Check my installer
Check the company as carefully as the product.
The product matters. The people fitting it matter just as much. These are the checks worth making before any deposit changes hands.
The checklist
Eight checks that take twenty minutes.
01
Who exactly is the contracting company?
Get the full registered company name and number from the quotation, not the trading name on the van. Check how long it has traded, and whether previous companies with the same directors were dissolved.
02
Is the work self-certified, and by whom?
Replacement windows and doors in England and Wales are notifiable work. Either the installer is registered with a competent-person scheme, or a building notice must be lodged with the local authority. Ask which applies and get the registration number.
03
Who stands behind the guarantee?
Ask whether the guarantee is from the installer, the manufacturer, or an insurance-backed scheme — and get the policy or scheme reference. An installer-only guarantee ends if the installer does.
04
What deposit is being asked for?
A deposit is normal; a very large one is not. Establish what protects it, how the balance is staged, and what happens if the lead time slips.
05
Is the specification written down?
Named profile system, glass make-up and U-value, hardware, colour references and trickle vents. If it isn't in writing, it isn't part of the contract.
06
How was the price arrived at?
A price that halves during a single visit was never the real price. Ask for a per-opening breakdown you can take away and compare in your own time.
07
Can you see recent local work?
Ask for two or three addresses of similar jobs completed in the last year, and read reviews that describe aftercare rather than the salesperson.
08
What are the cancellation rights?
For agreements signed at home you normally have a 14-day cancellation right. Check the paperwork states it, and never waive it to secure a discount.
Ask us to look
Send us what you've been given.
Tell us the company name and what has been quoted, and we'll tell you what the paperwork does and doesn't commit them to. We do not publish ratings of individual firms, and we never pass your details to a competitor.
Already have the paperwork as a PDF or photo? Use the quote review service instead so we can read the document itself.