Having heard good things about High-Tech Windows (Cheltenham), part of the ‘Britannia Windows’ Group, we contracted with them to have a porch and large conservatory fitted to bases and stone walls built by our builder. The Salesman was excellent, came up with a design we liked, the estimate was high but acceptable, so we signed contracts with them. The contracts signed in July 2021, were headed with the High-Tech motto, “Design, Craftsmanship, Attention to Detail and Service” – most of which have proved absolutely totally lacking, during their shambolic installation which commenced 10th January 2022, was going to take just 2 weeks - and is just completed now, in June 2022. Beware the fact they ask for 90% payment up-front, before starting installation – doesn’t leave you with much bargaining power in the event of problems!
The total lack of communications, the totally unprofessional and careless behaviour of the fitters and surveyors, the internal disagreements and buck passing between employees of Britannia, the lies told to us to cover errors and faulty workmanship, have made this project a nightmare and caused us a great deal of unnecessary aggravation, anxiety, stress, additional expense and worry. They had an almost complete failure of their own administrative systems, failed to properly sign off the project specification, order the design that was contracted for, check sizes etc. A lot of the initial build ended up in the skip. They did eventually, after us hounding Britannia head office, take responsibility and attempted to replace and remedy the majority of their surveyor’s and fitter’s mistakes, caused by their failure of internal and external communications, lack of care and poor workmanship. It is a very sad reflection that we never received a single phone call or letter during the project failures from management at High-Tech (if there is any), to either apologise or explain what was going on.
In the end of the day, these contracts have not been properly fulfilled, despite all their efforts to correct the errors of their surveyor and fitters. Essentially, we have been left with a ‘second rate’ not a ‘first class’ installation. We have a Porch that has its windows 45mm off the stonework, because the fitters were too lazy to either chip off the small high area of stone on the porch door base, or ask our builder (who was quickly available) to do the work, This was despite the previous assertive statements of their salesman, that the fitters would compensate for any such problems with the natural stone. We have a conservatory with a ‘patched’ rather than replaced, previously leaking box-gutter, which is still a constant source of concern and worry for us.
Also, we now have absolutely no confidence at all in the ten year ‘guarantee’ issued by High-Tech, as High-Tech clearly has not sufficient manpower resources or skills to deliver any sort of guarantee service at all. Also in the future, it is not certain that other branches of Britannia out of the area, will leap to the rescue of High-Tech and sort our problems, should further defects or problems occur with our contract.
Our attempt to obtain some sort of refund or discount due to the delay, faults and stress and additional expense caused, have been met by a stony silence, leaving us the only option of perhaps taking them to court, another stressful and expensive procedure.
So, High-Tech Windows, great design, totally hopeless everything else! If you want sleepless nights, constant worry, to be left absolutely and totally in the dark about what is happening with your job, to be completely ignored in the middle of internal squabbles between Britannia employees and fitters, have to spend days of your time and money consulting independent surveyors and solicitors to try and work out what they have done wrong - then High-Tech Windows (Cheltenham), part of the Britannia Windows group - is the conservatory company for you!
