Double glazing hard sell...

[Gareth Hughes]

what nice people

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-12473804

Paul Shipman, 68, from Broughton Astley, said: "The salesman started out saying that there were new British standards and I needed new windows but when I showed no interest, he threatened me with a green tax.

"When that didn't work, he threatened to put my head in a vice and watch me bleed to death.

Though a google for "Bowater double glazing" casts a slightly different light on the statement at the end of the article

The Glass and Glazing Federation said it was not aware of any current company called Bowater, adding there was a firm with that name several years ago, but they were taken over and had not used the name since.

 

[JoceAndChris]

:shock: :shock: :shock:

I can hardly believe this happens in the next county, whose sleepy villages (many with gorgeous old windows) are a stone's throw from here. Awful.

I must say that unplugging the home phone is one of the best things I've done - I get a fair amount of sales stuff via email but it's easily deleted and unwanted stuff from companies blocked. The hounding that's done by telephone these days is unendurable.

 

[CatherineB]

I used to be called regularly on a monthly basis by Bowater, and I regularly threatened to put the caller's head in a vice, but to be fair they never threatened me likewise :wink:

I'm not surprised they went out of business, though, their sales technique of persisting in calling the same people over and over again, even when we said we weren't interested and asked repeatedly to be taken off the call list, certainly put them top of my list of "Don't touch these people with a bargepole"!

 

[Moo]

We've always found that "I'm afraid we're in a listed building in a conservation area" puts them off (when we're feeling polite, that is!).

 

[FamilyWiggs]

I can hardly believe this happens in the next county, whose sleepy villages (many with gorgeous old windows) are a stone's throw from here. Awful.

Not as awful Joce, as you throwing stones around when there are all those old windows so close. :shock:

 

[chuckey]

My wifes technique is to go all blonde and ditzy and say "Oh that the sort of thing that my Husband deals with and he's not here at the moment". . . . :lol: :lol: :twisted:
Frank

 

[middi]

It qualifies as a nasty joke. Appalling !!!!

 

[Penners]

The hounding that's done by telephone these days is unendurable.

Joce, you need to register with the Telephone Preference Service.

It's not 100% effective, because you can still get calls from abroad. But I've found that, with the very few UK sales calls that we get, telling the caller that "we're registered with the Telephone Preference Service and you're committing an illegal act by calling me" usually sends them scuttling off pretty sharpish.

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/

 

[MdB]

The hounding that's done by telephone these days is unendurable.

Joce, you need to register with the Telephone Preference Service.

It's not 100% effective, because you can still get calls from abroad. But I've found that, with the very few UK sales calls that we get, telling the caller that "we're registered with the Telephone Preference Service and you're committing an illegal act by calling me" usually sends them scuttling off pretty sharpish.

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/

I've been signed up for years and it does appear to work..

 

[CatherineB]

Another vote here for the TPS.

 

[Flyfisher]

We're also signed up with the TPS, though it's a great shame it doesn't work with foreign callers. :evil:

 

[jocelyn plummer]

And another vote for TPS

 

[Pford75]

We tend to use cold callers as 'sport' now.....whoever answers the phone says they need to get 'dad' or 'mum' or wife/husband and then we just leave the phone. See how long they wait on hold for...our record is 11minutes! :lol:

 

[Gareth Hughes]

TPS does work, except when it's my bank wanting me to pay some money into my account...

 

[worms]

Yes, TPS is quite good, but we get a number of UK companies that still contact us to "do market research" for their kitchen or double glazing sales - market research not being covered by the TPS restrictions. The system also breaks down when you ask for the company details (required for any complaint to TPS) and they either refuse to give them or hang up!

 

[middi]

I actually " ENJOY" sales or survey stray calls, it makes my day. The callers put the phone down on me.

After the initial introduction I start offending them in Italian.

It allways works

Middi

 

[skier-hughes]

I had to call BT to complain that they kept calling me to sell me BT affinity, when we were registereed with the TPS!!!

I love the call from microsoft engaged company telling me that my computer is infected. When I have long enough I go through all their steps, tell them what they want to hear until it gets to let me access your pc on-line, then I tell them I'm a computer engineer just wasting their time like they are wasting mine. laugh loudly and they disappear off

 

[AMc]

Just registered again - unfortunately the most irritating calls I get are from ANGLIAN HOME IMPROVEMENT.
I got them to quote for secondary glazing a while back and while the guy who visited was very nice and did his best to help I couldn't afford them.
Now they call and ask about the windows - which Everest did for basically cost - then they ask "Have I replaced my doors yet?" - when I tell them we have the original front door from at least the 1850s they say things like "Oh but it must be draughty".

AFAIK you can't stop people contacting you whom you've contacted or bought things from in the past.

Registered with the TPS again - in case I haven't before - I suspect it was mailing preference I did before. so thanks for the link.

 

[skier-hughes]

AFAIK you can't stop people contacting you whom you've contacted or bought things from in the past.

If they call and you tell them not to call you again then they should remove you from their listing.

 

[Feltwell]

TPS seems pretty good, we get only the occasional overseas call now, maybe 1 a month.

Now if they could set up a "Religion Preference Service" I'd use it - the local Jehovah's Witnesses are OK, at least when I (very politely) tell them that I respect their beliefs but that they are fundamentally different to mine, they take the hint and go away. The Mormons round here are a right pain though - always young, male, smartly dressed, riding bicycles and for some reason either Dutch or American, they are so full of religous fervour that they really don't take the hint and often persist to the point where only rudeness will get rid of them.