Not so long ago double glazing sellers had a poor reputation, similar to that other much maligned profession, the estate agent.
If you’ve ever watched the series, ‘White Gold’ you’ll know what we mean, if you haven’t, it’s an amusing and very exaggerated take on the life of double glazing salesmen whose job is to sell, sell sell, regardless of whether the customer wants or needs the product.
These salesmen con innocent people into buying substandard products that are totally unsuitable for their needs. Now while, this is an exaggeration it does have an element of truth, at least in the past.
A client told me recently that not so many years ago he invited a double glazing salesman into his home to discuss the replacement of all the windows in the house.
After an initial and perfunctory survey of the existing windows, the salesman quoted what seemed to be an outrageous price, which the customer told him was far above his budget. The salesman, let’s call him Bob, then called his boss and after a few minutes came back with a slightly reduced offer which was still far and above what the customer had planned to pay.
After more chatting and several cups of tea, the customer asked ‘Bob’ to leave as it was clear that they were never going to reach an acceptable price. But there were further phone calls to the boss and eventually, the price came down to less than half of the original, but by this time the customer had, had enough and told Bob in no uncertain terms that he should leave.
When he eventually closed the front door with overwhelming relief, he realised that Bob had taken up nearly 4 hours of his time, and that wasn’t the end of the story. For weeks afterwards, he had calls from Bob and his boss trying to force a sale.
Now, this isn’t the only story I’ve heard in a similar vein, and it makes me angry and sad because this customer (and I suspect he’s not alone) had long put off enquiring about new windows for fear that he would have a similar experience.
But of course, times have changed, and I would hope that the ‘White Gold’ type of salesperson no longer exists.
At Essex Window and Door Centre, this has never been the way we operate. Yes, of course, it’s great to make a sale, that’s how we make a living, but we want the customer to be happy with their windows, doors, or roof lanterns. We want to stand back and be proud that we did a good job. We want great reviews and happy customers, and most importantly we give customers time to discuss our proposals, time to think and see if it’s right for them.
So, if you’re thinking of having new windows, doors, or roof lanterns, please never be afraid to approach us, give us a call, or pop into our Brentwood showroom, we really are here to help and there will never be any pressure to buy.
