can any1 confirm bad reports of B&Q double glazing insta

i live in sutton (surrey) and was about to purchase some double glazing from b&q who will also install it. i gather its a fairly recent venture. they were waaaaaaaay cheaper than all my other quotes.

however have heard some negative reports from a reliable source that b&q r having big problems with "H&W" who are installing them.
Note: there is nothing wrong with kit itself which is german made to British standards.

the crews themselves aren't putting things in square, windows/doors aren't shutting, locks not engaging, water leaks etc.

and when they come round 2 repair, they're not doing it right either.

i dont know if this only affects the south as H&W are actually a northern company any since going nationwide with b&q are having to employee lots of un-experienced fitters i guess.

cheers,
tony

B&Q not doing double glazing here in Essex. Why not ask B&Q who they did near you so you can see standard. If you really want to go ahead despite your misgivings why not just get a couple of windows done.

YES I can personally confirm problems with H&W who B&Q are using.
We paid in full, up front at B&Q for 6 windows and subsequently agreed an installation date for Oct 2002. On the day the fitters arrived with incorrect glass for three of the windows and incorrect frames for the two!!! Their paperwork showed that they had the wrong glass but they insisted on fitting it anyway. They returned the following day with the correct frames for two of the remaining windows which they fitted and left (incidentally they seem to employ some of the most miserable people I have ever met).

After umpteem visits to our local B&Q (who have been angels throughout the entire thing and sent us £20 in vouchers) and rounds of letters (which H&W don't reply to)and phone calls (which H&W don't return), a return visit was arranged for today. This was after H&W advised that they were not prepared to schedule a visit only to us, and that we would have to wait until a new installation in the North East was arranged and our installation would be added onto that day's work. B&Q argued that we should not be expected to wait indefinately given that we were not responsible for the problems in the first place.

I have just come off the phone from my husband who took a day's holiday from work to let the installers in today, only to find that they have not bothered to come back, citing staffing shortages. No-one from H&W actually contacted us to advise; we only know this becaue my husband went back to B&Q who kept calling H&W on his behalf. The contact person at H&W is now refusing to accept calls from B&Q regarding this fiasco which I don't think is very professional.

We are now not going to have the installation completed until at least after Christmas, at least 3 months after it was supposed to be finished. As I said before, B&Q have been great but I think that they are a bit embarrassed by the problems because it doesn't reflect well on them. Apparently there are at least another 4 homes in the North East waiting in vain for their glass too, so ours is not an isolated incident.

In summary, I would think carefully about using B&Q until they iron out their problems with their outsourcing, or use someone else altogether. Incidentally, the windows themselves are fine, appear to be fitted correctly, function perfectly and look a treat. Our problem is that half of them have the wrong glass in them (clear when it should be frosted) and that H&W appear to be unwilling/unable to take responsibilty for anything and obviously place no value whatsoever on customer relationship management or satisfaction.

Mrs E L Forster

many thanks for the info. i still haven't decided which company to use, but it won't be B&Q.

re: grumpy tradesman, had a crew from telewest who installed cable tv. asked em questions and they only ever grunted back. god they were miserable!


cheers,
tony