Family pursued for £11,491 by debt collectors after botched double glazing installation on Everest two years ago

A family who had to endure a botched window installation for more than two years were wrongly told they owed more than £11,000 and chased after debt collectors.

Andrew Johnson, 45, bought 12 windows and a French door from Everest Windows in April 2022, paid a deposit of £13,321 and had £11,491 left to pay.

The problem arose with 11 of the windows, which were a tilt-sash design, which Andrew chose because it would make them easier to clean from inside the house.

Each time these windows were opened, the tilting mechanism damaged the window frames and scraped away the outer layers.

Window installers Everest recognized the problem and visited Andrew’s home an astonishing 30 times in two years to try to fix the problem.

For much of this time, Andrew’s home was a construction site, which was particularly difficult because his wife was pregnant.

“It’s hard to sum up how disruptive two years of ongoing window installation is, but needless to say, multiple attempts to remove and reinstall windows left my home and decor in pristine condition,” Andrew said.

“This also included leaving my house unsafe for weeks when locks were not installed, leaving scaffolding up for months and leaving windows half closed in place.”

Everest eventually touched up the windows, but said Andrew wouldn’t be able to use the tilt function.

In April 2024, a manager at Everest and the company’s complaints department told Andrew that the company was happy to write off the remaining cash owed, £11,941, due to the considerable disruption they were unlikely to be able to fix.

But then Andrew received an email saying the company had not paid off all the debt.

Long-standing fixture: The scaffolding outside was there for so long that plants grew on it

Instead they credited him with £5,491 and said he had £6,000 left to pay.

Days later, Everest went into administration and was bought by Anglian Windows.

Anglian then passed Andrew’s details to a debt collection company, which wrongly began chasing him for the full amount of £11,491.

Shocked, Andrew tried to speak to Anglian several times to explain the situation, but the company refused and told him to speak to the debt collection company.

Andrew said: “Needless to say I am absolutely appalled at how I have been treated and the unwillingness to even have a conversation with me before sending it to an aggressive debt collection company.”

Construction site: The interior of the house was left uninhabitable in places due to poor quality windows.

Andrew then spoke to This is Money, who stepped in and contacted Anglian.

Anglian later apologized to Andrew and paid off the remaining £6,000.

“I have no doubt this wouldn’t have happened without your help, so thank you very much,” Andrew said. “This Is Money’s involvement in these consumer battles makes a real difference in people’s lives.”

An Anglo spokesman said: “Thank you for bringing Mr Johnson’s case to our attention.”

“We deeply regret any additional distress that may have been caused to Mr Johnson and his family, following the recent communications he received on behalf of ASHI Group Ltd.

‘Anglian Home Improvements (trading as ASHI Group Ltd), the UK’s leading home improvement company, acquired the Everest 2020 customer order book, brand and certain other assets earlier this year.

‘According to information we received as part of the acquisition, Everest 2020 recorded that Mr Johnson owed a balance of £11,491.

‘After reviewing the information sent to us directly by Mr Johnson, we were able to determine that Everest 2020 awarded a goodwill gesture of £5,491, leaving an outstanding balance of £6,000.

“We are saddened to learn of the events that Mr. Johnson and his family experienced on Everest 2020 and, as such, without admitting liability and to bring the matter to an amicable resolution, the ASHI Group will not take any further action related to the case of Mr. Johnson.