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People need to know that DeBella Exteriors is run by the same shady characters that Penguin Windows was operated by! Do NOT let them in your house! The rep was pushy, overly-aggressive, wouldn't take no for an answer and over stayed his welcome by two hours. I will definitely spread the word about this one!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
That is interesting that you should say that, seeing how they have nothing at all to do with each other, they're very much separate entities, operating very separate from each other. The same goes for Timber Windows based out of Vancouver, WA, who is owned and operated by the same pushy sales people that Penguin Windows employed, as well as West Coast Vinyl, based out of Wilsonville, OR, who is ultimately ran by some of the pushiest ex-sales/canvas people of Penguin Windows, as well as the Portland Metro branch of Renewal By Anderson, and Amazing Siding and Windows... All of these are examples of companies in the greater Portland Metro area who are comprised of the same pushy ex-employees of Penguin Windows that you're trying to call out.
Just because some goodhearted people who were unhappy with Penguin Windows' operations decides to branch off and make an honest living by setting the bar and treating customers the way they should be treated, the way they should have always been treated, the RIGHT WAY, doesn't mean that you or anyone else has the right to have them slandered on the Internet.
Slander - such a powerful word, and yet one that can reap consequences both for the one committing the act and the ones defending their reputation... You're being watched.
I was one of the so called "pushy" employee's from Penguin Windows, I have to say that there are always going to be some pushy sales people out there in every company! Next the window industry is set up to be a one visit close, There are to many companies as well as just contractors out there for homeowners to choose from, So at the end of the day PRICE Becomes the only factor! Listen sales people, You don't have to slander every company! I know there are a few bad apples in the bunch but not all of us are rotten, I personally take pride in my Job and choose not to BS my clients, I believe that each of us have to make tough decisions at every appointment, Our lively hoods depend on it, Now that said we don't have to beat the customers up so the next guy is already thought of negatively when he/she gets there. Listen all this fake reviews against each company is not only childish but demeaning to our Industry, Please let Penguin go quietly into the night and learn from that, Let Timber, DeBella, Anderson, West Coast Vinyl & Amazing just go out there and let there reps try and make a living...! It's already to tuff out there for all of us we don't need all the Harassment from home owners or even our competitors. Please be mindful of what you say becouse these reviews hurt all of us...
mson49 and concerned4citizens say it best, why fight against eachother and slander and fake these postings.
I find this very amusing, as of the date of this complaint, DaBella has never run a single appointment, made any customer contact or been in a single home. One can assume that this complaint must be referring to another window companies, eg; Timber, West Coast, Anderson, Amazin, Columbia or perhaps another in the industry, who were visiting customers homes at this time. I believe this said complaint is completely fictitious. All of the above entities employ managers and/or sales people that were formerly employed by Penguin Windows. The fact is, that other than having some individuals that were formerly employed by Penguin, DaBella has no connection with any other company. It is clear that this complaint is not from a customer, but an unscrupulous competitor trying to cause problems by slandering their competition.
Don't know for sure but based on the oregon sec state website it looks like the former president of penguin windows, Don McMillan, has his wife's (or someone with the same last name) name, Nissa McMillan, as the registered agent for dabella windows. Seems to me that there's a pretty close connection between the leadership at penguin and the leadership at debella. If the leadership is similar, seems reasonable to think the business style will be similar. Just saying.
Anyone who says this company is not associated with Penguin at all is flat-out lying. DaBella Exteriors is the new company of Penguin's former President/CEO Donnie McMillan, which he registered in his wife's name. Why would you trust a company that is lying to cover up it's managements history? Why would you trust a company started by the people who ran Penguin Windows into the ground? Donnie McMillan was the one who instituted all the high-pressure sales tactics in the first place, so I have a hard time believing the company he actually OWNS will be any better. As far as "slander"... It isn't slanderous if it's true.
And as far as salespeople trying to make an honest living... Then get the hell out of the replacement window game. That's what I did and I've never been happier!
I am posting this comment in an effort to eliminate any confusion that may have resulted from the misleading and outright false posts concerning DaBella Exteriors generally, and in particular with respect to the claimed relationship between DaBella Exteriors and another company, Penguin Windows. (Please note that to my knowledge, there is no company in the area doing business under the name “DeBella Exteriors.”) The post by “missmckenzie” on June 18, 2011 stating that Penguin Windows had changed its name and is now doing business as DaBella Exteriors is simply untrue. DaBella Exteriors is an entirely distinct legal entity not associated with Penguin Windows. Anyone wishing to verify this is encouraged to review the corporate filings of record with the Oregon and Washington Secretaries of State. Similarly, another post by the same person complained of a negative experience with a pushy, overly aggressive sales representative. This is not a legitimate complaint. DaBella Exteriors did not commence its business operations until June 21, 2011, three days after the date of the post, and as such no prospective customer had yet been given a sales presentation by any representative of the company. We suspect that one or more individuals having some personal animus against DaBella Exteriors’ principals have made these posts in an effort to discourage consumers from doing business with DaBella Exteriors. Should any user of Complaintsboard.com have any questions regarding DaBella Exteriors, please feel free to contact us at dabellaexteriors@comcast.net
Thank you.
How about "Quality Control" addresses some of my comments above? Is your company owned by Donnie McMillan or is it not? Did you not register for your business license on 5/19/2011 (nearly a full MONTH before Penguin laid me off...) when you were supposed to be SAVING our company, Penguin Windows? How do you explain that? I have a legitimate complaint...I (and how many other hard-working individuals) lost my job because DaBella Exteriors was the PRIORITY for Donnie McMillan and his management staff, and NOT Penguin Windows. It was an easy exit strategy, wasn't it? Not having to deal with all the bankruptcy red tape. Just start a new company and who cares how many people lose their jobs in the meantime?
Now as an ex-employee I know I should have believed the rumors and complaints about Penguin being a corrupt and dishonest company. And it is now my goal to make sure that consumers don't spend their hard earned money on corrupt dishonest companies like this one. The truth will always rise to the top. Donnie, your chickens are coming home to roost!
Is DeBella Exteriors a real company? The reason I ask, Adam from DaBella was just at my home. He was pushy, very pushy, and asked questions like when we would be found at home, do we work during the day, the names of our household members, etc. even after I said very adamantly that we weren't interested in having an inspection for our windows. Looking in yellow pages, online, phone book, etc. doesn't yield an actual company listing or phone number that I can find.
I don't schedule any appointment or give personal information to someone I don't know, from a company I've never heard of, knocking randomly on my door. Leave me a card and some information and let me call you. After I was adamant that he wasn't going to get any information from me, and before I could ask a question for a card or additional information, he made some rude gesture, said something under his breath and turned and almost ran away. If a "company" won't give you any information and only take your information with no other options, they aren't a real company.
From my experience, DeBella Exteriors are likely scam artists, thieves looking for easy homes to hit, or identity thieves. If I'm wrong, then they need some new salesmen. This guy was worse than any Penguin sales guy, at least they were courteous and willing to leave information (from my experience).
I am one of those people they have scammed. Came to my home told me all the wonderful things about company and product. Factory trained installers, 30 year warranty, blah blah Bull S@#%! Not trained to even put up a fence. I am now stuck with $30, 000 loan and the worst siding ever. No permits were pulled, they threw it on in less than 4 days, did not do walk through, wanted me to sign completion papers even though I have so many issues. Came to my house when I was not home. GM finally came out(after being in my yard that had locked gates) had an answer for all my complaints. Very intimidating said I had to sign completion papers so they could start a work order. It was dark I was tired and he was not going to leave until I signed. AFTER That I have educated myself on proper installation and the whole thing needs to be torn off and done properly, but of course that won't happen. 15 days after they had put this crap in my house I found water leaking inside the bathroom wall and siding. Friday night after 8pm GM tells me I have to call a plumber out and take pictures, document all of it so I can get paid back for emergency call. Well I did and and it proves subcontractors (not trained) put a nail in my hot water line. So GM shows up Monday morning with same Foreman to look at bathroom wall that had to be cut open, took a look and said they will patch up the hole and replace the panel. I asked about water damage and they tried to tell me that it was not that wet, It's not like gallons of water were coming out. Are you kidding me? I sent them out. They did bring some plastic to cover hole so I could shower and when I came home at lunch that day it was taped up of the hole causing all kinds of moisture. I cannot believe what I am dealing with. I have not let them come back. John M keeps calling me everyday to touch base and try to resolve issues. I know what has to be done and they will not do that so I am at a standstill with my first payment due in two weeks, a hole in my shower wall, crap siding that is in no way sealed up and will never be covered by warranty with gaps, cracks, a ton of caulk to cover up bad cuts, no Flashing behind butt joints, siding sits on concrete slab, small pieces put in on both sides of house because I assume they do not know how to use a tape measure, my cable wires not secure and zig-Zags back n forth?. No flashing on the entire bottom of house, no flashing above slider door, pieces of siding I could pull out, light fixtures and electrical boxes not center with big gaps. TOTAL nightmare. I am a single women living alone and a comment you made made me now realize why they have a contact time for me down as 10:30AM AND 6:30PM. I work from 9 to 7pm. So pretty sure that was code for me not being home. The day I found water leak my neighbors told me two guys had been looking around my house (with gates locked) yet they went in my back yard. John told me that 90% of it had flashing. LOL I found pieces that they tried to slide up under some of the butt joints but they could not get them under the ones that had nails in them. Yes Blind nailed and nails lots of them on the front lower corners to hold them down. I am so screwed and they know it. I do not have $15, 000 to hire a lawyer and told them from the beginning that I could not afford this but after 4 hours of their convincing sales pitch and being 10:30 pm I caved against my better judgement. I don't know how they pushed the loan I had no say in nor did I fill out the information. Signed everything on a tablet without seeing or reading contract. They cover their [censored] and have absolutely no regard for anyone but themselves. Donnie McMillin is the owner and parent company is Reve Exteriors that has 3 lawsuits against them. Sure wish I would have seen these comments before I let DaBella ruin my life. It's a good thing the Corona happened and I could not get a gun because I would have put a bullet in my head by now. I HATE these people. I don't know how I will recover. I make minimum wage with now over $200, 000 in debt. God Help Me
Guess this board does not like apostrophes! Sorry for the above butchered post as a result.
I have a question, why did Adam say that the company was run by 6 people, been around for for some number of years (over 10, but I don't recall exactly) even though they hadn't commenced business until June 2011 according to the above post by Quality Control? That right there, is at the very least, misleading by the salesman, and at the worst an out right lie and reason enough NOT to do business with this company.
Any reasonable person is going to Google "DaBella Exteriors" just as I did, and the first link they'll see is this complaint board and know what to do.
And no, I'm not a competitor trying to "slander" this company. They're doing it to themselves. I just got a rude sales guy at my door. Yes, I know door-to-door sales is rough, but that isn't an excuse. My honest first impression was "This guy is a thief!" and that hasn't changed.
If the company was a true company they wouldn't be pushy people to begin with and ask personal questions to elderly people or to any other people. If you goin to work on a roof then why is it that you need a house inspection? To me that just wouldn't seem right to me Ialso thought most companies do thier work at normal hours and not start at 1:00 to 5:00 or whatever.THERE IS ALWAYS A RED LIGHT ON AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER ISN'T THERE.
This is the first time I have tried to look up Penguin Windows or DeBella. Over four weeks ago I received a phone call from some one that told me that Penguin Windows was bought out or went belly up and DeBella was taking over the Penguin warranty / guarantee. I politely asked if he would send me a letter with all of the new contact info, well some four weeks later I'm still waiting. So in my opinion they will not receive any of my business in the future. Oh I do have five Penguin windows and I do like the windows when they brought them out they found that one was damaged so what they did was install the damaged window ordered a replacement and in two weeks the replacement was here and in. The guys that did the work where top notch.
I will say, that as a former employee of Penguin Windows myself, I find it awfully funny that the company name is listed under Donnie McMillan's Wife's name and the two children posted on their website just happen to have the same name as Donnie's as well.. Not to mention the photo is licensed to a former Penguin employee/amature photographer..So many coincidences..The only reason I even care is I invested a lot of time into my "Career" at Penguin and when Donnie took over, he made so many promises of turning the company around and asked us all to just "Stick it out a few months"... I may have been the only one that saw the writing on the wall at that point and when I was offered a lay off 6 months later I gladly took it. Donnie screwed that company so hard and made every sales rep that worked there fearful of losing their jobs if they didn't make sales... hence where the high pressure sales come into play. He'll make the same mistakes people, shady sales tactics, treat his employees poorly, bankrupt a company and not even look back. Be warned that this is the kind of person you are handing your hard earned dollar to.
In response to blatentlyobvious’ comments, DaBella Exteriors reiterates its earlier statement that there is no legal relationship whatsoever between DaBella Exteriors and another company, Penguin Windows. Further, Donnie McMillan, the former President of Penguin Windows, does not own any interest in DaBella Exteriors nor is he in the employ of DaBella Exteriors.
While evident that blatentlyobvious is a disgruntled former Penguin Windows’ employee, her animus (whether legitimate or not) toward Penguin Windows is being misdirected at DaBella Exteriors. Should any user of Complaintsboard.com have any questions regarding DaBella Exteriors, please feel free to contact us at dabellaexteriors@comcast.net
If that's true, then why is a D. McMillan listed by Dabella as the owner on yelp ( took a screenshot).
Donnie is the owner. Go to L& I and look up licenses Parent Company Reve Exteriors. Go to related and you can see the trail of companies. So Call BS Liar
Former Penguin from way back on East Coast, so I definitely don't have a dog in this fight, but my take is Donnie is a decent guy. It was Vaughn that was really the devil @ Penguin, though Donnie was complicit and Penguin truly was a terrible place to work. If I'm one of the other ex-Penguins who will now be competing with Donnie for a piece of the market out there... well, I might be slandering with speed and doing whatever dirty tricks I could come up with also. As we all know... he can drive sales. Remember Boys, in the age of social media, you're gonna need Product, Service, Price, and the ability to sell without making 'em think your selling. It ain't 2006 anymore.
Zach, I doubt you're still looking at this stuff. I'm a sales manager. My boss is considering hiring Vaughn as a consultant. What do you know about him?
Funny, that this is the day I stumbled on this thread. Vaughn is generally considered to be a "white devil" - good at appearing managerial. Whatever he offers, it won't lead to a durable advantage. I'm a consistent 2.5M per year producer who makes his team better; he showed me the door because I was too hard to manipulate. He's not Kosher. If you have a high pressure sales and marketing organization that relies on canvassing and you're willing to churn and burn, he can probably help you increase sales in the short term.
Wow funny stuff im reading after we just got a guy leave an hour ago now I'm like WDF? Is the Owner good or bad n is the same from this old company ppl seem to hate so much. Any way we decided to take the safe way out and find stuff bout this company and wow I'm not surprised at all our guy no names was ok a lil pushy kept saying we wouldn't get the best deal if we didn't put money now red flag kind of when your buyin a car but we gotta check stuff out cant wait to see how much more dirt I can find
Last night we had a representative come by for an appointment. Both the door to door and the representative last night made mention of Penguin Windows, stating that the product DaBella uses is comparable to the quality of Penguin. Now that I am reading all of these comments it seems a bit suspicious that they would make reference when the owner used to be the president or CEO of Penguin and then they went out of business? I also find it suspicious that someone above mentioned that Donnie has no connection to DaBella, but the sales guy at our house last night called his boss "Donnie" to get some advice? The sales guy was nice enough, but he was very pushy and talked and kept trying to get us to put money down and take financing last night for 3 hours. In fact, when talking about the price of the windows the sales guy kept going back to saying that there is no better price, so we should take the financing. I pride myself on checking out any company or products that I buy BEFORE I buy them, and having 5 minutes to talk with my husband is not enough time to do that, yet the sales representative seemed to think it was. I am unsure as to what my husband and I will decide to do, but I do know that if this company is the way a lot of people are saying, I do not know how they will stay in business very long, which would mean a lot of what they try to sell you on (lifetime warranty, etc.) would be null and void.
They stay in business by ripping vulnerable people off and having you sign contracts with hidden clauses that say if you miss your payments( that start at one price when you sign then almost double when you get paperwork from the bank) can take your property and everything on it. Scamming very kind and hard working single women like myself.
friend being scammed and pressured now by dabella how does she void contract
BUYER BEWARE! DaBella Exteriors aka PENGUIN Windows... same misleading, lying and scamming company but now with a different name and operating out of a different state. For you DaBella employees that are trying to say that DaBella has no affiliation with Penguin Windows you are full of CRAP! The name DaBella Exteriors was already decided by Donnie McMillan the president of Penguin Windows, while he was at Penguin Windows and 2 months before Penguin Windows went belly up for misleading and lying to customers, scamming their east coast based triple pane window manufacturer out of thousands and thousands of dolars, and making false claims about energy savings (just Google Penguin Windows and you will see what I'm talking about) their overrated and ridiculously high priced triple pane windows supposedly would save customers, which they just happen to sell at DaBella now! SCAM, SCAM, SCAM! Same operation, same intrusive, rude and very disrespectful employees, same crappy president, same high pressure sales tactics... just a different name! The evidence is there plain as day, and its all a matter of time before everyone catches on! And NO, I'm not a competitor of Penguin Windows, I mean DaBella Exteriors!
@6sh00ter I happen to be an employee at Dabella exteriors. I am going to start off by saying its the best job I have ever had. We are truly a family company and I am offended in many ways by your comments. Nissa has put hard work into building this company into something greater than penguin could ever be and it does show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHCp933msUQ&sns=sms
Funny how you guys can just straight up lie and say that Donnie McMillan (former President of Penguin Windows) is in no way affiliated with DaBella Exteriors. I used to work for both companies. How are you going to straight up lie as if it isn't his company, and he's not even an employee? There's a reason why the company is in his wife's name. She is Donnie's puppet! Donnie is the man behind the curtain! I came to DaBella when I needed work. I only worked there for a few weeks before I could no longer stand how crooked the company is ran. I left on my own terms. It has been years since I quit. I just recently decided to Google the company, curious to see if the thousands of dollars that Donnie spends on "cleaning up" the flooded complaints on Google is working better for him than it did at Penguin. Looks like it is. I literally had to type in "DaBella Exteriors complaints" in order to stumble across this. Kudos, Donnie. I just had to add in my $0.02, as I just found it hilarious that you are literally typing about yourself not owning or working for the company you own. Classic Donnie! Hahaha! You sure are a hilarious piece of s%!+! I can tell you all first hand that Donnie IS the man who ran Penguin into the ground. Donnie is ALSO DEFINITELY the owner of DaBella, as his wife owns it on paper. And the last time I saw that dirtbag, he was inside the office at DaBella, as he was everyday, giving a pep talk to his canvassers, literally using the once upon a time success of Penguin Windows as an example of where he wants DaBella to be. Donnie will always make money though. These words won't hurt his bank account. Once he can no longer control the complaints, he will change the name of the company. Then once he can no longer control the complaints under the new name, he will use bait and switch tactics to put money into the reincarnation of whatever the new name is, by running a different company under a the name of somebody else he's close to. He will remain rich until the day he burns in hell. You will have to face God one day, Donnie. You can't hide from that.
I worked for Dabella Exteriors for about a year and I can tell without a shadow of a doubt what you are reading on here is accurate. It is indeed basically the same company as Penguin Windows. The scripts they use are identical the sales process everything. Rarely did I ever see "the owner" of the company. Her husband was there every single day though and led every single meeting. On paper I don't know if he is affiliated or not but he is definitely the man behind the curtain running the show. Since leaving I have met people that worked for penguin and even the company before that I think statewide was the name. They asked me how Dabella ran things and when I told them they said that it was exactly identical to the two former companies. These guys are crooks taking advantage of homeowners. They sell cheap junk and charge a mighty penny for it. Way more than it should cost. Terrible customer service which I believe is supposed to be one of their values. It's shocking to read so many negative reviews on the internet from customers and then to see the replies they leave basically taking no ownership of anything. Hopefully they either change their ways or go away because too many people are being taken advantage of by their tactics.
The salesman Justin Johnson who showed up for a 60 to 90 min evaluation of our roof wasted 4 hour of our time.
He was on the phone trying to get us the best deal, then I was told if I would do a high rated review on YELP that I could save on my estimate. He said that the reviews on yelp were the lowest and they needed help to get them higher.
After wasting our time we sat back and waited for them to get the financing approved.
After about 4 days I contacted them and was told to give them time to hear back from the lenders.
After the could not get us financed we went from being on a first name basis to THE RESEDENCE OF.
I say DO NOT LET THESE PEOPLE IN YOUR HOME.
YOU are so lucky. They somehow pushed finance through and I will never recover from this whole shady SCAM. Most dishonest company I have ever dealt with.
I'm glad I found this site. I had Rick come out, after having three different roofers steal money from me. I'm disabled and low income, and have had way too many people promise to help me, then ghost me. Rick seemed pleasant while he was here, and supposedly talked them down to under $17,000, deferred payments for 3 months, no down payment, $188/mo. I told him my previous experiences with DaBella, and why we didn't go through with it, because when we were ready, the price had changed, he had not told me the offer was only good for 30 days. So he knew I had issues with not disclosing such things. I took a few days to think it over, and decided to go for it. He wanted to know when he could come get the paperwork signed. I asked him to email me the contract first, so my brother (who lives on the other side of the country) could read it first. Rick claimed he'd have to come by to go over it with me. I wanted my brother (and likely his attorney) go through any fine print. Tired of getting ripped off. Eventually, he asked me who I was...he didn't remember. He asked if my brother could be there. Yeah, not from 3000 miles away, no. "Well, I don't know how he can read it before hand, I can't." WHAT? How does that make any sense? He claimed he could NOT send me a contract until it had been filled out! He claimed he dropped the price lower than he's ever seen, and "I did tell you that price was for that day only and I don't know what you're afraid of your putting 0 down". EXCUSE ME? I did tell you my previous issues with DaBella, and you KNEW there was an issue with undisclosed "deals" and time limitations. This was 3 days later. I asked him, "So, the price has changed? He's just trying to protect me after all the thefts." He stopped replying. Meanwhile, I also had another "agent" from DaBella very aggressively trying to push me to make an appointment with HIM, as well, and wanted to come out the next day. When I explained I had doctor appointments to schedule upcoming surgeries, he pushed that it couldn't take all day! When my doctors are spread apart, a minimum of 75 miles one way, yeah, it can take all day. I searched his phone number, and it came up as a scam. My concern was hidden language, fine print, APR%, interest, etc, and how much that $17K would cost me in the long run. Apparently, they don't like that. He figured if I've gotten ripped off this many times, I'm dumb and naive, instead of poor and desperate. They thought they had a sucker, until my brother entered the chat. Once I wasn't a scared mouse they could back into a corner and bully, they ran. They are NOT to be trusted, and I will tell anyone and everyone!