Winning plaudits from respected industry judges, Vantage Windows and Doors – which covers the entirety of North Lanarkshire and beyond – was honoured at a London ceremony alongside other category winners including high profile brands such as Google, Mercedes and Jet2.
Vantage Windows and Doors aren’t like other double glazing companies- they don’t have any salesmen and come to your home and take hours of your time only to give you a high price then try and pressure you into signing a contract. In fact, they never give prices on the spot. The initial visit is simply to carry out a quick survey to gather the information they need to put a quote together for customers.
Most importantly, no money is asked for up front – you pay the full balance upon completion of the job.
‘Ecstatic’ founder and owner Ernie Rea, 47, expressed how his staff and customers are delighted after Vantage was specially selected by Which? judges from among 5000 traders across a wide range of industries who are registered members of the consumer organisation’s assessment and ratings scheme.
He said: “We’re over the moon and still pinching ourselves – it’s a massive win as there are thousands of traders eligible, and it’s the judges who do the really thorough research and decide on the shortlist and winners, so it’s a hard award to win.
“It’s a huge achievement as there are only 10 of us, we’re not a big business; we’re like a wee family and word gets about on how we deal with people, so 12 years and thousands of installations later, this is the icing on the cake.”
Honouring “innovative companies that go the extra mile for their customers”, Which? Judges considered satisfaction scores and reviews left for the approved businesses on their trusted trader site; and were “blown away” by Vantage’s “excellent customer service, community work and the level of professionalism on show”.
The judges praised the “reviews that reflect their great service [and] really lovely tone to their customer responses”, while Trusted Traders managing director Raj Kakar-Clayton said: “Vantage receives lovely customer responses and it feels like each customer is appreciated and valued; there is a sense of togetherness in this business and the company cares about its employees.”
Vantage took the award ahead of shortlisted stairlift, roofing and removal companies from the trade site, with Ernie describing the recognition as “a game-changer”.
He said: “It’s going to have a great impact; we’ve won for best doors and windows at the Scottish Home Improvement Awards for the past five years which is fantastic, but this is a completely different level as it’s not just our industry.
“We became a Which? trusted trader in 2017 – it’s a very vigorous vetting process as they’re putting their reputation on your company so they only let the best on, and ever since people can go to the trusted trader site and leave reviews with each one then being verified as a real customer.
“The response to our win has been unbelievable, and we were really busy already but it’s been chock-a-block ever since the win with people from not just Lanarkshire but all over Scotland contact us because people trust Which? advice and they’re coming to us because we’re number one.”
Originally from Airdrie, Ernie attended St Serf’s Primary in the town and then Hamilton College, and now lives in Bothwell. He says: “I didn’t come from the windows and doors industry, but knowing nothing about it was probably the biggest blessing as I started with a blank sheet of paper.”
Ernie collected the award at the London ceremony with showroom manager Abbie Gordon and later treated the whole staff to a celebration of their win with a special day out at Loch Lomond.
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