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 can’t believe double glazing companies are still doing this! I used to do telesales as a student for a double glazing company in the 90’s. There was a strict rule then that the ‘decision makers’ had to be present for the appointment (so both partners if a couple). The reason for this was that they used high pressure sales tactics to close the deal on the day, which they wouldn’t be able to do if only one partner was available.

I would avoid companies that cold call like the plague! That job really opened my eyes to how unscrupulous sales people can be!

Its absolutely high pressure sales. Get in the house butt on the couch and don't move until you have a signature. Tell them any old shit just get a signature.

By telling you they want you both there, they are saying out aloud we will pressure you both until you cave in.

How on earth did he even know she had a husband? So they only sell to married people?!!

This.

Which is shit cos it means they're pushing a sale on you before they start.

Tell them to bugger off.

I find leave or I will call the police works well....

Do they refuse to deal with single people then? 😂🤷

Absolutely crackers! I’m impressed your friend managed to refrain from giving them a proper bollocking about it.

I think it's unreasonable they're still considering giving this company their business after all that!

I think my answer will have been another form offered to do it for me.Thanks anyway!

I always tell salespeople that I absolutely will not be making a decision there and then and will need at least 24 hours to think about it and do my own research from the outset.

I hate high pressure sales, it puts me right off a company and I won’t use a company that uses that tactic.

5 hours OMG that's horrendous.
How did you resist that amount of pressure to sign ?

But in this case the husband is NOT the homeowner, she is the sole home owner and its her money for any enhancements, so that doesn't work.

I get that they may want someone else there is they are dealing with a vulnerable person, i.e. someone elderly, but that is not the case here.

Absolutely understand that in her case but just providing the reasonable explanation that the cold caller shared with me, which seemed plausible. If he said it's cos they were sexist eejits then I'd have told him to get lost so I guess he had to make it believable 🤣

Yep. I’m widowed and own my own home, in which my second partner lives, but has no interest in. I asked Anglian for a quote for a window in which the double glazed unit had failed. They insisted my partner was present and signed the paperwork for any product ordered. I sent them packing and have never dealt with them since.

I had the same thing happen to me - husband(who was at college at that time and no income) had to be there even though it would be me paying. I went and sat outside while the salesman looked round with husband.
Needless to say we didn't engage them to do the work.

Well there’s a company I definitely wouldn’t be using! Have they not heard of ‘equality’ or ‘misogynism’ 😡

I had this too. Drove me loopy. I am the main earner in our household. I let them call my husband (whose first language is not English) and they soon gave up as he didn’t understand them. Tried me again instead and I told them to buzz off and I didn’t want to give my business to a bunch of misogynists.

Chinny reckon

I had someone come to my house years ago, interestingly that was double glazing, he directed all the conversation to my carpenter who was fixing a door, I opened the door and told him to leave, I wouldn’t deal with anyone so chauvinistic

I had this happen to me in the late 1970’s, it was Anglian windows I told him my husband had died, opened the door and told him to leave. He soon changed his attitude but tried pressurise me into ordering at a stupid price. a week later he phoned saying he could offer me a special “managers deal” to reduce the price, and I refused saying I had done a better deal with someone else, he was furious and said he had wasted an evening “helping me”. I find smaller local firms offer better prices and service.

Just don't buy from that firm!

I had similar experience but called them from a leaflet that came through the door. I wanted a quote so I knew how much to save. I called them and they arranged for someone to call back. When they did they said the same to me. I told them I wouldn’t be interested. Immediately gave me a red flag feeling tbh. No thanks. I make most of our financial decisions so 🤷🏻‍♀️ none of their business. So backwards! Kept getting calls every 6 months for 2 years checking I didn’t want a quote too! 🤦🏻‍♀️ It’ll teach me to not just contact a local and reputable company.

Exactly this..

My boyfriend had the same issue regarding me being present. We couldn't understand it either. He owns the house x

Poor guy he’s been told by his shiny suit pointy shoe sales manager that BOTH must be there to make the decision. I used to work for Anglian in the 90’s and it was a hard and fast rule…it’s annoying and outdated
The other one I hate is “are you ms miss or mrs” just call me by my name it’s none of your business that one winds me up as men are just Mr and dint have to explain ANYTHING!