The one thing I’ve found at Hazlemere Windows, is that they faithfully communicate with the growing numbers of customers, year on year, keeping them up to date with the many technological advances and legal changes (constantly occuring it seems!) affecting the double glazing industry.
The Hazlemere Group wrote to every single customer/household on their database in June 2010, informing them of the significant changes to the building regulations after 30th September 2010. Property owners now only have 30 days including today to purchase our most affordable windows that meet current legal requirements. From 1st October 2010 onwards, we will only be able to provide them with windows that have an energy rating of C or higher.
I do however think it is important to point out that our double glazing that has less than a C rating still delivers excellent benefits, and is without doubt a much better option than sticking with old timber or single glazed crittal windows. Not only do you need to purchase these windows on or before 30th September 2010, but you must have had them installed by 5th April 2011 in order for them to be issued with a FENSA certificate. Hazlemere Windows are currently able to promise that we will have them installed and ready in your home well well before this final deadline, so there is no need to panic as long as you do request a no obligation quotation very very soon, and sign/date an order before the end of this month!
It is worth remembering that the cost of having new windows and doors put in your home is a much less costly option compared to moving house. When you add up all the costs of moving home such as paying stamp duty, estate agents fees, removal vans, solicitors and legal fees (most of which attract VAT as well), it can often make real financial sense not to change property, enabling you to stay in your current residence for a fraction of the cost.
Another reason it is worth considering ordering replacement double glazing now, is because as long as it is installed before Christmas 2010, you will avoid the 2.5% Valued Added Tax increase from 17.5% to 20% VAT that comes into effect on Tuesday 4th January 2011.
CATAGORY|Retail, Saving Money, Windows & Doors
Absolutely is my personal view, as the last thing one wants from a double glazing company is a poor, rushed, miss-measured, badly fitted, wrongly specified or a low quality product, which can result in endless hassle trying to get it sorted. In my experience to date within the double glazing industry, it is better to take one’s time chosing the best suited energy saving product (and supplier) for your property, than run the risk of ending up with a second rate poorly installed product.
When looking at double glazing, take advantage of well established independent local firms that offer a genuine no obligation free home consultation by an experienced expert. From the outset, advise every firm you approach that you will not tolerate any hard selling tactics, plus that you will require a written quotation to consider in private. Make it clear you are not going to rush and that you will make any decision in your own time and space. Be wary of any double glazing sales person or firm that claims it can offer you delivery in only a few weeks, as ask yourself why are they not busy and able to offer delivery quicker than other firms quoting several months? If one firm has a substantially larger order book, it could well mean that more people had chosen to wait and have a longer delivery to get the firm, quality of product and workmanship they want, rather than rush to try and save money with a quick fit outfit desperate for the work.
It is all about choice, but the process of producing good quality energy efficient high quality bespoke replacement double glazing does take time. Firstly, after a client signs up, the sales consultant’s measurements, product specifications and costings have to be double checked. Then a professional surveyor needs to arrange a new appointment at the client’s convenience to take accurate exact measurements of each opening. From his survey and assessment of a particular property, the raw materals and appropriate glass is ordered. Upon receipt of these (which can take several weeks if the product required is not in standard colours or finish), the work is scheduled for production in the factory, enabling the windows and doors to be fabricated, then checked, before an installation date is set. Fitters are then assigned to carry out the installtion on a mutually agreed date with the client.
Steer clear of any firm looking to cut corners in order to be able to deliver a lower cost product, as they will still be looking to make a profit out of the deal, so it may well be worth asking yourself at which point in the process will they do this? Where will they make their margin on your contract? Will there be any area of compromise? If so, will it be a) on the survey, b) on the quality of the raw materials, c) on the glass specification, d) during fabrication, e) on quality control, f) during installation or g) on after sales service? There is nearly always a reason why one firm is less and one is more, so please remember the faithful old saying that “you get what you pay for”.
I would therefore be wary of sales representatives and/or firms promising a quick delivery, as if they have lots of customers ordering they can’t do them all as priority, plus if they have taken a 25% deposit off you, it is very difficult to cancel the order if they don’t achieve the delivery date promised, as they have your money. At Hazlemere Window Company we don’t take any deposit and will quote a realistic genuinely achievable delivery period. I believe we therefore offer consumers the choice of waiting a little longer and ending up with a high quality product, installation and a ten year fully comprehensive guarantee, or taking a risk on a firm who are “promising” a fast delivery.
This risk can be reduced by doing thorough research into the product, the speficication on offer and each of the firms under consideration. As nowadays energy efficient double glazing is not cheap, it is worth taking one’s time and carrying out sufficient investigation into your chosen double glazing supplier and installer, to ensure you get a decent return for the investment you are making in your property. You may be fortunate enough to have a job well done, as there are some really decent local independent UK double glazing manufacturers, suppliers and installers around, so don’t be rushed into signing on the dotted line, wait till the sales representative has gone before selecting the right product for your property.
CATAGORY|Retail, Windows & Doors
I/Hazlemere Window Company (and myself) are seeking an “experienced” sales lead creator and generator/administrator to work with me in the busy Marketing Department at our Head Offices in High Wycombe. The role involves processing/qualifying/appointing and recording retail and trade enquiries from the initial point of contact (by email, showroom, telephone, internet, written etc.).
Candidates should have excellent organisational skills, a very pleasant telephone manner and be a confident communicator.
This dynamic position is full time Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5.30pm, with 28 days holiday (including statutory Bank Holidays), with a salary commensurate with experience. We are an equal opportunities organisation. Hazlemere Group current vacancies
If you know anyone who would be suited who would like to apply, please get them to email their CV to Hazlemere with their availability and a covering letter explaining why they are particularly suited to this unique role to m.hanson@hazlemere.co.uk or post to HWC, Wellington Road, Cressex Business Park, High Wycombe, HP12 3PR. Closing date: 10am Tuesday 31st August 2010
CATAGORY|Retail
Whilst Hazlemere Commercial operate throughout the UK on large projects manufacturing and installing double glazed aluminium commercial windows, doors and curtain walling, the retail division tends to work in a 50 mile radius of High Wycombe in Bucks. The reason for this is historically distance, both in terms of 3 different industry professionals attending site a minimum of three times for any retail replacement window or door contract (i.e. a consultant, a surveyor and an installer).
Also Hazlemere Windows, Doors and Conservatories have a dedicated Service Department, run by an experienced Service Manager with two full time expert Service Engineers, who not only assist in delivering Hazlemere’s comprehensive ten year guarantee, but repair double glazed windows, doors and conservatories installed by other double glazing companies who no longer exist, leaving their unfortunate customers to pay for the repairs (as the “guarantee” is sadly often worthless) unless they took out an independent warranty, like the IWA one Hazlemere Windows offers to it’s retail customers.
Being a family firm with 25 years experience, Hazlemere will not take on retail work further afield than it can be certain of offering a first class after sales service to, hence why we will only go so far for the sake of both our valued customers and ourselves, as we will only take on a contract to replace one door and/or a whole houseful of windows if we can be certain we can offer a decent after sales service delivery for the customer concerned. So location is an issue, and one that our consultants take into account before making an appointment for the initial free consultation, site survey and no obligation quotation.
Distance from Hazlemere’s High Wycombe factory is an even bigger determining factor when it comes to designing, fabricating and installing UPVC and aluminium conservatories, as these tend to involve at least a dozen visits to site by a whole series of conservatory experts, including our conservatory design consultants, surveyor, site manager, ground workers, builders, bricklayers, electricians, installers, glaziers, plasterers and finally the operations director to ensure all works have been completed to the customers satisfaction.
Hazlemere have their own grab lorry, mini-digger, trucks and vans to be able to facilitate the entire construction of a conservatory “in-house” from start to finish to ensure a high quality finish, which is another reason why Hazlemere do put a finite limit on the distance they will travel to build a conservatory. Hazlemere can and do travel further afield to erect a “top only” if customers prefer to use a local builder to construct the conservatory base and any dwarf walls and soakaway (which can represent up to 40% of the costs of building a conservatory) to the scale plans provided by Hazlemere’s in-house conservatory design team and experienced conservatory surveyor.
In summary, the main reason Hazlemere’s retail operation will only go so far is to ensure it can and will, only supply and fit high quality double glazing windows, doors and conservatories that it guarantees to service throughout the fully comprehensive guarantee period of ten years.
CATAGORY|Retail
As we start a new decade there remains no shortage of double glazing window companies looking for your business. However, you will no doubt want to make sure you choose a double glazing manufacturer, supplier and installer that is professional and reliable. So here are a few tips and things to consider to make sure any double glazing you buy lasts more than a decade!!
In these recessionary times, quite rightly, nobody wants to pay more than they need to, so it is important you do not put yourself under financial pressure by spending more than you can afford. Consequently, it is wise to get two to three quotes from different companies, not just for a price comparison, but more importantly for value for money, service and quality reasons. Following a visit by a sales consultant, a written quotation should be provided on a no obligation basis, then left with you for you think about in your own time and space, without you being in any way pressured to sign. Don’t fall for any “but if you sign today” gimmicks.
It is important you only deal with FENSA registered companies. The FENSA scheme ensures any window and door double glazing work is compliant with building regulations, so therefore should be proven and safe. You can check online on the FENSA wesbite to ensure that each of the companies you plan to obtain quotes from are FENSA registered.
With household energy costs soaring as energy becomes a more valuable resource, the Government and environmental groups are urging us to become more energy efficient for the sake of our planet and increasing financial outlay. Modern energy saving double glazing is now essential for any property. So if you are fitting your double glazing for the very first time, or wishing to replace older less energy efficient windows, finding a reliable company to manufacture and fit your windows is more important than ever, as high quality technologically advanced products are costly!
It is therefore a good idea, when chatting over new window requirements with a double glazing company, to ask them what written guarantee they will provide you with, plus more importantly, how they will “guarantee” to deliver it, both in the short and long term. It is probably worth asking how long have they been in business? Plus find out if they can produce genuine recent (and past) testimonials from satisfied customers that you can check up on. Also, do they have a showroom so you can see what you will get before you order?
Check who is actually going to make your double glazing (and where!), does the company have its own surveyors, fabricators, installers and service engineers (and are they all qualified and experienced?), or do they just sell to you and do the fitting, and maybe sub everything else out to who will do the work cheapest?
It is worth your while dealing with experienced expert manufacturers and installers, who will want to ensure (for both their own and your sake) that they both make and fit your made to measure replacement windows and doors correctly, as they will not want to have to return to correct any installation defects that arise, any more than you will want them to!
By taking your time in selecting a reliable double glazing company, you will help ensure that the windows and doors you have installed in your property are fitted properly and offer value for money over their lifetime, as in the long term, as long as you stay for a decent period of time in your property, the cost of energy efficient replacement windows will be offset by energy and financial savings.
It is therefore important to choose a company that you are certain will be around to handle any service issues that do arise during the guarantee period, so if years later you get the odd broken handle, lock or blown double glazed sealed unit, the repairs are carried out professionally under guarantee at no cost to you. Going for short term “savings” on cheaper installations can prove costly to you later if the company you went with purely to “save money” is no longer around to give you the customer service and deliver on their “guarantee” which you will want to last a decade. So, take your time to research the double glazing companies you have requested a quote from carefully, invest wisely, taking any potential medium and long term ramifications into consideration before selecting your investment partner of choice.
CATAGORY|Retail, Windows & Doors
In the past Hazlemere Window Company Ltd have only offered their Referral Rewards Scheme to existing customers. Now they have opened it up to anyone who has had work done, or knows of friends or neighbours that have had work done, as well as anyone wanting to recommend Hazlemere for the quality of their products, installations and customer service over the last 25 years. Find out more about the Referral Rewards Scheme along with details on each of the rewards on offer.
In addition, they have expanded the rewards on offer to include women’s hairdressing, men and women’s massages, facials, nails and a whole host of hair and beauty treatments at Oxygen Concept Salon and Beauty located on Gregories Road in Beaconsfield, Bucks. Those wishing to Register for the Hazlemere Window Company Referral Rewards Scheme can select to receive up to £75 of John Lewis Gift Vouchers, Oxygen Gift Vouchers or up to a dozen bottles of Laithwaites Wines.
Alternatively, Hazlemere have set in place the option to donate your rewards of between £15 and £75 to one or more of three registered charities with operations in Buckinghamshire. The three charities are the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, Macmillan Cancer Support and Hearts & Souls. Feel free to Download a Referral Rewards Scheme Application Form
CATAGORY|Retail
Hazlemere Windows Head Office & Factory Staff Outside High Wycombe Bucks Showroom
Buckinghamshire’s leading home improvement specialists, Hazlemere Windows are holding a special open weekend to mark the start of their 25th Anniversary Celebrations. Hazlemere Windows, Doors & Conservatories are inviting anyone to come along to their showroom to enjoy a glass of champagne, Bucks Fizz or cup of real coffee, along with some canapes from Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th September.
The Hazlemere Group are literally throwing open their doors of their 4,000 square foot High Wycombe Showroom for this special open weekend, with complimentary refreshments being served during extended opening hours on Thursday 24th & Friday 25th September from 9am to 8pm, and then from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 26th September and 10am to 1pm on Sunday 27th September.
To celebrate 25 years in business in High Wycombe, Hazlemere Windows, Doors & Conservatories are offering some very special Autumn offers to those who come along to enjoy a glass of champagne or Bucks Fizz whilst discussing their home improvement requirements. If you are looking for the best value for money and also want to benefit by beating the VAT increase on 31st December 2009, why not come along during this special open weekend and get a free estimate, along with free independent home improvement advice from one of Hazlemere’s experienced industry specialists? Click here for directions to their showroom
CATAGORY|Retail, Windows & Doors
It may seem a long way off, but on 1st January 2010 VAT will increase to 17.5% from it current rate of 15%. This may not sound like much of an increase, but on a £20,000 new Conservatory or house full of double glazed windows and doors order, 2.5% represents a £500 increase to the customer.
Before tax and National Insurance the cost to tax paying clients of a £500 investment is probably nearer £800, so if you are thinking seriously of major home improvements and want to avoid paying the 2.5% VAT increase after 31st December 2009, then you really need to order very soon, particularly if you want a conservatory.
VAT is due at the tax point, which is when the goods are delivered, so in the case of replacement windows and doors or a new conservatory, when the installation is complete.
Given it can take up to three months to get planning permission or a Certificate of Proposed Lawful Development to build a conservatory on your home, and that it can take 6-8 weeks to build a conservatory, Hazlemere Conservatories are urging their customers who wish to avoid the VAT increase to order immediately.
HMRC have rules in place to prevent customers paying in advance to avoid paying the VAT increase, so the only way Hazlemere can assist its customers to pay the current rate of 15% VAT for their new conservatory is to get the planning application into our customers local council’s planning department ASAP and have completed the installation (after having first gained an approval) before 31st December 2009.
The same goes for windows and doors, and whilst the lead time on replacement or new double glazing is not as long as on conservatories, Hazlemere customers who want to be absolutely certain that their installation will be totally completed before the end of 2009 really need to order soon, as most customers are amazed when we advise them that delivery can be up to three months on certain products (other products are nearer two months delivery at present), which is due to the massive increase in demand for home improvements since January, when it seems home owners have decide to improve rather than move.
Obviously if hundreds of Hazlemere Windows, Door & Conservatories customers suddenly decide they all want to avoid the VAT increase, then delivery times will get even longer than they already are. Therefore, if you want to save money on planned major home improvements, now is the time to seriously consider ordering to ensure your project is completed prior to 31st December 2009.
CATAGORY|Conservatories, Retail, Windows & Doors
There are no doubts many businesses across the UK who will hope the Government delays its highly unpopular 2.5% VAT increase on December 31st.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has made a robust stance in calling for a delay to this Value Added Tax increase. The BRC has reinforced the nationwide plea by many UK retailers not to raise the current 15 per cent to 17.5 per cent VAT at the end of the year, given it is the busiest and lucrative time annually for the high street, and could potentially damage thousands of businesses within the sector.
A report released by the BRC in May announced that the VAT cut to 15 per cent during 2008 cost the retail industry a staggering £90m to action, and when (as currently planned) the increase goes ahead in December, is likely to cost retailers the same again.
For some unknown reason the BRC are only requesting that the deadline be put back one month, but more significantly they want an instant freeze on all new business rate burdens and the reinstatement of empty property rate relief, as the many empty retail shop units in most high streets are a detriment to all retailers, looking to attract footfall.
“Changing VAT rates back to 17.5 per cent at the end of December will soak up a lot of effort at the busiest and most important time of the year for most retailers,” say Stephen Robertson, the Director General of the BRC. “For some shops post-Christmas sales were 50 per cent above normal, so it’s a time when staff should be focusing on serving customers. Re-pricing is very labour intensive and the need for overtime and bank holiday employees will make it a costly distraction for retailers. The Government should postpone the reintroduction of the 17.5 per cent VAT rate by at least a month.”
The VAT increase, combined with planned business rate rises and other rising costs, is likely to lead to further job losses. The retail sector has been the backbone of our economy for decades; providing one in nine UK jobs, so surely the Government needs to quickly recognise this and sustain the foundations and heritage that are now under serious threat of collapse.
Hazlemere Windows are one of thousands of businesses in the UK who could be affected by the increase. Paying the 17.5 per VAT wouldn’t just equate to a surge in their business rates, but could potentially lose us business. We provide windows, doors and conservatories to both the domestic and commercial customers, and are conscious the increase in VAT to 17.5% from 1st January 2010 could deter people from ordering in early 2010.
Mark Austin, Marketing Director, Hazlemere Window Company Ltd
“Whilst most businesses can claim most of VAT back, sadly the vast majority of Hazlemere Windows, Doors & Conservatories retail customers can not,” says Mark Austin, Marketing Director at Hazlemere. “Therefore any tax increase is clearly not an incentive to purchase retail goods to help stimulate the British economy.
Hazlemere Window Company supports the BRC’s initiative to delay the implementation of the VAT tax increase by a month, and would much prefer no increase until the retail economy was in a healthier position.”
CATAGORY|Commerce, Retail
It started with Woolworths, then MFI, then Zavvi, the Officers Club, Whittards of Chelsea, Adams and now, according to BBC News, the French women’s clothing store chain Morgan has gone into administration.
With the income of many High Street retailers shrinking, combined with massively reduced margins caused by rising costs and heavy discounting, it is clear many retailers simply will not be able to cover all their outgoings, particularly in terms of rental and staff costs. Many retailers are tied into long term leases that they may be unable to get out of without going into administration.
2009 will no doubt be a testing time for retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers who have high fixed overheads. Through prudent management and decades of successful trading, Hazlemere Window Company Ltd. is in the fortunate position of not only owning the freehold of its Head Office, Factory and Showroom, but having its entire manufacturing site at Cressex Business Park, High Wycombe, unencumbered.
This strong foundation, along with its largest ever order book going into 2009, is very comforting news to the staff and the thousands of Hazlemere Windows customers. The company’s positive balance sheet also enables it to negotiate the best possible deal on high grade raw material and with all its suppliers, so despite the challenging trading environment in the UK at present, the Hazlemere Group is more than well placed to weather the difficult economic times ahead.
CATAGORY|Commerce, Retail
