Advice please-window company

[tarquinlinbin]

Hello, I recently engaged a window company to quote for replacement windows.

At the quoting stage i had some minor reservations but just put that down to my general distrust of the window industry.

I went to the survey stage and had another guy round to measure up.

I got the impression that he wasnt a direct employee and contracted as a surveyor. He took about 45 mins to survey.

After the survey stage i decided that i didnt want to engage this company and wrote and told them so. They were ok with this but said they;d bill for the survey. I accpet that they may have incurred some costs but then we come to what is a reasonable cost?.

In their T&C's they say that if they survey and chose not to continue with the job then they reserve the right to cancel. There is no mention of post survey cancellation by the customer.

Any experinces/feedback gratefully received

A

Remove antispam and add 670 after bra to email

Be a good Global citizen-CONSUME>CONFORM>OBEY

Circumcision- A crime and an abuse.

[Tony Bryer]

At one point I did these surveys (and plans) for a conservatory company: I was on a set rate that was effectively 1-1.5% of the job cost (the salesman got 10%!). I'd reckon that probably £100 +/- is fair especially if they're accepting your cancellation and the contract doesn't explicitly allow you to do so.

[Andy Hall]

How long have you been going straight, Tony? :-)

[Mike Halmarack]

I'd say that most established businesses are out to screw you, though some try to make it more of a mutual pleasure than others. It used to get blamed a lot on the pressures of competition, it often still does. It's much more to do with pressures of taxation though. The relentless demand from above kills off any hope of benevolence or genuine customer care in very short order. The guvnors gets the gravy and we get to eat each other. Thank goodness for Loyd Grossman's fabulous sauces which help to take the bitter taste away.

-- Regards, Mike Halmarack

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[Andy Hall]

I think I prefer the free market to the strange, affected accent of Loyd Grossman.

[Mike Halmarack]

I knew you were smart Andy! The best I can find is car boot sales, which are pretty cheap but Free Market WOW! Gimme the addrass ASAP. P.S Don't mock the afflicted.

-- Regards, Mike Halmarack

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[Mike Halmarack]

I had Loyd's Curry sauce on my mind at the time.

-- Regards, Mike Halmarack

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[Andy Hall]

Curry sauce? in a jar? yuk. :-)

Curry is something that needs to be made from fresh and individual spices.

[Mike Halmarack]

Quite dull and colourless by comparison with the unreal thing. Unless you provide your own toxic agents.

-- Regards, Mike Halmarack

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[Mike Halmarack]

You were just the horses doofer mate.

-- Regards, Mike Halmarack

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[Mike Halmarack]

The all nighters too much for yer eh?

-- Regards, Mike Halmarack

Drop the EGG to email me.

[tarquinlinbin]

Are you guys going to talk curry sauce or talk about my problemette ?? Remove antispam and add 670 after bra to email

Be a good Global citizen-CONSUME>CONFORM>OBEY

Circumcision- A crime and an abuse.

[Andy Hall]

Ah.. I just don't have a negative perspective about established businesses. I don't think that people come into their offices every day with the express intent in mind of how to screw the customer.

Certainly businesses do have the objective of maximising the amount of money that they can obtain from a customer and in the shortest time possible and for the least cost. However, that is simplistic. If the customer feels that they have been screwed, they won't buy from that business again. If it's a business that relies on repeat orders, then having customers feeling screwed for whatever reason is counterproductive. Businesses that achieve mainly one-time sales are generally in a competitive market and benefit from customer recommendation. That is not to say that large national businesses making one time sales don't screw customers - they spend marketing money on image and the numbers game. The windows industry certainly has this issue.

It's certainly true that there is far too much government interference in business, although corporate taxation in the UK is not the highest in the world by a long way.

If the owners of local and regional businesses make good money out of them, then good for them as far as I am concerned because they took the initial risk.

For the large national and multinational companies, the "guvnors" are ultimately us through our investments directly or indirectly in the stock market. We would like to maximise the return on our investments, so there is no point in complaining if we feel that said companies are making a good profit.

[Andy Hall]

Depends what you put in. Personally I would rather know exactly what I am eating and avoid the E's.

[Mike Halmarack]

Of course, or how could you still participate so heartily?

They have little time to give it a thought. It's a condition induced by circumstances beyond their direct control.

Yes.

If it's not possible to survive without screwing the customer then the competition will be doing the same. So what's to choose between them?

Glad to hear that you own the world you live in and that all is generally well with it. IMO though, this is a level of self deception that's necessary to allow you to continue to participate. That's also why the situation will continue to deteriorate.

-- Regards, Mike Halmarack

Drop the EGG to email me.

[Andy Hall]

I don't think it's a big problem.

a) Did the company tell you that there would be a charge for the survey if you didn't proceed?

b) Did they give you a document that you signed where a charge was in the smallprint for said survey?

If the answer to (a) and (b) is no, then I would politely decline their request for money.

When you also consider that their Ts & Cs allowed them to back out, then they in turn have produced an agreement that is far from even handed.

Undoubtedly they have incurred a cost in doing the survey. That's how life is - it's often called cost of sale. The costs involved in lost deals are amortised over the customers who do eventually buy.

There are not many companies that can get away with telling the customer that they need to pay for the work involved in producing a proposal for a sale. When this is done because the work involved is substantial, the supplier should make that clear and make it the subject of a separate transaction.

If it were me, I would write to them pointing out that they didn't explain this at the time of the survey, you didn't agree to it, and very sorry but you do not consider that a payment is due. More than likely, it's a try-on and you will hear nothing more. Other than that they may try to bill you and on non-payment try to sue you.

Let's say they try for £100-200. It would cost them more than that in going after you. They would calculate that most people at that stage would pay up because they don't want the time and hassle of going to court. It becomes a bluff, just like Loyd Grossman pretending that his products have quality. Personally I would call it.

[Andy Hall]

Nah....

[Grunff]

I'm curious Mike - what's your proposition for a better, fairer world?

[Mike Halmarack]

I don't have one but I'm prepared to consider the possibilities.

-- Regards, Mike Halmarack

Drop the EGG to email me.

[Mike Halmarack]

You're missing the object of the exercise which is to allow even those without red boots to enjoy the benefits of red boot polish.

-- Regards, Mike Halmarack

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