Home improvements - persistent sales tactics

Mmm! I would get someone else to look at them! What are you living in at that cost? A mansion? I didn't pay anything like that for mine!

Don't entertain them, Annobel. Last year I had new guttering and paid a fraction of that - it's good quality metal with mesh inserts as leaves were collecting in the old guttering. Cost about £500 for front and back. Fascias are only pieces of planed wood cut to size by a joiner and they shouldn't be more than about £400 front and back, so if you calculate for your three sides, you can see that, with labour and being undercoated and painted before putting up the fascias, it comes nowhere near that price. Your local building supplies merchant will probably know some local people who would do it.

From a website called 'grumbletext.co.uk:


"Just a quick comment,,

RE,SAFE STYLE UK,,,,

THESE PEOPLE ARE CROOKS,THERE WORKMANSHIP IS CRAP,THEY ARE RUDE,THERE SO CALLED BACK UP SERVICE IS NON EXISTENT, THERE PRODUCT IS CRAP,ANY PROBLEMS YOU HAVE THEY WONT DEAL WITH IT ,AND ONE TIME THEY HUNG UP,,,,,,,,NEVER NEVER NEVER AGAIN WILL I DEAL WITH THESE IDIOTS,

SAFE STYLE UK [BUY ONE ,GET RIPPED OFF FREE]

SAFE STYLE YOU SUCK"

I think you have been lucky so far Annobel.

I have contributed to that site myself jing. I know I have been lucky so far and do not intend to push my luck any further.

Probably true - but how is that the same firm that quoted for Annobel? Sign of the zodiac...?
I've never even heard of Safe Style.

Yer buy one - yer get one free! Yer buy one ........! Ughhhh!

You must have seen the advert on tv Anagram!

It must be an umbrella company that has bought up a lot of local firms. Virgo Windows was probably A's one.

On a Victorian house, if the outside painting has always been kept in good nick, the original timber will have been of very good quality and should last for well over 100 years. You need a reputable local builder who you can really trust to tell you whether anything actually needs doing. Very likely not.

Oh, yes, jingl, I certainly have seen that advert! I think it must be going by a different name here - will have to take more notice next time it's on (OH usually reaches for the remote to mute that awful man).

Virgo and Safe Style are parts of the same company, Anagram. If I had the sense to research them on the internet I would not have got involved - but I do like my door and window!

My house dates from about1810 and the soffits are still fine!

Oh! Just seen your post on Grumbletext, Annobel, in the course of my investigations!

Have just read further posts on that site - Safe Style sound like cowboys of the first order. It just shows how vigilant homeowners have to be with lowlifes like these salesmen trying every trick in the book to part them from their money!

Not entirely cowboys, apart from their tactics. As far as I can see their products are good and I had no quarrel with their workmanship. They cleared up after themselves beautifully - even swept up the leaves outside my front door! But their sales tactics are certainly questionable. If I have any more pressure from them I will be in touch with Trading Standards.
jeni my house is a 1891 miner's cottage, end terrace, therefore effectively semi-detached. I knew that their tactics would be to quote an extortionate price and then offer a 'discount'. I'm waiting to hear their next offer! Of course I was stringing the salesman along because they obviously thought I was a little old lady (well, not so little) who would be easily led. He may have been disabused to that notion when I casually mentioned that I was a CAB volunteer.
Another tactic is, once they have a 'foothold' in a neighbourhood, to carry out widespread canvassing. I feel responsible for giving them a way in - the couple across the road have subsequently got new windows and a door which look very good too.

I'm assuming, being Safe Style UK, you're talking about UPVC rather than wood. As a rough guide, to replace soffits, facias and guttering in UPVC on a 3-bedroom semi, you're talking about £1500 to £1700. Anything more than that is a rip-off; much less and I'd be worried that they'd be "cowboys."

Yes, Gillian, but I have no evidence that I need new fascias, so will get an informed opinion on that as and when I fell I might need them.

Update on Virgo Home Improvements: I knew they would phone back and they did. the offer is now down to£2,900. Am I tempted? What do you think?

As any good dr would tell you
Get a second opinion!

What doctor?

jeni - the difference between God and a doctor? God knows she's God.

I got Safestyle windows a few years ago and have to say they were very good and the work was done well. And it was cheap. HOWEVER.... recently Virgo phoned. We have a 1980's house and the fascia and gutters do need replacing. Rep made an appointment to come round at 7.30 p.m. (before the clocks changed). My wife told them it would be dark. No matter they said. He came and measured up. Quoted £12,000 and then they went through the same old nonsense as with the windows. Anyway eventually it came down to £4,600 which seemed reasonable for a 5 bed house. Signed contract there and then and paid deposit. Surveyor came a few days later. Rep had measured up wrongly and had failed to notice that given shape of house there was an extra gable. Even though the contract made no mention of it being 'subject to survey' Virgo refused to perform unless we paid another £1,200! I pointed out it was a fixed fee contract. They have now written cancelling the contract quoting a clause which says "We will write to you after the survey if we believe we cannot install the products properly and we will cancel the contract". There is no reason they cannot install the products - they just don't want to do it at that price.

People make me laugh on these formums. You have a contract for x amount of work, work is added to that and you dont think you should pay for it?

The sales tatics dont seem the greatest i agree but if they do a good job at the end of the day and there guarantee is actually worth something, maybe you should pay a little more.

As for a rough guide on Semi's being 1500-1700 how did you come up with that? What if it has upper and lower levels? That means extra scaffolding, what if it has asbestos that requires moving? Thats £1800 on its own?

Dont get me wrong, i work in the industry and couldnt careless if Virgo went under under but when people make comments like this when they clearly dont have a clue what they are talking about makes me laugh.

What a charming first post!

NOT

Oh dear I think you're on the wrong 'forum' J&J this is not the formums forum although most of us as mums, first then grandmums, for this is more a forgranmums than a formums forum

I got Safestyle door and windows and yes, they are good quality, but their representatives haven't stopped phoning and asking if I want now soffits and gutters. My house doesn't even have soffits as I have told them over and over again. And I have also told them that I do not need new guttering. I do NOT like their sales practices.