You might have noticed it’s been a little hot recently (for some of us!).
And although we’ve come down off the peak, there are more heatwaves on the horizon, so I’m hoping the nation will be a little better prepared next time!
On a personal level, I’ve been trying to prepare for the summer temperatures for almost a year.
I came across an ingenious ‘window film’ product, designed to keep UV rays at bay, and as sunlight streams in through my French doors, I knew we’d benefit.
And we would have done so if it had actually been installed.
It was September 2025 that I first came across what I thought was the ideal supplier – we exchanged emails, they came to survey the site, and everything seemed hunky dory, so we asked to go ahead.
A few weeks later, they sent a booking for half the work – the downstairs windows, but not the upstairs.
I reiterated that we’d like all the windows protected, which was something we’d already discussed at length, and they knew, having seen all the windows in the flesh.
It turned out that the upstairs was no longer an option.
After all, how could they possibly reach the first floor?!
I attempted to accept this ‘computer says no’ response with the most grace I could muster, and we eventually alighted on a compromise – an internal film that won’t work quite as well, but will at least do something.
Then, it all changed again – they called to say that they have their own scaffolding company, so external was back on cards.
Except it wasn’t. Not quite. Apparently two of the six windows had “access” issues.
And it didn’t end there – it turns out that because those two windows are made of toughened glass, they can’t even install the internal film.
It bears repeating that they had already sent someone out to do a full site survey and decide which products were best and what could and couldn’t be installed.
Nine months ago.
I’m not doubting that there’s all sorts of red tape and regulation forcing them to make these decisions.
But this one can’t be blamed on the government.
Rather than a failure of bureaucracy, there’s a rather more straightforward takeaway to this tale: they simply failed to get all the information they needed up front.
The result is a frustrated customer who hasn’t ended up with the result she wanted.
And you know what they say about customers – a happy one will tell 2-3 friends about a positive experience, while an unhappy customer will…well…I’m writing this email to you (and the thousands of others on my list!), so you can do the maths!
