The choice of dealer to install your Hilton Head replacement window may be the most important choice of all. In this post, we’ll look at three different options that you’ll have to choose from. First we’ll take a look at the guy we’ll call Tommy Two-Truck. Tommy’s a good old boy, he may even be a neighbor of yours. Then we’ll discuss the owner-operated franchise. This might be a person that worked in the corporate world until retirement, but may not yet be fully ready to retire. Finally we’ll review a locally owned and operated business.
As we mentioned Tommy Two Truck is a local guy that is probably a jack of all trades; he does a roof today, installs gutter tomorrow and may put up some sheet rock the next day. The problem with most jacks of all trades is that they are masters of none. Tommy typically buys his materials from the local wholesale supply. Tommy is not often loyal to a particular replacement window, more often he’ll choose whatever brand the wholesaler is offering a discount on. For this reason, Tommy rarely becomes an expert on product quality. Tommy is often the first guy that is here today, gone tomorrow, especially when economic times are rough. If you go this route, make sure Tommy sells you a product with an exceptional window manufacturer’s warranty, because the odds are they will be the ones to provide you service in the event of problems. But maybe the biggest concerns with Tommy have to do with insurance, especially Workmen’s Comp. Make sure you see and verify Tommy’s certificate up front because many homeowner’s insurance policies don’t protect you in the event and uninsured worker gets injured on your property.
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The owner operated franchise is a definite step up from Tommy, but is still not without issues. As we discussed, this might be a guy that worked in corporate life until retirement, but still wanted to do something. He might have looked at several franchises, say McDonald’s, Quiznos, etc, and settled on a replacement window franchise. These are often marketed to the public as windows that are only 189 installed. You probably couldn’t question the business acumen of these owners, but their knowledge of the industry is often very limited. Add to that the fact that their franchise agreement locks them in to a certain window product might make you question the overall sensibility of going this route. Because of the low advertised price, most often they use subcontractors to install the replacement windows (see Tommy’s insurance issues above) and pay them as little as half of the industry standard install rate. For sure, no matter how good of a window that you purchase, the install is a major determinant in how well it performs. The thing that may be the biggest indicator of your long term outcome in going this route is the high franchisee turnover rate found in many of these replacement window franchises. Couple that with the bait and switch claims that have been leveled against some of these operators and you’d best be careful if you decide to go this route.
Finally, we have the locally owned and operated business. These people are most often long-term local residents who have a strong industry background. That background allows them to sort through the thousands of choices they have and allow them to find the best replacement windows for their clientele. You’ll typically find they have made investments in their businesses that offer their customers the ability to see and feel their new windows in an easy, non-threatening environment. Additionally, this type of owner, with their strong window industry background, can give the consumer overall the best window education. As a long term operator, these owners know that the best overall customer experience comes from having all employees, including the people who install your replacement windows, work for the company itself. When you put all of this together the locally owned and operated window replacement company may be your best bet in helping you determine how to change your Hilton Head replacement windows.