@CantChoose and MardleBum:
I actually run my own business that helps people save time and money by dealing with the home improvement companies on their behalf. While not always possible, I tend to arrange three different quotes every time (if the potential customers wants that, sometimes one company is enough for them), so I try to get a mixture of the national and local firms to pop round and quote.
I agree, the local companies tend to call in, measure up, then either leave a quote or send it within a days. Generally, I can't knock local companies as many are absolutely great, but some are not and feedback to me hints that general builders tend to offer great prices on windows, but the quality is somewhat poor.
The national companies tend to do that annoying '2 hour routine' and give their 'best price' on the night or a higher price if purchased later, but what keeps them within my recommendations is their quality and the long guarantees they offer.
YES - there are problems... whoever you use... remember all of them are businesses trying to make a profit... even the local companies 'follow up' especially if they know you've got other work to do. You can't always blame the companies if you receive constant calls... you only need to tell them to put you on their 'do not contact' list and if you do receive further calls then you can go to trading standards or even the Police.
Over the last few years I have arranged many appointments, I received so many complaints about one particular company that I stopped using them, and of all the national companies I've used I have received the least bad feedback from people about Zenith (who this post is about). When I forward my feedback to them they deal with it as I expect, and I have known them to sack salesmen who breach their rules. This is why I asked for you to be fair about them, their techniques may annoy but they are on par with the other national companies, and the regulations are there to protect homeowners from long, high pressure appointments in their own home. The biggest problem is actually that many homeowners do not report problems to the company or the authorities, meaning salesman continually get away with breaching the rules for way longer then they should.
Homeowners should know what to expect... and then be ready to give 'some' back. MardleBum, you refer to the base cost/profit margins etc..., so if the price is £10k, but £6.5k on the night, then there is nothing stopping any homeowner saying 'if it was £5k I'd buy it'... the salesman has to report this to his 'manager' and most of the time the manager will agree to selling at £5k... the fact that the homeowner has paid just 50% of the 'original' price generally means the salesman earns the minimum commission from the deal (usually just £50) for not getting the job done by himself.
It is a game... customers need to be like 'Man Utd' and simply beat the opposition (the salesman) as late as they can.
As a basic guideline, regulations enforce all companies not to exceed 2 hours in the home unless paperwork is being completed (e.g. sale is agreed) and homeowners should not feel pressured into buying. Additionally, old and/or vulnerable people should not be pitched if they are on their own. Any breach of any of the above is very serious, and companies can be closed down if too many breaches are reported, this is why any decent company will deal with salesman ignoring the guidelines, they need to protect themselves.
I would encourage all to visit: www.ggf.org.uk/publication/code_of_practice
and download the booklet.
If you do have an appointment booked with any double glazing company, print out the booklet and leave it in clear view of the visiting salesman / agent... it will virtually guarantee you an easy time while they are there, because they should fear that you could report them if they act against the guidelines.
And to answer CantChoose's question:
I was a solar panel and double glazing salesman... in my view I was successful because I went against company policies of getting the deal done on the night, and left potential customers time to think about going ahead. I got the nickname "Mr Callback" because I was the only salesman who got customers calling back days or weeks later to 'go ahead'. OK, I paid twice the petrol but knowing my customer(s) was happy was the best feeling.
In the company's view I was unsuccessful because I rarely got the deal done on the night. It was their view that led me to start doing what I do now... which is basically telling the companies to cut the BS and put their best price on the table for a period of time. Those who listen to this get recommended over and over again, Zenith is one of them.
Finally, I need to earn from doing what I do... I get 1% commission on all deals that proceed... as an example that's £100 on a £10k sale, would anyone begrudge me of that after ensuring they got an easy time and a good deal? I would hope not.
As for resurrecting an old topic, apologies... I did a Google search, it was the first time I saw it and didn't notice the date.