Ventrolla

[justine1000]

just a quick warning to all you period home dwellers - if you are thinking of using Venrolla to 'refurbish your windows' , don't!
We originally picked Ventrolla on the strength and conviction of their salesman who seemed dedicated to restoration and appeared knowledgeable. The cost was expensive but we were convinced we were paying for craftsmen and therefore assumed the prices would reflect the finished product.
Communication was the first barrier, we never knew when the workmen would turn up or return causing much disruption to our busy working lives. The contact we had with their staff when we called to find out progress was rude and unapologetic.
The work done was beyond disappointing, whilst the workmen were incredibly kind and friendly and the glazer was very skilled and efficient, the job and outcome appeared rushed and quite honestly something we could have done ourselves (the paintwork in particular) if we had the time.
Some windows won't open, the whole reason we had them refurbished in the first place, some 'fall' and won't stay open and the solution was to spray them with silicone spray and put thinner draught strips on the windows. Catches wouldn't close as they were put in the wrong place and the poor glazer had to replace every pane of glass as the painter sanded down the windows and scratched every single one! The windows were painted the wrong colour (black instead of white) and the whole process started in May and is still ongoing. Our only leverage is the fact we haven't paid the balance yet and at the moment I don't feel inclined to.
When the original salesman returned to view the problems he never said a word and just stared at me when I voiced my issues with the work and the company.
Save your money, look for a real craftsman, we are about to pay £8,000 for a job that was worth half that at best.

I hope you get your issues resolved soon. It might be worth saying which area you are in. We used Ventrolla in Wilts a few years ago and were very pleased with them, as were others in W Berks who recommended them to us.

That's very disappointing to hear. I used them years ago (in Scotland) for a smaller job and they were very good. It was worth every penny.

We used them last year and were absolutely fine.

Ventrolla cut out our wooden lintels to make the windows fit - making our house 'structurally unsound'!!

On the 26th August 2015 two fitters from Ventrolla started cutting out the wooden lintels in our house to make the new windows fit! In the end removing 16 of them and causing our house to be made ‘structurally unsound’ – it had to be supported by acros to stop it falling down!

Building work started in January 2016 and ending in the middle of February 2016 to replace the lintels. It took over 4 months of our phone calls to them and us having to push things along before work started by a local builder to make our house safe again. Those 7-8 weeks we were living in hell, although saying that pretty much the last 14 months have been a nightmare.

The lintel removal caused a shattering effect throughout our whole house, leaving a spiders web of cracks everywhere - which after months of phone calls and pushing again was mostly done by the end of June 2016.

We also needed to have a box bay window in the living room replaced. There is currently a piece of chip board on the inside (inside our living room) and blue tarpaulin (on the outside), which has been protecting us from the elements for over a year. They have made 3 attempts at replacing this window since August 2015 - all 3 have been rejected, apparently we are a 'rush job'. We are now about to instruct another company to do this, I think waiting 14 months for a box bay is long enough!!

The windows that they fitted in August 2015 are still in situ but leave a lot to be desired - there is a snagging list that is 3 x A4 sides of faults that need to be rectified, but again haven't heard from them!

Ventrolla have been in business for 30 years and with a fitters that have been working for them and fitting windows for them for just as long! I would NOT recommend Ventrolla to anybody, steer well clear of them if you value your house in one piece and if you know anyone who has had any dealings with Ventrolla (at any point in the past), please get them to seek advice as to whether they may unknowingly have been put in the same position as we were.

I have never come across a company with such appalling customer service, after what they have done to us you would think we would be a priority. They never return calls, even a quick 'we haven't forgotten about you' would be nice, but nothing. If we hadn't have chased them, I don't think we would even be where we are now!!