INTERNET SEARCH WARNING

HERITAGE - WHAT'S IN A NAME?

When I started The Heritage Window Company all those years ago the name was carefully chosen in order to distance us from stereotype window companies and the stigma often associated with them.  We specialise in replacement windows with slim line metal frames and have steadily built a solid and trusted company with service levels second to none.

Nowadays, virtually all trades use the word "Heritage" with gay abandon, but none more so than the window industry and the trade suppliers who advertise Heritage windows at unbeatable prices.  Our Products are branded Benenden^TM , but with the success of Internet advertising one can also find Heritage windows offered by other trade suppliers.  For the discerning client preferring a bespoke service this can be most unfortunate.  We hear of many dissatisfied homeowners who searched for The Heritage Window Company, but reached a trade supplier offering Heritage Windows.  Their direct from the factory prices seem attractive and indeed the products are adequate, but then the problems can begin.  The trade supplier passes the enquiry to a "local window company" and from there it can be disastrous with pushy, commission only sales people, sub-contract fitters on a price and non-existent after sales.

The Heritage Window Company does charge a premium for an all round quality service, so please take care when searching the Internet.  If it is The Heritage Window Company you are seeking, our brand name is Benenden^TM  not Heritage.

Geoffrey Dolan
Chairman
The Heritage Window Company Ltd

Customer Feedback received - January 2011

Our Salesmen:

• "He promoted the Company and its products without doing the "hard sell" and listened to our requirements."    (C D, Beconsfield, Buckinghamshire)
• "(He) was fantastic.  Great communicator, very customer focused."
• "Very helpful.  Invested a lot of time in discussing with us the various options.  Showed a sensitivity to the style of the house; on our 'wavelength'".
• "Conscientious, responded promptly to questions re quotation."
• "Very knowledgeable, not at all pushy, honest."
• "Very helpful - not pushy - no hard sell."

Our Surveyors:

• "Absolutely first rate.  Really good knowledge of the original Crittal and Hope windows, followed by very helpful advice about routing out the frames."   (S A, Dorking, Surrey)
• "Very professional and helpful." 

Our Installers:

• "(They) were a pleasure to have working here.  They worked as an effective and well organised team."   (M S, London W14)
• "First class professionals."
• "Faultless all round."
• "Very pleasant - so grateful not to have to put up with loud radios!"
• "Exceptionally careful to cause as little damage as poss."
• "Excellent.  (He) was a credit to the HWC."

Overall:

• "We have been very impressed with the product and the service we have been given.  We recommended you to our neighbour, and having seen our windows, they have placed an order with you for their whole house."   (D W, Sevenoaks, Kent) 
• "Very pleased with product and service."
• "Job done to an excellent standard."
• "Excellent.  Good product, quality pre-sales service.  Very good advice from surveyor.  Very competitive pricing.  Effective & friendly fitting team.  All in all, simply excellent.  We're extremely pleased with the results which look superb."   
• "Very satisfactory and highly recommended."
• "Most impressive - 'Nice business to do business with'."





Window Energy Ratings and Period Properties

WERs simplified

The big news in the window industry at present is the new Window Energy Rating scheme, which offers homeowners greater information about the thermal efficiency (and therefore the environmental impact) of windows.   Windows are now labelled in a similar way to household electrical goods, with a rating on a scale from A to G, A offering the greatest thermal efficiency, and products rated D or less have been outlawed .

All windows sold from 1^st October 2010 must comply with the new Building Regulations, and we have ensured that our slimline Benenden range achieves full compliance.  Thermal efficiency is not the only consideration when choosing replacement windows – aesthetic considerations should be equally important, particularly as an inappropriate frame choice can easily decrease the value of a property. 

These two pictures show the “before” and “after” shots of a property whose windows were recently installed by The Heritage Window Company.

BEFORE 

AFTER

In the first picture, a previous owner had chosen PVCu as the cheapest option, and no doubt this met their needs – but it had an adverse effect on the appearance of the house.  In the second picture, our Benenden range has been installed, replicating the design of the house’s original windows (using patterns taken from an unrenovated house in the same street).   I think this  demonstrates that taking one’s time to select the right window system is always worthwhile, and will pay dividends in the long run. 

What are the benefits of removing windows and replacing them with WER rated period-appropriate aluminium ones?  The Glass & Glazing Federation’s carbon calculator at http://www.ggfmembers.com//public/calculator.aspx will help to answer this question.  Energy savings do add up over the years but the difference between A and C ratings are minimal as the carbon calculator will show, and I would treat with caution some of the figures currently being given out by PVCu companies.  

I believe that, when placing a house on the market, one is likely to attract many more buyers when the windows of the property are sympathetic to its character.  While most homebuyers nowadays want modern standards of comfort and efficiency, there are many who are “turned off” by PVCu windows, or windows made from other materials if they detract from the character of the property.  In my opinion, choosing a product which offers comfort and efficiency is a great idea, and being able to source a product which also maintains the integrity of a property, such as The Benenden Range, is an even better one.