COLDSEAL WINDOWS

Lorna Chalmers was still waiting for her windows to be completed and the lock on her back door to be fixed nearly THREE YEARS after she first placed an order. Miss Chalmers signed a contract with Coldseal for Ł6,500 to supply doors and windows for her house.

All the windows were fitted except for the bay window, which was the wrong size. The fitters said they would return the next day to complete the work, but the window remained in her garage.

The back door did not lock, there were no safety catches on the windows and flashing on the inside of the windows was not finished. Miss Chalmers refused to pay for the work until it was completed.

Maxine Johnson signed a contract for Coldseal to supply ten replacement windows for Ł1,760. A surveyor visited her house and asked if she wanted extra vents in the windows which, he said, were required for health and safety reasons.

She agreed and three weeks after ordering, received a letter from Coldseal telling her the order would be cancelled if she didn't pay another Ł1,100. This consisted of Ł500 for the new specification and Ł600 for extra fitting costs, although these were included in the original order.

I have had nothing but problems in the last year since Coldseal put up a Ł12k conservatory. They use sub contractors that do not honour the plans, working hours or respect your property. The work they do is sub standard and faulty.

If the faults don't develop immediately, you certainly will have some within a few months, then the battle begins. Coldseal have an automated call system, so be prepared to`be on hold for well over an hour on a good day.

They fail to keep appointments, won't reply to emails, faxes, recorded mail or even solicitors letters. I strongly suggest you research Coldseal on the net as well, ask around and find someone else. Anon

In 2003, Coldseal pressured the elderly parents of Ms Wu into buying a complete set of double glazed windows for Ł6000. Being of Hong Kong origin and aged 70 and 71, her parents had little understanding of high pressure selling.

When Ms Wu discovered what had happened she managed to cancel the contract, but in doing so, had to forfeit the survey cost of Ł100, which she reluctantly accepted.

However, weeks later her parents were sent an invoice for Ł500 together with a letter threatening court action if this amount wasn't paid. Coldseal claimed this was a 'cancellation percentage charge'.

Confused, and fearing the worst, her parents paid the amount demanded. Ms Wu tried to contact the company for an explanation and to try and get the Ł500 refunded, but all calls and messages left have been ignored. The days of rogue double glazing firms have not died out!

CUSTOMER SERVICE? - Coldseal

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Coldseal An independent survey of Coldseal customers by The Consumer Protection Association produced the following response:

"Professional and courteous" 99%
"Recommend company" 98%
"Undertakings fulfilled" 98%
"Worked efficiently" 99%

However:

Six weeks after paying Coldseal nearly Ł2,000 for fitting two bay windows at her home, Mavis Baker is still waiting for the work to be finished. Coldseal fitters from the Alfreton service centre installed a new bay window and converted a flat window into a bay window at her home. Included in the price, lead flashing was to be installed at the top of the windows by sub-contractor W R Leivers based at Hucknall, but no one arrived to do the work. After 30 phone calls to Coldseal, Mrs Baker contacted Derby Trading Standards and was advised to write a letter to the company and send it by recorded delivery. She has not received a reply.

The lead flashing should act as a protective lining against water, but, because none has been installed, Mrs Baker believes rain has soaked through exposed wood at the top. Her daughter, Sarah Caswell, took up the case and visited Coldseal's office in Alfreton. She said, "They were so rude to me, but I finally got to speak to someone in charge. He said they'd placed the order and had proof in an e-mail, which he refused to show me." After her visit, Mrs Baker received an appointment in writing for the work to be done, but she is sceptical the fitters will turn up.

She said, "They've given me dates before and they haven't turned up, so why should I think they'll finish the job this time? I'm getting fed up with not knowing when they're going to be finished. I've kept a diary of what has happened." A spokesman for W R Leivers said the company could not comment on why the flashing had not been fitted for legal reasons. Recently, Kay Smith also had problems with Coldseal not fiiting windows properly. She spent two months and 109 phone calls trying to resolve the problem. The windows were finally finished three weeks after the story was reported in the Derby Evening Telegraph.

In July 2002 we decided to have new double glazing fitted throughout our 3 bed terraced house and as I had found out that I was pregnant wanted it doing fairly soonish to avoid any hassle. We wanted to go with someone that was recommended to us locally so we knew what the fitting would be like. My husband asked around at work and a couple of people he knew came up with Coldseal's name so we gave them a call. In August 2002 we had a visit from a salesman who measured all our existing windows. Very loosely I must add but I was reassured to hear it was just estimated sizes .... pheww. Anyway he arrived at 8pm, so I had to miss Eastenders, but thought I could catch the 10pm showing on BBC choice! No way.... He was still in our front room at nearly 11pm.

Luckily we had discussed before his arrival what we were prepared to pay for the windows, as we had found out from friends how much they had paid for theirs. He started off at a massive Ł8,500, which we just laughed at as our price was half of that!! He obviously knew we weren't going to fall for that one and knocked it down to Ł5,800. Anyway you can probably tell what is coming next.... Yes you have all seen it before on TV. He rang his boss to ask if he could give any extra discounts. By 11pm we had got him down to the price we wanted to pay, so I know that if you stand your ground you can get a decent price. We said we would like the windows to be fitted ASAP because of baby being on the way, so he said it would happen in the next 6 weeks.

Hooray... we got a date for the windows to be fitted. It was the first week in November, and yes I was a bit concerned that at 6 months pregnant it may be a little cold, but hey at least we didn't have baby in the house. The day before the fitters were due to arrive I spent ages taking down all the curtains and fittings, moved nearby furniture and cleared windowsills etc. At 6pm I got a call from Coldseal customer service saying they would not be turning up due to too many fitters being off sick. Talk about late notice, I could have cried, infact I did cry. I was given a new date immediately for the last week in November.

The day arrived again, and the fitting was scheduled to take 2 and a half days from the Monday onwards. Monday morning I was up and dressed bright and early and I waited and waited for them to arrive. By 11.30am I gave coldseal a ring to see if they had forgotton us or something. I was told they were on their way. They eventually arrived at nearly 2pm! We had a brief chat on the doorstep, as they said their was no point in them starting anything as it would be getting dark soon. They said they would be back early in the morning. Sure enough they arrived 9am Tuesday morning and got on with the job. They eventually finished on the Friday afternoon. I wasn't bothered that it took them longer than the two and a half days, because at least they were taking their time and doing a good job.

Most normal people have a letterbox in their front door so they can recieve post on a morning. We had ordered a letterbox to be fitted in the factory but the door that came didn't have on in it. No problem the fitters would fit it themselves. Well they got the front part of the letterbox on but the back of it which stops any draughts coming into the house and makes it look tidy from the inside was faulty. It wasn't the fault of the fitters and personally I was very pleased with the work they had done. I think that this is purely down to luck of who you will get to do the work and any firm can have good and bad workers. Anyway, all they could do was report it to head office and we would have a visit in the following week from a aftersales engineer who would rectify the problem. So we paid up in full....

A week went by and we hadn't heard a dickie bird from Coldseal so I gave them a call and sure enough they sent someone out a few days later. Unfortunately the new letterbox he brought with him was a smaller size so was no good. He filled out a full report with sizes etc, and said that we would hear from customer service in up to four weeks. That was at the beginning of Dec 2002. A couple of weeks ago we still hadn't heard anything from them so I decided to get in touch with them instead. Trying to get through to speak to someone is a nightmare as you get passed from person to person.

Eventually when I did get through to speak to someone who could help she said that they had sent us a letter and would be out to visit us on Tuesday. We still haven't got any letter from them so don't think that bit was true. Tuesday arrived and the same man that came before arrived. He stood on the doorstep and apologised that he could do nothing as they had sent him out with the WRONG sized letterbox AGAIN!! I know it may seem to some like a minor complaint but it is really draughty and whistles. Also when you have saved up for four years to get something like this done it is a big deal.

Overall we are very pleased with the windows that they fitted, and the fitters that we got were very pleasant and tidy. It is the aftersales customer service that we have the problem with, and it seems like once they have got your money they don't give a damn about you. We are now waiting again for them to get back in touch with us to arrange another visit, but I won't hold my breath. Will probably try and ring them again in a about a week. Fiona

In Jan 1999, Coldseal installed a new double glazed patio replacement window system. The units provided would not fit the openings in the walls, so they had to dispense with the bottom cill which should have been a vital part of the water seal! The units leaked water into the patio from day one! After 8 visits, and 8 attempts to cure the problems over 12 months, the problems got even worse.

A complete replacement system was ordered, but this would not fit the openings. Another replacement was delivered and fitted two weeks ago, but of the 6 panes of glass brought, 4 were too small, and the other 2 were miles too big. The new frames were fitted, and the glass spaces filled with sheets of plywood. AFTER 20 MONTHS, my patio is still uninhabitable! I would not have another Coldseal system if they were given away free!!!! Wise Old Owl

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