Double glazing salesmen - why can't they just give a price?
Discussion
)It's hard to believe that these double glazing firms are still in business, charging super inflated prices for something that you can easily buy yourself. If you want to know how much these windows really cost, take some rough measurements yourself and get a quote online.
Post a job on Myhammer or Mybuilder and get a quote to fit. Ask the fitter to take the measurements and place the order with somewhere like Window Fitter's Mate.
Post a job on Myhammer or Mybuilder and get a quote to fit. Ask the fitter to take the measurements and place the order with somewhere like Window Fitter's Mate.
If you want comedy then ask a well known wardrobe company which rhymes with Harps to come round.
They advertise custom fitted wardrobes but they are nothing of the kind, you get standard sizes with blanking panels for the extra width.
We wanted a wardrobe 3m wide, up to the ceiling with 4 doors and pretty much standard inside. We saw they had a half price sale on and booked a fitting. The price they came up with was £3k after the discount
To put it into perspective, Ikea can do pretty much the same thing (and with similar build quality TBH) for £400!!!
They advertise custom fitted wardrobes but they are nothing of the kind, you get standard sizes with blanking panels for the extra width.
We wanted a wardrobe 3m wide, up to the ceiling with 4 doors and pretty much standard inside. We saw they had a half price sale on and booked a fitting. The price they came up with was £3k after the discount
To put it into perspective, Ikea can do pretty much the same thing (and with similar build quality TBH) for £400!!!Tycho said:
If you want comedy then ask a well known wardrobe company which rhymes with Harps to come round.
My mother booked one of their sales guys tom come round when I first moved in to my house. I had no intention of buying from them but still rather surprised at their quote of I think £5k for 2 wardrobes, a chest of drawers and 2 bedside tables. Reasonably quality equivalents from B&Q were a few hundred quid.
Tycho said:
If you want comedy then ask a well known wardrobe company which rhymes with Harps to come round.
They advertise custom fitted wardrobes but they are nothing of the kind, you get standard sizes with blanking panels for the extra width.
We wanted a wardrobe 3m wide, up to the ceiling with 4 doors and pretty much standard inside. We saw they had a half price sale on and booked a fitting. The price they came up with was £3k after the discount To put it into perspective, Ikea can do pretty much the same thing (and with similar build quality TBH) for £400!!!
Christ, are they still going? I thought they went tits when Bernstein Group went under a few years ago and dragged all their home improvements brands with it.They advertise custom fitted wardrobes but they are nothing of the kind, you get standard sizes with blanking panels for the extra width.
We wanted a wardrobe 3m wide, up to the ceiling with 4 doors and pretty much standard inside. We saw they had a half price sale on and booked a fitting. The price they came up with was £3k after the discount
To put it into perspective, Ikea can do pretty much the same thing (and with similar build quality TBH) for £400!!!I've got family that worked in the directorship of Sharps, Moben/Dolphin and Portland when they were all owned by MKD and trust me, if you think that is bad then you aint heard nothing compared to some of the tales I've been privy to!
All the old home improvements companies are dinosaurs now, priced out of the market by DIY brands like B&Q and IKEA for what is the same product (standard units, jiggled about and cut and shut to fit a particular room or kitchen) at a much lower price. The writing was on the wall when the days of direct sales were replaced by going to a showroom instead. Windows are the very last bastion of the old school wheeler dealer direct sales, because you cant really have window showroom in the same way!
I echo the earlier suggestion to the OP of measuring up the window apertures himself, dealing direct with a reputable glazing manufactuer to get what he wants at the right price, then getting a known good builder to fit them.
Window fitters.
Lovely people. Rip out old one. Put new one in. Big arse screws outwards and downwards. Not enough screws, obviously. Bending the frame outwards, rather than using fillers or wedges. Then, still being able to see daylight through the outside gap, put a plastic blanking piece over it to make it look neat.
I don't believe there's a single good tradesmen out there sometimes, such is the hassle I've had.
Lovely people. Rip out old one. Put new one in. Big arse screws outwards and downwards. Not enough screws, obviously. Bending the frame outwards, rather than using fillers or wedges. Then, still being able to see daylight through the outside gap, put a plastic blanking piece over it to make it look neat.
I don't believe there's a single good tradesmen out there sometimes, such is the hassle I've had.
Tycho said:
If you want comedy then ask a well known wardrobe company which rhymes with Harps to come round.
They advertise custom fitted wardrobes but they are nothing of the kind, you get standard sizes with blanking panels for the extra width.
We wanted a wardrobe 3m wide, up to the ceiling with 4 doors and pretty much standard inside. We saw they had a half price sale on and booked a fitting. The price they came up with was £3k after the discount To put it into perspective, Ikea can do pretty much the same thing (and with similar build quality TBH) for £400!!!
Try a smallbone kitchen for a laugh, MDF carcasses and veneer doors all yours for eleventy billion quidThey advertise custom fitted wardrobes but they are nothing of the kind, you get standard sizes with blanking panels for the extra width.
We wanted a wardrobe 3m wide, up to the ceiling with 4 doors and pretty much standard inside. We saw they had a half price sale on and booked a fitting. The price they came up with was £3k after the discount
To put it into perspective, Ikea can do pretty much the same thing (and with similar build quality TBH) for £400!!!Edited by Silent1 on Tuesday 18th February 13:10
CoolHands said:
I've got one coming from a local company wed morning as it happens. To replace all original wooden sash windows with upvc 
I shall report back. An independent company, but they are Ealing based so possibly pricey. My finger in the air figure is 3 grand, so lets see.
here's the front windows, a 'venetian box' (the middle flat):
Try some of the glazing companies further west nearer Southall for competitive quotes. They have done work for me previously around W5/7/13... I shall report back. An independent company, but they are Ealing based so possibly pricey. My finger in the air figure is 3 grand, so lets see.here's the front windows, a 'venetian box' (the middle flat):
Edited by CoolHands on Monday 17th February 23:50
Be wary of the 'Ealing' premium where they assume you won't be price sensitive
skeggysteve said:
I sold double glazing a few years ago..............for less than a week!
I answered an advert and got, well basically conned, onto the training course with the promise of a very good wage.
The training course was held a a very nice hotel, food was excellent, very good single ensuite rooms etc. I was there for 5 days.
It was on day 4 we were told the price!
Basically they wanted me to con people - I'll just call my boss to see what he can do, we have a promotion on at the moment in this area, discount if you have a board out side etc. etc.
Bottom line was that the product was very over priced and the company could pay commision to me, my boss, his boss, area boss etc. even if I sold at 45% less than the starting price.
Then there's the finance option - 'it's only going to cost you £5 a week, I'm sure you can afford that'. Selling on finance got extra commission.
I don't mind selling and have been told I'm good at it but I will not con people.
Due to the name and shame rules I won't name the conning company but they are very big national brand.
let me guess... they told people to "fit the best , fit everest..."I answered an advert and got, well basically conned, onto the training course with the promise of a very good wage.
The training course was held a a very nice hotel, food was excellent, very good single ensuite rooms etc. I was there for 5 days.
It was on day 4 we were told the price!
Basically they wanted me to con people - I'll just call my boss to see what he can do, we have a promotion on at the moment in this area, discount if you have a board out side etc. etc.
Bottom line was that the product was very over priced and the company could pay commision to me, my boss, his boss, area boss etc. even if I sold at 45% less than the starting price.
Then there's the finance option - 'it's only going to cost you £5 a week, I'm sure you can afford that'. Selling on finance got extra commission.
I don't mind selling and have been told I'm good at it but I will not con people.
Due to the name and shame rules I won't name the conning company but they are very big national brand.
Most double-glazing companies work as "direct sales" - no middle-men, and it's a cutthroat industry. The saleman either sells "on the night" or nothing - he gets a real b
king the next day from his manager if he doesn't close the deal. Hence the lies, deceit, and variations on price.
Many companies work on a sliding-scale commission basis - full price could be 15% for the seller, going down to 10% on a figure which is 25% off.Ask for "house-account" prices if you feel up to some real hard-deal bargaining. That's what they call the bottom line, and it'll mean anything from 1% to 5% commission for the salesman. It'll be around half the original quoted price.
I worked for some time for one of the biggest companies - I was ashamed at what I had to do, but my family required feeding. I later worked for a small local company, and it was so much more relaxing - we were allowed to leave a price for them to think about, something which would be total anathema in direct sales. NEVER LEAVE A PRICE! IT DOESN'T WORK! YOU'LL LOSE THE SALE! bks - it depends on how much honesty you show as a salesman. Most of my colleagues at the national company were shady halfwits you wouldn't buy a used car from.
king the next day from his manager if he doesn't close the deal. Hence the lies, deceit, and variations on price.Many companies work on a sliding-scale commission basis - full price could be 15% for the seller, going down to 10% on a figure which is 25% off.Ask for "house-account" prices if you feel up to some real hard-deal bargaining. That's what they call the bottom line, and it'll mean anything from 1% to 5% commission for the salesman. It'll be around half the original quoted price.
I worked for some time for one of the biggest companies - I was ashamed at what I had to do, but my family required feeding. I later worked for a small local company, and it was so much more relaxing - we were allowed to leave a price for them to think about, something which would be total anathema in direct sales. NEVER LEAVE A PRICE! IT DOESN'T WORK! YOU'LL LOSE THE SALE! b
ks - it depends on how much honesty you show as a salesman. Most of my colleagues at the national company were shady halfwits you wouldn't buy a used car from.surveyor said:
A client had an office nest door to the regional office of one of the larger chains.
My god the staff were half-wits and I would not let them in my house. Their office was an absolute mess, complete with pool table downstairs.
If you think the salesmen are dodgy, you should have seen the canvassers we used. One of them once stole the wages from the cleaner's handbag.My god the staff were half-wits and I would not let them in my house. Their office was an absolute mess, complete with pool table downstairs.
Barely-literate slobs, doing the job because their benefits had been stopped. Oddly enough, I started it because I was "introduced" by the local jobcentre - maybe the clerk there was on a backhander.
Have you experienced the German vacuum cleaner sales people as well? Same MO - selling a hideously over priced product with the leverage of 'one night only' discounts or appeals to line managers for non-existent special offers (it was captured on film and made good viewing - including advice to 'ditch the bh' if the wife was holding the salesman back or undermining his positive mindset!!).
They only do it because it works....for now. It's getting harder though with cooling off periods and other consumer protection, so they'll find new and exciting ways of persuading you to buy.
Now I must dash because apparently DFS have a special on until 19:00 today on the blue dralon three piece.
h' if the wife was holding the salesman back or undermining his positive mindset!!).They only do it because it works....for now. It's getting harder though with cooling off periods and other consumer protection, so they'll find new and exciting ways of persuading you to buy.
Now I must dash because apparently DFS have a special on until 19:00 today on the blue dralon three piece.
When we had our windows done I told every one that quoted, that I didn't want "special offers", or a demo of their windows, or any other bks. I just wanted them to measure up, and give me a price. None of them could manage that simple task, so none of them got the work.
I was then recommended a local company, who managed to quote me a decent price over the phone in 5 minutes (from my measurements). They immediately got the work.
When I met the owner he told me he had been in business 10 years and had never needed to advertise, or sent people out knocking doors. That was 15 years ago, and they a still in business today.
ks. I just wanted them to measure up, and give me a price. None of them could manage that simple task, so none of them got the work.I was then recommended a local company, who managed to quote me a decent price over the phone in 5 minutes (from my measurements). They immediately got the work.
When I met the owner he told me he had been in business 10 years and had never needed to advertise, or sent people out knocking doors. That was 15 years ago, and they a still in business today.
98elise said:
When we had our windows done I told every one that quoted, that I didn't want "special offers", or a demo of their windows, or any other bks. I just wanted them to measure up, and give me a price. None of them could manage that simple task, so none of them got the work.
I was then recommended a local company, who managed to quote me a decent price over the phone in 5 minutes (from my measurements). They immediately got the work.
When I met the owner he told me he had been in business 10 years and had never needed to advertise, or sent people out knocking doors. That was 15 years ago, and they a still in business today.
Sounds like a similar experience to me for my windows and doors. Local company, family business, easy to deal with and talk to, great job from start to finish. Of the whole 'house rebuild' job, one of the 'good guys' to deal with. If you are in the Brighton area I can highly recommend them. ks. I just wanted them to measure up, and give me a price. None of them could manage that simple task, so none of them got the work.I was then recommended a local company, who managed to quote me a decent price over the phone in 5 minutes (from my measurements). They immediately got the work.
When I met the owner he told me he had been in business 10 years and had never needed to advertise, or sent people out knocking doors. That was 15 years ago, and they a still in business today.
We also had 'rhymes with harps' round for our wardrobes. Comical stuff, and I laughed at the description in the post above. We had the full 'minus this discount, plus this offer, today only super-duper price' spiel and I ended up laughing at the guy. I couldn't help it.
Went with a local guy for the custom-built wardrobes and drawers as well. We had the height for three drawers but due to their 'off-the'shelf' custom-builds (!), 'rhymes-with-harps' could only do two drawers with a dummy drawer above! Local guy made three drawers and they look and work great...
Webber3 said:
Ask the fitter to take the measurements and place the order with somewhere like Window Fitter's Mate.
Good call. We have them here and the prices (for uPVC) are seriously cheap.We did have some windows done in 2000 by a firm from Essex, hugely well advertised and the price was cheaper (fitted) then I could buy them at the time.
The remedial work took a while...especially the clearing of broken glass from our garden and patio. The windows themselves were OK but the fitters were far too quick and/or desperate to finish within the day. The ten year guarantee looked nice, too. Went bust within 24 months.
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