Anglian Windows - door to door guys swearing at customers

Archway

Anglia Double Glazing, what a wonderful company....

Friends mother died three years ago and I had to go abroad for the funeral. I had Anglian in a few days before I went away. Told them that I'd be away, and why I'd be away and not to contact me.

Their rep phoned me while I was at the funeral, voicemail went as follows "Hi Mr Archway, I do realise that you are in Spain for a funeral, but if you could get back to me and let me know how you got on with our quote, I'd be very grateful".

When I came back, I called the other company who quoted me. They were exactly twice as much as Anglian. I gave them the order.

Cue a visit from Anglian again a few weeks later asking why they didn't get the order. I brought the guy in, made him a cup of tea, gave him biscuits, replayed him his bosses voicemail and told him to get to F%ck out of my house and that I would be reporting his company to whoever I could.

When I told him how much I'd paid, he was astonished. "We could have done it for half of that" Yes you could have, and you were getting the order until the phone call, now close the door on your way out....

Volcano

I'm going to invest in one of these video intercoms as they're quite cheap now (£100):

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500001801&productId=1500511631&langId=-1&engine=froogle&keyword=Byron+Video+Intercom

Smartly dressed person with a clip board at the door? You can tell them "No thanks" without getting into a conversation, or even getting off the sofa for that matter.

Can't wait!

Manty

Better yet, get a robotic boxing clove fitted to your porch that you can trigger with your mobile... months of endless fun!

TDQO

I just say "no thanks" and shut the door no matter who it is or what they're pushing. Is much quicker and easier.

trisontana

What you must remember is that most of these door-to-door salesmen are on a commission-only pay package. They will do anything to make a sale and it brings out the worst in them. I imagine he hadn't made many sales this month, the bills are rolling in and he was getting desperate.


It's the same thing with energy company reps, people selling overpriced vacuum cleaners and adjustable beds and most other people who knock on your door. Without looking at official figures I am willing to bet that the majority of consumer complaints originate with companies who's staff rely on commission for most of their wage.

qetu1357

trisontana wrote: »

What you must remember is that most of these door-to-door salesmen are on a commission-only pay package. They will do anything to make a sale and it brings out the worst in them. I imagine he hadn't made many sales this month, the bills are rolling in and he was getting desperate.


It's the same thing with energy company reps, people selling overpriced vacuum cleaners and adjustable beds and most other people who knock on your door. Without looking at official figures I am willing to bet that the majority of consumer complaints originate with companies who's staff rely on commission for most of their wage.

Well said. I've never done sales but I could imagine it is soul destroying.

My advice to anyone who doesn't like door to door sales people is to have a card on the door saying so. The same with sales phone calls - TPS and junk mail - MPS.

nexuss

qetu1357 wrote: »

Well said. I've never done sales but I could imagine it is soul destroying.

My advice to anyone who doesn't like door to door sales people is to have a card on the door saying so. The same with sales phone calls - TPS and junk mail - MPS.

This does not stop them.

qetu1357

nexuss wrote: »

This does not stop them.

TPS works for me. Was getting 2 calls a week, now get 1 a month.

Don't have problems with door to door and don't mind junk mail.

vikingaero

My beef with DG canvassers is that the muppets can see that I have a fully double glazed windows, a double glazed UPVC front door, UPVC fascias and soffits, and you can see the conservatory on one side of my house; and they still frickin well knock to sell something.

stingeylass

I (very) briefly worked as an anglian door to door canvasser, and I can't imagine a more thankless job. When I applied I was invited to an open day in the local offices, where me and the other applicants were told what a cushy job door to door canvassing is, how much we could earn, how easy it was etc. We got paid on commission, every time a customer was interested in a home improvement and booked an appointment for someone from the sales team to visit with more information, we got paid a certain amount, depending on the job.
But in reality barely anyone is interested in booking a visit from a sales rep, so we spent hours walking round housing estates knocking on doors and being told to f-off and having doors slammed in our faces and didn't get paid for any of it.
The supervisor sent me around an estate where 90% of the houses were rented, and so obviously wouldn't be interested in radical home improvements, (and allready had double glazing) but many of the people in the houses I visited told me that someone from anglian had allready knocked on their door just a few weeks before. When I asked the supervisor why I was being sent round an area that had only recently been covered and was mainly rented, she completely denied the fact and blamed the lack of interest on the weather!
I quit at the end of the first day and so did two of the others who had started at the same time as me, it seems like nobody does that job for long, and that is how the company opperates, they get free labour untill you all quit, and then advertise for the next batch of canvassers.
I honestly don't know how anyone could make a living that way, because even if you do get a few sales the pay would still work out at less than the minimum wage.
Anglian treat their customers and their workers like crap, and I would never, ever buy from them however cheap they are.