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Reviews 718
Sian
Sep 17,2018UPDATED- PLEASE READ TO BOTTOM I was sold a new conservatory in November 2017 and in May 2018 they started the ground work a month after the date their sales man promised it would be finished. I am still waiting for them to make my Conservatory secure from intruders as it is still missing gable windows, and i have a leaking roof in 4 places, bi fold doors not operational, temporary door panels and a long list of other problems. When I call their office I am met with abuse and lack of interest. Especially by The operations manager (formally the operations director, check out companies house for his name.) This individual has now promised after reading my initial review to give me a completion date in writing that was now 7 days ago, that is why i have updated this review again and shall continue to keep reviewing until i get the conservatory i was promised. They consistently fail to inform me when they will be back to finish the work. Their promises when i get though are worthless. I get no response from emails, txt and they never return calls. I have now had to seek legal advice and reported them to Citizen Advice who will hopefully inform Trading standards. As a result of the lack of response from Smiths i contacted GGF who in turn wrote to Smiths. Long story short, Smith appointed an independent surveyor to assess the incomplete and poorly constructed conservatory. He agreed that the main ring beam that supported the glass roof was incorrectly installed as too short and would need to be replaced and that the pitch of the roof was inefficient for the self clean feature to work not to mention too short to reach the gutter, all issues i had repeatedly raised with Smiths. It was agreed that a new design roof be fitted as a good will gesture and that the ring beam be refitted and painted to prevent further rust marks. I can now say that i have beautiful conservatory completed to a lovely standard. My advice to anyone thinking of using this company is to make sure that everything the sales man promises you is in writing on the contract that you sign down to the smallest detail. Check pitch of roof is correct ( if self clean feature this need to be a minimum of 10 degrees as per Pilkinton glass website) Take out Smiths finance option even if you dont need it so that no payments are made till you get what was promised. Put everything in writing and if you are a women on your own be sure to have a male witness present when dealing with senior managers or operational managers as my experience of dealing with them has been appalling and the reason given was cos i was a women on my own.
Nigel Gardiner
Sep 17,2018The windows have been great. The service has been abysmal. We have had our windows four years, and a trim blew off in the wind. Smiths told us that it was either "accidental" and therefore not covered under the guarantee, or alternatively that it was "fair wear and tear" and therefore not covered under the guarantee. I am still trying to understand from them what the guarantee actually *does* cover. It appears to me it covers only the grossest of failures. Everything else they will walk away from. Understand this before you spend any money with them. I put it to you that this is actually the policy of idiots, because we were about to buy some more windows from them... Not now...not ever...
Ewa
Sep 07,2018Amended review after two service visits New review: Since writing my first review, I have had two service visits from Smiths who have replaced the damaged bathroom window frame and adjusted the patio door to our satisfaction. The engineers in both cases were professional and courteous. I have also noticed an improvement in communications with the office. Well done Smiths!! My original review was as follows: Having had my windows and patio door installed on 17/18th July, I completely agree with Chris (review on 28th August) regarding Smiths. I am generally pleased with the quality of the windows but one window frame was damaged and I was promised it would be ordered the same day and take 4-5 weeks to be replaced. No-one has contacted me since then and when I've phoned the company and spoken to various people, I've been told that they will check with the factory and call me back but not a single person has called me.
Andy Perkins
Sep 06,2018Smith’s are true to their word, excellent products, and great installation team. I could not find fault with them at any stage from design through to installation. I would recommend Smith’s to anyone Andy
Gregory Potts
Sep 06,2018Great company to deal with, built our conservatory very quickly and professionally. Would recommend and would use them again.
Mohammed Rafiq
Sep 05,2018Great service from smiths, I will not hesitate to call for future work. The workman are a real credit to the company on time and kept my house clean when fitting my windows.
Stuart Woodward
Sep 05,2018Less than one star but there is not an option of zero stars as a rating We contracted smiths for bricking up a door, replacing kitchen window and a new roof on our lean to conservatory. I am concerned about the safety of the construction and longevity. The finishing is poor and the aesthetics not what was agreed. The main job was a simple roof replacement on existing structure. I had been advised the full job would take 1.5-2 days to complete they started the works on 26/7/18 and they are still unfinished Smith's were due to commence fitting the roof on Saturday 21st July, the fitter attended and advised he was here to brick up the door, he did not have the right materials so left. He advised he would return on Monday to start the roof and advised the roof was made and in the yard ready to be installed. On the Monday no fitters arrived, an electrician came and isolated the power. I spoke with the contracts manager Mr M* on the Monday and he advise he did not know why the job had been booked in as the roof and window were not ready. I had difficulty getting through to M* on my own mobile phone- it appeared he was not answering my calls as when I phoned him from a different phone number he answered straight away. No-one turned up on Tuesday. After numerous calls trying to talk to M*, M* called back and advised they had a cancellation and someone would be in attendance on Wednesday to do the door and window. On the Wednesday the door and window were started. The fitter had no drawings to work from and initially installed the window the wrong way round, however a relative who was on site to allow access for the fitters provided him with a copy of the drawings and he turned the window. The door was bricked in. On Thursday my existing roof was removed. It was identified the aluminum frame provided was the wrong size for the building. The building was left uncovered and open to the elements. Spoke with M* again and after heated discussion he advised the roof frame gets built inside the building. He advised the surveyor had years of experience and it was all done on computer software. I requested a site visit. M* came to the address and discussed how they may be able to come up with a solution as the frame did not fit inside the building and was too small to fit in the standard way. The fitter returned the following day, Thursday, and continued working in trying to make the frame suitable despite it being the wrong size. On Friday the three center panels of glass were fitted, polycarbonate was fitted in 2 panels as a temporary seal for the roof as the glass for the roof needed to be altered. There was heavy rain and some water did come in the building. On Monday there were no fitters, 2 people arrived to plaster the door that had been bricked up, harl the outside and finish the window. The plaster has blown and cracked. On Tuesday and Wednesday the fitters installed lead flashings and some white trims over the woodwork. On Thursday 2nd August M* text to advise the fitter would be on site on Friday 3rd between 1-2 with the remaining glass panels. We were concerned about the safety of the work that had been undertaken so we arranged for a surveyor to come and look at the work. The surveyor advised we should document our concerns in writing and not pay for the work until it is completed to a safe agreed standard. On Friday afternoon new fitters and glass panels arrived and we advised them we were not happy with the work that had been done. The fitter contacted M* by phone and M* advised the fitters he would arrange for the previous fitter to come and complete the job. We contacted M* directly and confirmed we did not want the previous fitter back and asked for him to come and look at the work. M* came and inspected the work and agreed it was not an acceptable standard. M* was shocked at the way the work had been finished. We highlighted all the issues with the work that we were aware of directly to M*. M* advised it was not necessary for us to do a snagging list because of all of the issues the matter is beyond snagging. It was mutually agreed for M* to have some time to reflect on how to remedy the matter and M* would confirm in writing by 5pm on Monday 6th August. It is now the 4 September, we have sent emails and 3 formal letters to the company asking for a refund of our deposit/payment of costs and have had no response- not even a phone call or an acknowledgement. I am posting this review to warn others who may be considering using them- please don't.We trusted them as they have been running for some time and we always see their advertisements. If you do your research they have very mixed reviews. Hopefully this will help someone else to avoid going through the same trouble that we are Thanks
Anna Sells
Sep 04,2018Great work by smiths, we are very happy with our conservatory. On time & on budget Thank you
Tom Blaydes
Aug 30,2018Good quality service
Mrs. Barbara Sharpe
Aug 29,2018Job well done, no complaints and satisfied with the end results; would recommend Smiths.
Mrs K Killington
Aug 29,2018I found Smith's very helpful and professional with our fascia and gutter replacement. Their design and installation teams were courteous, tidy and quick and I can certainly recommend their services.
Chris G
Aug 28,2018Smiths installed new windows (8 of them) and french doors for me in 2010. The product, service and installation was ok. The house is now let to a tenant. In March this year we noticed that 3 of the units had water in them and contacted Smiths, this was really difficult as they tend not to answer the phone or emails. By June they had sent the same person round twice to measure up. There followed a succession of emails/phone calls relating to fitting of the units. A date was set for late July. The installation did not take place and no one phoned to tell me or my tenant of the cancellation. They claimed they did phone but no one answered. There were no missed calls on either my or my tenants phone call logs. Fitting was rescheduled for mid August. I emailed Smiths and asked them to contact me 5 days before the due installation date to confirm it was going ahead. There was no contact, so I contacted them. They confirmed the job would be carried out on the agreed date, which it was. I contacted them again to ask if they would be providing a follow up "satisfaction call". They confirmed this would be done 5 days after installation. Guess what? I'm still waiting!! So, Ok product truly appalling service!!
Kelly Mcbane
Aug 23,2018Great job by smiths on both rebuilding our conservatory and replacing a couple of windows. Thanks kelly
Pascal Jesset
Aug 21,2018This company has no customer care and will take your money with no refund. Never respond to your calls and emails. Should be zero stars! However, they do provide stress free of charge! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! After months of no communications, they are now talking to me? Below is their response with my response in capital! Good Afternoon Mr Jesset. Thank you for taking the time to provide such a swift review after being told today that you would not be getting a refund of your deposit (YES CORRECT - I HAVE BEEN TOLD TODAY) as we would not accept your cancellation nearly 3 months after you placed your order (and way outside the time scale for cancellations of bespoke goods as stipluated by trading standards), if only your communication would have been so swift in response to emails and calls previously. (THAT IS INTERESTING IT IS ME SENDING EMAILS AND CALLING THEM AND HAD NO RESPONSE TO ALL MY EMAILS) You placed your order with just a £50 deposit at the end of May however we were unable to survey your job until the end of June (NOT CORRECT - YOUR SURVEYOR NEVER CAME AND SENT ME AN EMAIL SAYING HE DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU / THEM) , this was despite numberous calls, emails, messages being left for you from our surveyor ( ALL LIES! THE SURVEYOR LEFT THE COMPANY - MUST BE A GHOST!) Only today have you informed us that you would like to cancel ( LIES - YOU HAD A NOTICE BEFORE - CHECK YOUR EMAILS! ) and have sourced your glass elsewhere despite us trying to contact you previously to progress your order further and with costs that have already been incurred by the company such as administration, survey, preorder of product ect therefor no refund will be issued (LIES LIES LIES! NO SURVEY DONE - NO ORDER COULD BE DONE! AGAIN AVOID THIS COMPANY - LIES AND STRESS IS WHAT YOU GET! KEEP MY MONEY - MY HEALTH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR LIES!
Richard Rhodes
Aug 18,2018This review is based purely on the conservatory fitted by Smith's in 2014/15. The product has withstood all kinds of weather and there have been no problems which of course we are very pleased about. The various workman for the initial foundations, fitting of panels, glass, plastering etc were excellent. I am also sure that the communication issues we experienced at that time have improved.
RC Barrett
Aug 18,2018we understand why. Their planning advice was first class; the conservatory groundwork was completed with minimal disruption or mess. The brickwork was to a high standard as was the internal rendering. The framework is also of a high standard with no issues of leaks. One glass sealed unit eventually had condensation forming in it but was quickly replaced by Smiths Glass at no cost to us. No issues since!
Karen
Aug 17,2018Excellent service from start to finish. Highly recommended.
Janet Lambert
Aug 17,2018I had a conservatory fitted 14 years ago and have had no problems. I was so impressed with the work they did I called them up again and had another conservatory and a front door fitted. They would be the first company I’d call if i needed anything else done.
Sharon Darby
Aug 16,2018Excellent service, the man who came to discuss our requirements was very helpful and gave great advice. We needed up going with a lean to style conservatory which was done within a couple of days all hassle free. I would highly recommend this company we have had no problems or issues with our conservatory.
5 Robert Way, SS11 8DD, Wickford, Essex, GB
http://www.smithsltd.co.uk
Hilary Knight
Sep 20,2018Avoid at all costs. Endless problems with our conservatory and service dept is abysmal. 8 years on and no where near fixed. Been waiting over 6 months for the latest problem to be sorted.