Oakland Conservatories Ltd

If I could give 0 stars. I would but Google won't allow it. We got Oakland to build our orangery/conservatory. They were quite happy to come give a quote and start the work.

Asking for a deposit of 1100 upon order then asking for 50% of the total price upon starting.

The first stage went reasonably ok with the base going in and walls put up. After this is when we started having problems no-one turning up for over a week, then just turning up unannounced. The communication between them and their customer is diabolical. Since the second stage of work there has been days where no-one has turned up we havnt been told that no-one was coming apart from the odd occasion we have had to keep ringing up to see if Somone is coming because we work and can't be in 24/7.

After speaking with one of the installers on Thursday 10th August he told us he was on another day off on the Friday and didn't know if the plasteres were coming on Friday or not but he said he would be back to finish off his part the following Monday. On the Friday morning I rang the office and asked if the plasteres were coming and the lady said give me 10 mins I'll ring back. A gentleman rang me back and said that the plasteres wouldnt be coming but would be here Monday 14th August. Neither the plasteres or the other installer came.

I rang them spoke the director of the company and he was very very obnoxious and very defensive and called me a lier that I hadnt been told the plasteres and the installer would be here on Monday. (Even ehen my partner was there and jeard ehat the installer said personally on the thursday)....I've never had a company who treat their customers like this. And to csll a customer a lier when he hadnt even asked the question to any of the staff involved......in my eyes thats just total contempt, and the actions of a company that clearly have not got any inhouse communication or plan of works.

Communication and actually trying to get a schedule of works is impossible. Wouldn't recommend at all unless your prepared to have your project drag on for over a month and still not be finished when in reality it could be quite achievable within 2 to 3 (maximum) weeks. I even had to ring the plumber direct to tell him it wss ready for the first fix as no instruction to come and do this part of the work.

At this stage we are sat here with an half finish job having had the director put the phone down on me and calling me lier......

Had my conservatory fitted 12 years ago, no problems at all until just recently. We use it everyday, it's the main focal point of the house. One of the roof panels had slipped, we gave them a call and someone came round a couple of days later and sorted it for a small charge. One of the end caps had come off and was in the gutter not sure how but that was what held the panel in place. Fantastic service we wouldn't have known what to do glad they sorted it out so quickly.

Porch quoted should have taken a week, 3.5 weeks later after electrics had to be re-sited, pane of glass replaced, roof needed remedial repair as it proved incorrectly fitted, cement floor was not level..1/2 inch gap all around, down pipe from gutter cut badly and angled. Porch door needed repairing whilst all this was going on and owner accused us of damaging it and wanted £225 for repairing it!! Threats and refusal to look at door handle that appeared to have the plastic covering cracked, all this within 2 months of installing.

Will never recommend or use this company again.

Would hate to think what would happen if I need them to provide any service to porch, the owner would accuse us of damaging it and make us pay, even if it is a failed unit.

Unprofessional company.

Still waiting for receipts for payments I have already made.

I recommend that you keep a diary and photograph of all stages of work carried out, get receipts of any payment made.

My partner spent months meeting and communicating with at least 10 companies before we decided that Oakland were the best company to build our conservatory.

Like most people, when it comes to spending thousands of pounds, we tend to worry about the worst possible outcomes from undertaking such a project.

From the start,Oakland put our minds at ease,they talked us through the job from start to finish. Amongst other things, this included applying for planning permission.

The whole build was completed to a professional standard in the timeframe agreed(just before Christmas 2012).

Oakland have done such a good job, I have them that if they have anyone in my local area, who wants surety about the level of quality they provide, that they are welcome to show them my conservatory.

Well done Oakland! Thanks for a fantastic job, at a very competitive price.

Colin & Bev

I would to take this opportunity in thanking you and your staff for your quick response in solviing the problems on our patio windows. In this instance your help and consideration in solving and rectifying the the situation has been deeply appreciated. Your general attitude has been excellent and I would have no hesitation in recommending your company to any of your prospective clients in the future.

Oakland Windows and Conservatories Ashton-Under-Lyne came recommended to us and we were not disappointed.

From start to finish the whole operation ran smoothly, expertly co-ordinated by their Operations Manager. Initially we were grateful for the advice offered but later were impressed with the quality of the work and products used, especially the self clean glass roof. Also the brickwork is a great match to the house and makes the conservatory look as though it's always been there. We now use it constantly

the work was done v.fast the workers were v.polite and at a high standard,we are v.pleased with the finished job

We moved into a brand new house in 2005 with a large rear garden that just begged for a conservatory.

The idea was to extend our living room space with a second lounge that we could use for quieter times, things like relaxing, reading and enjoying the view of the garden.

In mid November, we visited a couple of garden centres that had conservatories advertised and were put off by high pressure salesmen who didn't seem bothered what we ended up with as long as they got their commission.

Plan B was to go for a major company in the hope of getting a quality job. We researched conservatory review sites and were appalled at customers experiences.

As we searched further we found Oakland Conservatories at Ashton-Under-Lyne and could only find really positive reviews from very satisfied customers. This was exactly the reassurance we were after.

We drove over to their showroom and had a long chat with a really nice bloke called Peter. He talked us through the best specifications for our needs , explaining all the various options and the effects that they would have on heating, insulation, noise and how things would look.

We left the showroom really impressed and knew this was a company we could trust to do the job properly. We checked out our finances and phoned to book the job later the same day.

A couple of days later Peter visited to do an initial measure up and helped us decide the windows, walls and door arrangements

We had decided on a white upvc construction with a gable roof. This would match in perfectly with the house's windows and doors. The completed size was to be approximately 4m by 3m which would be ideal for us.

A few days later Les, Oakland's surveyor arrived for a thorough site inspection. He went through our specification with us to make sure everything they were going to do was what we were expecting.

A week or so later the first work team arrived and at the end of the day had cut a channel through the patio for the initial foundations.

A couple of days later and the first bricks were laid up to the damp course level. Then the concrete base was laid. This allowed us to really picture the completed conservatory's size

A couple of days later and the full and dwarf walls were built.

Next came the frames, windows , doors and roof which were all in place in two days

Next, the electrician arrived to do his preliminary visit.

Next the plasterer came and did a lovely smooth job on the walls..

That was more or less it except for the final wiring up of the lights and sockets.

Amid a blizzard the electrician came out on Christmas Eve to finish the job. Special praise for his commitment.

All in all the workman were great and didn't really need one of us to be home as long as they had access to water and a power source.

All the work was carried out with the minimum of mess, fuss or disruption.

We were impatient to move in and decorate, floor and carpet it out but had to wait for a couple of weeks for the plaster and concrete to dry out thoroughly.

Now we are all finished and have our new easy furniture in.

We are so happy with Oakland's work and have all the extra space and a wow! of a beautiful and luxurious conservatory to show off to friends and family.

The finished conservatory looks impressive, is nice and cosy, ties in well with the house and has probably increased our house's value by much more than the conservatory cost.

To sum up, always go with a company that other customers are happy with. It's equally important to go for a specification that is tailored to your exact needs.

Oakland did a superb job for us and we can definitely recommend their professional and high quality service to anyone thinking of having a conservatory fitted..

ANDREW MILLS, BURY, LANCASHIRE.