Let me ask you a question. How many times, when you see your competitors doing a job illegally, do you contact FENSA or Certass to report it? Most of you will probably say ‘not that often’.

Most believe that if you report bad jobs to the relevant authorities nothing gets done. I can verify that such a thing has happened to us. We saw a competitor sending their fitters up on ladders during a windy day to fit soffits and fascias. Those poor lads really did struggle and really didn’t want to be up there! We reported it to FENSA, though no punishment was ever given to that company. It did frustrate us as we make sure that all our fitters work in the safest environments. We may be a few hundred quid more by the time we’ve added the scaffolding, but if it means that our fitters are safe and can do the best job they can, then so be it, and most customers understand.

I think it’s time to change our perception that reporting companies for bad installations and blatant disregard for health and safety doesn’t work. We have Twitter and blogs now. FENSA are on there. The industry now has the best tool available for putting public pressure on those bodies here specifically to make sure that companies carry out their work to the right standards. If you report a bad job, follow it up on Twitter with your fenestration body publicly to force the right decision on the matter.

With business getting ever more precious and harder to find, the industry’s good companies cannot afford to be losing out to the cowboys and cheaters in our little world. Time to speak up and force our biggest industry representatives to get in gear and really follow up bad installation reports and punish the companies doing them!