To complain (and share with MN) about Zenith Windows rude, sexist and crap service?

[PumpkinJack]

Zenith windows door to door salesperson knocked on our door about 4 weeks ago. Like a fool I said we were considering new windows and would like a quote. He pressured me to have one that day or at the weekend but I insisted on the following week. An appointment was made, he wrote it down, I diarised it etc.

The day arrives, Zenith phone me about 2 hours prior to the appointment to confirm they'd see DH and me later. I mentioned it would just be me. They cancelled!! On that basis! Said they'd ring to rearrange a time to see DH too, despite me saying we only want a quote.

Equally incredibly I then heard nothing more. Tonight someone from their company phoned to say I was down as a 'missed 'appointment' and would I like to re-book. Wtaf? I briefly (not like this) said no, not interested as the service had been... Brrrrrrrrr

She hung up! Shall I complain? What for, a written apology? Or save my energy? Fuckers.

So WTF do these people do if you say you are the sole owner of the house and live alone? Wait for you to get married?

Not Zenith but we had this a few years ago with a different major window company - I would say but can't actually remember which one it was! The bloke wouldn't shift for hours. I actually had a colleague coming round to discuss work about two hours after the appointment and assumed he would go when she arrived - he didn't and hung around for ages doing new calculations and 'ringing the office' to get authorisation. In the end I asked him to make his final call from the car as I had to get on with my work discussion. The quote given was written in biro on a torn out page of a pad so I would have doubted its legitimacy anyway. They also then call incessantly to try and get another appointment / close the sale. Treat it as a lesson learned and have no contact with them again. They won't apologise as they will know that you aren't going to buy now so there's no point in even being nominally polite.

All national home improvement companies are, with one exception, lying cheating sexist vermin.

The exception is IKEA Kitchens.

We had a clown from (redacted) come round who quoted £8K. Then he halved the price when we said no. Then he got arsey when we asked him how the job had halved in value. Then DW looked up from the laptop and quoted a few choice unsatisfied customers.

Then he called her a ... and then he had run very very fast.

IKEA did the whole thing for 2.5K.

Gawd this all sounds so familiar... I worked for Zenith during my last summer at Uni, doing the door-to-door appointment making.
They are a bunch of utter shits.
They only insist on both of you being present so they can do their whole pressure sales routine at the time of your 'free quote' - as everyone else has said, they don't want you to be able to say that you can't make the decision that day as the other is away.
The commission structure drives their bad behaviour, as so many others in the industry.

This has been standard for years. My dad used to sell central heating. If he saw one of a couple alone he inevitably had to go back to see them as a couple because the absent person had questions.

The rest, yes complain.

We had some windows replaced by Zenith in our old house. Paid about £700 a window. Man stayed for hours selling but in a crappy two bed house I think he knew there wasn't much scope for additions to our order. The installation was great. The windows were great too. But I'd still never buy from them again because they hassled us for years afterwards with cold calling. It got to the stage where I was threatening legal action then blissfully the calls stopped.

Now in another house they send a teenager round to hassle me about soffits and facias. They send them to our estate in a mini bus. The "team leader" was swigging from a can of lager last time I saw them. Dreadful company.

A teenager knocked on our door over the weekend and asked whether we'd heard of Zenith.

I said we had when we needed a window replaced about 2 years ago and the lad who did the quote said a grand, for one window - and that I'd decided they were rip off merchants who I'd never deal with again and smiled sweetly.

He said would I be interested in soffit replacement. I said no, ...and that he needed to improve his listening skills. He was like !

We had similar sales techniques when we planning a new kitchen. At that time I was doing a long commute and I was generally very tired in the evenings. This salesman sat in our sitting room for hours giving us the hard sell; we weren't impressed. Eventually I just fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion. That got rid of him.

Everest Salesman comes round to the door approx. Once every 6 weeks.
We are already fullydouble glazed already but each time without fail he trys to sell us a conservatory.... On our terraced house with no garden
We've lived here 9 years he still persists! Although last time he also tried to sell me fake lawn for our non existent garden.
We need new windows on the house we are moving too but am only approaching local companies who do timber DG.

My dad had the opposite problem with Zenith - they kept asking for my mum's approval, DF's retired and DM works full time but they kept ringing her at work to approve everything he was agreeing to!

Also their workmanship was terrible and two weeks after Zenith fitted a new front door the lock gave up and DPs got locked out with all of their supermarket shopping melting around them. I would definitely avoid.

I had my windows replaced by a major company. Good job done. But afterwards when someone rang for 'after sales care' she asked to speak to Dr Goat. I said that was me, at which point there was dead silence for a few seconds before she acclaimed on tones of pure astonishment, 'Oh, the account is in YOUR name?!'

I had the same with a windows company, wouldn't come if my partner wasn't there, I'm a bloke so I couldn't understand why and they couldn't explain why.

This is exactly the reason we never used dolphin or any of the other national chains of home improvers - any company that doesn't want to give you a quote because the other partner isn't there and isn't prepared to wait for a decision is not worth going with. This is aside from the fact that dolphin told us buyers of houses don't want storage in bathrooms.... (he wasn't able to tell me where you are supposed to store toilet roll or toiletries in a tiny house without cupboards in the bathroom - god he was an idiot, but I am digressing!)

Isn't it all the same company - Moben kitchens/Dolphin bathrooms/ everest (or anglian or Zenith) windows?

We had a Moben kitchen rep come round once when researching a new kitchen. He showed us horrible plastic cabinets and door samples, was there for hours and keep reducing quotes.
In the end DH had to get rude. He is used to arguing in his job and told the guy straight up that we were NOT going to sign, and to go away.
We googled them afterwards and never touch any of t hose companies with a bargepole.

This drives me mad. I have money saved up for double glazing.
I just want someone to come out, measure up and give a realistic quote and then I,ll get back to the one that I prefer,
The thought of having 4 or so different firms around with 'i,ll phone my manager' bullshit , is putting me off even starting the process

I left ExH at home to deal with them when he said "I'll get back to you I have to talk to the wife" he go the can't you make a decision alone as you are the man of the house. He pointed out yes he could go the the supermarket etc alone, but spending thousands was a joint decision.
We eventually went with a local company Brandwood windows whose sales man came round did the quote and then see, now you will need some time to think about this give me a call if you would like to go ahead. Plus he only told us the benefits of his product didn't talk down others.

I phoned my elderly father (80yrs+) one evening at 10pm and was astonished to discover that a window salesman was there. My father mentioned that he had made him lunch earlier so the bloke had been there for at least nine hours. My father put him on the phone and he said that his boss had told him not to leave without a signature.
As I was 90 miles away, I called the police and they were round in under five minutes to turf the salesman out.

Malovitt that is terrible. Really terrible. I am astonished.

Always go with a local company is what I learned, I steer clear of the big companies for the exact reasons above. Also that their windows are cheap and would need replacing in a few years.
I went with a family-run local company called Aaron Windows who I'd highly recommend, best service I've ever received in home improvements and has really raised the bar for me now I know such companies exist!

can anyone recommend a good local firm in the merseyside area?

I confused a conservatory salesman.

knock knock
SM - Can I speak with the 'man of the house'
Me - Good luck
SM - Oh is it rented?
Me - No
SM - Is it yours?
Me - No
SM - Your 'partners'?
Me - No
SM - Parents?
Me - No
SM - Well how can I get in touch with whoever owns this house?
Me - You can't
SM - Can you?
Me - Rarely.
SM then looks down and wanders away.

ExP backpacking round europe finally has his uses.

Meddie - look on Checkatrade (Google it) or RatedTrader (I think). I use checkatrade all the time.

We have 3 window traders in th eare here (SUrrey) and I got all 3 out to quote for ONED wndow. They were V similar in price so went with the one guy I liked. 2 sent round salesmen, 1 was the sole trader.

Loads of companies do this. Kitchens etc. Gives them a higher chance of getting a sale if the person they're talking to doesn't have the excuse of needing to discuss with their OH.

If they call again, explain why you don't want to ever use their company.

And when you do decide to see a company, explain it will only be you, and you won't be making a decision there and then. If they dither, then you know they're not right for you. It will be hard sell all the way.

Local companies are the way to go.

and I never deal with anyone who askes to see the 'man' - not builders, traders, salemen. I am alone now and so they don't have the choice but even when I was married, anyone who suggested i ws not capable of making a decision (Xdh really not interested in buying/building/renovation) got shown the door.