Help buying windows how to pick a company are any actually recommended?

[P3onyPenny]

Just had Safestyle round for 2 hours!!!!! Are they all pushy,are any companies actually any good?

lol, you got off lightly, I had them round a few years ago, he was there nearly 5 hrs!!! had all the sales pitch, the "I'll just call my manager to see if we can do a better price" TWICE 😂 I even managed to cook dinner whilst he was there, he only left after I told him if he didn't leave I was going to release the hounds I had 4 Rotts at the time & he'd delayed feeding time by a couple of hrs, he left pretty quickly then..

I vowed never again to have anything to do with them, told their representatives in the supermarket foyers how awful, pushy & expensive they were, made a formal complaint about the sales person they sent out, not that it came to anything, but it made me feel better. I always used local firms now to replace/fix windows/doors, and found they're usually a lot cheaper & much more reliable

Where are you located?

Contact some local to you. Look around for any homes having new windows and take the number off their van.

Depends where you are. Thames Valley Windows based in Bracknell Berkshire are wonderful (I am not connected to the company in any way). There may be an equivalent company local to you. Perhaps ask for recommendations on Facebook?

I also had a bad experience with Safestyle - and another chain I forget the name of.

We went with a local company in the end, their prices were about 25% of what the other two quoted (normal white PVC double glazing) even with reinforced panes as our windows come down very low. They fitted them very quickly too.

This is Liverpool if that's any use to you?

Go for a local one. We had similar sales bullsh*t from big companies, ‘oh we can’t see you if you’re partner isn’t here to make the decision’ and similar sexist rubbish. Tried to hang around for ages and insist i make a decision.
Local company were helpful, service focused and did a good job.

If you have a local facebook page ask on there for recommended firms.

Also ask around the neighbours.

Personally I'd avoid the big chains with hard sell that want you and partner to be there.
I forget which company it was now but the rep was SO ignorant of Edinburgh council rules for listed buildings, kept insisting upvc would be as good as wood ( maybe but building control would make us rip them out)
That a fixed window would be fine( nope building control rules again pal )
That a strip could be stuck on to look like transom ( guess what... )

In the end we got a local firm who fitted wooden sash and case ( and we got our building warrant too) funnily enough the wooden sash and case came in at the initial quote for upvc ( before we started on deals, special offers , drop in price if you sign up for upvc today...couldnt get him to price wood in the end)

As someone who once spent six months working for a well known national windows chain, please listen to me when I say that you should avoid the national chains at all costs. Their sales reps will lie and lie and lie to get the sale. They will charge you a ridiculous price and their finance packages are abysmal.

Find a local trader, ask on your local Facebook gossip / sales group for recommendations.

I only ever buy windows direct from Microsoft.

We used a local company. Safestyle are shoddy, everest are pushy, relentless and overpriced.
Can't comment on the rest

Do britelite supply/fit in your area?

They were great. They don't do the hard sell or the ridiculous quote 10k then discount it by 60% if you sign there and then. And they were cheaper than even the small local places

I'd recommend that you avoid Amber Windows, unless you want contracted out to shoddy, workshy workmen, and then to get cold calls from them at the rate of about 47 a year for the next 7 or 8 years......

Just worried about a local firm going bust,really hard to find local recommendations. In SW.

Never ever safe style. Op you are going to get battered by nuisance calls now shaving the price down. In about 10 calls time you will get offered a decent price.

Please tell them these are nuisance calls your getting window elsewhere. Go local.

Helga they deliberately train them to hang round, push etc we had just got back from holiday and had to endure man with case of horrid upvc windows you would find in a retirement village in Bournemouth.

Not suitable at all for our house. He just lingered and lingered in our living room after saying we didn't want them. He was also more interest in the finance package.

Go local! We had a chap from Anglican around for hours, i had to beg him to leave in the end. It was awful. Could you ask some of your neighbours on the off chance they've had new windows recently? Or ask for recommendations on a Facebook local group.

Am also looking for someone to replace windows. I hear what people are saying about big companies, but am worried about not having any come back if a local trader does a bad job or if faults develop later and they're no longer in business (this has already happened to us).

Go local. My Dad wanted new french windows and was quoted £15k by Anglian. I made him try a local firm and he was quoted £3k. They did a superb job and designed a very safe door for a rather frail man.

Most of our neighbour's have had either the big two or a more local but still big third firm. Thinking of asking the man coming to do some outside work if he has any info re smaller local companies. It's really hard to find any other recommendations but hear nothing but warnings re the only alternatives. Can see why they take most of the business. It's a nightmare. All I want is decent quality work at a reasonable price with no hard sell. Simples( you'd think).😩

Third big firm not a lot cheaper.

We used Everest in our last house. They were good, but I did answer the door saying 'I don't do bullshit and if you do you'll be leaving' as if heard about the hard sell from big chains.

Agree you should ask around locally.

I can understand concern about smaller firms. But if you pay anything up front then can you put it on a credit card which will then protect you in event of any issues? Amount should be greater than £100.

If you pay amount and then firm goes bust then you make a claim to the credit card company.

Safestyle are a nightmare 😩 We had them for hours one evening and the guy inhaled practically a whole packet of chocolate digestives...

Everest were surprisingly competitive and had a good selection.

We ultimately went with a local firm (who I'd recommend if you were Manchester area).

Knocking on the door or someone with nice windows is perfectly acceptable...as is asking for local examples of a firms work. We've had a few people around/knock on the door since having ours done

Always ask whether they are a member of SBD. ((Secured by design which is a police preferred scheme)
You could always look them up on the SBD website to see if they are actually members of the scheme.

Try on Checkatrade for local firms and pay a deposit on a credit card.

Then if they do go bust, your credit card will refund your losses under Section 75 of the consumer credit act.

Maybe once you've found out who makes windows locally, visit a couple of showrooms so you can see examples of what they produce.

I'm lucky in this regard, as DP used to make and fit windows, so when we get ours done, we're going to visit a few local firms so he can have a nosy in their showrooms and probably factories etc and once we've found a couple that he's happy with the quality of what they produce, we can get them to quote.

Never understood how anyone buys from Safestyle etc. Surely it's common knowledge that they're far more expensive with a bullshit sales patter compared to smaller companies.