Look how they've Treated their Customers!

With the industry only just taking its first tentative steps into 2008, already we are bombarded with stories in the news about big window companies hitting hard times and going into receivership...not the best way to start the New Year! But while, in the main, trade professionals are looking at the state of the market, so too are the consumers and with industry giants struggling to maintain grip, consumer confidence is being shook to the very core...and this is being hugely overlooked.

The consumer has always had an uneasy relationship with the fenestration industry, enhanced further by those companies leaving customer service as an after thought once the deposit is taken firmly in hand. Consumers, now more than ever, need reassurance and a guarantee that they will be protected against financial loss should the companies they choose to undertake the work cease to trade...and with so many of the big household names facing uncertain times, what can the consumer expect?

‘Many companies will proclaim that they have given their customers complete protection should they cease to trade, but now the inevitable has happened and the cracks have appeared, all has been laid bare to what it is they have actually been offering to the general public,’ comments Jeremy Brett, Director of the Consumer Protection Association. ‘With the recent spate of businesses going under many consumers will be left with the stark realisation that the Insurance Backed Guarantees (IBGs) they were offered are in fact worthless because they were not offered it at the right time...and this can more often than not be up to several months after a job has been completed...and as we have witnessed, a lot can happen in a short space of time! There are many IBG offer schemes out in the market place that appear to give value for money to those companies joining up, but upon closer inspection it appears that all they are good for is collecting a membership fee and quite frankly enabling many businesses to knowingly bow out of their obligations to complete customer satisfaction...by taking the word 'offer' and using it in its literal sense!’

For installers joining self-certification schemes, they are required to offer their customers an independent insurance guarantee as part of their requirements as stipulated under Approved Document Part L. Self-certification schemes quite rightly allow installers to freely pick their own insurance provider from the open market and all contractors have to show is that they have an offer in place...but what offer they choose will more often than not be price driven and not centred on the benefits it gives the consumer.

‘This raises a number of problems because many contractors offering these so-called schemes will be doing their customers a disservice and could effectively be breaking the law in some instances. This boils down to trades people not being fully briefed in terms of when to use IBGs and other warranty related products and how they actually work, leading to consumers receiving written contracts and guarantee documents at the wrong time which is very confusing. Or for example, the consumer receives a letter from an IBG insurance broker on behalf of the installer asking them if they want cover or not, usually months after the job has finished, and is something that is overlooked as they believe they already are covered from the initial sales pitch! The word 'offer' becomes very ambiguous to both parties involved and if not fully understood can cause a whole wealth of problems...especially if a scheme is offered to seal the deal without the contractor being FSA (Financial Services Authority) regulated. Unfortunately this is a regular occurrence and is highly illegal! As an installer, if you are not FSA regulated you can not offer an IBG at the point of sale...all you can do is pass the consumers details over to your IBG insurance provider to follow up should they desire cover. But many unregulated contractors will use their offer scheme as the closer in their sales pitch, misleading the consumer into thinking that they are covered from the word go...when in reality they are leaving them wide open while the work is carried out, and once it is finished, and only then, will they receive any correspondence from the contractors insurance provider months down the line. This is the time when most problems arise, and many contractors will still knowingly take their customers down this path!

‘As an industry we have a lot of work to do to win the favour of the consumer over, but this is going to get harder the more that the prevalent players within the market fall and take their customers with them. For all those businesses that remain and those just starting out, the choice is simple...protect your customers fully from the word go and help pull back consumer confidence. It has been proven time after time that those businesses investing in delivering high-grade customer service have longevity on their side,’ continues Jeremy.

The Consumer Protection Association has earned an unbeatable reputation among consumers and the trade alike for delivering complete protection and peace of mind. For any trade joining the CPA, they must fulfil strict criteria before membership is granted. Once on board the CPA's services and protection schemes have been designed to benefit its members in terms of increasing their sales, but more importantly will unequivocally look after the consumer hands down.

‘Our IBG schemes are designed to be given at the point of sale and offered up front by way of business, complete with that all important FSA backing. This is the most effective way to help our members convert sales and build on their reputations and their business. Choosing this IBG scheme will dramatically enhance relations between our members and their customers, because they will know that they are completely covered from the word go. How many of the companies that folded recently can say that their customers had this level of protection? My guess is not many! Installers should look at the bigger picture and not be governed by immediate savings that many of the lesser offer schemes seem to boast, but looking into making investments into their current operations as we all know that quality is remembered long after price is forgotten,’ concludes Jeremy.

Web: http://www.thecpa.co.uk