Questions that catch out installers

You don’t need to be an expert to test a window company — you just need a handful of straight questions. A good installer answers them easily. A weaker one hesitates, deflects or changes the subject, and that tells you everything.

Ask these, and watch how they answer

• “What’s your FENSA or CERTASS registration number?” A registered firm gives it without blinking. Vagueness here is a real warning sign.
• “Is the guarantee insurance-backed, and can I see the policy?” This separates a genuine guarantee from a hopeful promise.
• “Do your own employees fit, or do you subcontract?” Not wrong to subcontract — but you want to know who’s responsible for the work.
• “Will this exact price be valid next week, in writing?” If it evaporates without a signature tonight, it was a tactic, not a price.
• “What glass specification and energy rating am I getting?” A confident installer talks spec happily; a cut-price one keeps it vague.
• “Can I speak to recent customers nearby?” Real references and local jobs are easy for a good firm to offer.

What good and bad answers sound like

A trustworthy installer treats these questions as normal, because their customers ask them all the time. They’ll hand over a registration number, show you a specimen guarantee, and leave a written quote without fuss. A firm to avoid gets defensive, insists the price is only good today, or tries to steer you back to how much you’re “saving.” You’re not being difficult by asking — you’re doing exactly what a savvy buyer should. If you’d like a benchmark on fair pricing before you start, browse double glazing deals and fair pricing so you can judge the money side too.

The follow-up that seals it

One question does more work than any other: “Can you put all of that in writing?” It’s the natural end to every answer above, and it’s where a confident firm and a chancer part company. A registration number, a glass specification, a guarantee basis and a fixed price are all easy to commit to paper if they’re real. When someone resists — “I can only hold that if you decide today” — you’ve learned the most useful thing of all without any expertise at all. Written answers also make comparing firms later far easier, because you’re weighing facts rather than half-remembered promises. Ask plainly, ask for it in writing, and let the responses do the sorting for you.

Keep reading

Great questions pair with proper checks. Read checking installer credentials to verify the answers, and avoiding high-pressure sales so no one talks over them.