Double Glazing & Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme - www.dgcos.org.uk

This organisation pretends to give protection to the consumer but the reality is they represent the industry first and foremost.

When I had a problem with one of their 'members' I followed their guidance and protocols to the letter, using keywords from their website, but within a short while of lodging a complaint against the firm in question they had passed judgement in favour of them. It would appear that whilst I was following the proper procedures the firm in question did not and already had them pass judgement before I made contact with the DGCOS.

It took a legal representative (with evidence I presented the DGCOS) less than a day to get the firm in question to admit liability, which is what I was led to believe the DGCOS would do.

Don't waste your time employing firms that use the DGCOS as a selling point, for us they appeared as unlawful and corrupt as the firm's they represent.

This organisation pretends to give protection to the consumer but the reality is they represent the industry first and foremost.

When I had a problem with one of their 'members' I followed their guidance and protocols to the letter, using keywords from their website, but within a short while of lodging a complaint against the firm in question they had passed judgement in favour of them. It would appear that whilst I was following the proper procedures the firm in question did not and already had them pass judgement before I made contact with the DGCOS.

It took a legal representative (with evidence I presented the DGCOS) less than a day to get the firm in question to admit liability, which is what I was led to believe the DGCOS would do.

Don't waste your time employing firms that use the DGCOS as a selling point, for us they appeared as dishonest as the firm's they represent.

I ordered double glazed windows from a reputable firm, paid my deposit of 50%. After many months delay and the final payment they duly arrived but were unsuitable. I chased the firm for a solution which was eventually offered but they then failed to respond to any of my queries.

After nearly eleven months I contacted DGCOS who couldn't have been more helpful. They said leave it with them which I gratefully did.

In a little less than three weeks I heard from them and was told that I would receive 90% of the money I paid.This, I have received.

I can't praise their staff too highly for the efficient and sympathetic way my complaint was handled. Thank you.

Following the installation of two sub-standard doors and faced with a company who would not enter into sensible dialogue and months of delays I asked dgcos to intervene. Best result for us would have been a 100% refund of the money paid and being able to keep the product until we purchased a replacement from another source. They manage to achieve what seemed the impossible on both accounts and we are delighted to recommend them to all. Many Thanks dgcos.

I cannot highly recommend the DGCOS in particular the lady who has been dealing with my complaint. She has shown compassion and professionalism towards us and has been at the end of the telephone to answer our questions. She is a real asset to the DGCOS and I would have to say she has resolved our issues in a timely manner. I have to say that as a valued member of staff im sure she has gone above and beyond her duties to make sure that every step of our complaint was dealt with. FANTASTIC STAFF WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND

3 years ago, prior to the formation of DGCOS, I used what I thought was a reputable double glazing installer to supply windows, french doors and a sizable lantern light for my new orangery. The family run company was by no means cheap but I was happy to pay the extra to get what I believed would be a high quality product and good service. All went well until the roof began leaking at the beginning of this year and seriously damaged an antique dining room table directly below. I contacted the Manging Director who was barely interested let alone apologetic about the leak and resultant damage, and I was instructed to make contact with a double glazing company local to me (rather than send someone down from Yeadon, Leeds) to arrange for them to carry out the remedial work which they did by putting unsightly mastik around all the external roof ridge joints and finials because they were not familiar with the construction of this roof. I then emailed them again regarding compenstion for the repair to the table and after several phone calls (some with him) received a letter stating the company was not liable for consequential loss (despite presumably having public liability insurance) and suggesting that I claim on my household insurance. He also stated that 'this type of orangery does not require sealing as there is a sealer already built into the joint' a fact which his own installers hopefully would have known and yet he sent a third party who had no idea how to correctly fix the leak, let alone dismantle the structure to check where the water was getting in and - guess what - it is still leaking! I contacted DGCOS when Franklins declined to respond to a further letter about the damage to the table and unsatisfactory repairs to be told that because my installation was over 2 years old, it was not illegible. Maybe the installation was in 2009, but it is worrying that they paid little heed to the fact that this same company is on their list of approved manufacturers/installers and in 2012 is offering extremely poor service to its customers in other words DGCOS is offering little or no protection to the consumer.

I would like to offer my wholehearted support for the Ombudsman scheme it contains all of the safeguards that the Consumer desperately needs from the Double Glazing and Conservatory industry, which currently are not there.

Any current protection if the consumer can find it in the maze of different associations is heavily slanted towards the association’s members and at a cost to the consumer that is exorbitant. Sadly I was not able to access the Ombudsman scheme to help me in my situation as the Ombudsman was not in force when the conservatory on my property was fitted.

The details of my case are a stark warning to other consumers not to go to a company that is not in the Ombudsman scheme.

The details of my case are simple I bought a house that had a conservatory fitted approx. 9 years previously and it was within the 10 years guarantee supplied by the company that fitted it.

The company a medium sized company in North Lancashire that had been trading since the early 1900s and was an accredited installer of a National roof manufacturing company, it confirmed to me that the conservatory warranty was on the installation and not the original owner so was fully transferable to me.

On buying the property i found that the conservatory leaked badly through the roof and window frames and asked the company who installed it to fix the problems as it was still under guarantee. Sadly over a 12 month period they were unable to fix the problems as the whole structure was badly installed. I also found later that the original owner had also tried for the previous 9 years to get the problems rectified but to no avail.

The company tried to blame the leaking conservatory on the house wall and tried to obtain work to the value of £3000 on the house as they said to fix the problem, but the work was not needed as the house wall was sound as certified by a local builders examination.

I wrote to the Director of the firm to disagree that it was the house and that it was the conservatory build that was substandard. The firm would not reply to my letters.

I tried to obtain help from the National Company that supplied the Conservatory roof as it was still under their guarantee and the company that installed the conservatory was on their approved installers scheme. The National companies own website states

We bought a house a year ago that required an overhaul of windows and doors. looking into this we realised that there were hundreds of companies, a lack of regulation among them and numerous horror stories from many customers regarding cowboy firms. By chance we saw an article about the DGC ombudsman scheme on breakfast TV and we contacted them. They were very professional and provided me with a company that covered our area (Sealtite Windows). It was surprising how few companies were registered on the scheme but i presume that this was because the scheme is relatively new and companies are required to undergo stringent assessment prior to being registered. As it was, Sealtite windows were excellent-good quality workmanship, punctual and efficient. Though we had a minor problem with 2 windows, this was quickly and efficiently rectified which may reflect why the company is on the DGCOS. As for DGCOS themselves, they provided me with documentation confirming warranty and protection for any complaints regarding installation and called regularly to insure that we were happy with Sealtite Windows work both during and after the process. DGOS allowed us to employ a firm that had been regulated/assessed in some form, provided us with a contact should we not be happy and also gave us peace of mind in knowing that we have a degree of protection for the work in the future...and all this if free!! An excellent scheme that is not before time and i would recommend to all those considering major window works.

We had a patio area of approximately 5.5 square metres that was a joined on two sides, by a bay window, and at on the a joining side by a kitchen extension built in 1991, this being not suitable for a simple "off the shelf" conservatory design, we decided that we needed a conservatory supplier who could suggest a design that that would be suitable for our needs.

We decided that we needed a quality supplier to meet these requirements, so we used a supplier in our local area recommended by the DGCOS, we used "Oasis Windows" based in the West Midlands.

The salesman who came out was in no way "pushy", and even invited us to his home to view his own conservatory, and discuss what could be offered. His plans were in enough detail for us to visualize, what his company could do, the suggested design would serve as conservatory, but also give appearance of an extension in keeping with the rest of the house, so we asked the company to proceed with the build.

right through the build from initial survey to completion, all the staff involved were courteous, friendly, tidy and helpful with any concerns we had, the result is we have added a useful room onto the house, which is in keeping with the existing house and the extension,made the house more secure, and increased the comfort of the house during cold weather. An initial deposit(with the reassurence that it is protected by the DGCOS scheme) was paid to the company, but the final bulk of payment was only requested after completion. On the basis of our experience I am glad that this was a supplier found through the DGCOS.

We needed to buy a new conservatory for our bungalow and began looking for a reliable company. What a minefield!

My main concerns were the quality of the product and calibre of the installer, deposit safeguard, warranty, after-sales service and of course value for money.

Reading some on-line the reviews (some of them horror stories) it seems there are too many unreliable companies around.

Of the shortlisted companies I approached, one had apparently just started up again after going into liquidation, another was £5000 overpriced - but promised hand on heart that his conservatory wouldn’t leak when it rained (how reassuring), another would not quote until we were ready to place an order.

During my research I came across DGCOS. They explained how they seriously vet their members; protect deposits paid to their member companies and act as an ombudsman in the case of any disputes etc. They really gave me peace of mind and I eventually placed an order with one of the two local DGCOS installers, namely EXTRA WINDOWS. DGCOS protected my deposit 100%.

The builders and installers worked through November and December 2010, (remember that winter?), and our conservatory was ready in time for Xmas 2010. I would add that there was no 'hard sell', from their rep., just straight facts and advice.

All the workers kept good timekeeping and kept us advised as to what was going on. I was very pleased with the foundation work and the finished product, so much so that we placed additional orders for replacement windows, soffits and fascias, and a new front door. How’s that for a reference! Again DGCOS protected my deposit 100%.

During a latter inspection I noticed a small scratch on the lounge French door glass. EXTRA WINDOWS replaced this immediately without quibble.

I would strongly recommend to anyone thinking of getting double glazing or a conservatory to contact with DGCOS first. It’s simple and it’s free and there’s no obligation, so why not? My dealings with DGCOS were very pleasant and reassuring. They are just a phone call away. It’s the most productive phone call I ever made.

They’ll recommend a good installer and you’ll get deposit protection. Most of all you’ll get peace of mind. You won’t regret it.