Pella Windows and Doors

Very good service. Very happy with them.

I had a very pleasant experience with the initial sales contact. In fact, the consultation was via a video/conference using an app on my iPad. It was very convenient and effective. The local installer came to perform the formal measurements and provided me with installation expectations. Overall, Pella provided me with many options and pricing configurations. After researching Pella products, I decided to go with them for their national brand recognition and overall positive reviews. I also decided to pay 100% upfront to take advantage of the 3% discount.

After signing the contract and paying the money up front, my install date was scheduled for August 26th. The installer came and installed the two out of the three sets of windows, and then told us that the larger set of windows were incorrectly sized, so that they would have to come back another day to work on those. I reached out to the initial sales person to let her know of this issue. She quickly responded by saying she would address it. With the initial installation, there were missing parts (such as one of the crank handles, cover for the crank case, and lock lever cover). The installer told us he put in an order for the missing parts and would bring them on the day of the second install.

Eventually, the ?resolution? was to re-manufacture the right set of windows (which would take about a month) and reschedule my install date in October. OK? for those of you who aren't familiar with the Pacific NW, that?s the start of the rainy season. I was a bit concerned and was very disappointed. I not only had to cancel and reschedule other project work such as interior painters and window covering installers, I also had to go without having any shades/blinds in both my living rooms during this period.
 
The Pella scheduler confirmed the second install date for October 7th. So, the wait began and I didn?t hear from Pella for an entire month. Come October 6th, I emailed my Pella salesperson, the scheduler, as well as the installer to ask what time I should expect the installers to show the next day. The installer responded a few hours later saying he was out of the country and would not be back in town until the end of October (why the scheduler did not know this was a mystery to both the installer and me). On the day of the scheduled installation date, I received an email from the sales person saying they were very sorry. I really had no words at this point and asked if there was any way to: 1) get this rescheduled ASAP with another installer, 2) look into some sort of discount to offset the chain-reaction of issues experienced with this project, and 3) figure out what went wrong.

A week later, I was told that Pella management decided they would not provide any compensation for what occurred, as it was not covered under their current policy. This is where I just flipped my lid. It?s the nice person that always gets ridden and taken advantage of. I had enough. While I was trying to reschedule the botched appointment, I was communicating with the regional manager at Pella (as this issue had slowly escalated up their chain of command). I will spare you with the details, but after a phone conversation with him, we were able to work out a discount (which would barely pay for about half the interior trim work). The rescheduled appointment was for October 15th and Pella arranged another installer to complete the work. You would think my bad experience ends here? Unfortunately, no.

The install of the larger set of windows took two days (which is understandable). I was not home to see the work being done, but my wife told me that the installers seemed to work hard and were professional. On the last day of the install, they reviewed the work with my wife and told her that all exterior surfaces had been primed. I inspected the work the very next day and I was beyond disappointed. I?m not sure what they primed, but the obvious exterior trim was left bare and exposed to the elements. The most noticeable flaw was a part of siding they chipped and tried to patch up with caulk and sealant. I immediate took photos of what was defined as ?completed work? and sent these to the Pella salesperson. I expressed my disappointment and demanded they immediately address the issues.

Fast forward one more month and hardly any communication from Pella. Basically, they are saying their Pella service crew will need to schedule a date/time with me to look at the siding issue. They will also order the missing parts (you mean they haven?t ordered the parts which were missing since August???). This service appointment (which should have been at the top of their queue, as it wasn?t correctly addressed during the installation) has been scheduled for December 4th. On top of this, that service person will not be able to prime the exterior trim. That has to be done by an installer, who has not responded to me as he says he is way too busy. I?m just about to give up and hire someone else. I have absolutely NO faith in Pella and I personally don?t think they will take this botched project to learn what they did wrong in order to improve going forward. My project was just a quick buck and it?s on to the next sale.

So, I?m sitting here typing this review, staring out my unfinished window, hoping I can have Pella finish this window project this year. I hope no one experiences what I experienced with Pella. It was absolutely humiliating and I feel that at the end of the day, I?ve been taken advantage of.

Please, please, PLEASE go with a reputable LOCAL COMPANY. The quality of the work, the responsiveness and service level will be the ultimate factor in your overall satisfaction. Unfortunately, Pella has failed miserably in those areas with this project.

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So far, this experience, which began over three months ago, has been a bad one, but the job is not finished yet! Every aspect... from getting correct estimates, getting return phone calls, getting charged for services I haven't received ...has been dismal. The only positive thing was the person who came out to estimate the job had a good suggestion on how to make the windows easier to lock by replacing the seals. He said thinner seals will help the lock to align better. But the follow through has been terrible when customer service rep called with a bid to replace all the locks!...at 10x the price I had expected! When I told her that's not what the estimator talked about she said I was wrong and there was only one size of seal. She begrudgingly agreed to go back and talk to him again. Turns out I was right, but then it took another week to get the correct bid...and I had to call her or it would have been longer than that. Her attitude has been very acerbic throughout this process.

Currently, we have been awaiting a call back because the repair man turned up with the wrong window and said he didn't even know if the broken window could be reglazed. May have to replace the whole frame!...read $$$. Plus, he said he was not familiar with our style of Pella window...they're only eight years old! That was almost two weeks ago, so I guess we're starting again the long process of trying to get someone on the phone who will actually follow through..

The really irritating part is that Pella has already charged us for the work they haven't done. Now we don't know if we won't have to pay more for a whole new frame in addition to the glass.

Pella used to be a good company, but something changed. We are very disappointed with the service.

Update: January 6

Last week I finally got through to the customer service person to ask what was being done about fixing my window. This after yet another charge for $75 has shown up on my credit card!

She said she'd tried twice to contact me to tell me he was coming out on the 6th. (I never received those calls. Don't understand that. My number hasn't changed in 25 years and the number has worked for her before!) Anyway, good, she says someone is finally going to fix the window.

But, wait, the repairman comes and says he's come to replace the seals on the windows. That's nice, but the window still is still broken. He says there is no window yet. I'll have to call and figure out when this is going to happen.

New seals and the windows now close the way they should. Some progress!

They were quick and clean. They came back when there was a problem. They showed us the options and were very helpful. It was an easy process.

They are very pleasant to work with and  work was performed as negotiated.

Totally professional job.  On-time and all work done within 8 hours with a crew of four.  Cleaned up and removed all litter.  It was a good experience all around.

All done as expected with first class installers.  No issues with blinds, wallpaper or interior wall paint. At the end of the job, was informed that this distributor would no longer carry Pella windows as Pella insisted on an exclusive dealership which did not permit other brands to be sold.  At this point it's not certain how Pella will serve the Portland market, but the company will continue with 100% support and will continue to sell via Lowes and private contractors. The Pella headquarters has informed me that their Seattle distributor is company-owned  and that it may take a more active role in Portland market.  New windows have solid grids on both sides and are excellent quality. From past experience with Marvin, never buy snap-in grids with a door or window that gets lots of use. They fall out and rattle.

It was fabulous. They did a front window 1 1/2 years ago. It was actually three windows but it was a great big large one. We talked to the same salesperson again and he helped us with this one. We would have them do the whole house at once if we could afford it, but we can't. Their level of professionalism is quite good and they clean up well. The detail work is all done really well. We thought it was a good price because we got what we were looking for.

Pella had design suggestions, gave a "no surprises" estimate, and showed up on time to the minute with a full crew each day. They left the job site clean and secure. I would recommend, and use, them again. Neighbors, friends, and family have given lots of compliments on my new windows!

They were very thorough in both the sales presentation and the work they did. They were quite careful, efficient and professional. The product was good. There was one section of one window that was installed with a scratch on it. There was no hesitation in replacing that. The price is at the high end of the range but with the quality of the windows it was probably in the ballpark. They were very responsive and very punctual. They were very professional. I would probably use them again.

It went very well. Sales process was smooth and accommodating to my concerns and budget. Crew arrived at 8:00am, erected scaffolding, removed windows, installed new ones, and cleaned up. Walked me through the job when done. All completed in a half day.

They did a lovely job. They cleaned up after themselves and they came back to replace a sill when I was concerned about it. The windows are beautiful and the price was comparable to other companies. I recommend them to anyone.

I am very disappointed with our overall experience and quality of the Pella windows. We have had several issues with our windows. First, we specifically ordered two windows to be sent "dry" so the windows could easily be removed for leaded glass we had made to be reglazed after installation. They were not sent dry. Second, we were told by our sales person that the windows were all made of CVG fir. That is definitely not what we received. Most of them were flat grain. Also the frames where cracking and splitting. With all the extra expense in fixing the windows, it would have been cheaper to go with the Marvin wood/clad window. Once the sale was done it is almost impossible to reach customer sales rep. We had called within 5 days after delivery and left a message and never received a call back. I knew that the "dry" windows were going to be an issue. I made several attempts to make sure they were right before installation and the most response I got was I will check into it and have somebody call. Nobody called with any information. Our Sales rep just kept telling us that they should be "dry". Also the hardware the windows doesn't latch properly on half of the windows. And the hardware on the exterior french door hits the middle of the fixed door and now the wood is all chipped up. And now being our first winter in our new house ('09), we are having problems with condensation on the inside of our windows and water pooling in the bottom of the windows. It is excessive and ruining the wood. When I googled the condensation problem I was shock to see how many people were having the same problem with their pella windows and the several Lawsuits against them. The Pella windows are overpriced for the quality of the product. My recommendation is to spend the extra money and go with the Marvin. It will pay off in the long run.

Craig, the salesman was particularly helpful with the largest window (approximately 10 feet wide). It had to be changed to have 2 side casement windows and his suggestion about sizing worked well. Chris & Barry installed the windows over 2 days and were punctual and professional. They tried to keep the things as clean as possible with tarps and they vacuumed after work was completed. Craig had suggested I cover the fabric covered furniture, which was a good idea. However, I would suggest covering anything else that is difficult to dust. I was told there was a vacuum on the saw used to remove the old windows, but there was fine sawdust EVERYWHERE around the work areas. Also if you have a large window like my 10x5ft one, it's really too heavy for 2 guys to carry. The other issue was the damage to the existing woodwork around the windows from the saw (scratches & marks). I was told during installation that it was "the nature of the beast" but I have had windows replaced before (included one of these 5) and no damage occurred. The project included touchup of existing "interior jamb extension" which was done by Mark of M D Cole Painting and fixed the problem to my relief.

I am very disappointed with our overall experience and quality of the Pella windows. We have had several issues with our windows. First, we specifically ordered two windows to be sent "dry" so the windows could easily be removed for leaded glass we had made to be reglazed after installation. They were not sent dry. Second, we were told by our sales person that the windows were all made of CVG fir. That is definitely not what we received. Most of them were flat grain. Also the frames where cracking and splitting. With all the extra expense in fixing the windows, it would have been cheaper to go with the Marvin wood/clad window. Once the sale was done it is almost impossible to reach customer sales rep. We had called within 5 days after delivery and left a message and never received a call back. I knew that the "dry" windows were going to be an issue. I made several attempts to make sure they were right before installation and the most response I got was I will check into it and have somebody call. Nobody called with any information. Our Sales rep just kept telling us that they should be "dry". Also the hardware the windows doesn't latch properly on half of the windows. And the hardware on the exterior french door hits the middle of the fixed door and now the wood is all chipped up. And now being our first winter in our new house ('09), we are having problems with condensation on the inside of our windows and water pooling in the bottom of the windows. It is excessive and ruining the wood. When I googled the condensation problem I was shock to see how many people were having the same problem with their pella windows. The Pella windows are overpriced for the quality of the product. My recommendation is to spend the extra money and go with the Marvin. It will pay off in the long run.

They did a very good job of explaining the process and setting expectations. The sales manager was the one who came by for the order verification and to schedule the installation. It turned out that we needed to reschedule the installation after the fact, but they worked with us to get that done. The workmen were here on time and were courteous. The time estimate for the installation we were given was accurate and the work went smoothly. They cleaned up after themselves and nothing was broken or damaged. The only complaint I had was that the worker who applied the sealant was somewhat sloppy and you can see it oozing from the window cases in some spots. I definitely think they could have done a better job with that. There was also pressure to give them an exceptional rating because apparently Pella takes customer service very, very seriously. As it was explained to me, even if we as the customer think we're giving them a good rating, to Pella, anything less than the very top rating is the equivalent of a bad rating. I was told to be honest, but they wanted me to know. I did end up giving them a high rating because I thought they did a good job, but I didn't appreciate the pressure.

I stopped in the Pella store in Beaverton after researching window replacements in Consumer Reports and Angie's List. I looked at various windows in the showroom and made an appointment for an estimate. The estimater arrived at the appointed time and took rough measurements and gave me an estimate. I had budgeted $10,000.00 so felt their estimate of $8245.00 for purchase and installation was quite fair. As these windows were odd sizes Don came out to make more precise measurements and ordered the windows. After approximately 6 weeks the windows arrived and an installation date was confirmed. Larry and Barry arrived at the scheduled time and removed and installed the new windows in 2 days. Their expertise and craftsmanship was outstanding. They did an outstanding job. I could not have been more pleased.

I think that we were fairly impressed. They seemed to be efficient and clean. The windows are working well. We like all of the framing they did. It looks good.

Pella ended up giving us one of the lowest bid for the window replacement job and was including the installation of interior trim. We agreed to the contract and were expecting the windows to be installed in about six weeks from purchase. All of the windows arrived on time, but one and was delayed for an additional three weeks and had to be installed separately. All of the work was done well and the project manager was very helpful. He even cleaned some of our gutters when he noticed them overflowing during some rain. The installation of the 2.25" colonial casing was a little sloppy in some areas, but when they only charge you for materials, how can you really complain (big time saver for us). We would hire them again in the future for other windows or exterior doors. The quality of the windows is very good and was a welcomed alternative over vinyl.

The service was excellent, start to finish. The salesperson (Kurt) was knowledgeable and ensured we were getting the features we wanted. They have an excellent system for keeping the customer informed each step of the way. An installer (Jesse) visted our home soon after the sale and explained exactly how the installation process would work. He checked in with us again a few days before the installation. The installation team (Chris, Chris, Curtis, Bo) was quick, professional and did a great job. The trim work was complicated and it turned out beautifully. Our salesperson did a quick walk-through immediately after the installation was complete to ensure that everything went well. I would highly recommend the service. The windows are beautiful and worth every penny.

They did an excellent job on the installation and woodwork. The installers were professional and courteous and did a decent job cleaning up after themselves. They offered helpful suggestions and info for me and the contractor that would be staining the new woodwork among other things. They did damage a screen (the wind got a hold of it and it was damaged) but that has been reordered and an appointment scheduled to install that. Also, the sliding pane in one of the windows had flaws in the finish that the installer said was a factory error. He came out with some touch up paint but said they would provide a new one as it wouldn't look acceptable. I'm still waiting for confirmation that it is on order but have faith that it will be handled correctly as well. There were some errors made by the salesman in measuring one of the windows and it had to be reordered and in measuring some of the wood and they provided the wider boards for the same price, all with no problems.

Aside from being very expensive, the whole process was very easy and has greatly improved the comfort and efficiency of our home. The styles available on replacement windows allowed us to very closely match the style of the original windows. Some of our neighbors commented that they couldn't tell the difference between the new and the old windows, but we sure can. Installation took only two days!

Excellent workmanship and professional service. Timely delivery and installation with superior attention to detail.

INSTALLER WORK BAD, PELLA UNRESPONSIVE ( CERTIFIED PELLA CONTRACTOR), AND ALSO ORIGINAL WINDOWS WARPED. WORK SLOW, LATE, AND COMPLAINT OUTSTANDING FOR A LONG TIME. CAN'T GET THE SALES MANAGER TO RETURN MY CALLS. COMPANY CLAIMS THEY MADE A SETTLEMENT OFFER BUT NOTHING ACTUALLY DONE. A LIE. LOTS OF OTHER GOOD COMPANIES IN THE BUSINESS DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY.