Jamesoliverhome Reviews 5

My wife booked an appointment 3 weeks ago and we are looking to replace all of our doors and windows. Conor came out to see her and we never even received a quote. Glad we missed a bullet with this company, I cant imagine their aftersales care is very good if they can't even be bothered getting a simple quote sent out.

They are quick and pleasant when taking your money.... That is where the good news ends... We had to fight them to have the leaky door that was not made to a decent standard and fitted even less so fixed and now we have had to wait 2 months for them to come and look at our faulty door lock... Avoid this company for your own peace of mind..

This was my first time doing a home extension, so I had no idea about the process, costs, materials, or paperwork. I got quotes from a few companies, and James Oliver responded the fastest and had the most reasonable price. They took care of the government paperwork and provided all the drawings, which made everything feel really easy and straightforward.

The team was super friendly and kept everything tidy. Every day after work, they’d clean up and organise the materials before leaving, which I really appreciated. The whole project took just over three months and was finished this month. I’m really happy with how it turned out!

They also offer a 10-year warranty, hopefully they’ll continue to follow up if anything comes up!

When I first approached James Oliver Conservatories, they visited my home, and although James struggled to listen—he came across with a "I don’t need to listen to you" attitude—I still had high hopes based on his portfolio that my extension would be amazing. Unfortunately, my overall experience was deeply disappointing.

I requested a quote for an extension specifically designed to accommodate my disabled husband’s downstairs bedroom, a project that is exempt from VAT under the government’s ex-VAT scheme for disabled adaptations. Despite knowing this, the quote they provided included VAT.

When I asked for an amended quote without VAT, the team seemed unsure and said they needed to "check" if it was possible. After chasing them multiple times, I was eventually told that they had spoken to the council, HMRC, and others, and claimed the work didn’t meet the criteria. This was absolutely untrue. I had already confirmed with Adult Social Services, OBAM, the local council, and HMRC that the work did meet the criteria.

The lack of communication was staggering. I was told there would be a board meeting to discuss the VAT issue—an extraordinary step for what should have been a straightforward process. Even after calling again and waiting, no response was provided. Out of frustration, I visited their showroom in Lincoln to ask directly. The receptionist informed me that a letter would be sent, but when I asked for a simple "yes" or "no" as to whether they would participate in the ex-VAT scheme, she curtly said "no," turned away, and walked off.

To refuse to participate in the ex-VAT scheme, in my opinion, is discriminatory. This scheme exists to assist disabled people with essential adaptations, and their refusal shows a lack of understanding, empathy, and professionalism. To make matters worse, their dismissive attitude left me feeling ignored and disrespected.

If you're looking for a company that truly cares about their customers and understands the needs of disabled clients, I would strongly advise looking elsewhere. James Oliver Conservatories failed me at every turn.

Needed all double glazing, external doors and conservatory glazing and roof replacing as part of major house renovations. Initial meeting (Nov 2022) with owner was good regarding advice given and being able to complete during one whole month (March 2023) before other tradesmen booked for following month.
Product is good quality, installation teams hard working and very good. Plasterer and electrician both very good. They sourced a company to manufacture a stained glass window that is exceptional, they designed a canopy over the bay window and front door that is again exceptional so the following really lets the company down.
Communication from office staff during installation was poor, gaps between different installation teams attending to complete requirements worrying. Emails stating they will be in touch when next team attending then waiting days for them to be in touch. Installation over ran causing concerns and delaying others. Tried to address it in a meeting but the attendees were defensive, misquoted building regulations and told any stress or anxiety they caused was not their concern. One member of staff who was identified to me as a company director was rude and insulting. I ended up asking them to leave my house. Having checked government website it was found this person was not a company director at all. I did eventually meet with a company director.
It seemed to be productive as our conversation highlighted some pressing training issues, particularly around allocation of sufficient workers to complete a job in the agreed required time along with good communication between company and customer.
However, upon requiring some remedial work which was minor, it was found the patio glass was not safety glass. This had been installed in March and was found in August. Communications with staff about this demonstrated a complacent view that they relied on the glazing manufacturer to get the type of glass right, so it was not checked before installation. Very poor quality control for such a safety issue.
I have not heard anything from the actual company director about this safety lapse, even though I have been told he was sent my email correspondence, and have received an email to say I am not being ignored.

To be constructive the office staff/management need to improve communications with customers, they need to understand what constitutes a verbal contract, they need to improve customer services by not misrepresenting themselves when dealing with customer concerns and legitimate issues. No reason was given for this misrepresentation when I addressed it with the actual director, other than it was not meant to mislead or deceive.
The management need to ensure the right people are in the right roles, as it is not conducive to good business to have nice staff who, for whatever reason, do not have the skills or knowledge for the roles they are in, for example office staff attending to do snagging, when they have no insight to know what damage or defects can occur. They looked around my house, not at the product that had been installed.
The remedial installer did look at all products when he found the safety glass issue, the same installer attended yesterday with the new glass, as the original replacement glass was not safety glass either. This installer has only ever been professional and knowledgeable about building regulations.
This family run company was recommended to me unfortunately the experience has been less than positive.
Perhaps the company ought to provide a plan for future installations so customers know when work will be carried out with confidence. They can then question any gaps in the plan. Depending on the size of the job more than one installation team could be allocated, with an estimated time of arrival. Customers can then tailor their commitments around this.
I found the job stood still when someone in the office was off work, nothing was addressed until they came back, a plan given to the customer would stop this from happening.
Management need to take safety issues seriously and apologise for the situation they leave customers in.
There were other issues but I have only addressed the ones that are most serious.
I can only hope the company learn from this and over time improve their work practices and how they treat customers.