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?

What is it with window-fitting companies? I opened the door to a man once who had been looking closely at our windows (not creepy at all) and he claimed that our windows were going to be illegal soon, because they don't meet up-to-date government insulation/eco standards.

Just so that I hadn't misunderstood his claims, I asked did he mean that new windows like that would no longer be allowed to be sold and fitted? No, he told me: in a few months' time, our existing 20+ years-old windows were going to become illegal and we would presumably be fined for having them or the government would turn up and confiscate them!!

I agree with PP that they've deliberately chosen a business model that involves a lot of hassle and leaves you vulnerable. If they sold cars, and they flogged you a crock, you could just demand that they refund and take the car away; but when they've already removed your existing windows, they know just how vulnerable you are.

When we are in a position to fit replacement windows, we're definitely going to contact a small, local company to do it - one of the ones where you approach them and then wait until they can fit you in. It may be that some of the big companies are honest and charge a fair price, but it may also be that Paul Chuckle is elected as our new PM....

It was Safestyle, wasn't it, who used to have that wrestler pushing windows over and shouting "I said, you buy one, you get one free!" ?

I suppose, to be fair, they're pretty much hiding in plain sight in showing you just how rubbish they're going to be - a huge national company making adverts that your local one-man handyman business would be deeply embarrassed by.

Were they connected with Coldseal/Heatseal Windows, or were they an unrelated business?

Thanks everyone for the posts and advice, which is so helpful and reassuring that IANBU. It's not fair that big companies treat people like this, the last few months have been so stressful. I'll let you know how we get on.

All they did with that offer was massively over inflated the list price of their windows. Even with ‘buy one get one free’ it was still vastly cheaper to go elsewhere.

They once quoted me £1800 list price per window, under their ‘buy one get one ‘ offer.
I got the same windows from a local company for £400 each.

One of my colleagues bought double glazing from Anglian, as did his parents. What he hadn't realised was that they used subcontractors and his parents in Wales had a far better service than he did. So I don't know if Safestyle do the same

£5,000 more than WHAT though? They could have paid peanuts for all we know.

most of the big names sub contract. So they hire fitters for as little as they can,in whatever area they sold the windows. fitters who have no loyalty to the brand.
Thats why there's such a big disparity in quality of the work.
Local companies usually do much more competitive pricing and rely on a good local reputation and word of mouth for business, so have more of an incentive to produce good work.

What you are saying is safestyle have refused to repair or replace. What you have described certainly fits that they have not used any reasonable care or skill. Get quotes and get a no win no fee solicitor. You are not looking for the refund amount, you are looking for the costs of rectifying it, and they have already lost by admitting the supply and fit is no good.