Double-glazing

I know that double-glazing sales techniques are the stuff of legend, but I've actually experienced it first-hand now. It's astounding, just astounding.

I'm sure you know the stories and don't need to hear another one, but first there was some garbled "Second-one-free-65%-off" verbiage that barely made sense, they were just being uttered as comforting mouth noises, like you might say to calm down an overexcited horse.

Then there was the calculator punching, then the call to his boss.

The first quote of £3600 came down to £3100 without any prompting from us.

No, we weren't going to agree anything today, we were going to get another quote.

Today, a telephone call from someone asking if all was OK, what was the quote etc (as if he didn't know). £3100? Hmm, hmm. He's scratching his head, he says; it seems mysteriously high to him. He'll talk to his manager. Please hang on. Hello sir, I think we can do better than that, but can we come round to check the site? It'll only take a few minutes.

And so on.

How did this absurd performance begin? Can you imagine if everything else had to be bought and sold in the same way? Is there some reason that double-glazing sales has to be like this?

Daniele

Reply to
D.M. Procida
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Then there's the special deal that's ending today, and the money available from the marketing budget that could be applied to your quote if you were willing to have a few publicity shots done of your installation afterwards.

The best way to do this is to have *nothing* to do with the AngliaHI and Everests of this world, that is, the national chains. You should look for small local outfits. SWMBO found five round us and we spent a day visiting them all. We felt comfortable with three, and not with the other two. The three came over and gave us quotes. We picked from one of those in this group who said: "This is our price, no deals or negotiation, we won't be calling you, we'll wait to hear from you (or not)".

Reply to
Tim Streater

absolutely not - use a small independent firm that has been around for a few years. Mine gave me an "estimate" from his office based on my sketches/measurements and said his quote would be within +/-£200 of his estimate. But I would only get quote after he had measured up. When he measured some slight changes (toughened glass in some places etc) but he was good to his word and final cost was as stated. Very pleased with final result.

Reply to
news

You could guess at what a reasonable price would be by looking up the prices of similar sized windows on Screwfix. Then add on a bit for installation.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I had the full "my kids are going to go hungry if you don't buy".

Reply to
RJH

A tip. Sit some distance apart so that they can't focus on both of you at once. Throws them right off.

Reply to
Bob Eager

"D.M. Procida" wrote in message news:1lr3lpk.86tjtli2h0vuN% snipped-for-privacy@apple-juice.co.uk...

Bigger profit? Why sell for £2000 if you can talk bollocks and get someone to pay £3000?

Reply to
ARW

"D.M. Procida" wrote in message news:1lr3lpk.86tjtli2h0vuN% snipped-for-privacy@apple-juice.co.uk...

go back about 80 years and washing machines and vacuums were

tim

Reply to
tim.....

In the mid-90s I boggled when an ex-student housemate at Uni got a job doing door-to-door Kirby vacuum cleaner sales. I presumed such arcane activities had ceased at least 20 years prior to that.

It was a complete farce of a job. No salary and commission based on final sale price (think it varied between 850 & 1100 quid.) A sale at the bottom end and the commission was nothing.

It didn't help that we all learnt his script faster than he did. It opened: "Kirby, a Scot's born American..." and then went on for 3 hours(!!!)

Reply to
Scott M

tim..... wrote

Kirbys still are.

Reply to
Jabba

Hmm. You've never looked at leather goods in markets in Paris, then. (I've never been to the middle east, but I believe these are a fair facsimile).

Reply to
newshound

Exactly describes my lad's recent experience getting soundproofing for his new flat in Stratford.

Reply to
newshound

My mother has just had some work satisfactory completed at a cost of £1500. The salesman came and only quoted this price, this was followed up by a letter two days later confirming the price and detailing all that was covered by the quote. No follow up phone calls. This was from a local firm that I believe employs 3 or 4 people.

She had the misfortune of having two other companies quoting. One quoted £3700 which was discounted to £2900 because they were already carrying out other work in the area. The other company started off at £3000 which was subsequently reduced in stages to £1800 after many phone calls to her.

Reply to
alan_m

Who knows, but rule 1 do not allow a cold caller in, as they are obviously scratching for work, which of course they will pass on to some dodgy sub contractor by the time you get them fitted. I have very old double glazing, and it still more or less works. Short of going triple glazed and cladding the single wall with something, I'm not going to make it worth redoing, and yet i still get the odd caller touting. As for why, well, I'd imagine its just what they have done in the past, so... You get the same sort of thing with wall coatings, Conservatories, Decking patios, hard standings, and roof conversions et etc. I r reckon its folk lore or summut. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

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