Pella Windows and Doors

ordered custom pella window in AUG 2022 with quoted 8-10w LT. Follwed up after 12+ wks for update on order only to learn rep not with Pella. Took a couple of days of calls and email to showroom for a response / update. We received communication that our order had material back-ordered and our window wouldn't be installed until Feb 2023. I then requested the sales mgr (Matt S***) contact me to discuss what actions had been taken to mitigate the LT and for a parts list of what was holding up our order. After a week of being ignored, drove the 50m to the showroom to get a response, which I did. Matt did reach me to confirm our 8-10wk order would not be honoured and he could not provide the requested information. Further, after I injected I have to consider cancelling the order he stated "that would come with a restock charge of several hundred $$$) which was BS because the clause on the order stated a right to cancel with 3wk notice. Our order by this time was 3+ months past due. Would recommend investing efforts to find competitor to the franchise. Of positive note: The contracted installation crew was best in class, highly professional and delivered exceptional workmanship and attention to quality and cleanliness. Couldn't be more satisfied with the product they delivered. Will write their review after this post.

DO NOT USE PELLA. To start, Joe F. (sales) has very hard sales / must-sign-now-pay-in-full tactics and promises are not kept. We paid almost $23k in July 2020 to replace 13 windows on Oct 7-9. Now 13 may sound like a lot but several are 2 windows side-by-side joined by a pane so only 9 window holes. We couldn't afford to do our picture window or patio door with Pella at ANOTHER $11k. Mid-Sept I reached out to confirm our install dates as we needed to request time off but were told our dates were Oct 21-23 – we hadn’t been told of the change. Also two kitchen windows would not make it in time for our install! We were told at signing they do not use sub contractors but that’s what arrived. When I questioned this, I was told they are “certified Pella installers” but they are sub contractors. They started to install windows incorrectly – as simple replacement windows when we paid for full frame replacements. Installers said they wouldn’t have bid on the job if they had known it was full frames and that this happens all the time with Pella and did not have materials they needed! We gave them some of our OSB boards to use until their supplies arrived. They installed 8 of 11 windows that were onsite Day 1 and finished inside trim for the morning of Day 2 and left at noon due to rain and did not show up Day 3 due to rain. Monday they call to say they are coming to pick up their equipment to go start another job!! I was panic stricken!! Tried calling everyone at Pella but got no one to call me back for hours and the workers had come & gone with their tools. NO outside trim had been done on those 8 windows and our house was exposed to the elements. Was told they’d reschedule for NOV 20. NO!!! Unacceptable! Our house was exposed! After a full nightmare day & night of fighting (plus migraines, stress, no sleep) I figured out how to reach the GM (Gina D.) and Owner of Pella (John C.). Gina got us back on track a few days later with apologies from everyone and they finished the 11 windows but we had to take additional time off from work. The added stress was horrific and apologies only go so far after what we experienced. The last kitchen windows install date of Dec 30. On install day a new crew arrived and asked if WE had all the needed materials and we said no, they took it all when they left in October and we just kept some scrap pieces in case it was needed later. They said they’d have to reschedule our appt and reorder materials. We had taken the day off again for this! They looked at the scraps and said we could reschedule/reorder OR use the scrap pieces we had which is a different size trim from the other kitchen window. Honestly we wanted them out so we agreed to use the different sized trim. When they finished they had us go outside to see it. They had installed nail heads at the 4 corners of this window in the metal outside trim that NONE of the other windows have. Also put caulk inside on the trim that none of the other windows have. THIS is why you do NOT send different installers to the same job. Even tho all were certified by Pella and from the same sub contractor, they all install differently! They did not have enough nails or time to do all windows. We talked to a supervisor that night and he suggested he send US the nails to install ourselves. WHAT?! We did not pay $23k to do work ourselves. NO. End of Jan said they will come install the nail heads the next day but we had FOUR FEET of snow around our house at the time & couldn’t shovel all of that. Since then we decided to leave the 1 window different. We wanted to be done with Pella. After my numerous complaints, we were asked what comp we should get and I suggested they make offer on doing our picture window and patio door – thinking instead of $11k it would be $8k or less. They came back at OVER the price we had been originally quoted citing their prices had gone up and NO other offers! Pella windows are not worth this. A horrible experience deserves comp for stress, delays, time off, etc & they need to make this right.

This is long overdue but a warning -- Think twice with VerHalen AND Pella!!. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way. Their customer service was non-existent. The windows were painted at the factory the incorrect color and all had to be repainted. They did have a painter do this but he showed up thinking he was doing 1 window and had NO paint color. He was supposed to be doing 10, which was half our house!! Sales rep promised to be present when work began to fix the problem, he never showed. (Later left the company). We had extra days taken off work to fix this issue. Another window arrived broken, so additional time to order a replacement then to be home for this install. Communication was horrible. Calls to VerHalen would not be returned. When one finally was returned, the manager did not follow up When we asked for additional relief off of the $24,000 price for the windows for all of the inconveniences and screw ups, they offered us a $50 restaurant card. REALLY? We asked for a manager to come out and take a look at 2 windows that seemed to be drafty and thought they may not be sealed properly. No call back. The follow-ups to Pella Corporate, by voice mail message and email were never answered either. We will be paying for these windows for years and everytime I see the invoice, I relive this horrible experience. Read others reviews of this company. There windows are beautiful, BUT there are other window manufacturers that appreciate the investment you make in new windows and buy their products. VerHalen and Pella have a lot to learn when it comes to customer service!

Looks great! Pricy.

I had all the windows in the house except one door replaced. Solid A across the board.

They installed the wrong color window and then did not own up to it afterward and just blew me off completely. In a follow-up survey, I let them know that the installer also cracked the frame on the bottom during installation. ZERO RESPONSE.

Excellent. Pete came to house and gave thorough quote, showed us options and ensured us excellent installation. Greg was phenomenal in doing the install, as promised. The door is stunning. We chose a brick red, 1/4 light fiberglass door with Schlage Aged Bronze hardware. Highly recommend Pete to everyone.

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It was "A", however, when they were installing them, they broke the storm window on the outside of the mirror window and they did replace it but it took them more than a month to get it back to me and that I was not very happy with. The price was competitive with Angie's and others I had online. I never think that price is "A". It's "A", except for the long time it took to get me the storm window back to me, and they did not charge me extra for it, but I had to keep calling them. The man was very pleasant but not prompt. Punctuality for installing the windows is "A" but punctuality for getting it back to me "F".

My Salesman from Pella was friendly and we decided on a window. I showed him the other 15 windows on my house which are all brown on the outside. This was the final window I was doing to complete the job which I've been doing slowly but surely over the years. We agreed on an almond color for the inside and then we went through color chips to get the correct brown color for the outside. We found a great match and ordered the window. The installers came and installed the window. Almond on the inside, and ALMOND on the outside. They also put this big ugly brown metal border on the outside. ??? I let the installers know that the window was supposed to be almond on the inside and brown on the outside like the other 15 windows on my house. I wasn't panicked because I used Pella and they would have my back. The installers called my salesman and explained that the window didn't match any of the other windows from the outside. The salesman then called me and said that it was the right window, and that they don't make windows like this with brown on the outside. I thought he was kidding at first because why would I want a window that now doesn't match the rest on my house? We looked at the rest during the sales process and he knew exactly what I wanted. He basically said that I misunderstood and that I could solve it by now just buying a MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE window. I was shocked. I told him to figure out how to rectify this but never heard back again, and it has now been 2+ weeks. So I am sitting here with a new $800 window from Pella that matches NONE of the others on my house, and ZERO concern from Pella about my dissatisfaction. I've also been emailing them and have gotten three separate responses saying "we have forwarded your concerns to the local office who will be in touch", then ZERO response. I'm just very surprised to get this awful service from PELLA. So now I have a mismatched window that can't be painted because it is vinyl and hard to access upstairs, and stands out like a sore thumb next to my other 15 brown windows. Super, super disappointed with the job itself, but then shocked that Pella would just continue to blow me off despite my dissatisfaction.

Overall cannot say enough about the professionalism and competence of every person who helped us with this project. There was an initial misunderstanding of what the windows would look like when installed and we were not happy with the look we got (we expected the "footprint" of the new windows to be the same as the windows they were replacing but subsequently learned that the "pocket' installation we chose would not achieve that result). Matthew (the Retail Sales Manager) met with us at our home to figure out and then explain to us what had happened and came another time with Jason (project manager?) to come up with a solution. Throughout the process it was clear that Matthew's main concern was making sure that we were fully satisfied with the windows and with Pella. The solution (redoing all the trim) was done without any extra charge to us and left us with a look we are happy with. Heidi (who ordered what was needed, scheduled and rescheduled the installers/painters and others) was not only efficient and helpful but understanding and really patient. The installers and those who came to change the trim, especially Jamie, who did the finish work, were focused and clearly knew what they were doing. Mike, who painted the trim was really exceptional - no drips or uneven spots - cannot even notice the brushwork. Everyone from Pella treated us and our home with respect.

I can't comment on the worksmanship because the job (started more than 5 weeks ago) is not yet done. We decided on a different color for the framing which required new materials to be ordered. We were not informed of an upcharge for the color change. When we asked for the exact price, they took WEEKS to get back to us. I found it very difficult to get in touch with a human who could actually answer my questions. I still don't have a timeline for when this project will be done. The worst part? I've already been sent the bill. Do not use this company. You are better off with plastic wrap over your window frames than dealing with a business that provides no customer support.

Ultimately, the installation was adequate, but I believe that I overpaid. My project is still not quite complete, and the installation was sub-par, despite the high quality of the manufactured wood windows. Read on for more details. Initially, the Pella sales person invested a lot of time to customize my order and find solutions that would meet my budget. I opted for Pella Proline 450 wood windows to replace several wood windows, original to the home, and even some aluminum windows. I wasn't happy about having to sign on the spot and pay up front, in order to qualify for discounts. The sales people use this tool to entice people to close the deal. I took the bait, only because I had other comparable quotes, and Pella offered full service, windows and installation. Installation, however, fell short of my expectations at the time of sale. Pella subcontracted the installation to Brewer Contracting. In contrast to Pella radio ads claiming that minimal or no disruption will be made to your home, the Brewer Contracting crew caused more damage to my home and belongings than I had expected. Most egregiously, the Brewer Contracting crew failed to cover my kitchen table, sofa, and air conditioner compressors with plastic. Inside my home, I found lead paint chips and permanent scratches on furniture and hardwood floors. Outside the home, lead paint chips were strewn all over my AC compressors, in the driveway, and around the entire perimeter. When I confronted the Brewer Contracting foreman about the mishandling of lead paint and cosmetic damage to my walls, mill work, furniture, and floors, he began arguing with me. Take before and after pictures of all the items in the work vicinity to protect yourself! The foreman initially dismissed my lead paint concerns until Pella's installation manager witnessed the failure to cover the AC units. The next day a worker was dedicated to vacuum the entire perimeter of the home. I listened to Pella's lecture on the differences between lead abatement and lead containment protocols, but I already was aware of this distinction. The sales person had explained the process well, at the time of sale, but Brewer Contracting failed to comply with these safety measures consistently. The installation crew worked quickly to fit all 23 pocket replacement windows in one day, but I had to clean the interior extensively to remove the lead paint dust, before my toddler returned home. The next few days of installation involved trimming all of the window openings with aluminum on the exterior and caulking. After the crew completed their work, I had to fix the dings and dents that the workers left in their wake. Only 8 of the 23 windows were pre-finished white by the manufacturer. I stained and clear coated the other 15 bare-pine windows to save money and match the home's existing woodwork. As an additional control on costs, I opted to furnish my own quality window sash lifts. The custom options offered by Pella were exorbitantly expensive for metal hardware. Unfortunately, I negated some of the savings, because two panes of glass cracked as I installed the sash lifts. The bottom sash bar is so thin that my custom hardware barely fit. there's no tolerance for slight variations, and the screws ended up contacting the glass. This would not have happened with any other brand of wood window, because the height and thickness of other wood frames are much sturdier. On the other hand, the Proline series boasts more glass area than other wood-framed windows. Pella sent a service person on October 24th to assess the cracked glass, and replacement of the 2 broken sashes is scheduled for November 28th. Therefore, the response to problems is timely, but you have to wait a while for the replacements to be re-made. Because I went with custom hardware, Pella won't cover the costs of this problem. Normally, they would charge me $730 to service 2 broken sashes, but the sales manager agreed to give me a 50% discount. This discount was only offered to make amends for a mix-up in payment. Pella had attempted to cash a check that was supposed to be destroyed, after I had submitted an alternate means of payment. Ultimately, Pella does provide customers with an adequate installation and prompt service. You must, however, navigate a large corporation. This leads to longer wait times and costs considerably more than other brands of similar windows. I won't be using Pella again, because of the incidental damage that the window installers caused and the insanely high price of customization and follow-up service. The same windows at Lowe's cost about a third of what I paid for the total installation. In the future, I'll be shopping for quality windows from a building supplier and selecting the installation contractor myself to save money and have a tighter control on quality.

The sales person was very helpful in customizing my order and tailoring it to my budget. Pella's Proline 450 wood replacement windows offered style and performance. We took advantage of the same-day signing discount, but had I not done my homework on window pricing, I would've been wary of this sales pressure tactic. Unfortunately, the installation fell short of the expectations set at the time of sale. Brewer Contracting, Pella's subcontractor, failed to use common-sense techniques to prevent lead paint contamination in and around my home. Most egregiously, Brewer Contracting failed to cover my sofa, kitchen table and exterior AC compressors with plastic, so I had to vacuum the fan blades and clean my home extensively, before my toddler returned. In addition, Brewer Contracting scratched my hardwood floors, sofa, walls and millwork, as they dragged the old and new windows through my home. When I raised these concerns, the foreman became defensive and argued with me. Take before and after photos, to protect yourself on every project! To add insult to injury, 2 of my 21 windows cracked, while I installed my custom sash lift hardware, costing me an additional $365 over the approximately $16,000 order. No other window on the market has such a thin bottom sash frame that limits the tolerance for hardware installation. I guess that's the compromise for more glass area. The company also attempted to cash a check that Pella was supposed to destroy after I submitted an alternate form of payment. At least, Pella made amends by discounting the cracked sashes, though I feel that I'm still being suckered. A complete window of the same series at Lowe's sells for less than a couple hundred dollars. I still have to wait a couple of weeks for the service, and this experience all but guarantees that I'll never hire Pella again for my other properties.

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This Pella service provider had previously been to the home to quote for new window replacement. I decided to replace the glass in the existing window as I was selling the home. They did not come out which was fine but I had requested it. I was very detailed with my description and sent photos and I also I dropped off the old / broken window frame (metal) so they could re-use or measure the original window. I was told " All this information will ensure a proper sized window will be ordered and made correctly."
When the new window arrived it was very well packaged and it fit correctly, but the "tabs" were wrong. I have 1 tab at 50% on the bottom and the Replacement window had 2 tabs at 33% and 66% on the bottom. The sides were correct. I emailed this vendor and to their credit they did send a new window ... however once I opened the package it was  the same problem (with the bottom tabs). 
My email prior to the 1st window said "Do they want to know the size of the window glass that I delivered to your office? Or the frame (in my kitchen)? I would prefer someone at Pella do the measurements so no mistake is made.. Here are 2 photos attached."
Basically I got 2 of the same windows which were not able to be secured properly at the bottom. I do appreciate this company's responsiveness and willingness to send the 2nd window at no charge. Price is approximate. You would think they would get the order right the 2nd time, or have listened more closely or sent someone out to verify not only the size but the tab locations; or simply looked at the metal frame I dropped off in Brookfield before the 1st window was sent to me. Update: Pella representative reached out to schedule someone to come over and look at my window. If they simply looked at the photos I provided that wouldn't have been necessary. So now they will come to my house and probably replace the window for a 3rd time. It is a nice gesture and shows they warrant their work but at this point I'd rather apply the cost to a new window the than replacement - the phone rep I told this to didn't understand my request and said they are sending someone over only to replace the old window as agreed after my issue.

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