Let me ask you a question. How many times, when you see your competitors doing a job illegally, do you contact FENSA or Certass to report it? Most of you will probably say ‘not that often’.
Most believe that if you report bad jobs to the relevant authorities nothing gets done. I can verify that such a thing has happened to us. We saw a competitor sending their fitters up on ladders during a windy day to fit soffits and fascias. Those poor lads really did struggle and really didn’t want to be up there! We reported it to FENSA, though no punishment was ever given to that company. It did frustrate us as we make sure that all our fitters work in the safest environments. We may be a few hundred quid more by the time we’ve added the scaffolding, but if it means that our fitters are safe and can do the best job they can, then so be it, and most customers understand.
I think it’s time to change our perception that reporting companies for bad installations and blatant disregard for health and safety doesn’t work. We have Twitter and blogs now. FENSA are on there. The industry now has the best tool available for putting public pressure on those bodies here specifically to make sure that companies carry out their work to the right standards. If you report a bad job, follow it up on Twitter with your fenestration body publicly to force the right decision on the matter.
With business getting ever more precious and harder to find, the industry’s good companies cannot afford to be losing out to the cowboys and cheaters in our little world. Time to speak up and force our biggest industry representatives to get in gear and really follow up bad installation reports and punish the companies doing them!
I agree, but when we pay all this money to trade bodies you would expect them to protect us. Like you I get a better response from twitter than if I sent e-mails direct!
Garry – it’s a shame we have to put public pressure on the bodies that are here to serve us, but if it means we get a result, then so be it. How did you get on with your issue your mentioned on Twitter yesterday?
But there is no requirement to belong to these two bodies. Local Authority Building Control is another way to go down the road of having windows installed. Then the onus of Compliance lies with the householder, and not the installer.Health and Safety remit is not the jurisdiction of Self Registration Compliance Bodies.
My mum lives in Leicester and really wants her FSG done. She called a local company to come and quote and was told that due to “CERTASS regulations” they were unable to quote unless her husband was present! I told her this was ridiculous and all they wanted was for both of them to be there so that they could give her the hard sell. They kept calling and calling and eventually an early evening appointment was made, her husband arranged to leave work early so that he could be present and 6.30pm came and went. They called at 8pm… Read more »
p.pearse – the self regulating bodies should have some say in what goes on. When home improvement companies choose to go beyond selling just windows and doors, someone has to oversee that they’re doing it right. Especially so if cowboys start using the Certass and FENSA names to tarnish the rest of the industry, i.e. Window Sam’s comment.