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Comments:
anglian home improvements
ahi do answer there phone i think you are all being rude
think of the people that take the calls that have to deal with the abuse screaming and shouting and putting the company down is not the way to get things sorted.i had a conservatory in 2005 had leaks and cracks but by phoning and talking in a pleasant manner i was able to speak to the manager who came
out and within 2 weeks all the problems where sorted.ahi are a good company and have had there products for over 40years yes they do make hiccups but they dont deserve the put downs we all
work for companys that make mistakes.overall im very happy.
further to my previous blag...I read with great amusement that AHI reckon the opposition are writing these blags to discredit them..well I'll do deal with you AHI - fix my bloody garden room (it's only been coming away from the wall for 5 years!) by pulling it down (as you should have done when you discovered it hadn't been bolted in the wall!)and rebuilding it properly and I will publically endorse you from the rooftops! Fancy the challenge? No, thought not.
Had a garden fitted in 2003...in 2005 noticed it was coming away from the house..took AHI 18 mths to discover it wasnt bolted into the brickwork of our house...they pulled it back into place, but it keeps coming away..all they do is patch it up..their brickwork now half and inch from our brickwork. Been trying to get a managers visit (might as well wish for the moon)..next step independant survey to confirm what I knew 5 years ago, that the thing needs pulling down & re-doing. The people at stockport branch know this, but wont go there...I HATE THIS COMPANY...I'D SHUT THEM DOWN IF I COULD...PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT EVER CONSIDER USING THEM - WHATEVER SPECIAL OFFERS THEY HAVE...TRUST ME, IF THEY GET IT WRONG, YOU REALLY END UP PAYING!!!!!
Someone who works for Anglian has left a message on the Anglian windows blag saying that he thinks all these comments are left by the opposition. If only that were true. We are having the worst experience that we have ever had with any company. There have been mistakes and problems with our conservatory at every stage, from the salesman on. The associated building work in particular has fallen well below the expected standard but there have also been problems with the manufacture of the actual conservatory. Whatever you read here - believe it. This company cannot survive if it continues to treat its customers in the way that we are being treated. Trading Standards are involved and for that reason I am not going into detail at the moment but I will let you know the outcome. If anyone reading this is having a problem with this company then please contact your local Trading Standards office. It is only by receiving a volume of complaints that this company can be made to answer for what is going on.
Wow! Anglian are out here this morning actually placing the lead in further and as we said the leak started the other side firstly when the beams were out of place and then when the end caps (top sides were not fitted properly)and they have shifted the problem along by mastic use. Lets hope that finally listening the lead will be their saviour, although i would still not recommend them to my worst enemy.
If you have a problem especially with them answering the phone and never getting back to you. Use force and contact a solicitor, get a quote from three builders but do not let them on the roof as this could invalidate your warranty.
On receipt of the middle quote they have fourteen days to get back to you with either a cheque or doing the work that has been pointed out and it will cost est. £60 to take them to a small claims court. If they still refuse.
If you put a spirit level on the ground in your conservatory and it is off you can be certain that the base is in two halves. If you have had underpinning done there is every chance corners have been cut, have it checked out. If your roof leaks then it is likely to be their flashing and not your ridge tile, rendor or any other thing they choose to blame.
The company is a joke but hopefully we shall be seeing the MD soon to sort the matter.
Best bet, go elsewhere if you want good aftersales. I am with the person who said they are a revolting company, they are even accusing me of threatening behaviour when we just want to talk to someone in authority. I have instructed a solicitor and await their reply.
trouble with conservatory since feb 07 leaking being the main problem which htey have managed to shift using hundreds !! of tubes of mastic to no avail. i have replaced a ridge tile as it was another of the excuses of anglians to shift the liability. we have informed there dm that the lead needs to be put into the wall more and was informed that if it leaked again they would honour this and remove the top so that they could see where the water is coming in.
I tried yesterday and most of today to contact the dm to no avail and spoke to a secretary who has put me at the starting point again as if nothing has ever happened.
they used to sub my partner but he will not comply with shoddy workmanship and let's them know when something is not right as a good employee forced to sub contract should do. any solicitor want a good case ?
We have had the worst experience we have ever had with this company and they could not care less. I still can't actually believe how bad they have been. If you have had problems with them make sure you report it to Trading Standards as they will only investigate if they receive a 'significant' amount of complaints. This company need to be investigated. They do not live up to any of the declarations they make about customer care and satisfaction.
I am having a fight with Anglian that has been going on for months after they failed to turn up to fit my conservatory on the agreed date! They have bullied and threatened me with legal action to recover their losses. My unit was constructed for installation last July and I had to call them to ask them why they hadn’t turned up! They then made all sorts of excuses and even when I told them that I gone back to work and that they now would not be fitting my conservatory at all they sent a skip the following day at 730am and dumped in one of the residents parking spaces on our brick paved cul-de-sac without permission. I have had various screaming matches with them. Their level of customer service is ZERO !! A warning dont anyone engage them to fit ANYTHING!! What a revolting company. I am now being forced to have my conservatory fitted as they are threatening legal action
Feb 4, 2009
Today I have nearly allowed Anglian to fit my conservatory after they threatened legal action if I didnt give them a date to install. They have accused me of denying them access to my property and I have told them that they cannot access my property without my permission or presence as they now cannot be trusted. we were about to patch everything up and move forward until today when I received a letter from the installations dept in Basingstoke saying that ” as a gesture of goodwill, our Mr Williams( the installations manager) has agreed to allow the installment of your conservatory to commence in August” Now I may be completely stupid but who is the customer here?!!! I am absolutely fuming!!!! Who the hell do they think they are these people I have never come across anything like this in my entire life and therefore I have decided to fight them tooth and nail! I have been reading blogs and grizzles on so many websites about their bullying tactics it is frightening the lengths they will go to. here is my first letter to them PLEASE ALL BEWARE OF ANGLIAN
Dear Sirs,
I am writing to you to cancel the installment of my conservatory with you and request my £500 deposit to be returned to me forthwith.
The reasons for my decision to cancel is due to the follow series of events:
• You were due to start work on my conservatory on the 7th of July 2008 as I agreed with your office but on this day no –one from Anglian arrived at my property to start work. Nobody informed me that you were not going to arrive on site either.
• For this week period during the build process I had extracted myself from my very busy company, employed staff to cover me and put my pet into a kennel.
• On the afternoon of the 8th of July I still had not heard anything from your company and made a telephone call to Laura Dignum in your planning office as this was the only number I had. I quoted my reference number and she politely said “ hello Mrs Mc Sherry” I explained that I wasn’t at all Mrs McSherry I was Miss Hoy and told her about the current situation and she kindly put me through to the installations manager in Watford who on quoting my reference to also thought I was Mrs Mc Sherry of London!
• He informed me that he had no record of me or my conservatory but thought it was the Basingstoke office I should be speaking to, he offered the number but I told him that due to the nature of this I wouldn’t be wasting my money calling them and if they wanted to fit my conservatory then I would expect a call from them and to please pass on my details to whom it may concern.
• Nobody called me so I re-called Laura Dignum again in planning and explained who I had spoken to, she apologised and put me through to the installations manager in Basingstoke.I cannot remember this mans name.
• I explained to him what had happened and his attitude was basically that he would send someone out tomorrow to start work. I told him quite categorically that this would not now happen as I was now back at work and had picked up my pet from the kennels. He told me that the work had to start and he had to somehow move it forward as he had a unit, which was for my house and proceeded to start talking me through the ground works on the telephone. I told him that this was now not going to happen due to the incompetence and the lack of confidence I now had with the company for not starting the job on time. He said “ are you trying to tell me that I am not to send the builders around tomorrow morning then?” I said “absolutely not!”
• At 7am the next morning a skip arrived outside my house! I asked the skip man when this had been ordered he told me late afternoon on the 8th. I told him to take it away. He told me that Anglian had told him to drop it off as they were arriving in about half an hour. I told him to take it away immediately as where did he think he was dropping the skip in a residents cul-de-sac without any prior warning to the neighbours as a matter of courtesy.
• At 9am I received a telephone call from Nick the project manger who said that the builders told him I had merely turned away the skip for no reason. I told Nick the whole story and how annoyed I was with Anglian as I had re-arranged my life for 2 weeks to accommodate the fitting of my conservatory which I was very much looking forward to. I had also booked the plumber, electrician etc to come and lay a heated floor on the 22nd of July. I asked Nick when this job had appeared on his board and he informed me that it was only that morning! I asked him to find out what had happened and put it to him that Anglian had completely forgotten about me and had rushed around trying to get things organised to cover this up. I asked him to get back to me with an explanation and the implications of me cancelling due to the total incompetence and disorganisation of the installations department and the lack of communication to me, a respectable paying customer. He told me to take his mobile number and to call him if I wanted to discuss anything.
• To date I have heard nothing and haven’t had any communication from Anglian.
It is for this reason I will not deal with your company. If this is how you do business and treat your customers with such disregard it would worry me that if I were to go ahead this lack of customer service is indicative of the poor service you obviously offer and it would scare me to think that once you had constructed the conservatory and if I had subsequent problems with the structure it would not be dealt with efficiently and correctly. Since ordering my conservatory with you I have also been bombarded with junk mail for blinds, furniture and JCB hire literature and at least twice been called by various offices to find out if I would be interested buying a conservatory!
I think you are a disgrace and an utter shambles! I have wasted about another hour of my time composing this letter and I have no desire to waste anymore of my valuable time with your company so please refund my deposit by cheque to the above address asap.
We placed our order for Windows and Door with Anglian, and we were given a quote, what we thought at the time was quite good. Silly us!! When the surveyor came around, he started ripping the wooden frame and measured just the glass windows. When we questioned him for his reasons to do so, he told us, that the quote we were given was just for the WINDOWS and it did not include the RETRIEVE LINING. Now, I ask all of you, why someone in their right frame of mind, would have new windows surrounded by rotten wood frames.
When we phoned the salesman, he said he did explain this however there are two people in the house, when he measured the windows he explained this to us however we do not have any recollection of this. Anyway, we sent the slip to cancer our agreement and we got a phone call saying we have to pay 30% of the contract price. When we phoned them, they said that is the standard procedure and there is nothing they can do unless we retract our cancellation. Reluctantly we asked for revised quote. The new salesman conveniently added another £2,000 on already quoted price. Any suggestion how can we come out of this CON?
Sanjeev
I worked for Anglian for almost three years. When I started I felt just like 'Hannahanglian' who's comments can be found on many of the pages in this website supporting Anglian.
In short I made it into the diamond and platinum clubs of Anglian (Successful Sales Ladders), I sold 1.06 million net of VAT in my last year. Only 894k was actually fitted. The rest cancelled as a direct result of Utter Incompetence within the admin and fitting departments.
I left Anglian (The Dark Side) and joined the firm regarded as the BEST in the industry. Not because they sell more, but because the product, fitting, after sales and guarantees are the best not to mention unrivalled Customer Care (as quoted by the Advertising Standards Authority).
Everest treats its customers and staff with considerable respect. They put right problems as they occur and don't hide behind waffle and non-communication.
Anglian still owe me a considerable sum of money. They reneged on incentives won through sales performance and treated my customers with total contempt (See March issue of the Which Magazine 2008). One of my customers, who spent a considerable sum with Anglian, featured in the report. He was treated in a deplorable fashion by ‘The Dark Side’.
Search Google with the term 'Banks Rescue Ailing Anglian' and read for yourself how they are doing as a company.
Their sales force are leaving faster than they are replaced (many are coming to work for the Best) and all have a similar story to mine.
Since starting for Everest, I have eradicated my debts, my worry and stress and now I am forging ahead on a great career ladder selling a remarkable range of products installed by a remarkable company.
Hannah, if you read this, probe beyond the spin and hype spewed out at the conventions and weekly meetings. Look at the figures down from an average 5m a week to 3m a week year on year and falling. The products are good (not as good as Everest's) but the company behind them has lost sight of the importance of customers and staff.
Anglian’s tag line should read…
'More Customers, Most recommended - but we just don't care'
Hmmmmm...
I feel the need to share my experience also with Anglian, I won't bore you with the whole sorry tale but in short:
They (driveway installations) had total lack of communication and competence in my case. The driveway has sunk twice, the first time after one year when it took 5 months to get someone to perform remedial work and involving many political and moral battle between them, their contractor and me.
Now again, less than a year on, it has sunk again. Complaints via customer services and their 'HEAT' system seem pointless. I had to chase for a letter of acknowledgement to my complaint - I've been promised call backs which never materialise.
Never have I dealt with such incompetence and apathy towards the customer.
On a positive note however and to be fair, I did have facias and soffets done and in the main that has been OK, but my advice based on my experience would be to stay well away - find a local firm based upon recommendation, they have a reputation to maintain whereas Anglian have the arrogance to not give one jot about reputation - maybe if they realised how many neighbours I have provided an honest opinion to and the resulting lost work they may wake up!
If you are looking for double glazing and anything else this company offers, all i can say is be careful be very careful. After contacting the uk's no 1 co for a quote, we had a sales person come round who wa a pleasant gentleman, however after the first consultation it has been a sheer night mare. We had several follow up calls and on one of these occassions was offered a special rate, as the credit crunch is hitting they were trying to keep there workers busy and were offering reduced rates. We accepted the offer of a reduced price the next day another sales man came and comleted a contract and took over 1500.00 pouns deposit. They advised my order would be by the end of august so mid month i called to find out exactly when so i could take time off work. To my horror i was told they did not have a contract and were not fitting any windows. After so many calls to this company we still have no answers, they will not return any calls, and now we have taken this matter to the police and watchdog. I have copy of cheque but they are unable to confirm if it is there banking details or not. So far we have lost over £1500.00 and have no windows and also no response. Any one with a current contract pleae check it as you may be waiting for nothing to arrive and loose a deposit in the mean time. We have had nothing but grief since making contact with this company it was a true mistake. Any one else had the same problems please email on dpadamson@blueyounder.co.uk
If you are thinking about buying from Anglian Home Improvements then please read this before you do. Anglian Customer Service at Norwich is an absolute joke and the Senior Customer Service Manager ‘Ms SANDRA HOOPER’ is too ignorant to reply to correspondence or take calls (if she exists at all).
This concerns an 84yr old pensioner who has been so consistently bullied and harassed by Anglian at Norwich and Fareham that she has paid them, under duress, the full costs of over £4500.00 for a porch that she has not received.
The only way my friend could bring closure to this episode of her life was to pay Anglian their blood money. The staff at Anglian disgust me for accepting it. That they can so readily take such a high sum from the savings of a vulnerable person is simply abhorrent. This is not an old lady who changed her mind on a whim, it is about a company that could not supply a simple product after 6-months and four aborted installation dates. Rather than admit their failings Anglian chose to bully and harass this frail lady until she paid up. Many times in the first six months my friend attempted to cancel the porch. Clearly for all but one of those requests the porch had not actually been manufactured.
Read this example of Anglian Customer Service and decide if you want to use them:-
- July 2007. Following a cold-call Anglian arrive at my friends’ house and arrange for a brown porch to be fitted in August 2007 (date also confirmed by Anglian in writing).
- September 2007. FIRST ABORTED INSTALLATION. Anglian turn up two days early to install the porch but discover that some parts of the porch are in white and so cannot be installed.
- November 2007. SECOND ABORTED INSTALLATION. Anglian to install the porch and discover that the measurements taken on the previous survey are wrong and it cannot be installed. Friend writes to say she considered the contract void and requests a refund of her deposit as the porch ordered clearly hasn’t even been manufactured. No refund but Anglian send ‘Eddie’ a surveyor who convinces friend to have the porch installed on January 7th.
- January 7th 2007. THIRD ABORTED INSTALLATION. Friend hears nothing until Anglian ring on the day of installation to ask if it can be arranged for 21st January.
- January 21st 2007. FOURTH ABORTED INSTALLATION. Anglian does not turn up on day of installation and are phoned when they state that due to ‘sickness and holiday’ the porch cannot be installed. As an aside my friend is told that there are parts missing anyway so it could not have been installed anyway. Six months and four aborted installations later my friend writes to Anglian yet again to request her deposit back. The response back is a threat by Anglian of legal action.
- March 2008. Friend receives a bizarre letter dated four weeks earlier from one Martin Pike, ‘Senior Installation Manager’ (Anglian are big on staff titles) at Fareham branch confirming that “Installation has now been completed and that there are no further works that need to be carried out”. The same letter then goes on to threaten my friend with legal action if she does not pay Anglian or let the installation go ahead. If one assumes that ‘senior’ staff have a passable understanding of English then clearly this was a letter designed to confuse my friend.
- April 2008. Despite legal advice to the contrary my friend cannot go on with the bullying and stress of dealing with such an unprofessional company and send Anglian a cheque for the full amount for a porch she will never see.
A detailed log of this abysmal behaviour by Anglian detailing all communications is over five pages long and copies of it, Mr Pike’s bizarre letter and my concise letter of complaint to Ms SANDRA HOOPER, Senior Customer Service Manager, are available to anyone who would like to see them. Just contact and I shall email them back. Email: ashley.harcourt@btinternet.com
i am having great problems with anglian windows. three times they have made my window incorrectly and have damaged brick work. i am refusing to let them back on to my property until i see new plans in place. they want to come and fit the window again which also is incorrect. they are trying to bully me with threatening court action.they have sent an independent adviser who sides with them.when they put the window in they breached health and safety rules and did not use a tower for an uostairs window. they make all sorts of promises which they do not keep. has anyone got a good solicitor? Do they quote clause 13 of their terms and conditions to everyone? any advice from anyone please? I placed an order last May and it was a priority order so called!! They glued the ilfitting window in to place last august!! It is now march.
An absolute joke of a company. The list of gripes is long so bear with me.....
Gripe 1, ridiculous quotation system - started at £36,000 for a conservatory, ended up paying £17000 for same structure.
Gripe 2, was told we wouldnt have to move our boiler yet when the surveyor arrived we were told we would have to, an additional £2000.
Gripe 3, structure was delivered with missing roof panels - took 6 weeks to rectify, wrong windows, missing hinge covers.
Gripe 4, was sold wrong finish on the floor - we were tiling the conservatory yet were sold Cosy Floor which isnt suitable for tiling (this in spite of the fact that they were told at the quotation stage), had to pay additional £309 for screed floor.
Gripe 5, finished floor was supposed to be at the same level as the existing internal (kitchen floor) so we could tile through yet the screed was some 2 inches higher without the underfloor heating, so with the addition of adhesive etc it would have been 3 inches higher (apart from the fact that the screed was breaking up in places). Builder arrived, knocked 3 holes in the screed to determine depth and disappeared for 4 weeks. Eventually they returned, removed screed floor and left without making the floor good. Despite multiple calls to the area manager they refused to finish the floor and said it is the customer responsibilty to determine the depth of the screed - so much for the contract and surveyors notes "to match existing floor level"....
Gripe 6 - a 1 tonne bulk bag of sand left in the garden which on closer inspection was half full of 25KG bags of solid cement. Also a sizeable pile of rubble, broken screed etc hidden behind it where the builder removed the floor and dumped it in my garden. A skip load later (at my expense despite more requests) and the garden is now clear.
The matter is now going to small claims court where they state they intend to defend - good luck to them, loads of photos showing levels, a signed letter from their screeder stating the footing levels were wrong, photos of the rubble.....bring it on!!
I would AVOID this company at all costs, especially in the Bucks area.......
STEER CLEAR FROM THIS COMPANY.
July 2007 had roof trim instaled by them. i was not present so my daughter signed satifaction note as not checked. Manager contacted me that the finance company would not release the money and that if there was a problem he wil ensure it was rectified asap. On my return i inspected the job and found that weather shield was damaged and missing from the front of the house the trim joints were not done properly and many other faults. I spoke to the manager he said they had pronlems with that perticular fitter and will get someone to come and inspect the job. till this date nothing heard, i've also sent letter to the head office and asked to have a copy forwarded to the MD. Got reply from complaints manager sorry for it and letter had been forwarded to the MD no reply from him. Got the finance company GE Money involved they are trying to get their own contractor to complete this job still waiting to hear from them as well. Lots of letters but no action so far.Every time i spoke to the manager he just lied and denied his promise. GOT PHOTOS TO PROVE. next step will be small claims court.
I made an appointment for an
anglian representive to call
on my house to give me a quote for a replacement back door & window. The appointment was made for 11.00am, at 09.30 the rep called me, his name was Malcolm. He called to confirm the appointment, fine i told him i am here and
expecting you, will your wife be with you when i call?Somewhat puzzled by his question i ask why he wanted to know? Oh he said we only call if two people are present,but i only want a quote i told him, yes but we have other things to discuss and we only call if two people are at home.Can anyone tell me is this a cunning sales ploy?
We placed an order with Anglian Home Improvements on 29 October 2006 for a conservatory paying a depsoit of £1436. Anglian agreed to obtain relevent planning permissions. We later had a call from Anglian to say that the rep had not collected a big enough deposit and they would arrange for him to call to collect another cheque. We heard nothing until mid January when the rep phoned and was quite annoyed that we had not paid enough deposit. I explained that we had paid what we had been asked for and that Anglian had said he would call to collect the extra. He stated he did not have time for this and could we pay by card over the phone. This I did authorising a payment of £2154. Because of this delay that had done nothing about obtaining permissions.
Eventually, after many phone calls we had a letter on the morning we were going on holiday from the planning dept to say that plans had been turned down. This was only because the conservatory could not be in UPVC but had to be wood and painted white.
It said we had 14 day extension to resubmit plans. As we were going to be away, we emailed the planners asking for a further extension, this they granted for a further 14 days. We contacted Anglian and arranged for the rep to call on our return, which he did and assured us he would fax through the amended documents to get the planning resubmitted before the deadline. We then waited to hear the plans had been passed. And Waited, and waited, and waited. I called Anglian many times but with no success. Eventually I spoke to someone who said the plans had only just been submitted. Because they missed the extension deadline we had to go right back and through the whole planning process. Needless to say we did eventually get permission. Anglian phoned to say the conservatory would be ready for fitting in 12 weeks, unfortunately this coincided with when we would be away but they agreed to put in the base before we went and fit the conservatory as soon as we got home. They eventually turned up and started on the base saying that they would get the conservatory fitted before we went away but would have to come back to finish off inside, plaster etc. We were very pleased that at least the conservatory would be up. 3 days before we were due to go away they changed their minds and said they would not get it fitted. Then they said a wall they had constructed was in the wrong place, woud have to be knocked down and they would rebuild it whilst we were away. We were rather angry at this because it left the back of the house open and susceptible whilst we were away but there was nothing we could do. On our return we expected to hear from Anglian, but nothing. I phoned them and they then said the conservatory was nearing completion - what happened to the fitting before we went away - and they would fit mid October. We were not happy but again there wasn't much we could do. They duly turned up to fit the conservatory, arriving about 11am and departing by 4pm each day - I wish I could work those hours! On completion they did not put back the guttering on the garage so my husband went to do it, only to find that the new wall they had built was directly over a drain, they had ripped up the concrete gulley in front of the garage and covered everything with chippings in the hope we wouldn't notice. We then looked closely at the rest of the work and it was extremely shoddy. We were also presented with the bill which had no mention of the further deposit of over £2000. I wrote to Chief executive of Anglian Homes complaining. We did eventually get it sorted but it took a long time and was very stressful. To cap it all, this morning I went out of the door at 6.30am on one of the coldest days of the winter, the door closed behind me and when I tried the handle to get back in nothing happened. I tried everything to get back in but had to revert to calling a locksmith who charged me £75 to drill out the locks on the door. This had happened because they had not put the little grub screw in the handle, or if they had it had dropped out. This is very shoddy work.
Please be aware that Anglian Home Improvements are not a reliable company, all their work is carried out by subcontractors who have little or no interest in the standard and results.
We would be very interested to hear from anyone else with similar stories regarding Anglian.
See my note of 22 October 2007. Appointment made again for October - NO SHOW, NO EXPLANATION. Further appointment on 6 November - engineer(??) called - unable to fix problem. Appointment made to remedy things 28th January _ NO SHOW, NO EXPLANATION. Now want to come on 7th March....No confidence in this company whatsover - once you have paid, they don't want to know. Current TV advert campaign a complete joke...................
Having read the comments on this site in relation to Anglian Home Improvements I must say I am more than a little depressed. I am trying to get my deposit back after the salesman promised I would get it back if my re-mortgage was not approved. I have been going round and round with customer services and the promised contact from the Regional Sales Manager has not happened. I assume he does not care or that I will go away. What is the best way to complain about the company? The distinct impression I have is that my only redress is to go to court because the company do not seem to care at local level at least.
This is the third time anglian misses an appointment for fixing a problem! It seems impossible to get someone over to fix the problem.
It is difficult to get through to someone on the phone, and apparently it is assumed that the appointment is made if they show up at a completely different time!
We had a window installed by anglian in August. In the ordering process there was also an issue of miscommunication in making the appointment with the surveyor who had assumed a different week for the appointment. When the window was installed we reported some small problems. Until now (December) we are still waiting for someone to fix this. Everytime we stay home to wait for Anglian they do not show up.
Further to my blag in August 2007, they have just ignored another appointment. Engineers were due 19th November and, surprise surprise, they did not turn up. This company does not provide after-sales service no matter what it claims on its website and in brochures. Buy from them at your peril.
I was highly unsatisfied with this company I wanted a FREE NO OBLIGATION Quote which sounded ok but then I made the mistake to let the person in my house all i wanted was a price but foor 45 mins he was just talking about anything and I kept asking how much will it be?
He just blanked that out and carried on with the conversation he was having and I ened up telling him I just want the quote becuse I had plans later that night.
After a hour he started to mesure up the windows he then give me a price whcih was £17,300 for jut 7 windows which was list price but then told me he can get some dicount of that so i thought ok and then got down to £9,000 and he then said let me ring my manager to get some more dicount and just kept applying presure from then on at one point I spoke to the Manager over the phone and was told to **** off for wasting their time.
All i wanted was a quote to compare against other companies
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Comments:
ahi do answer there phone i think you are all being rude
think of the people that take the calls that have to deal with the abuse screaming and shouting and putting the company down is not the way to get things sorted.i had a conservatory in 2005 had leaks and cracks but by phoning and talking in a pleasant manner i was able to speak to the manager who came
out and within 2 weeks all the problems where sorted.ahi are a good company and have had there products for over 40years yes they do make hiccups but they dont deserve the put downs we all
work for companys that make mistakes.overall im very happy.
If you have a problem especially with them answering the phone and never getting back to you. Use force and contact a solicitor, get a quote from three builders but do not let them on the roof as this could invalidate your warranty.
On receipt of the middle quote they have fourteen days to get back to you with either a cheque or doing the work that has been pointed out and it will cost est. £60 to take them to a small claims court. If they still refuse.
The company is a joke but hopefully we shall be seeing the MD soon to sort the matter.
Best bet, go elsewhere if you want good aftersales. I am with the person who said they are a revolting company, they are even accusing me of threatening behaviour when we just want to talk to someone in authority. I have instructed a solicitor and await their reply.
I tried yesterday and most of today to contact the dm to no avail and spoke to a secretary who has put me at the starting point again as if nothing has ever happened.
they used to sub my partner but he will not comply with shoddy workmanship and let's them know when something is not right as a good employee forced to sub contract should do. any solicitor want a good case ?
Feb 4, 2009
Today I have nearly allowed Anglian to fit my conservatory after they threatened legal action if I didnt give them a date to install. They have accused me of denying them access to my property and I have told them that they cannot access my property without my permission or presence as they now cannot be trusted. we were about to patch everything up and move forward until today when I received a letter from the installations dept in Basingstoke saying that ” as a gesture of goodwill, our Mr Williams( the installations manager) has agreed to allow the installment of your conservatory to commence in August” Now I may be completely stupid but who is the customer here?!!! I am absolutely fuming!!!! Who the hell do they think they are these people I have never come across anything like this in my entire life and therefore I have decided to fight them tooth and nail! I have been reading blogs and grizzles on so many websites about their bullying tactics it is frightening the lengths they will go to. here is my first letter to them PLEASE ALL BEWARE OF ANGLIAN
Dear Sirs,
I am writing to you to cancel the installment of my conservatory with you and request my £500 deposit to be returned to me forthwith.
The reasons for my decision to cancel is due to the follow series of events:
• You were due to start work on my conservatory on the 7th of July 2008 as I agreed with your office but on this day no –one from Anglian arrived at my property to start work. Nobody informed me that you were not going to arrive on site either.
• For this week period during the build process I had extracted myself from my very busy company, employed staff to cover me and put my pet into a kennel.
• On the afternoon of the 8th of July I still had not heard anything from your company and made a telephone call to Laura Dignum in your planning office as this was the only number I had. I quoted my reference number and she politely said “ hello Mrs Mc Sherry” I explained that I wasn’t at all Mrs McSherry I was Miss Hoy and told her about the current situation and she kindly put me through to the installations manager in Watford who on quoting my reference to also thought I was Mrs Mc Sherry of London!
• He informed me that he had no record of me or my conservatory but thought it was the Basingstoke office I should be speaking to, he offered the number but I told him that due to the nature of this I wouldn’t be wasting my money calling them and if they wanted to fit my conservatory then I would expect a call from them and to please pass on my details to whom it may concern.
• Nobody called me so I re-called Laura Dignum again in planning and explained who I had spoken to, she apologised and put me through to the installations manager in Basingstoke.I cannot remember this mans name.
• I explained to him what had happened and his attitude was basically that he would send someone out tomorrow to start work. I told him quite categorically that this would not now happen as I was now back at work and had picked up my pet from the kennels. He told me that the work had to start and he had to somehow move it forward as he had a unit, which was for my house and proceeded to start talking me through the ground works on the telephone. I told him that this was now not going to happen due to the incompetence and the lack of confidence I now had with the company for not starting the job on time. He said “ are you trying to tell me that I am not to send the builders around tomorrow morning then?” I said “absolutely not!”
• At 7am the next morning a skip arrived outside my house! I asked the skip man when this had been ordered he told me late afternoon on the 8th. I told him to take it away. He told me that Anglian had told him to drop it off as they were arriving in about half an hour. I told him to take it away immediately as where did he think he was dropping the skip in a residents cul-de-sac without any prior warning to the neighbours as a matter of courtesy.
• At 9am I received a telephone call from Nick the project manger who said that the builders told him I had merely turned away the skip for no reason. I told Nick the whole story and how annoyed I was with Anglian as I had re-arranged my life for 2 weeks to accommodate the fitting of my conservatory which I was very much looking forward to. I had also booked the plumber, electrician etc to come and lay a heated floor on the 22nd of July. I asked Nick when this job had appeared on his board and he informed me that it was only that morning! I asked him to find out what had happened and put it to him that Anglian had completely forgotten about me and had rushed around trying to get things organised to cover this up. I asked him to get back to me with an explanation and the implications of me cancelling due to the total incompetence and disorganisation of the installations department and the lack of communication to me, a respectable paying customer. He told me to take his mobile number and to call him if I wanted to discuss anything.
• To date I have heard nothing and haven’t had any communication from Anglian.
It is for this reason I will not deal with your company. If this is how you do business and treat your customers with such disregard it would worry me that if I were to go ahead this lack of customer service is indicative of the poor service you obviously offer and it would scare me to think that once you had constructed the conservatory and if I had subsequent problems with the structure it would not be dealt with efficiently and correctly. Since ordering my conservatory with you I have also been bombarded with junk mail for blinds, furniture and JCB hire literature and at least twice been called by various offices to find out if I would be interested buying a conservatory!
I think you are a disgrace and an utter shambles! I have wasted about another hour of my time composing this letter and I have no desire to waste anymore of my valuable time with your company so please refund my deposit by cheque to the above address asap.
When we phoned the salesman, he said he did explain this however there are two people in the house, when he measured the windows he explained this to us however we do not have any recollection of this. Anyway, we sent the slip to cancer our agreement and we got a phone call saying we have to pay 30% of the contract price. When we phoned them, they said that is the standard procedure and there is nothing they can do unless we retract our cancellation. Reluctantly we asked for revised quote. The new salesman conveniently added another £2,000 on already quoted price. Any suggestion how can we come out of this CON?
Sanjeev
In short I made it into the diamond and platinum clubs of Anglian (Successful Sales Ladders), I sold 1.06 million net of VAT in my last year. Only 894k was actually fitted. The rest cancelled as a direct result of Utter Incompetence within the admin and fitting departments.
I left Anglian (The Dark Side) and joined the firm regarded as the BEST in the industry. Not because they sell more, but because the product, fitting, after sales and guarantees are the best not to mention unrivalled Customer Care (as quoted by the Advertising Standards Authority).
Everest treats its customers and staff with considerable respect. They put right problems as they occur and don't hide behind waffle and non-communication.
Anglian still owe me a considerable sum of money. They reneged on incentives won through sales performance and treated my customers with total contempt (See March issue of the Which Magazine 2008). One of my customers, who spent a considerable sum with Anglian, featured in the report. He was treated in a deplorable fashion by ‘The Dark Side’.
Search Google with the term 'Banks Rescue Ailing Anglian' and read for yourself how they are doing as a company.
Their sales force are leaving faster than they are replaced (many are coming to work for the Best) and all have a similar story to mine.
Since starting for Everest, I have eradicated my debts, my worry and stress and now I am forging ahead on a great career ladder selling a remarkable range of products installed by a remarkable company.
Hannah, if you read this, probe beyond the spin and hype spewed out at the conventions and weekly meetings. Look at the figures down from an average 5m a week to 3m a week year on year and falling. The products are good (not as good as Everest's) but the company behind them has lost sight of the importance of customers and staff.
Anglian’s tag line should read…
'More Customers, Most recommended - but we just don't care'
Hmmmmm...
They (driveway installations) had total lack of communication and competence in my case. The driveway has sunk twice, the first time after one year when it took 5 months to get someone to perform remedial work and involving many political and moral battle between them, their contractor and me.
Now again, less than a year on, it has sunk again. Complaints via customer services and their 'HEAT' system seem pointless. I had to chase for a letter of acknowledgement to my complaint - I've been promised call backs which never materialise.
Never have I dealt with such incompetence and apathy towards the customer.
On a positive note however and to be fair, I did have facias and soffets done and in the main that has been OK, but my advice based on my experience would be to stay well away - find a local firm based upon recommendation, they have a reputation to maintain whereas Anglian have the arrogance to not give one jot about reputation - maybe if they realised how many neighbours I have provided an honest opinion to and the resulting lost work they may wake up!
This concerns an 84yr old pensioner who has been so consistently bullied and harassed by Anglian at Norwich and Fareham that she has paid them, under duress, the full costs of over £4500.00 for a porch that she has not received.
The only way my friend could bring closure to this episode of her life was to pay Anglian their blood money. The staff at Anglian disgust me for accepting it. That they can so readily take such a high sum from the savings of a vulnerable person is simply abhorrent. This is not an old lady who changed her mind on a whim, it is about a company that could not supply a simple product after 6-months and four aborted installation dates. Rather than admit their failings Anglian chose to bully and harass this frail lady until she paid up. Many times in the first six months my friend attempted to cancel the porch. Clearly for all but one of those requests the porch had not actually been manufactured.
Read this example of Anglian Customer Service and decide if you want to use them:-
- July 2007. Following a cold-call Anglian arrive at my friends’ house and arrange for a brown porch to be fitted in August 2007 (date also confirmed by Anglian in writing).
- September 2007. FIRST ABORTED INSTALLATION. Anglian turn up two days early to install the porch but discover that some parts of the porch are in white and so cannot be installed.
- November 2007. SECOND ABORTED INSTALLATION. Anglian to install the porch and discover that the measurements taken on the previous survey are wrong and it cannot be installed. Friend writes to say she considered the contract void and requests a refund of her deposit as the porch ordered clearly hasn’t even been manufactured. No refund but Anglian send ‘Eddie’ a surveyor who convinces friend to have the porch installed on January 7th.
- January 7th 2007. THIRD ABORTED INSTALLATION. Friend hears nothing until Anglian ring on the day of installation to ask if it can be arranged for 21st January.
- January 21st 2007. FOURTH ABORTED INSTALLATION. Anglian does not turn up on day of installation and are phoned when they state that due to ‘sickness and holiday’ the porch cannot be installed. As an aside my friend is told that there are parts missing anyway so it could not have been installed anyway. Six months and four aborted installations later my friend writes to Anglian yet again to request her deposit back. The response back is a threat by Anglian of legal action.
- March 2008. Friend receives a bizarre letter dated four weeks earlier from one Martin Pike, ‘Senior Installation Manager’ (Anglian are big on staff titles) at Fareham branch confirming that “Installation has now been completed and that there are no further works that need to be carried out”. The same letter then goes on to threaten my friend with legal action if she does not pay Anglian or let the installation go ahead. If one assumes that ‘senior’ staff have a passable understanding of English then clearly this was a letter designed to confuse my friend.
- April 2008. Despite legal advice to the contrary my friend cannot go on with the bullying and stress of dealing with such an unprofessional company and send Anglian a cheque for the full amount for a porch she will never see.
A detailed log of this abysmal behaviour by Anglian detailing all communications is over five pages long and copies of it, Mr Pike’s bizarre letter and my concise letter of complaint to Ms SANDRA HOOPER, Senior Customer Service Manager, are available to anyone who would like to see them. Just contact and I shall email them back. Email: ashley.harcourt@btinternet.com
Gripe 1, ridiculous quotation system - started at £36,000 for a conservatory, ended up paying £17000 for same structure.
Gripe 2, was told we wouldnt have to move our boiler yet when the surveyor arrived we were told we would have to, an additional £2000.
Gripe 3, structure was delivered with missing roof panels - took 6 weeks to rectify, wrong windows, missing hinge covers.
Gripe 4, was sold wrong finish on the floor - we were tiling the conservatory yet were sold Cosy Floor which isnt suitable for tiling (this in spite of the fact that they were told at the quotation stage), had to pay additional £309 for screed floor.
Gripe 5, finished floor was supposed to be at the same level as the existing internal (kitchen floor) so we could tile through yet the screed was some 2 inches higher without the underfloor heating, so with the addition of adhesive etc it would have been 3 inches higher (apart from the fact that the screed was breaking up in places). Builder arrived, knocked 3 holes in the screed to determine depth and disappeared for 4 weeks. Eventually they returned, removed screed floor and left without making the floor good. Despite multiple calls to the area manager they refused to finish the floor and said it is the customer responsibilty to determine the depth of the screed - so much for the contract and surveyors notes "to match existing floor level"....
Gripe 6 - a 1 tonne bulk bag of sand left in the garden which on closer inspection was half full of 25KG bags of solid cement. Also a sizeable pile of rubble, broken screed etc hidden behind it where the builder removed the floor and dumped it in my garden. A skip load later (at my expense despite more requests) and the garden is now clear.
The matter is now going to small claims court where they state they intend to defend - good luck to them, loads of photos showing levels, a signed letter from their screeder stating the footing levels were wrong, photos of the rubble.....bring it on!!
I would AVOID this company at all costs, especially in the Bucks area.......
July 2007 had roof trim instaled by them. i was not present so my daughter signed satifaction note as not checked. Manager contacted me that the finance company would not release the money and that if there was a problem he wil ensure it was rectified asap. On my return i inspected the job and found that weather shield was damaged and missing from the front of the house the trim joints were not done properly and many other faults. I spoke to the manager he said they had pronlems with that perticular fitter and will get someone to come and inspect the job. till this date nothing heard, i've also sent letter to the head office and asked to have a copy forwarded to the MD. Got reply from complaints manager sorry for it and letter had been forwarded to the MD no reply from him. Got the finance company GE Money involved they are trying to get their own contractor to complete this job still waiting to hear from them as well. Lots of letters but no action so far.Every time i spoke to the manager he just lied and denied his promise. GOT PHOTOS TO PROVE. next step will be small claims court.
I made an appointment for an
anglian representive to call
on my house to give me a quote for a replacement back door & window. The appointment was made for 11.00am, at 09.30 the rep called me, his name was Malcolm. He called to confirm the appointment, fine i told him i am here and
expecting you, will your wife be with you when i call?Somewhat puzzled by his question i ask why he wanted to know? Oh he said we only call if two people are present,but i only want a quote i told him, yes but we have other things to discuss and we only call if two people are at home.Can anyone tell me is this a cunning sales ploy?
Eventually, after many phone calls we had a letter on the morning we were going on holiday from the planning dept to say that plans had been turned down. This was only because the conservatory could not be in UPVC but had to be wood and painted white.
It said we had 14 day extension to resubmit plans. As we were going to be away, we emailed the planners asking for a further extension, this they granted for a further 14 days. We contacted Anglian and arranged for the rep to call on our return, which he did and assured us he would fax through the amended documents to get the planning resubmitted before the deadline. We then waited to hear the plans had been passed. And Waited, and waited, and waited. I called Anglian many times but with no success. Eventually I spoke to someone who said the plans had only just been submitted. Because they missed the extension deadline we had to go right back and through the whole planning process. Needless to say we did eventually get permission. Anglian phoned to say the conservatory would be ready for fitting in 12 weeks, unfortunately this coincided with when we would be away but they agreed to put in the base before we went and fit the conservatory as soon as we got home. They eventually turned up and started on the base saying that they would get the conservatory fitted before we went away but would have to come back to finish off inside, plaster etc. We were very pleased that at least the conservatory would be up. 3 days before we were due to go away they changed their minds and said they would not get it fitted. Then they said a wall they had constructed was in the wrong place, woud have to be knocked down and they would rebuild it whilst we were away. We were rather angry at this because it left the back of the house open and susceptible whilst we were away but there was nothing we could do. On our return we expected to hear from Anglian, but nothing. I phoned them and they then said the conservatory was nearing completion - what happened to the fitting before we went away - and they would fit mid October. We were not happy but again there wasn't much we could do. They duly turned up to fit the conservatory, arriving about 11am and departing by 4pm each day - I wish I could work those hours! On completion they did not put back the guttering on the garage so my husband went to do it, only to find that the new wall they had built was directly over a drain, they had ripped up the concrete gulley in front of the garage and covered everything with chippings in the hope we wouldn't notice. We then looked closely at the rest of the work and it was extremely shoddy. We were also presented with the bill which had no mention of the further deposit of over £2000. I wrote to Chief executive of Anglian Homes complaining. We did eventually get it sorted but it took a long time and was very stressful. To cap it all, this morning I went out of the door at 6.30am on one of the coldest days of the winter, the door closed behind me and when I tried the handle to get back in nothing happened. I tried everything to get back in but had to revert to calling a locksmith who charged me £75 to drill out the locks on the door. This had happened because they had not put the little grub screw in the handle, or if they had it had dropped out. This is very shoddy work.
Please be aware that Anglian Home Improvements are not a reliable company, all their work is carried out by subcontractors who have little or no interest in the standard and results.
We would be very interested to hear from anyone else with similar stories regarding Anglian.
It is difficult to get through to someone on the phone, and apparently it is assumed that the appointment is made if they show up at a completely different time!
We had a window installed by anglian in August. In the ordering process there was also an issue of miscommunication in making the appointment with the surveyor who had assumed a different week for the appointment. When the window was installed we reported some small problems. Until now (December) we are still waiting for someone to fix this. Everytime we stay home to wait for Anglian they do not show up.
He just blanked that out and carried on with the conversation he was having and I ened up telling him I just want the quote becuse I had plans later that night.
After a hour he started to mesure up the windows he then give me a price whcih was £17,300 for jut 7 windows which was list price but then told me he can get some dicount of that so i thought ok and then got down to £9,000 and he then said let me ring my manager to get some more dicount and just kept applying presure from then on at one point I spoke to the Manager over the phone and was told to **** off for wasting their time.
All i wanted was a quote to compare against other companies
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