Avoiding the Pitfalls

THE HALL OF SHAME!

The trade tricks the builders and sales people DON'T tell you.

We think we have come across every trick in the book. If there are any not listed below please e-mail us.

The following are a few examples to look out for:

50% off (or other significant discounts) - commonest marketing technique used

Every company has to make a profit to pay to run their business.

The gross profit margin is often 40% of their basic cost to do the job.

If a company says that the replacement window cost is normally £1,000 but because there's a 'special offer' at the moment giving 50% off, this means that the salesman will sell you the job at £500.

It should be costing around £600 just to do the job, if the £1,000 retail price is to be believed, so the company will actually be making a £100 loss on your job.

The company are either telling you lies or they will soon be out of business.

Show-house Technique - board outside your property

• Company recently moved into the area?

• Show three or four other customers your job?

• Your house will look fantastic in a forthcoming brochure?
  
  Forget it!! - No company will take a drop in profits to get your job.
  This trick is used by companies constantly.

Buy one window, get one free! - it equates to the same thing as point one

The nicest and most intelligent people can get thrown by this.

We looked after a Magistrate ten years ago, who had a salesman quoting £ 6,500 for the windows for her three bedroom semi, but the promotion effectively cut this "deal" in half.

We were called in to make sense of the job and obtained a quote for around £2,700 and the job was carried out.

The 'buy one, get one free' company went into liquidation shortly afterwards, but has set up again under a different name.

This scam continues throughout the industry Whilst most of us can spot this lie a mile away, we really worry about un-assuming or vulnerable people getting taken in by this daily.

We can often help people who have signed-up with a company under these circumstances, and will give straightforward advice, but don't leave it too late particularly if the surveyor is due to measure the job for manufacturing sizes.

Cut the salesman out or "I'm a manager, not on commission"

      
A well known company uses this tactic on every job in which the salesman cannot "close" on the night.

Having been offered a price far too high to be competitive (following one to two hours of starting higher and reducing slowly), the customer says "I'll let you know", as we all would.

A day or so later, the sales manager phones you to say that either you are such a prize catch (show-house) or that we've reached our monthly targets, and we can afford to drop the last quoted price, but don't tell anyone, or the salesman made a mistake - and we'll cut his commission out of the equation.

Miraculously, the price is cut again - to a sensible price comparable to other quotes obtained!

Salesman's price too good to be true Until the surveyor turns up !

A classic con, regularly employed by one of the UK 's larger companies and copied throughout the industry.

You may have seen two or three sales people prices high & low, products different, lot's of sales-talk and you end up thoroughly fed-up !

One of the firms comes up with a price that is quite a bit lower than the others, you like the product and the sales person appears honest, etc You decide to sign an order (a legal obligation for you to have the job done) to proceed and you may even pay a deposit. Next to the price on the order form, or somewhere in the small-print are the infamous words Subject To Survey or even STS).

The surveyor duly arrives, assesses the work, scratches his head, and delivers the following news

I'm really sorry about this, I don't know what the sales person has done, but he has left off X, Y and Z from the order The job simply can't be done for this amount We'll either have to cancel, or you will have to pay the extra to cover the X, Y & Z the sales person has unfortunately omitted

By this time, you are so tired of shopping around, and the price increase is up to around the other quotes you had previously So you do one of two things:

• Do what the errant company is relying on Pay the difference, so they have secured another order in the face of their competition or.

• Do what we would do Tell them that they employ incompetent sales people, say you have got no money to pay for the job anyway and show the surveyor the door.

At this point, some companies will not pursue the sale, but others (and this happens daily), will enforce the legal agreement you have signed in the comfort of your own home, saying You should have read what you are signing. Legally, it is very difficult to get out of this situation, so the moral is Read what you are signing for; or employ the services of NHIAS, NRWAS or NCAS !

Salesman gives you a deliberately high price; You say thanks, but no thanks

Most double glazing salesmen are paid on a commission-only basis and there are few genuine fixed price lists for them to work from It's a case of get the best we can from the customer Chancing their arm ! If they get more from you than the company actually needs, full sales commissions are earned and bonuses are paid for bringing bigger profits in.
If a high price is offered as the final deal and you, quite rightly, show the door, don't be surprised to expect the following:

• The Sales Manager/Owner calls you Says that the salesman made a mistake and didn't offer you the current discount, etc, etc A second bite at the cherry so to speak !

• The salesman phones you back and says I'm about to leave the company, because they are too expensive, but I can get the job done cheaper through my new company, if we keep it quiet. Either another company name, operated by the same firm or the salesman is ripping his employer off by using his friend down the road.

• Out of the blue, you get a phone call from another double glazing firm, who ask you if you are the market for windows, because they have a special deal at the moment. This call appears co-incidental, but in reality, the salesman has sold your details to another company, and if they get a sale from you, he gets a cut !

Seven Windows for £ XXXX AND TWO free doors

The average job is described above Most people looking at a cheap price with TWO FREE DOORS have to make the call & see the sales person, fully expecting to pay the cheap price advertised.

The seven windows may be available at the price but the doors turn out to be £ 10.00s worth of unglazed internal quality timber doors Not the £ 600.00 quality PVC-u doors you had expected in your mind.

By this time, the salesman is in your home and working on you to convince you that his company is the best thing since sliced bread !!

Seven Windows for £ 1200 / £ 1500 / £ 2000

You would fully expect to get seven windows for any of these amounts, if it is advertised in the newspaper, but what they don't tell you is:

• The windows have no openers These cost £ 60.00 extra per opener.

• The windows on offer are based on standard sizes.

• The windows on offer are our budget range Such poor quality when you see them, that the better system they have looks 10 times better, but cost three times as much as the advert said.

• The windows are supply only Fitting is extra and if you ask how much the fitting cost is, this is inflated to take account of the cheap window price.

• The windows do not include VAT, etc, etc

Summary

These scam examples have been applied to the window industry, but exist in the conservatory industry as well as the building trade and other home improvement products or services.
We have heard numerous stories from customers and the worst case is featuring in a Builders From Hell programme to be screened later in 2003.

A detached house, between two others, was built with inadequate foundations on one half of the house. The builder employed an architect, was a member of a trade association and everything looked good Except half of the house was falling apart. The foundations required specialist piling and this was not taken into account.
The story has ended with the house being demolished, the land has been surveyed and correct piling and foundations specified, and the house re-built correctly.

It's a contract supervised by our service We found the right piling company & builder and we have Project Managed the job and is an illustration of why we exist and how we help home improvers avoid the Builder From Hell or the infamous Double Glazing Salesman.

Taken from National conservatory advisory service www.nrwas.org