Replacement window expert?

G_M

I've had 4 quotes for 2 replacement windows, all between £600 & £900.

Each salesman sounds convincing (that's their job!) and slags off the opposition with plausible-sounding arguments, leaving me increasingly bemused:

* One offers Eurocell windows ("the best on the market")
* One offers Vevo ("made by Eurocell but their newer, better quality version")
* One offers Rehau ("Market leader")
* One offers Kommerling ("They also own Rehau but Kommerling is their premium product")


* All have 10 year guarantees (some, not all, insurance-backed)
* Most are energy rated A (Eurocell is "C or better"!!)
* One offered a choice of energy rating ("It's not worth having A over B rated - the energy difference is minimal" but later "you might as well have A - it's only £14 extra")
* all were FENSA
* all had 70mm frames & 28mm thickness
* 3 used Pilkington glass, one used St Gobain

So my questions are:

1) what other factors if any should I take into consideration?
2) Are the differences above significant?
3) How do I choose?

Raggie

Not that it helps with your choice....

But a friend set a useful strategy when choosing his double glazing..

Four companies were invited to quote...

All given the same appointment time... They were all in the house at the same time, and given the opportunity to quote, to ask questions, and to see who their "competition" was.

It was he tells, am interesting sight....

The company that got the job were the ones that had no issue with this, they did not slag off their competition, they left good technical literature, and were out the house in 30 mins... Their price was in the middle of the quotes received...

His "gut" told him who he could do business with and that's what he did.... All worked out well in the end (for him)...

G_M

Nice idea but

* too late now (next time?)
* it judges the salesman, but not the product. Unless you actually encourage them to have a debate to evaluate each others' products....

Raggie

Having spent many years in sales and technical sales at that...

How much do you think these salesmen knew about the true technical nature of their products... As they felt the need to slag off their competition...?

I suspect its a script they use day in day out and repeat without fully understanding the implications of what they say...

I know nothing of the subject but because of the common factors glass and frame it would seem to be a simple choice to choose what suits your needs, and to be truly honest I think you could be quite easily bogged down in comparing features or benefits you will never see...

Where to me the deciding factors would be... How well do the windows blend in with the properties other windows, and which has the highest energy rating... For the best value...


But your right on something you don't buy every day how do you choose...

All the best

Rags