Mad City Windows & Baths Review
- The Wacky Window Woman
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Our first demonstration and introduction to the process of shopping and purchasing replacement windows was with Mad City Windows & Baths. Looking back, they were probably the worst company we could have started with because they really hounded us to make a decision that day.
We held to our guns and didn't make a decision the day they did their window demo and presented us with pricing. What we later realized is that the reason they continued to hit on us so hard was because they knew they would be more expensive than the others and they needed to get us to say yes before we realized this.
See the Wacky Window Woman Price Comparison Chart to see how the larger, well-known Replacement Window Companies stack up when they are compared one against the other.
How much does it cost to replace Windows?
We have lived in our home for almost ten years. We built in 2016 and of course, like many builders, the windows they use at time of new construction are decent, but not usually great.
We are the type who like to have the windows open if the weather is conducive to it. As a result, we open and close our windows many, many times per season. At about year nine in our home, we started to experience them being harder and harder to get up and down.
It was time for us to start looking for replacement windows, but where to start? Well, once I had window replacement on mind, it felt like every TV commercial and social media post was an advertisement for replacement windows.
Mad City Windows & Baths has a location just down the street from where we live. I drive by it every day on my way to work, so their name was fresh on my mind. However, after the marathon presentation of two and one-half hours, I begun the quest to find window companies who would provide pricing without me having to sit through a window demonstration. It was much more difficult than I expected. So far, I have only ran across one who offers to conduct the entire process virtually, Virtual View Windows.
Cheap Window Replacement
Replacement Windows are not cheap, but also they don't need to break the bank. As you begin to shop around use the Wacky Window Comparison Chart to see how the quotes came in for my 1600 square foot home with 12 windows. Your project will likely be different, but you can use the chart to gauge the differences from one company to the next.
As you'll note on the chart, Mad City of Madison, WI came in more towards the higher end of the quotes we received. They are ranked #5 out of the seven companies we've had out thus far.
Mad City Window and Baths
"Murray" of Mad City arrived at our home on time, and I assume he had packed a lunch in his car as his plan all along was to stay as long as needed to get the deal done today. Initially he walked in, greeted our dog and waited for him to calm down, then sat himself at our kitchen table. I noticed that he didn't have a window sample with him.
He began to ask us questions around why were wanted to replace our windows. "Murray" asked us to show him the windows we wanted to replace so he could count and measure. When he returned back to the kitchen table, he placed his clipboard aside and indicated that he was going to go out to his car to get his window sample.
When he returned, he did a full presentation on his Soft-lite window. I was impressed by all the features he pointed out. He then pulled out his glass samples and heat lamp so he could demonstrate how the heat gets through easily on the samples with no low E or Argon Gas and how it doesn't get through when the low E and Argon Gas are part of the insulated window unit.
As we got close to the 2nd hour of him being in our home, I was starting to feel fatigued. There wasn't anything wrong, I was just ready for him to be gone. They were the first company in the door, and we had already decided that were not going to make a decision today.
When he presented his price of $21,575 with all the discounts, we had no clue if that was a good price or not? It took my husband a full 20 minutes to convince Murray that we would not be making a decision today and we wanted to get a few more quotes.
He finally conceded and left our home. We felt that his window was good quality, and he did a great job of presenting the features, but after 2 hours and 14 minutes we were ready to not be talking about windows anymore.
Replacement Window Companies
Mad City was first in the door and due to their window demo lasting so long I began to search for companies that would provide the needed pricing and information electronically. So far, I've only found one company who's model is 100% virtual, Virtual View Windows. They tout that we as homeowners can get through the entire process without having to sit through a lengthy window demonstration. Once you make a decision, they do send out guys to measure and install.
Joe inquired as to who had been the first company in and we told him Mad City and he made some comment about them being super expensive. Virtual View Windows came in at $9,740 compared to Mad City's price of $21,575. It seemed unrealistic that the quotes could be so far apart. Once we got the quote from Virtual View we invited in a local company to get a 3rd quote. They were a decent price, but their window was super bulky and I could tell I would have less glass and that was the opposite of what I was going for.
Joe from Virtual View sent us a pre-recorded video and then at our request we had a video consultation so we could ask a few more questions around the triple pane option. He had a window sample in his office where he did this neat trick of poking a golf tee through the screen and although it left a hole, due to the Alside memory mesh screen, with just a little rub, the screen went right back into shape. It's was pretty cool and for whatever reason, this really stuck with me.
How much does it cost to replace windows?
After getting quotes from Mad City, a local company and Virtual View Windows we opted to go with Virtual View Windows and not just because they were the most affordable. We went with Virtual View because their window meets the 2023, 7.0 Energy Star Certification, they have very favorable U-Factor and Air Infiltration numbers and also because Joe was a great representative of his company. And the fact that it could all be done virtually was another big plus for us.
Use the Wacky Window Woman Price Comparison Chart to start your Window-Shopping journey. And regardless of who you choose to purchase from, tell them the Wacky Window Woman sent you.
