A REAL review, what you should know before you call Canadian Choice Windows for an estimate. To start, ever noticed how this company has significantly more positive reviews than the next company? They pay for them! At the completetion of my window install, I was given a review form to fill out for the company and was surprised to see at the end of the form a note that stated if I write a positive review for their company and it is listed on HomeStars, they will send me a $25 cheque. Great marketing technique but from a customer who's spending $$$$ on a project and uses the reviews to help me decide who to call, very deceitful.
Onto the actual install and windows, is was a very long, tense day. The installation team came at 9:30 am and were here working until 9:30 pm. We had six windows replaced, three up and three down. One of the basement windows required the foundation to be cut to install the window, maybe that's why the job took 12 hours. None the less, much longer than I ever imagined it would take.
One of the main reasons I decided to have new windows installed was to replace the basement ones, which were pretty bad, 40 years old, no casings, needed replacing. The basement windows were measured as 18 inches high when the salesperson came for the initial estimate, this is the figure he wrote on our contract. I like as much natural light as possible in a room and especially in the basement. I was very unhappy when I came to check on the progress in the basement and found windows that were not only 13 inches high, significantly smaller than I was expecting, but that they also failed to install casing around the windows leaving them looking like absolute garbage. This is not what I paid thousands of dollars for and not what I was promised by our salesperson. I spoke to the head installer to tell him I was not pleased, this is not what I expected, it is not what is in the contract I signed and how can we fix this problem. The installer told me he would call his boss. After speaking to his boss, he told me, this is the way it is and my husband can put in a casing for me. Ha! So I called our salesperson and told him I was not happy, this is not what I wanted. I was told I can pay an extra $160 to have the installers put casing around the windows. Again, I said no, this was not the deal I agreed to. In the end, after MUCH arguing, the casings were installed for no extra charge. I should not have had to fight so hard to get what I understood was agreed to in our contract.
Finally, when the work was complete, the head installer came to collect payment. Canadian Choice's website states that they accept credit card payments and since I could get some serious rewards points by paying with credit card, I asked if I could pay that way. The installer, who doesn't speak English well, said, yes, but the bank will charge you 3%. I thought, no, the credit card company will charge your company 3%, not me. So I paid with credit card. Few days later, I was online banking and saw that indeed Canadian Choice had charged me 3% more than the balance I owed! In case this has happened to you too and you didn't know, they absolutely CAN NOT do that. It is against both Visa and Mastercard's merchant rules. I called our salesperson at once to tell him that and request my 3% extra charge back. At first he tried to tell me because the installer told me of this charge, they could charge me, but I let him know he was wrong and he eventually agreed to refund this money to me. I am still waiting for the refund cheque. UPDATE, following the posting of this review I received a call that my refund cheque was being sent out and I have received it. To clarify for the company on their response, IT IS AGAINST VISA AND MASTERCARD'S MERCHANT RULES TO CHARGE A CUSTOMER ANY EXTRA FEE FOR PAYING WITH VISA OR MASTERCARD. Whether you tell a customer you are going to charge them a surcharge or not, IT IS AGAINST THE RULES.
I have previously had new windows installed in another house and find these windows to be acceptable but the construction seems to be of a lesser quality than my previous house's windows. On the upside, they do seem to be keeping the bedrooms warmer than they were with the old windows. On the downside, for all the money I paid, these windows do not slide open easily and the locks don't line up well.
All of the above stated, the installers worked hard and were respectful, I am not too pleased with my experience but everything was eventually completed as it should have been. Would I ever use this company again or recommend them to someone else? Absolutely not.
