Fife couple '˜more like victims than customers' at hands of double glazing salesman

Tom and Liza Davison say they were bombarded with cold calls and subjected to hours of harrassment and misleading information by a salesman who claimed they were eligible for a discount under a new ‘green deal’ scheme.

The original Green Deal initiative was government-backed but two years ago it pulled the plug on funding.

Said Tom: “We moved to Ceres in April and were in the market for new windows.

“We were getting sales calls daily and it reached the point where we were harangued to such an extent that we finally relented and thought we might as well get a no-obligation quote.

“The salesman visited us twice and each time he employed what I would describe as unscrupulous tactics.

“Following the second visit I sent him away with a flea in his ear after an hour and 20 minutes, but what I’m really concerned about is that they are preying on vulnerable people, who they try to wear down by confusing and misleading them.”

The salesman who visited the Davisons said he was from Wetherseal, part of the Entu Group, based in Winsford, Cheshire.

In 2014, Weatherseal was reported to the Office of Fair Trading following complaints about its hard-sell tactics and voluntarily agreed to change its practices.

However Tom (61), a retired journalist, claimed the company had merely paid lip service to its promise.

He said that during the time that the salesman was in his house the price of the windows fell from £13,860 to £3292 – but only if the couple signed there and then.

“He was giving us scare stories about how we’d be cold in winter and even tried the sympathy vote, saying he’d lose his job if he didn’t make a sale,” said Tom.

It took almost a week for Weatherseal to issue a response to the couple’s complaints.

In a brief statement, they said: “Weatherseal will not comment on the specifics of this case. We adhere to best practice standards in sales and customer service.”

Meanwhile Dawn Adamson, of Fife Trading Standards, commented: “No-one should feel pressured into making a rash buying decision or to signing any contracts immediately

“Always think twice, or get a second opinion from a friend or relative, and remember you have the right to say ‘No’.”