Don't do it. Avoid. Just say no. (Safestyle UK)

Member Name: stuff10

Product:	Safestyle UK
Date:	08/07/09 (1007 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None whatsoever

Disadvantages: Very pushy staff, getting hassled on the phone, stupid prices

At the beginning of this year, we decided that we wanted our windows replacing - out with the old brown wood and in with the shiny new white PVC. We had a relatively limited budget (around £4k) and didn't really want to go over that. We rang round several local companies and got quotes ranging from (£4,600-£5,100). We thought we'd be able to break the £4,000 barrier and so decided to give SafeStyle UK a call.

Now, we've seen the annoying adverts on the TV and we've heard the horror stories that used to feature regularly on Watchdog. However, we were desperate to get our new windows as cheap as possible and so I decided to give them a call. Their call centre staff were very friendly and told us that they could have somebody with us in about 2 hours time - he'd be here at 7 o'clock in the evening, pretty impressive!

7pm came and sure enough we heard a knock at the door and the Safestyle UK salesman (read: con artist) was here, right on time. Luckily it wasn't the guy from the advert although his ill-fitting suit and inability to breath through his nose were almost as annoying. He did the usual measuring-up, writing the details on his little clipboard. After about 10 minutes, he came downstairs and sat down with myself and my fiancee (at the time, we're married now).

The salesman then proceeded to spend around 45 minutes going through his pre-programmed sales routine telling us how big Safestyle are, how many happy customers they've got and that all other window companies are rubbish. Part of his sales pitch included a demonstration of how the windows work... "turn the knob and push" must have taken him 10 minutes to explain... as if we'd never opened a window before! (we had)

We'd explained to the salesman several times that we were after the cheapest quote possible - we didn't care about the type of glass used or any other of the window technical specifications he was boring us with. However, he ignored our pleas for a price and continued on with his pitch. I think it's about this point that I lost interest in him and his company and so put the TV on to watch the football - Man City were playing in the UEFA Cup and it was certainly more interesting (if not more entertaining) than the guy sat in our living room.

Eventually, he finishing droning on about windows and got his calculator out. My fiancee and I exchanged glances thinking we were finally getting somewhere. After several taps of the calculator, a bit of head scratching and some loud exhalations he wrote a number down on a piece of paper and passed it to me. The paper read £16,008. Now, I'd already had a quote of £4,600 and so I simply laughed out loud and then showed the number to my fiancee - whom he'd ignored when passing the piece of paper as buying new windows is obviously a man's decision and something women should be concerned with, right?

After my laugh, he explained about the "special offer" that they had on currently and asked for the piece of paper back. He then crossed through the £16,008 figure, wrote something else down and handed the paper back to me (again bypassing my fiancee). This now read £8,004 - a saving of 50%... surely that would reel me in and get the checkbook out of my pocket..?

After laughing at him once more, we told him our budget was £4,000 and that he may as well leave. However, he didn't get up he simply tapped away on his mobile phone and called his boss. He rather patronisingly explained our situation, that we "only" had 4 grand to spend and that we were the real "bottom end of the market". After a couple of minutes, he said they'd do the windows for £5,200 but by this time my fiancee and I had both decided that we didn't want anything to do with Safestyle and again refused their offer. The sales guy then tried to get me to speak to his boss on the phone, but I'd had enough and declined the offer once again asking him to leave, which he eventually did (after using the toliet and asking for a glass of water, which took everything in me not to spit into).

Not 5 minutes went by before the phone rang... no prizes for guessing it was... Safestyle UK asking me if we'd like to place an order. I told them no and hung up. Literally 5 seconds later (the phone was still in my hand) and the phone went again. It was the same guy asking me why I didn't want to place an order. I asked him not to call again and hung up. Some 10 seconds later, another call... "Mr Clarkson, are our windows too good for your house?". My blood was boiling (we have a nice house) and so I did what every man would do and swore at the guy, telling him in no uncertain terms not to call again.

6 months down the line and I've just received another call from Safestyle, which prompted this review. I don't know what that guy wanted but he got a blunt no and I'm hoping they never call back again.

So, there you have it: my experiences with Safestyle UK. They're awful people and really shouldn't be allowed to do business. I can stand up for myself and don't often get pushed into doing things that I don't want to do and that's why I didn't order. But I can see how they force people into ordering - especially people who are on their own or the elderly. I presume women would be fine because in our experience women aren't allowed to know the price!

Do yourself a favour and don't even think about calling them. They should be shut down.

Summary: You have been warned