Which? Guide to buying windows & doors

Which? Guide to buying windows & doors

A new study by consumer watchdog Which, has highlighted the potential minefield faced by anyone buying new windows and doors.

Published this month [Oct 2016], the new report reveals everything from the practices employed by double-glazing companies to generate sales, to ratings for service and aftercare.

It follows a poll of more than 2000, homeowners in August this year. This asked them to rate the experience of buying windows from how knowledgeable sales teams were, to the quality of products and installation.

This revealed that not all window companies were living up to expectations, with delays in the start of works, poor quality installations and damage to interior fixtures and fittings, cited as an issue in 14% of installations.

Scratched glass (13%), missing screw heads, end caps and covers (11%), scratched and damaged frames (10%) and failure to clean up after completing works (9%), listed as common issues.

Discounting was also reported as a widely used sales tool. “We've heard about instances of double glazing salespeople quoting a high price to begin with, and then dropping over the course of their sales visit, to encourage you to sign on the spot. The price you're quoted could drop by 75%, or more than £10,000, during a sales pitch”, the report said.  

It continued: “This practice appears to be industry wide, as customers from all three big-name companies we've reviewed – Anglian, Everest and Safestyle – reported this happening to them.”

The study found that word-of-mouth recommendation remained an important factor for homeowners in making their choice of supplier with 52% stating that reputation was a key influence on their decision.

The majority of people asked by Which (53%) said the reason they chose the company they used was because the salesperson didn’t make them feel pressurised. 

“This is something we have instilled in our sales teams from the off. We’re not here to pressure anyone into signing on the day for a big discount and although there’s sometimes a little room for manoeuvre , we’re not really into discounting because we’d rather save everyone time by giving a decent price first time around”, said Mark Pearce, Managing Director, KJM Group.

Mark continued: “We’d rather price sensibly, do a good job and win business off our reputation for doing so.”   

Serving Hampshire and surrounding counties including Wiltshire, Dorset, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex, KJM Group offers one of the UK’s widest window and door ranges. This includes energy efficient double and triple-glazed windows including wood and low maintenance PVC-U windows, composite doors, bi-folding doors, sash windows, secondary glazing and conservatories and Orangeries.

KJM Group is also a member of the Which Trusted Trader scheme.

For more information on our range of energy efficient windows and doors call or email the sales team on 01264 359355 or [email protected].