Common Replacement Window Sales Tactics to Watch Out For in San Diego

There are many replacement window companies in San Diego, making it a competitive industry. Because of this, many replacement window companies resort to high-pressure sales tactics or other sales methods to try to increase their chances of selling their products.

While there’s nothing wrong with using certain tactics in order to make a sale, it is important for you, as a consumer, to know what is going on so you’re not caught off guard and so you don’t feel pressure to make a purchase before you are ready, or before you have had the chance to gather all the information necessary to make an informed decision. Below, we will explain some of the more common sales tactics used by replacement window and door companies (and home improvement companies in general), and what to do if you come across a salesperson that uses them.

The “Today Only” Price

In this situation, the salesperson that has come to your San Diego home to give you a quote will give you two or more prices for the exact same replacement window and door products. One will be a price that is only available if you sign a contract to purchase your windows and doors that same day. The other (usually much higher) prices will be if you wait to purchase windows at a later date. The difference between the prices you are quoted will probably be in the thousands of dollars, making the “today only” price seem like a great deal.

This is a very common sales tactic used by replacement window salespeople who know that the odds of you purchasing replacement windows from them goes way down once they leave your house. They are trying to keep you from shopping around and getting other quotes from other replacement window and door companies. They are also trying to create a sense of urgency in you, knowing that people generally don’t want a “great deal” to get away. They may try to justify this tactic by saying something like, “If you sign a contract today, it saves me from having to make another trip out to your house, which is why we can offer you a lower price for today only,” which sounds logical on the surface.

Here’s the truth about these prices that are good for “one day only”: If a company gives you a quote, that means they are willing to do the job for that price, whether you sign a contract today or next week. So feel free to keep shopping and get additional quotes from other replacement window companies in San Diego. If their “today only” price turns out to be the best value, you can always call the company back and ask them to honor that price, and they likely will.

While the cost of replacement windows and doors does go up over time (like almost everything else in life), it does not go up substantially overnight, so there is no reason why the price for the exact same products installed by the same company should be thousands of dollars more, simply because you wait a week or two.

At BM Windows, we will provide you with a quote for high quality replacement windows and doors, and then let you take your time to decide if we are the company you want to go with. We don’t mind if you get quotes from other local companies, because we are confident in the value we offer.

The Neighborhood Sale

This strategy is often used by door-to-door salesmen hired by replacement window companies. They offer homeowners a “great deal” because their installers are “already in your neighborhood.” But of course, this deal is only good right now, and won’t be available once they leave. This sales tactic is similar to the above strategy in that is used to create a sense of urgency in homeowners in an effort to get them to make a snap decision, without doing research or obtaining other quotes.

If you stop to think about this strategy, the logic of it breaks down pretty quickly. Even if it’s true that the window and door installers are already in your neighborhood, they won’t be able to install windows or doors in your house that same day. They won’t have the products with them that will fit your specific home. The installers are going to go to their respective homes in the evening, and get up the next morning and go wherever their job takes them the next day. They aren’t spending the night in your neighborhood, so why does it matter that they are “already working in your neighborhood?”

This is just a sales tactic designed to entice San Diego homeowners who may not have even been considering replacing their windows and doors to get a quote from their company.

There are plenty of replacement window companies in San Diego—you don’t have to go with the first company that sends a salesperson to your door and offers you a “great deal.” Take your time. Shop around, and look for a company with a great reputation for customer service that also offers quality replacement window products at competitive prices.

Buy X, Get 1 Free Sales

We see ads for sales like this all the time. Sometimes it’s “Buy 2 Windows, Get 1 Free,” and other times it’s “Buy 3” or “Buy 5” and get one free window. Truthfully, we sometimes run sales like this at BM Windows. What you need to do when you are confronted with this type of sale is to not focus on the free window, but the overall cost of the project or the average price of each individual window. If the replacement window company simply inflates the prices of the windows you are paying for in order to cover the cost of the free window, you may not save any money.

No replacement window company is going to give you a deal that causes them to lose money. Other types of businesses, particularly those that rely on repeat business, may occasionally run sales that cause them to lose money or break even on certain products to get customers in the door. But replacement window companies know that you are probably only going to replace your windows and doors once in your lifetime. Therefore, they aren’t going to make up the money they lost on a future sale to you.

A sale like this can save you some money on replacement windows and doors, but make sure you do your homework and compare the quote you are given to others to make sure it really is a good deal.

The Bait and Switch

This is a classic sales technique that involves advertising a product (in this case, replacement windows and doors) at an extremely low price, in order to get you to call the company. We see these types of ads a lot, both online and in print. They often advertise “X amount per window,” but may fail to mention that the price does not include installation, or that the price is only good for a certain style or size of window, or that it is for a very basic product that you probably don’t want in your home.

The replacement window company advertising the deal is counting on the fact that you won’t read the fine print (if there is any), and will just call to make an appointment to have one of their salespeople come to your home. Once the salesperson is there, you will get the real price—the price on the type or size of windows that you actually want in your home. And, not surprisingly, the price is probably much higher than the advertised low price that got you to call.

When you see ads for windows with a really low price tag, make sure you know what’s included in that price, and what the price will be if you want upgraded options.

How to Choose a Replacement Window Company in San Diego

We don’t tell you about these sales tactics in order to disparage our competition. Most replacement window companies in San Diego are made up of honest, hard-working people just trying to earn a living. We simply want you to be aware of the sales tactics out there so you can see through the sales pitches and get to the details that really matter.

When selecting a replacement window company in San Diego, look for one with a great reputation for customer service, and one that offers products from respected manufacturers. Also, look at the warranty being offered. Is it just the manufacturer’s warranty on the products themselves, or does the company also offer a warranty on the installation? (Read about the BM Windows Guarantee here.)

At BM Windows, we are happy to answer any questions you may have about replacement windows and doors or the service we offer. We want our customers to be educated about windows and doors so they can make the best choice for their homes. If you are ready to schedule a consultation and receive a quote from BM Windows, contact us today!