Double glazing salesman tactics

A double glazing salesman is paid to sell windows, not to advise you, and in my experience many are paid on commission alone. That doesn’t make them dishonest. It does mean you should check what you are told before you sign.

How a double glazing salesman is paid

In my experience many home salespeople are self-employed and paid commission only. No sale means no pay. Imagine you are the one in your front room with a quote on the table, hoping the customer signs. You have every reason to try hard to close the sale.

That is the first thing to understand about any double glazing salesman. A salesperson has a strong interest in telling you what you want to hear, and the job is to sell, not to give you the best advice. Some have never fitted a window, so it is fair to ask whether the person advising you has.

However, none of this means everyone in the trade is a crook. There is a lot of integrity in the industry and a great number of honest people. As in any walk of life, the naive are easier to take advantage of, so a little checking goes a long way.

The pressure pitch

The commonest pressure is “sign tonight to get the discount”. It comes with a deadline, an “offer ends” date, and often a new “special offer” the following week. I hear the same reasons given for a discount again and again:

• Your house is on a main road, or near a bus stop.
• You agree to a site board outside the house.
• There is a school up the road.
• The firm needs a show house in your street.
• The salesperson “phones the manager” and comes back with a better price.
• The person says they are the manager, there is no commission to pay, and this is the trade price.

A discount is only a discount if the higher price was real. The Competition and Markets Authority’s principles on discount and reference pricing, written for online mattress sellers, say that a reference price must reflect a genuine price. The idea applies more widely. If the price drops each time you hesitate, ask what the starting price was ever for.

Why you shouldn’t sign on the night

If you agree a contract at home, away from the firm’s premises, you normally have a cooling-off period of 14 days. Citizens Advice says it begins the day after you enter the contract, whether or not it is written down, and that you get your money back if you cancel in time. The rules are in the Consumer Contracts Regulations. Four things matter:

• The firm has to tell you. If it doesn’t give you the required information about your right to cancel, the period can run for up to 12 months after it would otherwise have ended.
• Made-to-measure goods are excluded. The right to cancel doesn’t apply to goods made to your specification or clearly personalised. Made-to-measure windows may fall under that, so ask what happens if you cancel after the firm has ordered them.
• Work can’t start early without your say. A trader must not begin a service during the cooling-off period unless you have made an express request, and if you cancel after asking it to start, you may have to pay for what has been done.
• Urgent repairs are different. The right doesn’t apply where you asked a trader to visit specifically for urgent repairs.

How these rules apply to a supply-and-fit contract depends on how it is classified, so ask the firm to state your cancellation rights in writing. This is general information and not legal advice. Citizens Advice has a template letter to cancel a contract made at home.

What to ask a double glazing salesman

1. Are you employed by the company, or paid on commission?
2. Who will fit the windows: the firm’s own fitters, or subcontractors?
3. Are you registered with FENSA or CERTASS, and who will give me the certificate?
4. What guarantee do I get, in writing, and is it backed by insurance?
5. Can I have the full quote in writing, with the specification itemised, to think about?
6. What is my cooling-off period, and when does it start?

A firm that is straight with you won’t mind you taking the quote away. Put the figure through our quote checker, compare it with two other written quotes, and read how to pay safely. More on what to check before you buy is in buyer beware.