100% sales valuation accuracy
91% sales fee satisfaction
Mar 16,2014
Mar 16,2014
1
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As with any story it's best to start at the beginning...
My fiancƒÂ©e and I were looking to find our first house together. We stumbled across what appeared to be an ideally located house which was being let by Alan Francis.
The lady that showed us round was incredibly helpful in getting us setup and sorted. We were moved in very quickly and all seemed well.
A few months later we noticed the front door was damaged and asked them to come and check it out. They did this after a few weeks and said it's fine and not to worry.
As the year went on we noticed the draft coming from the door and again contacted AF who said the same. I thought the door was faulty so ended up requesting they replace the door. I offered to get quotes and so on. I did this and go them a very good price but they said this was too steep and we'd have to put up with the door.
As time went on we found that the door frame itself was beginning to rot, the floor board of the door now had a gap running the full length that we ended up stuffing with newspaper. The paint along the door also began to crack and revealed damage to the frame from what appeared to be a break in attempt that had simply been painted over. At this point I said to Alan Francis this was unacceptable and needed replacing immediately.
After a few months they found some quotes which were higher than the one I had originally offered them and decided not to do anything. We said we were going to move out should this not be resolved.
We moved out the following month as our tenancy was coming to an end and we decided not to renew.
The move out is the bit you think should be relatively easy...NO.
They sent people to the house at the wrong times or without 24hr notification as agreed on the tenancy agreement. In one case they "double booked" and I had to show a lady around the house by myself with no AF representative. Ordinarily would have kicked up a stink about this but I was concerned they would try to take my deposit which I needed to get back in order to move out.
We emptied, cleaned and returned the house keys early. I raised concerns over the Blind which had a single damaged string in the kitchen and was told this was fine. The deposit was paid back on time as promised though it was lighter than expected. When I queried this I was told "I don't know why we took the money, I can try find out for you if you like?¢â‚¬Â This should give you some idea of my confidence in this going well...
None the less I asked him to investigate. After no return call I chased it. 2 calls later I was no closer to an answer. After I posted on their Facebook page and phoned again suddenly I was provided with an invoice breakdown and told the blind was broken and needed swapping. And the carpets were dirty...
The blind was old and tatty to begin with but fair enough. The string did break while we were using it. I mentioned this had been discussed already and that I was told it'd be fine. Of course this was discussed over the phone so no proof of my story.
As for the carpets, the house was laminated downstairs with just the upstairs carpeted. There was apparently a mark in the spare room which I needed to pay £30 to have removed. Now we own a carpet cleaner and went over it, the carpet is old and looked tatty, I suspect the landlord just wanted to scab some money to put towards a new one and AF just went with it.
So, that's my experience. The initial ¢â‚¬Å“sale¢â‚¬Â went perfectly but the aftercare, customer service and quality of the company in general is shocking. If you need to use Alan Francis ensure all communication is by E-mail and agree nothing over the phone. Most importantly though is Pictures. Take pictures of everything before you leave or they will have a field day with your deposit.
My fiancƒÂ©e and I were looking to find our first house together. We stumbled across what appeared to be an ideally located house which was being let by Alan Francis.
The lady that showed us round was incredibly helpful in getting us setup and sorted. We were moved in very quickly and all seemed well.
A few months later we noticed the front door was damaged and asked them to come and check it out. They did this after a few weeks and said it's fine and not to worry.
As the year went on we noticed the draft coming from the door and again contacted AF who said the same. I thought the door was faulty so ended up requesting they replace the door. I offered to get quotes and so on. I did this and go them a very good price but they said this was too steep and we'd have to put up with the door.
As time went on we found that the door frame itself was beginning to rot, the floor board of the door now had a gap running the full length that we ended up stuffing with newspaper. The paint along the door also began to crack and revealed damage to the frame from what appeared to be a break in attempt that had simply been painted over. At this point I said to Alan Francis this was unacceptable and needed replacing immediately.
After a few months they found some quotes which were higher than the one I had originally offered them and decided not to do anything. We said we were going to move out should this not be resolved.
We moved out the following month as our tenancy was coming to an end and we decided not to renew.
The move out is the bit you think should be relatively easy...NO.
They sent people to the house at the wrong times or without 24hr notification as agreed on the tenancy agreement. In one case they "double booked" and I had to show a lady around the house by myself with no AF representative. Ordinarily would have kicked up a stink about this but I was concerned they would try to take my deposit which I needed to get back in order to move out.
We emptied, cleaned and returned the house keys early. I raised concerns over the Blind which had a single damaged string in the kitchen and was told this was fine. The deposit was paid back on time as promised though it was lighter than expected. When I queried this I was told "I don't know why we took the money, I can try find out for you if you like?¢â‚¬Â This should give you some idea of my confidence in this going well...
None the less I asked him to investigate. After no return call I chased it. 2 calls later I was no closer to an answer. After I posted on their Facebook page and phoned again suddenly I was provided with an invoice breakdown and told the blind was broken and needed swapping. And the carpets were dirty...
The blind was old and tatty to begin with but fair enough. The string did break while we were using it. I mentioned this had been discussed already and that I was told it'd be fine. Of course this was discussed over the phone so no proof of my story.
As for the carpets, the house was laminated downstairs with just the upstairs carpeted. There was apparently a mark in the spare room which I needed to pay £30 to have removed. Now we own a carpet cleaner and went over it, the carpet is old and looked tatty, I suspect the landlord just wanted to scab some money to put towards a new one and AF just went with it.
So, that's my experience. The initial ¢â‚¬Å“sale¢â‚¬Â went perfectly but the aftercare, customer service and quality of the company in general is shocking. If you need to use Alan Francis ensure all communication is by E-mail and agree nothing over the phone. Most importantly though is Pictures. Take pictures of everything before you leave or they will have a field day with your deposit.
What agent could do to change your mind?
Pre Sales, you were actually very good Post sale, better time keeping and customer service. Also, the attitude of the staff could use a little work.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Latest Reviews
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Opening Hours
Address
Alan Francis
Sovereign Court, 213 – 213B Witan Gate
Milton Keynes
Buckinghamshire
MK9 2HP
01908 675747
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 100% | 91% | £184,100 | £515,000 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 3 | 22 | 16 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
Areas covered
- Milton Keynes
- Towcester
- Buckingham
- MK9
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
- Home Builder
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Jan 19,2024
Jan 19,2024
0
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Very polite and understanding,assisted with every details and vital information.Thank you Alan....
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Jan 04,2024
Jan 04,2024
0
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We never hear from our property manager Vincent and Charlene Douglas, who is not a property manager and has nothing to do with our property, has been rude, sarcastic and incredibly unprofessional. Do not bother with Alan Francis. Go elsewhere. Our tennants have also had ...
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Sep 27,2023
Sep 27,2023
0
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I very bad experienced customer experience. Letting team change the Rent price suddent after completed the referene process. Letting team agent no further notice when Annual leave and holding the letting progress. No other staff follow up and No reply of our request eMail. Very ...
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Aug 03,2023
Aug 03,2023
0
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I have never experienced such a bad customer experience. It took entire one month to them to say a NO.
They took entire amount for rent / deposit and finally responded that property is not avaiable to let. Continuous follow up given me this answer 'I ...
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Nov 16,2021
Nov 16,2021
0
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If you need a tenant, Alan Francis will find it very quickly and will do all other related work unusually fast.
They are a dynamic, highly professional group of kind enthusiasts, and it is a pleasure to use their services. Special thanks to Jack, Harvey ...
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Jul 09,2021
Jul 09,2021
2
people found
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this helpful
I have never experienced such a bad customer experience like this.
We are not from the UK and they don't even try to listen and understand you.
Their management is awful, and a completely lack of communication.
We had to leave the property before end ...
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May 04,2021
May 04,2021
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
If I could give 0 stars I would! We have been renting with Alan Francis for about 4 months now and they are beyond useless, even their Manager is as awful at customer service as his agents. Before we moved in we were assured that all radiators ...
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Dec 31,2020
Dec 31,2020
11
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Worst lettings agent I've used in Milton Keynes. I used their full management service to let my property, for almost 4 years. While the relationship and service was good to begin with, this past 2 years has been awful. To list a few of the issues;
· They're ...
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Nov 05,2020
Nov 05,2020
6
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this helpful
this helpful
i am looking for a property in Milton Keynes and i have viewed couple of properties with Alan Francis i didn't like the properties after a month or so break i started viewing properties again i have called Alan Francis they just booked viewing and ...
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Sep 21,2020
Sep 21,2020
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I have let my property out through Alan Francis for 17 years. It's amazing the letting has been a continued without interruption. The colleagues fro Alan Francis are always helpful, from finding new tenants, to fixing problems and communicating issues from time to time. I am ...
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Aug 06,2020
Aug 06,2020
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I was looking for a property to rent and had to chase Alan Francis for a month with no success. There is never a consultant available. All times I had to speak with receptionists that take my name and contact, and then no one returns ...
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Aug 11, 2020
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We sincerely apologise for any delay in getting back to you. We understand our Lettings Manager called you to discuss your concerns and to offer our help. Our customers are our number one priority and we strive to provide a first class service however we are currently experiencing an unprecedented number of enquiries and are doing our very best to get back to everyone as soon as we can. If we can be of any assistance going forward, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01908 675747 and ask ...
Mar 10,2020
Mar 10,2020
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I am gonna copy what I said on Facebook:
The most useless agency to rent a house.
First we called to book a viewing for the next day, as we didn't receive any confirmation we called them again and they did not have any registration ...
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Feb 11,2020
Feb 11,2020
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
The worst company ever !!!!!
Stealing money !!!!!
The worst customer service !
They just sitting in the office and don’t give a shit about anything !
Didn’t check inventory before have done check out !!!...
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Mar 14,2019
Mar 14,2019
0
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Myself and my family were looking to rent a house around Milton Keynes and surroundings. I called one saturday morning and spoke to an amazing guy named Alex. He immediately recommended a property they had availble and scheduled for a viewing. When we met him ...
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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Mar 19, 2019
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Thank you for the 5 star review on the service provided by the lettings team, in particular the support provided by Alex, and Lauren when dealing with any maintenance issues. Your comments and recommendation to friends & family are much appreciated. We wish you all the best. With kind regards. ...
Mar 03,2019
Mar 03,2019
0
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this helpful
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Shambolic letting agency. No one met me on moving in day. I had to go to office to collect keys. Loads of glitches that were known about before I moved in and now others upon moving in..have still not been fixed. Managing agents like ...
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Comment on agent fees
Obviously no value for money... understatement of the year
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Aug 17,2018
Aug 17,2018
0
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Our house was for sale for several months without success so we changed est agents to Alan Francis and this turned out to be our lucky day. They sent Josh who within a week had sold our house and for the original asking price, truly ...
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Comment on agent fees
Reasonable
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Aug 13,2018
Aug 13,2018
0
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Craig sold my property in Tattenhoe recently & I must say there were a few bumps along the way with my buyers being a little demanding to say the least however Craig managed them extremely well & kept the sale together. I must say he has the ...
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Aug 21, 2018
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Thank you for the 5 star review Vanessa. We are delighted with your comments on the service received when selling your property, in particular the personal support provided by Craig. Your recommendation is much appreciated and we wish you all the very best. Kind regards. ...
Aug 06,2018
Aug 06,2018
2
people found
this helpful
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Awful service!! After my friend spent the night on the streets as the flat door wouldn't unlock they sent someone day after to change the lock (to mention that I have contacted them several times when we moved in the flat and we've been promised ...
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Jun 04,2018
Jun 04,2018
0
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I have used Alan Francis twice and both times the service has been fantastic. I have just finished my 5 year tenancy and I can't recommend them highly enough.
Thanks again for everything
Sean Sarah Lewis & Emma...
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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Aug 28,2017
Aug 28,2017
5
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this helpful
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I live next door to a rental and Alan Francis ignore my request to top a tree invading my property on going 7 years now. I have pictues on this as a sapling and it noe is so large it has taken the light out od ...
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Comment on agent fees
N/a
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Aug 18,2017
Aug 18,2017
0
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I arrived in the UK without any experience about renting apartment policy. I checked several agencies to find my first home here in Milton Keynes. From the different review in google and other websites, I contact Alan Francies. Abygale who was professional, understanding and helpful ...
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Comment on agent fees
Convenient and Reasonable
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Aug 04,2017
Aug 04,2017
0
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It really has been a pleasure to interact with Lauren. It started with a Council Tax bill for over £2,000 following my property being between tenants for just over a monrth. Lauren took over my call to one of her colleagues. She explained what had probably ...
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Comment on agent fees
Fees are reasonable given the overall quality offering. Certainly employees like Lauren add value.
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Aug 02,2017
Aug 02,2017
0
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Josh was fantastic helping with my house purchase. Professional, friendly and always willing to go out of his way to help. Great job!...
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Aug 02, 2017
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Hi Peter, thanks for writing a review on your experience of purchasing a property through us. It's great for Josh, and the team, to receive such positive feedback and we wish you all the best in your new home. Kind regards. ...
Jul 31,2017
Jul 31,2017
0
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Daniel and his colleagues have been helpful, prompt and professional. Everything from the initial meeting to handling the tenants' arrival has been smooth and I have nothing but praise for Alan Francis and the service they offer....
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Aug 01, 2017
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A great review on the service provided by Daniel and the lettings team as a whole. Thank you for your comments and the 5 star rating. Kind regards. ...
Jul 28,2017
Jul 28,2017
0
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I dealt with Josh in a recent purchase of a flat in Milton Keynes. I found him to be very professional and on the throughout the process. He was willing to go the extra mile to make sure I was suitably inform and guided.
Would ...
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Jul 31, 2017
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Thank you for writing a review and for rating the professional service received from Josh & the sales team as 5 stars. We are pleased that you had a positive experience and we hope to work with you again in the future. Kind regards. ...
Jul 27,2017
Jul 27,2017
0
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As a landlord I would thoroughly recommend Alan Francis. Professional service that goes above and beyond. I've mainly worked with Dan and have no complaints at all. He and his colleges always work hard to find solutions to any problems I have in a timely ...
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Jul 31, 2017
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Thank you for the 5 star review Tom. We are pleased to hear that you have been happy with the professional service received from Dan and the lettings team as a whole. Your comments are much appreciated. Kind regards. ...
Jul 26,2017
Jul 26,2017
0
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We would recommend Alan Francis to anyone, very friendly staff and very professional. We dealt mainly with Josh but also dealt with Craig and Robert, could not have asked for better service. Thank you for all your help....
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Comment on agent fees
The fees were good, not a problem.
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Jul 26, 2017
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Hi Julie, thank you for taking the time to write a review on the friendly and professional service provided by the sales team. We appreciate your comments and recommendation. Kind regards. ...
Jul 19,2017
Jul 19,2017
0
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Alan Francis have worked with me as a Landlord guiding me through difficult processes
Working together they have been able to provide me with the processes and assistance to give me .
Brilliant service all round and excellent customer service
Well done and thank you
Debrah...
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Comment on agent fees
Very good
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Apr 28,2017
Apr 28,2017
0
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Aby has been so helpful to my partner and myself with finding a house ,we have been looking for 6 months and working with her in 2 weeks we are moving into our home , great company to go through , would definitely recommend her ....
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May 09, 2017
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Thank you for writing a 5 star review on your experience of renting through Alan Francis, and in particular the support received from Aby. Your recommendation is appreciated and we wish you all the best in your new home. ...
Apr 23,2017
Apr 23,2017
3
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Preferably stay away from this agency if you really need to find a place to live. They don't care at all about the customers the just want their money giving their minimum they can. Also nonprofessionals at all, they're are not informed about basics things ...
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No fees information available
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
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Last updated at 1:55 PM 09/05/2018 by Jeremy Cull
