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.

I'll tell you what, you can really get a feel from this thread for how they fill four hours with utter bilge.

What confuses me is the weirdness of their business model. Rather than invest 4 hours of a salesperson's time at one property trying to force a sale. Surely visiting 3 or 4 customers and leaving a quote for the customers to consider. If only 25% get back to them, they still make the same number of sales.

The only explanation why they opt for high pressure sales techniques is because their quotes are excessive or the product is inferior so leaving customers to think about it means they will actually realise and not proceed.

Years ago we used Coldseal after being on the receiving end of their hard sell of a 'quality product' with a minimum 10 year guarantee. Unfortunately they went out of business shortly afterwards so the guarantee was worthless and I still feel cross about it 15 years later. They were poorly fitted with the wrong colour mastic which they never came back to fix.

Spot on Becky

Vascillious You have joined the site to dispel myths about the industry? The problem you face is that they are not myths. There have been plenty of posters who have complained about the sales tactics you deny exist. I asked you to respond to a link I posted earlier (the findings of an OFT investigation into a double glazing company) which you have failed to do. You have stated ad infinitum that you are not a salesman, but have failed to disclose how you know so much about the double glazing industry. So Vascillious put your money where your mouth is. Who are you? Pray tell.

So, here's a zombie thread we're wishing had never been re-animated...

Many thanks for the reports about this thread.

The way we see it, we have two choices here. We can go through and delete all the personal attacks (which, let's face it, would leave a fair few holes).

Or we can delete the whole thing as it's turned into quite the bun fight.

Can we have a quick show of hands please?

Hi Dawn. It's really your call. I've been on the receiving end of some pretty unpleasant comments but equally I've dished out one or two myself.
I think it throws a great big light on the character and aggressive tactics of people involved in the industry, but as I've said, it's really up to you.

Dunno really Dawn it would be a shame to lose the warnings about these big companies and their tactics. But just deleting a load of the later posts may make it seem baffling. Don't suppose you could delete everything since MrRod joined?

Dawn, I think there's quite a lot of info from the first half that is probably worth while keeping on the internet, they sound like a shoddy company with some awful tactics and I would like the personal experiences to stay in the public domain.

The second half though, Becky McDonald put it much better than I would have!

I'd leave the thread to stand but lock it.

Like you lock the door with relief after finally managing to get the window salesman out of your house following four hours of being blarted at about beading and his mega quadruple discount,?

I'm really enjoying the fact that this thread has been bumped by DG industry people. Thanks to them I've just read everyone's massive complaints and I now know exactly what to avoid.

Unfortunately most of Vascillious and mrod1206's posts fell into the tl;dr category. So I've really only got the negative side which I doubt is what they intended

I nominate Becky as the winner of the thread with this short comment:

I'll tell you what, you can really get a feel from this thread for how they fill four hours with utter bilge.

I'd second that nomination

I think it should stand as it is, as an example of what people in the home improvement sales business are really like.

Lock the thread if you need to do something. But please do leave the great example of mansplaining in all its glory

Thanks everyone.

We're going to suspend the thread for now and will remove the worst of the personal attacks...