I agree that a decision should not be based on that alone, however it is what it is, and should not be completely discounted. There are only a handful (no more than a dozen on the list that I saw) of the hundreds if not thousands of companies nationwide that were singled out by the FTC. The actions must be pretty egregious to warrant such a response, and it raises an eyebrow at the very least. I believe that several of the other companies on that list are now out of business. Often times there may not be one big hairy issue that indicates the way a company does business, but an array of smaller things that can fly under the radar can often establish a pattern. Take it for what it's worth.

Builder Bob, you seem to have a real bone to pick with okna for some reason, that seems to be clouding your judgement. Looks like homeseald laid the ratings out above, I cant really say much more besides those facts. Makes no difference to me, but I think the vast majority of people disagree with you. You should probably stick to building stuff and leave windows to the window guys. Cut rate builders are probably the only guys that would like a cut rate product. Best of luck my friend. It will be interesting to read back through this in a couple of years if they are still around. Your posts kind of sound like you are trying to make this an advertisement for vytex, but you forgot its not that great of a window:

Alright, got some more quotes and we've pretty much made our decision. Here's the rundown: ORIGINAL QUOTES: -Wallside Windows (local manufacturer & installer with a solid reputation): $9,000, *double* pane -Berkshire Elite from Window Universe: $10,000, triple pane, steel reinforced sashes (which I feel is probably necessary given what I've seen on here about Berkshire Elites). -Sunrise "Premium Vinyl" (Sun Home Improvement, a local, highly rated contractor): $14,000, *double* pane -Sunrise "Premium Vinyl" (Sun Home Improvement): $17,000, triple pane, FiberCore reinforced NEW QUOTES: -Sunrise "Pure Core Platinum" (Pure Energy Windows, a local, highly rated dealer): $11,600, triple pane, foam insulated frames, but no special reinforcement. -Soft-Lite Pro Series (Pro Bros, a local, highly rated contractor): $13,700, triple pane, standard pro series reinforcement. -Soft-Lite Nirvana from Zen Windows: $17,000, triple pane... blah blah blah, too expensive. VERDICT: We signed up for the Sunrise "Pure Core Platinum" from Pure Energy at $11,600 (though I have 3 days to back out if I need to... but I'd rather not). This seems like a good price point for a good window that'll still hold up if we stay longer than our 5-8 year expectation. Highly rated dealer/installer, 50 year fully transferrable warranty (including accidental breakage), and after their initial in-person "pretend" first offer of $13,500, they brought it down to $11,600, which is where I wanted to end up. My final question is: Is it imperative that I go back to them asking for reinforcements of some sort? Sunrise does have something called "FiberCore" reinforcements in some of their other lines. I think the "Pure Core Platinum" is proprietary to Pure Energy, so I'm having a harder time finding exact details that allow me to compare it to others, though they tout themselves on having iUPVC vinyl that is supposedly stronger than other vinyl windows. I asked the salesman about FiberCore early on and he said their version doesn't have it, but that they have this stronger type of vinyl. Not sure what to make of that. I'll be going right by their showroom tomorrow so I could stop in and ask some more questions and get my hands on their samples again. Anything I should check out while I'm there? Thanks!

Observations in order of importance: 1) If your Okna quote is from Windows on Washington, this is a slam dunk for you. Excellent company top to bottom. 2) If it is not from WoW, call them. They are on another level, I promise. 3) Be careful not to confuse an attempt to compare apples to apples products within brand hierarchy with actual quality and performance. There's not a direct correlation. For instance, as brand hierarchies go, the Okna 500 is probably more equivalent to the base Sunrise product than the others. With that said, and as WoW alluded to, it actually outperforms the highest Sunrise models thermally and structurally, and is indeed nicer to install.... A more "dummy-proof" installation increases your odds for a great finished product. 4) Regarding the effect of MI purchasing Sunrise, that remains to be seen. On one hand, I believe that Rickenz is correct for the most part. Same window, same plant, etc. OTOH, there have been some moves made in personnel and other areas, and plenty of speculation on what the future may hold. It's rare in my experience to see that type of "merger" without things changing significantly, even if not immediately. The story usually goes something like this: High end, "boutique" window manufacturer bought by larger, lower tier (quality and performance) company. While the buyer may be trying to get a slice of that higher end market, they will also implement many of the "lean" processes used on the builder grade stuff to improve the profit margins. Why pay $12.50 for this part when we can get one similar for $8. These options that sell low volume will be discontinued in the name of efficiency... etc, etc. All of these little things add up. Is the V5000 a bad window? Heck no. As it stands today it's still one of the better windows on the market. That said, you have another option that is objectively superior, comes with a lower price tag, and doesn't have that level of uncertainty that exists with MI/Sunrise. Most importantly though, again, working with an excellent company to get this done is key, so going with WoW would be on the top of my list and carry the most weight.