UPVC Windows and Door

webbo34

Fellow moneysavers,

I was wondering if you could all give me a rough idea of a double glazing quote and at the same time, I could share some of my experiences so far.

OK, this is what I am asking for;

• 3 White Windows - all roughly the same size (approx 200cm wide X 150cm high)
• 1 White Front Door (containing 1 panel of obscured glass, approx half the size of the door)

Firstly, we had a quote from a local company (and we have 2 more on the way this week) and 2 more well known; Amber and Safestyle.

The local company (which is by no means small, having a few "branches" and covering most of the midlands) have quoted £2,000 - which I thought was quite reasonable at the time.

Amber quoted us £3,600 and didn't budge or lower it at all - although the sales guy did say "were you offered any promotions?" to which I said "No". Talk about a conversation killer. I was a little put off my the guys constant reminder to me that "putting in windows ain't hard".

Safestyle quoted us, wait for it, £8,000+. I said "I may look young, but I wasn't born yesterday". He then said that he could do me the "Diamond" window at the price of the "Premium" window at a cost of around £6,000. I told him this was still 3 times our best quote and he kept saying "yes but its a 3 times better product". Having never seen the local company's window sample; I couldn't dispute that - but I did tell him I have better windows than the ridiculously named "Premium" window in my caravan. I think they must offer all customers the "Diamond" to make them feel as if they're getting a good deal. After telling him our budget he got out his mobile phone and didn't seem to find my "Deal or no Deal" banker joke very funny. To cut a long and tiring payment option conversation short; if we signed there and then Safestyle would go to £2,500. So from £8,000+ to £2,500 - I told him my obvious reasons for not trusting them and he, thankfully, left immediately albeit with a somewhat annoyed expression.

So as you can imagine, my last two quotes from "big" companies have put me off - infact, after reading a few threads on here I have cancelled Everest who were due to come this week.

It looks as though we will be going with a local company - but need to ensure their windows are decent, i.e. don't look like they belong in a caravan, reinforced steel frames, glass installed from inside, energy efficient (would be a bonus), argon filled (would be a bonus).

So my question is; does the first £2,000 quote sound about right? If not, how much do you think I should be paying for 3 windows and a front door? We live in Derbyshire!

Thank you for your help and for reading.

Essex_Maid

Cann't help re quote. BUT a good move not to use Everest. Would not touch them with a barge pole these days. They treated my poor Dad appalling a couple of years back, and since then not heard any good about them.

Bishop_Basher

The price will be different depending how many windows open etc

Its about £300 or £400 more than I'd charge, but for a largeish company its not bad.
Unlike Safestyle, it amazes me why any one would use them!

Peartree

I've just paid c£2900 for three large windows - bigger than yours, four small windows and a plain, half-glazed back door. Most of the windows needed toughened glass (because they are below a certain height off the floor) all have openings one way or another and three are frosted. All the company's windows have an accreditation with Energy Saving Trust (If the energy-saving aspect is important, there is a list of companies on their website, by the way, http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/compare_and_buy_products/glazing/windows )

This was from a local company who I found by personal recommendation. I thought it was incredibly good value for the quality and level of service - sadly, they aren't in your area! However, I think it is well worth you shopping around a bit more.

Incidentally, I did go and have a look at their showroom first, rather than just getting them round, because I like to see the set up when I'm dealing with a company on something like this. When I went, I took the rough measurements and the sales manager gave me an idea of price there and then - working it all out in front of me from a very clear pricing structure. In fact, when they came to quote 'proper' there was very little difference, just a bit extra for the toughened glass where it was needed.

sparky883

Everest Fit the best-Look at that pub on the hill you cannot beat that or was that Barratts??

webbo34

Thanks for the comments. We actually accepted a quote a couple of hours ago from a small local company that don't advertise called "The Window Company", based in Nottingham (postcode NG7 7GE).

It's quite strange really (possibly fate?) because they happened to be fitting windows a few doors away and knocked on our door out of curiosity - I actually thought it was a Mansfield-based company that we had booked; but they never turned up in the end (note to self; must check around the corner in the morning for tied and gagged salesmen).

We managed to get "The Window Company" down from £2,000 to £1,850 and by the look on the guys face, he was really pushing his margin - he even forgot to add the cost of the cladding under the front bedroom window into the quote (about 2 square metres worth) - I managed to get that at no extra cost, which was pleasing. I failed to mention this in my original post; I believe it costs around £120 a square metre.

The guy who came to measure up and quote was very genuine. He didn't give us a stupid quote then half it and half it again...etc....

Anyway, I've handed over my £100 deposit so hopefully nobody has heard anything bad about "The Window Company (Nottingham)" or "The Fascia Company" (another of their trading names). If you have, speak now! I'm hoping I got a good deal....

Cheers

BargainHunter09

Hi webbo34,

How are the new windows & doors?

Would you reccomend "The Window Company"? We live in a similar area.

Thanks,

webbo34

Hi,

Yes, they did a cracking job of fitting and we are really happy with the result.

The front-door has made a massive difference!

Cheers! :j

cansado

Do not buy windows from amber windows, see forum for ambasun uk both companies are connected.

SGE1

Still time to ditch horrible plastic windows and get some nicer wood or aluminium ones??

kazerooney

My neighbour recently had solar panels fitted by Amber windows. They erected scaffolding across our roof without our permission. One of the planks fell on our glass laundry room roof and broke it, my neighbour has made several calls - to no avail, and I have complained in writing, to which I've had no response. What action should I take?