Renewal by Andersen of Central NY

They did an excellent job but the price is really high. There was a supervisor who was impolite in our house.

Would only show up if both my parents were there. The sales pitch took 4 hours. It was a complete waste of time.

The estimate started off fine. The representative came to our home on time and was very courteous in the beginning. He walked through the house with us and measured all the windows we were considering having replaced. 8 in all including a large front window with 3 sections. After measuring he showed us some samples and ran a heat test to show us the quality of the windows. Up to this point the representative was very engaging and we felt very comfortable with him. Then it came time for the quote. We were astounded to find that the price was twice as high as other window companies we had give us estimates (and we aren't talking about window world). They gave us a quote for over $14,000 to replace the 8 windows!!! Supposedly this was a sale price.... At this point my wife and I informed the representative that we would take his quote under consideration but we need some time to do so. This is when things really turned for the worse. Gone was the engaging, enjoyable Andersen/Solvay representative. In his place was a cold man who was angry that we would even consider anything other than signing up right away. He became very pushy. Offering us every salesman tactic under the sun and just refusing to take no for an answer. Each time we told him that we were going to have to talk it over there would be a dramatic pause. He would say nothing. I don't know if he thought that making us uncomfortable would cause us to sign up so he would leave, but if that was his plan it backfired. Finally after 15 minutes of deflecting his advances he was ready to leave. The only thing left for us to do was to fill out a review of his sales pitch and our estimate experience. He was sitting at the table with us while we filled it out and could review it before we left. What were we really going to say on there? I am not going to disparage a man who is right in front of me. He packed up his things in a huff and stormed out, barely even saying good bye. To say that we were disappointed would be an understatement. Even if the prices were comparable we would not be going with Andersen/Solvay.

After my wife had made the appointment, I called Customer Service for more information. We didn't want the Renewal windows. I asked if they sold other lines of windows and was told yes. When salesman showed up, he informed me that all he sold was Renewal. Lying to me before the appointment was not a good way to start. The windows were overpriced and it was a really hard sell. The sales rep. was at times very arrogant and argumentative. After he finally left, we didn't even consider the windows or the company.

They were lacking in some areas, customer service being one. I don't think the quality was as good as what we paid for. I just had to keep after them all the time trying to get them to do some repairs and things that they didn't do well. They don't follow up.

Solvay Glass completed an install at my mother's home. My mother took a recommendation from another customer and based her decision on the history/reputation of Solvay Glass. She is also a recent president of AARP of CNY with access to reviews. No other estimate was obtained. I want to state that Solvay Glass has an excellent reputation and when I found out the cost and that only one estimate was sought, I hoped the product/install would be justified. The cost of the windows/install is approx. 30-40% higher than 3 quotes received post install for comparison. After initial install was complete, my mother had concerns and we reviewed their work. We met with the job foreman, salesman and another Solvay Glass rep. after the initial install. The salesman was indifferent and made it clear, he has no idea how windows are installed. The rep was kind and attentive to our issues. Promises were made to correct all these issues. What surprised me the most was the hour of training my son-in-law gave the foreman on how to install windows properly. The foreman had no idea how these windows are installed. An example; the wood lattice used between two windows. His claim is that it was part of the 2 x 4 vertical beam supporting the windows. We had to pull it off to show that the windows were crooked and not done right. I personally felt embarrassed for him. My son-in-law had to go step by step on what needs to be fixed and how to do it. Items that Solvay Glass considered finished: Opposite corner windows with different appearance. Full 3 pane window has vinyl separators. Main front window next to it has rough wood lattice between 3 individual windows. These same 3 separate windows are not plumb. They are leaning inwards from ¼” to 5/16”. We expressed concern about the windows having issues in the future. Answer given, “don’t worry about it, they are under warranty.” With that said we told them to fix it. They chose not to. The 2 outside windows of this 3-window configuration are not straight with the middle window. They are twisted. This ranges 1 ½” to 1 3/8” on one side and 7/16” to 9/16” on the other. Explanation from Solvay Glass “it is an optical illusion, due to the lattice.” Shoe molding was used poorly to cover other errors. Nail holes were extensive. Damage to outside molding and casing occurred. It was not taken into consideration that blinds would be going back up. Shoe molding is short on side of windows @ the top. A rough piece of wood lattice was put along the top of windows for some reason to fill that space. The explanation made no sense. I do not even know how to explain their answer. Caulking is a difficult task; however this also was not done very professionally. As well, several areas on the exterior were not done. A bow window was installed. The flashing on the roof was not placed properly and it had a large buckle. This was partially fixed, but the buckle is still noticeable. The base of the window trim was dented and bent. This was replaced. A black screw in the middle of an all-white window was used to hold 2 pieces of trim, instead of one complete piece. This was also replaced. Finally the drip edge was placed wrong and noticeable. Upon our suggestion, caulking was used to cover the mistake. On the interior a different molding was used than what is in the rest of the room. Finally: the bedroom window. The old window had a crank that went down under the stool. Nothing was done to fix this hole. After completion we were able to look directly outside through this hole. Mind you, this job was done in June. Explanation given? “Mosquitos were too bad.” “Would be back in the fall to finish.” The window was also not centered properly to the frame. This was asked to be fixed. While beginning to repair this, they had no intention of removing the window to properly install it. Foreman left job site to discuss with Solvay Glass. After my mother’s call and threatening court, he returned. A proper sill was installed and the window placed properly and evenly. My mom secured a promise from the job foreman that he would return if we found additional issues. With this promise she released the final payment. I discussed this with with Solvay Glass Business Manager, Bruce McGregor. At this point I will use Bruce’s own words; “Bad install”, “Ghastly”, “Done poorly”. He stated that he spoke with the owner and had his blessing. At this point they feel they have met all their obligations. A large amount of money was spent on this project. If I had not gotten involved, this would be a total fleece. It is obvious that my mother was taken advantage of. Profit was maximized and the job was done “ghastly.” The only positive to my conversation with Bruce is that if the windows fail, they are under warranty. It does not matter that they are not installed properly, do not look the same, or an additional $700 had to be spent on another contractor to make them look finished. In this conversation it was stated over and over that they are under warranty. Solvay Glass main selling point ... "your buying a Mercedes vs. a Hyundai", “we know what we are doing because we do million dollar homes all the time.” Solvay Glass obviously does not treat their customers equally. They felt they had a woman that would not know any better. If this was a million dollar home, I'm sure they would be reacting differently. I understand these windows are of high quality; however each window has a profit markup that they appear to maximize. As well; what good is paying for a Mercedes and getting it with scratches, multiple style trim, unbalanced wheels, multi-colored and holes in it. But according to Bruce, it is okay because it’s under warranty. Bruce admitted to the labor being 20% of the price. I do not believe they deserve this charge. There were cancellations of appointments several times. Poor install with several issues still remaining. And finally an hour’s worth of training for their job foreman on how to do his job. As well, an additional $700 was spent to try and make their work look good. I am very disappointed and embarrassed for them. I would hope this can be chalked up to a bad day(s) for the install crew. Solvay Glass has a wonderful reputation. However, if you do choose them, I would suggest you watch and take pictures of their work in progress. Obtain several estimates. Do not pay, past the down payment, until you have someone with knowledge to review their work. Attempting to complain to them is a waste of time. This was my BBB submission in September 2013. They were absolutely worthless in assisting us. Solvay glass did complete a partial list of what they said they would do. It took 8 months and a couple of re-dos on the caulking. The was considered finished to Solvay standards earlier 2014. The following is a letter I sent to the owner today. Mr. Cometti, I am writing in regards to the install Solvay Glass did for my mother, Audrey Wolniak. As you are aware, there were many concerns regarding the original install. These concerns were expressed to your foreman as well as you during your visit. You agreed that it was a “horrible” install and vowed to make it right. I spoke with you personally regarding what needed to be done in order to bring the install to a satisfactory level. I expressed my dismay regarding the cost of the windows, cost of install and delays in correcting the problem. You assured me that all would be handled professionally and in a timely manner; a manner that would begin in 4 days. The process lasted 8 months. There were multiple meetings, involving different Solvay Glass personnel, push back and several family members needing to intervene. There was the need to hire an outside contractor to finish work that you did not. There had to be an education of your foreman by said contractor and me on how to properly install molding and caulk. Either he is extremely incompetent on how to use a level and other basic tools or he took us as fools. When you and I spoke privately, I stated that Audrey should not be responsible for the full amount of a shoddy install; an install that still has crooked and slanted windows. Your statement was that you would be able to reduce the labor charge. I now realize why none of your employees can be trusted with what they say. They are only following your ethics. I have been in sales for over 20 years. I have never dealt with such incompetence. It is quite amazing that you and your people are comfortable with making false promises and outright lying. You and your company are untrustworthy and unprofessional. However, I do want to congratulate you. You suckered Audrey in with promises, so she would complete payment in full. You have your money. What you do not have is further recommendations. Solvay Glass has always had a wonderful reputation. I believe in mistakes. I believe problems occur. It is how we fix them and make them right that defines us. You failed miserably. I will relay my experience with whoever is interested. It will be their decision whether to pursue business with you. At best, you will abide by the ethics that allowed you to build a successful business. At worst they will be warned what could happen. I do wish you success for the future. I hope you re-evaluate your positions and procedures when dealing with issues. Sincerely, Ronald J. Wolniak

They did a nice job. There aren't many companies in the area that do Anderson windows. So far so good on the quality. They were very responsive. I will use them again in the future.

Excellent - from the phone call to the visit with our Designer Dan everything was great. They recommended a great product in keeping with the historic nature of our home. Excellent people installing an excellent product!

The company offered a competetive price and completed the work in a timely manner. The room looks beaitiful and is very functional. My complaint comes almost three years later due to a failed inspection due to faulty wiring in our finished basement. We hired a certified electrician to come look at the wiring. Imagine my surprise when he showed us exposed copper wires that were loose. I'm very disappointed in the quality of their electrical work.

The only complaint I have is how long it took for them to get to us. Once they performed the work they were very professional and great to work with. They do a good job so they are very busy. It was worth the wait.

I had an absolutely outstanding experience. Professional from start to finish. It was important for me to partner with a company that supports America & provides a quality product that was also energy efficient. I've seen an immediate improvement in my heating bills & a huge reduction in the drafts in my home. The windows look great! The sliders are fabulous. I can't say enough about what a great investment I made and how well the install went. Thank you Solvay Glass!"

Very neat, professional. Work done in a timely manner. Windows are wood inside. Great care taken to exactly match current wood molding in our house. Always responsive to phone calls or any time we had a question. Purchased high quality windows and glass, hence somewhat high price. Front door with leaded glass sidelights.

They were very good. I found them through "word of mouth". They cleaned after themselves.

All I can say is that we were no pleased with the people they subcontracted our job to.

First, I purchased a Living Social Deal --for a coupon valued at $500 for windows or doors replacements by Solvay Glass. When I called for an an appointment, I told the Solvay Glass spokesperson that I had this special Living Social coupon. The lady asked questions and gave me an appointment - BUT - at no point during this call (nor during a follow up call from a male employee a few days later) did they tell me that Solvay Glass would only accept the coupon if it was put toward an EXTENSIVE replacement project. I had specifically told both individuals that what I wanted was to replace a kitchen window and buy two exterior storm doors. On the day of the appointment, I received a call from Solvay Glass alerting me that the salesman was running an hour late, When he arrived, he immediatley exhibited a very arrogant attitude. He measured the doors and the window, and then went through a slow and length presentation - finally, we had to ask him to please 'speed it up', as we had to go to work in less than 2 hours. When the salesman finally realized that I wanted to replace just the broken kitchen window and purchase two replacement storm doors, he told me that Solvay Glass COULD NOT be bothered with such an insignificant project. He became sarcastic and extrememly condescending. Finally, he called the main office - to check on my using the $500 coupon - and told us that it was the Living Social website 's fault because they had neglected to printed the Solvay Glass 'conditions' under which the $500 deal could be used. Thus, Solvay Glass passed blame - and they would under no circumstance honor the $500 coupon, unless it was applied toward the replace of an entire door unit, or many windows in the home. Solvay Glass WOULD NOT BUDGE .. but they did contact the Living Social company and asked them to refund me the purchase price of the "Deal" I had ordered. Thankfully, Living Social will credit my account .... but I am still have a broken window and two storm doors that are over 35 years old. So much for attempting to work with a LOCAL business. There may be other companies in our area that are cooperative but Solvay Glass is not customer friendly -- unless you have MAJOR work to be done.

Took about 5 weeks to get door's Work sch and crew was prompt and on time took about 6 hours to install . And every thing was cleaned up Door look just awesome. We were very pleased with the purchase. Next day noticed the door was not plumb to frame, meaning the top latch side had a larger gap than the bottom. A new door should be straight or should be perfect bar none.. So I had them come back and correct this. I just don't understand why they let this happen in the first place. Correcting took almost as long. ProVia doors cost a lot more than any other door and I understand this. so I was unhappy with the 1st install being what I paid for this door. Well its done now and we are very happy with this door and it looks Great.................

!. Shower: The shower in the guest bath was 60 yrs old and leaking. The control mechanism was broken, walls stained and mold in the caulk. Since the drain was off-center, my options were replacing the tile or having a custom fitted unit put in. I opted for the latter, as I believe it is easier to clean and maintain. Bill arrived as scheduled and worked efficiently. He was professional and I had no problem being in and out while he worked. The shower was completed in one day. Bill came back after I'd used the shower and replaced the plastic shield on the bottom of the door, as water got out when I took a "test" shower. Now all is well. No space was lost with this unit. It is tightly sealed. The control mechanisms are high quality and attractive. It is super easy to clean and the major advantage is Solvay Glass' LIFETIME WARRANTY. They will be here if I need them, even to recaulk if necessary! 2. Sunroom: Solvay Glass uses a pre-fab system that comes with a lifetime transferrable Factory Warranty. Gerry and John were the technicians who installed the unit and I could not have asked for more courteous and professional workers. First, they had to dismantle the existing room. They took it down to the studs and about a foot or so from the eaves . Then they replaced it with the new unit, measuring and cutting for the custom fit (the individual panels were built to specs). All went without a hitch, except the door, for which I take half of the responsibility: Gerry and I had talked about which way it should be put it and when he installed it, neither of us noticed it was put in backwards. I noticed it when they were leaving. I thought I could live with it, but it did not work with the room set-up. I called Lisa (Stratton, my "go to" at SG) and the door was replaced within a week. No questions, no hassle. The customer HAS to be happy with the finished product at Solvay Glass. Which brings me to one last thing about the Sun room: as installed, it is a three season room. I though I had made it clear with Jim, the sales man, that I wanted a four season room. Perhaps, in an effort to keep me within budget, I was given the 3 season unit. Because it is all single pane glass and aluminum, there is no way I can use it through the winter without "heating the outside". Lisa and I worked on it and the windows are being upgraded to double pane for a very reasonable price! I love this room!. With nothing in it, it looked like a sterile box, but with a carpet and some furniture, it is attractive and comfortable. It truly brings the outside in. 3. Windows. I had Anderson Replacement windows put in throughout the house, replacing the original, single pane, 60 year old windows. Best investment I've made in this house. Again, prompt, professional and courteous service and a responsive company. I would recommend Solvay Glass with NO hesitation and would absolutely use them again, if I had anything left to do!

We purchased a home in April that had all original windows and doors. The windows still had metal storms on them! We knew we wanted quality, but, with having four children...we also needed affordability and finance options. Solvay Glass sent a window expert to our home that showed us the Renewal by Andersen windows and a beautiful 9 foot patio door. They were very patient...so many choices and we knew this would hopefully be the last time we did this....so we wanted to LOVE it. The introduced us to a great finance option, came out and had a technical measure....and shortly thereafter...about 4 weeks we had amazing windows and a new door. We LOVE what this has done to our home. We are so proud. I must say the past few weeks have been chilly....not in our home. Thank you Solvay Glass and Renewal by Andersen.

I tried to obtain a quote for basic no-frills replacement windows. Solvay glass is not the place to try that. They refuse to discuss pricing in general via phone and insisted on making a sales appointment. I clearly stated that I had limited time and would not allow a lengthy "sales pitch". Later I received a "confirmation call" for the appointment that appeared to be an attempt to drum up additional information in advance for the salesperson. I again clearly stated that I wanted a simple price quote for basic vinyl windows and told them my specs. I did not want to see lots of samples and discuss "financing". But I had to argue with the caller about how it should take a few minutes and not at least an hour. They agreed to a short appointment. Nonetheless, after clearing my schedule a cologne saturated salesperson arrived ready for a long visit. After being advised of the situation he at least admitted that they did not have the type of product or price ranges I was looking for. The whole series of phone calls and appointment was a complete waste of time.

They were professional throughout the process and I could not be more happy. I almost went with a less expensive company (they were the highest estimate) but I am so happy that I did not.

They did a good job and I will give them A's across the board.They were here anticipated and got the job done in an hour.

From start to finish I was treated with the utmost professionalism! The sales rep was informative and patient - my home is from the 1880s and I had a lot of concerns and questions. The installation was amazing and the windows are beautiful. Thank you Solvay Glass and Renewal by Andersen!!

Everything went well, but the cost did seem a little high. Although, I think it was probably reasonable because they did have to have the glass speciality made.

The salesman who assisted me showed me a sample of the ceramic glass and it had a light yellow tint so I decided to replace both. Since each pane of ceramic cost $130.00 I was splurging, but I wanted it to be right. The bill came to over $300.00 when you added in the $40 repair charge. Two days later they called me to tell me the doors were done. I thought it was strange when I arrived that the salesman had me sign for the doors before he showed them to me. When I finally got to look at the doors I immediately noticed that the metal frames were bent. Instead of removing all four pop rivets from each door they had removed only two and then pried the two clamshell halves of the door far enough apart to slide the glass out. The result was that the two remaining rivets acted like a pivot point and the metal frames bent about 1.25 inches back from the edge of the door. Both doors were bent the same way. The door is normally half an inch thick. After pushing the two halves back together the bent area expanded out to about three quarters of an inch thick on the side that had the hinge. At this thickness the door would bind when opening and air would get past the door and ruin the efficiency of the fireplace. I told the salesman that they were bent, showed him how it happened, told him to have the doors disassembled, straightened, and reassembled. They called me the next day to tell me that the doors were done. They had done a fairly good job of straightening them. However they are not really right. You can still tell from looking at them that something bad happened. I told them how shocked I was to see the doors bent. They seemed fairly unconcerned. I don’t think I want them touching my stuff anymore.

Solvay Glass came and measured when asked by contracter. I was called when the doors were in to set up an installation time. The doors were installed in very quick time. They had to set for 24 hours so I did not look at them until the next day. I was not happy with how they were put in, so called and explained why I was dissatisfied. The person I spoke with was very rude and essentially told me it didn't matter how I wanted the doors, they had installed them this way for umpteen years. I waited, no one called to come and see what I wanted. The following week I received a phone call asking where the check was for the balance. I told them I was still waiting for someone to come and see in person what I didn't like. They set up an appointment that day. Meanwhile I had talked with my plumber about what I wanted and he agreed with me. He just happened to be there when Solvay Glass came. At first the guy argued with me until I told him that they should want to make me, the customer, happy. He finally did what I asked, but pretty much showed he wasn't happy doing it that way.