A quick online search for replacement window and door companies in San Diego can produce an overwhelming amount of options—everything from independent, local replacement window dealers, to large national companies, to big box home improvement stores, to general contractors. As you visit their websites, many seem to make the same promises: energy-efficient windows and doors at affordable prices.
So how do you choose?
One way is to narrow down your choices based on customer reviews. Reviews will tell you a lot about a company that you can’t find out just by looking at their website. Most importantly, they will give you a good indication of the type of customer service you will receive from a company. Does the company keep appointments? Do their salespeople explain things clearly? Do they back up their products and workmanship? Do their installers clean up after they’re finished? These are the types of things you will find out by reading reviews.
Don’t just look at the reviews a company puts on their website on their “Testimonials” page. These reviews are handpicked by the company and probably don’t represent all of the reviews a company receives. A better option is to visit customer review websites like Yelp or Angie’s List.
In a survey conducted by Yelp a few years ago, they found that if a customer had a good service experience with a company, they were five times more likely to give the business a five-star review. This means that most people leaving positive reviews, at least on Yelp, have done so because they received great customer service.
If you see a company has several one- or two-star reviews, take a closer look. Sometimes reviewers will rate a company online, even if they never worked with them. Or they may review a company negatively if something went wrong, even if the company came back and fixed it to their satisfaction.
My company, BM Windows in San Diego, has experienced both the upside and downside of online reviews. For the most part, people leave honest, accurate reviews on sites like Yelp and Angie’s List. We work really hard at our company to provide excellent work and customer service, and overall, our reviews reflect that. We receive a lot of business based on our positive reviews and our ratings on the popular customer review site. But every once in a while, something will happen, which might be outside of our company’s control, that causes someone to leave a negative review. Don’t let a few negative reviews deter you from contacting a replacement window company, especially if the vast majority of their reviews are positive.
A company’s customer service can really make or break your replacement window buying experience, so make sure you choose a company with a good reputation for treating their customers right.
