Sanderson Blinds (no, this really is the appropriate forum...)

[MsMsMsNOTMRS]

Here's the story. (Have namechanged, as have bitched about this to so many people that it will probably out me)

So I would like some new blinds. My husband would like them too, but that is not the point.

I ring up Thomas Sanderson. I give them my full details. I tell them I want some blinds. They say they will organise an appointment with a salesman.

I give my name as "Ms Z". I don't mention anyone else.

Lady on the phone: "Do you live with anyone else at the property?"
Me: "Er yes. My husband and my baby".
Lady: "And what is his full name?"
Me: "Er Mr X Y." (thinking WHY IS THIS RELEVANT?)
Lady: "And will he be at the appointment?"
Me: "No. He'll be at work."
Lady: "Because at the appointment some decisions will have to be made about the type of blind."
Me: "Really, it's fine. He isn't interested."
Lady: "Are you sure? Some of the decisions will have financial consequences." really? Shit. Better get the male in, since there is MONEY involved
Me: "Eh?" (Thinking, WHAT THE HELL?!) "It's okay, really, I have full authority to make financial decisions."

Phonecall over, I then get an email to "Mr and Mrs XY and Z" confirming the appointment.

The salesman comes and is very confused to be greeted by me ("I have a different name down for the appointment... Mr XY?).

Then after the appointment (at which my husband wasn't present, obvs), the contract for the blinds and all subsequent emails are addressed simply to Mr X Y. I have been erased from the picture. Although they are sent to my email address, obviously, as that's the one I gave, as the only person the company was in contact with was me.

What do you think?

On one hand, it's unimportant, on the other, it's hilarious. On the third hand, it's outrageous that (whether intentionally or not) this company appears to think that only the male head of a family can enter into contracts and make binding financial decisions. Therefore they have managed to drag out of me the bare minimum details of my husband and are merrily entering into correspondence with him in order to avoid talking directly to the feisty upstart wife who is trying to choose blinds BY HERSELF.

I had a double glazing firm refuse to come out to quote (local company, not one of the big national rip-off merchants who get you to sign on the day) because my husband wouldn't be there. Not even when I explained it was my decision and the money was coming out of my account.

Oh well, I happily bought my 17 windows, two doors and roofline elsewhere. And I tell everyone who listens not to use them because of their sexist bollocks.

When I was single I blatantly lied to a double glazing company and told them my DH would be there etc etc. Of course, no DH so when the chap arrived he was really narked with me as we can't do it without your husband.

I don't think he enjoyed the string of invective that I unleashed about his attitude in the first place and why I had to invent a husband to get him to come out and quote for windows that he'd get commission for regardless of who was paying, then he really ought to go and think about some things.

We had this with the tv, I reserved, paid for it & the whole time the salesman spoke to dh about gaurantees etc.

Dh kept saying "it's the wife's tv" "no point telling me mate she's buying it"

The salesman just ignored him, It was like he didn't understand what dh was saying.

So some companies will actually refuse to quote for business for single women?

Holy fuckamoly.

That's a shite business plan if ever I heard one

No choke of a joke, a similar thing happened to me with windows yesterday.

Guy knocks on the door from a local company, giving a quote that lasts a year, was I interested (never normally deal with things on the door, but want to do this in the future so thought a quote would be a good idea to start so I can carry on planning and looking around).

Asks title, advise Mrs
Later when checking convenient times to pop back asks what time is good, I give time, he asks if H will be home, advise no, asks to book later so H home, advise him I don't need H's permission to get a quote, he advises its company policy that both are home, I ask why, he says to do with trading standards and home ownership, I advise house is in my name only. All fine end of convo.

Boss rings to confirm appt, says and your husband will be there, I say nope, he says company policy bla bla bla, could we arrange another time, I advise house is in my name only and you would not be able to get us both together, he says oh ok then, what time is convenient to meet up with your husband and he can pass the details over to you.

I say you better ring my husband, he says oh to make the appt with him directly, I said, no, but you seem to think my husband has some superiority so you may prefer being told to fuck off by him and not me, thanks bye.

One of my friends was recently told by her electrician that it's difficult to deal with their renovation as no man is involved, and particularly so as he has to deal with two women who are more likely to change their minds all the time (they are a same sex couple). He said this to her FACE.

She finds it funny (she loathes confrontation, and I assume it's minor in the grand scheme of crap she's experienced). I find it makes me want to scream loudly, or weep at the state of society.

lol kukesi superb

do you know I haven't even read the tread and have come straight down to post that I know exactly what you're going to say. The old "can I talk to your husband routine". gets short shriftbin my house and I threw the Sanderson guy out ( also ludicrously ober priced and spam you incessantly via phone and email and sell your details to PPI firms)

I find this outrageous. I am not married and make the financial decisions in my house. even if i was, this instantly = do not do business with these idiots for me.

When we had a load of work done on the house I said that we needed someone who I didn't feel intimidated by and who listened to what I said and didn't talk down to me. (I am much more decisive than DH and so most stuff was going to fall to me).

It was much harder to find that than you might have hoped.

Some of the contractors were awful.

I am ashamed to say that I sometimes sent in DH (who looks the part even though he's an indecisive pussycat) with a script. With some of them there was literally no point in me trying to talk to them

I've had this with cars. We have two cars, both of which I own, and am the main driver. DH is a named driver on my insurance policy and uses them a bit. Buying them has proved such a rigmarole - dealers only want to talk to DH. We generally play along, and then watch as their brains explode when we sit down to discuss finances and I take the lead role.

Had exactly this type of thing with car showrooms. Even when DH has pointed out to salesmen that he cannot bloody drive they still talk to him and ignore me.

I was most surprised at the BMW garage, where the salesman asked who the car was for and, upon hearing it was for me, treated me as the decision maker - guess I had my own prejudices shaken up there

Am foaming at the mouth at what other people have had to put up with!!

bluestocking "Were they the sort of blinds which you can only open and close WITH YOUR PENIS?" HA! I might have to riff on this in my professional sounding email to the fat cats at Sanderson.

forago that's bloody depressing, I will get onto this - I HATE my details being sold elsewhere. I have to say, so far the actual people from Sanderson have been really nice - I told the salesman about my DH-centric experience and he was actually apologetic. He never even mentioned DH for the rest of the appointment.

It's to make you sign up at the home visit (less consumer rights) so you can't get out of it by saying "I can't sign til I've discussed with husband who's not here right now" ...then they've lost sale or have to come back

I had this trying to buy a kitchen. As I didn't have a DH, I was making all decisions - design, financial, the works. The woman in the showroom just couldn't get her head around it and would occasionally address questions to the middle distance over my shoulder where a "DP" would have been sitting.

They sent their brochure out to me address to Mrs Curve, despite having my correct title and it went straight in the bin.

Were they the sort of blinds which you can only open and close WITH YOUR PENIS?

Love it!

It is sexist the way that they have handled it, and it's depressingly common

However, when I am negotiating contracts at work (not blind-related ), if I am the "selling" party I will try to make sure all the relevant decision-makers are there so we can talk everything through and come to a decision there and then hopefully. If I'm the "buying" party I may try to avoid having all my company's decision-makers there because it gives me an excuse to have more time to think about the terms and package on offer

But in many examples on this thread all the decision-makers (one of them) were present, so insisting on more was irrelevant

Or indeed single women who, god forbid, live by themselves and run their own household, Seven!

I had a salesman, I think it was for timeshare or similar, phone up and ask for MR T. Witch. My initial, my name. I said there was no such person. They then asked for the man of the house. I said there wasn't one. This caused hesitation, gobbling, and some blithering, at which point I said I wasn't interested and hung up.

I'm single. I guess my windows will have to remain naked.

Hmm, I think I got the fob off when I went to buy a car a number of years ago now. The male salesperson didn't want to even let me test drive the car, claiming that "they didn't have [the model] on the lot". Bollocks to that, as it is a very common car, and he made not suggestions as to how I Culd test drive it. He also didn't want to negotiate on price - probably seeing as I am female, I should have paid RRP! I left, and went to 2 other dealerships in this city and got a wonderful deal through someone recommended by a friend .

Some of these are just awful. However I did a short 6 months working in telesales for a window company (hated every minute) and they always made us check that both homeowners were going to be in as they wanted to sell at the appointment - not just quote and come back. They got higher commission that way. We were told to always ask "will your husband be there?" Or the reverse if it was a man as the default common option as a way of trying to find out whether there were two owners. If they said no we would try to rearrange for another time.

We had a couple of scenarios where one person had gone ahead with something and then when they had gone to install the windows and even afterwards the other homeowner had said no and complained and they wanted to avoid that as it wasted their time.

So its not always sexist. Just sounds it. But some of these are very, very sexist.

We bought a new car last September. I did all the investigating. I spent the hours on the Internet. I found a dealer. I made the appt to test drive it. I test drove it. I picked the exact specifications. I ordered it. I provided my bank details. I insured the car in my name with DH as a named driver. I paid for the car with my debit card.

The dealership registered the car to DH

Fucking furious.

I made some comment about "My God, did we travel back to the 1950s this morning John?" when DH was asked to sign the final paperwork in the showroom. DH was in fits of laughter whilst I was raging.

The car's still in his name. We had no choice but to accept it as our other car was already sold and I couldn't be arsed after the fact. I tell DH it's up to him to service it now though.

Oh, that was Hartwells in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. Sexist ancient assholes.

Hartwell's in kidlington Oxfordshire, you say

How do you get something near the top on Google anyway?

Is Hartwells in Kidlington anywhere near Sanderson blinds then

like that seven

I had the same with Sandersons, despite telling them I would be making the decision and I would be making the payment.

Twats.

I wouldn't have ordered from them even if they hadn't been twice the price of the other well known blind rip off merchants, who I didn't order off either.

flinging - hmm, they may have had a point