AIBU to cold-call double-glazing firms?

[LostMyLastHatfulOfWords]

My 1950/60s redbrick low tiled roof house with 1970's windows needs new double glazing at the front. The panes are misted up inside and sad.

I am going in person to a local place to find out about fitting and cost but am hesitating about contacting a national firm.

Usually (in the past) double-glazing places cold call here - just when it is least convient and they won't take no for an answer and they keep calling... for years.

I would be cold-calling them of course - so getting my own back? :)

We have had peace from them for a while. Would an enquiry stir up the call-centre-wasp-nest again?

Has anyone had a good experience with double-glazing firms?

Don't do it! Anglican have been pestering me for years after I asked for a quote. They never actually provided one but they keep pestering me.

I'd only use a temporary email and phone number for those firms.

We went with 2 local firms, both gave quotes with no pushy follow ups. We avoided big companies for that reason

@Ilikewinter

We went with 2 local firms, both gave quotes with no pushy follow ups. We avoided big companies for that reason

Same here. Local firms came out, half an hour measuring up, quick chat about what type of windows we wanted, quote emailed over 4-5 days later. No 2 hour hard sell with a salesman who needs to keep ringing his boss to check the best price

Looks like a thumbs down on national double-glazing then.

Has no-one had a good experience with one?

you says some of the panes are misted.

New panes can be fitted at very moderate cost. it varies with size but probably less than £100 each.

The will be a local "double glazing repairperson" in your town, probably someone who also repairs plastic doors and windows as well. It does not need a large company. S/he will visit once to measure the windows and give a price, then will order the replacement glazing units and come back to fit them, perhaps in a week or two. Aslk friends and neighbours for a recommendation. You will see a local van because this sort of work is in constand demand.

There is no need to buy new windows, any more than you need to buy a new car when your tyres wear out.

Good idea about changing panes ..,but sadly the windows are in poor state more generally. They leak and are often glued shut to stop drafts. I don't think they are made to modern standards.

@Rollercoaster1920

Don't do it! Anglican have been pestering me for years after I asked for a quote. They never actually provided one but they keep pestering me.

I'd only use a temporary email and phone number for those firms.

I told Anglican never to call me again, I would not have their windows if they paid me to install them as their sales practices were so underhand. Never heard from them again. You could try that if you like 😬

Definitely get a few quotes from local firms and make a note of the names of companies doing good double glazing work on properties in your neighbourhood.

We had double glazing fitted last year after putting up with drafty, condensation prone windows for years. Best decision ever!

Go with a local firm. The national companies sale tactics are awful and the prices ridiculous (they have to pay for those annoying ads somehow). You will get a "if you sign up today we can do it for x price" tactic and the calling the manager tactic and they will probably still be 3 times the price of a local company.

Definitely go with a local firm. The initial quote Anglican gave me was an absolute joke compared to the local firms. Once they think you are interested they will not leave you alone.

Oh and the local companies actually talked to me instead of just adressing DH.

What have we come to when considering buying a burner phone for double glazing ! Made me laugh and file away as a bloody good idea.

Burner phone for national firms

Local it is then.
We are very rural here though - so choice is limited.

Not much chance of looking at their work either - it is all very bushy and tree-lined in this place and people are quite spread out. (Not that I'd know good double-glazing from bad just by looking.)

Where are you based OP? We’ve used Spire windows in Salisbury and they’re very good

Thanks @Ohhhhmothermayi - we are in Dorset (but shhhh don't tell any national window companies!)

I downloaded a brochure from a national firm and they then called me that afternoon re my enquiry - I said I hadn’t made an enquiry really and just wanted to get an idea of what their range was like before deciding who to get quotes from. They called me twice a day for weeks until I blocked their number.

Use local, however be aware that due to Brexit and the state of imports materials are in such short supply. A long wait and costs through the roof.

Another warning to avoid the national companies.

When we were wanting quotes for a conservatory we arranged for a visit from Everest. The guy called us ten minutes before the appointment to say he was running a bit late and was just on the M4 near Cardiff. We are in Manchester. Everest blamed it on a cock-up and tried to re-arrange. We refused, and thankfully that was the last we heard from them.

The woman from Anglian called the day before the appointment to re-arrange it, and was still an hour late for that. She fannied and farted around showing the sort of things they could do without actually asking us what we wanted. She then told us that she'd need to return a week later with the quote. Again, day before appointment she called to re-arrange and once again was an hour late to re-arranged appointment. She fannied around again - we had to wait while she lugged in a heat lamp and a pane of magic glass while she got it to play God Save the Queen or whatever. And she still didn't have the quote. I told her straight that she produced a quote in the next 30 seconds or get out, so she literally scribbled some numbers down on a piece of (our) notepaper, added them up (wrongly) in her head and blurted out "it will be around £50,000".

Every other quote we'd had was in the £20-30k range. She got a straight "fuck off out of here" and I picked up and threw her demo gear on to the drive.

We then got phone calls every couple of weeks for about three months asking if she'd turned up!

Horror stories!

Back in house history here it did take more than 2 years to stop the Anglia windows team ringing me after a casual and (foolhardy) enquiry.

Clearly caution is still required😕

Have you got a local town or village Facebook group? My advice would be to ask on there for recommendations. My local one is an absolute godsend for stuff like this.