Independent Window Repair Inc

We purchased a home in Troy with many windows that had wood rot. On a budget, we decided some windows were so bad they had to be replaced and some could be repaired. I had 3 different companies out to estimate and discuss window repair. One estimator, who I understand used to work for IWR said all my windows were shot and I should pay $40,000 to replace all my windows. A second estimator said the windows in the back of the house were fine and just needed to be re-weather stripped and painted. He felt some windows in the front and side of the house would need to be replaced but some could be repaired. IWR drew the same conclusions as the second estimator. I went with them because they had better reviews on Angies List. Both the estimator and the installers were very candid and informative about my windows. They even gave me DIY advice on prelonging the life of windows that should be replaced but were just outside my budget to do so this year. The installers were friendly, professional, and efficient. They answered all follow up questions and gave great advice. I will certainly recommend them. The cost of repairing vs replacing saved us alot of money.

They're very good.

Overall, the process went well. 8 weeks from order to install (first try). Everything was not done the first time due to an error in measurement - so new glass was ordered. Unfortunately, on round 2, the second picture window cracked - but 2 weeks later all done and looking good! As an aside, IWR was on time, the team hustled, and clean up after themselves. Second, 8 weeks was NOT an awful wait for a May order. Any construction firm with no backlog, might not have healthy orders.

The workers were prompt, professional. My only issue was the agent that looked over the windows to the estimate never said that the double hung windows couldn't be repaired but would have to be replaced. I was taken by surprise when the workers came and told me those were not part of the repair. I didn't get that from the estimate either.

I had a positive experience. They are pretty on time and responsive. The cost is good. It's better than the replaced windows. I have no comparison for others. Interaction was pretty good. It turned out good. There were a few minor things here and there, but overall, good.

The price was okay. 

They had to come back and repair it because it wasn't satisfactory. The quality was bad, which was the main thing we were concerned about. They gave us a hard time about repairing it again.

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I contacted IWR about a rental house I own because the city inspector had identified two windows that had broken seals and needed to be replaced. I made it clear to them that one window was on the east side of the house, the other on the west side.

I had to wait 10 days to get an estimate, but on March 23, they came  back with an estimate of $258 to do the job. Their competitor, Henderson Glass, had come back with an estimate of $404 for the same job, so I went with IWR.
They did the job on the date and time they said they would, though since I live a long way from the house, I did not see the work myself right away. I was not back at the house until the morning that the city inspector was scheduled to return to do the re-inspection for city rental certification. Upon inspecting the house, I saw that only one window had new glass.
Several hurried calls to IWR resulted in them telling me that the estimate they'd given me was for 2 pieces of glass, but just ONE window, since they were double hung windows. The estimate I signed showed 2 pieces of glass, 4 vinyl exterior stops, plus labor and a $40 job fee. Since I told them from the start that there were two windows that needed repair, I presumed the estimate would cover the work I needed done. Before I signed the estimate, I sent this email to confirm that my problem with the inspector would be solved (boldfaced is mine, otherwise it's a simple cut and paste of the email):

 "This rental house was flagged by the city of Roseville inspector because he saw that these two windows had broken seals, evidenced by the smokey or opaque glass. I want to make sure that this repair will correct not only the opacity of the glass but also the "seal" issue. Moving forward with a repair that did not satisfy the inspector would be a mistake for me.

Any insight you can provide on this question will be very much appreciated." 
Subsequent to this, I was assured by phone by Becky that this would remedy the problem. 
Obviously, I did not pass city re-inspection the day I discovered this problem.
A few days later, I had a conversation with Matthew, the owner of the company. He apologized several times for the "confusion" but still insisted he had to charge me $216 to return to do the other window. He agreed to waive the $40 "job" charge to return. Obviously, when added to the $258 I already paid, the $474 total exceeded what Henderson glass would have charged for the entire job. Matthew said this was "just life" and that for an investment property, "two hundred bucks is not a big deal." Of course, he also insisted earlier in the conversation that there was no way he could absorb $216 because of a "misunderstanding," so I guess it's not much money when it's mine but significant when it's his.
At best, this experience showed me that this company is not careful with estimates and not overly concerned with keeping their customers happy. At worst, they are flat out deceptive. Either way, I would never use their services again and would advise anyone to be VERY careful and redundant making sure you know exactly what they plan to do before you agree to have them do work.

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Process was fairly smooth, the technician that provided the estimate called 30 minutes before arriving and he was professional and knowledgeable. He explained the different options available and the costs. We agreed to have them do the job and gave him a deposit of 1/3 of the total. The office called about 10 days later to schedule the installation. Unfortunately on the day of the install the office called about 10 minutes before the arrival timeframe to cancel the appointment. On the rescheduled date they arrived on time and completed the work in about an hour. These were painted windows so there was a little paint that had to be touched up and no damage to the wood trim around the glass. Overall it was a very good experience and I would use them again and recommend them to others.

Ed at Independent Window Repair is phenomenal! He has come to our home
twice in the past year to do two different window instillation projects
and I would definitely recommend him for his punctuality, quick and
efficient workmanship, and professional demeanor. Great work.

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Quality work. Jarret was professional and courteous workman

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We have used IWR several times to replace glass thermal windows in which the seal has broken, a huge savings over the cost of replacement windows. Their prices are reasonable and their work excellent.

We had windows repaired/replaced and the entire house painted. I will begin by saying that the and quot;windowand quot; manager and the and quot;paintand quot; manager who came out to assess the job and give me a quote, were both very professional.
After that, it did not go well at all... Project began in late June, 2012 and wasn't completed until late September. If the work required took longer than their original estimate, we were put on a and quot;rain dayand quot; schedule (which could be two weeks out). Quality of work is mediocre to poor... they didn't actually and quot;replicateand quot; existing windows they were replacing, but put in their and quot;standardand quot; window, which was substandard to the windows we had. (We were not told this during the quote.) There seemed to be no quality control (replaced one of my windows with a and quot;defectiveand quot; window, which should have been seen before leaving the warehouse), so I again had to wait for someone to come out to see the actual problem, and then wait for another and quot;rain dayand quot; appointment to install another window. Obviously, there were scheduling inefficiencies.
I am the first to acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes. But when there were problems with workmanship, each and quot;teamand quot; (window team and painting team) would and quot;blame the otherand quot; for any and quot;mistakes,and quot; leaving the homeowner in the middle of the conflict. I then had to wait for the and quot;windowand quot; manager and the and quot;paintand quot; manager to coordinate a time when both could come out, assess the situation and determine what division would rectify the problem. Again, I had to wait for another and quot;rain dayand quot; scheduling.
When I finally got frustrated and attempted to explain the many and quot;problemsand quot; over a two-month period to the owner, he accepted no responsibility and instead insisted it was all and quot;my fault.and quot; He was nasty, sarcastic and totally obnoxious.
I just today decided to look at Angie's List to see if Independent Window Repair was listed, which is why my evaluation is just being submitted. I didn't think to submit my comments when the job was completed, as I didn't look to Angie's List prior to hiring IWR... I used them because of the personal recommendation of the owner's cousin (a contractor who had done work for me and who I found to be very professional).
Hopefully, two yeas later, IWR has made improvements. For any prospective client, I hope that this evaluation will at least result in and quot;asking the right questionsand quot; before hiring IWR.

I had this company out now twice. The first time was to inspect the windows, reseal, repaint, etc. on the house I just bought. I was happy with the work. Since then, I have had them out twice now to try and fix two windows that are leaking. Last night in the storm, one of the roof tiles in the basement was soaking wet due to the amount of leakage from one of the windows that was supposedly fixed last year. I am not going with these guys anymore. I recommend staying away from this company.

I had do him work before and I wasn't really happy with them and this time the biggest thing they just need to ask for senior installer. When they installed I had like 13 windows replaced back in 2012 and they had young guys that came out new and they just really didn't know what they were doing. They took all the cork that was around the windows and they threw it in the bushes and the landscape, didn't pick it up, they broke molding when they took it off around my windows. They didn't know how to cork at all. They left quite bit a mess. The senior installer knew what he was doing and it was perfect. I would use this provider again in the future.

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The company has good installers and installers that are not good. I say this because some of the installers treat your home with respect and others treat it like they are 'rough carpenters', setting dirty windows on clean carpet, etc.
Also, their customer service is hit/miss. You may get someone nice or you may get someone that behaves as though they are doing the customer a favor by answering the telephone. I requested to speak to the owner about this and he refused to take my call.
Because no one else does this service, I will use them again if necessary - however, if you use them, set your expectations low.