How awful. I think people who do ***** like this deserve a special place in hell. My suggestion is to make a few calls and shop around- and check out "glass" suppliers, not just "auto glass."

My wife had a badly cracked windshield, and after calling several auto glass places, we found a "glass" warehouse place near us that turned out to be the supplier for most of the shops in the area. The price for a new windshield (complete with tint along the top, a built-in wire antenna for the key fob transmitter, and a good warranty) was reasonable, and after we told them the story about how the windshield was less than our deductible on insurance, they agreed to do the whole job while we waited for $250.