Buyer beware with Penguin Windows

I have never heard of the company but sounds very unpleasant as an experience. Only once have I had the experience of buying something from a salesman who had come to the house– encyclopedias when we had a baby and became convinced we should enrich its life and ours by this huge encyclopedia set. We also came to our senses in time to use the buyer’s regret escape clause fortunately as with the Internet things like home encyclopedias would be even more in the way and impractical than they were 40 some years ago.

I am from Virginia and had a great experience with “The Window Man.” There were no high pressure tactics–I scheduled an appointment at my convenience at their showroom where I felt I could leave anytime I wanted. Great products; great showroom; great people.
http://www.imwindowman.com

My husband and I invited a penguin windows representative into our home in the early part of last year to have an energy inspection preformed on the house and recieve a bid for the windows. My husband (an engineer for a well known window company that will go unmentioned) was extremely reluctant to listen to the sales pitch. The guy they sent over looked fair enough, and seemed nice enough when he arived so we decided to loosen up a little bit and let him do his thing. HE took temperature readings all over the home and brought in his heat lamp an put it up to my windows. My husband and I could feel the drafts comming off our windows ever since we had moved into the home and it didn’t take much convincing that we needed new windows. No, the convincing hadn’t even began yet for this salesman had his work cut out for him. He was talking to a man (my husband) who had been designing windows of all shapes and sizes for years. Not only that but we could also get a heathly employee discount through the manufacturer my husband was working for. long story short, at the end of the night we had bought thirty six thousand dollars worth of penguin windows for our home. WE had been living with wood/aluminum clad windows that were only about eight years old. however after experiencing the deterioration of this product we had made up our minds that in our climate that was not the way to go. The sales person explained the problems with the clad, the expansion and contraction, the swelling of the wood over the years and sticking of the operating sashes. These were all things that we had been personally experiencing with our windows. We knew that we were going to be in our home till we got to old to take care of it and wanted to make sure and get something as maintaince free as possible. we know we could get windows for a lot cheaper, but at the end of the day there is a difference between the initial PRICE of something such as you windows and the TRUE COST of putting a cheap product into your home. There is also alot to be said for a company that stands behind there product, i would advise anyone who is looking at purchasing windows fo there home to look very closely at the warranties. The best part about our entire experience was the installation crew (who are hourly paid employees, not sub-contractors) they were very pleasant and treated our home with much respect. Having owned several homes and doing many improvments, both ourselves and hired out work, i have never had a nicer better home improvement experience and would recommend penguin windows to anybody. oh yeah, my energy bill being about 30% lower than it was over four years ago is pretty nice too.

An update with another big gripe about Penguin Windows’ misleading sales pitch:
We just found an estimate that we’d gotten from Total Comfort in February 2007, less than a year ago. This was to replace all of our windows with Low E double pane argon gas windows.
The estimate included two windows that the Penguin guy didn’t include in his estimate, because they’re impossible to reach without a ladder. Cost: $14,314.
Penguin Windows bid: $60,041. Wow, over four times more. The Penguin product is higher quality, but not four times better for sure. Nowhere near.
Plus, the Penguin sales pitch includes a supposed comparison of the cost for various types of windows, including their own. We were told that “Homeowner’s Grade” vinyl windows would cost us $37,800 for the whole house.
Actually, as noted above, the real figure is more like $15,000. So Penguin Windows is misleading people about what they’d have to pay if they went with another company.
Watch out if you let a Penguin Windows salesman in your door. Don’t sign a contract on the spot. Shop around. Get multiple estimates. You’ll be glad you did.

I had the misfortune of having one of their 4 hour sales presentations today. The only thing I can say positive about the experience is they do seem to have a good product and warranty. Aside from that, the salesman who was supposed to take 1-1.5 hours took more like 4 hours! And although he started out very friendly and helpful, he became increasingly pushy and very annoying when we told him we couldn’t afford the $46,000 windows he wanted to force down our throats. He turned from nice and friendly to downright rude and condescending.
I wouldn’t buy from them just for that reason. No homeowner should have to put up with being belittled just because they won’t sign a huge contract on impulse.

Thanks for your post! Nice read. I had a similiar experience just the other day. It was NOT with Penguin. In fact, I have never heard of that company. I won’t say the name of the company I dealt with last week.
Anyway, my wife and I have a house that could stand to use some windows. We were in a large super market type store and a salesperson stopped us. Three minutes later we had made an appointment for an estimate.
A day or two later when the salesman arrived, he put on a show similiar to what you mentioned. INCLUDING the heat lamp trick. FOUR HOURS AND TWENTY MINUTES later, he left. I still can’t believe how quickly that four hours went. We were signed up for five windows. The price was just over $4,000. Nowhere near what you were paying. I quickly got second thoughts. The next day, I told my wife, “new windows would be great, but we have other places where we could put that four grand to good use!”. My wife reluctantly agreed. That afternoon, I went to the post office to mail the cancelation (certified mail, return receipt, etc). It is scheduled to arrive today. I am kind of dreading the phone call to get me back on the hook for the windows. Who knows what new deals they will offer me.
Interesting thing the salesman told me. He told me when he was talking about the “3-day cooling off period” that 1. A coworker was fired for too many cancelations and 2. It was a law to help old ladies from fly-by-night door to door salemen. I wonder if he told me that so I would not cancel as to not get him fired and 2. Not do it because I am not an old lady, but a 30-something male? Ha!
Anyway, I am glad I can cancel. We’ll get windows one day. There is always another window salesman around the corner.

I have been pricing windows over the past few weeks and the experience that most of you have suffered is similar what I had to go through. Buying windows is kind of like what you go through when you buy a car.
I’m not sure if I can sit through any more of these sessions. Penquin windows are excellent windows and probably the best windows you can buy but for 35 grand is a bit much. After sitting for about 3.5 hours with very interesting demo’s, discounts and tons of why we should buy these windows I said no. The sales person along with his training partner went away not happy but not in a huff. I told them that I wanted to check a few other windows before deciding. The discounts were only good for that night but I’m sure they would offer them again if I called to schedule another demo. The main salesman was good at telling me how I could save money and that this purchase would be an investment not a purchase. The final result would be like buying the windows for about $2000 with all the money I would be saving. It sure sounded great and my wife was ready to sign. This is a large purchase and I couldn’t just sign the papers.
I made a mistake a couple weeks ago with another window company and did sign the papers. The 3 day right to cancel saved me because I did cancel that contract after I didn’t sleep that night. They called me immediately after receiving the cancellation and wanted to discount the windows even more which makes me think there’s more money to be discounted.
I’ll see what happens with Penquin if they’ll come back with a different price. I do like their windows but $24,000 is a lot of money still! I’ll get back to you all to tell you what I did buy. Happy window hunting!

Just one thought on this, Brian, you quoted JudysBook:
“BUYER’S BEWARE! LIES! LIES! LIES!…STAY AWAY RUN AWAY AND HIDE!!!!RIP OFF!!!!!…I just kicked the sales weasel out of my house…Stay away Run run run…Terrible windows and service”
Since he “just kicked the sales weasel out,” then he didn’t buy, did he? And so– how could he know about the level of service or the windows? Also, the splenetic anger level doesn’t seem realistic. Clearly, that was written by one of their hundreds of competitors. I don’t have a dog in this fight, but that quote is so glaringly illogical I would bet it was “industrial sabotage” by another window company.
I think real people would write something like what you did, normal, balanced, measured, complaint blended with the positive.
I mean, if you met someone ranting spittle-flecked anger like that would you value his opinion on anything? I can’t understand why you’d quote him. Surely you didn’t see that venom and feel you’d been given new information?

I just got an email from someone who wanted an update on our window shopping. Here’s what I told her:
————
“We’re happy we didn’t go with Penguin Windows. I’d strongly advise you to get estimates from other window companies.
A few weeks ago we got an estimate to have all of our windows replaced from a glass company in Salem that handles a wood clad fiberglass product (blanking out on the company name for some reason).
The estimate was several tens of thousands of dollars less than the Penguin estimate, and Penguin doesn’t offer a wood clad option. Plus, their frames are vinyl (with a fiberglass insert, I believe).
Bottom line: we can save a lot of money by going with a different company, and the product will be better. Our house mostly has a wood interior, so we’d like to be able to stain the window frames to match.
Penguin Windows, in their sales pitch, provided us with the supposed cost of getting other types of windows. That wasn’t at all accurate. Penguin claims that top of the line wood clad, fiberglass windows are much more expensive than the estimate we got.
So you can’t trust Penguin. Go ahead and get an estimate from Penguin if you’re willing to devote three or four hours to a high-pressure sales job. But don’t sign a contract. Get other estimates from reputable window companies. I’m confident you’ll find, like we did, that Penguin Windows is a bad deal.”

We were lucky, we had an appointment with the salesman and his boss for an hour, the trick was to have a doctors appointment and had to leave after an hour. Now the salesman made an appointment to come back, because I told them I didn’t want to deal with the scheduler,she was very rude. He made the appointment for the following Saturday and didn’t make the appointment. We waited an hour past the time and left, but unfortunately we had the scheduler to deal with every night. They might be the best, but they are not in my future.

Umm, is there such a thing as a wood-clad fiberglass window? I don’t think so.

BHC, yes, Milgard offers a fiberglass frame that’s clad in wood. See:
http://www.milgard.com/products/fiberglass-windows/
(Scroll down to the wood clad fiberglass option.)

Those sales people come to our door at least 2-4 times a month. They drive me insane. They do not respect the no soliciting signs or no trespassing signs indicating you DO NOT want any sales people bothering you. They always come around dinner time or when you are trying to relax in the peace of your own home. You tell them to go away and they try to push on you “I am not selling anything” which really is annoying because they wouldn’t be at your door if they did’t want to make a sale. I came across your post looking up information on them because I am sick and tired of being harassed by them. I know there is the phone solicitor opt out do not call list. There seriously needs to be a “do not contact” list for door to door sales people.
Between them and all the various church groups along with other sales people, my home is not a peaceful place. If I want to purchase something I will seek out companies to purchase from.
Based on their tactics and constant harassment, they are the last company I would purchase from if I ever needed new windows. My windows are just fine and I do not need to replace them.

Oh my Gosh!! I have to say in defense of Penguin Windows that my experience is unlike any of the previous comments. There are always a few bad sales reps in any company. I can honestly say that my experience with Penguin was not only informative, but pleasurable. My presentation took well under an hour and a half. The sales person was courteous, informative, considerate … need I say more. I have looked at “other” windows and done plenty of research. Penguin Windows outranks those “others” by far! I have had my windows now for over a year and can only say that it was the best investment I could have made for my family. Their triple-pane is far superior than your typical double-pane. In the first year alone, I saw a 63% savings in my home heating costs, and for the cost of my windows, I saw a significant increase in the value of my home. I must say, I know PLENTY of homeowners in my neighborhood that went with Penguin for all the right reasons … honesty, integrity, value and passion for an absolutely superior replacement window product.

You folks are absolutely ruthless. I and plenty of my friends and neighbors have had Penguin Windows installed in our homes and couldn’t be happier! From the moment the Sales Person walked through the door to the day the final product was installed and inspected, we were treated with nothing less than respect and courtesy. Our Reps were professional, thoughtful, helpful and informative. All without pressure … Have you ever thought that perhaps there is a much larger population of very satisfied buyers out there? Perhaps you dealt with a greasy ex-car salesman who for very obvious reasons no longer works for the Company.

Yes, I too had a similar negative experience with the Penguin sales staff. I naively expected them to come measure my windows and hand me an estimate. Kinda felt bad for the guys when I had to tell them no, because they were blue collar guys, former installers, clearly not comfortable in their shirt and ties, and under pressure to sell. Anyways, if you want their expensive overkill product, haggle with them for a long time because they will keep bringing the price down. BTW, I wonder what BHC does for a living…

Updating my original post, we just got a final estimate on another brand, Milgard wood clad windows (fiberglass frame).
Cost for our entire house: $36,000
Penguin Windows estimate: $60,041
So there you are, a no-brainer reason to say “no thanks” to Penguin Windows. We would have paid 2/3 more with Penguin.
Yes, we miss out on triple panes, but we didn’t like how the triple panes cut down on the light coming through.
And yes, we miss out on the krypton gas, but we can pay a lot of slightly higher electric bills with the $24,000 we’re saving.
On the plus side, we get wood clad frames rather than vinyl, which will look much better in our mostly wood interior. Like I said before, get several estimates. You’ll probably find out that Penguin Windows is significantly over priced.

After numerous problems with his old windows, my neighbor had PENGUIN WINDOWS installed with tremendous results!! His windows were specifically designed to his exact specs, installed with nary a problem, and they are WARRANTIED for 50 years. In the first year alone he saved 67% on his electric and gas heating (that was huge!). The best part is he didn’t spend an arm and a leg to do it. You certainly get what you pay for, and in my opinion, Penguin Windows are the best in the market. They are high-end, upscale replacement windows, and in my estimation, better than any other window out there. If you check into their reputation, maybe you’d see that for yourselves. Penguin Windows is NOT over-priced by any means. I’m saying it loud and proud!!!

Misty, I don’t see how you can say that Penguin Windows aren’t overpriced.
In a previous comment I noted that they are. To be fair, a few days ago we found some inaccuracies in the Milgard estimate we were given.
The actual figure is $41,080 for our entire house. But this is still over 31% less than the Penguin estimate — and gets us wood clad fiberglass windows rather than vinyl frames with a fiberglass insert.
As I’ve said before, Penguin Windows tells people in their sales call that other window choices are going to cost much more than they actually do.
Our Penguin estimate includes a page saying that wood clad windows would cost us from $51,000 to $62,000. That’s a lot more than the Milgard estimate we got for wood clad fiberglass frames.
So you can praise Penguin “loud and proud,” but the facts we’ve learned speak for themselves. Again, look elsewhere before deciding on Penguin. Get informed so you don’t get taken.

My parents (my mom specifically, dad was pissed….) fell prey to Penguin’s high pressure tactics, but luckily were able to cancel in time. I helped my mom do some research they day after their demo/pitch after she called me in tears (no joke).
Here’s some interesting data from other posters and the BBB site:
Their BBB complaint rating is 6 times the industry average!
They used to be called Statewide Windows, but had to change names b/c their reputation as high pressure/over priced started to get ahead of them.
Buyer beware, anytime a salesman wants you to sign on the spot and it is over $1000, it is never a good thing….

I am a building contractor and have over 25 years in building homes here in the Puget Sound area.
I had Penguin Windows over my house to buy some windows and had a GREAT experience!!
But the difference between me and all of you is, I CAN afford to purchase quality windows.
My father use to say, don’t go shopping if you can not afford the product. As a businessman my self I deal with dreamers and time wasters all of the time. Remember boys and girls and wieners, you get what you pay for!!!
When someone comes to your home and is showing you a product that will change the look of your home and save you a lot of money off of your energy bill it should take some time. Some of you forgot to mention that when the sales rep came by you talked so much you forgot why he was there.
If you don’t need something and your not ready to buy, than don’t waste other peoples time!!
You need to buy the Wal-Mart of windows, that’s what you can afford and deserve.

Tony, good try on your plug for Penguin, but you don’t make much sense. Like I’ve said before in another comment, we’re getting a very high quality set of replacement windows from Milgard that are about a third less than Penguin.
And they’re woodclad with fiberglass frames, rather than the vinyl (with fiberglass insert) that Penguin offers.
Fact: Penguin Windows is way over-priced.
Fact: Penguin salespeople use pushy and sleazy sales tactics.
I didn’t appreciate all the used car salesman-like pitches that the Penguin guy used on us. If their windows are so great, they should sell themselves.
We’ve bought three Toyotas in the past few years. The salesman just tells us about the cars. He doesn’t have to beg and plead for us to buy them, because they’re quality cars.
Penguin Windows, because their product is overpriced for the quality you get, has to use ethically dubious sales tactics. So watch out for them.

Too bad, I didn’t see this website until after the Penguin people came to my house!!! What was supposed to be an hour and a half, was like previous posts- 4 hours!!!! The windows seemed great, no doubt about that, but their sales practices seem a little off! We got our quote for 17 windows $25,000- they have a finance plan, $150 for the next 12 years!! If we did not sign that night, we would lose the 11% discount. Well, we didn’t sign and the called 2 days later stating that the manager looked it over and they have a substantially lower revised quote. (I wonder if they would have let us know we over paid, if we signed.) They could not of course, mail the revision, a rep would stop by and it would only be 30-45min. Well, he just came and wanted to remeasure the windows. Gee, I thought they did that the other day and they had a revised bid. Apparently they did not! What kind of reputable company gives a quote, does not keep the measurements on that quote and then claims to have a revised quote?? Oh, by the way our sliding glass door that would have cost us $3500- we ordered with Home Depot for $500-no, not 3 panes of glass like penguins and we are installing ourselves,but well worth a $3000 savings! Don’t let them waste 4 of your hours of your time that you will never get back!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, I really appreciate your comments! These people have been very pushy over the last three months to do a “free energy assessment” and I even suspect that they know I’m a recent widow. They do not seem to take no for an answer well and I am feeling rather intimitated. Two people showed up today in separate cars to do the “free energy assessment” and frankly, I did not feel comfortable letting them in my house so did not answer the doorbell. They loitered outside of the house for two hours and didn’t leave until I did. When I got home 7 hours later there were 6 hang up calls from “unknown caller.” Very weird!

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, again, I 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

Brian.
You know Penguin window is the best window,just admit that the salesman pissed you off and your not smart enough to realize that there are some bad salespeople working for every company includeing Toyota. You said you bought Milgard instead and that they are just as good. Thats like me saying I bought a Daewoo and it’s just as good as a Toyota. If you look up any product on Google somebody’ pissed off about it. You can’t please everybody. Hope your double pane run of the mill window works for you.
Did you read your Milgard warranty?? Void if the window fails with normal use as in open and closing!! And if you live within 2 miles of salt water.

Steve, we have indeed read the Milgard Lifetime Warranty:
http://www.milgard.com/about-milgard/full-lifetime-warranty.asp
It seems fine to me. It covers defects in materials or workmanship. I don’t understand what you mean by the warranty being void if a window fails with normal use.
It’s pretty darn unlikely that a window will fail with “normal wear and tear.” In all my years I’ve never had a window stop opening or closing if it wasn’t defective to begin with.
Milgard also covers accidental glass breakage, which Penguin does also, I believe.
We just had our wood clad Milgard windows installed. They look great, much better than the Penguin Windows would have. And they were much less expensive. Plus, we’re getting fiberglass frames rather than vinyl.
Yes, Penguin offers a triple pane window. But as I’ve said before, we noticed that the triple pane is noticeably darker than the double pane. When we asked the Penguin guy about this, he admitted it was true.
I said, “This is Oregon, where we get a lot gray gloomy days. Why would we want our house to look darker with a triple pane window?”
He didn’t have an answer. Our bottom line conclusion remains: Penguin Windows offers a decent product but its way overpriced, and the sales force resorts to shady (and pushy) tactics.

Brian,
I read the warranty to say if the window fails with normal wear and tear to mean everyday use. I copied the part below from their web site that you provided. Normal wear, including discoloration, on hardware component finishes is not a defect and is not covered by this Warranty. Loss of functionality of hardware (except as provided below for stainless steel hardware*****) in highly corrosive environments, which includes any Home located within two miles of salt water and any Home located in the State of Hawaii, is also excluded from coverage. This Warranty does not apply to any Milgard Products that are installed in a Home that has a non-drainable EIFS or DEFS siding product. I find it strange that their first warning on their warranty for installers is to store the window in a shaded area in fear of discoloration, since the window is going to spend it’s entire life in the sun. And I guess Hawaii’s climate is so bad that they won’t even do business in the state for fear of warranty problems with climate breaking them. It sounds like your happy with your windows and thats all that really matters and it sounds like you bought wood widows anyway. I just want to let people know the majority of the sales people at Penguin windows strive everyday to provide excellent service to past,present and future customers. I personally apologize for anyone who has resorted to high pressure sales. My e-mail is mrjuiceman@msn.com and I will personally help anyone with the process of looking at Penguin windows for their home improvement project. Enjoy your new windows and I hope it brightens up in Oregon for you. Steve.

I just had some pengiun folks come out and give me the pitch. I had read a few horror stories of pushy sales folks before they came so it kinda put me on edge. I had a back up plan incase the presentation went to long. Which it did. I did get good info and my windows could use updating but I told them upfront I only wanted info and was not looking to purchase on the spot. They did give me a bid and asked if I wanted to purchase today with the discount. I told them thanks but no thanks I need time to think on it. By now my back up plan had kicked in and I need to leave and so did they. They came to make a sale but did not push to hard. They do make a good window. I will have to explore the situation further to see if they are worth the price.

I have Penguin windows and I love them!!!! My house is so much more beautiful and comfortable. Plus my power bills are way lower

I think what is important to remember in all of this is what is to honor what is important to each person. Some people buy for price alone.
When I was younger I was a “price only” person. I have some horror stories dealing with shady tire salespeople and car stereo installers who would try to arrange “under the table deals” perhaps it was because I was young but in both cases one day jobs took multiple days and there were some other shady things going on. As I have gotten older I have really come to grasp the “get what you pay for” philosophy. I now will only get my tires done at Les Schwab and my car stereo work at Car Toy’s. Why? While the price is not going to be the lowest it is a good value and I get the service and guarantee that I want.They stand behind their work without hassle. So I decided who I want to do business with now do I buy a 40,80 or 100k mile tire? Do I buy the top of the line stereo equipment or the middle? Depends on my needs and wants.
I too have been doing research and Penguin is one of the options. Penguin is obviously the Mercedes of the industry but perhaps it would be more accurate to call them a Hybrid Mercedes being that they will save you some money on your energy along the way. I am willing to pay a little extra for a company that stands behind their warranty and takes care of everything for me.
I am also considering Milgard. The final decision is how far do I want to go with this, do I want to replace all of my windows or just some windows in key areas (my bedroom always gets real cold).I’ll let you know who I end up picking and if I am happy with them.

I am a former Penquin sales rep. Unlike previous comments, I left the company because I could not in good conscious practise the “used car salesman” tactics REQUIRED by Penquin, not because I was “overly aggressive”. The people have a training program that actually acknowledges the appointment setting process is a fraud. The appointment setter quotes 1 to 1-1/2 hour presentation, but the training class confirms that 4 hours or more is normal. The financing options are on par with the recent house financing scams. The product is good, but WAY over priced. My conscious demanded that I quit those bastards.

I’ve read everything to this point. I am somewhat familiar with Penguin Windows, have a background as a specialty contractor and think there are some inconsistencies in some of the detractors statements. For one the fiberglass wood clad window is not really addressed in the Penguin presentation as it is a hybrid product combining fiberglass and wood. The Penguin presentation talks about real wood framed windows, not the cheaper hybrids. My own concern with hybrid products is the different expansion and contraction rates between “mixed” products like wood/fiberglass or vinyl/steel or vinyl/aluminum. The Penguin is using complementary materials as far as I can see so the expansion and contraction rates wouldn’t seem to be a factor working against each other but instead they compliment each other. After all, windows fail because of wierd expansion and conraction differences. The other factor is the insulating value of these windows mentioned. I went just yesterday to the NFRC website (http://nfrc.org/about.aspx )and researched Milgard, Pella and Penguin which is actually under the Great Lakes Window name and called the Uniframe window. The rating on the triple pane, krypton filled window is found at toward the bottom of the page here: http://cpd.nfrc.org/pubsearch/psLineDetails.asp?CPD=GLW-N-74_8884&pagenum=7 and is pretty impressive to say the least. The tinted color on the glass is because of the low e coatings which block out UV rays that damage furniture, artwork, flooring, etc. That is important to some folks. I’ve done my research and it appears from third party verification this is a superior product. It is no wonder other window companies want to tear it down. When you go shopping for anything there are three things you can rarely get all at once being, high quality, superior service and low price. Penguin has two of the three nailed and from what I can tell the price is pretty much reflective of their quality and service. With what they bring to the table there is no way they could be the lowest. I’m sure you can buy something cheaper but you will also give up quality and/or service. If you can’t afford the window then don’t buy it. If you want quality and service then buy the window, just stop tearing up a product because you haven’t really done all the research on it and/or maybe can’t afford the quality. They are right about real wood windows being more expensive paricularly if they have to be custom made to fit your openings. Real wood windows come in standard sizes and they cost alot. Let me leave you with this thought. Part of Penguins thing is they doen’t have a warehouse full of windows and just grab something that comes close to fitting your openings. Every window is custom measured and made to fit your opening exactly. That to me is worth extra money. I’ve seen hack jobs with lots of filler needed. They also don’t use sub contractors and have AAMA certified and experienced installers. You probably pay a little more for highly trained installers also. But, if you were having open heart surgery tomorrow you could have it done cheaper I’m sure by some guys standing outside the hospital waiting for a surgery job to come up they could jump in on for the day or you could pay a little extra for heart surgeon. Price sometimes isn’t the point at all.

Brian, great post. As for some of the others, I think Penguin reps have hijacked most of these threads. Read some of the entries – anyone who claims the Penguin sales people were in and out in less than 90 minutes are lying. People who say the windows are worth every penny are either lying, in denial or greatly deceived. How many years will it take you to make back that (fill in the number) percentage of energy savings (if they really do save as much as they say). Really – I mean figure it out, if Penguin costs you $20,000 more than the competition, how long will it take to make that up in energy savings – 40 years?
I was working from home last week (live in the Portland metro area) and a Penguin canvasser came by and asked if I’d be interested in getting quotes for our 2 aluminum (double-paned, but not insulated) sliding glass doors. I hemmed and hawed, but eventually said ok, especially when he said the sales reps probably wouldn’t even look at the windows, since I told him they were only 4 years old, with some being less than 1 year old (whole house had been remodeled). Again, he commented that it’d likely be closer to the 60 minutes than 90, so I thought, well I need an estimate on those doors anyway, so why not?
Well, that 60-90 minutes turned into 3 1/2 hours of sales tactics. As with many of the entires here, we were tag-teamed, having two sales reps visit us. One of the reps was the stereotypical sleazy used-car salesman, while the other seemed technical and more honest (and in fact was a nice guy, unlike the first). The first guy (sleazy one) kept saying things like our windows were the worst he’s seen in his 6 years as a rep, blah, blah blah. Really, our 4 year-old Milgard windows are the worst you’ve seen – boy you must be working in some ritzy areas then, aren’t you? He spewed so many half-truths, that I stopped really listening to him. At one point he was telling me how FHLMC and FNMA do business – which I thought was funny, since I had been a compliance auditor for a mortgage bank and was well familiar with FHLMC and FNMA rules. Once I told him that, he knew he lost his perceived “edge” and changed the subject again to how my window seals had failed. Well, after the heat lamp demonstration (during which he got really annoyed each time the nice sales rep interrupted him with other information (giving more insight into the sleazy one’s real character) the sleazy salesman had to leave. Boo hoo – don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Not only were we glad to see him go, but we thought the presentation, now 2 1/2 hours might almost be done. Well the other guy had to go through his song and dance and fill out the “Investment Review” as their quote is called, he showed us our discounts, and sign today discounts, etc. All said and done, he even resigned the fact that we weren’t going to do all the windows, so he broke it down to just the sliders. But at $4k a piece, I said something to the effect that I can’t afford to save that much in energy savings. He was very polite and didn’t rant and rave when we said no. If he’d been the only one, our experience would have been better, but still not something I’d wish anyone to go through.
In my optinon, here are the Penguin Window pros and cons.
Pros – 1) good quality windows. 2) I liked the idea that their installers were trained and did it all what sounded like the “right” way.
Cons – 1) way overpriced, 2) dishonest sales practices (at least by one of our visiting reps), 3) canvasser’s (and documentation) initial lie telling me it’s only a 60-90 minute presentation. 4) Penguin is just sales arm of larger corporation that owns the window manufacturer (Great Lakes Windows – I think in Toledo, OH).
Well the good news is that (supposedly) we will get a $25 gas card for my trouble, so between my wife and I, we each made about $3 an hour last Saturday 🙂

I have some penquin windows that I’ve had for 5 years now (they were still Statewide at the time). I got their sales pitch for the entire house, but opted for replacing the two bad windows (moisture between panes) I had. They were too expensive, but I got one stained glass window over my front door that I love, and it was worth every penny. The other “triple paned” window has had some problems with allignment. After 5 years and a company name change, they are still honoring the lifetime warranty and coming to fix it. I will not get the rest of my windows through them though.

My wife and I had no problems with the sales people who came to our house from Penguin. Of course my wife entered a contest to try and win windows, yeah…okay. Anyhow, it was a guy/gal team and the gal was certainly a distraction. Low cut top with breasts popping out sitting there while the guy did all the talking. Of course she let out the typical air-head giggle when he tried cracking a joke; but all in all she was a show piece (after all, sex sells) for any man (or lesbian) of the house.
Long story short, we were sold on $14k worth of windows and new sliding rear door. Sure, it was spendy, but in the end we are pleased with our experience; especially the installers. Very nice and experienced. So far things look great and it has kept a lot of the summer heat out of the house.
Moral of the story, it depends on where you live, the kind of house you have, and the nature under which the local branch of the company – or any company for that matter – is run will dictate the kind of experience you will have with “door to door salesman/women.”
Troy

Hello – I am a new person in this forum. I have done my own research on penguin Windows. I can’t beleive what I am hearing.
First thing is First:The estimate was several tens of thousands of dollars less than Penguin” “Penguin doesn’t offer a wood clad option. Plus, their frames are vinyl (with a fiberglass insert, I believe).
Several people have stated that penguin Windows are VINYL- This is a LIE. Penguin windows happen to be made of PVC , the same stuff that PVC piping is made out of. That is why plumbers are starting to use pvc tubing instead of copper, because it is non-conductive. PVC does not bend or warp over time. It never fades or discolers either. Vinyl does.
The person making the statement that PENGUIN Window is VINYL is either very misinformed, or an Industry sabotager working for another window company.
I am neutral in this forum , but I can’t see how so much hatred comes from someone who didn’t even buy the product.
.

David, you obviously have done very little research about Penguin Windows. Their product is indeed vinyl. Check out their web site:
http://www.penguinwindows.com/specs.html
Here’s a quote from this Penguin Window web page:
“Not all vinyl windows are created equal. Low-grade PVC can bend, bow and discolor. That’s why Penguin windows are made from high quality New Generation vinyl – the strongest, most advanced material we could find. Specially formulated uiPVC(polyvinyl chloride), New Generation vinyl withstands harsh weather and wear-and-tear better, with through-and-through color to resist the appearance of scratching and look like new for years to come.”
So their windows are vinyl. They just claim it’s a higher class vinyl. It should be, for the price they charge. As I’ve said before, we got wood clad fiberglass Milgard windows installed for many thousands of dollars cheaper.

Uh… Brian, do you see what you just wrote above … ” Specially formulated uiPVC(polyvinyl chloride), from Penguins site ..
I guess you are a little uneducated in the Industry. The above statement refers to PVC , That’s PolyVinyl chloride, it’s the same stuff under your kitchen sink that the water runs through. It lasts a lifetime too.

David, did you see what you just wrote, and what is on the Penguin Windows web site?:
“Vinyl.” Repeat, vinyl. That isn’t the same as fiberglass, is it? No, it isn’t.
Our Milgard windows are fiberglass. The Penguin windows that, thankfully, we didn’t get, would have been vinyl. PVC vinyl. Check out Milgard’s superior product:
http://www.milgard.com/products/fiberglass-windows/
You can keep on trying to claim that Penguin Windows “vinyl” isn’t really vinyl. But one thing that’s crystal clear is that vinyl isn’t fiberglass.
The message remains: Buyer beware with Penguin Windows. Check out the alternatives before you succumb to a high-pressure sales pitch. Get multiple estimates. Learn the facts.

Just remember if you do sign up, your paying the guy who walks in your door giving you the sales pitch 20-25% commission.

Just remember if you do sign up, your paying the guy who walks in your door giving you the sales pitch 20-25% commission.

My wife and I completed the Bidding Phase of our window replacement project this last week and ended up selecting Champion. The first company we had out to visit, however, was Penguin. As others have related, the sales tactics were high-pressure. The details would sound like a repeat of what’s already been said, however, so I’ll spare you all. The price of the Penguin windows was the biggest issue for us, however; they were exactly twice the price of the closest competing bid. That’s just silliness.
Three other companies came out, and they averaged about half the price of Penguin. The Champion salesman was far and away the nicest, lowest-key guy of the bunch. He was the last one out. I wish he’d been first! Oh, the hours that might have been saved!
The funniest bit about the Champion sale was that, among the cross-sections of competitor’s windows, the guy had a Penguin window! My first response was, “Wow, where’d you get ahold of that? Don’t tell me somebody’s replaced their Penguin windows with yours?” He said, “Of course not.” and then proceeded to tell us about a couple he’d visited a few months ago who had just endured a five-hour stint with a Penguin salesman. Upon finally being turned away, the Penguin salesman angrily declared that he was quitting his job and proceeded to leave all of his equipment and samples behind! The couple made some effort to return the items to the man as he left, and subsequently to Penguin, but nobody every picked it up. The couple later insisted that the Champion salesman take the Penguin cross-section when he visited. Pretty funny! He said he periodically calls or emails Penguin and offers to return it, but had not been contacted.
Happy window hunting!
Aaron

Hi, I’ve had issues with Penguin Windows also. They’ve been to my door at least once a month for the past 2 years (sometimes more) I’ve told them that I’m not interested and they just don’t get it! I found from reading some of these posts that they used to be called Statewide Windows – and back about a year ago my husband and i signed up with Statewide at Kmart to have a free window inspection (we also received a $20 gift card for Kmart- Totally not worth it!!) the ladies that came to our house were extremely high pressure and after 4 hours of making us feel guilty for not wanting to spend $14000 on 7 windows they finally left. However they think that we might change our minds and keep coming back every month to find out. I know have a new baby at home and today they rang the door bell while he was sleeping, I was so pissed! Oh and FYI i have a local glass guy give me a quote on my windows and explain why it was totally not necessary for the triple pained windows (due to the fact that it we don’t have extreme weather here) my quote was less than $4000 interesting huh!! So beware of the white mini van driving through your neighbor hood that says Penguin windows on the side because a pushy sales person will be knocking on your door soon!

Yes.. I would avoid them.
They had good marketing and were on my short list for when we did an upgrade. We made the mistake of filling out a card at a local fair.
We got a call. (pretty sure I checked the email only box) But it was a pleasant enough chat and I made it clear we were not remodeling the one area that needed new Windows but would call them when we did. I meant that)
Then next day they call again.. I tell them to stop that if they called again I was going to never buy.
Then they called the next day again.
I told them to stop. They said it could take 72 hours. I said if I got another call I was going to complain to the state.
Do not enter their contests or EVER give them your info. They are by far the most aggressive unapologetic sales organization I have encountered since going to a Vegas time-share presentation.

Let me second, third, millionth this advice to NOT ENTER THEIR CONTESTS. I, like an idiot….did, via their website.
They called the next day to schedule a 60-90 minute presentation, which they made sound like I must allow in order to be in the contest. Actually, the contest rules say the in-home visit is not required, but I hadn’t read deeply enough.
So they scheduled for Tuesday. We told the two men who showed up that my husband only had a short time and had to go to work. 60 minutes would be okay. They said they’d make it as quick as possible, and would take ‘no’ graciously for an answer.
They lied.
5 1/2 hours later, we FINALLY got them to leave. Every time we said no, they shifted their angle of attack and wanted to know what was holding us back, since clearly we WANT new windows (and that was and is true: we do). In fact, the first time they went outside to let us talk privately, and we went out to tell them ‘Thank you, but no’, the salesman deliberately “mis-heard” us and said “Excellent! Go? We’ll start the paperwork now!” So we said no, we want to think about it for a few days and do research. We said we don’t even buy a $150 camera without researching it first, and the tentative bid we had for the windows for our house was over $30K. They began grilling us about what was holding us back, was it a lack of trust in the company? Something we didn’t like about the windows? And of course no, it wasn’t any of those things. It was just a matter of not wanting to be rushed into an expensive purchase. They told us we’d lose an 11% discount (about $3400) if we didn’t sign the papers TODAY.
In the end, they finally did take ‘no’ for an answer, but it was not gracious, and the one man was visibly angry. We had wasted his day. And he had wasted ours. My husband could not leave for work until 4pm. Trust me, it was not a good thing.
I wrote to the company to complain. As of today, 48 hours later, they have not bothered to reply.
Even if we were to win their contest, I’m not convinced I would take the prize. Because they’d no doubt want us to say how wonderful they are, and I refuse to smile, and lie.

Oh, as a follow-up:
The nametag on the salesman who came to our house said ‘Russ De Vos’. Either it’s the same fellow who claims above (dated May 20, 2008) that these heavy-pressure sales tactics, and multi-hour sales pitches, are not company policy and such employees don’t last long…..in which case you’ll have to judge for yourself whether you can believe his apology….or everybody who works for Penguin has a Russ De Vos nametag, as a sort of ‘working name’, to protect their real identities.
But you’ll have to judge that yourself.

Tuesday, October 30. 7 days, one full business week since I sent a letter of complaint to Penguin Windows. No one has bothered to contact me yet. Good thing I haven’t been holding my breath.

Dear Angela,
For “October” you mean “September.”
Robert Paul Howard

I had the displeasure of listening to a salesman from PENGUIN windows. Said a rep would be out the next day to give me the experimental technology I’ve heard tell about in this issue. Luckily they never showed up. Anyone want a $25 voucher card for gas not authorized? October 7, 2008

Thank You Everybody 🙂

Wow! Thank you for posting this. I know the reputation of Statewide and I will NEVER go with them. I had no idea they were the same company as Penguin. We had the door-to-door guy come by today and we specifically asked if there would be any pressure to buy today or lose a discount or whatever. He said “definitely no.” Having had the Statewide people in our home and the high-pressure tactics they had (about 5 years ago), I am NOT going with the same company. I don’t care how good your product is, if you give me a “if you sign right now you get XX discount” I’m walking away. I did it with Sears, I’ll do it with any company. Thank you for identifying that Statewide and Penguin are the same company. I’ll be canceling that appointment tomorrow and saving myself 4 hours 🙂

they used to not follow code back in the day with installing and the vancouver, wa office is full of jerks and family crooks.

I see several interesting comments.
We did enter the contest, I now wish I hadn’t.
The “in home meeting” didn’t last that long, it ended pretty quickly after the rep called in to try to finance us and found out they couldn’t. We told them from the start we just entered the contest and couldn’t afford the windows… the saleswoman said no problem, they would just work up the bid and leave it with us and wouldn’t submit it (but then did, tried to submit anyway).
For us:
1) Said they wouldn’t push it, yet tried to call for financing.
2) Claimed they meet all Federal Codes since they install in several states.
-Note: There are no Federal Codes. Each state has it’s own codes that *must* be followed in that state.
3) Claimed they installed to the IBC.
-Note, the IBC is a Commercial Code, not residential
I don’t like thier method of installation either. On my house there is no trim around the windows. The siding goes up to the edge of the frame. To install the Penguin windows they tell me they will cut around the window to reveal the nailing flange, then when they install the new window they will insert a piece of trim around each window. How ugly. Creating a space around the window just to fill it with a trim piece later.
I do agree with one of the previous commentators on here, the saleswoman I got was cute, and had a nice bit of cleavage and fairly tight slacks and heels. At least the eye candy was nice. But that’s not what I buy windows for…
Saw the previous discussion on whether or not it was vinyl or PVC. Apparently it is considered both. At least every manufacturer of PVC/Vinyl windows are claiming that uiPVC (polyvinyl chloride) are also Vinyl. And there are a LOT of manufacturers that seem to be using this. Apparently it is some form of composite construction that makes it stiffer, probably what the fiberglass I reinforcement is.
Overall, If I win the $10,000 in windows plus $10,000 cash I still can’t afford their product. I’d replace the worst windows I have, but I’d watch the installers like a hawk.

We bought 3 penguin windows. They were suppose to be sliding glass patio doors. What they brought out was 3 French doors. The window area was only 21″ The door opening was just 20″ Our other sliders had a total of 63″ of glass and the door slides to 27″. Almost ALL of the frame was a cheep white plastic. The door did not even fit in the opening. They had to caulk over 2″ top, bottom and sides. We have filed and complaint with the BBB, Attorney General and with Penguin windows. We have stopped payment on our credit card. We told the installers to leave our other slider and called the company 6 times and emailed them pictures. They took our slider and refuse to give it back. They will not come out and remove the wrong door and told us if we touch the door all warranties are void. The frame is even cracked. I asked them what about their 100% satisfaction warranty. TRUST ME they do not warranty their doors, service or installation!!!Even if they make the mistake in their own measurements it is always the customer that pays. We are now having to go to court. Will let you know how things go.

Penguin windows doesn’t sell French Doors. Only Sliding glass doors. No construction company that I have ever heard of offers a 25% Commission thats just stupid. ps if you find one please let me know I’ll go work for them. Don’t buy any window or door that combines wood with vinyl it will break down just after the warranty expires. Companies engineer their products to last as long as the warranty, so if you want to replace your windows every 10 years on average get something cheap. I used to install windows and I have seen if hundreds of times. Rotting wood windows or horrible self installs. You get what you pay for. No sales person is perfect, so cut them some slack, if your hungry during a presentation get a snack. Remember some people these days will go ballistic if you charge them 10 cents to much for a donut or mispell a word. I quite simply can’t afford triple pane windows, but when I can I will get them from the company who I feel will stand by them. Always do your research before you call someone to your house so you can take advantage of all of the discounts you can get and know your budget and credit score. Otherwise your not going to be happy with any large purchase.

I used to work for penguin (statewide), windows are great, sales tactics are high pressure, but the product makes up for it. The pay is good 15% commission if you make quota plus random bonuses. Its a lot of hours and to much driving around for me. The pay was good but needed a change. Honestly if your looking for the best windows on the market penguin is it. You pay a premium but you get what you pay for.

From an unbiased third party window expert, you all may want to know 2 things: 1. Good window (simply Great Lakes brand), but 2. EXTREMELY! overpriced from this company. The frame is not metal reinforced and the intercept/warm edge is a midrange seal and they don’t even swing in! Worth about $900 at most – installed. In short and simple this dealer ought to be ashamed of themselves for gauging people. And, will probably soon have to undergo another name change much like Pacesetter Corp. did. People, DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY!

I called Penguin windows just this morning to inquire about a sales job or maybe installation. Well after reading these comments, mostly negative ones, I think i will try to start my own window installation business, I have many friends at Oso Lumber and Milguard. These people need jobs and so do I. I just can’t become a pushy car-salesman type individual just to make money. I would rather come over to your house for a coffee or beer and shoot the breeze, sooner or later we could talk about your remodeling needs and window repalacement. After reading these negative reactions it makes me wonder why people can’t take a few seconds and say positive stuff, I personally feel better after I have said or wrote something nice.

the windows are guaranteed for the life of the house. That means no matter what, you will never have to spend another penny on the windows. If you are a cheap skate bargain hunter do not waste your time looking at the nicest things in life. Besides, you could just have your buddies come over and do yourself right? You get what you pay for! And if you don’t like someone in your house instead of waiting out hours of the salespersons time and then writing dirty letters online, simply ask them to leave. Show a little backbone.

I’ve been waiting for someplace to vent about these scumbads!!!
The first sales rep that came was a younger kid, he was very personable and respectful. His pitch ended up about 4 hours. I told him I needed to think about it as the total was around $26000. My house is a 3 BR basic ranch house.
A few days later we get a call from a woman that was the first reps “boss”, so she said. Now to backup for a second all we talked about and got demos on with the first rep was triple pane windows. OK so now this young lady comes over, again very amiable likeable person, even reminded me of my daughter a bit,(Dumba$$)!!
The first thing she asked me was if I’d be willing to go for double pane instead. When she told me overall it would save me about $2500 I told her I was not interested for that price in double pane. Everything else we talked about for the remainder of her visit was about triple pane, I bet you’re guessing where this is going!!
All said and done she was jotting info on a blank pad crunching numbers and finally comes up with doing the job IN TRIPLE PANE for $24000.
I shook her hand and accepted the deal.
She makes some phone calls, has a few more cups of coffee with myself and my brother and as she’s getting ready to leave tells me that she needs to get the formal paperwork filled out for us to sign.
When she comes in with the paperwork she makes sure that now we’re talking about anything but the paperwork. So did I screw up?? Yes I was stupid enough to believe that her word meant something and did not read that on every box double pane was checked off and not triple pane!!
While I’ll take my share of the blame for being stupid enough to think that this rep and Penguin windows would be honest, I find it pretty dam annoying, no actually it outright pisses me off that all the nice nice chit chat was a hussle!!
Now I’ll give her credit for being an excellent con artist and being deceptive!! She’s really good, I hope she pats herself on the back!!
To me if I have to worry about watching what someone I’m doing business with that closely I’d rather not do business with them in the first place!!
So I’m just putting this out there to let you all know, if you chose to do business, forget aboutanything they TELL you!! Go over all the paperwork with a fine tooth comb!! They will do whatever they can get away with and in my personal opinion are sleazy!!
I got home from work just as the crew were finishing the job, which I will say the installers were fast and left no mess behind. They were also very polite and overall did a very good job on the install.
Personally I believe that they did a good job in spite of Penguin not because of Penguin!!
As they were finishingg up I looked at one of the windows and realized what they installed. Unfortunately it was too late, the job was done!!
I called Penguin, now they sent her “boss” out and he of course informs me that they fired her because she was such a thief!!
He refunded $1000 and told me that was the best he could do. I spoke to my Attorney and he told me that since all the formal paperwork had double pane checked off I didn’t have much of a chance in court.
So now I have double pane windows that look no better then the cheapies that you could get at Home Depot for $140 each!
Oh yea one more footnote, 2 months later guess who was trying to sell to my neighbor from Penguin windows??
Yea the rep that was “fired”!!
One othefootnote, I am not a contractor and admittedly I do not have a ton of knowlege about building in general. My house was built in 1964 and what I have discovered since they put the windows in is the walls are not insulated, or they’re very poorly insulated. The installer is the one that informed me of that. That being the case my energy savings has been exactly 0!!!
SCUMBAGS SCUMBAGS SCUMBAGS SCUMBAGS
One more comment to the jackass stating that we should all go to walmart because that is all we can afford and deserve…
Since there are likely some ladies reading I won’t call you what you are, instead I’ll just say this
Go to the pet store, buy a dog and name it life so you’ll have one!!!
To everyone else, please if you chose to do business with these people READ ALL DOCUMENTS END TO END!!
Any special provisions you may have, be sure it’s clearly stated on the documents!!
Happy New Year

My wife and I went through the Penguin sales process. It was a bit high pressure in their tactics – let’s face it they make their living selling – but their reps were both friendly and professional. In the end we went with them and are glad we did.
Penguin windows are not cheap. They cost a bit (10%) more than the Andersons a neighbor had installed a few months ago. Penguins are a vastly superior window though. Their thermal qualities are much better than the Andersons – which we also know first hand as we retained a few high end Anderson new construction windows we had installed during a renovation about 5 years ago and there is no comparison. The Penguins are wonderfully weather tight, easy opening, and look good. Could we have gotten a window quote for much less money? Of course we could – just go to Home Depot and look at the cost their low end replacements – there not the same window though. The quality of a replacement window is not easy to gauge for the average person. I worked as a carpenter and a cabinetmaker for years and saw much the same in the cabinet industry. The fact that something looks good doesn’t make it well made and that is true in the window industry as well.
Another thing we liked about Penguin was that brought in a group of their own employees that installed all 23 windows in about 7 hours. I have heard stories from others who hired the “best price” contractor who took two weeks to install the same number of windows. The Penguin installers were both respectful of out time and did an excellent job with the installation.
Overall we are pleased with the whole transaction. If you are looking for high end windows and feel they are worth paying for I would recommend them. If you are willing to sacrifice quality for price you should look elseware.

Chris, it’s nice that you’re happy with Penguin, but I have to disagree with some of what you said.
FIrst, Penguin isn’t just a little bit overpriced. They’re a lot overpriced. As I’ve said in comments to my own post, we found that Penguin wanted to sell us vinyl windows for many thousands of dollars more than we could get wood clad fiberglass windows from Milgard.
Yes, Penguin uses triple pane. But this lessens the amount of light coming through the glass, which is sort of depressing here in the Pacific Northwest. And the triple pane energy savings would take a huge amount of time to compensate for the vastly overpriced Penguin windows.
You called these “high end” windows. I call them high-priced. The triple paning and krypton gas is the only special aspect, so far as we could tell. Otherwise they’re vinyl windows, which in our case would have looked terrible in our wood walled house.
I still advise: stay away from Penguin Windows, unless you feel like stimulating the economy by wasting your money.

The Penguin Window guy just left. He was here OVER 4 hours. My finace scheduled a 3:00 appointment and when I got home from work at 6:30, I was NOT happy that he was still here, but what could I do? He left at 8:00 – that’s FIVE HOURS! He was very informative, showed a great product, then gave us the unbelievable high prices everyone here is quoting. Since I hadn’t been here all day, I was able to see just how personable he was and how taken with him my fiance had become. He was a nice guy, smart, funny. My fiance didn’t even know what hit him! We have children in college and in middle school, he is out of work for the winter, and I am in high-tech sales – in this economy! No. These windows were nice, but ours are fine! Heck, he only signed up for the appointment because BJs offered a $50 gift certificate if you let them come out to your house. I only hope I don’t have to avoid calls and knocks on my door now…..

Okay, I just got the rest of the story from my fiance. This is too funny. Apparently, the Penguin guy was trying to show him how soundproof the windows are. He held up his sample, opened the window and started talking…then he slowly closed it as he lowered his voice, then mouthed the words while it was closed, and raised his voice slowly as he opened it! ARE YOU KIDDING ME????????????????????

I’m with you guys (most of you). Their sales pitch took 3 hours (they told us 30 minutes). It was hell. I don’t care how good the windows are, it was lies, lies, lies. They told us they had the highest possible rating with the Better Business Bureau (lie). Said they had top rating with consumer reports (lie). And they told us FIRST THING that they’d would happily take “no” for an answer as gracefully as they’d take yes. Also a lie, unless telling them “yes” would have meant them hanging around for an additonal hour.
I complained to the BBB about them advertising a 60-90 minute presentation (the guy said “it’ll probably REALLY be around 30 minutes”). They said they were shocked and that they usually take no more than 90 minutes. Total B.S. They hadn’t even wrapped up the inspection and started the pitch after 90 minutes. And they did NOT take no for an answer.
I wouldn’t get their windows in my house even if they were comparably priced. Not after that.
Don’t submit to their sales pitch. You’ll regret it.

WOW. What fun it has been reading everyone’s posts. As someone who used to work for a direct competitor of Penguin(Statewide), and who now works for Milgard. I can honestly say that those of you who fall for the schlock that the sales reps of the company give you, you deserve what you get. I made money hand over fist pimping canvassers to set appointments for windows that, while expensive, don’t match the quality of the product of the company I currently work for. There is a reason that there are only 4 offices of Statewide(Penguin), 3 for West Coast Vinyl, and only a handful for Evans. Milgard is a nation-wide company that puts their money where their product is. Of the above listed companies, only West Coast and Milgard manufacture their own products. The others buy theirs from someone else. And Brian, congrats on the Woodclads. I am much happier at a company that willingly backs their products with a Lifetime Warranty. As the saying goes ‘Caveat Emptor’. Buyer beware. You guys have all provided a great end to my week, thank you!

I decided to install Penguin Windows and have been more than stisfied. my entire house minus 2 windows in our larder, cost $10,000 and the entire house is so much nicer and warmer, especially during this very cold winer in the Northwest. My neighbor decided to install windows in his house and had a contractor install windows from another above mentioned national brand. The installation has now taken over 2 months and some of the windows were not measured correctly. After the cost of installation and the inconvenience of many weeks (durning our recent snow and cold snap) my neighbor paid as much as he would have if he had purchased the penguin windows in the first place and they would have been installed in just a few days. I suspect many want the best price but sometimes, price is not everything. The man who measured our windows was also on the installation team and the entire job was done in just a few hours. We live in an older home and the triple paine windows are a wonderful addition. I was a bit concerned about three layers of glass blocking out light but I actually found more light entered through our windows because our original windows were so pitted and dirty and the new windows are clean and clear. the salesman, Rus De Vos was quite gentel and kind and answered all my questions to my satisfaction. I am a Landscape contractor and have had some experience with clients who have built their homes and the ones who have used Penguin have been very satisfied. I also querried general contractors in the area and those who have used Penguin have been very pleased with the quality of the product and their service. The cost of this quality of window is far less than some most top end window companies. I was quoted over $12,000 for one of my windows alone. I wish Penguin made doors….

Joseph, I don’t find your laudatory comment believable. How could Penguin bid you $10,000 for all of your windows, and another company want to charge you $12,000 for a single window. Come on… (Maybe you meant $1,200?)
Also, I’d like to know which top end window companies charge more than Penguin Windows. Our experience with the Milgard wood clad fiberglass windows, a top end product, was that Milgard was much less expensive than Penguin.

Hey guys and gals,
I just wanted to clarify a few things that I have researched about most of the main window companies in the NW. Let me start with my story.
I had 14 aluminum windows in my home and 1 slider, and to be honest yea my house was cold and the windows had mold. So when the penguin person came to my door my wife and I wanted an estimate. The person who set up the appointment talked to us a little bit first. Here is what they said:
“So they will send out a consultant who will measure and inspect the windows as well as educate you on the positive and negative aspects of the various windows out there. It should only take about an hour to and hour and a half, but sometimes depending on the needs of the home they can go longer, so be prepaired for that.”
He left us with a coupon for $25 for gas which we thought would be worth it.
So two ‘consultants,’ (just a fancy word for sales guys) show up right at 3:00pm on the nose, for that I was impressed. They come in and we chit chat for a bit, very nice guys. One thing I liked was they were the ones to cut the small talk short and flat out told me what they would do at my house. The main guy said they have a specific list of things they do, something like inspect and measure, tell us about their company, show us the windows and he actually jumped the gun and said and we will write up contracts and get you ready to install the windows etc…
My wife was the first to stop them and politely told us that we weren’t gonna get windows we just wanted a bid. He couldn’t believe it and walked out.
We were in shock, and so was his partner. But he came right back in and said of course he was just joking, and that he said it wrong and meant that the company is a one stop shop and does it all for us, and actually made a deal with us to ensure that the situation wasn’t high pressure for us or them, (though he did say he was determined to earn our business that day…)
Well we talked further while they were looking at the windows, and they were honest and detailed.
In our daughters room one rep took out his tape measure and measured the distance from our daughters crib to the window. He instantly moved the crib (without asking us) to the other side of the room. I asked what the hell he was doing and he said the mold on the window was putting our daughters health at risk, and they we need to take care of that window today, and at the least move her bed away from the window. I was surprised to see the amount of genuine care from the rep who was quite most of the time.
They didn’t make it dramatic and say your daughter will die, nor did they complain about the mold in other rooms, I thought it was fair and honest.
After inspecting our windows, which in total took about an hour alone (mostly due to them explaining things to me and my wife and us chatting along the way…)
They told us that the windows were in pretty bad shape, not the worst shape they’ve seen but they were bad. anyway after seeing all the other windows, and hearing about the warrenties, and having bad sub-contractor installs ourselves on our addition, we were almost ready to buy the windows…until we saw the prices…
Wood, and the high quality vinyl were way overpriced, and the penguin window wasn’t cheap either, so we were interested in the vinyl windows.
They showed us how vinyl was good, but also how it was bad. We made the choice to get a bid on the penguin window.
The project came to about $38,000 with a few unique windows, and a wood look on the inside.
We said no way. way to much. We knew they were worth it, but it was just way to much money for our blood. So we declined.
This is where the sales came in.
They showed us that we had discounts and were open and honest about a discount that only would apply today. It was a big price drop. They talked about why it was there but finally admmited it was to save the company time and money from coming back out,as long as we could make a choice comfortably that night.
We saw this as a car sales tactic, but it was appealing. As a lawyer for most of my professional life, I asked a question I already knew the answer to:
“can I get this discount tomorrow.”
They were right in saying no. It’s a one-day thing, if they came back and gave the same discount it would be illegal.
So overall I decided not to get the windows, just to much money at that point. After a car accident I am no longer working and have medical bills like you wouldn’t believe. I just couldn’t afford them. They stopped all the sales and just said, “look, we have a minimum order, but because you have a baby daughter and the mold in her room was so bad I’m going to call my boss and try to get it approved to do just that window.”
We ended up with just the 1 window for only $2000 after taxes. I knew they weren’t making more than $100 in commission from the project, but the fact that they stopped and took care of the window for my daughter made me a customer for life.
I am so impressed with that part of it that i am going to be doing my entire house. They were honest and sincere. The are more expensive, but I would say for a life time warrenty and after seeing the window be slammed hard by a tape measure and after my wife jummped on the window it seems to be worth it.
I would say it sounds like you just got a bad sales guy. The install was quick, clean and the sales rep brought me out coffee on the day of the install and stayed just talking about for about an hour or so.
For what it’s worth that’s my experience.

When we went to a garden show this past Christmas, a Penguin salesman was there. As we walked by we were talking about something and this person just interrupted us while we were talking – just out of the blue. He reminded me of a Kirby salesperson. When he asked if he could come by the house, I answered with a resounding “no” which sounds like it was the right answer from what I’ve read above.

I was in sales for over 6 years, starting with Sears. It sounds like these sales rep’s do what every sales rep does for every company out there. Every training seminar or class or whatever you want to call it teaches the same thing, only difference being the product you sell. It also feels like some of you leave out the constant information and personality that these sales rep produce while using “sleazy tactics” to get you to buy. Which would explain why you let them stay for so long. I saw my neighbor here in the Salmon Creek area have a visit from two of these Penguin Windows sales rep and they were gone after half an hour. Since I am currently unemployed and thinking of applying for work with Penguin Windows I want to find out about them first. So I asked him(my neighbor) about his experience. He said that they left after informing him the money he’d save from buying new windows would not be significant enough to warrant new windows. We live in a fairly new complex.
That’s about the most honest sales pitch I ever heard of. When I worked at Sears, “no” was not an option. We were to sell, period. Whether the customer wanted it, needed it, or not interested. I would have professional contractors, the ones with ads in papers and signs all over the county, buy the cheapest tools we had and thats the Craftsman tools. Now I’ll tell you about Craftsman tools, the hand tools are a good investment because they are strong and have a lifetime warranty no hassles to replace them and no receipt needed. But power tools are a whole different ball game. One of my brother’s is a house framer, they are the people that build the foundation and entire frame of the house. If they screw up, the whole house will need to be torn down and rebuilt. If you were to walk onto a job site with Craftsman power tools they will laugh at you to no end. Most likely even get fired for having the improper tools. There’s no law stating what brand of products you need to build a house, but these workers know that their livelyhood depends on it. If you want a quality house, you pay for quality products. If you’re not ready to pay for quality products don’t ask someone to explain and demonstrate their product when you have no intention of paying for it. If your upset or angered by this statement, walk a mile in their shoes. It doesn’t matter where you go you will always find a “sleazy” sales pitch. Brian, I’m glad your happy with the way your house looks, but that’s all you were really interested in anyway, the looks. An all wood interior/exterior is always gonna make the inside darker. wood does not reflect light, that’s why people paint the walls, it reflects more light through out the room/house. Yes I was also trained in paint sales as well as tools. What I’m telling you is not a pitch but the truth. I was not top salesman for this reasons. The lesson being never listen to the top salesman, that’s the first person they will always send. I hope many of you will stop spitting so much venom and come clean about your experience. Some of you have been very honest with your experience, but since you liked the personality of the sales rep minus the “sleazy” part, that’s why it took 4 hours.

Very Happy with My Penguin windows. You negative people are missing the boat!

Armando, a few corrections to your comment. We were as concerned about how our replacement windows were built, as in how they looked. We preferred a real fiberglass frame to vinyl, which is what Penguin Windows offers. And letting less visible light into our house with a three pane design didn’t appeal to us, given how cloudy Oregon is much of the time.
Also, we weren’t thrilled with the personality of the Penguin Windows salesman. He was obnoxious. It was politeness, mostly, that kept us listening to him. Plus, we wanted to learn more about his product, figuring it would help us decide on what windows to get.
I don’t think that your argument, “all salesman act this way,” is defensible. Actually, most salesman don’t act that way. The last Toyota cars we’ve bought there was no game playing and no hard sales push. Ditto with other home improvement projects we’ve done the past few years.
For some reason — probably because Penguin Windows are vastly overpriced for their quality — Penguin sales staff aren’t willing to let their product sell itself. They have to push, and prod, and cajole, and play sales games in order to get someone to sign an order.
LIke I said in the original post, buyer beware with Penguin Windows. They may be fine for some people who don’t mind paying a lot of money for windows. But these days especially, most people are looking for value for what they spend.

I just recently bought my Milgard Windows from http://www.1stwindows.com and everything went really well. I highly recommend checking out their website!

I just got through with a penguin pitch.(literally 10 minutes ago) I have 3 others this month with other companies. I found the sales people polite, not high-pressure at all (at least only as much as the other companies) and after comparing products, thiers is superior. I cannot afford to replace all my windows with penguin windows, so I will use penguin for my most important spaces and use a chintzy window for my less important rooms.

Some facts:
Penguin phone rep told us it would take 1-1.5 hours for the presentation, just as many here claim. The actual presentation time was just under 4 hours (just as many here claim) and would have gone longer if our kids had not repeatedly come in to ask us for dinner. Our sales reps were Vernon (large tatoo right inner forearm) with the company for 6 mos. and Kathleen (former realtor from Mercer Island WA) with the company for 1 month. Both were pushy and went by the Penguin sales books/flip charts page by painful page, especially Vernon. They offered the same 11 percent one-time discount to sign up that night, just as others have claimed here.
The price ranges they gave for competing products from Millgard were exagerated by anywhere from 18-45% after receiving competing quotes on those products.
They claimed that other companies windows were vinyl and that Penguin’s were not vinyl but rather the much superior PVC with a fiberglass insert. Truth is that PVC is vinyl. You can find that information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride Scroll down to the part that speaks about building materials applications under the “Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride (uPVC)” heading and you’ll see that PVC is used in vinyl siding and window frames and sashes that are commonly known as “vinyl” in the marketplace.
The Penguin quote for our house went from $76,000 down to $63,000 after a phone call to the “supervisor” when we didn’t initally accept the offer. Where else but a bad used car lot or jewelry store will you get that kind of mark-up and discounting? Subsquent competing quotes from West Coast and were in the $30-38,000 dollar range. Staggering difference. I will admit that their triple-pane krypton-filled windows certainly appear to be high-quality and equal to or better than the competing windows we’ve seen, but over twice as “good” as the rest of the products? Highly doubtful.
Penguin had copies of many of the warranties of competing window companies. They claimed, among other things, that the warranties weren’t tranferrable to subsequent owners. When we talked with the Millgard rep we asked that question specifically and he said it wasn’t true. Indeed, after further research we found that the Penguin claim wasn’t true. Here is the link to Millgards warranty that says it is transferrable to future homeowners: http://www.milgard.com/_doc/warranty/consumer-warranty-us-2009.pdf
If you can clearly see blatant misrepresentation and deception from a company before you buy their product, why would you trust them during and after you buy from them? If Penguin really has a better product (and they just might), why the high-pressure and deception approach to sales? Shouldn’t the windows sell themselves, even at a reasonably higher price, if they are truly head and shoulders above the rest? Penguin’s own tactics indicate that they are afraid that you might comparison shop. That’s why they want to close the deal TODAY and will move heaven and earth to do so. If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
My suggestion would be to try to get these windows (made by Great Lakes, not Penguin) from another certified installer, instead of Penguin, that is honest and straight forward and doesn’t have such inflated prices. I’m not sure if this is possible as Penguin may have an exclusive. That’s my next fact-finding project…
Good luck to you in your search for windows. Penguin has made it a bit easier for us to narrow it down.

Okay, okay: Us, too. We just survived the 4 hour presentation, the whole scha-bang. We not only had the “call to the supervisor” (which was totally a joke–they agreed to take another $1000 off the price, if we signed up today), but they also “made a mistake and quoted us on the wrong size window,” which also miraculously saved us $1000. Our house is small–10 windows, so it was $19K for everything, but $15K if we signed up today. The salesmen were polite and presented well. But, that’s what they are: SALESMEN. The misleading part of this whole situation is that when you agree to do a free, NO OBLIGATION energy analysis, you’re agreeing to let 2 salesmen into your home, from this deceitful company, once known as Statewide Windows.
GOOD NEWS: In doing a little research, and after getting burned by this experience, I want to put the word out that you can contact your utility company (Electric, etc), and ask for the Energy Trust Program(s)in your state. These are very VERY helpful folks, NOT salespeople. In Oregon, the website is: http://www.energytrust.org, and the phone number is 866-368-7878. Each state is responsible for their energy program(s)—in Oregon, they have consolidated the programs into what’s called the Energy Trust or Oregon. Anyhow, it’s a non-profit organization with trained professions who will educate you about the benefits of double vs. triple pane (turn-around costs, etc), and do a free home energy analysis (which includes educating you about the overall importance of insulation, not just paying out your nose for windows). WITHOUT selling you anything, WITHOUT barricading you in your own home for hours, etc. You may have to schedule out several weeks, but it’s WORTH IT!!!! 🙂
Sarah Shay

One more thing: The Energy Trust of Oregon states that it’s realistic to realize that it takes on average 40 years to recoup ANY energy costs you spend on windows. FORTY YEARS!!! Imagine the technology that could be available to us in 40 years. Penguin promises to cut you a check after a year (just 1 year), for any difference above-and-beyond the 40% savings off your heating/cooling bill. They don’t promise to do this for 40 years. You will save money by ensuring the windows you choose meet the guidelines for Energy Star, and by insulating the rest of your house–all of which offer you tax incentives and more overall house value (and comfort!).

We went through the 4 hour presentation with 2 great guys who were pushy & knowledgable. We signed. The installers left in the middle of installation (Good Grief!) & told us that 2 windows were not tempered, although we had paid for tempered, and 3 others had cracked frames! We are waiting for replacements, and wonder if the original installers had not told us about the screw-ups, would the Company have done anything. We doubt it. The installed windows are beautiful, however, and our energy bill is much lower.

Two salesmen from Penguin came and spent 4 hours. They were funny, and we signed. The installers came, and half-way through installation, they LEFT! On the way home, they told me that 3 windows were cracked on the outside, and 2 picture windows were supposed to be tempered, but weren’t. The windows are all being replaced, but I wonder if the installers had not told us about the screw-ups, if the Company would have replaced them.
Caution!

This comment is addressed to “Angela in Seattle”
Indeed your penguin rep went by the name of Russ, to be honest with you he is one of the most informed and ethical representatives at the company. As I have taken ownership of my actions i make with this company i also would like to quickly reply to some of the negative comments i have been reading on this post.
Personally i avoid using a “used car salesman” tactics. I Arrive at my appointments for one reason and one reason only, problem resolution. I would not be out there if there wasn’t ANY interest in windows. My job is to give you all of the proper information you need to make a well informed decision on what kind of window would best fit the house.
Our clients are VERY pleased with the product and i do not think i have actually ever heard about a complain against the product itself, but rather a sleazy salesman that is no longer with our company. So long story short, if you are looking for a low pressure presentation off company time send me an Email and i would happily get back to you and present you with all of the information you would need to determine which kind of window you would want installed in your house.( even if its not penguin, because its not the window for everybody.)
However in all fairness every piece of information i give to my clients is like a piece of the puzzle, and at the end when you put the puzzle together, more often than not it will clearly spell out “Invest in Penguin Windows”
Thanks for your time
-Shea
Soccerprep205@yahoo.com Please Ask for a presentation(response time in less than 12 hours)

Outstanding My post above has some typos.Oops! I decided to read and reply to this Specific thread simply because of a clients house i just left. Sadly she needs the windows more than most people. $300 a month on her gas bills. no names included for obvious reasons but she was unable to invest in the windows ONLY because her finances would not allow her to. But she told me she had read some bad experiences online about sales reps, but appologised to ME for taking up my night only to miss out on a house with “younger people to sell windows to”
MY reply was “if you could go back in time and redo this entire evening 10 years ago would you?” her reponse was “of course, you’re a very nice and well educated young man” i quickly replied “then my time was not wasted here, i hope you have a great rest of the night”
-Shea

Shea, I don’t blame you for putting Penguin Windows advertising on my blog. All I can say to prospective customers of yours is what I’ve been saying all along: buyer beware.
Your windows are way over-priced. We looked at the competition and were very happy we went with Milgard. Any company that has to pressure people into buying its product is selling something that people, on their own, aren’t willing to buy.
I was in a Salem Ace hardware store yesterday and was approached by a Penguin Windows guy with a clipboard who wanted me to sign up to win $10,000 or whatever if I agreed to suffer through a Penguin sales pitch.
I told the guy, “No thanks. We looked at your windows and went with someone else.” I’ve never seen any other window company engage in such pushy sales tactics. Again, quality products sell themselves. The fact that Penguin Windows mostly only sell after a high-pressure sales pitch should tell a prospective buyer a lot.
Namely, shop around before you fall for a Penguin Windows scam.

Just had a call from Penguin (filled out one of their contest forms…oops). Anyway, they asked if I was the homeowner (yes) and then if there was anyone else that owned the house with me. I told them my wife did. they said we both had to be present for the sales rep to come out. I told them truthfully that my wife has no interest in deciding these things. That if I decided to buy the windows, that’s what we would do, but I wasn’t going to waste even 20 minutes of her time listening to a pitch that she had no interest in.
they insisted that she needed to be present and I finally said, “well, if you want me to say she going to be here, fine, but she’s not going to be here” they scheduled the appointment and said that their supervisor would be calling back to confirm.
about 10 minutes later the supervisor called back and i told him that my wife would not be present. he made the comment that the sales rep “knows better than to schedule the appointment”. I asked him if they could just do it without my wife and he said no and canceled the appointment and hung up.
I thought this was rather odd until I found this blog. after reading all of the comments, I realize that they were trying to make sure I couldn’t use the “I’ll have to check with my wife” excuse and try to get me to sign immediately. Knowing that I just dodged a 4 hour sales pitch makes me feel a lot better about it.
For what its worth, my feeling is that if a product is really good, you shouldn’t have to resort to high-pressure sales tactics. Give the customer the information and let them go comparison shop. If you really are the best, you should get the business more often than not.

honesly i think that penguin windows are best window if you want QUALITY! if you want something you’ll have to replace 10 to 20 years later then buy someone elses windows and most of the people that are bashing penguin are the competitors of penguin and want to persuade buyers to shop elsewhere. ok this is how it is. you can go to home depot and get a cheap vinyl window that will last 5 years for cheap….and it will barely help with your energy costs OR you be a little smarter and get a higher quality window that will last 50+ years. YOU DECIDE.

Ton, not true. I’m just a homeowner who learned that Penguin Windows offers a way overpriced product that actually is of less quality in some ways than cheaper competitors, like Milgard. Milgard offers woodclad fiberglass frames, while Penguin offers vinyl in a couple of basic colors.
Most people commenting here aren’t competitors. They’re just homeowners. On the other hand, I suspect that most positive comments come from Penguin Windows sales staff. Regardless, the basic rule remains: shop around and don’t let yourself be pressured by the sleazy Penguin Windows sales tactics.

WOW, glad my sales person blew me off.
Call #1: Call center calls to make appointment. Call #2 Call center calls business day before to confirm. Day of appointment NO SHOW. 1 hr after appointment call center calls to reschedule.
Appointment can ONLY be with BOTH husband and wife. We both wasted 1/2 a day and 1/2 day of income / productivity.

Brian, thank you for posting this on your blog. I had my Penguin visit after signing up at Ace too. We were looking for quotes on windows. We had been burned before, so we told them 90 min, no more. It took 3+ hours for the hard sell, which as others stated, was very effective. I didn’t sign at the end, as I get all the facts on purchases over $100, and this was way more. Same deal, $1000 for advertising, just tonight, 11% discount too. I feel great about saying no, and never again. I wonder what a decent way to buy windows is though?

statewide = penguin = what’s next?! – the only reason why salesman do pressure sales is because their ass is on the line if they dont meet their quota – at least when you work for penguin(statewide).
their window is no better than other “vinyl” window manufacturers. (triple pane = retrofit nightmare)
they give “high” bids then come down in price, so that you will become their sales prey, once they have you in a corner, they will do anything so that you will sign on dotted line – b4 they leave ur house!!!
also, who do you think will pay for all the “marketing” tactics that this company uses – you the *homeowner*
remember, you are “free” to shop around, dont let this company convince you otherwise.
——————————
hint: contact your local power company, they should be able to give you a list of “approved” contractors in your area that do quality work.

My Mom and I listened to a nice Penguin guy and gal sales team last week. The gal barely spoke while the guy was clearly the sales person. As with most everyone else the 90 minute measure and sales pitch turned into a nearly 3 hour ordeal. The windows look like some of the best out there. I had Anderson and Pella in earlier in the month so I knew what was out there. I was amazed by the price quote but figured it was a nice way (and probably effective) way of easing you into purchasing the product. After 2 hours I was getting annoyed and antsy. At the 2 1/2 mark I was really annoyed at having to say “no” and “not today” repeatedly. Are they great windows? Yes. Are they worth the inflated prices? No. I have not yet pulled the trigger on any windows but they would have to lower the price a lot for me to go with them. If anyone in their company is reading this blog…and hopefully they are then they should lessen the expensive “used car” salesmen leashes they have on their salespeople because it annoyed potential customers like me. Thanks for taking the time to start this blog and best of luck to everyone and anyone looking to buy windows. Get lots of bids and argue them down to whatever price you find is worth the price. I for one am still shopping around and who knows maybe Penguin will lower their bid enough for me to get past my annoyance at the sales tactics.

Just came across this expose of how Penguin Windows cheats people, written by a former manager at Statewide Windows (which became Penguin Windows when they had to change their name in an effort to escape their lousy reputation). Read, then run from the Penguin Windows salespeople.
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/fraud–cheet–waste-of-money–lie–lie–lie-c164325.html

We moved into our home Oct 1, 2005 – the window demo was pre-scheduled by 6 wks….unfortunately I ended up in the hospital with life threatening problem when we planned to move in, so the move was delayed..I completely forgot the window demo was scheduled….the moving van is in the driveway and we are in the middle of unloading, etc., and the window TEAM show up and I ask that they come back….they insisted they couldn’t reschedule and proceeded to unpack their equip (laser, heat lamp, competing window samples). I put up with them while my husband was out doing errands…they ALWAYS want both parties present but proceeded without him here. I repeatedly told them he was running errands, told them I just got out of hospital, AND obviously the movers were here! This did not stop them. Three hrs later we got them out of here. All I wanted was an estimate for a garden window – NOTHING ELSE…I was assured by the scheduler that was all they would do.
Move ahead to April, 2009…..yes, I am a blonde – but not a dumb one! Two guys going door to door, in absolutely pouring down rain came and I agreed to a “window effiency evaluation” – I told them I was NOT in the market for windows for at least 2-3 years because our kitchen remodel was our project this year and starting in four (4) days. Andrew promised that since I told him up front I was NOT in the market for windows at this time, the demo would take about 1/2 to 1 hour. In 15 minutes the main office calls to verify the date scheduled and I re-iterate that I had a bad experience before with window salesmen and did NOT want any high-pressure nonsense, and that we were NOT in the market for windows for a few years. You know the rest…Needless to say, almost exactly four hours later, we had been put through the proverbial wringer. Every feasible purchase/finance plan was presented to us. With each one, an additional discount came…..original quoted cost was $40,651. Final quote was a whopping $32,240…… (about $13,000 higher than 2005 quote). Then they tried to get us in a “buy into the plan and pay as you go starting with master bdroom sliding door and two windows for $8952…. The really sad part of this is that after he left I started remembering some of the demo I put up with in 2005 and guess what . . yepppppers, they were both PENGUIN presentations…. They will never set foot on this property again.

I have penguin windows in my home. Yes>>>the presentation was longer than it needed to be, but I WAS in the market for new windows.(They are not the only window or sales company that uses this tactic however!!) Now that I have the windows, I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER WITH THEM!! They are tight, sound proof and beautiful. They have been installed for 2 years, and I had one small detail that they returned and fixed IMMEDIATELY. Originally, the installation was on time with an excellent and polite crew. Clean Up was excellent. So, whatever you want to think, they have a good product. Just be sure you are ready to buy if you have them come in, or you are in for a long long day!

As I review these comments, I wonder who BRIAN is, and why he has posted over 10 times trying to convince everyone about Milgard???
Go to a HOMESHOW, look at ALL THE VARIOUS COMPANIES AND THEIR windows in a “safe place”, do NOT enter ANYONE’s contest, research on the internet about window technology>>>>then make a choice!

Jan, Brian is me, the homeowner who wrote the original post and has been happy with the Milgard wood-clad windows that we ended up getting instead of the over-priced Penguin windows.
I’ve added several comments where I mention Milgard because some people keep on saying that they are inferior to Penguin windows. I like to use Milgard as an example of how a superior and better-looking window can be had for considerably less money than Penguin charges.

Brian , your milgard windows are a joke. You obviously couldnt tell a silk purse from a sowes ear. Nice how Milguard just shut down its factory. Check it out. Also, Why dont you tell the lady who just spent $20,000 for her beutiful Custom Granite counter tops that she loves should could have spent much less and put Plywood sheets down and painted them Rock color.

ronald, you’ve got your facts wrong. We’re happy with our Milgard windows. We’re careful shoppers — got 10 years of Consumer Reports issues stacked on a shelf. We looked into quite a few brands of windows before choosing the wood-clad Milgard product, which both looks much better than Penguin windows and cost much less.
Milgard is expanding production of its windows after the stimulus package stimulated demand. See:
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=57122&catid=2
I couldn’t find any info via Google on recent Milgard factory closures. So it looks like you’re wrong about this also.

Now, now fellas. All window manfacturers will have good and bad windows and customers with good and bad experiences. I think what both of you are trying to say is that the buyer should do their own homework and get bids from all the companies out there and then make their window decision in a calm and rational manner. In my case I am still on the sidelines and given the nicer weather recently figure that it will be closer to the Fall before I might pull the trigger…or next year as well. My crappy current windows might leak energy (sadly) and are well past their prime but they are paid for and the economy stinks.

First of all I can’t believe that I read this entire thread. I’m sure I have something better to be working on.
Next I didn’t understand why Brian posted so many times, until I realized that THIS IS HIS BLOG.
Here is my story… I signed up for a drawing (like most here) for Penguin windows. I received a call and a single sales person showed up on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. (about a week ago) He went through our house measured windows and commented on that even though our current windows were “low end / cheap” they were in good shape. Only one had a failed seal, which was obvious because of the moisture between the panes. He informed us about his windows, which I thought he did an excellent job in doing, and he was gone in 60 minutes. Now not to offend other readers who think I’m dishonest because this appointment was only 60 minutes, it is the truth. He also made a recommendation that we just call a glass company to replace the glass in the bad window we had.
A couple of days later the company called for a follow up appointment, saying a manager would like to sit down with my wife and I offer a discounted price, and this would be the last I hear from them. Two different people came out and they showed us some demos we didn’t see before, and we were impressed.
Now I only believe about 50% of what I read in this blog, it is usually somebody trying to defend why they did or didn’t buy brand x or brand y. Earlier in this thread Don made a comment that hit home with me, he basically said don’t let these salesman walk all over you. (I might be reading between the lines, but that’s what it sounded like).
When this current couple reworked my proposal, and gave me discounts and discounts, I asked if this offer was going to expire tonight… if they had answered “yes” I would have walked them out the door at that moment. That is not how I do business, no way… no how, am I going to make a multi thousand $$ decision with a few minutes of thought. If you want to pressure somebody in to buying something you are at the wrong house. These sales people have a good product and nobody in this thread has said that the aforementioned window is a bad product, service sucks, they don’t stand behind what they sell. No. What I have read is prices are extremely high, and the sales people are too pushy. I can’t explain their pricing, but selling… I do know if they leave your house without an order, their odds drop to less than 10% that you will become a future customer of theirs. I believe that is why some sales people are pushy. My advice to the homeowner… push back. Pick up their samples, cases or clipboards and help them start carrying stuff to their car.
Whew… now that being said, my wife and I told the couple we were not going to make a commitment (after 90minutes, exactly). I’m still considering Penguin windows, but I have more homework I’m going to do. I’ll say this if I had the cash sitting in a drawer in the other room they would have made a sale, but today I don’t see myself taking on debt to save $100 / month in energy savings.

I have heard terrible things about Penquin windows from people I work with. One person’s quote was 70,000.00 who can afford that these days! What a rip off company.
Debbie

We are buying Penguin Windows for our house. The sales reps were pleasant and even left the house for awhile to give us time to think without them being present.
I looked them up on the Better Business Bureau site and found that they had 17 complaints filed in a 3 year period. Most of these were noted to have been settled to the complainer’s satisfaction. Their BBB rating is A-.
Doesn’t sound bad to me.

Dennis, another person who checked into this found that Penguin Windows had forty Better Business Bureau complaints in a three year period, not the 17 you found. See his unhappy tale here:
http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2008/01/06/money-out-the-window-2/
It sounds like you had an unusually pleasant experience with the generally obnoxious Penguin sales team. Lucky you. I’d be interested in knowing how much you ended up paying for the windows, and if you got any other estimates.
Most people, like the guy who tells his story in the link above, find that Penguin windows are much more expensive than other brands, and not superior in quality. But it’s a personal choice. Hope they work out for you.

http://www.bbb.org/oregon/business-reviews/windows/penguin-windows-in-vancouver-wa-74001956#complaint
Says 17. This is the BBB site.
Dennis Brown

Dennis, there are various BBB sites. The guy who wrote the “money out the window” post linked to this Penguin Window BBB site:
http://alaskaoregonwesternwashington.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=114&bbb=1296&firm=500577
It shows 23 complaints in the last 36 months, and a rating of “B” — not the A- you reported. So Penguin Windows gets quite a few complaints. The number depends on the 36 month period being reported, apparently.
I’d be concerned about a company that got so many complaints. But if you’re not, it’s your money. Like I said in this post, buyer beware. That’s good advice for whatever you’re buying.

penguin windows might offer a great product but there install methods are terrible i worked for them for six years and eventually got let go because of my arguments on their install methods they pretty much have the idea as long as it looks good is all that really matters the only way i would buy their windows was if i could install them myself i put their windows in my friends house it was right around 15 windows i paid 3400 for all of them

Some of you posting in defense of Penguin are management from Penguin. 21000 clients in 5 years is a pathetic number to brag about, absolutely pathetic! There are other high end window manufactures out there. Milgaurd, Marvin, Andersen, Pella, Schuco, just to name a few. There is one thing which stands out of these companies compared to Penguin. Their names are not posted on blogs with the negative frequency you see here. Nothing like what you see here! It is this simple. The writing is clearly on this wall, good product or not the windows sell themselves, but the prices I have read here on the Penguins are extremely overpriced even installed. Buy the windows you prefer and have them installed by a very small or just one licensed contractor and save a fortune.

Thought i would check back to this post to see what has brewed up. I am no longer with the company and have some exit interview information/dirt for anybody that wants it…
However i could not help but say… Lisa… The window is NOT soundproof… It IS however sound rates and will help with sound a LITTLE bit… I really hope you are commenting on the fact that you loved the reps “joke” because if you think he/she was serious you are a F*CKING idiot (sorry there goes my professional credit, but whatever sometimes i just have to speak up)
ANYWAY for those who are SERIOUS about windows I NO LONGER work for penguin BUT would still love to give you some advice BEFORE your appointment, it can help save you time and possibly $.
Soccerprep205@yahoo.com

After reading all these posts, I can’t find any that are from an unhappy Penguin window OWNER. The only unhappy people are the ones who DIDN’T buy Penguin windows.
Funny that.

Duane, maybe that’s because most people who are smart enough to use the Internet and post a comment on my blog are smart enough not to buy Penguin Windows.

Greetings Penguin-bashers and -lovers
I can see that I am late in contributing to this thread, but I wanted to add my experience here nevertheless.
Just tonight my wife and I ‘entertained’ two Penguin reps, who were in our home as a result of their canvaser talking with my wife, promising her a $25 gas card for our trouble, as well as no more than 60 to 90 minutes of Penguin pitch. The two guys were clearly comprised of one well-informed, even authoritative youngster (age 32), and one trainee, whose task it was to give us the technical talk. He did the ‘science experiments’ as he called them, which were the aforementioned heat lamp trick and an additional demo with boiling water and vinyl frames, which he bent like soft rubber in his hands after being in the hot water for 5 to 8 seconds. Then his ‘composite’ Penguin frame, which was hard as steel after soaking in the water for more than 10 minutes. Cool huh?
We informed the guys, after they were finished measuring every window in the house, of which there are twelve, that I had been laid off from my job just one week ago — a job with a church for whom I had been employed at for ten years as a graphic designer and staff pastor. They were appropriately sympathetic, but this did not deter them from moving right into their tag team sales blitzkrieg.
First question I asked these guys was why the name “Penguin”?
I figured their training had provided them with a nifty explanation, and I was not disappointed. They did explain the change from ‘Statewide’ to Penguin, but, oddly, nothing about law suits or fresh starts or anything of that kind. They did, however, explain that the flightless bird, the penguin, represents the most insulated and weather-protected bird in existence (or, at least, one of the most…), and served as a symbol of ‘Penguin Windows’ strength and durability. Not bad huh? “A load of horsey poo,” I thought, but pretty inventive nonetheless.
We were told, of course, that all our windows were in gross disrepair, bowed and drafty and among the worst this rep had ever seen in his [ ] years of experience. At 32, I wasn’t sure how much experience he could have — heck, I’m 50 and still wondering when I will have all this experience I am supposed to have. Anyway, he made us feel pretty bad about our third-world-quality “holes in the wall”, as he referred to them a number of times the remainder of the evening, which, in the end, lasted three and a half hours, only 120 minutes longer than advertised. My wife and I were planning a nice long bike ride together, and told them so when they arrived. They promised to be quick so we could get to riding, but by the time they left our poorly windowed house, we would have needed halogen high beams to see our way through the streets.
So, on the basis of this horrendous diagnosis of our window situation, we eagerly sat them down in our kitchen, served them iced tea, and listened with rapt attention to their proposed solution to our rapidly deteriorating window tragedy.
They methodically, first one and then the other, walked us through each facet of Penguin’s master plan for restoring to our home the financial and domestic tranquility that could be ours, if only we were visionary enough, bold enough, strong enough, sucker enough, to heed their erudite advice and replace every window in our home with Penguin triple-paned, Krypton gas-filled, composite material constructed windows, all of which would cost us a mere $26,000.
Remember now, they knew I was just laid off a week ago and was still in a bit of a state of shock as to this stunning turn of events in our family. Ten years in a job at a church, only to be cast out onto the garbage heap of society — with a decent severance package to be sure. But a church mind you! The nerve!
Immediately upon hearing this ridiculous number, I asked what sorts of discounts could be offered, and the trainee glibly and with a certain air of self-satisfaction immediately responded, “We can chop 3% off that total right now.” And he did so as if he were offering us a free set of Ginzu Knives to go with our new windows. He thought the discount was that generous! Well, I promptly let him know, in my best sarcastic face and voice, that I had to catch my breath. 3%!!?? How could they afford such an extravagant discount? How could Penguin make money when they were so willing and so hastily giving away their windows like this?
Younger Rep Man quickly saw thorough my sarcasm and added some nutty story about a recent sales rep meeting where their sales manager asked the group how many customers they talked to in a day. “10” the answer came back. “And how many of these actually purchase…” Oh sorry, “…invest in Penguin Windows?” “Three,” again the answer. “And, finally, how many f those three ask you to come back another day for their answer?” “One.” YRM (Younger Rep Man) then went on to explain that instead of losing that one fresh sales call another day, when they would have to waste it on visiting the hedger, his sales manager thought it a better use of their time and money to offer a client a day an additional discount to entice him into a purchase, I mean, investment. That additional amount discounted is 11%.
11%?? Well now I was impressed. That $26,000 was quickly getting whittled down to a much more reasonable …. um … er … well, somewhere around $23,500. Now we’re talkin’! Actually, we were still very skeptical of an amount hat would have us paying somewhere around $300 per month for the next decade. I let them know that by the end of that payment plan, I would easily be residing in a nursing home, drooling on my lap blanket. I AM 50 now you know.
Now, much more tag team, much more verbiage, much more slippery talk about panes and Krypton Gas (which my wife was very intrigued about, specifically HOW they get that gas into those windows!) and BTUs and second marriages and Yorkie Terriers and all sorts of stuff that swirled about us like Dorothy’s tornado.
Well, at a certain point, I was feeling my will weakening, and as I looked across the table at my wife, I think I saw her eyes rolling around in her head. Then I flashed a look at YRM and OTM (Older Trainee Man) and I could have sworn their eyes were red and they had these fangs. I might have hallucinated though, I can’t be sure. So, I took the bull by the testes and asked the two guys if my wife and I could have a couple of minutes to talk — without them in the room. This was obviously a new development for them as they both snorted iced tea out their noses. But they quickly recovered and very politely agreed that this was a terrific idea and it gave them a chance to haul some of their propaganda … er … materials, out to the car.
As I watched the front door close behind them, I looked at my wife and said, “What the hell are we doing here? Before tonight, did you have one thought about needing new windows in this house?” “No,” she said. So we both agreed that we would hold our ground at all costs and say “NO!” to these nice young agents from Hell. You see, in our house, ever since we married, my wife and I have had notoriously low sales resistance. We have owned to Kirby Vacuum Cleaners. We have bought 6 or 7 new cars, at least a couple of them we didn’t even like. And we just recently, finally, unloaded a time share in hawaii that had an annual dues of $2000. So, as you can see, we are the perfect suckers … I mean, candidates, for this sort of sales pitch. And somehow, I think these guys can actually smell low sales resistance the same way a dog or bees can smell fear. Weird, I know.
I went and retrieved our new buddies and we all sat down in the kitchen (again), at which time I informed them that we had to decide to forego any new windows at this time. We had won. We resisted one of the toughest, most intense and well-planned sales pitches I had ever experienced. We withstood Satan and were going to live to tell about it.
Or, so we thought.
Saying that ‘no’, what we thought was a final, deliberate, intentional ‘no’ was seemingly the sort of motivation they needed to kick their presentation into turbo. We were there another hour, inventing new ways to say ‘no’ to these two minions of Beelzebub. The discount kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. What was once a generous and expansive discount of 3% had now ballooned to over 25%. We had them down to $20,000, with the first payment deferred for one year. Wow! That old feeling of capitulation was creeping back in. I looked at my wife, she looked at me, and strength — a new, supernatural muscle-bound energy — swept over both of us. I stood up and went across the room and stood with my wife, who had since gone to steam herself a latté, as she needed a caffein boost about now. And as we stood together, I said to our visitors from another dimension, “Gentlemen (I wanted to remain friendly, after all) — Gentlemen, as much as it pains us to pass up such a generous and fantastic deal on such a quality product — a product of which we are in real need — we have to. Our lives are simply to unpredictable right now, and if we can’t predict our financial status for a month from now, then deferring to six months or a year will not make our lives any more predictable. We must decline new windows today.”
Huh? Huh? Pretty good, huh?
Three and a half hours after that first flashing of the tape measure, our Guests, the Antichrist and his Prophet, relayed their regrets, gave us their cards, and slithered out our door and into the night, the dark night to which they belong.
When they were gone, my wife and I looked at each other once again, this time with a sense of triumph, of a well-fought victory over a most-worthy opponent. We had resisted. We had prevailed.
Then we went to our computer and Googled Penguin Windows and found this thread and a number of others, relating stories much like ours.
Thank you, fellow warriors. Don’t weary in well-doing. Do not falter in the ongoing battle for our financial discipline and responsibility. For those who may have given in and are paying Penguin’s exorbitant prices, don’t beat yourself up for too long. But learn damn it, learn!! I recommend that you go to the mall, walk in to a furniture store, go to a car dealer and let them know you need a new car — real bad. Then practice that sales resistance.
Our experience with the Penguin Demons is only one of a thousand such experiences people have every day in places all over the globe. So take heart everyone. If we continue to practice wise purchasing…I mean, investing, and if we continue to support one another on blogs such as this one (Thanks Brian, keep it up!), and as long as we continue to warn each other of these Snakes in the Grass that would creep up on us and bite us on the tooshies, we will prevail and lead one another into the Promised Land of responsible spending.
Thanks all for hearing our story. And thank you Penguin Windows, for inadvertently helping us grow in strength against people and organizations just like you.
Scott

Scott, you’re a winner! (Sorry, not of a $25 gift card that will require you to sit through a four hour presentation by the anti-Christ.)
I declare you to be the winner of the Most Entertaining and Well Written Penguin Windows Sales Horror Story among the comments on my blog post.
My wife and I heartily enjoyed your tale. When you talked about your low sales pitch resistance, I was reminded of the time I was trying to sell a car and was talking to a guy who responded to an ad in the paper.
We negotiated for a while in the carport. Then I said, “Wait! We’ve got things backwards. I’m supposed to be trying to get more money out of you, and you’re supposed to be trying to get the car for less money. We’ve got our roles reversed.”
You see, I’d linked up with another Overly Nice Guy. I’d been talking about how the Blue Book value was such and such, and he could have it for less, while he’d been telling me that the car was in such good condition, it really was worth more than I was asking.
Penguin Windows preys on nice people who don’t like to say “No, get out of my house!” even to obnoxious salespersons. I’m glad you and your wife found the strength to resist. Hope you find another job soon. (I think you have a career awaiting in writing, of some sort. You have an engaging honest style.)

[Note from Brian, the blogger: this comment sounds a lot like a Penguin Windows sales pitch. But, hey, buyer beware and reader of comments beware. I note this guy didn’t share the comparative cost of Penguin Windows and high quality windows from competitors.]
[Update to above: I just got two more comments from the same IP address — more glowing praise for Penguin Windows and making excuses for their name change, and dumping of their previous corporate identity. I delete corporate spam, so have deleted the rest of the comment below and the other comments entirely.
Memo to Penguin Windows employees and sales staff: don’t play games with comments on this blog post. This is a place for consumers to share their experience with Penguin Windows, not a place for you to present your sales pitches.]
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…

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 cracks and breakages you see after 8-10 years. How long did you expect this product to hold up a 250lb glass pack anyways? 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. If anyone disagree’s let’s hear it.

Adam, nice sales pitch. It sounds like an ad to me, and I don’t like spam on my blog. But I’ll leave it up, even though there’s a lot to question in what you said.
One thing you said is correct: the buyer is the jury. Also the judge. There’s only one thing that needs to be said and resaid: buyer beware with Penguin Windows. Or any windows. Don’t trust a sales pitch. Research competitors. Compare prices. Make up your own mind and don’t be a victim of high pressure sales tactics.
If a product is of high quality at a good price, why would pushy sales tactics be needed? Ask yourself that. Then decide on your own what kind of windows to buy.

Brian it actually discredits you to discredit factual information by dismissing any of it as “some sales pitch,” following the assumption that the content is true product information is relevant to the topic at hand.
I completely agree that our homeowner’s are the jury. Please explain how a builder’s grade product designed to last 3-5 years is differentiated from a homeowner’s grade 8-10 year product which is differentiated from the Penguin product built to last 50+ years, which is differentiated from superior grade vinyl built to last 30+ years, and old growth wood grade built to last 50+ years. In all logic, marketing strategy cannot possibly be a basis of evaluating a high or low quality product. What you did do well Brian is broadcast an assumption built on an emotional premise.
What gives any company the damn right to build windows designed to fail after 3-5 years (consumer reports) and minus the luxury of affording timely replacement, cause anything from mild to widespread damage through dry rot to other internal structural components and causing comfort, security issues? While at the same time, writing a warranty that excludes everything that could possibly happen (for example, damage from the sun), so if any part of that 3-5 or 8-10 year window breaks or fails and cold air is drafting in or the locks broke, its somehow the retired homeowner’s fault, or the single lady with three children’s fault. Is that ethical?
Why should those folks bear the burden to pay for a 3-5 or 8-10 year product priced to perceive good value, and marketed with a “lifetime warranty” that warrants absolutely nothing. Who’s tricking who? So who’s side are you on Brian? You claim to support the consumer, but you are really only supporting Milgard windows (makers of 3-5 and 8-10 year windows).

Adam, this is the last Penguin Windows spam/advertising comment I’ll leave up. This is a personal blog, not a Penguin Windows ad. I wrote about my personal experience with Penguin Windows, and other homeowners are free to share their own experiences.
My only interest in Milgard is describing how this company’s wood clad windows have been working for us. In short, great. They were a lot cheaper than Penguin Windows and met our needs a lot better. Other consumers might come to a different conclusion.
What continues to go through my mind is why, if Penguin Windows are so superior to other brands, they need to be marketed using such pushy sales tactics?
My experience with quality products (such as Toyota cars and Apple computers) is that they almost sell themselves. When I’ve gone to buy them, salespeople simply say, “Do you have any questions?”
Penguin Windows is free to use any (legal) sales approaches it wants. And prospective window purchasers are free to do comparison shopping, which includes comparing the sales approaches of various window manufacturers.

I absolutely agree with you. Every purchaser has the right to choose whichever products fits their immediate needs or long term needs, either a Penguin window, or a Milgard window, or a _____ window, it doesn’t bother me one bit. But do you or do you not realize that your statements here may actually leading consumers towards a less broad selection of choices, by telling folks who may be 100% compatible with a Penguin product to look disregard it and look at at another product they may be 80% or 50% compatible with. Would you agree that in these specific cases, that your statements here may actually be hurting consumers?
I don’t appreciate you callously calling things as a sales pitch simply because it doesn’t agree with you. On the other hand, I would gladly appreciate your feedback.

With 100% respect Brian, please keep in mind that Apple computers and Toyota cars are multibillion dollar companies with marketing budgets larger than you can even imagine, allowing very ambitious marketing strategies, such as apple and toyota appearing in almost every TV channel, and apple having a store in almost every mall, while toyota having 2-3 dealerships per city. I strongly believe that if you could find a way for a 60m dollar company to operate in that scope and succeed, you’d be one of the wealthiest people alive. It’s either that, or its sacrificing quality to joining the price war in the sharktank of window companies. My 2 cents.

Thanks for great website, and all the comments by users. It really saved me from going thru this “THE PENGUIN ORDEAL”.
I narrowly escaped this harrowing experience after reading all the comments.
Like most users on this site, a nice girl knocked on the door, saying they are in the neighborhood and they will do a free inspection for windows, and for letting them do that they will provide a $25 gas coupon. More than the gas coupon I was just curious how my windows are doing. Though my house is 1980 build, it was remodeled by previous owner less than 5 years ago with new double pane vinyl windows(It says westcoast vinyl). Anyways, I said ok, you can come over, check and give me the report.
She mentioned her supervisor may call to confirm appointment. Just with in 5 minutes after she left, this guy Robert( Lastname with held) called and started confirming things. He asked myself and my wife should be there, I was puzzled, but said we both can not be home at the same time as we have altered work timings so that we can take care of our little one. I told him, I am the who makes these kind of decision if I need anything. He kept on going, all the homeowner on the paper should present and started questioning me if the authority to write sign the contracts, checks etc. It really pissed me off, they came and asked they could provide a free report about the windows, why they hell I will verify these things for them. I asked him to put his supervisor on the phone. One lady (name withheld)came who claimed to be his supervisor, stating that their company needs all owners to be there etc. I gave the time when we both will be there and she assured it will only take 1 hour.
I was suspicious of all this requirements of all owners being there etc. Then I looked at this site read all the comments, and oh boy, I am glad I saw this. I called them to cancel, as expected he asked me what the reason is. I explained him my experience with first call, as well how good reputation they have all over the Internet.
Anyways, before reading comments, I did not even know that windows could cost that much. As per many federal energy audit documents, avg energy loss thru windows is 30% at max. Even if you save 30% of your energy bill( these guys claim 45%), you would never be able to recover the cost of the windows, even if you happened to live there your whole life. I see some positive comments, these are either by these sleezy Penguin sales persons, or very uninformed buyers, or someone with so much money and do not know what to do with it.
I am thinking, may be many people did not file any lawsuits against this company because they themselves feel guilty for accepting it begin with.
It does not matter how good the windows are, no one needs to go thru this experience, and no one needs to pay arm and leg or your first born for windows. They will never recover their cost unless these windows become a museum piece later!!.
I wish there is a easy way to completely shutdown companies who do practices like this.

I’ll be honest by starting this comment stating that my father owns a window company, so I probably am a little biased. However, to make myself a little more credible, I’m not going to mention my company’s name. I just honestly think people need to know the truth about Penguin.
I have spent many, many years in this industry, literally grown up in it, and know that Penguin Windows is not a company to do business with.
First of all, everybody needs to know that Penguin is actually the new Statewide. They changed their company name a few years ago because of how terrible their reputation had become.
Second, I know and have met sales reps that have worked for the company who have stated that they are REQUIRED to give a 4 hour sales pitch, and call in to the main office at least twice (could be three times, I’m a little fuzzy on specifics) to check on “deals” they want to offer the homeowner.
Third, their windows are insanely overpriced. Anyone who states otherwise either works for Penguin or has received a bid ONLY from Penguin. Their technique is to beat down the homeowner until they finally give up and sign before receiving reasonable bids from other competitors.
As someone who’s job is researching our competitors and examining our pricing and quality, I can assure you that you WILL find the same quality of product for at least half the price with any number of other window companies.
Just always, always make sure to check out the company before signing a contract. Check the BBB, ripoffreport.com, Angieslist.org (if you don’t mind the fee) etc before committing to doing business with any window company.
Penguin is not the only shady company out there, just one of the largest.

My husband is working for Penguin Windows right now and he hasn’t made much money in the last 8 weeks that he has had the job and I can’t convince him to get a differnt job.

Ladies and gentlemen let me put to rest some of the items I have just spent an hour reading. I have been in construction for seventeen years. I hold a MA Unrestricted
Contractors License as well as my Home Improvement Contractor License. Several months ago I was presented an opportunity to start a new career in sales. I was told of this company called Penguin Windows. Little could be found about them as they are operating as a DBA Penguin Windows. Well I was intervied by their top man from their new Danvers MA office. I was able to skip the typical three manager interviews based on my experience. After a couple hours I decided that a change would be good as these long new england winters can beat you up pretty good. After spending (2) weeks in a rather intensive training program, I was off and running. Yes! running right out the door. I heard terms like let the elderly get a reverse mortgage, sales associates lying about why they do not have penguin windows in their rental home ( they have owned the home for over (10) years ) bold face lies to a customer on what was wrong with their windows. I was truly concerned and decided to read the true warranty with a magnifying glass. WOW! Look deep people here is a list of items they DO NOT COVER and claim they do when no one else does. These are facts as I read them from their warranty that I have in front of me presently! (1) They do cover glass breakage, however they will ship a new glass unit to your local dealer. It is uo to you to figure out how to take the window apart and replace the glass. (2) They DO NOT cover the glass is it was missused??????? ( according to who) (3) They do cover the screens, however they send a peice to your local dealer and again you need to figure out how to replace it. You are also responsible to go to your local dearler to pick these items up. They WILL NOT be brought to you! (4) They DO NOT warranty the window if it was installed impropery. Even after that whole time talking about their installers. Well in MA they should all be licensed and they are NOT. But its o.k. someone in the office is licensed. THESE AND SEVERAL OTHER ITEMS ARE WHAT PENGUIN WINDOW PRIDES ITSELF ON, guesss what their PRIDE IS ALL LIES. Read the warranty for yourself. Do not take my word but unless you feel your own eyes are lying STAY AWAY FROM THE PENGUIN!!!!!!!!!!

wow… just because you didn’t have the balls or the heart to say “NO” …. you blame the pushy sales person?…….hmmmmmm………… you sure have a lot to say….

Mercedes, it’s mostly other dissatisfied people who have had a lot to say in the comments on this post. I just started the “buyer beware” discussion going.
We did say “no.” And are sure glad we did. Fairly priced quality products don’t have to be sold using high-pressure deceptive sales tactics.
Try walking into an Apple store. My experience is that a salesperson says, “Can I answer any questions?” He or she knows that Apple makes quality products that basically sell themselves.
With Penguin Windows, it’s different. Very, very different.

I’m creating a window quote page for users because of all the complaints I’ve seen like this one.
Would you all have found this useful?
Gorell Windows price quote form.
Any feed back is appreciated!

Just had a rep come tonight, so looking into it right now. I can say, I am definitely not a windows person so my information you can take it or leave it. If you are in the market for windows here was my personal experience:
The presentation was from 620pm to roughly about 830pm and he even said he didn’t get a chance to give the ‘full’ presentation. He was not pushy but one comment that just left me with a bad taste is the “I will not make any money on this deal” then right after that added another 5% off the other discounts. I do not know if what he showed me was a ‘trick’ or not, I can say that the heat lamp demo if a trick I have no idea how it is done. It did show me that a window filled with standard installation that comes in walls (fiberglass) cuts the heat transfer to 0 and their window (sample) does close to the same. That I was impressed with. He was very polite and nice (again except that one comment is all) I would say a completely standard sales experience. If anyone has ever had sales people try and sell you know you have to expect some forms of gimmicks and techniques. The other thing I did see through is the ‘savings’ and value. I was told it would add about 10k value to my home. I am not stupid and there is absolutely no way he could guarentee that nor prove that.
Ultimately, I am in the middle ground with them. I need to research and find out if they are worth the money spent truly. I can say I found 212 businesses in the Portland metro area on BBB that had 0 complaints, does that mean their 49 in the last 3 years makes them unworthy, not necessarily, but it does mean you should think seriously before purchasing. I recommend to anyone:
If bought the day off presentation and having 2nd thoughts, cancel for the time being. You have 3 days to cancel. Research it and then make an informed decision. If you didn’t buy, then skip step 1 and do step 2 🙂
Read the oregonian, news 8, other places that have done specials on window installation and get some ideas from them. Read reviews (be diligent and realize that many can be fake/false) I tend to avoid the 5 stars and 1 stars and read the more middle ground reviews that give you honest opinions. (imho personally) What I think of penguin windows so far:
Sounds like great installation, great window quality, rather high price. So just remember lower prices may or may not mean lower quality just research it first please!

A Russ De Vos, former pastor from Central Oregon was released by his church elders not long ago due to several indiscretions with women in the congregation, and conduct not acceptable for a minister. Maybe a coincidence, but if this is the same Russ De Vos, it would be consistent with much of the negative comments expressed in this blog, against Penguin Windows and their hiring practices. BUYER AND WOMEN BEWARE!!!!!!!

I was very entertained by the reading of the responses from this blog. I find it interesting that the negatives coments concerning Penguin windows are from home owners that could not afford a top quality window.

John, I think you’re mistaken. In fact, I know you’re mistaken in regard to my wife and me. We ended up getting a top quality window, wood clad Milgard windows, which look hugely better than the vinyl-clad Penguin windows and were much less expensive.
After doing a lot of research, we concluded that Penguin Windows was overpriced and the quality wasn’t that great compared to other brands.

Well everyone has their opinion and I personally know more people that are happy with the Penguin windows then other brands.

I feel that the Gorell 5100 with Eco Master Glass is the best over all deal.

[From Brian, the blogger: I got some emails from Tim, a guy who had an interesting Penguin Windows sales call experience. I asked Tim if I could share what he said as a blog comment, and he said “sure.” Here it is:]
I am writing to say thank you for your post about Penguin Windows. I got interested in them simply because they had a rep at ACE hardware and he offered a free $25 gift card in return for letting them come out to talk about windows. To be honest, I could use that gift card so I agreed. I knew there was something going on (no such thing as a free lunch) but didn’t know what it was.
So I looked them up in Ask.com, and your blog came up in second position and told me what I needed to know, which made me ready.
I feel kind of bad because (and I told them this up front and every time I spoke to them on the phone) that I have ZERO dollars to spend, and my house (built in 1955 as an early pre-fab) has very unusual thin walls, so unless they have a special window, I don’t see how they are going to be able to do anything. Of course, they still wanted to come out and talk to me.
Just as you reported, they came out as a team and they had a great show. The sample window does look very impressive. I had shopped around years ago and saw worse products with much less friendly sales folk at about the same prices (I imagine that friendliness changes once you sign on).
Anyway, in spite of all my warnings (and I told them up front I wanted the gift card – no bones about that) they were surprised that they could not provide replacement windows for me. They’d never seen a house built like mine, this was news to them.
So there wasn’t much they could do except on two house addition windows, but they had to run the numbers and as you advised, it was through the roof. Ironically, they were trying to make it so I could meet their minimum costs to have them do the work, so they were UPPING the prices and let me know that. Now THAT is desperation.
But armed with your warnings, I stuck to my assertiveness and said “No money to spend, can’t make the down payment even. But in time, should things  improve, I now know that you make a quality product and would more than likely call you.”
Like you warned they had every number juggling scheme, but in the end, they realized there was nothing they could do. So they packed up and left somewhat in a hurry.
That gift card? Well, we’ll have to see about that. I thought they would have it with them.
No. They gave me a form to mail in and they will send the card to me within 30 days. I’ll send it in, I was up front with them all the way through and they did offer, so I think it’s fair to ask for what they offered.
I do have to say that I kind of enjoyed talking to the guys. They put on a good show, I’m a bit smarter than the average consumer in these things because  A) I had your warning and B) I’ve been down the “replacement window” road before.
I was amused how they responded to my crazy thin wall house (the wall thickness is half normal, so replacement windows are impossible to install) – but I told them about that before they came out, and still they had to see for themselves. Okay, I don’t mind having visitors.
Anyway, I really appreciate your blog about the Penguin Window deal, it gave me real strength and confidence.
I don’t have that $25 gift card from Penguin yet. They are supposedly going to mail it to me. We’ll have to see if they do. I read another story where a guy was offered a $25 gas card, and never got it.
I did a bit of comparison shopping with interesting results. The Penguin guys worked out that for three windows without installation, the price would be $3,800. That’s $1,266 per window.
Lowes Hardware has Pella Windows of the same size for $149 each. The Penguin guys said that such windows would have to be replaced every 5 years. So, it would take 40 years (8 replacements) using the Lowes windows to come up to the price of just one of the Penguin windows! (And that is assuming I am still here in 40 years, which would require some major anti-aging medical breakthroughs.)
Of course, that does not include installation costs (about $2,000 for Penguin’s people to do it).
Another funny thing is that when they did the laser test to prove that my windows needed replacement they kind of got a surprise. They pointed it at the wall and it read 64 degrees. Then they pointed it at the window they wanted to replace. It read 62 degrees. They didn’t lose a beat on that and said I was definitely losing heat through the windows I had. 2 degrees???!!  So I should spend $1,266 to gain 2 degrees – assuming Penguin windows lose NO heat? How does that work out exactly in terms of heat savings?
Actually I was surprised and amused at all this and the cool way they did not allow the facts to get in the way (they could get jobs as politicians), but I just smiled and nodded and said “That is so amazing!” (I really wanted that $25 gift card!)
I have to add this, and you must have guessed it was coming…
So where the heck is Batman when you need him?
(In case you have been living under a rock, one of Batman’s arch enemies was called “The Penguin”. No insult to your intelligence or cultural understanding intended, but I actually know some people who have no idea who or what Batman is.)

I am a homeowner in Seattle and i dealt with this company before. i signed a paper saying it was ok for them to give me a call 1 time to set up an appointment, and they called me every other day for the rest of time until I canged my number. They are very annoying, Unproffesional, Rude, Disrespectful, and liars. They are being investigated by the ATG (Attorney General)for their sleazy sales tactics. Instead i decided to give one of Penguins competitors a chance (Evans Glass) and was very pleased. They didnt try to bargain the price with me or anything like that. Instead they told me what the price was and that was the bottom line. I have a split level home and the bottom part is brick, but Evans Glass did an awsome job on my home. I strongly recommend Evans Glass. Their product is comparable to Penguins but about half the price.

This is an update to a posting for me by Brian (see Mar 04, 2010 from Tim)
Just to let you know, Penguin did indeed send me the $25 gift card for Ace Hardware, as they said they would. They did it within the 30 days, just as they said they would.

I worked for Penguin Windows for a little over five months. I was repeatedly sexually harassed by Polly Primeaux and it came to the point that I had to turn in my gear and be done with the company. I reported the incident to the HR department and they blew me off. This company does not stand behind there hard working employees.
Yes, Penguin Windows are way overpriced. To the point of being ridiculous. The only good part about it, is as a salesman you make a ton of money at the customers expense.

Hello,
You are all adults. What do you think a salesman does. He sells. High pressure it may seem but then he wouldnt be doing his job (or eating) would he. If you believe in a product then your going to be exuberant about it. You are an adult just say no. Dont blame it on him if you are to wishy washy and undecided. If cost is the only issue and thats why your mad then you maybe should have told him at the door we are getting estimates from several companies. That would leave you with an out not to sign a contract. We have many competitors to choose from its the American way. Wow, grow up! you blame this on this company when its you not doing the research ahead of time and then having buyers remorse. Shame on you! Ever heard of the internet. Oh, and by the way I have nothing to do with this company just searching on the net and saw you people and your smear campaign. Shame on you!

Riki, there’s no smear campaign, just people talking about their experiences with Penguin Windows.
In your comment above you urge people to research on the Internet. News flash: this blog post is on the Internet! Reading about pushy Penguin Windows salespeople and the high price of their product is part of the research that should be be done before deciding whether to buy.

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 http://www.penguinwindows.com, call me at (425) 322-0550 or email vaughnmccourt@penguinwindows.com
Thanks again,
Vaughn M
Director of Operations
Penguin Windows

Of all people to make a comment like that… Vaughn frigging McCourt. This guy is the left hand side of the 2-headed dragon over there at Statewide… er “Penguin” or whatever they’re going to change their name to 10 years from now.
I’ve been in the home improvement business for a long, long time and thankfully have had the good fortune of working with companies like Statewide, State Roofing etc. I say thankfully because I worked for them at a young enough age where I discovered how “not” to do things as a professional sales rep. Oh the stories I could tell. My stomach churns even now when I think about Friday morning sales meetings and the discussions regarding the sales made over the last week or so and the total lack of respect they have for the customers. Referring to those who spend tens of thousands of their hard earned dollars as “mooches” and “lay-downs”. For those of you who were sold on their bull, you should seriously re-examine what your perception of the truth is and what you believe defines honesty and integrity and for those of you who said no… bravo for having a cooler head and prevailing over these con-men and women. That is exactly what they are… con-men. They are given a presentation to master and a demonstration to perfect and they hatch plans on a daily basis on how to get you to say yes using fear, guilt and to some of you that actually buy… greed. Yes… greed. Your fear of loss of what you perceive as a good deal completely gets in the way of value. Wish I had your money but then again who in their right mind finances frigging windows for 12 years. 12 years!!! Are you serious… 12 years!! The world has a beautiful way of paying Penguin/Statewide back for all their wrong-doings. You only need to look at the Bernie Madoffs and Conrad Blacks of the world to know that they will get it in the end… if not here now… then somehwere else later. That’s my 2 cents… I’m out. Good Luck to them… Their gonna need it. Oh yeah… one more thing – Vaughn – it’s been 10 years and you still owe me $1200 for that deal.

Haha Vaughn is such a pile of shit. Him and his puppet Donny. Donny wears lipstick an tucks it for Vaughn.

Regarding Penguin – you can take one more comment? I had the Penguin folks here last week,I got sucked into the sales pitch, and just fell in love with everything, I went through with all the paperwork, and then today, reality set in – I was about to finance $20k for SIX windows – yes, I was getting a garden window, 2 bows and 4 other windows but my common sense kicked in $20k for six windows but $3k per window – what are they lined with gold??? I should be horsewhipped, tarred and feathered, shame on me for getting sucked into the vortex. So here is the rub, I am cancelling after the 3 days is up – and the branch manager called me to try and “calm” me down – he very nicely said that I’m responsible for a 3rd of the negotiated rate, which I balked at, he then proceeded to make me a counter offer to do less windows but it still came out to $18,000!! I am at my wits end with these people until I re-read my contracts, and no where is it stated that I have to pay the contracted price if I cancel after the 3 day “waiting” period is up. In his way, he threatened me…I filed a complaint with the BBB and contacted the Consumer Office – I live in MA – BUYERS BEWARE!!!!!!!! $3000 per window – that does not make sense no matter what kind of window it is – I can’t believe that I was going to do this, and for $20k I can have my house resided and my roof done over (My house is small, 700 sq feet) –
thank you for your website

Kim, thank you in return for sharing your story. It’s amazing that the Penguin Windows guy wanted you to pay 1/3 of the contract, even though you cancelled the contract. Whatever happened to “the customer is always right”?
I just ordered a backup battery for my iPhone. The connecting cord worked with my old iPhone, but not my iPhone 4. I emailed the company about this, saying it wasn’t a huge deal because i found I could use the cord that came with the iPhone.
But they immediately wrote back and said they’d send another one. This sort of customer service earns repeat business. It seems that Penguin Windows is just out to make high pressure sales, not provide high quality windows at a reasonable price. They really need to rethink their business model, in my opinion.

Hi Brian – all well that ends well – I posted a complaint to the BBB in MA, as well as the state attorney general’s office, and Penguin called me the day after I posted here and offered to cancel everything as well as return my deposit if I withdrew my complaints. I said put in writing – which they did. I am still waiting for the refund – hopefully it will be processed soon. I am still shell shocked by the episode but grateful that I woke up in time and did not go through with the project. The sales technique they use really works, it is amazing. I never thought of myself as someone that gulliable – anyway, I was so glad to find your website – thank you for taking the time to inform folks.

you guys must all be retarded …..if someone was in my house for longer that 2 hours and I didn’t want them there I wouldn’t let them convince me to stay. I would make them get out as the law states …it’s trespassing if I’ve told you to leave …and if you don’t I’ll forcefully evict you …but of course as I stated I am a man that stands 6 ft 4 250 pounds ….I guess I just have a larger nut sack

My story about Penguin Windows started when I was shopping at BJ’s Club, Danvers, MA. A BJ’s sales associate approached me of signing a form for windows inspection for free with a promise of receiving $25 BJ’s gift card with no obligations whatsoever. I got a call few days after from Penguin Windows and I agreed for an appointment (accdg. to him it will last only just 45 minutes to an hour)to inspect our windows. During the inspection and measuring here and there with matching lots of negative comments about our windows, sales talks, demos, bla bla bla, da da da which lasted for 6 long hours but NEVER mentioned about the BJ’s gift card, NEVER. Yes I like their windows, expensive but good quality as a matter of fact I ordered 2 small ones just to try their product and I’m satisfied with their installation service, very polite and very professional guys.
I myself is a salesman but I’m straight forward.
When I said 1 hour I mean it and whenever I promise something I will do it at all cost because I’m protecting not just the integrity of the company but my integrity as a Christian to be an effective witness for Christ.

I just learned that Penguin Windows reached a settlement with the Washington state Attorney General’s office over the false claim that its windows save 40% in energy costs. So this shows how true my blog post is: buyers really do need to beware with Penguin Windows. See:
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2010/03/01/daily14.html
The settlement agreement describes activities that Penguin Windows no longer can engage in, including the offenses that so many people have complained about in comments on this post — such as not being able to get rid of sales people when they’re asked to leave, sales people making false claims, and not getting promised gifts. Check out page 5 of the agreement:
http://atg.wa.gov/uploadedFiles/Home/News/Press_Releases/2010/PenguinWindowsconsent%20decree.pdf

Oh,too funny! Repudiate this if you will, but 2 years after this thread started, I had the same sleazy sales pitch. High pressure full court press the entire time and condescending attitude when my husband and I stated up front that we were just doing market research and wanted a quick quote, then at the end of an hour and a half wouldn’t buy his windows… That and the fact that he was rude to his female assistant made the whole experience very uncomfortable.
To be fair, the product seems very impressive. The jerk trying to sell it, was not.

We purchased this penguin windows for a crazy 24k this year. I did not want it due to our old windows were just perfect.. My husband rally like to have them because of the promise 40% energy reduction. Winter time came, I checked the back sliding door and the cool air is coming in. Apparently it was not installed properly. Summer time came, It was still too hot in the house since we don’t have an air-conditioner, I tried to open up the windows to have some breeze before I pass out, I can’t even open it for the best of my ability. Only my husband can open the window. It takes a strong person to open it. The color is pretty but it was not stabble enough that I can feel it will pop out if I try to open it more. The screen outside the sliding door (which the sales person were boosting about) was cheppo like. It came off from the frame and torned. We couldn’t even use it or the flies will get in the house..I am pretty much UPSET with this purchase! It cause me and my husband to argue! NOT HAPPY WITH PENGUIN WINDOWS AT ALL! They also installed this windows quickly and it seemed like, this is not even well attached to the side walls.

They used their high pressure sales on my wife.
They would not let her cancel the free inspection & would not give her a contact number.
I looked them up and had to be very curt with them in order to cancel.
No way I would ever do business with them.
They run their business like criminals.

Not only are they pushy, but you lose any benefits of replacing the windows when it is done improperly. While two state attorney general’s are investigating them, I cannot believe they are still allowed to prey on the elderly. Here is a related blog article about how to properly shop for replacement windows: http://www.betterlivingshow.org/blog.choosing-energy-efficient-replacement-windows.htm

I worked for penquin in their vancouver, WA branch as an installer for five years. It was definitly an experience I will never forget. I wish I could say that they were all happy times, but unfortunately, it was a time when I witnessed some of the worst corporate corruption ever heard of. I mean, we all know how the tactics of places like Wal-Mart and Monsanto are less than kind. But this was firsthand experience. I didn’t work around sales much and tried my best to avoid them at the jobsite or office. So I can’t tell you a lot about their sales tactics. Usually, they were the worst experience to the homeowner, but many of them were liked. I’m here to tell you about the things that would happen during install. From my experience there, I can tell you that about 85 percent of the time, there was at least one damaged window that we were expected to install. Always without the homeowners knowlegde. We were told many times by management that “if you can hide it, install it”. This damage would include cracks in the frame, scratches or defects in the glass, ordered the wrong size or not triple pane, or other defects in the product. We were also required to cover up rotten sills or sheathing or anything else that would have costly to deal with. Drug use is also especially rampant at this particular branch. Mainly marijuana. And I’ll be honest, I know because I smoked at work myself many times. Almost all crews (not all) smoke pot on the way to the job, on the way home, and sometimes at your house in the truck. I’ll admit, it’s not a very responsible thing to do while your working, (especially with power tools and other peoples property) but we all do stupid crap. Just remember this: if your windows are being installed by the vancouver branch, your installer is most likely stoned. Probably the most shocking thing about this is that this behavior is well known by management. In fact, one of the inspectors there was a huge pothead. This just isn’t the behavior you would expect from a professional company. And wait, there’s still more. I will give you one specific example of how slimy they could be. Me and two other installers were installing six windows for an elderly couple. It was a one day job that should have two. So after rushing through the install it came time for the paperwork. Now, at this point the lead installer goes over maintenance and operation, condensation, NFRC (national fenestration rating council)and payment method. This particular method of payment was cash. The only problem here was that the total owed that we had was 1500 dollars more expensive than their copy showed. It took about an hour to figure out what happened. Their copy of the contract had an addendum that was written by the sales rep that stated that penguin would pay for the sales tax, which coincodentaly was 1500 dollars. Our copy had no such addendum. After a few phone calls we placed to the office, we finally had the full story. The sales MANAGER returned to the house after the first sales rep had left and got the homeowner to sign a new contract. This new contract was convenientely without the sales tax addendum. The husband informed us that the manager (Mr. Roberts) told him that his (the husband) signature was not showing up well on our copy. So he got him to sign a new contract. Now, I’m not sure about this one, but it is possible he signed a blank contract. We were never able to make that clear with him. I don’t think he even really understood what was really the problem, (like I said, they were elderly) but his wife sure did. She was in tears and very upset. We were told by management that they had to pay the sales tax. And they did. This is just one story of many of how greedy these people can be. I am not a disgruntled worker. I left there on good terms. But I thought I should say my part. Unfortunatley, I didn’t have time to put any info on their take on safety. Let me just say this. IT SUCKS.

I am amazed at just how many fake comments made by Penguin employees are on this board. You morons are so obvious.
I worked there for about a week & after I saw what those sleazy sales managers BEAT INTO the 20 or so innocent, unsuspecting new hires each month. Out of 10 people in my traning class, 4 made it through(2 weeks). Most of them were good people, just victimized and used by promises of fake riches.
Penguin, West Coast, & all these other shady companies that do business this way will soon be weeded out by our attorney general.
I work for a real window company now, Window World, look us up. That should be good for business.

Penguin safety tips:
1. You don’t need any fall gear. (Besides, we won’t give you time to set it up)
2. Why don’t the two of you go ahead and install that 400 pound bay window by yourselves. We don’t think it’s cost effective to send help.
3.You don’t need a new saw. That one you have with the frayed cord works just fine.
4. We’re gonna have to require you to comply with lead based paint removal laws. But we’re not gonna train everyone on it, give you time to set up the gear, or even provide you with all the gear you need.
5.Don’t worry about the carcinogens you work with. You can count on us not being there for you when you get cancer.
6. What do you need a new ladder for? That one you got with the loose rungs looks fine to me.
6. Please refer to the manual for all other safety negligence tips.

Wow is all I’m going to say because as I have read the good and bad reviews. I’ve noticed that some of the bad commentaries talk about products that penguin doesn’t carry or complain about their windows being dark. So for the record they don’t do double pane windows or French doors with issues being the sales force and price.
I had the penguin windows come out and our sales pitch wasn’t four hours more like 1.5 hours. I also had the windows measured not once but twice with the installer making the second measurements along with notes about it needed.
When we bought the house the owner didn’t maintain it properly and we have done quite a bit of the deferred maintenance that comes with owning a neglected older home. This deferred maintenance includes vinyl windows previously installed that were not installed correctly to the point that two of them leak a tremendous amount of water when it rains along with an old aluminum slider installed backwards.
So I went with a product that is only triple pane, no french doors, no double paned windows that are custom fit to the openings of my house where I don’t have to have standard stock that doesn’t fit put in. Was it expensive, yes it was. Will I be living here for more than two or three years? Yes, I will. Are they contractors or company employees? They are company employees, so while I’m sure that Anderson, Pella and Milgard are all nice quality windows (I won’t tell you which ones weren’t installed incorrectly). So in essence, you get what you paid for, poor quality and installation.
Now I do not work for them, I do not have family working for them nor do I care if I did.

Me too! Had a canvasser come around the hood in November and signed me up for a window inspection and bid. The canvasser said the inspection and bidding process would only take 30 minutes!
Next day two fellows show up with bags of stuff. One guy was knowledgeable about windows, the other guy must either live in a rented apartment or a weekly-rate motel because he knew very little about home remodeling or windows (except his spiel). They looked at all of my windows and of course every window was bad according to them. Much the same as other posts above regarding the sales pitches thrown around. After 2.5 hours they left empty-handed. A few days later I went to the big box store and bought some cheap Arium windows and installed them myself. I saved ~$27,000 by not going with Penguin. I know the windows I did buy wont last as long as higher quality windows, but in this economy I’m just trying to maintain. Thanks for the blog, Brian.

I think this story is very classic. I too once used to be a Penguin Windows Employee. Not only do they lie to their customers, but they lie to their employees. I was lied to from the very start. Told all I would be doing was asking people if they wanted to sign up for our contest in “our stores” which they neglected to mention were not actually Penguin Windows stores, but random hardware/sports/grocery stores. I asked them several times if these people were interested in our windows when they came in, because I was not interested in being pushy or bothering people while they were shopping. At no point did they tell me that that was exactly what I would be doing. Secondly I was told the amount of people I got to sign up would not reflect on my hours, or full time status. Another lie. Within 3 weeks of not meeting my quota (which was ridiculous high and unrealistic) I was cut in hours. Every week we would have group meetings, where we would discuss our progress. NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE ever met the quota, and in tern, turn over rate was VERY high. They also made no effort to train us in any way, yet were very harsh when we did not do what they wanted. All I can really say is they had the most sleazy underhanded disgusting business practices I had ever seen. Oddly enough the windows themselves are very good. So I always wondered why they felt the need to be such pushy annoying douche bags. Needless to say I RAN AWAY as soon as I could find another job.

Here’s “the rest of the story”: Penguin Windows has been recognized by Guild Quality – an independent firm that conducts customer satisfaction surveys for the real estate and building industries – for its “ability to consistently deliver an exceptional customer experience.” After compiling the results of over 4400 customer surveys, they have published on their website: http://www.guildquality.com/cr/Penguin-Windows/8BE42643833D6E/ as follows:
* Likely to recommend 94.5%
* Quality construction 96.6%
* Professional and Organized 97.2%
* Value 92.2%
* Work done right 94.7%
Check it out. You will learn that this company is truly interested in providing their customers a superior experience.

TIm, you’ve pointed to one source of information about Penguin Windows. Prospective window buyers also should Google “Penguin Windows complaints,” check out Angie’s List reviews, review Better Business Board complaints, and, naturally, peruse the comments on this blog post.
Here’s a link to the Complaints Board site where some messages about Penguin Windows can be perused:
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/penguin-windows-c182071.html
Most importantly, do the research. Get several bids from reputable window companies. Compare the costs and benefits of each product. And consider what the Penguin Windows sales tactics say about the company and it’s product.
As I’ve noted before, I’ve found that when a company engages in high-pressure sales tactics, it’s usually because their product won’t sell itself — so people have to be coerced into buying it.

If penguin windows are so freakin’ great, why does the company throw thousands of dollars of them into the dumpster every day? In the five years I spent as an installer at the Vancouver branch, I have seen more waste at this company than any other. As to why they throw out perfectly good windows every day is a mystery to me. These are bone windows (windows that couldn’t be installed because of misorder or factory screw up) are perfectly good and could at least be donated to Habitat for Humanity. One minute Penguin donates windows to Habitat for Humanity (rarely) and the next they throw more in the trash. And what they throw away far outweighs what they donate. I guess they figure that if they can’t sell them, no one can have them. And where does that dumpster go? Straight to the landfill. Vinyl cannot be recycled and releases dioxin’s into the earth despite efforts to contain landfill waste. Dioxin’s from vinyl and other chemical compounds are responsible for many types of cancers. These chemicals are slowly killing the earth with a cancer epidemic where 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will have some type of cancer in their lifetime. We’re filling ourselves with debris and Penguin Windows is helping.

My wife and I escaped from a trio of Penguin salesmen just last Saturday. All of the basic scams discussed previously were tried on us, including the “heat lamp scam”. When I told them I’d have to think about it, their jaws dropped, and the REAL hard sell started. I would say no, not today, and they would try another tactic-over and over and over again. I finally got them to leave, then I found your blog(and many, many others) telling the truth about this company. I also found this news article about Penguin’s recent financial difficulties that may cause people to rethink Penguin’s lifetime guarantee: http://www.nwcn.com/news/washington/Penguin-Windows-closing-115033904.html

Penguin Windows has just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2014359734_penguin01.html

Michael, thanks for sharing the bankruptcy news. As a commenter on the story said, “couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of crooks.” My feelings exactly.

I just purchased my first home in May of 2010 and am looking at the end of my first year there. After going thru the summer and most of the winter I knew my windows needed replacing. Main windows in living room are just picture windows and don’t open so no air circulation in the summer. One pane in back window is GONE! Other windows leaking moisture with mold and moss growing on them – they are horrible! Did a lot of research and invited the Penquiun people in. Was really impressed with the product, warranty and what they pointed out in the windows that I have (they found the missing pane and the moss and leakage). I, myself, could feel the heat loss thru the existing windows and want better. Yes, they are expensive BUT since I don’t plan on selling (they’ll take me out of it in a pine box)I don’t want to look at replacing my windows again. None of the other manufacturer’s had a warranty like Penguin or the safety features or any of the other things that the Penquin windows had. (I looked at Pella, Anderson and Milgard). Plus the fact that all the construction and trim work is included in the cost (I know they say “free” but I am not THAT naive!) And the down and payment plan works with my budget. I can’t wait until they are installed. And Shawn and John were very friendly, courteous. If you are not interested in buying don’t ask them in. This is their job to sell and if you want cheap you get what you pay for.

You did “research”, and yet you didn’t discover that they declared bankruptcy after closing all but one store? Good luck with that warranty, and I hope you actually get something installed….sometime….by someone.

Hey Kelly… Make sure you keep a good eye on the installation process because they have a tendancy to hide a lot of things from homeowners such as dry rot and previous leaking damage. Not always, but often they do. Trust me. I remember a couple of times when the management asked us to hide rot to save on the labor of fixing it. I really hope your installation goes well and you enjoy your windows, but remember that you have been warned!

Well well well. Guess who showed up at Our door today? You got it – Penguin! As soon as he told us he didn’t even have a brochure but wanted to sign us up for the “inspection” I told him that was okay, that I would just check out the company online. You never saw someone get so p!$$ed off and pouty, so fast in your life. As the word “scam” neon-ed across his forehead and he said “Well obvously SHE isn’t interested”, I answererd “You got that right. Have a nice day.”
A reputable company will have a brochure and will welcome internet research. There will be no “hard sell” or tantrum-tactics. If I hadn’t been there, my elderly parents would have caved and allowed him to continue. I just feel such anger wondering how many nice, kind folks who, like my parents, don’t want to “rock the boat” have fallen prey to this “company”.

Penguin Windows is no longer in business. After laying off 400+ people, the corrupt former leaders of Penguin have formed a new company… DaBella Exteriors. I hear they are canvassing the Portland area heavily right now. Beware!!

Just found your blog, and I saw earlier that this company is out of business now? http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/jun/14/penguin-windows-to-shutter-operations/
That said, I had a very similar experience to many of the people here that I detailed back in 2008. http://www.staze.org/journeys-of-a-salesman/
Absolutely amazing that they made it this long. It’s sad that they’ll end up laying off people, but seriously, it’s kind of amazing they made it so long with their apparently rampant sales tactics.

In hope’ s to clear my name I am Polly Primeaux responding to a post placed on this site many years ago by a former employee that worked for penquin Windows. I was accused of sexual harassment by this employee after he decided to quit his job with the company I worked for 8 years. Many of those years I worked mainly with men as it was dominated by a males sales force. After years of successful selling I finally achieved a position as sales manager. It was a very stressful yet rewarding experience for myself and family. To my surprise after Brett R. decided to part ways with our company I was investigated about my professionalism with others I worked with. Everyone had been questioned about me and of course I was the last to know that anything was going on with regards to any investigation especially concerning me so I was very caught off guard by all of the questions but more so the false accusations. I only write this today becuase I am in the sales business still today and I don’t want people thinking I’m some sort of pervert who would ever mistreat or disrespect another person in that manner. The investigation came back clean with only made up stories by a disgruntled employee trying to extort money out of the company. Don’t believe everything you read as every story always has two sides and this is mine. Good luck to all who follow these post.

Who was penguin Windows bought out by for warranty reasons

We too purchased Penguin’s triple pane windows for 2 sets of sliding doors in our home and we absolutely love them. They were not only beautiful but we had one set for 12 years with no problem at all. We subsequently about 5 years later purchased the doors for our second set of sliding doors. They fit perfect they looked beautiful and we were so pleased. Maybe the presentation was a bit longer than we like but I would not say we were pressured at all. We do not tolerate high pressure sales people. No means No…We too received the heat lamp test and I don’t know if it was a trick or not, but one thing I DO KNOW, after installing our new doors we could feel the huge difference. Before with our double pane windows we felt the cold of winter coming, no actually blowing through the glass, but with the triple pain windows, we felt the glass and it was not cold at all and it stoped that wind chill from coming through. We would buy them again if we could for our 2nd. home. Yes they are pricy, but they are worth it if you are gong to keep your home for many years. We do not look at it so much as for saving in energy we love them because they are keeping us warm. They also keep the home cooler in the summer time so you save on the cooling bill.