Brighthouse Stores (formerly Crazy Georges)

[soli2006]

Has anyone had any dealings with Brighthouse Stores at all? A friend of mine has quite recently bought a washing machine from them - at extortionate interest rates as they sell to people who have poor/no credit history. In fairness, the interest was explained fully to him. The real problem is that he was forced (his words) into taking out insurances he neither wanted or needed. One covers 'theft, loss or damage' and he already has full home insurance that covers all of these. And the other is for service/repair - and seing as the equipment was brand new & had a 12 month manufacturers guarantee (plus, he works as an electrician anyway, so any repair is well within his capabilites) he didn't see the need for this either. Anyway, he was basically told "no isurance or no service cover - no credit". This despite the fact he produced copies of his home insurance & also that they confirmed that the goods had a 12 month warranty. The cost of all this cover virtually doubles his weekly payments (its weekly-paid HP) - and all for something he doesn't want or even need! I mentioned this site to him and said I'd post a thread to see if anyone else has had similar problems, and also where he stands legally. Brighthouse insist they are totally within their rights to demand he takes out all this cover. I have my doubts, but frankly don't know. I've heard lots of bad things about Brighthouse - heavy handed collection techniques, extortionate interest rates, harassment & so on - but this is a new one. Any advice or similar experiences at all anyone?

[Battleaxe]

Ouch, blackmail (my opinion) exploiting the vulnerable members of society. they are within their rights? What about your rights, especially if ou have household insurance cover. seems to me they think they have a licence to print money.

Perhaps if you contact the OFT and query this. I am sure they would be interested.

[soli2006]

Blackmail was my opinion too. Having a look around the internet, it seems their company policy is to open stores in so-called 'deprived' areas where there will be a high proprtion of people living on benefits and/or in low-paid work & where they are more likely to have plenty of punters with no hope of getting credit anywhere else. The attitude then seems to be 'this is the only way you'll get what you need - take it or leave it'. They are apparently owned by Cavendish Finance. Also, reading other message boards, if you fail to pay they send around 'account managers' who demand the cash & if you fail to pay, take the goods. Seems very 'suss' to me. My mate is OK with the actual payments - he does accept that this probably WAS the only way he could get what he needed - but simply doesn't want the add-ons.

[baconbuttyman]

sorry but you gotto be absolutely stark raving bonkers to go to bright house for credit. they are nothing but legalised loan sharks

[ian cognito]

Interesting article on here, scroll down a bit

Resistance 48 - April 2003

I remembered this company getting booted out of France so googled it!

[natheyabdn]

Are they regulated by the FSA?! I would presume so if they are providing repayment insurance as all firms need to be who provide this.

Report them to the FSA - try and get your friend to obtain an email, written or recorded call where they state that they are allowed to "force" you or "demand" you take this insurance - once the FSA have a hold of that it is bye bye to their insurance license!

Hope this helps,

Nathe

[julie1961]

I have goods from Brighthouse, once I have paid them off I will never get anything from them again. they are heavy handed & have driven me mad, my husband was very ill with heart trouble, I was a bit hit & miss with payment but always catching up the week later, I would get phone calls throughout the week, letters through the post & a bloke at the door demanding money. If you look on there web site & go to how it works it says there the service cover is optional & at my branch they did ask if I had home insurance and if not I had to have the stores insurance.
I think the site is Welcome to BrightHouse .

[julie1961]

Got a letter from them this morning asking if I wan to take out another agreement & they will let me off with £30, no thank you.
On the letter it say you will be asked to take out there insurance if you do not have home contents insurance. If your friend has home insurance then they should be accepting that & he should not be having to pay extra. Get him to threaten to send the goods back & see what they say, I have done that in the past when they have tried to be awkward with something, they soon bow down.

[goldenmeadows]

The interest rate of Brighthouse is more likely to be in the order of 180% APR if they are still marking up the retail price by up to 50% more than the item can be bought elsewhere in the High St. It makes me sick to think back to the 1980's when a rep from a big consumer credit finance company approached the retail company I worked for with a view to using their products. At some point he mentioned that his company did not target the normal socio- economic groups like A AB C etc but instead targeted "the f****** stupid". I suspect he would have found the interest rates now charged in 2006 fantastic and beyond his wildest dreams. I think the poor are less protected now, either by legislation or moral restraint, than they were 20 years ago in this kind of exploitation. When Crazy George (the original name for Brighthouse) tried to open in France their trading standards people described it as "an attack on the poor". They ended up having to abandon France through politicians standing up to protect the most vulnerable members of society. I just wish we had politicians like them.

[julie1961]

People on low income are bombarded by companies trying to take advantage of them. For the past 6 months I have been getting letters from companies offering loans if I send around £60 admin fee. I know someone who was desperate for some money & applied for the loan paying there fee, they wrote back saying they could offer the loan from a sister company but would need a garantor & the repayment would be higher than offered before she applied. She phoned them asking for her money back as she said when she applied over the phone she asked them if she would need a garantor & was told no, they refused to send her fee back to her stating they have done there bit by finding someone to offer her a loan & thats all they needed to do.
They know people can't ask someone else to sign for them so just rip people off, it makes me sick.

[soltan]

They just seem like leeches on society to me who prey on those most vunerable, totally vile that these people are not stopped from carrying on their so called 'business' from a higher authority.

[charisma]

Yeah am having dealings with Brighthouse at the moment, nothing to do with the payments more to do with the goods they sold me. I signed an agreement in 02/07/2005 for a lovely corner suite, it is lovely only on 16/07/2005 the cusion began to sag, i was devistated. so i reported it on the 16/o7/2005. The upholsterer came out and fixed it telling me 'oh yeah love this is a design fault' ok i thought so i'll be seeing him more oftern this was on the 09/12/2005.

14/01/2006 the cusion was reported to sag again to the shop.
21/01/2006 the corner connector which held both peices together came away and was reported.
28/02/2006 i was piddled off as no one had been out to survey or fix it so i phoned head office.
11/03/2006 went to pay as usual for a still broken suite and was told i had to sign a new agreement.
13/03/2006 enquired abbout repair
14/03/2006 enquired again about repair.
21/03/2006 repair was fixed. I was happy again
29/08/2006 reported cusion sagging again.
07/10/2006 enquired at shop in St Johns liverpool and was TOLD to sit down and wait, when i replied i'd rather stand i was screamed at you have one babd attitude.
25/10/2006 upholsterer came out to survey problem and left
11/11/2006 was made to sign yet another agreement, so that makes three agreements for the same bloody broken suite.
28/11/2006 enquired at shop about outstanding repairs where i was hailed abuse at a member of staff told me that all i do is spout ****... then she spelt it out S.H.I.T then when i got snotty at her for swearing she proudly said i know where you live and i know your name...
so i terminated the call quiet quickly through shock. yes shock, and then came to my senses and telephoned again to get a different member of staff to tell me that they are going to collect my suite as i have not paid a third of the price from the agreement signed? ok the suite is £1,439. plus credit i have paid in full to date £1,100., so i would like to kmow how the hell i have not paid my third amount?

Sad thing is i have made my payments on something which is faulty so i cant bloody use it. Has anyone else had similar problems with Brighthouse? even if i give my goods back i stand to lose £1,100. of my money which i cant afford being a student and a single mum.

[ian cognito]

Couple of questions, why have you had to sign 3 agreements? did you check them before you signed? Why are the collecting the goods if you are paying for them? (from your post it sounds like a repossession)

Trading standards will no doubt be interested but please don't let them take the suite away. You have no proof of anything wrong with it if that happens, and you must keep making the payments otherwise you won't have a leg to stand on.

It's a waste of time going back to them, they are not going to act but the law is on your side.

[julie1961]

I am astounded, I know they are bad & very rude but that is terrible. I am beginning to wonder if they train there staff that way as they seem to be rude in all stores. I think they think because people like us are on low incomes we are third rate & don't deserve to be treated fairly & with respect. I have worked in customer services for years & have been praised for how I treat people with respect, I don't think they have a brain cell between them or they would realise if they spoke to you properly then they would get respect back.

Have you got a copy of your agreement? if so check it & it should tell you how much you need to pay in total before they have to go to court to repossess your goods. I would take the agreement to the CAB & get them to look into it & also get intouch with trading standards as you will be paying service charges which cover repairs.
My daughter got a suite from them last year & the arm collapsed 2 weeks after it arrived, they sent someone out to repair it 2 weeks later & he told her it was rubbish so she sent it back.

[soli2006]

Originally Posted by julie1961

I am astounded, I know they are bad & very rude but that is terrible. I am beginning to wonder if they train there staff that way as they seem to be rude in all stores. I think they think because people like us are on low incomes we are third rate & don't deserve to be treated fairly & with respect. I have worked in customer services for years & have been praised for how I treat people with respect, I don't think they have a brain cell between them or they would realise if they spoke to you properly then they would get respect back.

Have you got a copy of your agreement? if so check it & it should tell you how much you need to pay in total before they have to go to court to repossess your goods. I would take the agreement to the CAB & get them to look into it & also get intouch with trading standards as you will be paying service charges which cover repairs.
My daughter got a suite from them last year & the arm collapsed 2 weeks after it arrived, they sent someone out to repair it 2 weeks later & he told her it was rubbish so she sent it back.

They treat people the way they do because they know they have a 'captive customer base'. People go to Brighthouse for one reason - because they can't get credit anywhere else. The staff know that, and exploit the fact. Customers pay extortionate prices, with mind boggling interest reate - and thats before all the add-ons. Quite why they are allowed to get away with what they do is beyond me. It stinks.....

[charisma]

I dont know why i have had to sign three different aggreements. However, when i contacted the head office and was saying that they were in breach of their aggreement, stating that they say they have to deal with inquiries within 7 days of notice, plus am in my right to not pay until the goods are repair as i have paid a third of the agreement charge. Now they are saying that the new agreement signed on the 11/11/2006 that if i refuse to pay till the repair is made i can have my goods repossed as i have not paid a third of my third aggreement policy. They did not give reasons as to why i have signed three policies, plus may i add everytime the upholstere has been out either to survey or to repair the suite if you look the next week they have made me sign a new agreement. I am going to trading standards today at 2.30pm as they think the situation with the three agreements is rather fishy.
I have a copy of two agreements signed but the third agreement they wont give me a copy and more or less told me to get on my bike...
Your site has been helpful as i have been able to track down the supply of goods act, were upon it states that i am in my right to get a full or part refund and also damages claim if the product has an inheretent fault. This is true as the suite did have an inheretent fault as it was supplied with a manufacturing design flaw in the sponge bit of the suite which was notified to me by the upholsterer 16/07/2005. The upholsterer also stated that ALL of these corner suite designs have the same fault. ALSO which is even better is they no longer sell my corner suite but sell another different suite (only different as the cushions are stiched to base) BUT these also have the same design flaw...so even if i get it repaired or replaced i am still facing the same problems of a sagging cushion.
Hopefully i will get some help today from Trading Standards

BUT JUST A WARNING TO YOU ALL DO NOT BUY A CORTINA MERIDAIN CORNER SUITE ... IF YOU DO BUY A CORNER SUITE ALWAYS CHECK THE ONE PEICE CUSHION TO MAKE SURE THE FOAM IS CUT FROM ONE PIECE NOT TWO GLUED TOGETHER AT A CRITICAL POINT OF CONTACT.

[ian cognito]

BUT JUST A WARNING TO YOU ALL DO NOT BUY A CORTINA MERIDAIN CORNER SUITE ... IF YOU DO BUY A CORNER SUITE ALWAYS CHECK THE ONE PEICE CUSHION TO MAKE SURE THE FOAM IS CUT FROM ONE PIECE NOT TWO GLUED TOGETHER AT A CRITICAL POINT OF CONTACT.

Or alternatively, avoid Brighthouse altogether!!

Good luck