Penguin Windows review: FRAUD---CHEET---WASTE OF MONEY---LIE---LIE---LIE. 49

As a current Sales Consultant with Penguin Windows, I am going to stick my neck out and try to give a fair view of our company and product, and address a few of the complaints stated. As a pastor for the last 8 ½ years, now taking a break from ministry, my wife and I wrestled with the decision to enter the world of sales because of the exact things that are written in some of the negative reviews. I can now say, almost a year later, that I have nothing but praise for this company. I have seen very few companies that emphasize integrity, honesty, delivering on what is promised, customer satisfaction, and excellence like Penguin does. I am very proud of this company! From the classiness and sincerity of our owner, the quality of leadership in our top management, the superiority of our product, to the “go the extra mile” mentality and the supremacy of our installation department—this company is 2nd to none! Please understand that we are a HUGE company! As the 2nd largest window replacement company in America, we employ just under 600 people out of 4 offices nationally. We have earned the business of over 21, 000 clients in just the last 5 years (and have been in business for 24 years)! We were just featured in Remodeling Magazine as one of the Top 50 Movers and Shakers in the remodeling industry nationwide. As of April 8th, 2008, we have zero (0) unresolved cases with the BBB. That is astounding! I have reviewed every website that I can find, and read every customer review, and have found an equal amount of praise to the complaints. What we know about praise vs. complaint ratios is that those who are satisfied/happy are far less apt to crow about it than those who are upset. Meaning, there are multitudes who could write in and set the record straight, but don’t feel the need to do it. We often get these praises as personal letters sent directly to the office, directly to the consultant and/or installation team involved in the project. For those of you who have been the victims of the pushy, sleazy, rude salesman/woman, I apologize on behalf of them. These types rarely last more than a month or two with our company…just long enough to tarnish the reputation of our company and of all the great reps that we do employ. These types do not characterize the vast majority of our sales force. For those who have sat through a presentation that was longer than expected, I again apologize. We are working to reduce the amount of information that we know is necessary for homeowners to make a solid, informed decision about such a large investment. In all fairness to us, a fair portion of the time spent in many of our visits is in interaction that is stimulated by homeowners who have questions, sad stories of other remodeling projects, etc… Finally, regarding the price of our windows…we will never be your lowest bid. We make that clear from the outset. But, cost for value, you won’t get a better window anywhere. Period! You get what you pay for, and there is a lot of snake oil in this industry. Knowing what I know, I can say unequivocally, there is not another window that I would put in my home, despite the cost...and there is not another company that I would trust more to install, guarantee and service my windows. I trust that these sincere judgments of our company will be a help to someone contemplating a window project with Penguin Windows. Russ De Vos Penguin Windows Sales Consultant
Published 9 months ago by Russ D. Less

I agree with the poster. We had a Penquin window rep come by and
asked it we wanted to have a sales rep come by and he would give us
a $25 gas card. we said ok. No harm listening to a guy for 90 minutes
right? WRONG WRONG WRONG the Salesman who worked out of thier
Lakewood, WA Office, He did his song and dance and when we said no
thanks when We were told the price, then came the High pressure sales
he even called another saleman in the area. When He told us that he
could help us finace it for 1% intrest, 6mos no paments and no intrest
we told him he could measure one window and give us a quote. When
he came back with the price it was $ 3, 000 for just one window. But,
he said over and over again, " Your payent will only be $33.00 per month. My wife was still saying no way but like a fool I believed his
quote. Turnes out not only did he lie about the price but the part on
the contract where he was supposed to put the Finacne code ( they have may finace plans) it was left blank and no description of the
plan. After three months we started getting bills from GE Credit and the Payments were three times the agreed upon amount. When we
complainded to Penguin Windows, Lakewood, they said the contract was fine and nothing wrong. After many calls and complants we filed
a compalint with the State Attorney General. They wrote a letter to Peguin and then the manager for Penquine came to our house to give us "thier copy" which was the one the salesman had falseafied. Long story but the end result is that Penguin window salesmen lie lie lie don't belive a word they say.

WASTE OF COMPANY TIME, AND MY TIME.

I was at P.W. for a job interview!?
I was not greeted at the front door when I went in.

Many(6-7) people were scurrying around from door to door, office to office, laughing, giggling, and just being unproductive as one could be. I was there for 12 minutes before a young lady(sara?) about 18 years old came by and said: "what are you here for?" I said I had an interview scheduled at ____pm. She said: "oh...just fill the app out and sit down". I did. I then waited another 16 minutes. Nothing happened, no one checked on me.
I left after spending almost34 minutes there waiting after my Appointed time. Rude, inconsiderate, childish, unprofessional, lackadaisical, unkept personnel is what I encountered. I certainly did not want to waste any more of my time at this place!

My question is: After seeing this company first hand how they handle their staff, and prospective staff members, why would I recommend them to anyone to do a window replacement? CAN You say UNPROFESSIONAL ?

Agree! One star is too many. They will over sell, over measure over price and cheat you every time. Read other reviews & check with the BBB for complaints. Positive reviews are written by the company employees.

I will tell you this much that the man tha wrote this original commett was in charge of a divison where he was let go due to Tardiness and also lack of motivation and where he is now going out to his old customers and he is now working for West Coast Vinvyl on 19th in lakewood, wa. It is easy for an ex-employee to say something bad about a company after they are let go at that point.

I use to have Milgard vinyls for a while and after a few years, I felt drafts and my house was getting colder and colder every month with my furnace on max! it turns out that window expansion and contraction broke the seals around the edges. Anyways...

I had a Penguin appointment last night. They did not come off like rude salesmen at all, more like a window consultant. Everything he said did point towards penguin, but he had evidence from cross sections of other windows, glass differences, etc. bottom line, it has an insulating factor of 10, my drywall is 12 so this is pretty good. Any other window on the market is r-4.2, and I've done my research! The PVC is the same vinyl as any other windows except that they extracted the petroleum and mixed acryllics and hardeners into it. The same material they use in the windows is boeing 747 fuselages, thats nothing to laugh about. The insulation in their frames is the same in your refrigerator. This window is no joke. They guaranteed me 40% minimum energy savings or pay the difference, and in the course of 10 years i'm set to save over 20k. I called my real estate agent today, he checked with his office and did comfirm that with any new gas filled window the price of the home will increase 118% on average, depending on the consumer reports expected lifespan on the window. So for a Milgard builder's grade window 8-10 year shelf life, 110% will remain until that shelf life expires. The penguin window will retain the 118% for 50+ years. With all the evidence I've gathered and reserach I've done, I am completely convinced I have just purchased the best product on the market today. I also know why Penguin gets alot of flak.

Penguin, has a product that costs about 5-6 times more to make. The only way people will buy is if there are sales people doing door to door appointments. This makes lots of sense. Would the majority of people going to Lowe's pick up a 2, 000 window, or would you go with the 150 window? At a hardware store, no financing and no custom sizes. The reason why BBB has complaints with Penguin is because they are one of the only window people who do in house demonstrations. Folks they are selling you on an home investment, not a cheap vinyl window that you will complain about. These windows dont break and if you do happen to break them in any way from now until the end of your life and the next houseowner's life, they have their AAMA certified team replace it in 72 hours. No other window company does that. No other window company promises 40% energy usage reduction with a 55% reduction average. No other window company has an R value higher than 4.2, which Penguin has 10. No other window company uses krypton gas, which is 160 times heavier than air, argon is 40 times heavier than air. Some brands carry krypton/argon mix which makes no sense because if argon is lighter won't it rise to the top and doesn't heat rise to the top as well? Krypon is expensive, the amount of frame material on Penguin is second to none, and if it wasn't absolutely the best, they wouldn't be forced to do in-home sales calls to put up 60m a year figures with 4 offices. Many times when one house had their windows put in, i've seen other houses get them too because they do look unique in quality. They have a slight greenish reflection from the outside.

I got a 25$ gas card but thats just a gimmick to get an in-home demonstration right away. I asked the rep the average person that buys and he said it was around 1/4. That's a damn good pitch/sales ratio.

I also did the math, Price wise, Penguin windows costs just as much as a 8-10 year milgard window over the course of 50+ years. Additionally, with all the extra comfort, beauty, safety features, and energy savings, I'm literally on a path to make money.

Every sales based company has its bad salesman, and so every sales centered company is going to get more flak than a Home Depot supplier. No balls, no glory. If you got a bad rep, you didn't see the true potential of the Penguin.

In respects to this claim, he is completely misinformed. Maxus 10 is the glass pack technology, just like "flex fuel" for Ford. Penguin is also in partnership with Great Lakes Windows, they are the exclusive supplier of their Uniframe line nationwide. Without Penguin, Great Lakes Windows probably would not survive. So no they are not a rebranded window, nor is Penguin a distributor.

In respects to the energy inspection, the rep showed me alot of very subjective information, he ran a thermo through the areas and found the leaks. I thank him for that.

The measuring sheet has 2 inches added to account for a 1 inch frame border on each side, and I watched the guy measure.

The only thing he is right about is the appointment, which took 3 hours for me, but that was with me asking lots and lots of questions and talking to him along the way. Even though they do mislead saying its only a 90 minute appointment, I would have to admit I would never agree to a 3 hour appointment. SO this is a canvassing tactic, not the sales rep's fault. Every sales person lies about appointment times though, remember the last time you went to the bank, and everyone there told you it would only take 10 minutes to get your new credit card...ended up taking an hour and a half. So that's sales, what can you say.

Penguin is a solid company, and every sales company has a few bad apples. They're probably kicked out after a few weeks anyways. I hope everyone gets an appointment atleast.

Look up builder's grade, homeowner's grade, wood windows, superior vinyl windows, cost out the aggregate expense over 50 years and you will see why Penguin's composite Uniframe is a competition destroyer.

33 monthly is impossible because that would mean a project worth 3000, which is impossible because Penguin won't even consider a project less than $6, 000. For a 6 month Deferred monthly my rep told me Penguin foots the bill because the bank requires 9% either way, so they don't ever do that unless its an extreme case. Rates for projects btw are anywhere from 0.012 to 0.0175, depending on the size of deposit, which ranges up to 10% of total project cost. if anyone thinks the penguin window is a rip off I was sold on these features alone, consider this friends...

What other window company uses triple pane with 98% krypton, quad layered soft Low-E coating giving an R-value of 10 in glass to a beefy frame using 5-6 times more titanium oxide in the 100% newly composited vinyl frame weighing 2-3 times more than any other competitors frame and insulated with special r-23 insulation and fiberglass reinforcement I-beams?

Also an installation crew with all AAMA certification, every crew paid by the hour to maintain consistent quality, double checked by foremen. In installation they take out your rotted wood from your crappy windows and replace those parts of your wall that have rotted away with fresh wood free of charge, then use the most expensive caulking and silicone to seal your windows.

How else does a company guarantee lifetime transferable warranty against accidental and intentional damage/breakage from glass packs, leakage, frame, everything, without running themselves out of business? Quality that's in their best interest? What do you think? Do you think that they'd do everything in their power to have the strongest float glass in the industry, and the most impeccable frame in the industry as to avoid excessive warranty claims? This company has flourished for 26 years and growth has multiplied. Folks, when do you ever see any company scam their way through 26 years?

How else does a company guarantee 40% minimum energy savings and pay the difference without literally throwing money away?

If you realize that Penguin is not a business set up to fail, you'll see why all these posters are unfortunately misinformed, or working as industry saboteurs.

Companies like Milgard and champion are the ones scamming innocent homeowners. An easy example we look at window composition process. Chalk is used to color Vinyl. Its cheap, but brittle. Companies like Milgard dump vinyl into their mixes and create a very cheap product, and you'll notice the random breakages you see after 8-10 years. These reps take a heat lamp and tell folks during presentation that their Low-E double panes are just as good as Penguin's quad soft coat Low-E triple pane by using a lamp and a BTU meter. Results come out the same and they say the Penguin is overpriced and a huge ripoff. What those reps scam you about is that Low E shows reflectivity of light, not the transference of heat, which is why your energy bills are high. The penguin window uses roughly 3 times the weight in vinyl, and this is 100% virgin vinyl (virgin vinyl is made of little interweaving fibers), not 40-60$ ground up recycled vinyl, and this vinyl is a sunlight proof acryllic hardened vinyl, giving it long lasting structural integrity.

What's a bigger ripoff, investing twice as much for a product that lasts 50+ years 100% fully warrantied and giving you full equity waiting for the day you move places, or replacing your 8-10 year window 5 times and having a warranty says lifetime, but covers nothing, not even wear and tear from normal use.

You folks are the jury.

i admit some of the sales rep are sleazy. but most of them are honest people who are just trying to make a living. the only reason they are pushy is because penguin windows trained them that way. pw also have a policy where the sale reps have to close the deal the same day or else someone else will come and do a re-hash (pretty much come lower the price and steal the sale)

Just wanted to say thank you for posting this information - you just saved me a huge hassle.

I signed up a couple weeks ago, while in Kmart as we need to look at replacing our windows and thought this was a good opportunity and of course winning $ was insisting.

I received 2 calls from Penguin windows but strangely they did not leave a message (was on the caller id)

I was home finally yesterday when they called and the rep was extremely pushy, rude and was not even listening to what I was asking/saying regarding a good day to come by. I asked them why they did not leave a message and they said it was their policy. I told him that made me kinda nervous (as there are alot of scammers out there) and he said they are a legit company located in mass and that I could talk to his supervisor after I made the appointment. I told him Wednesdays were a good day but not tomorrow (today) he then preceded to ask me what time on Thursday... good grief man.. did you listen to me about only Wednesdays are good? He said well that it too far out to do next week and basically hung up on me.

That is when I decided to do some research...
So thanks again for posting this.

K

Wow, lots of Penguin employees posting here eh?

I noticed one uses the handle "Hinessight" A google search for penguin windows and you'll find that hinessight is a blog where they had a penguin rep out and cancelled the order. It's a good read.

Also, "Hardhitter", do you really expect anyone to believe that a customer who just listened to a three hour pitch from a salesman could rattle off all those figures about the windows? I mean really. . .

Penguin overmeasures. I had a buddy of mine who worked for them and left because his conscience got the best of him for it. It's hard to catch them though. He let me in on their little tactic over some beers and soul-searching.

They're trained to write down the exact measurements of the windows on the first sheet and contract, but not on their own worksheet that they won't show you (go ahead ask for it!). Why? Because you might see what they're writing on first sheet, and throw them out, and they don't want over measuring on the contract. So, while you're flipping through a book or amusing yourself with the kids, the rep is totaling up your actual UI, multiplying your windows by 4 and adding those inches in to the UI, and putting THAT number on the line to be multiplied by 19 bucks.

And just like that, you're left with a number and no paper trail of being overcharged.

slick, eh? I wouldn't buy a kazoo from these guys. . .

WOW! WOW! WOW! Your kidding right? As a sales rep and qualified energy consultant I first want to say that I have never, never, never over measured a window! I am always within 1/2"! I am willing to show and most times do show my take off sheet! Why? I want the owner to know what he or she is being charged for. No surprises. As a 25 year licensed contractor and a certified building inspector, my measurements are within 1/4". As for product V cost, why is the PENGUIN WINDOW the only window that is certified and warranted within 5 miles of the coastline? It is certified to 170 mph winds. Any body want to match it? Didnt think so!
I personnally have Milguard windows at the present time and hate them! I cant sit in my favorite chair until 7 pm because of the heat that amplified through the windows! I am in the process of changing out ALL of the windows in my house. I'm tired of the furnace staying on when its cold outside and the AC almost never turning off in the summer months!
Guaranteed 40% energy savings in writing, 100% front to back warrantee for LIFE!
ANYBODY else touch that?

Below is what they should put on craigslist because it's the truth.

Penguin Windows is HIRING! - Looking for agressive people who can sell windows and set appointments. We don't care if you smoke weed, snort cocain, do heroin, or drink on the job as long as you don't get caught. We don't care if you don't sell because we don't need to pay you for it. Fact is, we just charge you $375 for your equipment when you get hired. So we are all around covered!

We hire as much people as we fire which is about 10 salesman every two weeks, 12 cavassers every single week. We don't care who you are, we may fire you for fun =) We can always get away with it because we have you sign all these contracts before you get hired that covers are butt. Unless a undercover agency comes in one day and write a full report about the company and file a national complaint which may cause us to change our name again. Origianally was Statewide INC now Penguin Windows.

Please call us if you want to get hired on the spot, once again...Don't worry, we don't do background checks. We only verbally ask you have you been convicted of a felony in the last 7 years and so far, everybody lies and said no. Funny is we have people that has criminal records working for us right now! But shhhh, don't tell nobody!

Next time you see Penguin Windows at your front door, ask them for their peddlers license! They don't have it because you need to do a background check and pay for every individual canvassers license. You need to have a clean record but most of them have multiple felonies so they don't give their canvassers peddlers license even though it's againce the law. Call the police ASAP so they can get kicked out of your neighborhood.

We live is Salem, and we don't work and have never worked for Penguin windows, and we are not former pastors. We listened to the pitch and discovered that it is almost identical to a time-share presentation. For obvious reasons, we asked for some time before we made such a large financial decision. The salesmen were very professional, but we did cut the presentation short after it hit the two hour mark. During the think-about-it time, we reviewed the opinions in forums such as this one and made a few phone calls. One call was to a former Penguin employee, a friend of a friend. He told us that the windows are superior, and he would purchase them for his home, if he could afford them. A contractor gave us a two-pane bid for almost seven thousand dollars less, which was something to think about. Those things being done, we had to face the following questions: Do we need to spend that much money for three-pane windows in a two-pane window climate; Do we have a home that deserves the "Mercedes" of windows; Can we recoup the investment when we sell the house; and Will the windows help sell the house? The answers to these questions depend on the individual. We signed the contract. We didn't make the decision because of the sales pitch. If someone gets too pushy with you in your own home--come on folks--tell them to leave. We were looking for high-quality windows with a first-rate warranty, and we think we got them. I will let you know. I will post again after the installation has been completed, and again one year later.

You live in SALEM ?
.
Get a life !
.
You're the only one that has had a positive experience !...THE ONLY ONE !
.
WE, the public, do NOT believe you!
.
You are probably the owner, or some kind of relative of the owner...!

Very interesting!

I like to look at things from an objective Point of view>

What the author is saying, Is very true. Also what some Penguin employees say is very true.

I worked as a general contractor, licensed/bonded/insured, and was a master carpenter. I was trained by my dad from the age of 15 until he died at my age of 35. He was a master carpenter... I am proud to say, the best I have ever seen.

So, here's my perspective on Penguin Windows.
_______________________________________
PRODUCT:
The windows they sell are excellent quality products...no doubt about it. They sell themselves. But, Penguin may or may not be turning this into a fiasco. You make the decision.

Polyvinyl Chloride PVC will not chalk, as plain vinyl will. A while back in the good old days vinyl siding was seen as the wave of the future. However, it started to chalk up and loose its resiliancy by becoming brittle after being weathered. UV and some other weathering did this. I don't know the chemistry of this. Remember, I don't claim to be a chemist, just a contractor.

PVC has been around a while and has proven itself as reliable. You will never have to paint it, and most likely will never have to replace it. PVC is a great insulator. So, this is a good choice for windows. Inside the PVC frame, you are looking at plastic foam insullation. structurally, it reinforces the walls a little, and adds extra insulation. (bottom line is you are looking at an EXCELLENT WINDOW FRAME).

To hold the frame in place, you have a kevlar "beam" if you will. All windows are framed around using 2x6 or 2x4 depending upon your studs. A window is an insert that sets within the framed in area. This kevlar beam they us in addition to the framing is great material and appears to allow the installer to put in the kevlar beam and snap in the frame. That's would be a fairly good install if the installer has good measurements and fits the window within the frame accordingly.

The Glass is superior to any I have seen. It is very strong. I was amazed that you could jump up and down on it in heals. I am very impressed. Glass, by nature is a pretty good insulator. The Krypton gass is also a good insulator. Furthermore, this has coating that provides good UV insulation. All combined, VERY STRONG and Extreme quality glass.

MY TAKE ON THE WINDOW: ALL AROUND A GREAT PRODUCT! I don't think many will disagree on that.
_____________________________________________
SO, HERE'S THE QUESTION OF THE DAY:

--So, is Penquin taking a great product and hosing that up with bad ethical practices?

The canvasser that came to my door, at first, claimed these were Penquin Windows. That is a lie. I asked where the manufacturing plant was. At that time, the same canvasser said they have exclusive rights to these windows and they are manufactured by Great Lakes. I don't know about exclusive rights, but I do know they are made by Great Lakes.

Great Lakes may be a bit upset if their EXCELLENT product was not accredited to them. I am not a lawyer, but I think this violates patent rights and copyrights even with exclusive rights to the product. WATCH OUT Penquin Windows. With that one statement, you broke my trust. Why claim these are your windows, when they are not? That makes NO sense to me.

Bottom Line:
-Claiming these are Penguin Windows is a lie.
-Claiming Penquin has exclusive rights, may also be a lie. But who cares, you broke my trust!

________________________________________________________
MEASUREMENTS:
The author of this article also stated that the canvasser will half heartedly measure the windows and will also measure them with 2 or more extra inches. The author also claimed the canvassers were told to do this. The author also claimed this will add cost to the windows:

Good Call author. Well, maybe:

The Canvasser that came to my door was told to measure the windows 2" more that the window itself. She admitted to my face the extra 2" around. So, let's evaluate that. Remember, this comes from a contractor, not at all affiliated with Penguin or any other Window based company.

Remember I said that the Windows are inserts. If you take out the entire window, with the aluminum frame, vinyl frame, or wood frame, you are going to have a couple extra inches in between the window frame and the frame of the house. I am not sure this is illegal practice or unethical. The frames themselves are taking up a little space in there as well. As someone who quotes his own clients, I quote for the glass and the frame separately. So, the customer knows exactly what I am putting in. These windows are made for a quick and efficient install with the frame as a part of the window.

However, taking inaccurate measurements up front and quoting on them is something I don't like to see much of. This could increase costs to the customer. These measurements should be spot on EVERY TIME.

For not conveying the extra two inches to the customer, I give Penguin a D+ on that:
___________________________________________________
HIGH PREASSURE SALES:
In my opinion, if you have a good product, sell it right. As the author of this article stated, the more you say no, the longer they stay. This is where Penquin goes astray.

Penquin is selling an EXCELLENT product. But, if you don't go with them immediately, you don't get the discounts. I hate that.

The best sales pitch I have EVER seen was someone who showed their product and said, "WELL TAKE A FEW DAYS TO THINK ABOUT IT AND GET BACK IN TOUCH WITH US." To me, that's a bold statement in saying, you can't find better.

I HATE high pressure sales. For that reason, I give Penquin a F-: You have a good product, don't ruin it with high pressure sales.

I STOPPED AT HIGH PRESSURE SALES:

I have no idea what their installers are like. Looking at the product, I think a monkey could install these correctly. But, these installers should be all licensed bonded and insured, by law. So, I believe you will get good enough quality at installation.

Let's break down a couple OTHER "LIES":
_____________________________________________________
HEAT LAMP- I am not a physicist. Nor do I really care to be. The PVC, foam insulation, Krypton gas, and coated and tempered glass are all great insulators. Once again the product is of VERY HIGH QUALITY. The glass is Very strong for security.. These windows sell themselves. This does look like a great BTU insulator. I can understand this side of the sales pitch. People want to conserve energy and keep their house from wasting money. Are you sure your methods of using this heat lamp are correct, Penquin Windows? I give you an A for effort and a B for the marketing in this way. I would sure like to know the validity of this test, whether it is a proper test or marketing ploy.
________________________________________________________
--BLOWN SEALS:
The author of this article stated:
You are told that you have blown seals on most of your windows that are just fine.

Author, once again, you are correct.

I was told I had blown seals, just as you stated. This is a lie. Like I stated earlier, Windows are inserts and inserted into the frame of the house. So, what seals are they talking about. The caulking is used to dress up saw marks in the window sill, where the window sill doesn't meet the window frame perfectly. That's the sign of a poor carpenter or framer, not a poor windows installer. So, you put a bead of caulk there. Then you caulk the outside, where the window meets the outside particle board, (or plywood), that is the skin of the house. THERE IS NO WAY THAT A CANVASSER CAN SEE THIS SEAL WITHOUT REMOVING THE WINDOW AND FRAME. That's the seal. All caulking on the inside is for will be to hide cracks or gaps from poor craftsmanship, not to seal the window. It does provide VERY LITTLE insulation value.

I give Penguin an F on this marketing ploy.
________________________________________________________

Bottom line:

Product: A+ (Top grade product)

Price: I have not compared. So, we will call it an X for (Unknown).

High Pressure sales: F- (I do not get the discounts unless I go with them right away, and they wouldn't take no for an answer.)

Gimmicks: A for effort, B for reality: (I saw them put the products to a test. Jumping up and down on it in high heals is something you don't do with normal glass. I watched the heat lamp and it is a quality insulating product that will save you on energy bills. Realistically, I don't know the science of some of these tests and I don't think the canvassers know either. So, I call them gimmicks. The B for reality means I didn't need to be a chemist or physicist to realize that's a good point.)

Installers: Don't know anything about the installers. I do know a good product can seriously be hosed up with bad installation practices. So, we will say, X. But, they are manufactured for an easy install. It doesn't take a genius to put them in correctly.

Claim to fame:

Why claim someone elses work. You have a good thing, so why spoil it with bad ethical practices. (F- on this, you broke my trust almost immediately). Watch out for copyright and patent infringements.

Ok, i need to agree and disagree with mr. contractor, i am also a contractor, with not as much experience, but have had a stint with penguin.

The product is amazing. Great windows and if you can keep saying no until the final price drop, the prices really are not thaat bad, theyre expensive, but do it once and do it right. After all there are NO add ons for any rotten wood, all disposal is free, and they will change/cap your exterior trim.

The extra 2 inches- im surprised mr. contractor didn't pick up on this. On MANY MANY older windows, especially out here in boston with the old wood windows with a buck frame, the measurement on the inside is ALWAYS smaller than the outside - this is because of the stops, the actual frame of the old window, which you can't even see with the stops and casing, and maybe some space for a weight pocket. When I worked for penguin, I did not add 2 inches, I added what i knew had to be added depending on the window in there. If i knew the pocketinside the casing was bigger, I would add an inch maybe two. never have I added 2 to the height and 2 to the width. just 2 in general, which is an extra $20/window X 10 windows - 200 bucks, x 20 windows = 400 bucks.. who cares? when youre spending 6-40k 400 bucks does not matter...Plus if the sales reps under measure, that comes out of their pockets.

The seals the reps were referring to were not the caulking seals... they really meant the glazing strips on the exterior of your window which holds your glass pack into the sash. the broken seal often concludes with moisture, condensation, or rot.

And the high pressure sales. I myself, was never high pressure, but seriously, youre getting the best price tonight, if these are the windows for you and you NEED windows NOW, why the hell not take the lowest price?

hope it maybe helped out and gave these guys some credibility - don't get me wrong they have some absolute screw balls working for them, wish they were a little more selective.

On 11/28/09 a Penguin Rep named Donald came to my home in Stanwood to pitch me.I told him no thanks and closed the door.My 16 yr old son looked out the window right after I closed the door to see who was there.He watched this guy walk to the right side of my house.My son went out to see whathe was doing.Turns out he was pissing on my house.I followed my son to see what he was doing and heard him say "what the Hell are you doing"?
I ran over just in time to see this guy zipping up his pants.
Told my son to call the cops.I started yelling and he tryed to get away, I kept him on my property at the same time my daughter drove up.She too called 911, as well as my husband.
He was taken from my property by 2 Stanwood police and one Snohomish county sheriff.
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE.

The window cost for the Penguin (uniframe window) is about $250.00 per window (double low e krypton r-10 window) and it cost about $85.00 to install.

The total cost for labor and material is about $315.00.

Therefore the profit made on a window sold for $1600.00 would be $1285.00.

They must have some presentation!

Go to Northwest Window Company. They are more accurate, the guy Terry can come off abrasive sometimes, but the installers are great, and they know what they are doing. My fiance works there, and it's awesome, I don't get any complaints (well, maybe sometimes because of Terry), but all in all, it's a great company.

the fact alone that they called my wife something close to 20 times before she agreed to allow them to set up an appointment for a free estimate was telling enough. as a general contractor and someone that has been building homes for most of his life, the fact that the sales rep told me (my wife was conveniently napping when the rep came to our house) that marvin windows were garbage should have told me to throw the man out of my house. an obvious scammer and hard selling sales rep, minus the intelligence and experience to be effective. the truth is, i felt sort of bad for the guy. slightly overweight, driving a funky old car, hustling on a saturday, preaching to someone who knows better. these are hard times. i sometimes am working 7 days a week for weeks on end myself lately. part of me could relate to his perseverance. but that comment about marvin windows being garbage, and how he had personally removed countless of them in order to be replaced with his superior product left me feeling kind of mean. i let him work. i also let him run out to the car for his gear to perform his scientific display - heat lamp and meter. what a fabulous little gimmick. after watching him put his hand in front of the lamp and various panes of glass, including the low-e that i am in the process of swapping my hundred year old windows out for and a penguin window, i asked if we could test it on the actual window i replaced. he got all evasive and told me some thing about it not being an accurate reading due to the size and the ambient temperatures and this and that, yaditty yaddity. he held the lamp against the double paned low-e from the inside and i went outside with his little yellow meter and sure enough it read almost the same as his penguin windows. i even held my hand on the glass for a few to pre-heat the window. hilarious. he quoted me $18, 665 to replace all of the windows. i told him that i could practically build a mother-in-law unit for that price. he agreed. i explained that the window i had purchased cost me $130 brand new (jeld-wen vinyl) and that the cost of installation far surpassed the cost of the product only because there had been dry-rot in a one hundred year old wall, but if there hadn't been and all of the remaining windows were easy-peasy pop in replacements, i could swap out all of the windows for less than two thousand dollars. granted, i am not buying grade A windows. moreover, i am doing the work myself. but i charge clients close to $60 dollars an hour for my time and i can still put in a good window(marvins?) for less than the $1500 dollars he said mine would cost. it really didn't add up. why not sell your product through the lumber yard/distributors? why charge double for something that may or may not last longer than the rest? what do you want for nothing, a rubber biscuit? the whole thing smelled to high heaven of a scam of some sort or another. my wife wanted the 25 dollar gift card to winks hardware, so i guess it was my job to get stuck listening to the ###. ahh, the dutiful husband.

There is not a sales rep by the name of Donald that covers the stanwood area. Nice try! No one pissed on your property

I had one of these Penguin Windows guys come to my door last fall and start pitching me. I don't buy anything from anybody coming to my front door unless it comes in a box that says "Campfire" or "Girl Scout" on it, so I politely told him "I'm not interested." He said, "Not interested in what?". I replied, "Not interested in whatever you're selling." He came back with, "I'm not selling anything, I'm offering a free inspection of your windows." I told him that there ain't no such thing as a free lunch and that I wasn't interested in his 'free inspection'. He pushed back a little more and I basically had to shut the door in his face.
Just this evening I had a pair of Penguin reps appear at my front door and the first one started pitching me. I interrupted him and told him I wasn't interested. He said, "Not interested in what?". I replied, "Not interested in whatever you're offering." That shut him up right away and the look on the other guy's face (introduced as his 'supervisor') was absolutely priceless. The lesson learned here is, don't tell them you are not interested in what they are selling, because they are never selling, no sir, but they are offering something.

I was a Canvasser for this company, the sales tactics are garbage, that of a used car sales men... "60-90 min energy evaluation" what a bunch of bs, sales rep has to be there a MIN of 3 hours and use the customer's phone twice, its for home owners only, thats so they can "make a deal" with you on payment arrangements... what happens if you fail to pay? you lose you're house. I remember this one time, I came across a woman whom was dressed well had a nice car exc.. who had 10 windows one slider, on a two story house was estimated at 35K to replace everything.. after she refused to sign up I went to the neighbor (who has the same style of house) yard was a little trashed and the gentelmen who answered looked as though he had a "hard" past if you know what I mean... anyway I found that he had recieved a preveouse estimate of 12K for 10 windows and 1 slider... so IF you are to purchase windows from this company ... look like an ex-tweaker, oh by the way... columbia blv downtown vancvouer shop... most all the employees there are affiliated with drugs and drug dealers.. just as an FYI

I think this bunch of unethical bozos should have a class action suit filed against them by all of these disgruntled homeowners who lost countless hours listening to their deceptive B.S.! Time to throw this company "out the window"!

This is all interesting... But do you really want to take advice from someone that calls themselves "no_fat_[censored]es"?
Good Luck!

To all current Penguin Windows Employees!

If your a new salesman, your division manager will give you the last picked lead which will most likely not sell.

If you are a canvasser, ever wonder why every single day the canvass department is missing at lease 4 to 5 really potential leads at the end of your shift? That's because it cost tons of money to produce great leads and the P.O.D. will sell them every day for personal gains. Salesman will get a bigger commission cut if they get a self generated lead so they may have a hand in those never ending disappearing leads.

Bottom line is, this company is a splitting image of Kirby Vaccuum selling over priced parts using a high pressure pitch. Before you make any decision, please visit www.solicitingsolutions.com and check out some videos posted on that site.

It's nice to have a company like soliciting solutions that will keep solicitors away from your home.

I am a recent employee of penguin windows and i was a canvasser. Just to let everyone know Penguin windows was just investigated by the attorney general of washington for fraud. business malpractice and lies to homeowners. end result was the attorney general made penguin sign a contract stating they would "clean up there act". well half of the vancouver office is now pissed and wanting to quit because they have to be honest. this isnt an honest company and there windows are over priced. if you are a good company the attorney general wouldnt have to step in. if you dont belive me on the attorney general part look it up.

My wife recently had two penguin windows sales reps knock on our door. She told them she was not interested. That same night someone threw a rock through our living room window.

It could have been just kids but we havent had any trouble until this. I just wanted to post this in case anyone else has had the same experience and didnt want to draw any conclusions.

Thanks for the input regarding Penguin Windows.

Soon, we’ll be handling all online feedback with personalized responses; for now, we’re using this message to get the word out about upcoming changes to our customer service.

Penguin Windows is in the process of totally revamping the way we interact with our customers, especially online. We’ve always been dedicated to providing the ultimate replacement window experience, and have thousands of thrilled Penguin Windows customers to prove it. This new program simply insures that as we grow, we can continue to offer excellent service to match our excellent windows.

Keep a look out for our new, more personal online presence - we’re looking forward to working with you to make Penguin Windows even better.

If you have any questions, check out our website at www.penguinwindows.com, call me at [protected] or email vaughnmccourt@penguinwindows.com

Thanks again,

Vaughn M
Director of Operations
Penguin Windows

Vaughn McCourt cheats on his wife with the marketing manager Leslie. I would do the same if I were Vaughn because his wife is an ugly drunk.

Well, I've been sitting on the sidelines for awhile now and feel it's time to throw out my opinion. I am the West Coast representative of Great Lakes Window who is the company that manufactures the window for Penguin and have for about 10 years. Quite honestly, I don't understand all the negative reviews. In the time I've been associated with Penguin all I've seen is a commitment to customer service never before witnessed. In fact, before Penguin started selling our product, they were selling a window from a manufacturer in Eastern Washington. Unfortunately, that company went out of business a few years back. Today, if a Penguin customer calls with a warranty of that product, Penguin buys a new window from us and installs it in the customers house at no charge (self warranty beyond the manufacturer). Many dealers would (understandably) direct the homeowner to whatever organization holds the warranty and let them fend for themselves. It seems when a customer signs up with Penguin, they are taken care of for life, not bad I'd say. In fact, they have helped make us a better manufacturer due to their high expectations . Regarding the sales tactics, I have been fortunate to sit in and witness their training classes. They are tough and the sales staff is required to know a lot. I've seen them instructed to not mislead, apply undue pressure or fabricate information.
Pricing, are they expensive? Probably but that's what happens when the window you buy is the most expensive made, and worth every penny. Couple that with an install team that is directed to take their time to insure the product performs as well 30+ years from now as the day it was installed and add a warranty that covers everything for as long as the customer resides in their home. Finally, we have made every effort possible to create a product that will save energy, last a long time, add beauty to the home and increase security. Why would we risk the best product made in America on a company that wasn't World Class? Steve [protected]

Sales pitch from the guy above me. Hey Steve, would you pay 30k+ for windows in your house? Your full of [censor] bud and your motivations are obvious. If penguin is the angel company you claim it is, then why would the attorney general have to get involved? Why is there numerous blogs full of negativity about this company? And last but not least if penguin is such a great company then why did a company of 500 people have to send out more than 4200 w-2's last year?

sounds like a disgruntled employee...did you get fired because you can't sell THE NUMBER ONE product in the north west ...bet you're not in sales anymore huh...penguin windows are awesome I HAVE THEM they've cut my heating costs by 70% which is 30% more then they say they would

Got windows last year, and love them!

I was actually doing a search to "like" them on facebook, when I came across this site.

You see I have a window in my tub/shower unit. My cat had recently decided to hang out in that window, which was open during the summer. Somehow, the little guy ended up opening the locking mechanism, while the window was open, making it impossible to close.

I knew I was told how to pull the window out, but I couldn't remember how. We called the company and within an HOUR there was a serviceman at our door, and he fixed it in 5 seconds. I was amazed!

The installation was amazing as well when they were put in, most tidy and quick, and nice workers I have had the pleasure of having work on my house.

I really don't understand all the hate, I have had nothing but positive experiences with them.

When Steve Landry says he is the West Coast Representative for Great Lakes, how does he reconcile that Great Lakes is now Plygem?

Not sure how to respond to that. Great Lakes has been owned by Plygem since about 1986 and has never made that a secret. The last few years have seen Plygem start to become more prominent simply because the company was wasting a lot of money in management redundancy and initiated a program to consolidate brands which would allow for better recognition in each of the channels distributed. Great Lakes remains one of the brands under the umbrella that has retained it's mark and focuses strictly on premier home improvement contractors throughout the United States. Nothing has changed.

Steve

I worked for Penguin Windows as a sales rep. (I sold quite a bit actually, and I QUIT...was not fired.) What an embarrassing job! We were yelled at by the "manager on duty" when we didn't pressure folks into buying windows. As terrible as I feel about it, I sold 22K worth of windows (in penguin pricing, probley 8k worth anywhere else) to an old lady who was on a fixed income.

When the sales rep comes into your home they start with the script they call "the agenda". Every employee is required to memorize it word-for-word when in the first week of training. You'll notice it when they start with "So, did the person who set up the appointment over the phone explain what we'll be covering during your visit today? " (you say no, not really)..."well, here in about 2 minutes Ill have you quickly walk the house with me to do an energy inspection on your windows.."

I worked for penguin windows for only a week. I interviewed for a door to door job but was told I was better suited for being the person that walks around kmart and pitches. The main thing I didn't like about working for them was that they wanted you to memorize the script EXACTLY. It wasn't hard to do but you weren't allowed to adjust it depending on who you where talking to but I sell better if I can adjust to the customer. They also would spy on you every now and then to make sure you where saying the script like they wanted. Working itself was easy, you clock in and out over the phone, but it can get boring walking around a slow store for 5 hours a day. Also they had sales goals that they wanted you to reach that sucked! I was able to reach mine 1/2 the time and was well on my way to getting a bonus but I just didn't like the job... it was actually very stressful!