Double Glazing Sales Dirty Tricks

At Bebington Glazing, we offer a 100% ethical double glazing service in Wirral, North West England.  We've been in the market since the early 1970s. We also manufacture all of our offerings, meaning we are able to pass substantial savings on to our customers by 'cutting out the middleman.'

However, a dark side exists when it comes to double glazing sales, and this dark side has been well documented by the nation's press and TV programmes such as 'Watchdog' on the BBC. In fact, the term 'double glazing salesperson' is often used as a derogatory term to describe cold callers and anyone with a somewhat immoral intent.

If you are reading this post, it's highly likely you are considering purchasing double glazing products. Whether you choose to purchase from us or not, you need to know these seven dirty tricks used by the unethical double glazing salesperson to help part you from your hard-earned cash.

Below we list these tricks in a handy numbered list format. By the time you have finished reading these tips, you will be forearmed when it comes to recognising shady tactics used by unethical double glazed salespeople.

Dirty trick #1: Offering huge discounts

Some double glazing salespeople will offer what appears to be a substantial discount off the original price. This tactic is usually accompanied with an element of scarcity i.e., you must purchase by a date not too far off into the future or you risk losing this discount.

Scarcity is thus used to compel instant action on your behalf. There's one reason why this tactic is so rife, and that's because it works. When we are presented with a time-limited benefit, we are much more likely to act on impulse when compared to being presented with a benefit that's open to us on a perpetual basis.

Interestingly enough, this tactic is not unique to the double glazing industry. For instance, as long as supermarkets have an item at full price for 28 days at a single store, they can then market that same item at a 'discount' at all of their stores nationally. So think again before you buy when you see a bottle of wine 'reduced' from £10 down to £5.

An unethical double glazing salesperson may begin with a high 'starting price' and then offer convincing 'reasons-why' for offering you a substantial discount. Such discounts are not unknown to equal multiple thousands of pounds.

Dirty trick #2: The myth of 'Government scrappage schemes'

Another dirty trick pulled off by unethical double glazing salesperson is offering a discount linked to a Government scrappage scheme. These schemes are entirely fictitious, but offer the salesperson a powerful 'reason-why' when convincing you that you are about to receive an actual discount. The Scheme appears to knock thousands off the bill in exchange for your old windows and doors. The salesperson will often say 'but this Scheme is only valid for another two weeks' to compel you to act now.

This is simply a lie that you should ignore.

Dirty trick #3: Bait and switch

This tactic is typically initiated through an advertisement and then facilitated by a salesperson once you make contact with him or her.

With this tactic, you will see an advert for double glazed products offered at a fantastic discount. When you visit the double glazing showroom, the products these adverts related to will have magically all 'sold out.' The sale person will then pressurise you to purchase another higher ticket double glazing product you had no intention of purchasing.

Dirty trick #4: If you buy the front, we'll throw in the back for free

This trick is simple and highly deceiving: the salesperson offers to throw in the cost of supplying and fitting your rear windows and doors for free when you buy their products for the front of your home. This equates to a 50% discount on their products and services.

If you shop around, you will discover the costs they initially quote are highly inflated. The cost for the supply and fit of your front windows is probably more than using the services of a reputable and honest double glazing firm who will charge you for the front and back windows and doors.

No double glazing company is able to simply give their products away for free, so any offer of this nature is really just a way of scamming you out of your money.

Unfortunately, many people do fall for this scam because they like the idea of getting something for free. As the old adage goes, 'a fool and his money are easily parted.' These salespeople are insulting your intelligence and assuming you are gullible by making these offers. If you become subject to such an offer, we urge you to simply eject from this 'sales presentation' whilst your pride and money are still intact.

Dirty trick #5: Being personal

Another dirty trick favoured by morally absent double glazing salespeople is to make their deal available 'only because it's you'.

Please get real people! You are dealing with professional salespeople who are out to (coincidently) make a sale. The sales process is as impersonal as it comes, and any attempt made by the salesperson to convince you of the contrary is clearly cause to raise your suspicion.

If the salesperson flatters you, refuse to be taken in by this dirty sales tactic.

Dirty trick #6: Leftovers at a discount

The morally absent double glazing salesperson is known to offer stock at a discount because the stock is 'leftover' or 'last season's stock'. Such reasoning may fool the fashion shopper, but it should not fool those who are out to purchase double glazing products.

However, the public is conditioned to seek a bargain in the 'summer' and 'January sales.' Unfortunately this tactic also works when it comes to selling double glazing products. However, this 'discount' is likely to mean you pay for these products for their recommended retail price or above this price when compared to buying equivalent goods from an honest double glazing company.

The unethical double glazing salesperson will claim these products are sold at a 'ridiculously low price' and you should act now before another customer purchases this stock before you do. However, we urge you not to be fooled by this dirty sales tactic.

Dirty trick #7: Contacting their manager to get a better price

This trick is perhaps the Granddaddy of them all. Here, the salesperson is taking advantage of what Robert Cialdini calls the "Weapon of Authority" in his book "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion".

But how does this work? It's simply. The salesperson offers you a discount but you are still reluctant to buy. To 'sweeten the pot' even further, the salesperson claims he or she does not have the authority to make further discounts, but his or her sales manager does have this authority.

This is typically followed by a phone call where the salesperson will request another discount to be added to this already discounted price.

And guess what? This request for a further discount is always granted. After all, you are special and the salesperson has your best interests at heart... I hope you realise we are being sarcastic!

Often the salesperson will play a game of 'good copy, bad cop' with the sales manager on the other side of the phone. The manager may appear to be resistant to offering you a further discount, but the salesperson will 'stand up' to his or her manager, insisting that you must be given a further discount at all cost.

Don't be taken in by this dirty sales trick. The honest truth is that you are not special. The salesperson is merely using an age old trick to part you with your hard-earned money in exchange for double glazing products.

How to stay savvy

The first thing you must do to avoid these tactics is to shop around. We would recommend you do not simply limit your quote to the 'big name' double glazing companies. These companies employ their sale people on a commission basis, so it's very difficult for these companies to control the behaviour of their employees.