Choosing between conservatory installers is hard because nearly everything a firm publishes about itself is a claim rather than a fact. Photographs, years of experience and testimonials on a company's own site cannot be tested. Four things can be, and they take about twenty minutes between them. Doing that before the first appointment changes the whole conversation.
Check the legal entity, not the trading name
Trading names change and companies do not. Find the registered company name and number, look it up, and see how long it has existed, whether it files accounts and whether the directors have a trail of dissolved companies behind them. A long established company that has traded under three names is a different proposition from a company incorporated last year.
Conservatory builders: check the registration on the scheme's register
Where the work is notifiable, the installer should be registered on a competent person scheme, and the place to check is the scheme's own register rather than a logo on a website. Registration is not a guarantee of workmanship, but it does mean somebody has assessed the firm and it means the certificate is part of the price rather than an extra.
Check the guarantee is backed by somebody else
A guarantee written on the installer's own paper is worth exactly as much as the installer's continued existence. An insurance backed guarantee held by a third party survives the company failing, which is the situation the guarantee exists for. Ask who underwrites it and ask to see the policy rather than the leaflet.
Watch how the price behaves
A price that falls sharply if you sign tonight was not a price. So is a survey that only happens after a deposit is taken. The firms worth dealing with quote after they have measured, hold the figure, and are content for you to think about it for a week.
Questions people ask about conservatory installers
How many quotes should I get?
Three, priced against the same written schedule. Fewer gives you no sense of the middle of the market, and more usually adds sales calls rather than information. The comparison is only meaningful if all three are quoting the same roof, the same frames and the same groundworks.
Are national companies better than local ones?
Neither reliably. A national firm has process and a complaints route; a local one is easier to get back and more exposed to its own reputation. What matters more than size is who actually does the work, because both models subcontract, and that is a fair question to ask.
What should I never pay for up front?
The whole job. A deposit that funds materials is normal, and staged payments tied to delivery and completion protect you. Any firm that requires most of the money before work starts is asking you to carry its cash flow risk.