Double glazing company won't talk to wife unless husband is present?

[PrettyPickle]

Just been at my friends house and there was a knock at the door. It was a young lad canvassing for work for a double glazing firm. My mate is interested in having a couple of windows replaced and would be interested in a quote. The young lad asked when her husband would be home and she explained he worked away from home and she dealt with all stuff like this.

He explained that the husband had to be present. She asked why as the house is in her name only and has no mortgage and she would be paying for the windows in cash (not finance) from her money, not her husbands. She explained it was her 2nd marriage and he rented his home out. Well my mind was boggling about why she should have to share this info.

The young lad said he understood but his guidance was that the husband had to be present to allow it to progress. She asked why her husband, why not the three adult kids who also lived in the home and actually had a bigger stake in it as its their inheritance. He seemed perplexed but said that is how it works. My mate thanked him and said that she understood he had to follow the rules so thanks but no thanks.

Apparently this has happened before and whilst she would discuss it with her husband as part of their daily life, she didn't need him to be present, it was her decision, not his.

10 minutes later he returned saying he had explained to the office and they said it would be OK as it was all her property, so they agreed to ring at 4pm. My friend said if they brought up the subject of her husband needing to be present she would not be happy.

4pm came, someone rang and they said her husband had to be present. She explained the earlier conversation and that her husband had no say in the house (they have this legally tied up as they both have kids from a previous marriage) but he was adamant that they could not attend without her husband being present.

Now we both would get this to a certain extent if he was an owner of the property or was contributing to the home improvements but he is not.

Vote:

YANBU for refusing to have her husband present
YABU for her not understanding her husband needed to be present

I was about to say I had this experience with Anglia Windows about 15 years ago.

The amount of times I've been asked "don't you want to check with your husband" when making any home improvements is astonishing. I'm single.

Its odd that after much explaining this happened BUT we had a guy round when my husband requested, he asked would I be here too. Strange, but then came the really hard sell. Wanted a signature, deposit, the full works. Husband explained it was for a quote and we would be looking at more companies to compare. He got quite angry that WE had kept him here, wasting his time!!!!!

Me too! I certainly wouldn't have disclosed my personal details to a stranger on the doorstep. I don't deal with cold callers on principle.

I used to have similar problems when trying to get quotes for kitchens, but for some years now have used the same company whom we really like and who know that it is me who makes the decisions.
Window and door companies always want both of you there so they can pressure you into making an immediate decison, eg an extra 10% off if you order today. Also as someone wrote earlier, no delay due to excuse of the buyer wanting to speak to partner later.

Prettypickle
What if your friend had been single/gay or a widow??
The mind boggles

This was standard until the 70s. Appalling that any company can find a reason to behave like this now.

I won’t see couples separately now. Learnt from experience - just means I have to have a second meeting and explain everything twice 🙄. One always says they can pass the information and advice on but they can’t.

Go to another company and never give cold callers your personal info. They could actually be criminals. They now know husband is away and she has cash

A car garage tried this with DM (recently widowed). She went elsewhere and sent a scathing complaint letter to head office saying they had “devastated a grieving widow with their insensitivity”. Which wasn’t quite true, she was actually hopping mad about their sexism.

I have to say my tactic now is just to say “fine if you don’t want the sale I’ll go elsewhere”. And I would never engage somebody going door to door, the prices are always going to be inflated.

This happened to me when I was looking for windows and infuriated me. My house, my money. Now if they ever ring me cold calling or stop me at the shopping centre. I tell them no way and the reason why.

I seem to remember we had this with a window company once. I just said don't bother then, ridiculous!

If they had said that to me, I would have gave them instructions to go dig him up at the local cemetery.
Absolute rubbish that husband has to be there. I have had double glazing fitted and no mention of a husband was asked. All I was asked was if I was the homeowner.

They do this because they do high pressure sales techniques.
I refuse to deal with companies like this. They come round and basically wont leave until you agree a deal.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I think the misogyny is endemic. I started a house search a few months ago, conducted all the calls, penned the emails from me, explained we are cash buyers etc, but did have to put DH’s name on the registration form as a joint enquiry as it will be a joint purchase. Today I received an email addressed to DH asking if he was still looking…not to both he and I. Just him.

I replied asking them to remove us from their list and gave them a ‘Hot Tip’ to check client history going forward because misogyny had lost them a client with money to spend.

Sometimes it feels like we are back in the 70’s.

That's odd. What about people who don't have a husband? I would take my business elsewhere. I could understand if he owned the house but he doesn't. 🤯

I have always said I wont be pressurised into a decision. I am a single woman and try and think up a difficult question they can't answer on the spot so I still get the deal.

Well they have lost her business

plenty of window companies out there

In the U.K.? This year??????

I would rather have no windows. Why are people accepting this??

💯 this. I had the same thing from a kitchen company once. I told them I would be going ahead but with someone else.im perfectly capable of stalling all by myself too 🤣🤣🤣

Tell him to do one.

Your mate needs to learn not to explain herself to jobsworths.
find a company that will deal with women.

This happened to me once, I just got my windows from somewhere else.

I worked in double glazing over 30 years ago abd this was standard at the time I just assumed this practice would have died out.
As another poster mentioned it was because sakes man were on commission abd were only payed if they signed a deal so they didn't want to give a quote be told they couldn't sign without speaking to their husband and the client would then be able to find a cheaper quote.
Like I say I thought this had died out abd that salesman were now paid a wage but maybe not.