Universal Windows Direct of Cleveland

We called Universal Windows Akron and the owner, Joe Pianecki came out to see us. He showed us why windows rot and fall apart (ours were less than 20 years old and "looked" ok but were falling apart when I tried to open them to clean them). He took his time with us and explained how windows really should be, and knew what he was talking about, whether it was energy cost savings in the future or how to open the windows up for cleaning. It took about a month for the order to be ready to be delivered and the two installers, Steve and Eric, obviously knew what they were doing. They worked so well together and were so courteous to me while they were in my home. Cleaned up everything when they were finished, and I have given the company card and phone number to many of the neighbors who have stopped by to tell us how great the front door area and windows look. Believe it or not, our home looks like it's "new" again. The pictures we have taken look good, but you just have to see this in person. I'd recommend them to friends, neighbors, anyone who asked about my replacement order with Universal Windows Akron. Thanks, Angie's List for their listing. It sure made a difference with a job this size.

This is a sad and long story about how unresponsive and what poor quality this company did for us. After multiple attempts at other local providers, Chad assured me that because he was a big company this would not be a problem. his quote was"Look at my truck, there is a big name on the side of it. We are certainly trustworthy." The first day, the workers never even showed up because the installer slept in too late. The workers never showed up on time after that either, they turfed the lawn (which they never fixed), the job took more than twice as long as quoted, they took apart the back of the house and before finishing decided to take apart the front of the house leaving bare walls exposed for days on end to the elements. Completely trashed the yard and flower beds leaving garbage everywhere including siding, nails, and garbage on the roof. The workers were rude on the phone when trying to get them to actually show up and when they did, they typically only worked for a couple hours and then went home. When asked to order and install new shutters (not part of the original quote) they told me I could order them and pay for them and they would help me out by letting me install them myself. (Not sure how that was helpful). Today (summer 2013) we are having a bunch of issues with the siding coming off the house, have bent gutters, and siding pulling away from the walls. We cannot get them to respond and they will not let me talk to any owners. I documented the whole thing in pictures.

Chad was very responsive and polite in our home

We received a couple of bids from different people that we picked from Angies List to come out. I think they were average in their pricing. We have not decided on whom we are going to choose yet. They got back within a week and their presentation was good.

The gentleman who came over gave us some long story about his brother or family owning the business. He was kind of cocky, arrogant. He took all our information for financing and never called us back. When we tried to contact him we got no response.

Very good experience. Installers did first rate work, and cleaned thoroughly prior to leaving.

I errantly posted a negative comment about this vendor yesterday regarding an experience I had with their corporate office in Cleveland - Universal Windows Direct. The owner of Universal Windows of Akron contacted me today and told me of my mistake. The gentleman was very concerned about his reputation and the impact of a negative review on Angie's List. He was very polite - apologized for the bad customer service I received and offered to come and look at my needs for new windows. My sincere apologies to Universal Windows of Akron.

We met Joe Pianecki during a home and garden show in Canton, Ohio. We had him out to the house to look at our windows and hear his presentation. The presentation took two hours. They wouldn't do it unless both of us were there. It was thorough with typical sales hype. We did learn a lot about windows. We don't do well with hard sales, but it was interesting enough to hold our attention until near the end. The windows, made by Polaris to Universal Windows specifications, seemed well made and had all the features and warranty for which we were looking. It took about five weeks for the custom windows to be made. We got the call they were ready and made the appointment for the next day. The two installers arrived around 9:00 a.m. They started with the bedrooms and finished with the picture window. The actual window removal and install took about 4.5 hours. The trim was next and took the rest of the day. They seemed to know what they were doing and they worked diligently. We never saw them break for lunch. They cleaned up well after the install. We learned We've had the windows for almost a month. We like them. They all work fine. We've used them a lot. Though the best test will be during the winter, we've noticed the house temperature doesn't vary as much, it is quieter, the operation of the windows is smooth and they will be easier to clean. Universal has an excellent warranty, but they don't make it easily available up front. We had to request to see the warranty because their policy is to deliever it when the windows are installed. After the install we requested written confirmation of additional items mentioned in the original sales pitch, but not given in the material we received after the installation. We think it would be more reassuring to future customers to have a copy of the full warranty when the initial deposit is made.

About an hour before the appointment they called because it was raining and rescheduled for the following week. The called yesterday, which was the rescheduled appointment and cancelled because their previous appoinment was taking too long. We told them to not waste their time with rescheduling because we would not be giving them the job if this is how they treat their customers.

It went great, and it looks great. The doorbell didn;t work after, but they came out & fixed it.

Joe Pianecki came out and showed us the type of windows we would be getting--giving us a real education! We waited about 6 weeks for the installation. It was all excellent as described above.

Josh was 30 minutes early but did not call to let us know he would be early. He came in and walked to the kitchen without asking about taking off his shoes (we don't wear shoes in the house). He seemed disorganized and not very knowledgeable about the products or options. He had to call his manager multiple times, email pictures, fumble through paperwork, etc. He provide some high-level estimates but did not really listen to what we wanted to know - especially after he found out we were going to get other estimates from different companies. It was a frustrating use of our time and did not provide us the information we needed. We were disappointed.

I think the pricing was reasonable. I have no complaints. They were very prompt. They came back and fixed them right away.

The choice to use Universal Windows Akron to replace my severely worn windows in my home was a no brainer. From the initial estimate meeting to the completion of the install, they showed nothing but professionalism and courtesy. The installers were very thorough making sure every detail was done with care. I would highly recommend Universal Windows Akron for your window needs.

The sales person was very knowledgeable. The product was top notch. Everything about it was the highest quality. I also found that doors of similar quality would have been at least $1,000 more.

Wonderful experience from start to finish. Install was quick and they cleaned up everything. Highly recommend

Sales rep took 3.5 hours to complete the estimate. (The house is only 1200 sq. ft). Upon providing the quote, the rep would not allow me to think about the purchase and proceeded to badger me in an effort to get the contract. After telling him no multiple times, I had to ask him to leave. He followed up a few days later at which time I told him that I decided to contract with another window company. He then called back 4 days later and pretended we never had that conversation. Definitely not a good experience.

Our overall experience with Universal Windows was positive. Steve the salesperson came actually 30 mins. early. He is very nice, very knowledgeable and professional. Talked about the company history, insurance, warranties and everything else about the door and components and what the job would entail. Steve gave us a quote that we could not consider at this time due to a more essential project that needs to be done.

Universal Windows Direct of Cleveland were excellent. As soon as we contacted them, they scheduled us right away because we needed a roof as soon as we can get it. They do a lot of different things because they are a general contractor. They are extremely reasonable in price, everybody else's pricing was $6,000. They were local contractors. We need to put a roof on our out building and we will use them again.

They asked me when it would be convenient for them to come out to install. They were able to work around my day off. They showed up on time, moved my furniture from my windows, were very careful with my drapes. They removed and replaced my windows and were gone within an hour. They moved all my furniture back in place. They protected everything with a drop cloth. They were very professional. I was very pleased and I would recommend them to anyone.

They are reasonably priced compared to the other companies out there and very competitive. The sales rep they sent out came out and got right to the point without trying to sell me anything. He was professional all the way. The installers were quick, efficient, clean, and professional. All the trucks and equipment looked brand new. The installers were all well spoken and professional. I had used a window company in the past and I would rate them a 0 compared to this company. I was just amazed at how professional they were. When you hire someone to do a job you don't want a headache, and these guys will give you the peace of mind that the job will get done right. The quality of the windows and window trim is solid. In this day and age you don't get service like that anymore. They take pride in their work.

When I began the process of remodeling our home, I was skeptical about spending such a significant money to replace our windows. It was very important to me to create a trust with the company that I chose to do this job. I did plenty of research, received a handful of estimates, and always came back to Universal Windows Direct. At our initial meeting with the representative, he was polite, educated and gave us a great price. The installers were thorough and cleaned up after. I am extremely happy with the service we received and would recommend them to anyone!!

Came on time, covered their shoes, done everything and cleaned up as I would have.

My wife and I were in the market for new windows for our home to replace the original wooden and drafty windows in our home. After numerous high pressure sales tactics, including the old "our product is better than theirs" from local companies and "big box" stores we came across Universal Windows Direct. After listening to yet another lecture on windows we were actually taught by our friendly and knowledgeable salesman that not all windows are made the same and that in fact Universal Windows Direct does stand out over their competition on many different levels. They not only make a custom window to actually fit your home versus just guessing and filling the rest with insulation, they in fact stand behind their custom made windows for life (something I might add cost extra from some companies). We ordered the windows and received them a week ahead of when they were scheduled to arrive. During the installation process of our 12 windows the crew took the time to explain what steps would be taken to ensure each window was properly installed. One could tell that they truly took pride in what they did and didn't rush the job. The crew took every step to clean up during and after each window was installed. Upon completion of the job we could tell an immediate difference in our home being warmer and much quieter. The next day we received a follow up call from our salesperson to ask how the installation process went and if we were happy with the windows and we explained we were beyond happy with both aspects of the job. I would encourage anyone in the market for windows to at least allow Universal Windows Direct to show you their product before you sign on the dotted line with another company.

We had storm damage to the front and wanted to get an estimate. Note 1: Beware of companies that hire College kids to had out fliers with a discount coupon attached. Especially after a storm That should have been a warning sign. We did have someone come out and give an estimate. The salesman helped picking out a door and made warranty claims that made it sound like a very good door. after all the things that the salesman said about his workers, warranties, the reputation of the company and the EXTENSIVE LIST of satisfied customers in our area that we could contact and confirm their satisfaction, we signed the contract. However, when my wife and I were reviewing the documents, we found that the warranty card or pamphlet was not with the rest of the documents. After contacting the Salesman and requesting the document He first said that it would all be included in the final papers on job completion, but after insisting he said that he wouldn't be able to get out into our area until Wednesday. Note 2: Ohio has a three day grace period to back-out of a contracts that have been solicited in the home. Plus, his inablilty to get to the house until Wednesday should have been another red flag. The contract was signed on Friday. Well, needless to say the warranty was nothing like he had described. The warranty was comparable to another company we later checked out, but the False claims were enough for us to call the main office and ask them to cancel the contract . Just to be safe I put a $30.00 stop payment on the check.( however they did not know this). They did apologize and were sorry that the salesman misrepresented the warranty and offered to discount the cost of the door , but it was too late; the damage had been done to my trust of their product.