Buying a door without a partner

[chemenger]

According to a local company I cannot buy a door, or even discuss buying a door without my husband present. The woman on the phone had the cheek to ask me if I was able to make decisions “like this” on my own. The massive decision of what kind of back door I want. I checked my calendar and I haven’t slipped back in time to 1918. Needless to say I have found another company who is willing to deal with me no questions asked.
I assume I have just escaped a long session of hard selling and they wanted DH and I both there so I couldn’t get rid of them by using the excuse that I had to consult him. Again this is the 21st century. The company I am buying from has its prices on the internet, no “sign now or you’ll lose your discount” nonsense.
My mostly male colleagues agreed that their door selection skills were no better than their partners but that they would have liked to have overheard my conversation on the phone. To think that I used to be allowed to choose equipment for chemical plants and now I can’t be trusted with a door.

This too after being all smug upthreas about the reverse happening until Today! Jinxed it.

My dm had this once when trying to get someone out to fit a kitchen.
They asked if her husband would be there and when my dm was asked why was told because of signing contracts.
My dm soon put them straight that contracts would not be signed on the day anyway and as she is the main breadwinner and the one who looks after the finances she would be the one who the contract was with.

Very odd.

Oh this happened to me! They were fitting next door windows and knocked and asked if they could
Give us a quote, I said ok. They rang the next day to check me and "my husband" would be there. I said no it's just me
They said they couldn't come if it was just me! I told them not to bother then. They then hounded me for 6 months and wouldn't stop calling me until I threatened to report them.
This particular company had the name of a semi precious orange stone...

It 100% indicates they are going to try to force you to sign a contract on the spot. I always refuse to do this. I want a couple of quotes and time to research. So at least it gives me adequate warning of who not to go with.

chemeger maybe you’ll be allowed to choose the colour? As long as it's one of the Gilead approved colours of course.

Must say I didn’t have any problems with safeStyle but Anglican were a nightmare.

Well the door is now fitted and paid for entirely without the assistance on DH. Apart from some problems finding a date that suited both me and the installer (mostly me being unavailable) it was a completely smooth and trouble free experience. We-do-Doors get my endorsement. We’ve gone from a back door which might as well have had a sign on it saying “kick me” to a super secure fortress portal.

I worked for home improvement companies before, we have to get both ‘deciding’ parties with say in the properties to be there while the sales rep was there. Made it easier to sell because they were’nt told i’ll ask etc and get back to you

We wasnt allowed to book with just one party

A 3 representative pulled the same bullshit with me when I phoned up to cancel my mobile phone contract. “Are you able to make this decision on your own, shouldn’t your husband or father decide”.

I was asked "will your husband be there?" by Dunraven Windows. I tore them a strip explaining how inappropriate that question was and it's my house, my money and my decision. I told them not to contact me again whereby they contacted me numerous times and I ranted each time. Thankfully since GDPR came in in May I haven't heard a peep from the fuckers.

Forgot to add I don't have a husband.

I once went to a high end car dealership to look at a potential new company car (oh,the days when someone paid for my car..)
Salesman approached,spoke solely to my husband who was behind me.I told him the car was for me,and was a Company car purchase.
If the model suited, I was able to place an order with them.He looked sceptical. I asked what manual models they had.He looked down his nose at me :'Madam, 85% of our cars are automatics.'As if anyone who could really afford one would expect that.
'That makes sense,I wasn't sure about coming here,you've just confirmed that most of your cars are owned by people who can't drive!'
My husband was ashamed of me. Gratuitous rudeness he said.Poor love.

I worked for home improvement companies before, we have to get both ‘deciding’ parties with say in the properties to be there while the sales rep was there. Made it easier to sell because they were’nt told i’ll ask etc and get back to you.

I love that you write that as though transparent high pressure sales tactics are something sensible and justified. Read the whole thread, those old fashioned ideas are losing customers for the companies that use them and infuriating women.

Do they not realise that “I’ll need to ask my husband/wide” is code for “I don’t want to buy this but I’m too polite to say it to your face, as I understand you’d only be doing this job if you needed too and you have unrealistic targets. Even though you work for arseholes you’re still a human being and I don’t want to be rude to you”.

The converse is a confused looking man sent into somewhere like Laura Ashley or the White Company for a fabric sample. Any decent sales staff would understand it is imperative that he leaves with the right sample of material. This is not his natural environment, he is there under instruction.

The White Company cut a bit out of a display curtain and got one bit of a dismantled sleigh bed out of the stock room for DH because they knew a £2k upholstered bed was not getting ordered unless his partner had seen the fabric and he had seen the carpentery.

I ordered oir door from we do doors as well (complete with catflap). Ordered online with little input from dh

This thread has given me the rage.
I make decisions on cars, car maintenance, building work, patios, electricians, plumbers and bathrooms, the only time I need my DH to approve is moving house. 😡

People in places like PC World tend to talk to the man. The staff at our local PC World though used to run and hide if OH went in, he really doesn't know his a from his e regarding computers. We went in one in another town since moving, same scenario so I ambled off to look at something else, went back after 10 minutes, poor chap looked like he wanted to die there and then.

@Alwayscheerful
Agreed !

How some people say this is basic selling and that of course both people need to make decisions about a back door is beyond me.

I organised and paid for the house renovations,
I choose my own car thank you.