Window replacement can be a tricky business. We work a lot of different events and home improvement shows to show our product and talk to homeowners. I am always surprised when someone walks up to me and says “Universal Windows Direct…. What does that mean?”. “Well, it is the name of our company. We are part of a national group of dealers that offer an exclusive product. We buy directly from the factory and pass the savings on to you.” Then the next question comes. “Doesn’t everybody buy direct?”
Actually, no. I mean, every window is purchased from some place, but each time it moves from the factory and touches someone else’s hands, the price goes up. When you buy windows you are involving yourself in one of a few different scenarios.
1) You are buying from a contractor who is buying from a supply house who bought them from the factory. The factory just made a bunch of windows and if the supply yard or big box store happened to have them in the size you needed the contractor bought them and resold them to you. And the price reflects his markup as well as the supply yard markup. You can see the price getting higher, can’t you? (Cha-ching!)
2) You are buying from a big box store because they have a great sale going on. I bet. It is no secret that retail markups to consumers are extraordinary. Constant sales and deep discounts only prove this to you. Not only that, but even a brand name at a box store can be a lower end version of that brand. It’s like buying brand name women’s clothing at a low end retail outlet. The tag might be the same (or close) but you the quality just isn’t there.
3) Or, you could buy your window from a brand representative who does work directly with the factory. Every. Single. Day. That’s how it works at Universal Windows Direct. Not only do we have an exclusive product that no one else in the Twin Cities offers, but over 90% of our business is selling that product. The volume of work we do, combined with the volume of our group of dealers throughout the country allows to keep the costs way down. The price reflects when you buy direct. Seriously.
So how do you know? Ask where your new window is right now. If it is somewhere stacked up with all the other windows just waiting for you to choose it (like the last Christmas tree on Christmas Eve) it isn’t factory direct. It’s warehouse direct.
The price reflects when you buy direct!
When you buy windows from Universal Windows Direct our sales representative discusses the styles, colors and options that you want in your home. Once the decision is made, we have a trained installer come to your home to get an exact measurement of the size of your replacement window, and then the window order is sent to the factory to be built for you. It literally has your name put on the window the second it comes off the line. Here is a window recently made for the Peterson family. Personally, I think that is very cool. Higher quality, exactly what you want, the perfect size for the opening in your home. At a lower price. What more do you want? Get started today.
Melissa Brager
Operations Manager, Universal Windows Direct, MN
Other Articles you might find interesting:
Why all windows are the same, and different
Why your windows may be fogging up
Why customers love Universal Windows Direct