Bogus double glazing traders

Bogus double glazing traders are people who sell home improvements by pressure, by misleading you about the work or the price, or by not doing what they promise. Most window firms are honest, but a few are not, and the best protection is to choose who visits you instead of waiting for someone to knock.

How bogus double glazing traders find you

They find you in the places you would expect: at the door, on the phone, in a leaflet or in a roadside advert. Worcestershire’s Trading Standards team lists door-to-door sellers of household goods, driveways and gardening work among the complaints it gets, and says rogue traders and doorstep callers may do unnecessary work, or work to a poor standard, or let the price rise rapidly.

The windows I’d worry about most are the ones sold to you in a hurry. The team’s advice is not to deal with anyone who visits your home uninvited, and not to feel bullied, threatened or pressured into buying. Our guides to double glazing adverts and the double glazing salesman show how the same pressure works when you have invited the salesperson in.

Warning signs of bogus double glazing traders

None of these proves anything on its own, but together they should slow you down:

• They came to you. You didn’t ask for a quote, and the person is on your doorstep or phoning you.
• Urgency. Today-only prices, or a claim that you must decide now.
• A vague quote. No written specification, no firm name and address, no clear price. Our window specification checklist lists what a quote should say.
• Pressure to pay up front or in cash. See ways to pay for double glazing for what each way of paying protects.
• No registration. The installer can’t tell you which scheme they belong to, or how the work will be certified.
• A price that moves. It goes up once the work starts, or the person adds extras you didn’t ask for.

What to do on the doorstep

You don’t have to open the door. If you do, you can say no and close it. If you feel threatened, call the police. Don’t agree to anything on the spot, don’t hand over money, and don’t let anyone start work. If you do want a quote, ask for a card and phone the firm yourself after you have checked it, as our guide to checking a company explains.

If you signed something at home, you may have a cooling-off period, covered in the double glazing salesman guide. Ask the firm to state your cancellation rights in writing.

Where to report bogus double glazing traders

Citizens Advice explains that you report a business to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer service. It says Trading Standards use the reports to investigate unfair trading and illegal business activity, like rogue traders and scams, and can take businesses to court or stop them operating. It also says they won’t help you fix your own problem or get a refund, so if you want your money back, you need to pursue that separately. Our guide to ways to pay covers the routes that can help.

Don’t let a few put you off

The Energy Saving Trust, which warns about people using its name to sell on the doorstep, also says most installers are honest tradespeople who do things by the book, and that bad apples shouldn’t put you off improving your home. I agree. What helps is choosing carefully, as the Trust suggests: ask family and neighbours who they’ve used, and check whether a trader belongs to a trade association or accreditation scheme. It adds that some schemes ask only for a fee, so look at what a membership means.

What to ask before you let anyone quote

1. Which scheme are you registered with, and what is the number?
2. What is the company’s full name, address and company number?
3. Can I see the guarantee and who backs it?
4. Can I speak to a recent customer?

Then work through the buyer beware guide, and put any quote through our quote checker.