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In these economically difficult times, how do you know that your installer
will still be around in ten years' time to honour their guarantee? For
that matter, how do you know if they'll still be around next year? Whilst
there is never a watertight guarantee of course, customers can use our six main points that we've put together below
to gauge whether or not they are dealing with a trustworthy and reliable
installation company.
What you should
look for in an installation company:
 CREDIT RATING
You are forming a
partnership with your supplier and installer for the next ten years. Check
they are credit worthy and likely to still be around to honour any
guarantees that they offer you. A ten year guarantee is as worthless as the
paper it's written on if the company are no longer around to honour it.
DEDICATED SERVICE DEPARTMENT
Does your installation company have a
dedicated service department or service engineer who can attend to any
problems on site promptly? And not just during the installation, but
afterwards as well? You'd be surprised. With some companies, you can often
wait anywhere up to a week or longer for a problem to be looked at. What
happens if you have an issue with your front door? You can't afford to
wait a week for someone to come out and look at it for you! In most
instances, Harp Windows would look to resolve door problems on the same day.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you decide to go ahead and buy new windows on a
recommendation, does this mean you will get the same installation team who
fitted your friend's windows? Many companies use different fitting teams,
often sub-contracting, so
to be sure you're going to get the standard that was recommended to you,
make sure you're getting the same fitters too. That can make all the
difference to the final result.
COMPANY INFRASTRUCTURE
Does the installation company have a
proper infrastructure in place? If a particular member of staff is unavailable, is
there anyone else that can oversee their responsibilities, or does that
specific department just grind to a halt? Is there someone always
available that can attend to your needs? Answer your questions? Know your
job and all its details inside out, and efficiently deal with any problems
or worries you may have?
NO HIGH PRESSURE SALES
Classic high pressure sales usually involve offers and discounts that are
only available if you sign up on the day. Salesmen may spend hours in
customers homes, using persuasive and tempting offers to attract the
customer to sign up with them. Although some less than scrupulous
companies are still not adverse to employing underhand high pressure sales tactics,
thanks to plenty of critical exposure in the press and consumer
programmes, high pressure sales tactics are now considered unacceptable by
many. Harp Windows have never engaged in any hard sell tactics, and we're
proud of our reputation. Our advice? Ensure the company is being transparent about all the costs involved
for the job. Do your homework before the salesman visits you. Ensure you ask
plenty of questions about the company and their products. We want you to be
delighted with our service, and with your installation for many many years to come,
so we're happy to answer all your questions.
And finally ...
TRADING UNDER THE SAME NAME
A past classic. Company sets up. Trades a couple of years. Has
problems. Goes under. Guarantees invalid. Jobs paid for but not installed
... sounds familiar? Many companies go into liquidation and resume trading
as a different separate company, but using a very similar name to that
that they were trading under previously. Very rarely do they honour the
guarantees issued in the previous company's name. Buyer beware! Ensure
that your installer is who they say they are. Check that they've been
trading continuously under the same name as they're currently using.
For more information about any of the factors featured above, please
contact us. We recommend that you also read our
customer testimonials, and see the results of our customer
satisfaction surveys, which can be viewed at our Bushey showroom, or
online by
clicking here >> |
