Thread: Ex-Brighthouse manager available for questions

HI

I have recently discovered this forum mainly because BH are this weekend (25th October 2008 ) opening a new store in my home town of Kidderminster. I was adding comments to my local newspapers online comments page and looked on the CAG forum pages to paste some links to my comments. I like to warn people of impending threats, but also like to back it up with evidence, so what better evidence than the CAG forums?

I was surprised to find so much! I was also annoyed to see that things have not changed either.

I became a branch manager for Brighthouse about 6 months before the changeover from Crazy George's, and worked in stores across the Midlands.

I had a job to do, and I had to do it to feed my family! But I also didn't feel great about it some of the time. There are those customers who are quite dishonest and shouldn't be given credit even by the BH method. When that sort of person owes you money, it gets tough, which is where a lot of the BH strong arm tactics originate. Unfortunately, this gets used for everyone, even those that have legitimate reasons for falling behind.

I could go on and explain it all to you here, but this thread will be like War & Peace before anyone has chance to reply. So please ask away, and I will do my best to help. I haven't worked for them in 6 years, but they haven't changed and I bet some of you are still customers at some of the stores I have worked in!!

PLEASE BE AWARE! I AM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU OR ADVISE YOU TO DO ANYTHING WHICH IS ILLEGAL. LIKE IT OR NOT, YOU SIGNED A LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENT WHICH IS REGULATED BY THE CONSUMER CREDIT ACT AND YOU ARE BOUND TO IT FOR IT'S DURATION OR UNTIL YOU SETTLE THE AGREEMENT, WHICHEVER HAPPENS FIRST.

But guess what? BH are also bound to it under the same law, and by many others including one they don't like to brag about, THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICES ACT 1970, which basically sets out what you are allowed to do and not do when someone owes you money!

FOR PRIVACY, I WILL ALSO NOT DIVULGE MY NAME OR THE STORES I WORKED IN, NOR WILL I MENTION ANY OF MY PREVIOUS CUSTOMERS AS THIS WOULD BE A BREACH OF THE DATA POTECTION ACT.

Now that all the nitty gritty is done, fire away. Also if there are any other disgruntled ex BH people there, come along and help. Call it regenerating your Karma!!

Similar Threads:

• Being Bullied by manager
• Letter to the Manager. Is this OK?
• how to complain about a manager
• The Bank Manager
• what the bank manager said, but shouldn't of...

LOL welcome plumberjon

Me thinks you will be very popular or maybe not!!

I'm sure any info you have to give will be useful

Hi plummerjon

Nice to have you here. Hope to see some good "juicy" threads going!

Originally Posted by plummerjon

PLEASE BE AWARE! I AM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU OR ADVISE YOU TO DO ANYTHING WHICH IS ILLEGAL. LIKE IT OR NOT, YOU SIGNED A LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENT WHICH IS REGULATED BY THE CONSUMER CREDIT ACT AND YOU ARE BOUND TO IT FOR IT'S DURATION OR UNTIL YOU SETTLE THE AGREEMENT, WHICHEVER HAPPENS FIRST.

Absolutey! CAG takes exactly the same line and would NEVER condone anything illegal or dishonest. However, I would point out that, although you may well have signed a "legally binding contract", you are bound to it for its duration... that is unless, of course, the contract is breached by either party. And BrightHouse have been known to breach many agreements and on several occasions... Oh, and so do customers, too... (Lefty being careful to maintain a fair balance)



Cheers
Lefty

OK.

Here's a question that comes up time and time again...

Just WHAT exactly is proof of "suitable" home contents insurance, as required to cancel (or deem unnecessary) BrightHouse Damage Liabilty Cover (DLC)?

What are the OFFICIAL BrightHouse guidelines regarding this?


Cheers
Lefty

Originally Posted by plumberjon

Hah! I should have seen that one coming!

DLC is calculated at the time of sale of any new item by the sytem (IRIS) unless it's been superceded by now.

It is exactly 10% of the weekly rental, but conveniently enough, I don't believe it is actually classed as an insurance, so falls outside of IPT (Insurance Premium Tax) meaning if it did they would have to give some of it to the Chancellor ( 7.5 % i think).

Therefore, if it's not an insrance, then providing your existing contents insurance covers accidental damage, no matter what the cause, then you should save quite a bit.

My advice is to stick to your guns and say no.

There is one very big reason why BH stores don't like to knock off DLC. This is because there is no insurance company that is going to pay BH back for writing off a damaged item. It basically comes off the operating profits of the store. Meaning the store will effectively make less profit, the manager and his manager will not get as big a bonus!

So in a nutshell, your house contents insurance is worth a whole lot more than the BH DLC.

Plummerjon (or can we just call you jon)?

We get many people here saying that BrightHouse will NOT accept their home contents policy as proof of suitable insurance.

I have suggested listing items belonging to BrightHouse as "ALL RISK" items on their policy. This details the item, with both a written description and, if necessary, a serial number.

Would you agree, as an (ex) BrightHouse store manager, that this then becomes proof of suitable home contents insurance?

Cheers
Lefty

Originally Posted by JonCris

Is there a separate agreement to be signed for DLC & even if not are their any T's & C's which cover it

Here ya go

BrightHouse DLC terms and conditions

Cheers
Lefty

Originally Posted by plumberjon

Hi Lefty

The big problem here is we are confusing what is common sense, with what mood the manager is in, the day after his rollocking with his SDM (Sales Development Manager) because his figures aren't good enough!

They will argue every which way but loose to get you to have their DLC because it's a way of getting yet another 10% out of you.

Be obnoxious, stick to your guns. Make sure your existing (or new) household contents insurance covers items in your home that are not owned by you (on HP) and that will suffice.

I think me and you are gonna be good pals!


Cheers
Lefty

Originally Posted by plumberjon

Hi JonCris

When I was there it was never sold as an insurance, and it was conveniently tucked away at the bottom of the same system generated form. There was only one contract to sign and it needed 3 signatures if I remember. 1 for the agreement, 1 for the service plan and 1 for the DLC.

At the time I was there they had this presentation folder and during training, you were even given role play excersices to make sure you said the right things. It didn't happen, but technically everytime you sold something, even to a customer who already knew it all, you had to sit down for 20mins and tell them it all, which did include a bit about DLC.

I am racking my brains here, but I am damn sure that it was not sold as an insurance

That's right...

The word "insures" is substituted by the word "covers"... IE - Our DLC policy covers your item against theft, fire and damage...

However, the policy is underwritten by Caversham INSURANCE (Malta) Ltd.


Cheers
Lefty