0% lettings valuation accuracy
0% lettings fee satisfaction
Jun 22,2014
Jun 22,2014
20
people found
this helpful
this helpful
WORST letting agent I have ever used! We've seen the positive reviews about Kirsty, she sped things up slightly for us but was only with the company approx 6 months and has now left! They even have 5 star reviews posted on their Facebook page left by their own members of staff!!! Poor customer service, poor communication, slow at resolving maintenance issues, high turnover of staff resulting in us not even knowing who our Property Manager was at times and never being notified when ours left and another would be put in charge of our property. We're not the first people who felt that all they care about is taking your money and have no care for their tenants. They delayed our referencing process due to poor training of holiday cover staff, taking approx 3 weeks for referencing which caused us huge amounts of stress and worry. Upon entering their office we were greeted by someone who didn't know what to do when a new tenant arrives with referencing forms. Then we were handed to someone else who didn't know what they were doing either, telling us that the type of photo i.d. we were providing was not acceptable even though it was on their list of acceptable i.d., and printed on the form we were handing in. They eventually accepted it but then failed to ask for the second form of i.d. which was also mentioned on the form we were handing in. They gave us a faulty front door key, provided an inventory so inaccurate it was hard to believe they had ever set foot in the property (even claiming that a room with 1 window had 2!), they claimed it had been professionally cleaned yet it was filthy everywhere including stains in the toilet and hair in the bath plughole, the ¢â‚¬Å“professionally cleaned¢â‚¬Â carpets were so dirty that we changed the water in our carpet cleaner 5 times to clean 1 room, they listed discolouration on bedroom ceilings in the inventory without thinking to find out what was causing them (they were water stains caused by leaks as roof tiles needed replacing) and a formal complaint resulted in them refunding our admin fees and admitting they had issues with staff training which they claimed they would look into. The kitchen sink leaked, both reception room doors didn't close, 2 windows didn't lock, none of the bolts on the doors worked, a kitchen socket didn't work, the fridge freezer they claimed was clean and in fair condition was filthy, mouldy, rusty and falling apart and had missing and broken drawers, they said they would mow the lawn and cut back an overgrown shrub and listed it in the inventory as having been done when neither had been touched and we had to do it ourselves, and the back gate was missing ¢â‚¬â€œ it had been broken and left in the garden when previous tenants were living in the property, the neighbours said because of this people entered the garden and the house was broken into, and despite having more than enough time to fix the problem they left us without a back gate for the first week of our tenancy (and with broken glass all over the patio which appeared to be from the break in from months beforehand). Every single maintenance issue reported was not carried out before them contacting the landlord for permission which caused delays, possibly by the landlord being unavailable and not getting back to them, but they also don't appear to chase anything up as for every issue we reported we had to chase them to find out what was happening only to be told they would then chase up the landlord/contractor etc. Their head of maintenance said the damp in our basement had been there the whole 15 years of them renting out the property and was probably just ground water, and despite us saying that it appeared to have some connection with the toilet flushing it was just left and brushed off with the ¢â‚¬Å“ground water¢â‚¬Â claims ¢â‚¬â€œ only for it to worsen and for evidence to be found that it was coming from the toilet, resulting in a large and expensive job of replacing damaged pipes under the house, the damp also causing the bathroom tiles to lift. Our then property manager e-mailed us to ask if a date set for the work was convenient but as I was heavily pregnant and in early labour we missed the e-mail and found work had started whilst we were visiting our baby in hospital as she hadn't thought to pick up the phone and call us to check. Their head of maintenance also admitted that on one job the measurements needed had been lost TWICE and were then being taken a third time, obviously causing a delay to the work being carried out. We had a query regarding the garden wall falling apart and leaning badly which we were concerned may be unsafe, but as they left it with the landlord (who clearly knew it would be expensive and said he wasn't sure who the wall belonged to) we were then having to chase it up with them, each time they then said they would chase the landlord, giving the impression that they were only chasing him when we chased them ¢â‚¬â€œ and that issue was never resolved in the 2 years we rented the property. Currently the staff listed on their website are mostly new, having joined last year or this year, and with their high turnover of staff it will be interesting to see how long they stay. More than once we had e-mailed our property manager only to receive an automated response letting us know they no longer worked for the company, and for a while our contact was the general manager as we hadn't been allocated a property manager. He told us the issues with communication and customer service would improve going forward but they never did. The only time they ever acted quickly was when we let them know of our intention to move out! All other letting agents we have used have let you move out, clean up and hand keys back before marketing the property, but Alex Clark are so money driven that they put the property on the market immediately, before we'd even handed in our official written notice to leave, and without warning had a ¢â‚¬Å“To Let¢â‚¬Â sign put up before it was handed in as well. This was an inconvenience, made worse by the fact that their staff then tried to let themselves in with their set of keys for a viewing when we were in the house with our children, arriving earlier than stated, and then giving us just 10 minutes notice of an additional viewing that they hadn't bothered to tell us about when they booked it. It got worse still when they then felt that as long as they sent us texts and e-mails that they could book viewings with only a few hours notice too, breaking their own ¢â‚¬Å“24 hour notice¢â‚¬Â policy. When we thought the problems were over after returning our keys, they then decided our thorough cleaning job wasn't enough and charged us £55 to clean a few minor items (claiming they were now dirty but were listed as clean on the inventory) and of these items they included 2 light fittings that were dusty (no mention of their state of cleanliness on the inventory) and the toilet which was in fact filthy when we moved in, noted as filthy in our notes on the inventory we handed back to them at the start of the tenancy, and the ¢â‚¬Å“dirt¢â‚¬Â was in fact a Toilet Duck Gel Disc freshener! Then they charged compensation for drilled holes that had been filled and patched up despite the property having been far worse at the start of the tenancy. They obviously haven't kept a good record of things in the past as we told them it had been agreed with the landlord that if we painted rooms we wouldn't have to paint them back upon leaving (as the state of decoration was poor at the start of the tenancy and the landlord wasn't willing to re-paint before we moved in), yet they claimed there was no record of this, or that we had gained permission to paint the rooms ¢â‚¬â€œ that would be the fault of our initial property manager who never did a good job then as we asked her and she said it was all agreed. But it's just easier for them to blame their tenants, especially as they were already aware that we were appalled by their service. After being told they had asked the deposit scheme to release our deposit less the money they were stealing from us, they said it would take 5 working days for the money to come back, and immediately we prepared ourselves for that not happening ¢â‚¬â€œ which it of course didn't. They use an insurance based scheme in which the scheme protects the funds but doesn't physically hold them, the scheme's website stated the letting agents held the money and would have to pay it back and just update the information held with the scheme ¢â‚¬â€œ yet they claimed they were waiting for the funds to be released and were on the phone to the scheme to ask why they hadn't done it?! Everyone we have spoken to about our terrible experience with Alex Clark have either had a bad experience with them themselves or knows someone else who has.
What agent could do to change your mind?
Quit the industry as their service was appalling.Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Agent Response / Add a Comment
You can use this form to reply to the above review or a displayed comment on the above review.
Browse popular links for estate agents, letting agents and properties nearby
Latest Reviews
9th Mar 2018
reviewed by 'Flabbergasted'
6th Aug 2014
reviewed by 'buttons'
22nd Jun 2014
reviewed by 'Marvel84'
4th Apr 2014
reviewed by 'Roger'
28th Nov 2013
reviewed by 'bearbearbear'
Opening Hours
Address
Alex Clark Lettings
3 Bath Street
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL50 1YE
0 1242 210 777
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettings | 0% | 0% | £725 | £850 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Areas covered
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
- Home Builder
Advertise on
Members of
Rankings
Overall
Overall
Latest Properties
No Properties
Mar 09,2018
Mar 09,2018
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Alex Clark Gloucester are the most unprofessional people we have ever had to deal. with. Their manner on the phone, unhelpfulness when you have a query. Lying to cover themselves and each other. Saying they have emailed and have not. Don't care attitude, and one ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
A Rip-Off - Please do not use them as a landlord or Tennant
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 06,2014
Aug 06,2014
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Absolutely horrendous! Would never recommend anyone to use this company as they are con artists! We lived at the property for 3.5 years and had a terrible start with them from the off, but finally Kirsty took over last year and she was fantastic (the only ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Apr 04,2014
Apr 04,2014
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I have had my small flat let out by Alex Clark for some years now, and the anxiety and stress that entwined itself in managing a property is relieved mostly through the professionalism displayed by the team at Alex Clark. They are prompt in notifying ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Nov 28,2013
Nov 28,2013
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I would never want to put anyone through the terrible terrible customer service that Alex Clark give.
Their attitude is so negative, I was received very sarcastic comments at every oppotunity when I telephoned to attempt to get someone in to fix something - like ...
read full review
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
I understand estate agents and property managers are busy - I am NOT an unreasonable person. With better customer service and just the word that something would be done about the issues I would have been happy - and obviously some sort of result. I think probably 2 out of about 10 things got resolved in the time I lived at the property. I actually put up with a lot before I started getting angry - the angrier I got, the more they punished me with terrible service - it was a total lack of care on their part, they didn't need to keep me happy. They simply do not care about their tennants.Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Oct 22,2013
Oct 22,2013
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
The boiler at the property in question had an annual inspection & as it hadn't been installed with sufficient access panels, was capped off resulting in no hot water or heating for the tenant. Kirsty dealt with the entire procedure, obtaining alternative quotes saving me money. ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Oct 11,2013
Oct 11,2013
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
As a landlord I have used Alex Clark a my lettings agent for over 7 years throughout that time I have received a very satisfactory service - they are prompt dealing with any issues raised by myself and by my tenants. In the past 6 months I ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Sep 23,2013
Sep 23,2013
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Horrendous service! I would massively advise against renting from this agency!
Initial service to get you into the property is great but sadly it's all downhill from then. I had a number of problems with the property that were ignored even after being chased numerous ...
read full review
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
Nothing could be done.Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 21,2013
Aug 21,2013
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I must admit the the quality of service provided by Kirsty was excellent- quick and efficiant, i was very pleased to get the answer to my email very quick and all my problems with my renting property were sort out very quickly.This is what ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 07,2013
Aug 07,2013
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I have been renting a property for nearly 2 years through Alex Clarke Lettings and all my dealing and correspondance have been dealt with in a professional way. I reasently had to update the agreement and was very pleased again with the professional and helpful manner ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jul 31,2013
Jul 31,2013
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I have found all the staff I have dealt with at Alex Clarke Lettings to be very helpful when any issues have arisen at the property, any action required has been taken promptly to sort problems in a timely fashion. When any checks have needed ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 06, 2013
View all comments
(1)
Dear Mr Williams,
Thank you very much for your 5 star review and for being so honest in your experience with us. I would like to take this opportunity to advise you that we stopped using the referencing company you refer to in February 2013 as we too were very unhappy with them. We now use HMS referencing and we/ our clients receive an excellent service from them.
Oliver Bishop
General Manager ...
Feb 01,2013
Feb 01,2013
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I arranged to view a property advertised on Alex Clark Lettings website this afternoon. The agent suggested meeting at 5:30pm outside the property and asked that should I change my mind, I should call to cancel. I agreed and left work a little earlier than ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Oct 24,2012
Oct 24,2012
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
We have lived at our current property for just over 5 years. We have had ongoing issues with everything and have been unable to move until now. We have had constant damp issues, mould all over the walls, coming up under the carpets and on the ...
read full review
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
Fixed issues when they occured, rather than leaving them for 6 months.Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jul 16,2012
Jul 16,2012
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I am sick of even talking about this so I wil leave my review as brief as possible.
when you have a problem they either pretend they never heard from you or refuse any involvement in the problem, if they ever get round to fixing ...
read full review
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
there is no form of constructive criticism I could give as I know they would never take it. My advise to Alex Clark is to give up in the lettings industry ....its obviously not your field of expertise. Hire people other than females as all they seem to do is natter all day and not actually get any work done. Respond to correspondence don't just pretend you have. Fix problems when they appear. when problems are to be fixed ...fix them properly.Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jun 22,2014
Jun 22,2014
20
people found
this helpful
this helpful
WORST letting agent I have ever used! We've seen the positive reviews about Kirsty, she sped things up slightly for us but was only with the company approx 6 months and has now left! They even have 5 star reviews posted on their Facebook page left by ...
read full review
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
Quit the industry as their service was appalling.Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
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
No procedure available.
