- Not knowing what is available out of the many products in the market.
- Persistent double-glazing salesmen who may not leave the house.
- Pressure to buy on the night with seemingly too-good-to-be-true discounts.
- Fear that the installation will go wrong and cause disruption to your home and you.
- The negative perception of double-glazing firms.
The vast majority of double-glazing firms are ethical and professional.
In the UK, around 11,500 companies supply doors and windows to consumers, including the big four (Everest, Anglian, Safestyle, and Zenith). Generally, people do not set up in business to rip you off or carry out bad installations. The home improvement industry is worth billions of pounds in overall sales across the entire supply chain in the UK and abroad, employing thousands of people. Despite this, the image of double-glazing firms and the people that represent them remains negative.
Visit any window company website or read any double-glazing brochure; the messages across all publications will be positive and similar. Double-glazing messages will be about customer confidence, selling a lifestyle and transforming your home.
You will often read articles on websites, brochures and social media channels such as “questions to ask your double glazing firm” or “ questions to ask before buying a window or door”.
Some of these questions are, of course, important and pertinent. But if one window company is extolling the virtues of what they do, their products and their brand, does that mean anyone else is wrong? What is the fair and balanced alternative point of view to common questions or statements about double glazing?
6 Questions Consumers Should Ask Double Glazing Companies – And The Answers
- How long have you been trading?
- Are your fitters employed or subcontractors?
- Are your salespeople commission-only
- Are your doors/windows/conservatories manufactured in the UK?
- Do you have a showroom?
- Are you a member of a trade body?
1. Does it really matter how long your window company has been trading?
You will often read companies promoting that they have been trading for 10, 20 or 30 years. With many double-glazing firms, large and small, having gone into administration in recent years, a solid history is certainly something to shout about.
However, this does not necessarily mean that a window company trading for only a few years should not be considered. Anyone starting their own business does not set up to disappoint their customers. If you’re concerned about a newer company, chatting with the owner or senior staff, you may find many years of experience and knowledge behind the company.
“Buyer beware” is generally the principle with any purchase; the same applies to home improvements. It could be argued that new companies will be even more focused on serving you well to build up the satisfied customer base and their testimonials. Therefore, the fact that a double-glazing firm has not been trading for many years is not bad. Simply do your research.
2. Does it really matter if a window company employs sub-contractors or self-employed fitters?
The answer is no. A window company may promote that they are at an advantage over their competition because they employ their own window fitters and don’t use subcontract labour. This doesn’t mean they’re lying but how do you actually know this unless this is proved to you?
What is true is that the home improvement industry is very buoyant presently, with many firms reporting excellent trading. A byproduct of this success is that many double-glazing firms struggle to find the best window and door installers to keep up with demand. With window fitting being a trade few people choose as a career, how do these firms find additional labour?
There is little by way of apprenticeships in door and window installations either. Therefore, when a window company is busy and needs installers, it is natural that they will outsource this labour just like any other business would.
Here are some facts about subcontract fitters:
- Many window companies actually use subcontract self-employed fitters who are given branded window company vans.
- Reputable self-employed window fitters rely on regular work for their living, and many choose to work for good window companies to keep earning. Their reputation matters.
- The quality of window company installations speaks for itself regardless of whether fitters were employed or self-employed.
- The national companies may pay their fitters on a “per window per day” basis, hence possible issues with bad installations. Local firms pay excellent day rates or rates based on the type of product fitted instead.
- Many self-employed fitters have worked for over 20 years, and many for the same company. They are very good at what they do.
- Many window fitters who work for the big national companies often approach small local firms because that is who they would prefer to work for.
Ultimately, it is up to each window company to extol the virtues of their own installation teams, regardless of whether they are employed or self-employed. It may build trust that the company employs fitters, but the vast majority of the double-glazing sector will use self-employed fitters. So, if a window company promotes that it employs its own fitters, this does not mean you will necessarily get a lousy installation elsewhere.
3. What you should know about double-glazing salesmen.
The double-glazing salesman is sometimes derided and ridiculed by the public, but from the comments and emails received on this website, sometimes there is a good reason. The large double-glazing firms employ commission-only salespeople with minimal training on products as they primarily supply a limited product range. Most of the training given to commission-only salespeople from the national double glazing firms is focused on sales tactics and closing the sale – preferably on the night.
By comparison, the independent and local double glazing firms, whilst some employ commission-only salespeople, will rarely pressure their salespeople in the way the larger companies do.
Beware the double-glazing salesman that will attempt to rubbish any other product. Whilst modern double glazing does, of course, differ in specification from product to product, the truth is that with British Standards, CE Marking, Secured by Design and Building Regulations, all window and door products available today will meet or exceed standards for manufacturing, security, building regulations, longevity of foils, colours and glass.
Yes, some products are far superior to others, but by and large, current industry standards are being met. All manufacturers publish the performance figures and reports for their products, so it is very easy if you do your research to compare like-for-like products.
Beware also of the double-glazing salesman who tells you that aluminium suffers from condensation or that timber rots. Regardless of material, all products come with guarantees and routine maintenance guidelines to ensure long service life. Disregard anyone that tells you their products are maintenance-free. No door or window is a “fit and forget” product, and all will require some form of cleaning, lubrication or adjustment at reasonable intervals during their lifespan.
Push your salesperson to provide evidence of what they say. Most important are U-Values and Security claims. Don’t just accept them. Ask for proof. Or contact us and we can verify what they’ve told you about a particular product.
The way the double glazing industry chooses to employ and remunerate its salespeople is largely to blame for much of the negative perception and the pressure salespeople feel to close a sale on the night. As a customer, you should exercise buyer beware and ensure anything a salesman may promise is agreed upon in writing. Our experience in this industry has repeatedly proved that many salespeople will promise the earth to close a sale. A salesman will rarely highlight anything negative. Check your contract terms and conditions, and if there are extras to your job that a standard window contract may not have room to list, ask for these to be written separately and signed.
An good example is new windows in bathrooms and bathroom tiles. The bathroom tiles on the window reveal may sometimes crack when the old steel window is removed. A salesman may promise that the tiles will be replaced, but how can tiles in old properties be replaced if they are no longer made? For a window company, this is a major problem, but for a salesman, it will not be brought up as a possible problem should this happen. Most double-glazing salespeople will rarely have contact with their customers after the contract is signed as their job is done.
Many salesmen believe certain responsibilities are down to the surveyor and many surveyors believe it is down to the salesman. This conflict over who should finalise the specifications can cause problems for the customer. Often, customers will complain that the window handles are different from what they thought, window profiles should have been chamfered, and not ovolo, glass patterns in bathrooms are different from what the salesman said, and so forth.
The surveyor may find something upon survey that counteracts something the salesman may have told you. The structural nature of your property may prevent the product you thought you were having being installed. It is very important that you check your survey and not let your surveyor just get on with it. Ask for a copy of the survey and ask questions if you are unsure about anything. Similarly for a window company, it is very good practice to get your customers to sign the survey as this will avoid issues upon installation that something was not as they thought.
What to verify what a salesperson has told you? Get in touch with the Door and Window Experts’ Website.
4. Does it really matter where your windows and doors come from?
Over the last 10-15 years, the number of small PVCu window manufacturers has diminished to minimal numbers. This is because “super fabricators,” as the double glazing industry refers to them, are set up in business to manufacture thousands of windows a week. The low cost of these windows meant window companies could buy in the same window system they were manufacturing for much less than it cost them to make it! With machinery, factory labour and factory overheads, this did not make it viable for small to medium sized firms to continue making their own PVCu windows and doors. Once a marketing advantage that a company made their own windows, this is no longer the case.
By comparison, super fabricators rarely supply aluminium windows. Whilst there are large trade manufacturers of aluminium windows in the UK, the handmade nature of manufacturing aluminium means the supply chain is more specialist. PVCu windows are mass-produced. Aluminium windows remain a handmade product. Most hybrid windows and doors are made in Europe.
As long as the product quality is good and you are getting the product you want, there is little to fear about where your windows will come from.
5. Does it really matter if your window company does not have a showroom?
The major national double glazing firms such as Everest (Turnover of approximately £150m), Safestyle (Turnover of approximately £140m) and Anglian Windows (Turnover of approximately £200m) do not have showrooms. With such multi-million pound turnover, this proves that these large window firms have or had no need for showrooms.
It also proves that hundreds of thousands of double-glazing buyers are happy to buy from commission-only salespeople that they will meet only once. It demonstrates that they are happy to make a buying decision based on someone in their home presenting a battered tiny window sample, some brochures and small pieces of glass. It proves that many people commit to spending thousands of pounds on this basis.
There are many installers all over the country that are small businesses without a double glazing showroom, with masses of expertise, a fantastic reputation and substantial five-star reviews. Often, they provide the same products and brands as the larger installers at a significant cost saving. Again, we can help put you in touch with them.
Our advice is it doesn’t matter, but there are always valid reasons to visit a double-glazing showroom. Especially with large products like entrance doors, bifolding doors or patio doors, it makes sense to see these large products installed and functioning to be certain you are getting the product you want.
Visiting a showroom also lets you get a feel of your double glazing supplier, their staff, knowledge and range of products available.
Small or one-man window companies all over the UK have been trading for a long time without showrooms. They also provide excellent products and high-quality installations and continue to trade professionally, ethically, and financially sound. So, whilst there is an advantage for window companies with a showroom, we recommend you consider the local firms that do not.
6. How important are memberships of the Glass and Glazing Federation and other professional organisations?
The Glass and Glazing Federation is an important representative of the UK glass and glazing industry and does excellent work in representing its members, working to raise standards, and helping members of the public. Many UK double-glazing firms choose to be members of the GGF for the help, support and representation it provides them in many sector areas. The GGF is also very useful to consumers, ensuring they have adequate consumer protection.
We would always recommend that you research to ensure you are well-protected before signing any contract for new double glazing. The financial stability of the double-glazing firm is important as you will have to pay a deposit and expect completed work as a result. Insurance-backed guarantees also protect consumers should a business cease to trade.
Other organisations such as the Double Glazing Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme also exist to provide consumers and window companies levels of protection, help, advice and support should things go wrong. In the unlikely event that you are not happy with your window company, there is help.
It is not a legal requirement to be a member of any professional organisation, although regulations now exist for the certification of installations via FENSA or Certass. Indeed many window companies trade profitably, responsibly and reputably without being members of the GGF or other trade organisations. Therefore, if a double glazing firm is not a member of any professional organisation, it does not instantly mean it is not reputable.
Bonus. New windows mean different things to different people.
Is your window firm or salesman is trying to sell you that double glazing will transform your home or give you a dramatic lifestyle change? This must depend upon what you want your new windows and doors for and, importantly, what they are part of. Windows and doors can do nothing independently without the building they are being fitted to, the room they are part of and their intended use.
Suppose you are a landlord refurbishing a rental property. In that case, the reality is you will want the cheapest possible windows that will simply provide a solution to your old windows and make your rental property lettable. You do not care about bells and whistles.
It is doubtful that, as a professional landlord, you will care about energy efficiency, U Values, aesthetics, and what your window looks like or whether the new windows will somehow improve the lifestyle of your tenants. Professional landlords, in particular, are in business. In the same way, intelligent landlords will fit the budget carpet and kitchen in a rental property, and the same can be said for the windows and doors.
If you’re a homeowner installing new windows and doors in your own home, it may be a different matter. Again if you are restricted by budget you may simply want the cheapest and best windows you can afford only to replace your old draughty or rotten windows.
If you are building your dream extension, then naturally the extension’s purpose will be to give you a larger kitchen, an additional family room or simply more living space. You may be having a new kitchen, a larger living space, roof lantern, windows and bifolding doors.
With building and design trends moving to more natural light, the glazing in your extension is important but it is the windows and doors in harmony with the whole extension and your fixtures and fittings that may give you the change of lifestyle and alter how you use your home. But not on their own.
Contact the Door and Window Experts Website for expert help and advice.
We hope the above has given you a balanced and alternative view of many of the typical questions and statements made about double glazing. The consumer today has much more information at their fingertips than ever before. Gone are the days when you relied only upon a window salesman to tell you what products were available and what you could have. Now you have many way of learning, getting help and being armed with the right information.
There are now a multitude of new aluminium, timber, and plastic windows and doors that will blend in with your property, whether you are looking for simple window replacements or something more bespoke. Please use the contact form below if we can assist you with buying new windows and doors or if you would like information about good double-glazing firms where you live.
