To think Anglian Windows shouldn't require DH present in order to visit?

[DoodleAlley]

That's it really. Door to door salesman happy to book an appointment but then later the same day I got a phone call saying that they would only come if my husband was there.

Now I suspect it's so they can do the hard sell on both of us - irritating in its own right - but there is also a little part of me that wonders if they would have made the same demand if it had been DH who made the original appointment.

Say you are a lone parent

I bet it is for the hard sell. However, I wouldn't put up with that nonsense. You would be paying them not the other way round so they can't require anything. Just tell them you are making an appointment with their competitor.

I've heard of this before. Apparently it's because so many people agree to the visit, then don't agree to a sale, saying they need their partner to be there, or cancelling later because their partner didn't agree and such.

Seems fair enough if it's a jointly owned house that they insist both owners are there, as both need to be party to the decision to buy windows.

Yeah, it's just so they can do you the hard sell, super-deal-if-you-sign-RIGHT-NOW!!! and you can't say, oh well I'll have to discuss it with my husband first.

When I was getting double glazing quotes, I instantly ruled out anyone who said this; it just screams 'cowboy' IMO. Don't you think?

Tell them to fuck off.
Everest said the same to me, cheeky bastards!

I have heard this before. Surely agreeing to a visit does not necessarily mean agreeing to a sale whoever is there.

Definitely don't bother. just tell them you are moving house!

Yes they would. As soon as they realised.I manage our finances they wouldn't talk to DH alone anymore.

Unfortunately I let slip that I needed to firm up plans with DH. To be honest now they've made it clear it's a hard sell I'll probably just leave it. But it's very annoying to end up now having to fob them off because they breached their own policies when they first booked me up.

Moral of the story mumsnetters - dont sign up to a door to door salesman!

It's because they don't want to measure up, quote and go, leaving you to discuss it, they want to stay in your home for 4 hours, subjecting you both to high pressure sales tactics verging on bully boy tactics and pathetic 'this would normally cost £15,000 but I'll just phone my manager 5 times and eventually we'll give you a special offer of £3000 but only if you sign the contract tonight' shit.

How do they know whether it's jointly owned? And even if it is, why does that require both owners to be subjected to their sales spiel. I simply refuse to deal with companies who won't believe that I am capable of making a decision without my DH's being there.

I have a nice, local double glazing company coming to give me a quote on Thursday. No need for dh to be there at all (which is lucky, because he's hardly likely to want to take the afternoon off work to watch somebody with a tape measure).

Whichever reason, it's annoying, so call their bluff - cancel the appointment and, if you want new windows, call a couple of smaller local firms and ask them to come and give you a quote.

I think quite likely they would have demanded that you were there too if your husband had made the appointment. The hard sell technique relies on you having as few excuses at possible to need time to think about it, because they know that if you have that time, you will realise that it isn't that good a deal or you don't really want it that much.

Well it seems like I've dodged a bullet thanks to mn!

Thanks guys. Small independents it is!

You could ask on here for recommendations, some lovely chaps did ours (Midlands) and took the order from me alone

They do it the other way round too, or did with my DH, so I don't think its the 'can't talk to the little woman schtick' - I think its the 'don't want you to use your partner not being there as a delaying tactic schtick'.

You know, I think I would get 3 of these companies round at the same time, just for the laugh

"just want you all to measure up and quote."

I wonder what they'd do.

Don't touch Anglian, get quotes from local firms that won't give you any of this hard sell nonsense. Which? investigated double glazing firms and recommends local firms, not the nationals like Anglian that use dubious tactics to persuade you to take out expensive credit agreements.

I wouldn't fob them off, I would say (in a very up on my high horse how very dare you tone) I was extraordinarily offended that they insisted my husband was present and am therefore cancelling my appointment. I will be taking my business elsewhere and want no further contact.

We were always going to get three quotes but I do love the suggestions of inviting them around all at once!!

My husband worked briefly for space kitchens and they were a bunch of bastards too. They actually instructed their salespeople on how best to pressure folks and screw them over!

Shocking, really.

tbh, I think they should be stopped. It should be made unlawful to get someone to sign up to something on the same day that they get you round to their house for a quote. That'd sort these bastards!

Surely even if the subject people to bully boy tactics and said people end up signing up they can ring up teh next day and cancel (cooling off period)

I once had an electricity supplier on the doorstep who would not leave until I had signed up to something. I had two young kids and DH wasn't around so I did sign up to get rid of him. I then phoned the company and cancelled and informed them of how I had been bullied. They cancelled everything very quickly and were very very apologetic....

I'm not sure cooling off period applies to people you invite into your home.

I may well be wrong on that though. Hope I am.