I'm in the process of selling my house and (unwisely, I now know) chose an online firm offering a low fee.
What appears to be a good deal soon changes when you read the small print. For example:
1/The quote included £50 for dealing with my mortgage company. £40 for CHAPS payment. When the contract came through it stated that each CHAPS payment was £40, and that they don't make payments any other way. So if they know they have a mortgage company to pay as well as me the quote should have been £80. Misleading.
2/ They go on to state that they are legally obliged to keep my records for 7 years. There is an additional 'archive fee' of £39 + VAT for this. If this was legally required; they should have included it in the original quote, to not do so was misleading.
3/ When I received their information pack there was a note stating that I'd already entered into a contract and that if I didn't go ahead I'd be charged £35 + VAT for production of 'bespoke papers'. Distance selling cooling off period?
And many other hidden charges...
I can see a lengthy exchange of letters when this is over with, probably ending up with the ombudsman, or trading standards, or both.
Beware!
What appears to be a good deal soon changes when you read the small print. For example:
1/The quote included £50 for dealing with my mortgage company. £40 for CHAPS payment. When the contract came through it stated that each CHAPS payment was £40, and that they don't make payments any other way. So if they know they have a mortgage company to pay as well as me the quote should have been £80. Misleading.
2/ They go on to state that they are legally obliged to keep my records for 7 years. There is an additional 'archive fee' of £39 + VAT for this. If this was legally required; they should have included it in the original quote, to not do so was misleading.
3/ When I received their information pack there was a note stating that I'd already entered into a contract and that if I didn't go ahead I'd be charged £35 + VAT for production of 'bespoke papers'. Distance selling cooling off period?
And many other hidden charges...
I can see a lengthy exchange of letters when this is over with, probably ending up with the ombudsman, or trading standards, or both.
Beware!