Replacing all of the windows in your home is an enormous investment. If you’re like most homeowners in Florida, you’ll want to ensure that the windows you’re getting will stand the test of time. However, if you don’t know what to look for in a window company, it’s hard to sort out the best window companies from the worst ones.
Lots of companies make grandiose promises about the quality of their windows, how good their installation process is, and their low, low prices.
Unfortunately, many ‘window installation’ companies fall far short of their promises. Rather than delivering high-quality windows with expert installation, they put in knockoff windows using amateur installers with no real expertise, then upcharge massively to cover all kinds of ‘unanticipated’ expenses.
When both the best window companies and the worst keep making similar claims about quality, reliability, and cost, how can you tell the difference between them? Let’s go over some of the ways you can verify the best window companies and tell them apart from the worst:
The Best Window Companies Don’t Use Subcontractors
One of the first warning signs that a window company isn’t worth your time and money is that they rely on subcontractors to handle all of their installation work rather than their own employees.
The challenge is that many window installation companies won’t tell you that they use subcontractors. In Florida, companies are allowed to hire subcontractors to do installation work. So, unless your installation contract specifically forbids the use of subcontractors, you might get stuck with undertrained and inexperienced installers.
Worse, subcontractors can open you up to financial liabilities if they get injured on the job and the main contractor doesn’t have sufficient insurance to pay for their medical costs. Another potential issue, and a popular topic on Justia’s ‘Ask a Lawyer’ section, is that subcontractors can potentially apply liens on your home independently of the main contractor. That can put your home at risk of foreclosure by the subcontractor.
When considering a company for a window installation in your home, be sure to ask them directly if they use subcontractors. If they say ‘no,’ get confirmation of that in writing! If they say “yes, they are employed by our company” then your follow up question should be “on a W-2 or a 1099?”
If they’re on a 1099, then they aren’t internal employees: they’re subcontractors.
Whole home window replacement is too big and important a project to leave it up to a team of untrained, unskilled subcontractors. Don’t put your home and windows at risk. Be sure to check if your ‘installation company’ really has their own employees doing the installation work. That way, you know where the buck stops for accountability if anything does go wrong with your window installation.
The Best Window Companies Have BBB A+ Certification
Online reviews are an all-important method for assessing a company’s reliability. Unfortunately, many companies are aware of this and will use bots and online services to pad their online review profiles. This can make it almost impossible to sort the trash from the treasure online.
It’s important to seek out not just common review platforms like Google and Yelp!, but to look at independent assessment organizations like the Better Business Bureau (BBB). An A+ rating on the BBB’s website is a strong indicator of a company’s reliability and trustworthiness.
Also, a company’s BBB profile can tell you a lot about that company and help uncover inconsistencies that indicate a less-than-reputable window installer.
For example, does a business claim to have a long history of positive reviews and service, but they have no BBB profile or that “decades of industry experience” company only sought out BBB accreditation in the last year or so? That’s a strong indicator of a fly-by-night organization that isn’t as dedicated to providing quality window installation as their marketing materials might suggest.
A company that has 10,000 positive reviews that’s only been in business for a year is either extremely lucky or they’re using bought review services to pad their online reputation and trick unsuspecting homeowners into using their subpar services.
For reference, Karoly Windows has an A+ rating with the BBB and was accredited back in 2007, just a few years after our founding.
The Best Window Companies Offer Strong Installation Warranties
No matter how good the installers are and how high-quality the window, there’s always a chance of something going wrong with the window after the installation. A great window installation company will do everything they can to minimize the risk of an improper installation, but over the course of tens of thousands of window installations, something’s bound to happen sooner or later.
That’s why window installation warranties are so important.
The best window companies have strong warranties to reflect the confidence they have in their products and processes. They know the odds of being called back to fix an issue are astronomically small, so they’re comfortable offering lifetime warranties that include both labor and materials.
The worst window companies will have weaker warranties full of legal doublespeak and exemptions to avoid having to go back out to the installation site for anything. They know they’re selling subpar windows with corner-cutting installation, and they know they’d lose money hand over fist if they had to fulfill any kind of warranty.
So, when you’re vetting a window installation company, be sure to check their warranty. Not just the advertising, though. Get the actual warranty document and review it to see what it covers and what exemptions are in it.
Also, try to see if there’s any corroborating evidence of their installation warranty being honored. Karoly Windows recently helped a customer from over ten years ago fix an issue that had developed in their windows years after the installation was done. Here’s that customer’s glowing 5-star review:
Learn more about Karoly’s lifetime warranty that covers labor for 25 years and materials for 50 years!
The Best Window Companies Have Current Specialty Contractor Certification
Another important resource to check when vetting window installation companies is the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR).
The best window companies should have certified specialty contractor status with the Florida DBPR, with a special qualification for glass & glazing, specifically.
Companies that aren’t registered with the Florida DBPR or lack glass & glazing-relevant certifications may not be a good fit for your window installation.
Certification is an indication that a company has put in the work to demonstrate their competence and ability to perform a specific task. Companies that lack DBPR certification just aren’t guaranteed to be competent and reliable for your window installation.
The Best Window Companies Have Itemized Installation Quotes
Have you ever looked at a bill that only had your bottom line ‘money owed’ and not an itemized list of expenses that explains that total?
Even something as basic as your grocery store receipt gives you an itemized list of everything you purchased that lets you know exactly where each dollar you spent went… why would you accept a quote from a window installation company that doesn’t meet that basic standard?
Less reputable window companies might offer an initial price quote that gives you some low bottom line offer for installation service, but not itemize it so you don’t know what each item costs. This gives them room to charge more than your windows are worth and tack on ‘unanticipated’ extra fees to cover their costs.
An itemized price quote that details expenses for parts, labor, and tooling for the installation job is critical for protecting yourself against surprise extra charges. It gives you the opportunity to ask why something costs a specific amount so you aren’t blindsided by an increased cost. It also lets you know what your window installation should include so that nothing that you paid for is missing.
Get Installation from the Best Window Company in Tampa Bay!
If you need reliable window installation service that combines high-quality windows with top-tier installation work, Karoly Windows & Doors is one of the best window companies in Tampa Bay!
We’re dedicated to doing things the right way, every time. We have highly-trained and experienced window installation technicians who are our own employees, never subcontractors. We use top-quality brands like Simonton and PGT, manufacturers who specialize in impact windows for the Florida market that meet Florida Building Code (FBC) requirements. Our Lifetime Warranty is something that we stand behind, providing service over a decade after installation. Last, but certainly not least, we provide detailed, itemized price quotes for window installation.
When you want reliability and quality, Karoly Windows is your go-to choice for window installation in Tampa Bay!
