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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Was I unreasonable to send this window company on their way..

68 replies

Annabel7 · 07/10/2015 10:51

So... a guy from a well known window company comes to my door. They are doing some work up the road and touting for local business as they are here. Great - we are thinking of getting the remaining 3 windows updated on our house. He asked if my husband was around. I said yes but working from home. Arranged for him to come and measure up at 4 and then give me a quote that would stand for 2 years. He mentioned that his manager would call to confirm. All good.

So the manager rings later. Very pleasant. Asks if my husband will be at the house when his colleague comes as he'd like him to see the samples too. I explain that he'll be here and it should be fine unless he's stuck on a call. 'Oh' he says, 'we should re-arrange a time when he's definitely available'. I said it's fine if he doesn't get to see the samples. If I'm happy with them, he will be too. No, he says. Apparently it's their policy that both home owners are there. I said well you can come this afternoon and definitely get me and probably my husband too or let's just leave it. He said maybe we should leave it so we did.

I think he's a fool/their policy is foolish as they've just lost a customer. WIBU or is this standard procedure? I've just managed the entire extension and renovation of our home all by my little old self so this all seems rather bizarre. I wonder also if DH had answered the door and said, 'my time's limited, no, the wife's not around but if you want you can measure and quote this afternoon', if they would've refused?

What do you think?

OP posts:

Original poster

Annabel7 · 07/10/2015 11:32

Wise advice Leavemywings. Thanks. PS What does HTH mean? I've never worked it out...

OP posts:

Sgtmajormummy · 07/10/2015 11:32

My stock answer to cold callers and door-to-door salespeople is:
"I'm old enough to know what I want, and how to find it when I do!" with a withering smile and a swift close of the door/phone.

However one company who kept calling my mobile (I looked up the number on Internet and saw it was a scam that eats up your phone credit if you call back) received an SMS from me threatening legal action for phone harrassment. They never called again.

LeaveMyWingsBehindMe · 07/10/2015 11:33

It's the same for kitchens, bathrooms, driveways, fitted bedrooms, any company that spends a fortune on high profile advertising, has a national network of showrooms and seems to have a 50% off sale for three quarters of the year will run like this.

I avoid them all like the plague and use trusted local tradesmen always. You get a better job and a better price, and no smoke and mirrors.

Scobberlotcher · 07/10/2015 11:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LeaveMyWingsBehindMe · 07/10/2015 11:33

HTH = hope that helps!

Scobberlotcher · 07/10/2015 11:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PosterEh · 07/10/2015 11:37

I agree that it's so they can push you to sign on the day (and therefore not do any research and realise how completely uncompetitive their prices are). Avoid.

Atathania · 07/10/2015 11:40

Interesting - I got the quotes for our double glazing and none of them insisted on my husband being there.

Hoppinggreen · 07/10/2015 11:41

The other thing to remember is that the sales people for these large home improvement companies are usually self employed. Quite often they are either inexperienced or not especially good and so can't get a salaried sales job, the home improvement companies take them on as if they don't get fast results they can just get rid d of them easily. They take what appointments they are given and sometimes have to travel quite a distance at their own expense.
So, if you don't sign on the night it will have actually cost them money to be there and they will miss out on their commission and couidhave their contract terminated.
I'm not trying to drum up sympathy for them but it's easy to see why they are so desperate to get a deal when they are in your house.

whois · 07/10/2015 11:49

There is no 'real' reason why both home owners have to be there. The only reason is to employ high pressure sales tactics to get you to sign an inflated quote.

Anyone who has been brainwashed into thinking this is a normal thing to do needs to get a grip.

Bubbletree4 · 07/10/2015 11:50

Use a local company with recommendations.

I saw this guy who did windows for my neighbour 3 doors down. Asked him for a quote which he emailed me (no worries about husband not being there!). He also had done 2 others in the street. He didn't even ask for a deposit. Did my job, it was great, I paid the bill.

Now I only allow people in my house if they have been recommended by someone I know or another trades person I trust. Even checkatrade has some really awful people on, would never trust that site again. I reckon his reviews were fake and his photos were of his own house, that he actually cared about. He tried to overcharge me by £500 for a job he had fucked up. Wrote stern letter, he did a runner.

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 07/10/2015 11:54

My wife has managed to get lots of quotes on her own from local companies for various things. The only time we have had any problem was when Safestyle came round and tried the hard sell (couldn't get rid of them for 3 hours).

The only reason they want both people there is so they can try and get it signed up there and then. They are not interested in just giving a quote for you to take your time over. So from now on, we have taken it that anyone who has insisted on both of us being there are going to be a pain in the ass so is a useful heads up that we wouldn't want to deal with them.

Tiggeryoubastard · 07/10/2015 12:15

And don't ever give your details to dodgy safestyle. You'll end up with almost daily calls from Virgo as well. They'll tell you that you asked for a quote on the same day you have your details to safestyle if you ask how they got your number. Even if you specify it's not to be shared. Dodgy lying twats.

Original poster

Annabel7 · 07/10/2015 12:21

Agree - what'sthat. So glad I sent them on their way now. I simply can't bear people giving me the hard sell. Would've esp. riled me as we don't even want the work doing yet!

OP posts:

Collaborate · 07/10/2015 12:23

LeaveMyWingsBehindMe has got it spot on.

MinecraftWonder · 07/10/2015 12:29

I kind of think it's fair enough tbh, if the company want to operate in that way.

I don't think it's necessarily the case that they want to push you into a sale there and then with both decision makers there. It could be that they've had a lot of call outs in the past where one partner has thought 'Oh yes, just as well, why not have a quote' and then on discussion with the other partner decided they won't go ahead with the work. So it seems reasonable that sometimes companies choose to ensure that both partners are on board with being serious about getting the work done before they waste their time.

This could equally be the case with small outfits with precious little time to spare as with larger companies.

catfordbetty · 07/10/2015 12:29

As several pps have noted, you are lucky to have escaped the high pressure sales tactics that would have followed. I know this from my experience with Anglian Windows - another big company. However, people should remember that there is always a 'cooling off' period even if you do succumb to the strong-arm tactics. Again, as previously suggested, get your quotations from well-established small locals.

AbeSaidYes · 07/10/2015 12:34

whatever you do, don't go with one of these big companies. look for a small local company who will do just as good a job and skip the hard sell plus they only charge a fraction of the amount.

Collaborate · 07/10/2015 13:11

We got some windows done through a small local company. Excellent service - great quality product, and for a fraction of the price quoted by one of the bug companies.

GoodnightDarthVader · 07/10/2015 13:19

I've just hired a builder for £22k worth of building work. Builder hasn't even met my DH. (I found the builder through Checkatrade, 280 positive reviews, 1 negative. Well known local firm)

Klaptrap · 07/10/2015 13:45

They do this so they can sit in your home for 4 hours, refusing to leave and badgering you into signing up for their overpriced shit and making several calls to their 'manager' to keep lowering the price....

You've had a lucky escape, tbh.

This x1000!

We had Safestyle in once, never again. It was agonizing and the man got quite shirty when we wouldn't sign up there and then. Kept phoning his manager (I would like to bet there was no one on the other end of the phone!) to lower the price. It really was quite intimidating to have someone in your house who wouldn't leave or take no for an answer. They have over-inflated prices listed in their brochure to make you feel like you are getting the deal of the yearcentury.

After that we got an independent local company in. They came in, measured up, gave us one price (slightly more expensive than Safestyles 'amazing' discount, but not by much) - told us to be in touch if we wanted to proceed - and then left.

I would never, ever, ever use a big window company again, ever.

LeaveMyWingsBehindMe · 07/10/2015 14:04

Exactly Klap do you suppose anyone ever bought a kitchen from Magnet or a Bedroom from Sharps that wasn't in the 'half price' sale?! Even with the discounts a quote from Magnet still came to about 30% more than I paid through an independent kitchen company so gawd only knows who actually pays full price to these people!

I am amazed they still think they can get away with it, frankly.

charlestonchaplin · 07/10/2015 14:04

GoodnightDarthVader
I do use checkatrade, though mostly for much smaller jobs where I can tell straightaway whether I am happy or not with the work done. However, I believe it is difficult to leave negative reviews on checkatrade, so I would take the reviews with a large pinch of salt. It can be a good place to start if you can't get personal recommendations.

Grapejuicerocks · 07/10/2015 14:33

I had exactly the same. Be prepared for months of further phonecalls. I had exactly the same conversation with each one. "We're having the work done by a company that quoted to me on my own, thank you. So you've lost a customer due to insisting my husband was there"

probably made no difference but it made me feel good.

Even if he had have been there we wouldn't have signed up on the night. We get several quotes and don't bow down to sales pressure and discounts, so they probably wouldn't have got the business anyway - but that's beside the point.

Why don't people threate to call the police if they don't leave? If anyone refused to leave my house then they certainly wouldn't be getting any business.

Andrewofgg · 07/10/2015 15:12

Boring legal explanation.

If you both sign you are both liable to pay. If you don't pay and they sue you they can get a charge over the house but it's not much use unless it is against the interests of both parties. Even if one is not on the deeds they need that one to sign too as otherwise she (usually) can assert an interest against the claims of a creditor.

Not sexism. Businesses looking after their interests.

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