It appears the “glazing grant” scam seems to have reared it’s head again recently. I bring this up as Mark Warren (@MarkWarren3) tweeted this earlier today: Anyone involved in the Double Glazing Grant Scam out there? Saying that there are Grants available for windows & doors when there are Not? I did point out to him that people aren’t going to openly admit that they were saying such things, but the sentiment is right.

Just to make this absolutely clear, there is absolutely NO grant for double glazing out there at all. I am not aware of any scheme or project (other than the botched Green Deal) that gives money to homeowners to fit new windows and doors. Mark Warren brings this up as I think he is probably aware of some less than honest companies leading customers on. And he is right to be annoyed.

Schemes and tactics like this target the vulnerable and the elderly who are too trusting and fall for false information like this. However it does happen and clearly continues to happen and only serves to tarnish the overall image of the industry. I have had customers come to the showroom actually asking about grants. Clearly they had seen a sales person who told them that grants were available. Either that or they had been reading some poor information online, but I think it would be the former of the two.

I don’t think it would harm if the industry got behind a new campaign to try and promote clear and true information, and to dispel myths and false data. Whilst wrong information is out there in the public domain, it will only serve to damage the reputation of the industry locally. It also puts honest companies in a more difficult position when they have to try and convince someone that glazing grants do in fact not exist, when they have already been persuaded that there are such grants. Who do they believe? What information is right? The more confused and unconvinced the customer gets, the more turned off the buying experience they become.

All comments welcome on this one. Have you heard of companies talking about grants?