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    • If you are buying a used car – you need to read this survival guide.
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    • Hello,

      On 15/1/24 booked appointment with Big Motoring World (BMW) to view a mini on 17/1/24 at 8pm at their Enfield dealership.  

      Car was dirty and test drive was two circuits of roundabout on entry to the showroom.  Was p/x my car and rushed by sales exec and a manager into buying the mini and a 3yr warranty that night, sale all wrapped up by 10pm.  They strongly advised me taking warranty out on car that age (2017) and confirmed it was honoured at over 500 UK registered garages.

      The next day, 18/1/24 noticed amber engine warning light on dashboard , immediately phoned BMW aftercare team to ask for it to be investigated asap at nearest garage to me. After 15 mins on hold was told only their 5 service centres across the UK can deal with car issues with earliest date for inspection in March ! Said I’m not happy with that given what sales team advised or driving car. Told an amber warning light only advisory so to drive with caution and call back when light goes red.

      I’m not happy to do this, drive the car or with the after care experience (a sign of further stresses to come) so want a refund and to return the car asap.

      Please can you advise what I need to do today to get this done. 
       

      Many thanks 
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    • Housing Association property flooding. https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/topic/438641-housing-association-property-flooding/&do=findComment&comment=5124299
      • 160 replies
    • We have finally managed to obtain the transcript of this case.

      The judge's reasoning is very useful and will certainly be helpful in any other cases relating to third-party rights where the customer has contracted with the courier company by using a broker.
      This is generally speaking the problem with using PackLink who are domiciled in Spain and very conveniently out of reach of the British justice system.

      Frankly I don't think that is any accident.

      One of the points that the judge made was that the customers contract with the broker specifically refers to the courier – and it is clear that the courier knows that they are acting for a third party. There is no need to name the third party. They just have to be recognisably part of a class of person – such as a sender or a recipient of the parcel.

      Please note that a recent case against UPS failed on exactly the same issue with the judge held that the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 did not apply.

      We will be getting that transcript very soon. We will look at it and we will understand how the judge made such catastrophic mistakes. It was a very poor judgement.
      We will be recommending that people do include this adverse judgement in their bundle so that when they go to county court the judge will see both sides and see the arguments against this adverse judgement.
      Also, we will be to demonstrate to the judge that we are fair-minded and that we don't mind bringing everything to the attention of the judge even if it is against our own interests.
      This is good ethical practice.

      It would be very nice if the parcel delivery companies – including EVRi – practised this kind of thing as well.

       

      OT APPROVED, 365MC637, FAROOQ, EVRi, 12.07.23 (BRENT) - J v4.pdf
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perfect homes / bright house!!


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Perfecthome is in no way connected to Brighthouse, Perfecthome began as part of what was the Homebuy Group, who went into administration in September 2006. At this point they (homebuy) had only opened 2 stores under the name of Perfecthome, these are the Birkenhead and Ashton Stores. 3 people got together with the backing of a Venture Capitalist and put the money up to buy them, taking from Homebuy a good few members of staff. Perfecthome(temple Retail and Finance) now have over 30 stores, and sadly are no better than Brighthouse, in fact they are probably worse because they have never attempted to correct the many bad practices Brighthouse employ.

Somebody asked what TAD was, well it stands for Theft and Accidental Damage, but really just masks another way of getting money from you. Many store managers are told not to sell any product unless the customer takes out the TAD policy as well. You all must remember these companies are not giving you credit, you are actually buying on HP !! and the laws regarding this type of purchase are very very different to credit agreements.

 

Hi - and welcome to CAG!

Yes. You're quite correct. I think some people confuse PerfectHome with Buy As You View - which is made up from a few splinters of previous BrightHouse directors.

Both of the above have steered well away from BrightHouse's obsession with being seen as "respectable" and still, to some degree, prefer to operate somewhat under the radar...

And, yes again... There is quite a sizable difference to HP agreements and consumer credit agreements. However, HP agreements are still GOVERNED by the CCA, and are subject to The Supply of Goods (Implied Terms) Act 1974.

Just because the two types of agreements differ in many ways, the consumer is still protected to the full degree of the Law.

Cheers

Lefty

If the left side of the brain controls your right, and the right side controls your left, then left-handed people are always in their right mind!

 

Please help to support this site with a small donation... every little helps...

 

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i have perfect homes as well as (bh)an all i can say about (ph) thay are nobs as well i hade an agreement with them for 6 month so farout of a 3year agreement an then i move house i rang them up to see if i was ok to move the washer thay sed no we will pick it up an keep it on hold an when u bring yore new address ei bill an that so i did i got to shop to sort it out an u will never gess wat happend thay lost my agreement on computer as well so thay printed a new agreement thay sed thay will nock 240 pound off cos ov the agreement geting lost an thay work out how much i payed from the agreement i have an the money i hade in what ever it called like yellow money in (bh)was also gone but that was in whith the 240 i fort all was ok till i was in (ph)an i ask the guy at counter how much do i have left to go he sed yore agreements just started last week so 1 week off 3year i sed no way i told him what happend he got the manager i told him an he sed the lady that sighed u up has left so he did not no nothing an still to this day thay have not sorted it out but say thay will but iv still got the old ageement so if thay dont im not paying ill let it go to court

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I am amazed they are even admitting to this ! It is true, I know that they have lost hundreds if not in excess of 1000 agreements. Please if this effects you, take sound advice before signing a further agreement. What they have done is closed down your old agreement and started a new one for the same product, it would appear they have not 'knocked' anything off your new agreement other than the amount you had paid on the previous one, this is common practice with them. They put their managers under unbearable pressure to keep the customer numbers up that sometimes unwise decisions are made by the managers. They make these unwise decisions out of ignorance,they are all inadequately trained and the senior management are always changing the rules and targets, which means that nobody really knows what to do in any given circumstance. The main driving force is the unbelievably high bonuses that the store managers and above can receive, in some cases the bonuses can exceed their annual salary.

Another thing your Advance Money (yellow money) cannot dissapear, why not as for a statement on all of you accounts live and ended, they cannot refuse and your advance money should show up somewhere on there.

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Isn't a limited company required by law to keep all financial details and copies of all transactions/agreements etc for a minimum of 5 years by HMRC? Perhaps a SAR would be a good idea?

 

Just a thought... ;) ;)

 

 

 

Cheers

Lefty

If the left side of the brain controls your right, and the right side controls your left, then left-handed people are always in their right mind!

 

Please help to support this site with a small donation... every little helps...

 

CAG- The Nation's Weekly Info Store!

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Yes they are, but unfortunately the procedure for scanning the agreements was a total disaster when it was launched and many agreements were destroyed without being scanned. This is continuing to happen up to today, and I would imagine will continue to happen as some of the managers just dont know what they should be doing. The company is generally a mess, I know I work for them.

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So do u think thay will sort it out cos im on benefits an got 1 kid an 1 on the way an need a washer what can thay do if i dont pay cos i fink im in my right of corse thats if thay dont sort it out an iv got the old agreement signed an dated an the date on the new agreement wich in a court will go well i fink cos it evidence that thay lost my old 1. An the date was on the new agreement was when i went to update my new address .An my old tenancy agreement the date it ends an my new tenancy agreement whith start date on it an cos we got the house 1 week i advance cos it was geting painted we got are bills an stuff sent to the new address so we hade it all ther waiting to get it ie bills an to sign my new tenancy agreement an that was the day i when to (ph) to up date my address

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This is what I suggest, firstly go to your local CAB and inform them of what has happened, I am sure they will give you advice along these lines: talk to the store manager tell him/her that you did not ask for a new agreement, you were not in arrears with the original one, add that it is not your problem if they lost copy of the first agreement. If you get no joy here then ask for the following, the number for customer complaints, the number for Head Office or contact details for the Area/Regional Manager. I could of course give you all this information, but i dont think this is the place to do it. Get your complaint down in writing, a letter from the CAB would help too. Take a copy of your old agreement into them and say....here I kept mine use this for your records just reinstate my old original agreement. !! Good Luck

Oh let me know which store your agreement was with.

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  • 1 month later...

hi not sure if in the right place, but here gos my daughters flat got broken in to and the tv etc she got from perfect homes was stolen,she went to the ehop with the details from the police and to cut a long long story short was told as she was late paying by 3 days(they were informed before hand this would be the case and told her that it was ok) she wasnt insured and now still has to pay for a tv she hasnt got! but i have been looking around and have found these so called insurances are worthless any way....can some one help me? and as they are onlt hired out till you buy arnt they insured for this sort of loss?

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Hi:cry:

This a good site and and I have found loads of useful information. Came across these brighthouse and perfect comments I am a customer of both. Perfect is miles better with good stuff and more helpful and they have been good to give me stuff for my home. You make it seem that they force you into buying which is not the case and they explain everything over and over if you want it buy it if not walk away, Us customers know how much it costs and perfect send us account info on all our payments and you can always hand it back if you do not like the service. Seen lots of comments from people who work in the shops moaning if they feel that bad leave and stop taking the money give me a chance to geta job

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Hi

Im glad you have had a good experience and in no way do i believe either PerfectHomes or Brighthouse bully anyone into purchasing their goods.

My concern is not about "bullying" its about their predatory lending to some vunerable sectors of the public.

Not everyone has been as fortunate as yourself during the buying process and have understood the terms of the contracts thoroughly as they have been insufficiently explained unlike in your experience.

The Optional Service Cover or Coverplus was also explained to you ?

Also you said you can "hand back goods if you don't like the service"

Can you hand it back after 1 week ? 10 weeks or 3 months and not pay any charges ? If thats correct i could have a new tv etc for months get fed up and give it back ?

PerfectHomes are always advertising for new staff

I don't know your location but if you check out their recruitment page you should be able to find a position within their company !

Good luck !

J

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Hi

Im glad you have had a good experience and in no way do i believe either PerfectHomes or Brighthouse bully anyone into purchasing their goods.

My concern is not about "bullying" its about their predatory lending to some vunerable sectors of the public.

Not everyone has been as fortunate as yourself during the buying process and have understood the terms of the contracts thoroughly as they have been insufficiently explained unlike in your experience.

The Optional Service Cover or Coverplus was also explained to you ?

Also you said you can "hand back goods if you don't like the service"

Can you hand it back after 1 week ? 10 weeks or 3 months and not pay any charges ? If thats correct i could have a new tv etc for months get fed up and give it back ?

PerfectHomes are always advertising for new staff

I don't know your location but if you check out their recruitment page you should be able to find a position within their company !

Good luck !

J

 

Subtle... but good... :)

Cheers

Lefty

If the left side of the brain controls your right, and the right side controls your left, then left-handed people are always in their right mind!

 

Please help to support this site with a small donation... every little helps...

 

CAG- The Nation's Weekly Info Store!

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The fixed sum loan agreement is Perfecthome's termanolgy for what was previously known as "OPTIONAL SERVICE COVER".

On their latest summary schedule/contract it is referred to as COVERPLUS WARRANTY.

Page 4 of the summary Jan 2010 (in small print)explains "The OPTIONAL Fixed sum Loan Agreement is in respect of Coverplus warranty"

Defination of optional is:

Not compulsory or automatic, discretionary, elective, facultative or possible, available as choice.

The opposite of "Optional" is;

Compulsory, forced, mandatory, obligatory, required.

The sales staff earn "commission" by selling the Coverplus so it is not in their interest to fully inform the buyer of his CHOICES and may lean their sales technique towards the Antonym of Optional.

If cover is taken out at point of sale then write to the store manager and Temple Finance stating that you wish to cancel the Coverplus and are giving 7 days notice to take effect from that date...(there are some excellent letters /templates on this site which are brilliant for this purpose.

Don't feel pressured into refusing the coverplus before signing the contract as it is an optional service and in no way should affect the purchase/agreement.

Please look for one of the letters posted previously with regard cancelling the cover as they are excellent and worked for me even though the store manager came up with every reason not to accept it in the end he had no choice as i exercised my rights as a consumer.

Fixed Sum Loan Agreement in my opinion is not plain english as required under The Consumer Credit Act , why not call it by the correct name OPTIONAL COVERPLUS WARRANTY !

Hope this helped & sorry for rambling !

J

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Hi

 

In reply yes it was explained to me and if you look the price in the shop it shows all the prices how can you miss it. my mum and mates thinks it just like rental if you pay all the money it is yours if not you rent it and pay for what you used. sound like people want someting for nothing want a Tv and do not want to pay for it meaning i have to pay more. and they are cheaper thn those firms that rent big Tv's and companies wher you pay a £1 an hour in a machine, get real you do not have tio shop with these people the product is good you cannot mistake the price and if its not for you walk past. I do not have much money but they give me tings i need please give people like me credit for knowing the price god knows what we would do if they werent around.

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WOW !!!

What a venomous response Queen Donna.

A last word before i end this inane conversation.

YOU CANNOT take out a hire purchase agreement with any store,especially the PH & BH you are referring to in your ill informed post,then decide you don't want the item after the initial cooling off period WITHOUT incurring a financial penalty of some form.

Yet again did you understand the contract before you agreed and signed for it ?

The repayments are calculated over a specific period of time so you are financially responsible to make the payments until the full amount is settled and the item then becomes your own.

If for whatever reason a customer finds they can no longer afford to make the payments they agreed to make then the item may be returned to the store but you will never be allowed any other item ever again as you have breeched their contract terms and as such you become a liability even by their standards.

Im sure others following this will be inclined to agree that the intention of this site is to help and share experiences with others in situations requiring HONEST advice from members of the public not to use it as a platform to repair a failing company image.

Which store do you work for again ?

Edited by jan7777
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Firstly, I am quite amazed at the unusally high hit count this particular thread has... over 13,000 views TO DATE!!! Something not quite right here... :confused: What's the big fuss??? (or am I missing something?)

 

OK - to put the last few posts to bed once and for all...

 

No - you CANNOT take out HIRE PURCHASE agreements, keep the stuff for a few weeks, and then return it, without a financial penalty. That is complete and total nonesence.

Here's where you're getting confused: The clue is in the name of the agreement, it's called HIRE purchase...

 

Your statutory rights with a hire purchase are, along with other things, the RIGHT to terminate the agreement (withOUT financial penalty) if you have paid at least HALF of the total amount of the agreement. You can, of course, terminate the agreement at ANY time, but you will be required to make a final payment (equating to HALF of the total sum) to remain within the Law.

 

Now then, BrightHouse DO say that if you take their OPTIONAL SERVICE COVER) you CAN return the item (terminate the agreement) at ANY time - they even (in certain circumstances) allow you to re-start the agreement within a 12 month period (with items of a similar age and value) and take all previous payments into account. However, I have yet to hear of a satisfactory outcome in this situation, because by the time a customer feels they need to return an item, they have usually accrued arrears meaning the OPTIONAL SERVICE COVER is no longer in force.

 

Whether PERFECT HOMES or, indeed, BUY AS YOU VIEW offer similar deals I don't know... but as both of the above companies simply copy the BRIGHTHOUSE business model it is very likely.

 

Either way, you ARE going to suffer a financial penalty. With OPTIONAL SERVICE COVER attached to a weekly HIRE PURCHASE agreement you will, on average, be paying around 35% MORE per week. A typical computer laptop agreement would require a weekly payment of around £20 per week (£90 per month)

 

Hope this clears it up.

 

 

Cheers

Lefty

If the left side of the brain controls your right, and the right side controls your left, then left-handed people are always in their right mind!

 

Please help to support this site with a small donation... every little helps...

 

CAG- The Nation's Weekly Info Store!

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Thanks Lefty for properly explaining the meaning of Hire Purchase.

(I know what I mean but sometimes don’t explain myself as well as you have)I believe there have been 13,000 views following this subject; obviously it is of great concern to many!

I think maybe there has been so much interest in this topic simply because both PH & BH have thousands of customers who don't fully understand the contract they have entered into.

Could someone fully explain in PLAIN ENGLISH the options and choices available to customers of Perfect Home & Bright House before they enter into agreements/contracts and how to cancel optional features they may have signed up for but no longer require.

Specifically their COVERPLUS WARRANTY (otherwise known as FIXED SUM-LOAN AGREEMENT) & OPTIONAL SERVICE COVER PLAN!

I hope someone can provide a conclusive & clear definition of Perfect Homes & Bright house agreements/contracts as it will offer people a choice of making a fully informed decision before entering into agreements/contracts they feel obliged or required to agree to.

There are so many diverse reasons people find themselves in financial difficulties, bad choices, bad decisions and bad luck are just some of the contributing factors.

Anyone shopping with either store will usually have some form of bad credit history.

I’m in the process of dragging myself out of the horrors of having a bad credit profile myself so I’m not preaching or looking down my nose at anyone in any way.

Perfect Homes staff are really pleasant, the products are good, the actual hire purchase fees are not much different to many other store prices, the APR% is slightly inflated but not extortionate.

Obviously cash is limited for PH & BH customers or they would buy elsewhere a lot cheaper.

The problem I have is with the Coverplus Warranty or Option Service Cover Plans.

These plans are not fully explained and usually skirted over at the time of signing the contract/agreement and automatically included in the weekly payments. The reason for this is that the staff receive an incentive/commission on each plan they sell. The added expense of the optional cover plans is not taken into consideration when staff calculate the maximum credit allowance a customer can spend in proportion to their income which can mislead/ influence customers into entering an agreement that they may have decided against if they had been fully informed. Should they default then COVERPLUS/ OPTIONAL SERVICE PLANS & TAD are no longer valid which means a load of wasted cash on protection/service plans that don't protect at all when needed.

Both stores are aware that some of their customers are at a disadvantage regarding their choice of stores with whom they may obtain credit and PH & BH take full advantage of the fact.

Customers of these shops mostly have a limited income and the overpriced, unnecessary COVERPLUS Plans etc are only helping keep people in further debt.

Obviously I would expect to pay a higher APR on my agreements than if I had a good credit record as the store is taking a financial risk allowing me credit and I accept that completely.

When you buy new shoes the salesperson will usually try and sell you a special cleaner or polish at an over inflated price , we all usually have something similar at home or can buy cheaper elsewhere so we say NO because we know we don't need it and it would be a waste of our money .

The CoverPlus /Optional Service plans are exactly the same in principal.

BY OPTING OUT of such plans peoples weekly payments would be reduced dramatically therefore allowing people the chance of comfortably affording the item for the duration of the hire purchase agreement.

Edited by jan7777
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Could someone fully explain in PLAIN ENGLISH the options and choices available to customers of Perfect Home & Bright House before they enter into agreements/contracts and how to cancel optional features they may have signed up for but no longer require.

Specifically their COVERPLUS WARRANTY (otherwise known as FIXED SUM-LOAN AGREEMENT) & OPTIONAL SERVICE COVER PLAN!

 

There is a CAG BrightHouse Fact Sheet which explains everything regarding Hire Purchase, OSC, DLC (and how to cancel them) plus many, many more tips with dealing with BrightHouse. I'm pretty sure that most of the fact sheet can equally apply to Perfect Homes and BAYV. You can see the entire document HERE

 

However, seeing as this thread has been attracting a very high number of views (mainly from guests it would appear) I will post a few relevant extracts here...

 

(Please read the full document to avoid any of the below being taken "out of context" - they are just extracts...)

 

 

Cheers

Lefty

 

 

 

1 – HIRE PURCHASE AGREEMENTS

 

When you enter into an agreement with BrightHouse, you are entering into a HIRE PURCHASE (sometimes referred to as “rent-to-own”) credit agreement. Hire purchase agreements are governed by THE CONSUMER CREDIT ACT 1974 and goods being hired (purchased) are subject to the SUPPLY OF GOODS (IMPLIED TERMS) ACT 1973 (see section 5 below). Your agreement will be based on the original “cash” price of the goods, plus interest (APR) at 29.9%, resulting in a total amount payable. This figure will then be divided equally to provide your weekly (or monthly) payment. You will be required to make your payments IN ADVANCE for the duration of your agreement – which could range from 52 weeks to 156 weeks, dependant upon the value of the goods.

 

When you have made all the payments on your agreement, you may (in writing - and within a 30 day period) exercise the option to have title (ownership) of the goods transferred to you. If you choose not to exercise this option, you can simply return the goods, and receive a discount (based on their current re-sale value) towards a new Hire Purchase agreement with BrightHouse.

 

Other than at the end of an agreement, and if title (ownership) is transferred, the goods belong to BrightHouse at all times. You cannot sell them or dispose of them in any way.

 

However, even though the goods belong to BrightHouse at all times, this does NOT mean they can just stroll into your home and remove them if you get into payment difficulties. Unless you have actually consented to their removal, BrightHouse cannot legally remove (re-possess) them until they have:

 

a) Issued you with a default notice (in writing)

b) Given you an opportunity to put matters right (at least 14 days)

c) Applied for (and been granted) a court order

 

These issues will be explained in more detail in a moment, but it is important to remember that: AT NO TIME CAN ANY EMPLOYEE (OR AGENT) OF BRIGHTHOUSE FORCIBLY ENTER YOUR HOME

 

If you do get into payment difficulties, your first recourse should be to try and address the problem yourself. You should do everything you can to bring your account up to date. If you find you cannot afford the regular repayments, you should decide whether you really need the goods and consider returning them. (Your agreement allows you to do this, without financial penalty, if you have paid more than half of the instalments on it.)

 

Sometimes people’s circumstances can change, often resulting in a drop of income. BrightHouse make absolutely no provision for this, and totally refuse to negotiate any form of reduced payments – even for a short time. However, it may be possible to dramatically reduce your payments by cancelling any Optional Service Cover policies you have. (More about this in section 2 below.)

 

If you have paid more than one third of your agreement total, BrightHouse must seek a court order before they can re-posses their goods – which are now considered as “protected goods”. (Note - if, after one third of the agreement total has been paid and BrightHouse do re-posses their goods without a court order and without your permission, then Brighthouse are in breach of their agreement and you are entitled to claim back all payments made previously on it.)

 

Even if you have NOT paid more than one third of your agreement total, BrightHouse must still seek a court order (return order) to re-posses goods from your home - even then they cannot forcibly enter. They can, however, re-posses their goods if they are in a public place.

 

If BrightHouse do decide to apply for a re-possession order (or return order), you will be notified of the hearing date and you will have the opportunity to put your case forward in court. If you want to keep the goods (and continue with your agreement) you must show the court you can still afford the repayments, and you should make a reasonable offer to reduce your arrears. The court will make a judgement and, if acceptable, order BrightHouse to accept your offer.

 

If you have paid more than half of the instalments on your agreement you may, if you wish, return the goods voluntarily and without any penalty.

 

More often, and as an alternative to court action (BrightHouse don’t appear to like going to court), you will probably get the offer of an account re-set. This entails signing a new agreement, which takes your outstanding balance, PLUS your arrears and starts “fresh” with a BRAND NEW agreement spread over a slightly longer period.

 

You should think very carefully before agreeing to this, because you risk losing all the rights you have accrued regarding repossession and early settlement, making it easier for BrightHouse to repossess their goods should you get into difficulty again.

 

2 – “OPTIONAL” SERVICE COVER (OSC)

 

(or COVERPLUS/FIXED LOAN SUM AGREEMENT)

 

“Optional Service Cover” (non-insured) contracts are provided by BrightHouse themselves, and added to your hire purchase agreement as an additional weekly/monthly payment.

 

“…BrightHouse offers Optional Service Cover. This offers a convenient and effective means of getting goods, which customers use on a daily basis, repaired quickly and to a reliable standard. In addition it provides “No Quibble Returns” and “Start Where You Left Off” services that help customers with payment problems. These measures assist customers and make our service cover unique.”

 

You should consider cancelling any “Optional” Service Cover policies you have now! Because:

 

a) You can return the goods, if necessary, without penalty if you have paid more than half the agreement total. You do not need an expensive insurance policy in order to do this.

 

b) The service cover is often applied automatically without giving you the option to choose whether you required it or not, and

 

c) the service cover is extremely over-priced (and totally unnecessary as you already have statutory rights), plus it represents very poor value for money when compared to a typical manufacturer’s own extended warranty as the example below shows…

 

Extended Warranty direct from ACER for a 15.4” Laptop - Available upon registering a new ACER product, or at the end of the manufacturer’s 12 month guarantee period

 

A single one off payment of £49.99 which provides an additional 2 years of cover to the initial 12 months guarantee period, giving a total of 3 years cover. This cover includes collection and return, all parts and labour, repairs within 5 days or a brand new replacement product if not completed within 28 days.

 

Caversham Finance (Trading as BrightHouse) “optional” service cover

 

104 weekly payments of £5.95 (total £618.80) providing service cover for the 2-year duration of the agreement. As ACER guarantee all new products for the first twelve months regardless, this figure only represents one year of actual extended service cover. The cost of this cover is extortionate and, quite simply, cannot be justified.

 

Of course, “Optional” Service Cover isn’t really service cover at all. As we’ve already established, all new products are subject to a 12 months manufacturer’s warranty, (which, of course, is in addition to your statutory rights – more about that later…) and any volume purchaser like BrightHouse will be able to negotiate massive discounts with outside service agents for any repairs that may occur at other times. No. “Optional” Service Cover is just a thinly disguised payment protection plan that HUGELY inflates the overall cost of the product, and protects the interests of BrightHouse and NOT you!

 

BrightHouse also appear somewhat confused over the word “optional”. According to their own terms and conditions, “optional” service cover is an “option” to purchase at the time of the initial agreement, and cancellation thereafter will require 7 days notice. However, BrightHouse staff told us that “optional” means the option not to purchase the service cover can only be exercised at the time of the initial agreement and, furthermore, cannot be removed thereafter!

 

This is total nonsense. Service cover is optional and can be removed. Of course, any attempt to remove it will invoke fierce resistance from BrightHouse! Local store managers, under pressure from their area managers, will have stringent sales targets to meet, and the revenue generated by “Optional” Service Cover policies is vital to them.

 

You should also be aware that BrightHouse has the right to terminate your "Optional" Service Cover policy with just 7 days notice to you. They have been known to apply this clause if an item is deemed “beyond economic repair” leaving you considerably out of pocket (and left with nothing) when this happens towards the end of an agreement. In contrast, a typical manufacturer’s own extended warranty would, at least, result in a refund of the premium paid.

 

“…Customers fully understand their rights and obligations under the agreement. The terms and conditions are fully explained to them before they sign the contract. In addition to the purchase of goods through a Hire Purchase contract, customers may choose to take advantage of Optional Service Cover. This cover is optional, and the customer has the right to cancel it at any time.”

 

To remove optional service cover from your agreement(s), put a request in writing to your store (and to head office). Once this has been done the store has to comply with your request. Use a letter similar to this one:

 

Item Description/Account Number XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Dear Sir

 

I am writing to give the required 7 days notice, as detailed in my agreement(s) that I wish to cancel all "optional" service cover on the above product(s). To simplify matters, I have today (date) presented a copy of this letter to the store manager of Brighthouse (Branch), which has been duly acknowledged, so 7 days notice shall commence at the date of this letter.

 

As stated in my agreement:

 

“Your Obligations: Optional Service Cover

Section C (b) The service cover premium is renewable each time your regular instalment is due under the agreement. If the premium is not paid Service Cover will lapse.

 

Section H (3) This policy shall continue in force until you give seven days notice…”

 

I shall, therefore, be making my next payment on (day) at Brighthouse (branch). This payment will not include "optional" service cover.

 

I understand that I may be required to sign a revised agreement. I will only do this on the firm understanding that all payments made previously on this agreement are reflected in any revised agreement. I do not waive any of my rights under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 regarding, in particular, “early settlement” and “repossession” as set out in section J of the original agreement.

 

Kind Regards

You

 

In much the same as an account re-set (see above) the removal of Optional Service Cover will usually result in a new agreement having to be signed. This is because the weekly premium for it is incorporated into the weekly payment schedule.

 

3 - DAMAGE LIABILITY COVER (DLC)

 

(or Theft and Damage Cover TAD)

 

“Damage Liability Cover” insurance policies are underwritten by BrightHouse themselves (through associate company Caversham Insurance (Malta) Ltd), and added to your hire purchase agreement as yet another additional weekly/monthly payment.

 

“…We may require you to take out Damage Liability Cover if you do not have home contents cover…”

 

Actually, there is very little “may require” about it. This additional insurance policy (around £250 on a £800 cash price product) is loaded AUTOMATICALLY and will only be removed if you can supply proof of "suitable" home contents insurance. (Of course, BrightHouse reserve the right to determine what is and what is not "suitable". In fact, very few home contents policies will specifically include items subject to a hire purchase agreement, and agree to settle with the finance company in the result of a claim.)

 

To remove DLC you must be able to show you have your own home contents policy which must state THE POLICY HOLDER IS COVERED FOR ITEMS SUBJECT TO A HIRE PURCHASE AGREEMENT AND FOR WHICH THE POLICY HOLDER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR.

 

Nevertheless, you are led to believe this insurance covers the goods for damage, theft, fire, flood etc. But, unlike “real” home contents insurancelink8.gif it WILL NOT provide you with any replacement should it become necessary (not even like-for-like), and will only ever, at best, release you from your agreement with BrightHouse. You end up with NOTHING. In fact, you may even end up with a policy excess to pay (up to £100 in some cases) particularly on portable items – laptops, cameras and game consoles for instance.

 

Furthermore, in the event of a claim, the store manager will have the final say as to whether the policy should apply. He may, for instance, decide the goods where stolen or damaged because you didn’t secure or look after them adequately

 

Most people - even those who live in "high risk" insurance areas - can insure the entire contents of their home for less than BrightHouse charge for Damage Liability Cover on a single item!

 

Basically, “Optional Service Cover” (above) and “Damage Liability Cover” is just one big payment protection policy split into two (thus disguising its true purpose) and, typically, BrightHouse will rely on your lack of knowledge and understanding when applying it. The two policies combined – and based upon a typical £800 cash price product – will eventually add around an extra £850.00 to your agreement.

 

With this in mind, and taking into account the inflated “cash” price and 29.9% APR, it means that, on average, goods purchased from BrightHouse, with Optional Service Cover and Damage Liability Cover policies attached, will end up being almost FOUR times as expensive than if you had purchased them (outright) elsewhere. By their own admission, BrightHouse claim that around 90% of their customers have Optional Service Cover and Damage Liability Cover attached to their agreements.

 

 

5 – YOUR STATUTORY RIGHTS AND THE SUPPLY OF GOODS (IMPLIED TERMS) ACT 1973

 

Even if you do not have “Optional” Service Cover on your agreement(s), and the goods develop a fault, don’t be fobbed off with any rubbish that repairs have to be paid for and the responsibility lies with you. Regardless of how old your product is, and assuming it's been used correctly and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, then BrightHouse have a LEGAL duty to comply with the SUPPLY OF GOOD (IMPLIED TERMS) ACT 1973 and either refund, replace or repair (dependant upon how old the goods are) as necessary.

 

Contrary to popular belief, your basic consumer rights DO NOT expire after 12 months! A new product should be of "satisfactory" quality, "fit for the purpose", "free from defects", "safe" and "DURABLE." The act relies on how a "reasonable" person would define "satisfactory" - and (in the case of a freezer, cooker or high end electrical product) a "reasonable" person would expect a new product to last considerably longer than 12 months! High-end electrical products and most domestic appliances should have a useable life expectancy of anything between 4 - 18 years!!!!!

 

Your rights under the SUPPLY OF GOODS (IMPLIED TERMS) ACT 1973 can last for up to six years!

 

It is worth noting that BrightHouse frequently supply second hand goods. Of course, they prefer to describe them as “quality refurbished”, but the bottom line is they will be used, re-possessed or repaired products – often up to 3 years old. Your rights under the SUPPLY OF GOODS (IMPLIED TERMS) ACT 1973 are somewhat more limited when it comes to second hand goods. You should, therefore, refuse to accept any goods from BrightHouse unless they are clearly described as “new” on your agreement.

_____________________

Here are some links for further reading:

HIRE PURCHASE AND DEBT - from direct gov uk

HOW TO DEAL WITH HIRE PURCHASE DEBT - from national debtline

( both links are written in good old plain English! ;) )

If the left side of the brain controls your right, and the right side controls your left, then left-handed people are always in their right mind!

 

Please help to support this site with a small donation... every little helps...

 

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Another 400+ views on this thread in less than 4 days... :shock: Interesting... Very interesting... :rolleyes:

Cheers

Lefty

If the left side of the brain controls your right, and the right side controls your left, then left-handed people are always in their right mind!

 

Please help to support this site with a small donation... every little helps...

 

CAG- The Nation's Weekly Info Store!

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...Another 150 views since this time last night!!! :eek:

Hmmmm....

Cheers

Lefty

If the left side of the brain controls your right, and the right side controls your left, then left-handed people are always in their right mind!

 

Please help to support this site with a small donation... every little helps...

 

CAG- The Nation's Weekly Info Store!

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iv been reading up on perfecthomes as my friends brother has a sofa and tv from there, the sofa has previosly been repaired due to burning from a radiator, i have a leather sofa myself which is pushed against the radiator all the time and my sofa has never burnt, so im wondering if the sofa from perfecthomes is really leather and how would we find out, i purchased the black sofa december 08 and all the seams have turned grey and iv asked numerous times in store for a replacement but to no avail, i have maintenance vouchers for tv and sofa in 2 separate policys and i also have the coverplus is any of this actually required by law, and is the coverplus from atlas insurance in malta legit because iv traced atlas insurance and it does health insurance, home insurance, car insurance and travel insurance but does not state single item insurance any advice greatly appreciated .

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