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Staywarm Insulation Ltd - preying on pensioners
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Protectingmymum
Posts: 1 Newbie
I'm thoroughly sick to my stomach - just been to visit my mum's for the weekend and finally persuaded her to show me the contract she just signed to have her roof fixed/insulated. It's for a whopping $6k plus small change. (I don't have a pound sign - but it's GBP not US$!). The contract states it is for minor repairs (replacement of a couple of loose/missing tiles, removal of flashing (doesn't say anything about repair anywhere) and for their special spray on insulation.
The paperwork to accompany this new contract was ridiculously sparce - about 5 tick boxes were ticked, with no detail as to what they would be doing other than "removing / replacing roof tiles where necessary" and then this spray insulation. So after she tore a strip off me for always interfering with her affairs I did some digging around.
Staywarm Insulation Ltd is the new name for Simplee Solar (according to Companies House website) - in itself, this is amusing, because I remember in an old thread that a Simplee Solar rep had said that despite all the bad press they'd been brave enough to clear up their act, and still traded under the same name, determined to clear things up etc. Well surprise surprise that isn't the case. New name, different product in this case, although I can see they have a different StayWarm company (slightly different name) which still does Solar stuff.
Anyway, this was a cold call - given the name of the company, my mother thought yet again this was a government backed initiative - she'd heard about staywarm tariffs and thought this was all part of the scheme, insulate and save money blah blah blah. She took it all in, and wanted to do her bit for the environment.
So this is a warning - Simplee Solar are back in business - now called Staywarm Insulation Ltd. preying on the elderly, horrible salesmen tactics, misleading marketing (and how DARE they use that name) and all the usual paperwork games to squeeze money out of those who feel they have to do it. And funnily enough, my mum turns 70 in a couple of weeks, and I think that means she'll qualify for free roof and wall insulation anyway. Do you think they get their employees to go down their list of names/numbers and pick out who will be most likely to bite?!?
We're onto Consumer Direct tomorrow - cooling off period of 14 days ended last week - i assume she'll lose the deposit, but i will make sure they don't get a penny more.
I haven't dug up anything else about this company - other than managing to link it to Simplee Solar - so if anyone else knows anything - if anyone else knows what other angles we can cover to attack - please share with me!
Thanks.
The paperwork to accompany this new contract was ridiculously sparce - about 5 tick boxes were ticked, with no detail as to what they would be doing other than "removing / replacing roof tiles where necessary" and then this spray insulation. So after she tore a strip off me for always interfering with her affairs I did some digging around.
Staywarm Insulation Ltd is the new name for Simplee Solar (according to Companies House website) - in itself, this is amusing, because I remember in an old thread that a Simplee Solar rep had said that despite all the bad press they'd been brave enough to clear up their act, and still traded under the same name, determined to clear things up etc. Well surprise surprise that isn't the case. New name, different product in this case, although I can see they have a different StayWarm company (slightly different name) which still does Solar stuff.
Anyway, this was a cold call - given the name of the company, my mother thought yet again this was a government backed initiative - she'd heard about staywarm tariffs and thought this was all part of the scheme, insulate and save money blah blah blah. She took it all in, and wanted to do her bit for the environment.
So this is a warning - Simplee Solar are back in business - now called Staywarm Insulation Ltd. preying on the elderly, horrible salesmen tactics, misleading marketing (and how DARE they use that name) and all the usual paperwork games to squeeze money out of those who feel they have to do it. And funnily enough, my mum turns 70 in a couple of weeks, and I think that means she'll qualify for free roof and wall insulation anyway. Do you think they get their employees to go down their list of names/numbers and pick out who will be most likely to bite?!?
We're onto Consumer Direct tomorrow - cooling off period of 14 days ended last week - i assume she'll lose the deposit, but i will make sure they don't get a penny more.
I haven't dug up anything else about this company - other than managing to link it to Simplee Solar - so if anyone else knows anything - if anyone else knows what other angles we can cover to attack - please share with me!
Thanks.
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Comments
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Do let us know how you get on. I'm waiting for a 'newbie' to join and sing the praises of Staywarm......"You were only supposed to blow the bl**dy doors off!!"0
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(had to reregister as my stupid computer messed up my logging on - but i'm still Protectingmymum!)
Thanks for your response.
I've since got advice from my own builder. He said that spray on insulation isn't as good as normal insulation - it doesn't go on as thick, and advantages re: fixing loose tiles would only be a temporary thing. As soon as you need to repair the roof in any way, it's really difficult and messy, as everything is stuck together.
He said to insulate an average semi-detached would cost around $200. And to re-roof the whole house shouldn't even cost $6k even if it is appalling repair.
I've also contacted consumer direct - they're actually relatively hopeful - apparently she MAY be able to get back her deposit based on what survey was actually done - may involve court, but not necessarily; and if they try to squeeze the rest of the money out of her as per contract they'd have to take her to court to get it and prove to the judge that it is reasonable - which they would never get away with. Or I assume they wouldn't.
Anyway - I'd love advice from regulars on this forum: is there anywhere else I need to post about this company for other people to see. I do check here - but are there any other public forums. publicising this kind of company and their marketing tactics seems the only way to reach people.
thanks!0 -
There appear to be (at least) 2 companies called Staywarm:
http://www.staywarm-insulation.co.uk/
and:
http://www.staywarminsulation.co.uk/
I assume it's the company in the first link???"You were only supposed to blow the bl**dy doors off!!"0 -
Yes the first one . . . registered in Wimborne, Dorset.
staywarm-insulation
.co.uk
and it has another registered company, which seems to have taken over what Simplee Solar did . . .
staywarm-energy
.co.uk
Did i tell you already, that my mum already has solar panels installed courtesy of simplee solar a few years back. Happy to say, the technology works for her. Sad to say she paid about 4 x more than she should have. But there is only so much i can say, as i don't want to beat her down any further. She is also sick with worry over this, feeling completely deflated, useless, and much older than her age, having been duped. She thought Simplee Solar was government backed too - with their stupid advertising, and didn't even think to question the price.
How on earth do these people sleep at night?0 -
Protectingmymum wrote: »I'm thoroughly sick to my stomach - just been to visit my mum's for the weekend and finally persuaded her to show me the contract she just signed to have her roof fixed/insulated. It's for a whopping $6k plus small change. (I don't have a pound sign - but it's GBP not US$!). The contract states it is for minor repairs (replacement of a couple of loose/missing tiles, removal of flashing (doesn't say anything about repair anywhere) and for their special spray on insulation.
The paperwork to accompany this new contract was ridiculously sparce - about 5 tick boxes were ticked, with no detail as to what they would be doing other than "removing / replacing roof tiles where necessary" and then this spray insulation. So after she tore a strip off me for always interfering with her affairs I did some digging around.
Staywarm Insulation Ltd is the new name for Simplee Solar (according to Companies House website) - in itself, this is amusing, because I remember in an old thread that a Simplee Solar rep had said that despite all the bad press they'd been brave enough to clear up their act, and still traded under the same name, determined to clear things up etc. Well surprise surprise that isn't the case. New name, different product in this case, although I can see they have a different StayWarm company (slightly different name) which still does Solar stuff.
Anyway, this was a cold call - given the name of the company, my mother thought yet again this was a government backed initiative - she'd heard about staywarm tariffs and thought this was all part of the scheme, insulate and save money blah blah blah. She took it all in, and wanted to do her bit for the environment.
So this is a warning - Simplee Solar are back in business - now called Staywarm Insulation Ltd. preying on the elderly, horrible salesmen tactics, misleading marketing (and how DARE they use that name) and all the usual paperwork games to squeeze money out of those who feel they have to do it. And funnily enough, my mum turns 70 in a couple of weeks, and I think that means she'll qualify for free roof and wall insulation anyway. Do you think they get their employees to go down their list of names/numbers and pick out who will be most likely to bite?!?
We're onto Consumer Direct tomorrow - cooling off period of 14 days ended last week - i assume she'll lose the deposit, but i will make sure they don't get a penny more.
I haven't dug up anything else about this company - other than managing to link it to Simplee Solar - so if anyone else knows anything - if anyone else knows what other angles we can cover to attack - please share with me!
Thanks.
Is this the spray on foam they are using to seal the roof? If so it causes more damage than it fixes, it was on Rouge trader or watchdog. I really hope it isn't this as your poor mum will have to have the whole roof re done if it is.
Thanks for the warning, my ex father in law has up to now been conned at the door by southern electric and another one I can't remember off hand but something to do with windows, plus a thief pretending to check the flow of his water in the bathroom. I'm at my whitts end sorting all his mistakes out, and that is just this year.Wow, I got 3 *, when did that happen :j:T:p
It is not illegal to open another persons mail unless you intend to commit fraud - this is frequently incorrectly posted
I live in my head - I find it's safer there:p
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seriously why do people think spraying a thin film onto roof tiles will insulate their house !!!!!
Roofs require to breathe the only place people shuld be putting insulation is into the loft , 270mm min.
These companies make me sick0 -
seriously why do people think spraying a thin film onto roof tiles will insulate their house !!!!!
These companies make me sick
Because most older people were brought up in a time when you could actually believe what someone said (when you did not lock your doors)and most have little technical knowledge so are easy to pull the wool over.I'd rather be an Optimist and be proved wrong than a Pessimist and be proved right.0 -
Yes, it's staggering that they're taken in, and I have to brush away my anger with them in the first instance, and concentrate on focussing it on the real criminals.
These scammers are professionals - I'm intelligent and also sat through 2 hours of solar panel hardsell tactics and it took us 1 hour of solid "no's" and finally my husband shouting at them in front of our kids to GET OUT OF OUR HOME whilst i dialed the local police station to get him to shift his backside off my bench. This criminal in my mum's house started talking about christianity to help the sale as he noticed some christian looking pictures hanging up. Nice one. And she STILL didn't see him coming.0
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