FORENSICA Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hi everybody We are being forced by our freeholder to swap for double glazed windows. If we do not do it our selves, they will swap them using their company and windows which we do not like and possibly the price could be high too. We had few quotes some months back but still can not decide. Do you have any recent experience with some window company which was not extremely expensive and the windows worked well? Please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel19 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Just be very very careful - one of my friends needed to get her house double glazed and they were quoted £15,000 for a small house. Her bf is a builder and knew that the windows themselves only cost about £4000 so this company were charging them £11,000 just for a day or two's installation Needless to say they didn't use them but it shows you just how much you have to shop around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 We used a local company years ago, so I cant really recommend a specific company. All I would say is like the above post - shop around. Get loads of quotes and compare and also play one company off the other. (we told one company we had a quote £500 cheaper and they said they would match it). So be canny. I hate double glazing salesmen, so let them in and get them out quick otherwise they will be in your house hours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsallen08 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Hiya Yeah shop around. Be aware though that many companies actually use the same windows as each other as there are only a few companies that make and fit their own windows! I would be careful of using smaller companies as they don't often do a great guarantee on the windows or offer a good 'aftercare' service. I actually work for Anglian Home Improvements (don't shoot me im not a sales person!) They are sometimes expensive but the guarantee is 15 years and we also use the best 'energy saving glass' now - which also is free to upgrade to atm! Admittedly, I just had my husband to do our windows as he originally trained in that and it was obv much cheaper for us! Good luck, it is a bit of a minefield so be careful and just get as many quotes as possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FORENSICA Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 Thanks everybody! I know how annoying the quote getting is, the sales people are just pests, sorry if anybody or you are We can not stand any more hours wasted and the stupid tricks they play (hmm, I will have to call my manager if we can push the price lower,..). We hate the dishonesty of the quoting system. I just want to know how much the windows are and how much is the work. We had a guy from Anglian here before and they seemed ok. We also had Everest and to be honest the quality was far more superior to Anglian but I am not prepared to pay £1000 for one small window. I would prefer to be able to buy a window myself and then contact some local worker who would install it. But I do not think there is such an option. Tough tough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I would recommend my company,but you are a bit out of the area for us in Town. Look for a small local firm with good credentials rather than a national company. You will get the same,if not better,product for much less cost. Ask around & see if you can find a good 'word of mouth' company - all our work comes from word of mouth rather than advertising Its worth trying a builder, as they usually have a window fitter they can recommend who they use on a regular basis. We do a lot of work for several builders in the area. Avoid Everest like the plague - their profiles are shoddy,workmanship bad (we are forever going & redoing their windows) & after sales service terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 EEEP! I remember how terrible it was when I had to get the patio door replaced (big, double width sliding affair). I had it done for £1100 in the end, so the company I used should be able to do your window for cheaper than a grand. I hated the quoting process, and actually chucked one man out when he suggested I call my husband 'to check' when I told him no. I can't remember who I used, but I will dig out the receipt tonight and post it here. They were lovely, cheap and quick and the door is brilliant. They were also very clean and tidy and came round two weeks after the quote to fit the door (rather than the six weeks a couple of other firms offered me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FORENSICA Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 Thanks! Cinnamon we will avoid them because of the price and now I have another reason, thanks We just need some windows since we are not planing to stay in this house for more than 4 years and so massive investment into the windows just would not pay off. Aunty, you would be a star if you found that out for me. We are a little picky about the patio door, since we need a cat flap but I am sure I could talk to them about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Sure, I know exactly where it is as it happens. We had to have a sliding door as our patio door/window is two and a bit metres wide, but I think you have different options for cat flaps depending on what kind of door you have. It's not difficult to fit one in, as long as you do it when the glass is being manufactured. I decided against it in the end, and had a tunnel put in the wall in the kitchen - took about an hour and looks cute as the dickens on the inside, as we framed it with wooden moldings and put carpet inside for them to wipe their little footsies on. I found them really friendly and nice too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I used these people http://www.glazewise.net/ They were absolutely lovely and the door looks fab (and has been very cosy) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FORENSICA Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 I used these people http://www.glazewise.net/ They were absolutely lovely and the door looks fab (and has been very cosy) Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lydia Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I would not under any circumstances go to Anglian. They "repaired" our roof and facias in 2006 and all was fine until it rained and we had water down the dining and kitchen walls. They admitted it was their mistake but it took 24 phone calls, 4 wasted days off work, lots of stress and finally a trip to court to get them to make good their mistake and then pay up for repairs. All of their staff, without exception, were rude and clearly didn't give a damn and they were basically waiting for us to give in and just repair it ourselves. Oh and we still have mould in our dining room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FORENSICA Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 Lydia how awful for you!! Great that you did not give up and got what you should have gotten at the first place. I contacted two local companies on your suggestions and will see how things progress from here. Thanks again for the ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddie Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Go and ask at the local builders merchants, they're normally very helpful.... I'd love you to use ours but its a bit of a commute from N Devon!! He's (got) a small firm and is fantastic.. Nothing is too much trouble, uses tons of dustsheets, reasonably priced, always comes and snags after a settling time, and looks hot up a ladder too!!(has a nice face too!!)) DP Windows, Woolsery Devon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 My sympathies as you go through the getting quotes process. Am doing this myself for a patio door at the moment. Quotes range wildly from £1100, to £1550, to £1800 (oh and he kindly dropped that from over £2K)..... The highest priced company had the most annoying salesman. He turned up and took a long hard theatrical look at my bay window (which he knew from his records he'd quoted on few years back but didn't get) and proceeded to slag it off. I actually really love my bay window and was really offended by this "sales tactic" since the chap who fitted by lovely bay window retired and I can't use them anymore. Other double glazing salesman tactics which really, really get up my nose are "Oh, where have you been on holiday this year" TRANSLATES AS HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU HAVE AND HOW MUCH CAN I CHARGE YOU. "What line of work is you husband in?" DITTO TRANSLATION. "I can only come round and quote when your husband is home" TRANSLATION - ALL FINANCES ARE CONTROLLED BY MEN NOT WOMEN. If only he knew..... Cinamon, I hope I have not offended, I am talking about big name players here who have got up my nose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 No offence taken at all. Our selling is done by my FIL, who is so laid back he is almost comatose People generally express great relief at not having to sit through a hard sell - in fact one lady get a quote from a national,then a MUCH lower one from us,phoned the national company to tell them, & they then MATCHED our quote (it was a third lower) The customer was so angry that they would have charged her so much more that she told them where to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 Amazing and good for her. I can only echo what others have said - a small local company is best, with fitters who are on a salary, not paid piecework. We had excellent service from ours but unfortunately they're now retired and have sold the company on. A shame as they definitely didn't go in for the hard sell. Also I found it helpful to ask neighbours who had good windows who they'd used and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FORENSICA Posted September 27, 2008 Author Share Posted September 27, 2008 Hmm, had an Anglian guy over yesterday We just wanted the best quote they could give us and did not see the windows since we had them here before. We told him that we had some more companies to come next week but he was saying that it would be the best for them to give us a quote as last since they are the best on the market anyway. Anyway after several phone calls from and to his manager, supposedly updating on the situation we got a quote. He asked what we thought of it and I said that it was high. So he immediately knocked of from about £5200 to £4400 And then another phone calls to manager and at the end we got a quote for £3300, valid till Sunday. He insisted that we take it since it is a great deal but we repeatedly said that we will wait till we saw all companies we had lined up and he does not have to be worried if that was the best quote he could give us. After he tried to persuade us sever times and my husband repeating himself about 4 times we felt that was time for the man to leave our house. How can they take almost £2000 in a space of 5 minutes? I think that is disgusting and horrendously dishonest!! More companies to come, wish us luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FORENSICA Posted October 10, 2008 Author Share Posted October 10, 2008 OK, as Aunty e suggested we are going for the same company as she did. Hope we will be happy with their product. The quoting was no hustle, took only 10minutes! I am just going to give them a ring. Also the price was very good. Anglian was annoying, we decided to not to go with them mostly on the basis of harassing approach to sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Hope they're as good for you as they were for us [/feels the pressure now] I loathed the process of getting quotes, so their no-pressure quoting style went a long way to getting them my business! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimmyCustard Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 We had a quote for a new front door from Anglian and it went from around £3000 to £1800. Ever since, we have been called almost weekly, asking if we want anything else done, new windows, conservatory that will be made to fit any space that I wanted, even if its about 6 feet wide . No amount of 'No thank yous' got through till OH told them the 'other people' had moved out and he was renting. Hey presto - no more calls! Parasites the lot of them....................... Kimmy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
