Republic Windows And Doors

CharlesD

Is anyone familiar with this company from Chicago that's in the news?
I'd never heard of them until the sit in Friday but I've been retired for over 10 years.
Do they make their own brand or do they manufacture under other names?
Thanks.

dougchips

A window company called me on Sunday to tell me the news and then I got another call today---the news travels fast! This makes 3 window companies in the past month or so that I know of. I'm not sure if this will make the remaining companies stronger or if the overall low volume will just sink more of them.

In the end I feel bad for the homeowners and window companies (like me) who will have a hard time dealing with warranty issues.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,7537071.story

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To get the best replacement windows, or sun rooms contact the replacement windows experts at FHI Vinyl Window Company.

mickeyco

Yes, I've heard of them, I have their windows, a lot of them, in my apartment building, not sure what the warranty was, it's been years. I would guess they make windows for others but I'm not sure, their website is still up: http://www.republicwindows.com

Good thing we gave the banks all that money so they could hang on to it while businesses go under, maybe the bank executives can go on an expensive trip, get some massages and discuss the matter.





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dougchips

"Sales of replacement windows will total $38 million this year, down from $40 million." (from the link I posted) This must explain why the window salespeople are calling around to pick up all of those accounts. 38 Million is a good size volume!

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To get the best replacement windows, or sun rooms contact the replacement windows experts at FHI Vinyl Window Company.

mickeyco

It's a shame because although they were hurting it seems like they'd have survived, what exactly are the banks doing with $800,000,000,000.00 of taxpayer monies, I've heard about the bonuses, executive trips, buying out other banks and buying toll roads, but they must have a few million laying around to lend to reputable and long established businesses.




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Some people climb mountains. I take out the trash. But we both do it for the same reason.

Ed the Roofer

Republic also had a Private Label program, where a buyer could brand their own name and logo etched on the glass with some simple in-line process.

The workers are gaining a lot of attention with their sit-in at the factory and even got mentioned by Obama yesterday.

Ed

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dougchips

The banks don't seem to care, I can't think of a day where radio shows are not exposing their wasteful spending.......you would think that they would wake up and see that people are a little upset.

__________________
To get the best replacement windows, or sun rooms contact the replacement windows experts at FHI Vinyl Window Company.

BKFranks

This is making the news all the way out here in California too. Just saw it on the morning TV news.

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thesidingpro

This has nothing to do with the bank imo.

They same people have bought another operation called echo windows. They are blaming the bank to get out of paying there employee severance packages.

I also read that they came and loaded up several big machines in the middle of the night and moved them to there new location.

There main reason for this was to get out of using union labor from what I understand.

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dougchips

Good catch!

http://communityorganizer.wordpress....dows-a-puzzle/

http://simplifythepositive.blogspot....go-layoff.html

__________________
To get the best replacement windows, or sun rooms contact the replacement windows experts at FHI Vinyl Window Company.

Grumpy

They are a local company. Think of your area's number #1 commodity window, ya know the local company that has a moderate produt that you wouoldn't use in your own home but seems to be the most popular run of the mill window out there. Now think of that company with a real god marketing department and fancy literature. That's republic.

Just like everyone they had a good better best. I just found them to be over priced when compared to better brands, now that I know they were union made I understand why they were so expensive. In addition when I asked for one of their reps to come out and meet with me I got a shady salesman. This was the kind of guy who was selling windows last week, polyester suit, gold pinky ring, smilked too much, sterotypical salesman, kept asking me to place an order that day but there was no order to place. I don't like that crap. After that they sent some hot, I mean real hot, polish girls that barely spoke english and knew nothign abotu windows, but I bet they sold alot to horny contractors. I finally had to get rude to make them stop coming.

Typical window installation company. High pressure - low quality. But they were a manufactuer not installer. I think they let too many sleezy window salesmen infest their ranks and bring them down.

tanner1

Republic windows out of Chiciago was hansons window supplier.Most people thought they built there own windows and doors.So that lifetime warranty is out the door.

CharlesD

Does anyone know if Republic or one of the other companies they own is connected with Window World in any way?

dougchips

That would be nice but they are not connected. Window World uses the Alside windows.

__________________
To get the best replacement windows, or sun rooms contact the replacement windows experts at FHI Vinyl Window Company.

grob62

We have installed thousands of Republic windows. They were cheaper than comparable products, and what I liked about them most is they had the lowest product service callbacks of any window I've ever used, that includes your Marvin, or your Andersen, which I talk up all the time.

Echo windows I believe will be somewhere in Iowa? Armaclad is a group of former Republic guys who started there own co. We tried them and I was none too impressed as the first job we received had the shipping bands so tight the extrusions where malformed, yeah i can hit them with a heat gun and they'll bounce back, but I shouldn't have to. Then the foam wrapped frames (upgrade) didn't have the foam glued to the extrusion, so they all fell out. Then the kicker for me, the third job we did every window whistled like crazy and had air infiltration between sash and master frame, not at the check rails, at the top of the top sash. Somewhere their tolerances were off, either sash too small or frame too big. Whatever the case they get the big .

Aside from the fact that I'm losing my favorite economically priced window( we used the Allure which was a low end window that out performed all the high end windows) I feel for the employees that are losing their jobs. I realize some will get new jobs, alot will not. Ripple effect here we come.