What to say to sexist salesman asking for my 'husband' to be present for quote? Should i say something?

Yet when we’ve had many houses fitted with new windows and if wasn’t around to see the window suppliers none of them asked for me to be present.
We renovate buildings all the time.
Ive never had this, either them asking for me or my dh.

The same goes for central heating and location of rads, building works etc etc.
Its not necessarily universal.

It’s a sales pressure tactic - they want both decision makers there so they can try to time pressure you into signing up there and then. Would be the same if you owned the house with a parent …. They want to take away your option of ‘I need to check with someone else’.

Dh is a tradesman and asks for both to be present for quotes for bigger jobs. He has been bitten too many times with wasting time, or stuck between disagreements between couples on decisions/prices agreed. Small maintence job <£1-2k ok, anything more is risky dealing with only one person.

Windows are a significant purchase so reasoonable to do the same.

I'd say they ask to see both, because spending time quoting one person, to at the end of it get the 'Ill run that by the wife/ husband and get back to you' would be frustrating as hell.

In which case, why is it only window companies who do this? Presumably it would be just as frustrating for decorators, kitchen fitters etc?

I'd say they ask to see both, because spending time quoting one person, to at the end of it get the 'Ill run that by the wife/ husband and get back to you' would be frustrating as hell. Get both together and there's less delays, I'd also assume that you were more interested. Saying you're mainly concerned with the aesthetic is an arse move

I had pretty much the exact same thing happen to me with what I would assume is the same “well known company”. Again like yourself I was in the market for new windows and doors so was more than happy to get a quote from him when he came knocking. Confirmed I owned the house and when he asked about a husband I said that my partner was still at work but I can handle a quote for new windows. He insisted on speaking to both of us despite saying my partner works irregular hours so difficult to pin down a specific time when we would both be available. I even advised that the mortgage is solely in my name so nothing to do with him anyway. Still refused to quote me so in the end I just told him not to bother and I would get a quote from another company who don’t make it quite so difficult.

He just sounds a bit old school. Nothing personal.

Well it didn't work for the guy that came here because when him and my husband expected me to sit for an hour for a pitch is aid sorry I'd onthave the time to do that, he was already set up in the dining room.

@enchantedsquirrelwood well I disagree as my husband expressed a vague interest in new windows last week and they said they'd only come back if I would be available too. So absolutely not sexist but bloody annoying.

He does sound sexist. I would not do business with him.
Funnily enough, my DH always says I'll need to check with my wife!

I had this with a window firm, despite not being married and being the sole owner of the house. I just told them not to bother coming. Another company last minute said they would come later than arranged as now going somewhere else first they got told the same😂

They are clueless these double glazing sales people. We’re the only people with anthracite windows in our street, clearly new and the house had clearly had recent renovations as the render hadn’t yet been painted where it was repaired and a door bricked up. Man still knocked at the new composite door to try and make a sale 🤷‍♀️

A friend of mine had Anglian sales people out in the street. Man was looking up at her soffits and windows, pointing out a loads of faults. She feigned concern and said she’d like to speak to someone, he got on the phone to the office to book an appointment and told her a manager could be there in minutes. She made them a cuppa while they waited, he arrived and started conversing with the sales chap about all the problems wrong with the glazing and soffits. They hmmm, frown and tongue click, then tell her it’s going to be expensive. At which point she presents her warranty documents and tells them they’d better get them fixed 😄

We weren't getting finance. In our current property,boss of double glazing company was a woman and quite happily dealt with just me.

No it isn’t, one party is fully able to enter into the finance agreement themselves.

It’s just a hard sell tactic, pure and simple. So they can get a signature on the dotted line, without the excuse of ‘I need to check with my other half first’.

They do the same if it's the other way round. It's because you will be financing it so they need both parties present.

No it wouldn't. If a man opened the door, the salesman would assume he was the homeowner

When my husband got a bloke round to quote for windows I was out and the salesman said he'd come back when we were both here.

I would not buy with them on principle. Would state why too

But they dont

I have new windows, windows added to walls, a boiler moved, a whole new central heating system and radiators installed, solar panels, cavity wall insulation, a new roof etc all without ever having to wheel my DH out to give his agreement to any of it

Haha many years ago in my owned house I had a guy from famous named window company. Spent 2 hours going over everything with my. My then partner arrived. He didn’t love with me at the time but the guy wanted to start the sales pitch all over again. 🤦‍♀️ Took us ages to get rid of him.

Was it walkers? I booked them and they kept addressing my friend that was there (an ex work colleague that had never even been to my house before). If they hadn’t been so much cheaper I wouldn’t have gone with them. Once they had been fitted I checked and one window was sticking so I called for them to come back, they suggested my husband checked it when he got home. I asked if they were suggesting I was weak or thick, they then said they could come in a week. (I owned the house alone and lived alone). When they returned they asked what I had done to it and suggested my husband “kept me away from the tool box”. When I got the paper work through for the warranty it was addressed to Mr .

This works both ways for the boiler/kitchen/ double glazing salespeople. They want both homeowners present so they are not 'wasting their time'. I have been called in to several consultations my husband has had with said people. They want a sale, they don't want a 'I'll talk to my other half and get back to you', so they want you both there for the hard sell. It's how they work.

Renovations like this require agreements from all household members, so they just save their time.

He's going to give you the "I can only do this special price if you sign today" line and he doesn't want to give you the opportunity to say you need to discuss it with your partner first! Been there, done that. Three hours of my life I'll never get back - I thought he was never going to leave and would have to offer him the spare bed! Ended up signing just to get him to leave and cancelling by phone the next day and then blocking his number!

I confess to having done the same before now, but what really frustrates me is that their silly scripts don't appear to allow for independent thought ... introduce one of the usual objections and you can practically see the cogs whirring, as in "Now what did they say the response should be to this?"

So as you say it's worth getting creative, if only for the entertainment value

Yes they can, I don’t even own the home I live in yet, my husband does, not a single tradie has asked if there is another owner or if I have their permission. When I co-owned a flat with a male friend he was never asked if anyone else owned the property or if he had a wife when he was having works carried out.