Falling for slick high pressure sales tactics. These are the most important guys to avoid. If they are in such a hurry to sign you up and have so little time now, just imagine how much time they will have for you once you have signed and they have your deposit.

Poorly written contracts. If you can't read the salesperson's writing how are the sales manager, the recheck man and the installer among others supposed to understand it. With vague and illegible paper work passing through so many hands, it a wonder when things don't go wrong. On all jobs you should get a clear understandable written quote and contract

Lack of installation knowledge on the part of the salesperson. It is up to the salesperson to explain why the windows or doors he or she is proposing are right for your home and what method of installation should be used and why. If a salesperson is vague about the why's and how's of the installation and says that the recheck guy will sort it out and I'll send my best guy. This should set off a red flag. How would he know who is good if he doesn't know how the windows should be installed?

Lazy quotes. On larger jobs it is sometimes not practical to quote on the spot. In order to have an accurate quote the salesperson may have to take the information with them and return with a quote or send you one. Not doing this leads some contractors to low ball and then try to ask for more money later. Make sure everything is included, the larger trims, the extra capping etc.

Misleading referrals. Obviously, larger contractor accumulate a lot of happy customers over the years. They also accumulate some unhappy ones. Larger contractors may have 20 crews or more. They are constantly hiring and firing, look in the classifieds, the same ads run constantly. Get the salesperson to tell you which installer will be doing your job and ask the referral if that installer did the work on their home.

Homeowner confusion and information overload. Be organized, have some ideas or pictures of what you want, your wish list basically before you start getting quotes. Have folders for each of the written quotes and brochures you receive. Then do your best to compare apples to apples.

Lack of follow up. All too often once your have gone through all this work things still don't go smoothly. The salesperson has a contract and a signed cheque, as far as he or she is concerned their job is done and they drop the contract on the sales manager's desk and get a pat on the back and a few new leads. You are history to them. After your contract has made through their system they will eventually call. Don't let the salesperson forget you after all, they made all of the promises not the receptionist. A few phone calls to remind them of your job can help keep the wheels moving.

Someone dropped the ball. Let's follow a window job on a journey through a typical large window and door contractor. It goes something like this:

•  Salesperson negotiates with homeowner and writes contract.

•  Salesperson leaves contract on sales manager's desk.

•  Sales manager checks that price is acceptable

•  Sales manager passes contract on to recheck person who measures windows.

•  Recheck person passes contract and measurements to ordering person who then orders all of the materials according to the contract and the measurements.

•  Contract is passed to installation manager. When materials are ready the installation manager hands the contract to which ever installation crew is available.

•  Installer contacts homeowner to arrange installation date.

•  Installation crew installs products and asks for payment of balance.

If it seems like there are a lot of opportunities for mistakes and miscommunications in that process, that's because there is and they do happen. Deal with a company with a better approach.

All vinyl windows are not the same. There are literally dozens of vinyl windows on the market. The vast majority of them are not performance tested or certified. These untested, cheaper windows tend to warp, sag and generally breakdown within 5-10 years. Replacing the windows in your home is a substantial investment that can pay back in energy savings, living comfort, appearance and resale value if like any other investment, you invest in quality. Make sure your windows are performance tested and certified.