Terrible service from a window company

Clive_Woody

djdaface said:

its a fair amount of windows, 4 bays, a 2m high set of hallway windows and 5 more windows is half the house as it was all the single glazing, the rest is 1960s double glazing which isnt much better. All Sash windows replaced with similar so even at its cheapest still keeping sash windows it was near 20k
You're absolutely correct its a perfect storm of me falling for the salesman's crap and what seems to be a company that has taken on too many jobs and is under staffed, layered together its made a pretty poor experience for me

I've paid a 25% deposit the rest is required on completion 

The £30k payment was the 25% deposit? 😮

greenface2

Clive_Woody said:

djdaface said:

its a fair amount of windows, 4 bays, a 2m high set of hallway windows and 5 more windows is half the house as it was all the single glazing, the rest is 1960s double glazing which isnt much better. All Sash windows replaced with similar so even at its cheapest still keeping sash windows it was near 20k
You're absolutely correct its a perfect storm of me falling for the salesman's crap and what seems to be a company that has taken on too many jobs and is under staffed, layered together its made a pretty poor experience for me

I've paid a 25% deposit the rest is required on completion 

The £30k payment was the 25% deposit? 😮

Can't be . No No No Nooooooooooo 

HampshireH

Clive_Woody said:

djdaface said:

its a fair amount of windows, 4 bays, a 2m high set of hallway windows and 5 more windows is half the house as it was all the single glazing, the rest is 1960s double glazing which isnt much better. All Sash windows replaced with similar so even at its cheapest still keeping sash windows it was near 20k
You're absolutely correct its a perfect storm of me falling for the salesman's crap and what seems to be a company that has taken on too many jobs and is under staffed, layered together its made a pretty poor experience for me

I've paid a 25% deposit the rest is required on completion 

The £30k payment was the 25% deposit? 😮

Definitely how it reads.😳

I paid obscene amounts of money to the company last November (well over 30k) to double glaze half my house 

djdaface

Just my terrible English its not THAT obscene £9k was the deposit  

gm0

My sympathy.  Full house window retrofit is a bit of a horror show.  Been there done that.

If you don't have forced air heat recovery (or are ACTUALLY fitting it) then trickle was the intended standard anyway under older regs to maintain (retrofit) or get to the required background ventilation level taken in aggregate.  In the old school ventilation category e.g. extractor fans to kitchen, bathrooms etc.  Wall plate with solid fuel fire etc.  Trickle vents on existing windows were often part of the total at original BC on whatever the regs were decades ago at first build. 
Like for like replacement - where a trickle was before - a commonly used guideline already was that it should by default be a trickle again - unless you could demonstrate the aggregate background was OK with some of them knocked off or by changing over the system wholesale.

Taking them out in in a window swap with a room with a fire without external air supply.  Not a great plan - combustion air convection floor level drafts and stealing heat from around the house and a small risk of inadequate air supply and incomplete combustion if you seal the room.

A hypothetical plan to fit forced ventilation to not have them specified anywhere and then making no provision for background ventilation. Worse plan.  But it's your house to live in and sell later. Background ventilation is mandated for a reason.  I have no idea what level survey will catch this upon sale.  But it's readily visible whether you have MVHR or trickles or neither.

My take is that it's the implementation of trickle vents on some windows that is so truly terrible that they are such an object of derision.  Cold drafts and vibration noise with wind being particular objections as the rubbers age.  People squirt in silicone sometimes (very naughty but cheap and understandable once they start thrumming incessantly pending replacement).

Like many I like the clean lines of windows without them.  I would indeed like an energy efficient house that could have inward openers (easy to clean at heights) - heat recovery filtered forced air background ventilation and never see one again.  But retrofitting MVHR was too much of an ordeal for my house as it is for many.  So I had to stay on the old school system.  Outward openers, trickles to maintain more or less the BC position prior.

Sadly it's all a bit too late for the original poster at this point. 

But if caught by this issue it is well worth looking at windows and the trickle vent implementation most carefully before choosing installer and window brand which often go together.  Particularly if you are on the old background ventilation basis

I would suggest people go to a branded product manufacturer sales demo centre if shopping branded windows vs local joinery. 
If the windows there are poorly finished and they don't bother even for the sales demo. Run away. 
Also look at the trickle vent design on a product sample if it's not in the brochure. 
Or visit a self build and home exhibition - where several vendors will have stands and be gathered although trickle vents may be missing or downplayed and hidden under the counter as they don't much care to show them particularly if their implementation is ugly.

My project experience with trickles:

Some brands european, modern and passiv haus targeted don't do them at all - so got eliminated from my project as I could not avoid entirely.  I had awkward issues to resolve with size and curves so I had to shop fairly widely in the first round.

Others do them reluctantly and it's such an afterthought they are the wrong brand to pick as the implementation is awful.  Nasty vent. And the design look is spoiled. Won't stop them selling them to you if you insist.

Others again do them on openers but not on fixed lights e.g. Rationel do this on some product lines.  You won't want to have to specify (materially more expensive) openers to get trickle vents.

A few brands (including Rationel again) have a not too dreadful solution. The interior plate built into the side of their frame designs. They aren't too terrible i.e. when you shut them they are a fairly good seal.  Less potential for vibration noise with wind or a significant draught on a weather aspect.  Not like the super basic pushed into a routed out hole plug in ones with a rubber flap with a sprung metal clip.  So a bit better.  But still an insulation cold spot.  But better.

All this and low level glass and mandated safety issues should be routine for any competent business.  Sadly not all window installation outfits are competent.  Even good ones may get a config wrong now and again with a new staff member on a learning curve about the product software and the egress rules, safety glass rules etc.  In the end it's the competence of the measuring and then the installation crew that shapes how successful or not the project is.  Quality differences on product units and profiles definitely do exist but arguably less significant than the other two factors.  Right size for the aperture.  Correct detail for the construction, carefully executed.

It is sad that your sales person knew no better, didn't care or just plain lied about your project requirements.  But they were impossible to meet.  I don't think you can realistically commit to fit windows (properly secured) working from the outside only. 

The best approach to window retrofit is not to do it. 

If you have to do it. Put plenty of time aside to shop carefully.

Caveat emptor and good luck

djdaface

Thanks for all the info

Does anyone know if I can force them to complete the job within a particular time frame, it was agreed they would finish in March, they started in July and downed tools in July and I just get passed around different people who say its not for them to say when they can continue work and finish the job

ytfcmad

djdaface said:

The_Unready said:

It won't help your current position, but naming them here would help others to make a fully informed assessment of their likely capabilities to undertake subsequent jobs.

New Glaze

I know them well.

djdaface

ytfcmad said:

djdaface said:

The_Unready said:

It won't help your current position, but naming them here would help others to make a fully informed assessment of their likely capabilities to undertake subsequent jobs.

New Glaze

I know them well.

How has your experience of them been?

greenface2

djdaface said:

Thanks for all the info

Does anyone know if I can force them to complete the job within a particular time frame, it was agreed they would finish in March, they started in July and downed tools in July and I just get passed around different people who say its not for them to say when they can continue work and finish the job

they said they would finish 6 months ago . if you never kicked them off site then they should be done , to old regs and old rules . Give them a time frame that's reasonable for them to complete . 8 weeks would be good and reasonable . What would be your plan if they do not complete though 

ytfcmad

djdaface said:

ytfcmad said:

djdaface said:

The_Unready said:

It won't help your current position, but naming them here would help others to make a fully informed assessment of their likely capabilities to undertake subsequent jobs.

New Glaze

I know them well.

How has your experience of them been?

I know them professionally, as a customer of mine. That is if you are talking about the Blandford/Poole business? If not then I dont.