and when the salesperson came back i told him to proceed with the rest of the quote they never called back. It worked out well for me I went with someone else for much less. But I didn't like the feeling of being in limbo not knowing what was going on.The only other thing was long sales Pitch even after I said I want to buy your product if the price was right. I had to hear 3-1/2 hours on something that I had made my mind up on I wanted to check the cost.

They were fantastic through the whole process. They worked directly with a manufacturer to create a custom design that met our needs. And the install was professionally accomplished. Would definitely recommend.

At first they mis-quoted me because they didn't count my windows correctly. I told them all the windows I needed changed in every room and when the time came for them to be delivered, they said, sorry, we have one less and they charged me for an extra window which I hadn't expected. I went back and forth with them about honoring the quoted price and they would not have it. I shopped around and did find a lower price but ended up going with them regardless because they were already in the process and I needed windows quickly. Once the windows came the job was done very good. They installed them professionally and the windows are a good quality for the price. Overall I was happy.

We had just one minor breakage of a plastic window well cover (nothing expensive, just hard to find).

Dos and Don'ts: The awnings were pretty old but serviceable. However the metal parts were quite corroded and the ropes to raise and lower the awnings are a bit complex. In hindsight it would have been good to pay special attention to the awnings and/or take some pictures before they were removed.

The process went quickly with very little needed inside the house (almost everything done from the outside).

The over all experence was great. they were quick, clan, it took about 5 weeks for the windows to come in but they installed them before the first so I could get the tax credit. The sub contractos were great to work with and the sales rep was excelent as well, never pushy, and always kept appointments.