Canadian Choice Windows and Doors

We were looking to replace all the windows in our home in Calgary and picked 3 local window companies to get a quote. Calgary's Canadian Choice Windows & Doors was our first choice for a quote, largely because the company was endorsed by HGTV's Bryan Baeumler in a flyer we had received.

We own a local small business, and we understand and appreciate what good client service looks like. We work hard to embrace a culture of respect, both for our team members, and the clients that choose to come to us, and put their trust in us.

Our experience with Calgary's Canadian Choice Windows & Doors told us that they do not share in this vision - from the actions of the salesperson at our home during a first quote, and by the lack of any response from the owner when we made an inquiry.

During the walkthrough the salesperson noted family photos, and told us he could tell we were a "good family", and "good people". In hindsight this was really a subtle part of his old school passive/aggressive sales pitch.

When we sat down to talk about the quote, he started with writing a number at the top of a page, put a box around it, highlighted it yellow, then gave a reason why he could reduce it, crossed out that box, and made a new box, with a lower price, again highlighting the box yellow. This went on down the page to the bottom. New reason, new lower number.

He bragged about the amount of business he has done in sales during Covid times, and how good he was - this was really insensitive - as so many self employed businesses are suffering - and as noted - we own a local business. When we told him we have to be even more careful about how we spend our money in these times, he totally ignored this comment. We also advised him this was our first quote of 3 and we cannot make a decision at this moment, and that we never sign until we have had a night to think about it. He ignored all of this, and talked over us.

When we said we were not signing it that day, he would continue talking over us about why we should sign now. He was not happy about us not signing, and at one point stood up from the kitchen table and raising his voice in frustration, repeatedly asked why we wouldn't sign, and that "we have 10 days to cancel". The truth is that there is a law that says a consumer has 10 days to cancel, so he was right, but the point is, once these are signed, it is harder to get out of it. And all we asked for was time to think about his quote, get 2 more quotes, and then assess where we were at. Stop with the pressure, accept that, act professional and move on.

He reluctantly gave us 24 hours to sign at the price he gave at the bottom of the page. of hand written scribble, plus a sheet he had filled out by hand with all the numbers on it.

Subsequent to this, we had 2 reputable Calgary window companies attend at our home to provide a quote. The experience was night and day, and really highlighted how unprofessional the Calgary Canadian Choice Windows & Doors salesperson was.

The other 2 companies were, in contrast, very professional, came and went in less then an hour, with the quote arriving by email about a week later. There was absolutely no expectation by either company to sign that day, and the quote was good for 30 days. There was no pressure at any time. Both companies were confident in their products, and provided an experience one would expect.

As I was wondering about the 24 hour stipulation the salesman had made, I phoned Calgary Canadian Choice Windows & Doors the day after the salesperson had been at our home, and asked how long the quote was good for. I was told 30 days. I explained our experience and the lady answering the phone said she would have the owner call me. After several days I had not received a call from the owner, and I called back, and they again said they would pass the message on to the owner.

I have never received a call back from the owner. Ever. This tells me that the rot in this company starts at the top.

In our local business, we would never, ever, treat a client this way, and would address all concerns raised.

We are very surprised that Bryan Baeumler would endorse a company that operates in this manner. We sent an email to Mr. Baeumler explaining what had occurred, and did not receive a response. This is incredibly disappointing, and really casts a shadow over any companies he endorses. If he cannot be concerned with the way these companies operate, and presumably simply gathers a fee to use his name - what meaning do these endorsements really have? These companies are riding on the reputation he has built - to treat the customer right. Calgary's Canadian Choice Windows & Doors clearly demonstrated they are not actually putting that into practice.

And there is more, we were talking to a neighbor about a month after Calgary's Canadian Choice Windows & Doors attended at our home, and she too had Calgary's Canadian Choice Windows & Doors attend for a quote, and experienced the exact same experience with the same salesman, including the same high pressure to sign. She was completely turned off.

If you decide to have Calgary's Canadian Choice Windows & Doors attend for a quote, make sure to obtain quotes from reputable local window companies as well, both to ensure you are getting the best price, and to confirm what company you can trust to complete the job. In having the Calgary's Canadian Choice Windows & Doors owner not call us back, we cannot have any trust in that company that they would come through if there were install issues. And based on other reviews online, this company seems to often offer an excuse for what occurred during the install process.

I can't speak for the product itself, but the initial impression of this company was old school high sales pressure and an attempt at personal connection making to achieve a sale, with an owner that could not take the time to talk to us. And an owner that allows this salesman to operate in the manner in which he does.

We prefer a calm, professional discussion of what that company can offer. Not a used car sales pitch.

We have been debating about changing our windows for few years, now we finally realized with the leaks and cold weather it's time to do it. We called multiple companies and Canadian Choice windows had the lowest price. Really glad we used them... The whole project was awesome from start to finish. We replaced all of our windows with them. Next, we are going to do an entrance door because they’re catalogues are so rich!