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May 19,2013
May 19,2013
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Connells Crawley ƒÂ¢¢â€šÂ¬¢â‚¬Å“ Connells mortgage or no sale! Extreme Lying
I just want to share my shocking experience with the estate agents Connells Crawley branch. Basically, myself and my husband viewed a property and put in an offer of the asking price. We were told by Connells that this was the price the seller wanted, they would not take a lower offer and were not interested in asking for a higher offer as they did not want to mess around, they really wanted a quick sale. Connells pressured us to try to talk to their in house financial advisor to obtain a mortgage from Connells; we refused and were told we could ƒÂ¢¢â€šÂ¬…“lose the houseƒÂ¢¢â€šÂ¬ if we did not attend. We said that we were happy with our own financial advisor. We had various telephone calls with Connells that day, in which the estate agent we were dealing with (initials AP) said he really wanted us to get the house and wished us all the best but we HAD to attend and speak to Connells Mortgage advisor. Connells again called and confirmed that the seller was happy to accept our offer, and refuse any more viewings on the property, but we needed to attend the office to have our financial information verified. My husband was at work all week, so offered to take a day off work to attend Connells to do so. Connells said they didn't have any appointments for a week although when they thought we would take a mortgage with them we could go in the next day or whenever we were in the area. I spoke to the in house financial advisor over the telephone and asked for his email address so I could send over all the documents needed to confirm our financial viability, so the seller could be assured of our viability to proceed with the purchase. I sent this email, and was happy that the seller would be provided with the required reassurance.
Four days later the property we were supposedly buying was newly listed on the Connells website for sale, I was assured this was a formality and nothing untoward was going on.
The day before we were due to attend Connells to finalise the paper work AP called me to inform me that a cousin of the seller wanted to purchase the house and the seller wanted to sell to their cousin and not to us. AP specifically said he could not proceed with selling the house to us under the seller's wishes. I was informed that the cousin would be attending Connells 5 days later to see if they could get a mortgage with them, if not then we could buy the property. I suspected this was a lie and asked AP if he was delaying my purchase so someone taking a mortgage with Connells could buy the property, to which he replied ƒÂ¢¢â€šÂ¬…“not at allƒÂ¢¢â€šÂ¬. My husband spoke to the manager of Connells Crawley (initials JS) who confirmed what AP had told me even adding a few extra details (cousin wanted the house as a buy to let). Due to the fact I suspected Connells were lying to me, with a bit of internet research I managed to find out the name and number of the seller who we contacted and confirmed Connells had LIED, their cousin was not interested in buying the property and did not exist! The seller contacted Connells the next day and spoke to JS who admitted he had lied and did not know why he lied! Although, when AP called us he said he got the property mixed up with another one! It just so happened that there was another offer made 13 days after our initial formal offer, which the buyer accepted in the end, I suspect with the full backing of Connells. I am glad we caught Connells out, and were able to confront them (albeit over the telephone). I just want to warn anyone who is thinking of buying a property with Connells, please be aware of their bad practices. Connells obviously give incentives to estate agents to sell Connells mortgages, and it seemed that was the only way possible to buy a house Connells were selling, was to obtain a Connells mortgage. Connells are run by a mortgage company with only 15 mortgage providers available. They may be able to offer a competitive mortgage but you would be a fool to discount the numerous other mortgage deals elsewhere. Do not be bullied by Connells hard selling tactics to get the house you want as you may end up paying thousands more on top of the selling price for the privilege. We were told that the property was as good as ours and were left very disappointed. But my biggest disappointment is being deceived is such a dishonest and devious way.
I just want to share my shocking experience with the estate agents Connells Crawley branch. Basically, myself and my husband viewed a property and put in an offer of the asking price. We were told by Connells that this was the price the seller wanted, they would not take a lower offer and were not interested in asking for a higher offer as they did not want to mess around, they really wanted a quick sale. Connells pressured us to try to talk to their in house financial advisor to obtain a mortgage from Connells; we refused and were told we could ƒÂ¢¢â€šÂ¬…“lose the houseƒÂ¢¢â€šÂ¬ if we did not attend. We said that we were happy with our own financial advisor. We had various telephone calls with Connells that day, in which the estate agent we were dealing with (initials AP) said he really wanted us to get the house and wished us all the best but we HAD to attend and speak to Connells Mortgage advisor. Connells again called and confirmed that the seller was happy to accept our offer, and refuse any more viewings on the property, but we needed to attend the office to have our financial information verified. My husband was at work all week, so offered to take a day off work to attend Connells to do so. Connells said they didn't have any appointments for a week although when they thought we would take a mortgage with them we could go in the next day or whenever we were in the area. I spoke to the in house financial advisor over the telephone and asked for his email address so I could send over all the documents needed to confirm our financial viability, so the seller could be assured of our viability to proceed with the purchase. I sent this email, and was happy that the seller would be provided with the required reassurance.
Four days later the property we were supposedly buying was newly listed on the Connells website for sale, I was assured this was a formality and nothing untoward was going on.
The day before we were due to attend Connells to finalise the paper work AP called me to inform me that a cousin of the seller wanted to purchase the house and the seller wanted to sell to their cousin and not to us. AP specifically said he could not proceed with selling the house to us under the seller's wishes. I was informed that the cousin would be attending Connells 5 days later to see if they could get a mortgage with them, if not then we could buy the property. I suspected this was a lie and asked AP if he was delaying my purchase so someone taking a mortgage with Connells could buy the property, to which he replied ƒÂ¢¢â€šÂ¬…“not at allƒÂ¢¢â€šÂ¬. My husband spoke to the manager of Connells Crawley (initials JS) who confirmed what AP had told me even adding a few extra details (cousin wanted the house as a buy to let). Due to the fact I suspected Connells were lying to me, with a bit of internet research I managed to find out the name and number of the seller who we contacted and confirmed Connells had LIED, their cousin was not interested in buying the property and did not exist! The seller contacted Connells the next day and spoke to JS who admitted he had lied and did not know why he lied! Although, when AP called us he said he got the property mixed up with another one! It just so happened that there was another offer made 13 days after our initial formal offer, which the buyer accepted in the end, I suspect with the full backing of Connells. I am glad we caught Connells out, and were able to confront them (albeit over the telephone). I just want to warn anyone who is thinking of buying a property with Connells, please be aware of their bad practices. Connells obviously give incentives to estate agents to sell Connells mortgages, and it seemed that was the only way possible to buy a house Connells were selling, was to obtain a Connells mortgage. Connells are run by a mortgage company with only 15 mortgage providers available. They may be able to offer a competitive mortgage but you would be a fool to discount the numerous other mortgage deals elsewhere. Do not be bullied by Connells hard selling tactics to get the house you want as you may end up paying thousands more on top of the selling price for the privilege. We were told that the property was as good as ours and were left very disappointed. But my biggest disappointment is being deceived is such a dishonest and devious way.
What agent could do to change your mind?
They should not have lied to us or blocked our purchaseAttached Filesnbsp;
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Apr 01, 2014
I have had exactly the same problem with Connells in Eastleigh. Didn't want their mortgage advice and low and behold after speaking with a seller who was desperate to sell I put the first offer in for the full asking price. Connells then fobbed me off for 3 days saying that as it was a Shared Ownership property they had to have agreement from the housing association before my offer could be accepted. What a load of rubbish - I rang the housing association who confirmed they do not get involved in offers as they do not instruct the estate agent. Have put in a complaint with the branch who admitted they lied and that the seller chose to go with a cash buyer instead. Have asked for evidence that my offer (the first offer) was handled correctly and passed to "the very desperate to sell as quickly as possible buyer" promptly. Nothing forthcoming as yet almost a week later. They have sent me an email attempting to fob me off and sympathising with my disappointment (patronising so and so). But I dont give up. Trading Standards, the Property Ombudsman and the Office of Fair Trading will be getting my complaint very soon asking for an investigation. Jan 19, 2014
I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to post the outcome of my complaint. I initially went through the Connells internal complaints procedure and surprise surprise they said it was an honest mistake, and no intentional wrong doing had taken place. I then took my complaint to the Ombudsman, who at first said that there was not a lot that they could do about it as it was "we say, they say". I requested that the case be looked at again. In the meanwhile I was contacted by a well known consumer rights programme who were interested in covering my story, and took down the details for the Ombudsman covering my complaint. Low and behold, a few weeks later, I had the result of the second review of my complaint, agreeing with me, that Connells were dishonest and told outrights lies to me in order to prevent me from buying the property.
I was awarded a small amount of compensation, but more importantly I feel relief that I have had my own little bit of justice 0
Jul 12, 2013
thank you for your review, it was very helpful to us, as we are looking to purchase a property with the Connels. we have/had similar experience with the connels branch in poole. we put an offer and they are trying to bully us into taking mortgage through them,otherwise we might lose the property, although it is obvious the products they are offering are not as good as other banks offer. the profit would be on their side.
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Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettings | 100% | 33% | £825 | £1,050 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
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May 12,2021
May 12,2021
1
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Was the worst customer service with no respect for their customers
We had an appointment I got all documents we need then left me waiting outside for sometime after been rude and told me to wait outside...
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May 12,2021
May 12,2021
0
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Really disappointed of their services , unprofessional was no respect for a customer first time buyer bringing all documents they need
I won’t recommend them for any service...
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Mar 25,2019
Mar 25,2019
0
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The agent was highly unprofessional and had 3 viewing back to back for the same property. I was the first one to view and confirmed the property on the spot. I was told they still have to honor the rest of the viewings out of courtesy ...
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Mar 20,2018
Mar 20,2018
1
people found
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Truly the worst estate agents I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Long story short, decided to rent a property through Conells. Was constantly messed around by the branch, to the point that on moving in day, I was told I could no ...
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Overpriced for such a poor service
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Mar 24,2016
Mar 24,2016
7
people found
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this helpful
Do NOT use this agency.
They will constantly pester you to take a mortgage out with them and as soon as you say no your cards are marked.
Lost out to a mystery investor however was told if I took out a mortgage with them ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
BadAttached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
Bad
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Sep 26,2014
Sep 26,2014
2
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Dreadful experience. From phantom buyers, to no shows to badly vetted buyers. Dont go near these clowns with a barge pole. After finally finding a buyer 7 months later they expect us to pay them the commission for a sale they didnt arrange, completely ignoring the ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Done their job properly!Attached Filesnbsp;
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May 28,2014
May 28,2014
5
people found
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Where do I start.
Me and my girlfriend are first time buyers. We found a property in Crawley that we really loved, went to view and the agent (Emma) did not enter to show us around because "It smells terrible" so we viewed it on ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
obeyed the laws and regulations.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Jun 16, 2014
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(1)
"Dear Adam
I was present at Connells throughout the whole process of this sale and whilst both staff members are no longer in this branch I believe this needs addressing publicly as your review is utterly misleading.
You state we should have “obeyed the laws and regulationsâ€. It is those very laws and regulations that seem to have caused your anger. We followed them stringently and were audited on this sale internally and externally. I’m unsure why you’re playin ...
Dec 05,2013
Dec 05,2013
5
people found
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this helpful
Another awful agency in a sea of awful agencies. Don't buy from them as they will lead you into unnecessary credit checks which will effect your credit score when they are well aware your offer has not been accepted. They told us that our offer ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
The agent should not have lead us to believe our offer would be accepted upon a credit check when they already had a cash buyer.Attached Filesnbsp;
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May 19,2013
May 19,2013
7
people found
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Connells Crawley ƒÂ¢¢â€šÂ¬¢â‚¬Å“ Connells mortgage or no sale! Extreme Lying
I just want to share my shocking experience with the estate agents Connells Crawley branch. Basically, myself and my husband viewed a property and put in an offer of the asking price. We were told by ...
read full review
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
They should not have lied to us or blocked our purchaseAttached Filesnbsp;
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Yes
Apr 01, 2014
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(3)
I have had exactly the same problem with Connells in Eastleigh. Didn't want their mortgage advice and low and behold after speaking with a seller who was desperate to sell I put the first offer in for the full asking price. Connells then fobbed me off for 3 days saying that as it was a Shared Ownership property they had to have agreement from the housing association before my offer could be accepted. What a load of rubbish - I rang the housing association who confirmed they do not get involve ...
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Kindly note that legally, letting agents need to publish information about their tenancy fees, government-approved redress schemes and client money protection schemes on their website and on third party websites (on which agents are listed). For properties to lease/rent in England, agents need to keep this information up to date and precise on allAgents or specify within the property description.
Complaints Procedure
All complaints can start out verbally to a senior member of staff (Senior Negotiator/Branch Manager)
If it is of a more formal nature please put in writing to the Branch manager where it shall be acknowledged within 3 days and responded to within 7.
If the response is not satisfactory you can escalate it to our Area manager or compliance department based at head office.
We are also a member of the Ombudsman of Estate Agents. Should your complaint not reach a satisfactory conclusion within Connells. They are independent from Connells. We are also subject to Trading Standards and the OFT.
Last updated at 3:47 PM 24/06/2014 by James Gordon
If it is of a more formal nature please put in writing to the Branch manager where it shall be acknowledged within 3 days and responded to within 7.
If the response is not satisfactory you can escalate it to our Area manager or compliance department based at head office.
We are also a member of the Ombudsman of Estate Agents. Should your complaint not reach a satisfactory conclusion within Connells. They are independent from Connells. We are also subject to Trading Standards and the OFT.
