MUKILTEO — Penguin Windows laid off 160 workers in the Puget Sound area Tuesday and will eliminate 200 more jobs in the weeks to come, the state Employment Security Department said.
The company, which is based in Mukilteo, wouldn’t comment on the layoff reports Wednesday.
A person answering the phone had this to say: “We have no comment at this time and we will be making a statement in a few days.”
She volunteered to try to get someone to speak with a reporter on the phone, then came back on the line to say she was unsuccessful.
Penguin, which has offices in Snohomish, Pierce and Clark counties, had billed itself as the state’s largest window replacement company. It got in trouble with state officials last year when the state Attorney General’s Office accused it of misrepresenting its products, prices and its sales pitch.
Penguin had said its windows could save customers 40 percent on their energy bills. It set up home appointments that state officials said were nothing but sales calls.
Penguin reduced its claims after reaching a settlement with the attorney general in March.
The company denied the state’s claims, but it did agree to pay $95,000 in legal fees and costs and said it would abide by the state’s consumer laws. The attorney general’s office agreed to suspend $25,000 in civil penalties as long as Penguin kept its promise.
Karen Campbell of Employment Security said the 160 workers laid off Tuesday lost their jobs without notice in facilities in Mukilteo, Lynnwood and Lakewood near Tacoma.
She said 50 more will be laid off at those sites on March 14 and 156 more will be laid off in Vancouver, Wash., after that.
She didn’t know how many people worked at each facility and whether the layoffs amounted to the company’s entire workforce.
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