Pella door pricing

[Arkadiy]

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

[dpb]

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...

...

...

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.

[Arkadiy]

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

[dpb]

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...

[Arkadiy]

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

[dpb]

Don't get me wrong--I don't think you can miss on Pella for quality. There are many quality manufacturers. If you can get a contractor or builder to be the intermediary you _may_ find better pricing plus more input on what feature(s) are of significance for your application.

Also, depending on where you are, there may well be local manufacturers which are less expensive than the nationwide brands such as Andersen, Marvin, etc.

Then again, there may be some local craftsman/men doing custom work that will make Pella seem cheap by comparison... :)

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[mm]

I think MSRPs were driven "into submission" by Crazy Eddie in the late

1970's, who would sell "to any federal, state, or local government employee, or any member of any union at all". Thus, he wasn't a public business within the definition of the Fair Trade laws, and could sell at any price he wanted.

Later, places like the Price Club and Sam's Club got in on the action, by only selling to "members" and the result was I'm almost certain that the Fair Trade law was repealed and anyone can sell at any price he wants. Hmmm. That would mean that a clause in contract with a manufacturer that specifies a minimum price would be void. Not sure about the ramifications of that or if that part is true.

Even if there were an msrp, I don't think they would have to tell you what it was.

[Rick Blaine]

Minimum price clauses are void in the US. However, what the manufacturers and distributors have done is jack up the product price and added all sorts of advertising and marketing support rebates. Those rebates have minimum advertised price (MAP) clauses that state the dealer can't advertise a lower price and get those rebates.

-- "Tell me what I should do, Annie." "Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

[mm]

Thanks. I hadn't followed it that far (in time). There's more than one way to skin a cat.

[Art]

Are you talking about their entrance doors? When I priced Pella entrance doors a few years ago, Lowes was almost $1000 cheaper. Their ornate window designs differed somewhat between the 2 sources but I called up the factory and they told me that the quality of entrance doors at Lowes and Pella stores was identical. So I save a grand and bought at Lowes. On the other hand their sliding glass doors are different qualities at Lowes versus Pella stores.

[Art]

By the way I would definitely go with the composite Pella entrance door..... it isn't wood, steel or fiberglass. It is their own material and having had one for about 5 years now I can tell you it is terrific. Follow installation instructions including buying their special tape.

[Art]

Actually a few years ago the US Supreme Court said companies can pretty much dictate retail prices again. And many do.

[Arkadiy]

Do you mean Reliabilt? Or do you mean Pella doors at Lowes? I am pretty sure the price for a Pella door now is almost identical at either Lowes or a Pella store.

Which factory did you call? One that manufacturers Pella? Reliabilt?

Also what is the "composite" door? Never seen it in catalogues... How are they priced?

Thanks a lot for the information.

Regards, Arkadiy

[Art]

I am talking Pella. Not some other brand door.

They call it "An advanced fiberglass composite material ". I don't know if the material is different from mine but I can tell you mine is outstanding.