To think that I don't need my husband to buy some windows?

[KeemaNaanAndCurryOn]

I need two new front windows, but it would seem that no one will come round and give me a quote unless DH is here too.

This pisses me off something chronic. I pay the mortgage out of my salary, the new windows will come out of my salary. I'm perfectly capable of buying some fucking windows without having DH to hand hold me, so why on earth do I need DH here to do it.

Dicks.

As others have said it is all about the hard sell and getting you to sign up on the spot. I used to work for a couple of the national chains and they didn't want to give anyone the chance to use the excuse that they needed to ask their other half to get out of signing. We were taught all sorts of pressure sales techniques including the infamous show home offer, where you offer a discount if they can put a board in front of your house saying who fitted your new windows. This would of course only be available to one house in the area and phone calls to your manager would reveal that Mrs Such and Such from down the road was just about to sign up and get "your" discount, so you had to sign now to get the best price. In reality everyone would get about 70% off the list price anyway, (still silly money) and the manager was sat in the pub dribbling beer down himself.

Having been on the inside I always use small local companies now, the prices are much better, and no pressure sales.

We went with a small local company because they were better quality Windows and fit, and because they were happy to come and measurer and quote to just me. Bloody safestyle can kiss my arse, sexist bastards.

Avoid avoid avoid. Let one of these dicks in and could not get rid Of them even though I was putting kids to bed and asked him to go. Whole bloody charade of ringing manager for best offer then ringing back when I still wasnt interested for a different amount. Go with local business

We did a whole house up and dealt with every trade under the sun. I have never experienced this.
I was at home to coordinate everything, if someone had told me he wanted to speak to the man of the house, I would have laughed loudly and told them where to go.

The problem is that these sales people are self employed on comission only and so if they don't get a sale it actually costs them money ( petrol etc) to visit you.
They therefore want to cut out the risk of having to return a 2nd time if you need to discuss it with anyone else as that will cost them again.
In many cases their manager will not allow them to visit a house unless BOTH the homeowners are there, it's not sexist as they don't want to just see your husband either.
Not saying it's right but trying to explain the rationale, for the few they miss out on like OP it's worth it to avoid the " I need to speak to my husband/wife, can you leave it with me" people.

Well, a local boiler man is coming round on Friday evening. He said he drinks tea, milk and 2 sugars... and he'd be happy to make me one at the same time

He said he has heard a lot of people complain about this, he thinks it does come from the hard sell aspect. He'll happily come round, look at the current set up and then give me a range of options based on what we want - or think we want in the first place. All he said we will need is about a week to price up anything unusual - and given the system he put in a few doors up he expects us to need something out of the ordinary.

I loved his up front honesty and the slightly risky 'joke' about the tea.

Sadly he doesn't know a local window man but his neighbour's cousin has a small reclamation yard - we may yet get get guttering.

Sorry, I know I have derailed the thread a bit... but I was really not having a good day and this popped up at just the right/wrong time

It was Safe Style.

I can understand the working on commission thing, but that means it's not an offer of a quote.

I'm going to see what I can find locally.

It is about the hard sell and nothing else. DH and I do different house projects and deal with them, we find people through word of mouth recommendations and they have always been brilliant