78% sales valuation accuracy
88% sales fee satisfaction
Aug 04,2015
Aug 04,2015
3
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I am a new tenant at a property managed by Prospects in Reading. My overall experience of Prospects has been absolutely horrendous. The admin fee I have been charged is over £750. For this money, I have had the most awful service and experienced the most atrocious mistakes by many of the employees that work there.
The first problem we experienced was in regards to the initial viewings. The bookings we made were deleted off the system which meant that the times we wanted to view the properties were then unavailable. We were expecting to see 4 properties over the course of the day. We were only shown 1 property as the others were either cancelled once again or had been taken by other tenants days before.
Once we had decided that the only property we saw was acceptable for our needs, we were taken to the office to complete the necessary forms. A few days later, we were sent an offer letter which contained mistakes. First of all, one of our names was spelled incorrectly and the length of our requested contract was also wrong. It took the member of staff responsible one week to correct the spelling mistake and send out a new offer letter. Each day we rang up and checked on the progress of this very simple request. Each time we rang we were put off, ignored or made to feel an annoyance. We did not receive a satisfactory response to these problems for another week. This caused a huge amount of stress as we were being ignored each day and had to do all of the chasing for information ourselves. Perhaps we should have paid ourselves the admin fee they were charging for doing nothing.
We had a delayed move in day as the 'check in was fully booked' on the day we requested to move in. This caused a big problem and disruption as we were then required to commute into work (over an hour and a half each day) until the flat was ready for us to move in. This was an added cost for us in terms of transport and added stress as we could not move in.
We have been given defective keys and fobs for the car park which means that we cannot access our allocated car parking space and we cannot access the property foyer without asking another resident to open the door for us.
On our move in day, we were supposed to have been given an inventory list. We did not receive this list. The clerk arrived 2 hours late and then decided to go home before sorting out our check in. We were waiting outside the property for 2 hours - we did not receive an apology or any explanation. Another person from the office was then sent out to meet us to replace the clerk that had gone home early for the day. We were then told that the fob and keys did not work, so we would have to park on double yellow lines while we moved our belongings into the property. We had to ask another resident to let us into the main foyer as our key was broken. We were then not shown around the property as promised, just given the defective keys and left alone outside the door.
We have experienced the worst customer service possible for this relocation. Each step of the way has been marred with problems, additional requests and bad communication. The value of service for the extortionate admin fee has been dire and unacceptable. We are now in the process of putting together a legal case against Prospect Reading Agents in order to see a proportion of our admin fee returned to us.
We have been blamed for their mistakes which has made us feel incredibly undervalued as clients and tenants. We were told that it was our fault that their service was slow and incompetent. We wish that the property we saw was not managed by Prospects Reading. It would have made for a lot smoother and less stressful move in process.
I cannot understand how this agency have won awards. I cannot imagine a more stressful process if I tried. Avoid this agency at all costs.
The first problem we experienced was in regards to the initial viewings. The bookings we made were deleted off the system which meant that the times we wanted to view the properties were then unavailable. We were expecting to see 4 properties over the course of the day. We were only shown 1 property as the others were either cancelled once again or had been taken by other tenants days before.
Once we had decided that the only property we saw was acceptable for our needs, we were taken to the office to complete the necessary forms. A few days later, we were sent an offer letter which contained mistakes. First of all, one of our names was spelled incorrectly and the length of our requested contract was also wrong. It took the member of staff responsible one week to correct the spelling mistake and send out a new offer letter. Each day we rang up and checked on the progress of this very simple request. Each time we rang we were put off, ignored or made to feel an annoyance. We did not receive a satisfactory response to these problems for another week. This caused a huge amount of stress as we were being ignored each day and had to do all of the chasing for information ourselves. Perhaps we should have paid ourselves the admin fee they were charging for doing nothing.
We had a delayed move in day as the 'check in was fully booked' on the day we requested to move in. This caused a big problem and disruption as we were then required to commute into work (over an hour and a half each day) until the flat was ready for us to move in. This was an added cost for us in terms of transport and added stress as we could not move in.
We have been given defective keys and fobs for the car park which means that we cannot access our allocated car parking space and we cannot access the property foyer without asking another resident to open the door for us.
On our move in day, we were supposed to have been given an inventory list. We did not receive this list. The clerk arrived 2 hours late and then decided to go home before sorting out our check in. We were waiting outside the property for 2 hours - we did not receive an apology or any explanation. Another person from the office was then sent out to meet us to replace the clerk that had gone home early for the day. We were then told that the fob and keys did not work, so we would have to park on double yellow lines while we moved our belongings into the property. We had to ask another resident to let us into the main foyer as our key was broken. We were then not shown around the property as promised, just given the defective keys and left alone outside the door.
We have experienced the worst customer service possible for this relocation. Each step of the way has been marred with problems, additional requests and bad communication. The value of service for the extortionate admin fee has been dire and unacceptable. We are now in the process of putting together a legal case against Prospect Reading Agents in order to see a proportion of our admin fee returned to us.
We have been blamed for their mistakes which has made us feel incredibly undervalued as clients and tenants. We were told that it was our fault that their service was slow and incompetent. We wish that the property we saw was not managed by Prospects Reading. It would have made for a lot smoother and less stressful move in process.
I cannot understand how this agency have won awards. I cannot imagine a more stressful process if I tried. Avoid this agency at all costs.
What agent could do to change your mind?
Listen to your clients - don't ignore them and avoid their messages, make them feel valued, make sure you do your job and do not leave the chasing up and organisation of a relocation in the hands of your clients - especially when such a huge admin fee was requested.Attached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
Very high admin fees for the service we received - over ‚£750. We have been insulted at the amount we were charged in return for such a dreadful series of events and appalling service.
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Aug 17, 2015
We are sincerely sorry for the problems that have arisen during the start of your tenancy and it is very disappointing that you have encountered such difficulties. The Manager of our Property Management Department, Joanne Kay has been assisting you in order resolve the complications that you have faced. We would like to thank you for your feedback and hope that if Joanne can be of any further assistance you will not hesitate to contact her.
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Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 78% | 88% | £117,000 | £490,000 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | 6 | 163 | 31 | 52 | 6 | 35 | 3 | 9 | 13 |
Areas covered
- RG8
- Reading
- RG7
- Woodley
- RG6
- Earley
- RG5
- RG4
- RG30
- RG2
- RG10
- RG1
- RG31
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
- Home Builder
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Mar 06,2024
Mar 06,2024
0
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Reading Prospect are terrible. THEY DONT PAY THE CLEANERS they send to their properties. SHAME OF THEM. DO THEY KEEP CLIENTS MONEY ???...
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Mar 03,2024
Mar 03,2024
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This agent will do everything possible to keep your deposit. Despite paying for professional cleans, decorating and spending more time making your old house nice and shiny instead of getting your new house ready to be lived in, they will take you to the cleaners ...
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Dec 18,2023
Dec 18,2023
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Our experience has been very BAD and DISAPPONTING. We are renting a property with Prospect in Reading and it takes ages to resolve our issues, most of which have been outstanding for over 6 months. The landlord is very adamant about not completing basic repairs, as ...
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Dec 22,2022
Dec 22,2022
0
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Thank you for your help in selling our property.
Bernadette was a great help kept us informed all the way & had some great chats on phone...
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Oct 31,2022
Oct 31,2022
0
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Thank you to Ross, Bernadette and all the team at Prospect Reading for helping us with the sale of 5 investment properties over the last couple of years. They secured good deals for us and helped us navigate some difficult times during the transactions.
Thank you ...
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Sep 15,2022
Sep 15,2022
0
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I can throughly recommend Prospect as they have been absolutely brilliant and would certainly use them again if I had another house for sale. From the first valuation meeting with Ross Hobbs and then through the setting up of viewings via Liam and then through ...
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Feb 16,2022
Feb 16,2022
0
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'Prospect' has recently helped me with selling my flat although my property was not the easiest to sell.
I recommend this estate agency as it is represented by very enthusiastic, professional and passionate people.
Thank you 'Prospect'!...
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Oct 26,2021
Oct 26,2021
1
people found
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this helpful
I must say if you are thinking renting with Prospect agency please DON'T. When i came for the apartment viewing the agent agreed with everything i asked. It was very important for me the apartment to be pet friendly, the agent confirmed that on the ...
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Aug 18,2021
Aug 18,2021
0
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I genuinely couldn't stress enough to stay away from this business. They ignored the landlady for 6 weeks over a very simple request under her fully managed lettings contract. The only way we eventually managed to get them to contact us was by 3 visits to their ...
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Aug 18,2021
Aug 18,2021
0
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Predatory sales tactics, feels very impersonal and by the book. Only chasing the commission on sale and trying to get the quickest sale. Ended up selling through purple bricks for more than prospect estimated....
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Jan 13,2021
Jan 13,2021
0
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Really pleased with the service. Kurt was very helpful in making the process quick and easy as we were in quite a hurry to move out.
Thank you...
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Nov 27,2020
Nov 27,2020
0
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I have my first renting experience from Prospect, as I know almost nothing about renting issue, their agent help me a lot about the house, from recommended property that meet my target, arrange virtual-viewing with a high-effectiveness, and response to my email so frequently! And ...
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Oct 30,2020
Oct 30,2020
0
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IF your property needs work, Do NOT sell with them as they UNDER SELL your property !!! BE Aware they will give you POOR ADVICE !!!...
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Aug 07,2020
Aug 07,2020
0
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The only saviour for Prospect are the team you deal with initially. Once you are in contract however, the management team is appalling. My rental direct debit was increased without my consent and I was bombarded with emails and letters asking for payment. I challenged ...
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Jul 20,2020
Jul 20,2020
1
people found
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this helpful
The check out process has been an absolute nightmare. I wasn't informed that the checkout will not be happening, due to Covid-19, till I had called to find out why no one had turned up. I was asked to drop the keys in their office, ...
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Mar 11,2020
Mar 11,2020
0
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I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Ross Hobbs for his professionalism and support in securing the sale of my property. Throughout the process he unfailingly kept me updated and kept me positive. By far, the best estate agent manager I have ...
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Dec 20,2019
Dec 20,2019
1
people found
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The service we received was appalling, we would not recommend Prospect to anyone, too many mistakes were made, our messages were ignored, customer service was very poor and in general the staff we dealt with were unreasonable, inconsiderate which as a result made the whole ...
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Jun 25,2019
Jun 25,2019
0
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Arranged a viewing to purchase a property! Appointment time came & went. Rang the agency to be told there was no booking in the diary! Lots of apologies & viewing rescheduled. Time came but no show again. Rang agency to be told (again) no appointment was showing ...
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Aug 08,2018
Aug 08,2018
2
people found
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The first time we viewed properties with Prospect the estate agent was 15 minutes late with no courtesy call. The agent had very little details on the history of the landlord and detailed specifics of the property such as council tax bands and parking permits etc. ...
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Comment on agent fees
I believe the fees were around £350 and £500 holding deposits
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Nov 18, 2018
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You are absolutely right! They are in only for the money and almost all of them are unprofessional. They try to, but don't succeed! They are always on the side of the landlords and are trying to rip the other side off and do not care!
Would not recommend them as estate agents! Avoid!!! ...
Jun 12,2018
Jun 12,2018
2
people found
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this helpful
They never solve the problem. Always saying the Landlord is away and never answer the phone. Then, why an estate agency exist if is not to take own decisions without confirmation from the landlord? Then go away and I will contact the Landlord directly.
At ...
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Comment on agent fees
For what they have done, bad.
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May 29,2018
May 29,2018
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I've been with this agency for 5 years and now I am leaving the service has gone from terrible to outrageously bad! I've had to live with mould, ceilings falling down then being propped up with metal posts...yes whilst still living in the property! Electric ...
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Comment on agent fees
Fees are ridiculous, they make you sign short hold so they can charge £115 every 6 months
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Mar 06,2018
Mar 06,2018
6
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Horrible services. Tenant manager never picks up the phone. Have a home emergency and the emergency line is sending me to voice mail as well. Deplorable. I do not recommend this AT ALL....
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Comment on agent fees
Really bad
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Apr 05, 2018
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We are sorry that you have had problems getting through to your Property Manager.
We are currently trying to get hold of you to arrange for the plumber to come to the property to finish to outstanding works for you, so please could call Mrs J Kay (Head of Property Management) on 0118 955 9740 as soon as possible. ...
Feb 28,2018
Feb 28,2018
0
people found
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Fantastic customer service from Simon West. Very professional and efficient ! Fantastic advice about the rental market and he is very knowledgable about the area. Very efficient in dealing with any queries. 5 star service!...
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Mar 06, 2018
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Thank you for the five star review. ...
Jan 22,2018
Jan 22,2018
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Elizabeth is an amazing agent and makes everything about renting just that little bit easier. If there is a problem she will do her best to not only resolve the problem but to ensure that you are up to date with progress. I have been ...
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Comment on agent fees
Fees are not the best but are far from the worst in Reading
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Jan 22, 2018
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The picture shown is not the person I choose.. It should be Elizabeth Savery!! ...
Dec 09,2017
Dec 09,2017
0
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We are well looked after by Elizabeth Savery who is very efficient and is always a pleasure to deal with....
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Comment on agent fees
We are happy with the fees charged.
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Jan 09, 2018
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Thank you for sharing your experience with Elizabeth. ...
Jun 23,2017
Jun 23,2017
9
people found
this helpful
this helpful
The agency has quite high prices, which don't correspond to the quality of service they provide. They have a poor management of the properties, they fail by giving you all the keys of the property when you move in, they also fail by providing a ...
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Comment on agent fees
Very expensive for what you get
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Jun 18,2017
Jun 18,2017
7
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I have rented a flat from this agent since last 7 months. Since last 6 weeks i raised a complaint of sink and shower water not draining completely. Also few days back they stopped draining. Still the condition is same.
I dont want to name the employee.
...
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Comment on agent fees
I dont know what i paid for. Just to sign few papers i guess. Poor service
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Jun 28, 2017
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I am sorry to hear that you have not had a proactive speedy response to your maintenance issue, Joanne Kay the Head of Property Management will be in touch with you shortly to follow up on this matter. ...
Jun 14,2017
Jun 14,2017
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Excellent service from start to finish all staff involved acted in a very professional a manner.
Special mention to Matthew and a massive thanks to Josh who was absolutely brilliant.
Having originally put the property on with another centrally located agent the difference between them ...
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Comment on agent fees
Fees were on par with other 'upmarket' agencies
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May 04,2017
May 04,2017
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
What can I say. I've used a few Lettings agents over the years and this guys take the biscuit. Wonderful before I joined and paid up then repairs issues came up and getting in touch became a problem. chase up and leave messages that were ...
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May 10, 2017
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We are disappointed to hear you have not received expected communication regarding your tenancy, I understand that Joanne Kay has been in contact and assisting with a resolve for you. ...
Mar 29,2017
Mar 29,2017
7
people found
this helpful
this helpful
we joined this agency a month ago, renting a house in bracknell i was dealt with Olivia in bracknell branch who was exceptional and received great service however near our move date we have been told that Chloe will be our property manager, it started ...
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