Tonight the BBC aired Watchdog which included a 6 minute feature on Everest. Problem is, if you’re on that program, its for the wrong reasons, not the right ones.
The piece featured a woman who spent a whopping £33,000 on a new conservatory! The roof leaked from day one, and still does despite it being up 4 years! A window actually fell out when she opened it! The roof physically wasn’t on correctly and a roof panel was replaced 3 months after the conservatory was put up. Generally a very poor build with poor workmanship with issues still to be rectified. One of the main points here is the ridiculous amount of money they charge! £33k for such a shoddy conservatory is one massive rip off! I’m all for companies making a good profit margin, but that price clearly doesn’t reflect the workmanship or what is a pretty shoddy product.
Did you see the frames? Frankly they look awful and terribly old fashioned! Chunky, dated and certainly NOT worth £33,000! At the end of the feature they feature a man who spent another whopping £23,500 on new windows and doors – again, well over priced – to be told that the windows upstairs weren’t safe for children and should have had restrictors!
Another installation had wring handed handles, wrong colour trims, wonky windows, doors that won’t open. Generally very poor all round.
A feature like this is the last thing Everest needs after the purchase of the company by Better Capital LLP. I wonder what was going through their heads when they found out that this program was going to air tonight? I know if I was them I would probably be thinking slightly uncomfortable thoughts. It surely won’t do their sales any good. Their sales in 2011 weren’t good by all accounts and so this is the last thing they needed.
The other thing to consider is the amount these people pay. £33k for a moderately sized conservatory, £23.5k for a full house of windows and doors. These are extraordinary amounts of money for what is a poor product, badly fitted. If these people had done a bit of shopping around and not been roped in by their poorly chosen “Fit the best, Everest” slogan and what was probably hard sell, they may have been able to avoid the company. Not that I’m blaming them. You pay that sort of money you should expect a very high level of service and quality.
Should pressure be put on Everest to address their pricing policies and their methods of work? For years everyone knows that their product has been over priced. Time for a re-think?
You can watch the feature here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2012/04/everest.html
everest employ me i ll tell you where u r going wrong in every depot
Is that comment for me Phil? Where am I going wrong?
Missed the prog but will catch it on I Player later….. Is it building regs or FENSA regs regarding child locks and fire escapes?
Pdoc – it is Building Regulations via the Approved Documents which defines the requirements. FENSA is the registration service to show compliance with the regulations. FENSA inspect installations comply with these regulations.
Watchdog or any of those dodge builder type programs, could find fault in any business if they tried.
23.5k for windows, please tell me it was a mansion?? It is time that these rogue traders were stamped out, it reflects badly on all of us!
Phil can i be your IM when they take you back on
everest need to get back to basics . if they claim to be the best they have to be the best, sadly they are way off the mark, lets hope the new owners turn it round.
not everyone drives rolls royces or buys colmans mustard everest aim at those interested in superior brands .
these people will pay a premium price for a premium product everest were good 30 yrs ago perhaps they can attain that again with the right work ethic
everest i m available as your new installations director, one who focuses on quality first then quantity.
we all know the bottom line is important but without satisfied customers you are on a rocky road to nothing