Elderly parents ripped off and I don't know how to help!

[marmite14]

Posting on AIBU for traffic as absolutely at my wits end with Safestyle windows and my parents who are in their late 70's are so stressed with their current situation. I'm really looking for advice or WWYD.

My parents had 12 windows installed which are terrible quality, there is an issue with every window from broken handles, pealing plastics, chips and scuffs.

The windows were installed four months ago, but there are gaps around some of them, there are huge chunks of plaster missing inside and out and blue foam filling exposed round all of the windows.

After the most stressful FOUR months of trying to contact Safestyle (not one of my parent's phone calls were answered despite being on hold for over an hour each time), Safestyle have agreed that the windows are not acceptable.

They have offered my parents their money back so can go elsewhere.
This would be fine if the price of windows hadn't gone up so much since they bought them in February. Other window companies are now quoting thousands more, which my parents cannot afford, and they obviously cannot get their old windows back as they have been destroyed.

I cannot believe how badly they have been treated. They have no choice but to accept these faulty windows, which they have paid thousands for and are not representative of the sales sample they were shown. I have contacted trading standards, but does anyone have any advice?

Call their local MP. Mine is brilliant . call them make an appointment and explain, you'll save other vulerable folk the same misery.

I echo PP’s who suggest seeking legal advice against Safestyle demanding proper execution of fitting. Reasonable standard of work is a minimum requirement from their side of the contract but this has not been fulfilled and your parents have paid the agreed amount.
I'm sorry your parents (and yourself) and in this position. It’s despicable, especially as many people are worried about money due to the cost of living and are encouraged to make their homes as insulated as possible.

i would accept the refund, your no worse off and at least you have the money. You are unlikely to achieve a better out come, with respect to taking the windows back, I will bet 99.9% that won’t happen, they are no good to them and will cost to collect and dispose off. So accept the money, agree that they may come and collect the windows, when you have had them replaced. Don’t replace them, once again I will bet 99.9% there is not much wrong with the windows, it’s the installation that’s the main issue. If their is a broken handle or whatever, these components are ready available. Sadly the elderly are prime targets for the nice salesman armed with glossy brochures from what is to believed to be national companies, which are in fact simply business’s with tv and full page advertising in high end magazines giving them credibility and suppling a mass produced product fitted by the lowest quote, local tradesman ( bodgers) that’s one of the reasons your probably getting higher quotes.
So get the refund and contact a local trusted builder, handyman or competent DIY er, to make good.

I’d take them to the small claims court. Absolutely clowns.

Safestyle are fensa registered. Speak to fensa. You need the windows replacing and making good by them..not enough to just offer a refund.

I am truly sorry for your parents troubles but thanks for posting. I've scratched safestyle off my list!

Least stressful solution if being offere it is keep the windows and have a full refund and then try to find someone just to fix the problems (rather than remove them entirely)

I ordered Windows from Safestyle and they asked for another 25%. I cancelled the order. So look at your parents' legal insurance in their household policy, write to Fensa, trading standards, RIP off Britain, Matt Allwright

Solicitor: an expense but a short term expense for the ideal outcome. If that is at all possible? If not , does anyone in your family have enough knowledge ( plus ability to google) of legal matters and ask them to write you a letter which would be the second best. Iykwim

im so sorry your parents are so stressed. Bastard thieving companies should be eradicated a lot bloody sooner.

My story of woe with Safestyle from getting a quote to actually getting windows satisfactorily fitted is too long to relate. Suffice to say they all had to come out and be refitted and after the first lot of fitters bungled it a second time, I refused to have them back in the house. This involved lots of mess, time off work to meet with surveyors, emails, photos and phone calls and stress. In the end, two lovely, experienced fitters came to refit them all. It took two days, whereas the other lot rushed it all in one day. These two guys said their work is rectifying others’s bodge jobs. They noticed lots of little problems that we had not noticed too. One window had to be completely remade as I noticed that the original fitters had cracked the frame and filled in in roughly with filler! So that one was fitted three times!
In your situation, bearing in mind how much the price has now gone up, I would contact Safestyle on your parents’ behalf and kick up a right stink. Take photos and document everything so that if you do not get satisfaction you can contact Trading Standards. Insist everything is put right for the price your parents agreed in the first place. You should not have to go elsewhere and pay out more money.
In our case, the actual windows, apart from the damaged one, were good. Once they sent experienced, capable fitters things were fine.
FENSA is the organisation that provides a guarantee for 10 years on these new windows. Maybe also worth contacting them for advice, but really, in the first instance, Safestyle should put it right. Good luck!

NC for this as it’s outing. I do construction law for a living. On large projects and developments rather than residential but the principles will be similar.

Do not accept the refund. The refund will be the end of the matter and they walk away with your parents stuck trying to find the shortfall.

Insist they rectify the works.

If not, issue a letter of claim explaining their breach and what it would cost you to get new windows in, and demand the full amount.

If that fails, sue them.

But all of that depends on the contract. Can you post a copy, redacting personal information?

It's not a full refund because it doesn't get you back to the starting point. Safestyle are suggesting something which puts them in a worse position than they began with.

Have you been to trading standards? That sounds shocking!

Also - get a Power of Attorney in place so you can act on behalf of your parents. My parents had similar with an alarm company and we had to do the same. Their original alarm company (which was good) was bought by a dodgy alarm company and trying to get them out of that was a nightmare. But a POA really helps.

Incorrect - legally they are entitled to be put in the position they would have been in had the contract been performed correctly. This means the price it will currently be to get new windows put in. Whether they can get it without legal action is up for debate

I have ongoing problems with a window company, I sought legal advice through my home insurance, the best £25 I’ve ever spent. I didn’t pay the balance and as a consequence are being sued. I would also seek advice from FENSA and Glass and Glazing Federation. I am assuming they have gone through the company complaint’s procedure.

Just to add, we also had the various sales tactics. A knock on the door to ask if we were thinking of replacing our windows. Actually we were. A sales sales guy came the next day, stayed a long and quoted a price, we said no way, drastically reduced it, we said we would think about it, he phoned his manager and went away. Phone calls for a few days after, they eventually agreed to our price, guy came back and went through his figures and said he couldn’t do it for that price so we said no, and he went away. Came back 20 mins later and agreed to our acceptable price! That was the start of it and I would NEVER recommend them.

Which other company are they getting a quote from? Another of the big national ones? They all have the same business model. Quote ridiculously high prices, and then offer all manner of fake made up discounts until they get to a point the customer bites.

Find a decent local company to give you a quote and you’ll be amazed at the price difference.

One of the big nationals quoted me £15k to replace all the windows in my house. A local company did it for £5k - same quality of windows and none of the sales BS.

@marmite14 - use their own complaints process against them.

So appeal now in writing to their CEO.

www.safestyle-windows.co.uk/~/media/Procedure%20for%20handling%20complaints%20July%2018%20CM004%20Issue%209.pdf?la=en

if you want, you can then go to the Glass and Glazing Federation Conciliation Service and to The Glazing Arbitration Scheme - but I’d try their CEO office

I got quoted £6000 for my house by a fairly large company but I've gone with a local joiner type man and he's done our whole house for £3500. Could you shop around?
Otherwise just take it to small claims? Take it to the TV show? Do something to expose how mean they are being by removing the windows.

Accept the money back! It sounds awful but the company have done the right thing. They can't help the fact it's now more expensive

Sorry just read this. Take the money and then say they are taking their time to find replacements. Will they really come and get the windows?

Safestyle's website says they issue a FENSA certificate. If there are issues you can call FENSA on 0207 6453 700.

I would call them and see if they can offer advice. Alternatively tell your parents to approach the citizens advice bureau to see if they can offer any help.

That was my first thought, it goes way back and through numerous different trading names, it's not going to help but they're lucky that Safestyle are even offering the money back! One company with which I would never do business.

No, theyu can't help the increase but they are responsible for putting their name to such poor work. They should be looking at remedying the situation by having them reinstalled correctly, not getting out of it by giving money back.

Safestyle’s reviews on TrustPilot are shocking…… 😯. Like someone else mentioned I believe they’ve operated under a few different names before and have subsidiaries that offer fitted wardrobes and kitchens. I recognise the awful sales tactic of someone that came out to try and sell us some fitted wardrobes about 10 years ago.
it was awful. I just wanted the man to leave and brick up the door after him 🤦‍♀️.