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Posted by Arkadiy on June 8, 2007, 2:03 pm
Hi all,
I kind of thought that if there is a product then there has to exist
MSRP...
For example, Andersen web site has the pricing information on their
windows. It may or may not be absolutely accurate, but it gives you
an idea, so that when you go to a dealer you kind of know what to
expect.
No such luck with Pella :( The only way to get any pricing
information seems to be to ask a particular dealer. So I give them
the exact door configuration, including where the sidelight is, on
which side the hinges are (!), etc., and they come up with, like
$2100... When I say that another store has it less expensive, it
turns out they loaded the door with all possible upgrades, including
non-standard color of the hinges... When they remove all (or part?)
of these upgrades, the price goes down to, say $1700.
Still not sure where I am... If I go with steel instead of
fiberglass, it's going to be cheaper. How much cheaper for this
particular door with this particular glass and sidelight? Maybe I
want fiberglass, but a smaller glass or no glass at all -- will it
affect the price? How much? Maybe I have a particular amount to
spend -- how do I figure out what I can get for this money?
Looks impossible to figure out all this without spending whole day at
a Pella store, and pricing all possible combinations (Forget Lowes --
they don't seem to be friendly enough to price more than a couple of
doors).
I even tried to call Pella, and asked for MSRPs, but was told they
(MSRPs) are not available.
Am I alone feeling that this is not normal? How do people usually
figure out what exact configuration to buy?
Thanks,
Arkadiy
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Posted by dpb on June 8, 2007, 2:10 pm
Arkadiy wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I kind of thought that if there is a product then there has to exist
> MSRP...
Don't know where you got that idea from...a relatively common practice,
but certainly not universal and there's nothing that says a manufacturer
has to follow the practice...
...
> ... Maybe I have a particular amount to
> spend -- how do I figure out what I can get for this money?
>
...
> Am I alone feeling that this is not normal? How do people usually
> figure out what exact configuration to buy?
Ask for what it is they want and decide if that's acceptable or not. If
you have a price point, letting that be known can do wonders to prevent
the dealer from pricing products out of your price range.
But, as a general rule, my answer w/ Pella is kinda' like the old story
of the guy in the (pick your favorite) automobile showroom--if you have
to ask, you can't afford it.
--
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Posted by Arkadiy on June 8, 2007, 2:25 pm
dpb wrote:
> But, as a general rule, my answer w/ Pella is kinda' like the old story
> of the guy in the (pick your favorite) automobile showroom--if you have
> to ask, you can't afford it.
Well I think I can -- I jus want to know what I am paying for.
Regarding cars, I once went to lease one. The first price they
offered me was $450. I mentioned that I looked on the Internet, and
this immediately dropped the asking price below $400. Eventually I
leased from another dealer for $330.
Just because you can afford something doesn't mean you should allow
them to rob you.
Regards,
Arkadiy
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Posted by dpb on June 8, 2007, 2:42 pm
Arkadiy wrote:
> dpb wrote:
>
>> But, as a general rule, my answer w/ Pella is kinda' like the old story
>> of the guy in the (pick your favorite) automobile showroom--if you have
>> to ask, you can't afford it.
>
> Well I think I can -- I jus want to know what I am paying for.
>
> Regarding cars, I once went to lease one. The first price they
> offered me was $450. I mentioned that I looked on the Internet, and
> this immediately dropped the asking price below $400. Eventually I
> leased from another dealer for $330.
>
> Just because you can afford something doesn't mean you should allow
> them to rob you.
That wasn't meant as a personal dig, only that Pella has always been,
ime, the "high-priced spread" and except for the Lowes connection,
relied on the "elitist" approach.
It also depends on the local distributorship from what I've seen -- in
TN there were two I visited--one in the west end that is "McMansion
heaven" area and another south side about 40 miles away in a more
middle-of-the-road area. Needless to say which was the more reasonable
to deal with on price, but did the "tell me what you want and here's the
price" as opposed to "let's look at everything you could possibly ask
and see" approach...
Lowes, of course, is a high-volume (relatively) low markup retailer and
I doubt the commission for the sales associate is any different for
Pella products than for caulk, so needless to say they're not motivated
to spend great deal of time on any one sale...
--
--
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Posted by Arkadiy on June 8, 2007, 2:56 pm
> That wasn't meant as a personal dig, only that Pella has always been,
> ime, the "high-priced spread" and except for the Lowes connection,
> relied on the "elitist" approach.
Well, I think "elitist" approach usually means that you pay for
prestige and for gadgets rather than for quality (or in addition to
it).
Can you name good quality doors without this "elitist" approach?
Regards,
Arkadiy
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