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.

Be very careful with Anglian.

Sone years ago now we asked them big mistake to come and do a double glazing estimate for us. They adked for us both to be there and we had intended to be but at the last minute DH had to stay late at work die to some crisis or other.

The guy turned up and did the measuring and quote and started the hard sell. Really, really hard sell. All about how I had to sign up immeduately because it was a limited offer deal.
I firmly declined on the basis that we were getting quotations from 3 different companies. He was extremely angry, telling me that there was no point seeing anyone else as they were cheapest. I replied that if that were true he had nothing to lose by my seeing the others. He got even angrier and ranted about what a waste of time it had been because my husband wasn't there.

I had a couple of near abusive phone calls in the next two days. The third time he called my DH happened to pick up the phone. He was apparently extremely rude about me (and honestly I'd been very polite throughout). My DH gave him a piece of his mind and hung up on him.

Both other quote were substantially lower and we eventually went of a lovely local company who were £2,500 cheaper and provided excellent service.

I'm really surprised that Anglian stay in business. I'd never approach them again and I can't imagine that they get much repeat business.

As I say this was about 15 years ago when I was sweeter.These days I'd have thrown the Anglian guy out and formally complained.

I wouldn't have them round in the first place. Their prices are extortionate, even after the so called discount, and the customer care afterwards is appalling. I'd find a small local company to give you a quote, bet you'll find them far better value for money.

I had this when ExH was working away a lot so I said I'd get a few quotes in & see what they were all offering etc before we made a choice, just fact gathering as it were.

I was astounded how many refused to give me info or talk to me without my H being there. I asked one company what they would do if I was widowed or if it was my H who was doing the fact gathering whilst I was at work?

Ah well madam that would be different.

GOod point, prettycherry - How ARE Anglian in business, esp as many double glazing companies fold way before the 10 year guarantees they give out expire!

My parents had them round for a quote years ago, when they declined the quote the sales guy hit in their toilet for 25 mins as he was meant to spend a minimum time on the sale.

I had this recently from a local firm. Despite telling me over the phone that my DH wouldn't be there, the salesman obviously decided it wasn't worth his precious time and refused to quote. After I threw him out of the house (I was VERY angry) I called his office and threatened to sue them if I received one call or letter from their sales team.

I have now had 3 quotes from local firms (2 of them so disturbingly similar that I still smell collusion) and will work with the guy I like best (but still beat him down on price).

One interesting point in talking to one of the local firms was that the big sharks (Anglian, Everest, etc) have a sweeping department offering even better deals to those who suffer the full sales pitch and still don't sign on the dotted line. There is NEVER a best price they can't improve on!!

I reckon if you have the time and can bear to spend it with a slimy salesman (sick child off school, etc) then the way to get the best price is to tell them you're a single parent, get them round, suffer the full spiel and when you've had enough get said child to cough / throw up over them and then wait for them to run out of the door. Then when the sweeping department call you back you can really see what their best deal is! Personally i'd rather give my money to someone local though than lose 4 hours of my life!

Good luck!

Yes, that's true. If you don't sign up on the night, the 'manager' will call you and do you an extra special deal

The only difference is that they cut the salesperson who came out to you out of the deal, so they don't get their commission.

We couldn't get rid of anglian. Bloody hours annd hours of phoning his manager etc etc. Then calls for weeks after. Still get them now, even tho we have had britelite round to install new windows.

Have I stepped into a thread from the Victorian ages.

I deal with the bills ect in this house dh wouldn't have a clue if we could afford something or not

You'd want your DH there as it'll take two of you and all your might to get them out the room.

They came to us the morning we were going on holiday. I thought we were going to miss the plane at one point and I nearly died of boredom as the guy went on and on and on about how we MUST sign up today or bad things would happen to our sofits.

Don't touch them with a barge pole - they are cowboys who will give you the hard sell. We had Anglian, Everest and one other big company that I forget the name of, and they were all awful - going from £20k to £5k quotes in the blink of an eye - which means they were still making margins at that price. Doesn't give you any confidence in the product.

If you are in the SE (Kent or Sussex), I can recommend a brilliant company to you. They came, and in three days replaced all of the windows and doors in our three storey Victorian house - the house was tidier when I got home than when I'd left it, and they have done a fantastic job throughout.

There was a thread somewhere recently about double glazing salesmen

basically I had the same thing , DH had to be present before companies would send anyone out???!!!
Hard hard sell from one company trying to get me to have upvc, which we are not allowed as listed building
We eventually asked around friends and neighbours and ended up with a local firm

try asking on mumsnet local if anyone in your area if happy with work they've had done

My friend who is divorced managed to get big firm out to quote for her, they really narked her off when the quote was addressed to Mr xxxx

the thread I was on about
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a1504903-Double-Glazing-Salesmen

They did the same to us. Only wanted to come round if DH was there too and then subjected us to such aggressive hard sell that he ended up squaring up to DH and I ended up almost in tears!

I will never, ever, ever have an Anglian salesman in any house I ever own again - and I told the "manager" that when he called too!

Bastards.

We had our windows done by Everest in London and the bloke was really nice, no pressure etc, and I was about fifty weeks pregnant so was mainly being a beached whale. He brought an 'apprentice' round who was clearly on speed who did the most horrendous poos in the toilet, and stole my DH's memory card for his Xbox or whatever it was. He called the head office and complained and they refused to accept that it was this ratfink deviant ( which it was) but DH persevered and he got the money back with the understanding that he never mentioned it to anyone else.
Still shudder at the thought of that unhinged youth befouling my bathroom, yak.

Had the same thing happen and they kept on calling every so often for months afterwards. I took great delight in telling them every time, that we had had the work done but with somebody who would deal with me on my own. (small things make me happy)

Same thing happened to us years ago but it was DH who made the appointment and they insisted that I was there. We didn't even live together at the time, although we were married. Its not about getting permission from the man of the house, its just to close off the "I need to talk to my DH/DW/DP" get out clause.

Many years ago, as a single young female home owner, I had to call the police to remove an Anglian Windows salesman from my flat after I'd told him I wanted to chat to my dad before I signed anything. The salesman became quite abusive at that point and quite frankly, he scared me. I asked him to leave (several times, it was late at night), he refused so I phone dthe local police station. A few days later an 'area manager' called and offered me money not to take things further. I declined his offer.

Yes Coldseal said this to me too many moons ago. I said DH would be there wearing his slippers and smoking a pipe while I would be on my hands and knees scrubbing the front step to an inch of its life! How very sexist!

Interesting topic.

We are looking at having new windows sometime shortly.

Definitely won't be having Anglican round, they sound dreadful. I am sure there are plenty of smaller firms who would appreciate the business.

Anglian are awful -- very rude salesman and months of phone calls.

Had this partner has to be there with a gutterin company recently. They said it was a new legal requirement for national companies (?). I went with a local firm.

I could be wrong but my feeling is that its not so much the product these companies want to sell but the financing of it

Whatever the reason it does smack of the 50s and 60s culture when the woman had to get her husbands agreement to get hire purchase, no matter that she had her own job and wages

I found Anglian a nightmare for this. I had work done on my house, before DH and I married, he had just recently moved in and had no claim on the house. They insisted on going to him over me for everything, and calling him Mr [my name] and me Mrs, no matter how much I corrected them.

Incidentally, they did a rubbish job, we have a front door that won't open properly, a back door that won't lock and a leaky conservatory. They have been really dismissive of our complaints.

A few years back I was visited by an Anglian salesman who spent half an hour trying to sell me a vastly overpriced conservatory and the next hour and a half telling me about his break-up with his girlfriend, how he was thinking of "doing something stupid" (presumably suicide) and how he had been going through her bins! It was both surreal and slightly frightening as I was alone with him the whole time.
We went with a local company in the end and were very pleased with them.

Many moons ago my dad sold central heating. If only one of a couple was there he would always have to go back because the one who wasn't there would ask questions, or think the price was wrong, or why were the radiators not under the windows or.............

Just easier to have both people there.