Anglian Don't Get Done Get Dom

For years now I've been on a crusade to combat your consumer woes.

But there are still companies out there who aren't taking the hint.

Big companies only care about money.

On a daily basis thousands of you are being taken for a ride.

And it is always the same old stuff -

bad customer service, poor product, dodgy workmanship

and dreaded terms and conditions.

Big companies don't show respect to the consumers.

These dismal dealings can drive you to despair,

leaving you feeling abused and confused.

But fear not...

because I will take them on to make sure you don't get done.

Coming up on today's show...

a double glazing job

that has left two unhappy customers out in the cold.

I am really angry and just feel as though I have been ripped off.

We unlock the secrets of rip-off tradesmen

hired to help you unlock your doors.

Our industry is plagued with guys who have done a weekend course,

bought a bunch of tools,

and are sent out on the streets the following Monday.

And we hit the town to arm you with the knowledge

to stop you getting done.

I will bear that in mind for the future!

We all want our homes to look their best, don't we?

After all, we are a proud nation.

What better way to improve the appearance of our home

and its value, by installing double glazed windows?

They keep the cold and the noise out,

keep the warmth in, and are more environmentally friendly.

But what happens when the installation

and the payment for the double glazing

becomes a complete and utter pain?

Two people experiencing just that

are Laura De Klein and Linda Fouldes from Oxford.

They wanted new double glazing installed on their three-bed house.

But three years later they say it is still not finished

and that they now face a bigger bill than they originally agreed.

But this is not what they had in mind

when they hired glazing giant, Anglian Windows.

Anglian professes to offer the best.

the best quality, the best customer service,

the best windows and doors.

And that was one of the reasons we decided to go there.

We figured, this is a nationwide company,

you should be able to trust them.

They had all the logos everywhere to say that you could.

Personally, I was feeling quite confident with them.

Laura and Linda signed up for the full shebang.

A complete set of new windows and doors.

And they took advantage of a special finance deal Anglian were promoting.

I wanted to try to get as much cost reduced, as much I can.

Because, to be fair, it is a hell of a lot of money.

The ladies bagged themselves a hefty discount of over £1,400

bringing the total cost down to £5,944.

We were told to brace ourselves for a quick installation.

Which I was quite amazed by.

But this couldn't be further from the truth

as two-and-a-half years later, the installation is still not finished.

We contacted them, we continually phoned up,

to find out, well, what is going on with the installation?

It was an absolute nightmare.

And Anglian Windows are now not only chasing them for the money

but they also want more

than Laura and Linda agreed to pay in the first place.

I was really frustrated.

To go through all of this, up to this point,

after all the promises and reassurances,

and still they can't get it right?

Needless to say, their confidence has been well and truly shattered.

I am really angry with the fact

that I just feel as though I have been ripped off.

At this point, there's absolutely no trust.

As far as I am concerned, the sooner it all gets finished, the better.

I cannot believe the company can get away

with behaving in such an unprofessional manner, at all.

So they have called upon the services of yours truly

to see if I can get things moving.

Oxford. A beautiful part of the country.

Except today, there is unhappiness in the air.

Hi, you must be Laura?

Hi, Dom. Lovely to meet you.

And you too. The double glazing looks nice from here.

Yes, it is good on the outside.

Do you want to come and have a look inside?

Yeah. Why not?

But before I take a closer look at the windows,

I want to get all the details.

Right. You are the one who recommended Anglian, I hear.

Yes, I was. I had it installed in a previous house.

The installation went absolutely fine,

so I put the idea forward to use them this time.

I get a good idea of the good guys and the bad guys out there.

Because we get complaints, and we know the companies

we get lots and lots of complaints about.

I can tell you Anglian aren't one of them.

so yours was a little bit surprising actually.

My general thought on them was, probably quite a good company.

Certainly one of the biggest and they have quite a good reputation.

So what has gone wrong here?

They were supposed to be installed in April. And April came and went.

No-one contacted us. So we called the branch.

We were told that the windows still were not ready.

They called us at the end of May

for installation in June.

When the date came up, no-one pitched up, no-one turned up.

So we called the branch and said, "Where are they?"

They said, "Sorry, you are not on our board.

"The admin lady has not put your details out.

"so you haven't been booked."

Oops. I must say, this doesn't sound like the best of starts.

But I am sensing it is just the beginning.

Then we reinstalled, we had the installation date moved again.

This time they turned up, which was great.

But only with half the windows. That was in August.

Crikey. So they waited seven months

only for the fitters to turn up with half the stock?

The further half then came on the second day.

But they arrived with blemishes in the windows.

It then took them a further six weeks to re-do those windows

and get those installed.

But when they arrived, the windows were broken in the van.

So they had to wait another six weeks

to get those ordered and made before they could be installed.

So far, we have had broken windows,

wrong ordered windows, ones not arriving,

those that did arrive, broken, and all of this has been continual.

Are you sure that you placed this order with Anglian Windows

and not Bodge and Leggit, the builders?

We are starting to ask ourselves the same thing.

The ladies tell me the fitters returned to their house

a further five times, and guess what?

The windows still weren't right.

What on earth were they doing?

What did Anglian promise the ladies when they signed up for the windows?

And we were told to brace ourselves for a quick installation.

Generally speaking, that first, let's say, year, to round it up,

was nearly all problems that they generated, not you guys.

Absolutely. And we had to continually chase them.

They didn't contact us or pitch on the day of installation.

'It seems this case is less about broken windows

'and more about broken promises,

'but on top of the double-glazing not being finished,

'Laura shows me that the issues with Anglian

'are more than delayed installation.'

-So we've got the main bedroom here, yeah?

-Right.

So, they replaced all of these windows,

except there's a crack that's come up all the way through here

and then all the way down, and that leads down into the lounge.

Let's have a little look. I can see a lot of a filler.

-Is this where you're talking about?

-That's correct.

I'm no expert, but I know a lot about this industry.

That's a reasonably minor job, but you're only way out of this

is to completely remove that wallpaper,

have that rubbed down, quite a quick job.

Your options then are to get a different wallpaper,

something which hopefully complements this one,

or just have it as a bare wall and paint it.

Quite often a lot of these companies will say,

"There will be some minor repairs which you might need to fix."

It depends on how it was explained to you.

None of that was explained and that's what I'm upset about.

I thought there might be some little things and I'd be OK with that.

They didn't explain any of that. They gave us no kind of warning.

"There may be some of this or there may be a few small cracks."

We got nothing like that at all.

It's the customer service, because as you just said,

-had you been warned, you'd have expected it.

-Absolutely.

And then I have no issue with it.

As well as the crack and the ripped wallpaper,

Laura tells me that the fitters caused a further £525 damage to her house,

including scraping a bathroom cabinet and denting her greenhouse.

And one of the windows downstairs is cracked and need replacing.

To be fair, Anglian have agreed to pay for damage

and replace the faulty window, but only when Laura and Linda

settle their bill, and this argument has been to-ing and fro-ing,

with no sign of getting resolved.

Linda, you've got a big folder.

Let's talk about the money. How much was the job?

What they originally quoted us for the job, it was £7,435.

Then, if we did their finance, they would then take a bit more off it,

and that would then leave us with £5,997.

Let's round it up. Six grand.

Anglian were offering a discount of £1,438

if Laura and Linda paid for the windows through a finance deal

which spread the payment over ten years.

With interest, this would bring the total amount to around £15,000.

But the ladies were shrewd with their sums

and planned to take advantage of the discount incentive,

but then pay the full amount off after one year.

How much have you paid them so far?

We've only pay them £49 so far.

-It's been two and a half years?

-Absolutely.

They stand by the fact that, yes, they've only paid a £49 deposit,

but this was the offer Anglian were advertising when they signed up.

I queried the fact that the deposit was so low and they said,

"Absolutely not. This is all that you have to pay,"

and I've refused to pay anything more.

I have said I will definitely clear whatever's owing, in total,

but I haven't paid anything until the job's finished and signed off,

-and it hasn't been finished and signed off.

-OK.

Laura and Linda tell me that because of the delays with the installation,

their original finance deal, which had to be started

within 12 months of approval, had expired.

And because their financial circumstances have changed,

they no longer pass the lender's criteria,

so are unable to take out finance to pay for the windows.

Their point is that if Anglian had finished the job

when they said they would have two-and-a-half years ago,

this finance deal would still have been available,

but having just received the £49 deposit,

Anglian are chasing the money.

They've actually now come back to us and said,

"You us £7,500 rather than £6,000,"

which is what we agreed to be paid through the finance.

Ouch! That seems a bit unfair. What's their explanation for that?

There is no explanation.

Let me throw something into the equation.

I'm going to be a little bit cheeky. Don't slap me!

Do you think, from their point of view,

you've been unreasonable in any way at all?

They probably think that we're making a big deal out of nothing.

They don't understand why we just don't sign off the job.

But if the window is still not right, we're not happy,

the fact that it's not fixed.

We've said to them we will pay, so as far as we're concerned,

if they just put the window in and completed the job, we'd pay.

Let's assume you were one of the managers who's been coming around

trying to get you guys to pay the money.

How do you think he would describe you to his bosses on the phone?

What do you think he would say as to why he hasn't got the money?

From his point of view, it would be the fact that we are uncooperative.

I have tried to reason with them.

What they want done is minimal things,

so I don't see why it's delaying the process.

He would be angry because he's walked away yet again

without any completion and he'd obviously know that he's going

to his boss who will then tell him off for it not being completed.

The ladies appear fully aware

of how frustrating the situation is for Anglian, but at the same time,

they feel they shouldn't have to pay for an unfinished job.

Moving forward, I need to find a way of making both Anglian

and Laura and Linda happy, otherwise this feud could go on for ever.

What exactly do you want Anglian to do?

I think the most important thing is, we want the job done.

We want it complete, we want the job signed off,

so that I can then pay this amount that's outstanding,

and I want a final amount that I need to pay,

-and not exaggerated to the original...

-£7,500.

Absolutely. I want a proper figure.

I also want all the damages to be recompensed.

I don't think I'm being unreasonable in asking for that.

Let me put something to you now, and this is really for both of you.

-The windows themselves you're happy with, aren't you?

-Yeah.

They seem OK. There's a few tweaks, but generally,

I'm absolutely fine with that.

The windows you're happy with,

-the customer service you're very disappointed with...

-Shocking.

and the amount they're trying to bill you,

-you're also disappointed with.

-Shocking.

So you don't want to be paying any more than the £6,000

which should've been in place had the finance gone through.

The windows you're fine with

and you'd like them to rectify that problem.

The fact that this has dragged on for over two-and-a-half years

could cause me a few issues here.

But since Anglian have only received the £49 deposit for this job,

it should be in their interest to get this matter

sorted as soon as possible.

I'm going to put them to the test.

I'm going to see if they will live up to those promises

and we will make you happy at the end of the day. All right?

-I'll try my best.

-Thank you.

That will be great.

I'll be scared to come back if I don't get a result!

-We'll still give you a cup of tea.

-Would you? And a bacon sarnie?

-Absolutely.

-Deal done.

I'm going to take that paper with me, Linda, and you heard that.

Plenty of red sauce as well!

This problem probably could've been sorted out two-and-a-half years ago.

Those ladies are more than happy to pay for those windows.

And Anglian must be screaming out for their money.

They've only had £49 in two-and-a-half years.

Let's see what I can do to mediate.

And when I do get through to Anglian Windows,

some of my suggestions don't go down quite as well as I'd hoped.

No. No, I haven't said that.

What they wanted was the problem sorted out.

Oh! Give me a break.

I know better than anyone

that the laws involved with buying goods and services are a bit of a minefield.

I've been swotting up on this stuff for years and my mind still boggles.

But a little knowledge will do both you and your wallet a huge favour.

The Don't Get Done team have been out and about armed with questions

to put to you, the buying public,

to see if you know your consumer rights from your consumer wrongs.

Today we've hit the streets on a mission to share my knowledge

and make you a bit more consumer savvy.

First up, faulty flight.

Your flight from New York to the UK is delayed by five hours

due to a technical fault with the plane.

Are you entitled to compensation from the airline?

I definitely think I'm entitled to some sort of compensation.

I'm waiting there for five hours.

Give you something because it's not your fault.

-Definitely.

-Yeah, exactly. So the answer is yes, then?

If your flight is over 3,500 km and delayed by over five hours,

you qualify for compensation.

If you decide to ditch the flight,

you can claim back the full cost of your ticket.

And if you stick around and wait, you can demand free meals

and two free telephone calls.

Oh, wow!

Took the words right out of my mouth. Next up, tacky tiler.

You had your bathroom tiled three weeks ago by a professional

but a few tiles have fallen off.

You are worried the tiles you chose might be the wrong ones for the wall.

Is there anything that you can do?

No, I don't think that... I don't think you have any rights.

Well, that's my fault. If I've chosen them, it's up to me to have spares.

I guess it's the tiler's fault because they should have known

how to put them on the wall in the first place.

Correct but only one out of three.

If the workmanship is substandard,

the tradesman is in breach of contract.

By law, it's not only a professional tradesman's job

to ensure the work is carried out in the correct manner,

but also to make sure that the materials used are fit for purpose.

I will use that one in the future.

Music to my ears. Last up, tied-up telephone.

You're cold called by a company

and offered a good deal on a new telephone service.

The next day, you change your mind and decide to stick with your original company.

You call the new company but they say

you've made a verbally-binding contract over the phone which they recorded,

-so you can't cancel. Is this correct? No.

-No.

No.

I do think that the cooling-off period should be in place.

Correct. Three out of three.

Under Ofcom regulations you are well within your rights

to cancel your contract.

This can be done over the phone, by e-mail or in writing.

However, it can only be cancelled up until the point the line is transferred.

-I'll bear that in mind for future.

-Good for you.

I'm in no doubt there's room for improvement,

but I'm encouraged that some of you have listened

to what I've been ranting on about over the years.

Take it from me, a little bit of know-how about your rights

can go a long way to stopping you from getting done.

I'm working on a case on behalf of Laura and Linda from Oxford,

whose double glazing installation by leading firm Anglian Windows

has been dragging on for over two-and-a-half years.

On that very first day, concern moved to panic

when half the fitters turned up, half the windows turned up.

The ladies took advantage of a finance package special offer

and paid just £49 upfront for brand-new windows and doors.

But the sheen had well and truly worn off when a botched fitting

and five attempts at remedial works later,

they say the windows still aren't finished.

Because of the delays, the finance deal has now lapsed.

Really frustrated that they don't seem to deal with anything.

I'm really angry. I feel as though I've been ripped off.

Anglian Windows are now chasing Laura and Linda for more money

than they'd agreed to pay in the first place.

I want to find out why no finance means no discount.

I'm quite enjoying this case. It reminds me of when I was a nipper

and I used to go to the cinema and watch a spaghetti western.

On one side, you've got Laura and Linda, the downtrodden customer

unhappy with the service they have received. They want it sorted out.

And on the other side, we have got the company, Anglian Windows,

who have forked out well over £7,000-worth of goods and services

and so far have only received £49.

They want their money.

I think this story needs a sheriff.

But unlike in the flicks, the first thing I'm going to do in this showdown

is get on the phone to Anglian.

I've been advised to deal with the press office, so let's get them up to speed.

You know what they say about no rest for the wicked.

That's what I feel like at the moment.

It's lunchtime in North London

and here I am phoning up Anglian Home Improvements in...

Actually I don't know where they are. Norfolk.

Right, let's see if we can get this case sorted out.

It's Dominic Littlewood calling from the BBC.

I want to speak to somebody in the press department. Would that be you?

'I'm through to the media relations head honcho.'

In a nutshell, the work was meant to be completed by April.

'I hope the woman at the press office has got plenty of ink in her pen because she's going to need it.'

And they were told there was a delay with the windows

and everything was booked for 12th July.

9th July, they were told the windows were damaged

and the installation was rebooked for 16th August.

Then it was rebooked again for the 18th.

Then they were told it would be 27th August.

What they want is they would like this discount reinstated

so they can have the windows at the price it was originally agreed

and hopefully do the finance as well. Bye-bye.

Right. I tell you what,

that was the first phone call with Anglian Windows.

I've got to say it was extremely civil. They were extremely nice.

She said, "You know what, Dom? If there's a problem let's try and resolve it."

Why don't more companies do that?

But of course, we're not actually there yet.

Before I go any further,

I'm going to take a peek at who I'm up against.

Established in 1966, Anglian Windows have paved their way to becoming

one of the most popular brands of double glazing in the country,

not just fitting windows but manufacturing them as well.

They state they are a company who pride themselves on their reputation

but it seems in this instance

they have a couple of very unhappy customers.

Under the Supply Of Goods And Services Act,

I'm confident Anglian have failed to carry out this job

using reasonable care and skill and within a reasonable time.

So Anglian have some questions to answer.

So far, I've made one phone call to Anglian Windows,

told them about the problems here, and said, "Can you sort it out?"

The lady I spoke to was very polite. Let's see how she's got on.

'Since I first spoke to Anglian, they've sent me an e-mail

'saying they've dug out the case file and are looking into it.

'But you know me. I like to keep the pressure on.'

She's in a meeting. Can't help that.

'The lady on the end of the phone says she'll pass on a message

'and asks for my details to call me back.'

Bye-bye.

Well, I've got to say, it's only two people I've spoken to at Anglian so far.

The first woman was in a meeting, fair enough,

and that lady was also very, very polite. I like that.

Doesn't mean they're going to sort my problems out but I do like it.

Looks like I'm going to have to wait a little longer

to get down to the nitty-gritty with Anglian.

For me, this case is pretty clear-cut.

Laura and Linda don't feel the job is finished

and therefore are refusing to pay.

And because the finance deal has lapsed,

Anglian are saying the ladies have lost out on the discount incentive.

I've received an e-mail from Anglian blaming the finance deal lapse

on Laura and Linda refusing to sign the completion paperwork.

But how are they supposed to sign the paperwork if the job's not finished?

As I look down the small print of Anglian's e-mail,

they say that finance has been refused from three different lenders

but that they will see if they can get another finance agreement through a different lender.

And on the subject of the damage the fitters caused to Laura and Linda's property,

Anglian say they will pay for the dented greenhouse

and scratched bathroom cabinet.

Great. But there's no mention

of the crack in the bedroom

and they say they will only cough up

once payment for the windows is received.

And on the third issue of the unfinished installation,

Anglian say that as far as they're concerned, this was completed 18 months ago

and that Laura and Linda have refused to sign the final paperwork.

Now, I haven't got a clue what Anglian's logic is here.

Let's speak to an expert.

Many double glazing companies, including Anglian,

are members of an organisation called The Glass And Glazing Federation.

We expect them to provide good customer service

and install a good quality product as agreed with the consumer

with a contract.

The vast majority of these are installed quite satisfactorily,

and customers are very, very happy.

What should a company do if things don't quite go to plan?

If after the installation there are any faults that have been highlighted to the company,

we would expect them to come back within a couple of weeks

with some sort of programme of resolving those works.

It seems so far Laura and Linda have done all the right things.

But what should a customer do about completion paperwork and payment

if they're not happy with the job?

If a customer isn't satisfied with the work,

they shouldn't feel compelled to sign anything

to say that they are satisfied with the work.

If they're not satisfied, they need to highlight to the installer

what they're not happy with so it can be resolved as soon as possible.

Not only does it sound like Anglian haven't been acting as they should,

but this advice marries up with the trusty Supply Of Goods And Services Act.

Come on, Anglian. You've got some justifiably unhappy customers.

Sort them out.

Don't fight them for two years over money you're not entitled to until the job is finished.

Anglian may believe it is done, but Laura and Linda think otherwise.

And lo and behold, I receive a return e-mail

saying there is outstanding work in the form of

a sealed unit replacement and a window board end cap.

A complete turnaround on their previous e-mail which said

this installation was completed in August 2010.

Fine. At last they admit it. This is great.

Let's talk about honouring Laura and Linda's original deal,

a point they seem to be glazing over.

This all boils down to fairness.

Laura and Linda agreed to buy their windows on the basis

that they would get a discount for using Anglian Windows finance.

Due to their shortcomings and delays, that offer expired

and Anglian Windows are now asking them to pay the full asking price without the discount.

Does that sound fair to you? Cos it doesn't to me.

As the e-mails go back and forth, I'm starting to think my fingers are going to wear out.

Anglian are still saying that the initial delays in the installation

were due to the fact that they were

unable to get in contact with

Laura and Linda, which continued

throughout the remedial work.

They go on to say the ladies should

have signed the final paperwork

and had outstanding remedial work

carried out under the warranty

after the finance deal was signed.

I wholeheartedly disagree.

I understand that they have only paid £49 upfront

and that Anglian have no doubt clocked up extra costs

following their catalogue of errors.

But as we've heard from our expert,

Laura and Linda shouldn't have to pay anything more than a deposit

until the job is satisfactorily finished.

They've also dished up more bad news, saying that

they've tried to secure another finance deal but to no avail.

However, there is a slight breakthrough. Anglian have come back and made an offer.

They're willing to give the ladies half of the original discount

to settle the matter.

This is £719 more than they agreed to pay in the first place.

Let me think about this for a minute. OK, thought about it.

Laura and Linda have had hassle for two years now.

They've still got damage to their property, albeit minor,

and Anglian are now saying that they want them to pay more than they did at the start of all this.

Come on, Anglian. We can do better than that.

But when I put the ladies in the frame,

will it be window case closed or blown wide open?

Bear in mind, you've had these windows now coming up for three years, isn't it?

All you've paid so far is £49.

Wouldn't we all like to know what goes on inside the mind of dodgy traders?

You know, get a little insight into how they all work.

Well, step forward today's whistleblower.

Watch this because it's going to be very interesting.

At one time or another, I think we can all relate

to that sinking feeling when you've left the house

only to realise you've locked your keys inside.

So in comes a locksmith to your rescue.

But although some will provide you with a good, honest service,

there are tricksters who deliver damaged doors,

inflated prices and parts you didn't need in the first place.

And what these cowboys are out to do is turn you over

and get their hands on your hard-earned cash.

We've masked the identity of our industry insider,

who's agreed to lift the latch on the tricks used by these tradesmen.

I've been a trading locksmith for 22 years

and a master locksmith for about 15 years.

Our industry is plagued with guys who have done a weekend course,

bought a bunch of tools and are sent out on the streets the following Monday.

So what sort of locksmith shouldn't be allowed to trade?

It's very difficult for the public to be able to distinguish

between a good and a bad locksmith.

Rogues or scammers in our industry are purely after a fast buck

and invariably they're preying on vulnerable people,

people who need an emergency, people who need a service quickly

and are more susceptible to paying over the odds.

Some unscrupulous locksmiths will give you very poor quality products at a premium price.

Very often, locks can be either picked, bypassed or manipulated

and don't need to be changed

and you can carry on using your existing key

if you've just left it inside your house.

It's not always necessary to change the locks.

Some locksmiths have been locked up for their dodgy practices.

There was a case of a locksmith recently who had been trading for many years

and had a number of complaints against him to the Trading Standards.

The locksmith in question was invariably overcharging

on half-hourly rates,

putting in cylinders that didn't need to be changed,

fitting locks that were unnecessary,

and basically charging astronomical sums of money for the privilege.

The guy is now behind bars for four years.

What cases has our insider been called in to clean up?

I once turned up to a customer, on a Wednesday morning,

who'd been locked out all night.

They had called one of these multi-trade locksmiths the night before,

and a simple UPVC failed mechanism

had the handles destroyed, the cylinder removed

and the mechanism made even worse, and they just packed up their tools

and left them at ten o'clock at night and said, "We're off home."

The door, as it turned out, they'd put so many holes in it

and tried crowbars and spreaders to get the door open unsuccessfully,

although I was able to repair it temporarily,

ultimately, the door had to be replaced by the customer.

I don't know how any tradesman could go off

and leave a member of the public in the lurch.

We've heard the horror,

now let's find out ways to make sure YOU don't get done.

Here's our insider's advice.

The public has to be very careful when engaging these locksmiths,

being very careful about pricing structure.

When you're getting a price, any reputable locksmith

should be able to give you a rough estimate before he starts.

Locksmiths know how long something's going to take

and how much something's going to cost.

If any locksmith says, "To do the job properly,"

I would be suspicious instantly,

because every job they do should be done properly.

Very often, you're enticed in by sound bites of high security

and other such hooks in order to get you to part with your money.

Most reputable locksmiths will carry a very large stock supply on their vehicle

and should have 90% of what they need to do the job on board.

Some locksmiths will deliberately go off for half an hour, an hour,

to the local hardware shop, or even sit round the corner,

again adding to your labour costs.

Try and avoid multi-tradesmen as well - what you want is a locksmith.

You want somebody with a standard CRB,

somebody hopefully in the Master Locksmiths' Association

and somebody who's qualified.

What you don't want is a plumber turning up to fix a lock,

just because they can get there in 30 minutes.

Over the last few weeks, I've been fighting on behalf of Laura and Linda,

who are far from impressed by the unfinished double glazing installation

they'd received from Anglian windows.

I found out that Laura and Linda have got a good case

under the Supply Of Goods And Services Act.

And, on top of that, Anglian's agreements state

that they shouldn't pay any money until it's finished,

which was backed up by my expert.

Now, Anglian Windows are coming back to me

and they're responding to all my letters and everything,

they're playing ball.

Unfortunately, they're not giving me the answers I want.

I'm having a closer look now at this finance agreement,

and I'm a bit confused about a couple of things, which I'll query.

Anglian have come back and said

they'll give Laura and Linda half the original discount,

but this would still leave them over £700 out of pocket.

But after the customer service they've had to deal with,

I don't think this is good enough.

I've got a good idea why they won't give them the full discount,

and it's because they're no longer taking out the finance deal.

But I want Anglian to confirm my suspicions.

'When you've finished recording,

'please hang up or press the hash key for more options.'

Unfortunately, I've reached the answer phone.

A couple of queries - there's something I need to look at here.

I'm looking at the customer personal illustration form,

and you've offered her a Gold Account discount of £1,438.

And I'd like to have an explanation of what this discount is for.

Bye-bye.

Sometimes, I really like leaving messages on voice mails,

because you can say certain things which you think, "You know what?

"They're not going to like hearing that."

And it might just start a chain reaction before you get a call back.

Let's see what happens with that one.

To be fair, Anglian have said they will reimburse Laura and Linda

for the damage the fitters caused, which is just over £500.

But they're holding firm and saying that they want payment first,

and they still haven't agreed to honour Laura and Linda's original price,

and I'm pretty sure I know why.

But since I can't get through to my contact at Anglian,

I think it's time we heard from an expert.

This issue of getting discounts for finance has got me thinking,

and I don't like it.

You see, why on earth should somebody get money off for taking out finance,

when the people who've saved hard and paid for it outright

don't get the same deal?

Companies are obviously very keen for us to take out finance.

Let's find out why.

What many people don't know

is that the company that's offering you the finance

themselves may be getting commission for selling you that loan.

And that means they're making more money

from selling you that product AND the loan together.

Just as I thought.

And that must be why Anglian can offer discount incentives

for those purchasing windows on finance.

Well, quite often, people who take out finance might get a better deal

than someone who, say, pays up front for the product

because the company selling you that product

is going to get commission on selling you the finance as well.

So, in theory, they should be able to pass on some of that commission

in the form of a discount.

When I did my sums earlier, I worked out that in Laura and Linda's case,

the finance incentive offered by Anglian

would bring down their final bill to around six grand.

But if they saw out the ten-year term,

they'd pay a total of more than £15,000,

which is more than twice what the windows cost.

So should we be avoiding finance deals?

You've got to think really carefully about your own personal circumstances -

if you can afford to pay for the work up front,

you don't want to pay interest on a loan,

then it may be in your interest to do so.

It may also be a lot cheaper for you to take out a personal loan

or to use a credit card - a 0% APR credit card will obviously be cheaper

than an expensive loan from the company that sold you that product.

How do we know what the total cost of the finance deal is?

There's a thing called a settlement statement,

which is a legal requirement on lenders.

Anyone that gives you finance when you buy a product,

they have to tell you what it will cost you to settle that loan.

That's your settlement statement.

You're entitled to it, you should insist on it.

It's set out in law precisely what they need to tell you.

In Laura and Linda's case,

Anglian had provided them with this information

and, as a result, the ladies were planning

to pay their finance off in full after one year

therefore taking the discount incentive

without paying ten years of interest.

A shrewd move, if I do say so myself.

And after confirming that companies get commission from lenders

for selling finance deals to customers,

I'm convinced this is the reason why Anglian

are reluctant to offer Laura and Linda their original discount.

Another day and, guess what, another e-mail from Anglian Windows.

Now, the silly thing is here, I think had Laura and Linda

had as much communication with them as I have in the last couple of weeks,

I think this problem would've been resolved ages ago.

Guess what? My hunch was spot-on, as Anglian say that...

I knew it.

Right, I'm positive we're moving in the right direction,

but I don't want to count my chickens before they've hatched.

So, whilst on my travels, I'm going to waste no time trying to seal the deal.

I am so close, now,

to getting this problem for Linda and Laura sorted out.

I've got a feeling one more phone call to somebody different

I haven't spoken to before might be enough to resolve it all.

Hi, Martin. It's Dominic calling from Don't Get Done Get Dom.

'I'm through to Anglian's marketing director.'

'You know, I think we've been quite patient.

'I think it's gone on a long time.'

-Too long, hasn't it?

-'We'd definitely like it resolved.'

-Yeah.

'Because the bottom line is she's had our windows

'for 18 months and paid £50.'

Yeah.

'Martin indicates that there has been

'a bit of a turn over of managerial staff at that particular branch,

'which explains a thing or two about the customer service

'the ladies have received over the last two years.

'Now, one of the complaints that I haven't raised yet is the damage

'to Laura and Linda's bedroom wall, which they want Anglian to rectify.'

They filled it with something like Polyfilla,

tore the wallpaper back about three inches or so

either side of the crack...

And left her with the filler.

It's proud, it's ugly and the wallpaper has been destroyed.

They blame this crack and the fact that the wallpaper's been damaged on Anglian, and it probably is.

They got a tradesman in and said, "How much to do this?"

And he said, "£290."

'So that's on top of the 525 issue,

'that they've also claimed is kind of our fault?'

Yeah. I will go round and see them now. Can you just give me...

I don't know if you have a calculator, I'm in a car.

Can you give me the bottom-line figure

so we're both singing off the same hymn sheet?

'Great, a solid offer on the table.

'Time I headed off to meet Laura and Linda.'

Here I am, back in Oxfordshire with the news

I think these ladies have been waiting an awful long time for.

'But will it be enough to put a smile back on their faces?'

Good to see you again, ladies.

-Hi.

-How are you? All right?

-Yeah, good.

I had a few hiccups, I always do.

That's part of the course - I didn't expect them to roll over and let me tickle them!

The crux of this problem has been about the fact

that it's broken down between you and them.

And that's on both sides of the fence -

you're obviously annoying them, they've annoyed you.

Really, it just took someone to sort it out.

It could've been anyone. It should've been them, they're a company.

It hasn't. There's no point harping on about it.

The fact that I've stepped in has been good,

as I've just acted as a mediator.

Bear in mind, you've had these windows now,

I mean, it's coming up for three years, isn't it?

And all you've paid so far is £49.

£7,500 was where you were at, worst-case scenario.

Let's say, how would you feel

if I got it down to the price that you wanted, which was 5,995.

Yeah.

Less £300 for your bedroom.

Yeah.

Less £525 for the other bits.

Plus, you've still got your 15-year guarantee coming through.

-All right?

-Right.

You can sort your own crack out. All you now owe them is £5,133.

That's brilliant! Well done!

-That's brilliant.

-You happy?

-Yeah.

-Thank you. Can I hug you?

Course you can hug me - everyone hugs me! Shall we have a group hug?

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

Not only have Anglian honoured the original deal,

but they've knocked off the costs of the damages

and agreed to come back and refit the faulty window.

Anglian Windows have said that...

And that they...

That's my job done, then, so I'll love you and leave you.

-Cheers, bye!

-Thank you, bye!

-See you.

The result is phenomenal, thank you.

And it seemed so quick.

Having been waiting for so long,

yeah, it definitely seems a very quick resolution.

Thank you very much, Dom.

A two-and-a-half-year problem

sorted out in about two-and-a-half minutes in there.

There's only one thing better than making a lady happy -

making two of them happy.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd