WEST COAST VINYL

Only an estimate was given.

The best I can say about this company is that Dainen arrived on time and was reasonably polite. His presentation consisted of a notebook of Powerpoint slides in plastic sleeves, which he went through in sequence even when I declined some of the early options and asked to skip ahead. The company's sales approach is built on scare tactics. I was told that vinyl windows have lousy security; only Midwest companies build good windows; all windows sweat & build up toxic mold; certain company's warranties *cough*Milgard* are too full of loopholes to be relied on; most window contractors are in business no more than 5 years and make their money by buying windows at Home Depot, marking them up 30% and installing them as fast as possible. I suspect this actually describes West Coast's approach. I was repeatedly pressured to provide names of other contractors and window manufacturers I was considering, along with a sneaky attempt to peek at another contractor's prices. When I mentioned one window manufacturer by name I got a 10-minute prepared attack on their quality and reliability, complete with a copy of their warranty highlighting statements that Dainen identified as loopholes or misrepresentations. I was quoted 3 prices: one that was outlandish (twice the amount of any other contractor), one that was a 3rd less claiming to be "last year's model, discontinued but with some in stock", and one 2/3 less claiming to be "the step-down version of last year's model, decide soon because I would need a manager's approval". West Coast's quote sheet has no letterhead, calls itself an "Investment Review", leans heavily on recommending financing (at 24% interest through a bank I've never heard of) and has 3 columns so this tiered sales pitch is easy for the salespeople to follow (but Dainen still got it partly wrong). I keep detailed notes in these consultations, and they ran 2 1/2 pages for West Coast. Reading them over later I identified 12 major mistakes and outright lies, 15 other suspicious statements, and 13 instances of shady tactics. If I were to be so foolish as to order a doghouse from this company, I would expect to get a cardboard box with "Dawg" written on it in crayon.

We were first contacted by a low-pressure door-to-door salesman who said West Coast Vinyl would return to measure and provide any estimates we wanted for free with no expectation of commitment. Got a scheduling call from a rep shortly after the visit who was a bit pushy. We scheduled a visit for 7pm two days later. Two salesmen arrived on time to discuss the windows. They were extremely confident in the product, had a nice demo, and provided estimates for attic, basement, and entire house windows replacements. Since we hadn't reviewed the company, we tentatively said OK to two attic windows for $971. After I double-checked this with my spouse, the salesman said he made a mistake on the figures, and that the total was $1100. After I asked for some flexibility, the salesman called his boss who said to give the original $971 quote. Checked Angie's List and saw poor grades for the company which concerned us. Called customer service, but rep was out (at 10am on a Tuesday). Got a return call later in the day from the critical measure rep who explained that crews with two BBB complaints are dismissed. Decided to move forward since sales and measurement reps were professional and reassuring. I would have preferred to have reached the customer service rep when I called, The measurement went fine, rep was respectful, removed his shoes, and reassured spouse as well. Windows were made quickly, in approximately 3 weeks. They were installed by Mike S. (husband & wife team). Great experience. Mike was done in around two hours, saved the old windows, and preserved old trim around new windows. Extremely satisfied with new windows, quality is very good and I love seeing the original 1926 hardware in the trim. The only worry with the new windows is that the screens don't seem to be held in very tight, there's a little give. But as far as insulation and function they're excellent, the attic is noticeably cooler. The windows have a lifetime warranty. I plan to use West Coast Vinyl Inc. again to replace the basement windows or for one of the ground level rooms. I know what to expect in terms of price due to all the quotes the salesmen gave and will ask for the same install team. The reviews here had me a bit worried, I'm happy it all went quite smoothly.

The windows were manufactured in a timely fashion and I was contacted for installation. Denny was the installer (sub-contractor) and was a nice guy. Most of the work was done, but then when it came to the garden window, there was no shelf. Denny drilled holes in the frame and slopped in some silicone to hold up a shelf. It looked horrible. Also, the window leaked and damaged the inside trim. I have records of phone calls, and certified letters. The company rarely returned calls for a while and when they did, it was one excuse after another. I did file a BBB complaint and they did call back. Scott (service manager) called and came out on several occasions. Scott attempted to clean up garden window silicone mess as much as possible. Some re-caulking was done around the window. Scott was a nice guy and genuinely cared, but...the company itself is non responsive. The garden window looks bad. I finally gave up. I have 15 more windows to replace and I WILL NOT use this company.

The sales person was prompt, very knowledgable and answered all our questions, although it turned out, not truthfully. The measurement guy was on time, seemed to do a thorough job. The installers were the real problem. They claimed the windows were measured incorrectly, and so did not fit the openings. They ended up using box cutters to shave the windowsill to make them fit. This resulted in wavering, uneven edges on the inside next to the new window. The siding around the sliding door was also very unevenly cut to the point where the door would not work correctly. The installers had no idea how the windows operated and couldn't fix one that wouldn't open. The company's saving grace was Scott, their customer service rep. He came out afterwards and repaired the sliding door install (although we still had to paint), he caulked to cover up uneven edges. However, we have yet to be reimbursed for a damaged faucet. He said that install team had been let go by the company.

The salesperson and workers were all very nice, however the installation of our windows was not anywhere close to what the company promised. We have a complaint in to the company for reimbursement as well as to the Better Business Bureau. We are extremely unhappy because this was a huge purchase and our complaints are not being addressed. The quality of the actual windows seems to be adaquate, but when the window casings were removed - they removed a lot of surrounding wall paint. Also the molding was put back on several windows in pieces and there are gouges in our casing. We are having to repaint our walls as well as repair the molding and casing in many, many areas. We also had delivery problems. This is NOT what the company represented to us when we selected them. They just said what we wanted to hear - in hopes of the sale I guess.

First contacted by door-to-door hand-outs. Then called by appointment setter who was a little on the pushy side. Then transferred to secondary appt. setter. Salesman, Jeff, was not pushy and easy to talk to, but made assumptions on how I would want new windows. I had to reign him in on that. Price was higher than I expected. Did not buy at the time. Three days later got a call in the evening from the Washington office asking if someone else could come out and perhaps figure a lower price. So I set time two days ahead. That day I got a call saying I was given the lowest price already.If so, why did they call back? This company has offices in Tacoma, Snohomish, and now starting in Portland. Maybe not all that bad, but not all that good, either.