Gold Star Windows And Doors

I want to be super detailed so everyone reading knows what to expect. GoldStar will insist on all decision makers to be present and they will also grossly underestimate the time it takes to do that presentation.
We were solicited from a neighborhood canvass. We were quickly scheduled for 2 days later in the evening. We were told it would be 60-90 minutes; after 2.5 hours, our salesperson was still there. With a 3 year old, that can be pretty tough. Roman was very nice and very knowledgable overall. He had demonstrations and all sorts of information with him. Some things to know: One, pay careful attention to the flip charts. At least twice, we caught situations where there was not an "apples to apples" comparison. For example: Comparing a high end, super premium window (in terms of cost) to the GoldStar product when the GoldStar product is not "super premium". That's like comparing a Lexus to a Ford and noting a price difference. There IS a price difference; however, the products are not the same.
Our salesperson mentioned other brands, and some of that information is debatable. Do some internet research.
Some other things to note: Roman brought in a demonstration window for us to view. This was very helpful. However, one thing he had us do was raise and lower the window to demonstrate how easy they raise and lower. This is an inaccurate demonstration because the demo window is not installed in a wall! Any free window will raise or lower easily! Now that these windows are installed, they do raise somewhat easily, but nowhere near as easily as the free standing window. Certainly not "with one finger" as was mentioned to us.
We received an initial quotation of over $20,000 for all of the windows in our home. The final price was just above $15K, which was nowhere in our budget. I will say that our salesperson did not push for a "complete" replacement, instead suggesting that we do a "partial" replacement to start. We were not given much time to talk between us (husband and wife type of talk) but eventually were able to agree to get 17 windows done for over $8,000. The financing we were offered was not terribly competitive so we took the 1 year no interest financing and are working to pay that off before the year is over.
Our measurement took place just a few days later and we were installed in a matter of weeks after that. Where GoldStar fails in the sales pitch, they make up for in installation. Yes, it was annoying to take down window treatments and move some furniture. I agree. However, the people that showed up to my home were PROFESSIONAL. They spoke clear English. They cleaned up after themselves. They were PLEASANT to be around and I never felt uncomfortable. The job was done in two days. I have had many contractors come to our home to do various things and this was the best experience by far.
Once we were able to secure additional financing (through a home improvement loan from the government), we contacted GoldStar again to get more windows done. My suggestion is this: Do a partial installation first, then contact for more windows. You will find the pricing is...different. Case in point: We had 17 windows replaced at a cost of about $9,500. We then contracted for 12 more windows at a cost of $6,700. We have just 2 windows remaining - are you paying attention to the math here? Our original quote was just over $25,000, but we've gotten all but 2 windows replaced for under $20,000. The 2 remaining windows are small and standard, and should cost us another $500 or so...lower than the quote we received on Night #1 for the whole house.
Having lived with these windows for a while now, I can say they are lovely. They are sturdy. They do not leak and they open and lock easily. The installation experience was superior to any other contractor I've dealt with. The sales pitch and pricing was definitely not. We are not sorry we used them. If you go into the experience knowing that the sales pitch will be nearly unbearable, you will be happy with the finished product because it's quite nice.