Bright house of horrors

[rocker60]

Go to CAB and get advice. They should of replaced the tv with a simular one without starting a new contract. When my PC packed up they repaired it. But it still didnt work when i got it back. So i complained and they took a PC off display and gave it to me and didnt do a new contract. They said as the PC was not repairable i was entitled to a replacement with no extra charge. I just carried on paying for the old agreement. But i did have DLC so they used that to get the money back lol. From what i was told DLC covers replacements of products that r not repairable not just theft and other damages. I think some shops r a lot better than others. There is 2 shops in my area. 1 is very good and do everything they can to help customers. The other goes out of their way to rip ppl off. They wont give u a new item to replace the old 1. They will try to get u 1 of the same age and condition if they can. It might not be the same make or model but it has to be as close to what u had as they can ge it. Best thing to do is tell them u will get it repaired urself and send them the bill. Thats what i told them when my PC packed up. The manager went nuts and threatened me but the staff came to my aid and called head office to get the replacement for me and the manager got sacked. I got a 32" philiphs tv from the and was told it would be new. But when it got delivered it had no packaging or instructions and it didnt work. The delivery guy said it was a display model not new and i should complain. So i did. They came and took the tv away and gave me the brand new 1 i asked for and they knocked 2 weeks payment off for the inconvience. Im on my 3rd tv from them now though. Ive been uprading to a better tv each year lol. the Woman who i did the contract with was trying to talk me out of it saying i would loose all the money i paid on the old tv if i get the new tv. But as the new tv was on half price offer the weekly payments were less than the tv i was giving them back. So think thats why she tried to talk me out of it. I was paying £15 a week for the 32" philips and im only paying £10 a week for the 37" samsung 3D smart tv. So by upgrading to a better tv im saving money each week lol.

[Padimurphy]

I have been a good customer to brighthouse now for almost 2 years ,occasionally i have paid late and been charged £3.50 per agreement which i think is crazy to be honest..But anyway my concern is about a tv i purchased 12 months ago from them it was a 47inch baird tv ,after having the tv a few months we started to notice a shadow appear on either corner of the tv ,so having taken out the optional service cover i called into brighthouse and told them i thought the tv was packing up,they booked a visit for 2 weeks time ,the guy arrived and to my amazement it was the same guy who delivered the tv earlier in the year,he looked at it and agreed it needed to be looked at and took it away leaving me with a tv which was smaller ,which i guess was ok as he said it would be returned in the next week...still aying for the tv that was taken awayfor 7 weeks ,and getting no answer on what was happening with my baird tv i rang the shop and demanded answers i was told they would ring and call me back funily enough no call from the shop so i went in and again demanded answers ,they rang again whilst i was there and was informed my 47ibch baird tv had been ber (beyond economical repair) 2 weeks previouse.I was then told i would have to lose all the money i had paid on the baird tv which was probably around 6 or 7 months worth of payments at £21.99 per week,i wasnt happy with this at all as it was unrepairable and not my fault..I had to take out a new agreement and start afresh with a new tv so what im saying is the money i paid i LOST EVERY penny...iv since been advised that the monies i had paid should have been refunded to me as its a HP agreement ...can anybody please help me with this as im buggered if im giving money for nothing to BH

 

 

I sent my laptop in for repair 3 weeks before the end of my agreement whilst the laptop was been "repaired" I finished my agreement and the laptop was mine then I rang up 4 weeks after sending the laptop in to be fixed and they told me the laptop was beyond repair to when I questioned where is my laptop as it was mine and was still useable to anyone who didn't mind keeping it plugged in they said it was recycled how the hell can they recycle something that isn't thiers any more and is mine with out asking me first if they had I would have said send it back I'm still arguing the point with them atm and will get a laptop out of them because that laptop wasn't thiers to recycle!

[cerberusalert]

Maybe they have another meaning for 'recycle'.

 

Have you been in touch with trading standards about this because i would assume under SOGA and the guarantee if it was unrepairable it should be replaced.

[Padimurphy]

What's soga and I'm going to wait till Monday see what they have to say if they tell me they aren't replacing the laptop then we will proceed with other means of getting a laptop out of them!

[dx100uk]

http://www.oft.gov.uk/business-advice/treating-customers-fairly/sogahome/forcustomers

 

dx

[pinkladeez]

hi im a brighthouse customer

 

i opened my account in november

 

however 3 weeks ago i was admitted to hospital as i have a tumour

 

as a single mum i have had to have a friend to stay in my house

 

i havent been able to keep up my payments and whilst im on income support i cant afford the back payments due of £120 plus the payment for this week

 

i asked them if i can pay a little extra a week til its paid off

 

they refused and got nasty on the phone,

im still in hospital,

my friend has been answering my calls and has told them everyday for 3 weeks that im in hospital yet they told her to tell me to go to the store!

they also told her that i was a liar and promised to pay them by friday of last week (7 days ago)

 

they have been extremely rude to her and 3 men have been round to my house ..

.once at 7.30am!...

banging on the door which has scared my friend and the children half to death!

 

i have told my friend not to answer the door,

 

i have read quite alot of bad reports of brighthouse and wish i had never bothered but my fridge and cooker broke and being on disability benefits i felt i had no option,

 

i have also seen on here about the brighthouse policy that after 90 days the debt falls and they just write it off is that still the case?

 

can they come into my house when im not there?

im scared because they told me that the police will come and gain access??

ive also read that they never go to court to get a court order because they dont have a leg to stand on?

please can somebody help me im really scared and my son has enough worry to deal with without brighthouse making him scared to even open his curtains!

 

i would be greatful for any advice,

 

many thanks x

[silverfox1961]

Hi

If anyone from Brighthouse do turn up, whoever is in the house can tell them to get lost and not to sign anything - ever- If they force their way in, call the police. The only way to get goods back is either voluntarily (With a signature-see above) or via court order.

I would be recording the rantings of the rep then at the end of the call mention that you (or whoever)have been recording them. Listen to the splutters when they realise their job may now be at risk.

 

Deal with this in writing. Get better first

[dx100uk]

you need to read this

 

should sort you out

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?309656-Police-arrest-customer-to-allow-Buy-As-You-View-to-seize-goods

dx

[pinkladeez]

thanks hun i thought that was the case ive been worried sick that if my son (hes 11) is in the house alone then they will just push past him and take the goods if they do get in and police were to come would brighthouse be allowed to remove the goods? its a major concern because its not luxury stuff its a fridge freezer and a cooker?

[silverfox1961]

They cannot remove anything without a court order or your permission. Anything else is theft.

Look at the link DX posted

[pinkladeez]

hey i read the link posted and was shocked that this happened however the items were still taken away i cannot be without a fridge and cooker! i read on another thread that after 90 days brighthouse will stop pursuing the debt is this true? apparently they never get a court order either because they dont have a leg to stand on because they dont do a credit check is that true?

[Jody24]

As i am new to this site and forum. I see the Brighthouse thread has been going for a while. I actually cam across this site as someone told me i could claim back my optional service cover from them.

 

I got a 20inch reconditioned TV from them in 2008 this tv either was used by someone else and is an ex display one. The tv price states £305.53 and i was paying it £5.16 a week this included osc at £1.57 and dlc at 67p. All in all this TV ended up costing me £763.68. never late with payments and i have paid it off. Sickens me how they can get away with adding so much interest on things. I will never ever get off them again. I didnt realise what optional service cover as the sales staff says it was something that was needed incase items broke down and because i dont have house insurance they never said to me at the time i can cancel it. They do not explain things properly at all. so to me thats leading you into purcahsing and paying etc for things you shouldnt actually be paying.

 

Is there anyway i can claim back osc from them now. I just feel so angry about a 20inch reconditioned TV at £763

[dx100uk]

As i am new to this site and forum. I see the Brighthouse thread has been going for a while. I actually cam across this site as someone told me i could claim back my optional service cover from them.

 

I got a 20inch reconditioned TV from them in 2008 this tv either was used by someone else and is an ex display one. The tv price states £305.53 and i was paying it £5.16 a week this included osc at £1.57 and dlc at 67p. All in all this TV ended up costing me £763.68. never late with payments and i have paid it off. Sickens me how they can get away with adding so much interest on things. I will never ever get off them again. I didnt realise what optional service cover as the sales staff says it was something that was needed incase items broke down and because i dont have house insurance they never said to me at the time i can cancel it. They do not explain things properly at all. so to me thats leading you into purcahsing and paying etc for things you shouldnt actually be paying.

 

Is there anyway i can claim back osc from them now. I just feel so angry about a 20inch reconditioned TV at £763

 

what !! almost 3 times the tv value!!

 

i'd start a new thread

 

see my sig below

 

dx

[pinkladeez]

hi thanks for your reply

 

im now home and they are still coming round and phoning infact i had a call yesterday in which the boy said his grandad died from cancer

and that he wasnt in hospital as long as i was therefore my cancer wasnt that bad!!

I went mental at him!

 

they have been round to the house a few times aswell usually after 9pm and they hammer on the door as if they are police

but i just ignore them I have never experienced such bad customer service in my life,

it almost seems like they all go 2 a special non helpful school prior 2 employment 4 extra idiot

and non compassionate training!

 

lol r there still lots of other people complaining about them?

[Jody24]

what !! almost 3 times the tv value!!

 

i'd start a new thread

 

see my sig below

 

dx

Tell me about it. i questioned them just before i paid them off last september 2011, as i was really puzzled reading my agreement, even now looking at it puzzles me. And you only ever get a statement twice a year from headoffice which didnt seem to calculate the same as my agreement did.

[rocker60]

I ran into financial trouble due to my benefits getting cut by £30 a week. I went into the shop to tell them i might have trouble paying. They said as i have OSC i didnt need to worry about it as i can return the items to the shop and they will hold them for me for 30 days and i wont have to pay till i get the items back. To me that sounds like its a PPI not service cover as they also told me its the DLC that covers repairs not the OSC. I wanted to remove the OSC to reduce how much i was paying but they said if i did that i would not be able to put a hold on payments if i cant afford to pay for a few weeks. The OSC basicly puts the contract on hold till u can pay again. But they will take the items back to the shop. But u will have to pay for collection and delivery back again Unless u can take the items back urself. So is OSC just another name for a PPI? If it is then u should be able to claim it back as its been sold to u when u didnt need it or ask for it. In fact in most cases they wont even let u get anything from them unless u take out the OSC. Be cautous with the smaller items as they tend to charge a lot more. IE i have a bluray player from them. Cash price £169 over 3 years. Ive been paying for 6 months now and wanted to pay it off thinking i would have got the payments down enough to pay off whats left. Only to find i had only payed off £1 in 6 months. I was supprised as i am paying £1.95 a week. But it turns out only a small fraction pays for the item. Most of it pays the interest which is added daily. The same Bluplayer is in tesco for £269 so it is cheaper if u pay cash. But by the time they add interest its a lot more. I did pay 1 item off after only 2 months and saved a lot of money as it was only £103. On amazon which was the next cheapest it was over £600. But then again i find Amazon very expensive. IE a book with £4.99 printed on the cover is £60 on amazon lol. Thats just 1 book out of an 8 book set. Waterstones sells the whole set of the book which is 8 volumes for £60 the lot. Even with interest brighthouse is cheaper on some items than other places. But they do rip ppl of as well by making contracts longer than they need to be on the cheaper items. From my calculations the bluray player will end up costing me more than the 3D tv i got from them. The tv was on sale at £799 over 2 years instead of £1700 over 3 years.

[dx100uk]

I ran into financial trouble due to my benefits getting cut by £30 a week. I went into the shop to tell them i might have trouble paying. They said as i have OSC i didnt need to worry about it as i can return the items to the shop and they will hold them for me for 30 days and i wont have to pay till i get the items back. To me that sounds like its a PPI not service cover as they also told me its the DLC that covers repairs not the OSC. I wanted to remove the OSC to reduce how much i was paying but they said if i did that i would not be able to put a hold on payments if i cant afford to pay for a few weeks. The OSC basicly puts the contract on hold till u can pay again. But they will take the items back to the shop. But u will have to pay for collection and delivery back again Unless u can take the items back urself. So is OSC just another name for a PPI? If it is then u should be able to claim it back as its been sold to u when u didnt need it or ask for it. In fact in most cases they wont even let u get anything from them unless u take out the OSC. Be cautous with the smaller items as they tend to charge a lot more. IE i have a bluray player from them. Cash price £169 over 3 years. Ive been paying for 6 months now and wanted to pay it off thinking i would have got the payments down enough to pay off whats left. Only to find i had only payed off £1 in 6 months. I was supprised as i am paying £1.95 a week. But it turns out only a small fraction pays for the item. Most of it pays the interest which is added daily. The same Bluplayer is in tesco for £269 so it is cheaper if u pay cash. But by the time they add interest its a lot more. I did pay 1 item off after only 2 months and saved a lot of money as it was only £103. On amazon which was the next cheapest it was over £600. But then again i find Amazon very expensive. IE a book with £4.99 printed on the cover is £60 on amazon lol. Thats just 1 book out of an 8 book set. Waterstones sells the whole set of the book which is 8 volumes for £60 the lot. Even with interest brighthouse is cheaper on some items than other places. But they do rip ppl of as well by making contracts longer than they need to be on the cheaper items. From my calculations the bluray player will end up costing me more than the 3D tv i got from them. The tv was on sale at £799 over 2 years instead of £1700 over 3 years.

 

i'd start your own thread

 

and get reclaiming

 

dx

[oscarlol]

i am an employee of brighthouse, i agree the company i work for can be a pain, but it amazes me how some of the people on here are complaining about interest, and how they didnt know that its added onto the cash price, im not being funny, it is advertised as a pay weekly store, hire purchase, 29.9%apr.

 

i also would like to clarify the difference between OSC and DLC

 

OSC- is optional service cover, it is ENTIRELY OPPTIONAL you can take it of you account when ever you like, all you have to do is give your store 1 weeks notice. with osc on your account it means, your item is covered for repairs, you will get a loaner item (if available) until your product is returned.

if it is broken it will be replaced like for like.

you can do a pick up and hold on ur account (return goods to store for 30days and not pay for them)

return your product when ever you like and you will get a voucher to claim the item back.

 

DLC- is the companys home insurance policy, hire purchase goods have to covered by the lender or the customer that rent's it.

It covers the item for accidental dammage, fre and theft NOT loss.

if you have you own home insurance policy you dont need dlc, if you set up an insurance policy whislt you have a agreement you can put yours own policy on.

if you make a claim on the insurance, then the item is written off (dont have to pay for it no more) but NOT replaced

 

also what hire purchase is- in lamens terms, ur renting the item until you've paid it off

 

Now as for late accounts. Late fee's went up Aug 2011 (i think) we did tell customers when we spoke to them, when they either made their payments or added onto their account.

 

Now as i mentioned i understand more than ANY of you the frustrations with the company, but next time you have a problem, spare a thought for the poor sales advisor who your about to scream and shout at, is it their fault ur item stopped working? No, Did they make the prices up? no Are they responsible for your account going late? no. when we pre call you, you moan, when we dont its our fault u didnt pay cos we didnt call u!

 

the sales advisors in the stores bend over backwards tryin to sort out service issues and we never get any thanks, only abuse, when ur stuck on the shop floor, by urself with people screamin and shoutin at you and threatining you how do u think u would feel? and u wonder why sometimes the staff are a bit miserable? because everyday we get abuse! and yes regarding the mangers most of them are useless, but unfortunatly we are stuck with them.

 

i know the service can be a long wait, i know loaners break down, i know you will probably have to wait over a week for a engineer, but that is not my fault, and i dont see why i am the one people scream and shout at, if you want to moan and complain call head office, and believe me you will get a much quicker responce if you make a complaint, o and if you do have a problem with the service, make it clear that ur issue is with the service centre nd not ur store!

 

and finally, as for the people having a moan about the staff, i have 958 customer at my store, out of those 958, im friends with min 200 on facebook, 50 have my personel mob number, i have been to 2 weddings, 4 hen nights, get invited out on regular occasions just for a night out, and am godmother to 2 seperate customers children!

[MARTIN3030]

Oscarlol,welcome to the site and you make some interesting points.

Unfortunately,whilst you do raise some valid ones,the CAG forums are full of stories which your comments do not appear to address.

 

Brighthouse makes its money from the most vulnerable and desperate members of society,and we have many examples on here where that has been done using some pretty ruthless tactics.

 

We do not advise anyone to go screaming to sales assistants when things go wrong,to the contrary,we have often given out HO contact details,and even had Brighthouse company officials posting here.

 

Unfortunately,they have chosen frequently to cherry pick complainants and respond to those they want to,and ignoring others.

 

Our members have used terms which have been much less descriptive than suggesting Brighthouse can be a pain.....it is often the pain that is inflicted,by bad business practices which is of more concern.

 

You state that customers should be aware of interest rates and late payment charges ...but does that make them fair ?

 

I am not aware of Brighthouse ever being able to demonstrate that their late payment charges are proportionate to any breach or loss.

 

They have never provided any breakdowns to show that these are not a penalty charge.

 

The CAG has been instrumental in encouraging members to pursue recovery of late payment charges where it cannot be justified,and this has not merely been directed at Brighthouse,but extends to banks,credit card issuers,catalogue companies,leisure service providers,and other FSPs.

 

I suggest that you take some time to read the threads in these forums.

My thoughts are that having done so,you will see that our members have much more on their minds,than visiting their local stores to scream at its staff.

Edited March 6, 2012 by citizenB
Spacing

[oscarlol]

regarding customers who have difficulty with paymets

 

if you have osc on your account the store can help you, you can down grade ur item (swap 4 qr or small version) or bridge your account.

if you communicate with your accounts advisor, (thats the peron calling u 100 times a day) and explain your circumstances they WILL help you, IF YOU DO NOT answer the phone, or respond to any letters etc the company will send some one round.

think about it if ur friend had borrowed something from you and you hadnt heard from them for 2 weeks wouldnt you knock on there dor and see what was going on?

end of the day brightouse is a business, if you dont pay your stuff will be taken back

i have heard some stories about the ARM, that is a different part of the company, they are the debt collection side, usualy if some one is knockin in ur door it is someone from ur store, tryin to find out why you havent paid. the ARM is sent afet ur account is 35days late and no contact from you.

if u have a issue with an ARM knockin at the door, shouting or being abusive record it if possible, and contact ur store immediatly, as i said thet are a diff side of the company, but ur store can report them if they are being abusive towards you.

the people who work in the store are humans to, we understand that you oveer spend, you have an unforgoten bill, or family issues, but if you answer the phone when the first call and tell them what day and roughly wht time u will be in to pay they CANT contact you, if u dont come in when u say, u will then get called, and called and called, it is as frustrating for the peron dialling who's calls keep getting rejected, as it is for the person rejecting them.

 

i personally dont agree with all of what the comapny does, but any sort of business that deals with anything to do with finance does charge you for failed payments, some banks returned direct debits are £24!

 

until there is a law in place thats stops companys for charging people for faled payments then they can keep doin it. and if there was no penalty if you didnt pay a bill, then no one would pay theor bills, i no wouldnt

 

when it comes to brighthouse, the only recommendation i have is keep ur account small, dont take things out that u dont need, ie a 50inch 3d tv, if u have a £5 a week washer, pay £10if u can afford it to clear it off 2x as fast

[MARTIN3030]

"when it comes to brighthouse, the only recommendation i have is keep ur account small"

 

I have a better recommendation...don't use them at all.

[dx100uk]

as above from martin..........

 

insurances & PPI [OSC & DLC] cannot be made compulsory on an HP agreement!!

show us WHERE , SPECIFICALLY, the HP regulations that BH operate under state this!!

if this were the case then why can they be reclaimed on every other type of HP agreement?

 

They can be reclaimed, the same as the unlawful PENALTY charges & the interest they attract.

 

as for ANYONE calling on the phone be them manage/monkey/ARM or whomever

 

THEY HAVE NO LEGAL POWERS

 

and customers are under NO LEGAL OBL to converse by such means.

 

as for doorsteppers WHOEVER THEY ARE staff/manager/ARM

 

again, they have NO LEGAL POWERS to do ANYTHING

 

they are NOT COURT BAILIFFS.

 

tell them to go away or you will call the police.

 

dx

[mickeyloulou]

In their defence, I have never had a query with Brighthouse, but then Ive never had money problems till now!!

 

I have had many items off of BH in the past, all paid up now and I have a few items with them at the moment that I have been paying for since forever (what seems). I have always been in a situation where I can afford my bill so have done so every week even paid early most weeks. This was until beginning of January time when my partner lost his job (due to the current climate) and it was left to me to run the household finances on my wages alone. I struggled on as best as I could and carried on paying the BH bill but it eventually got too much at the end of January and I just couldnt manage anymore. I called my local store and advised of my situation and that I just couldnt afford to make the usual weekly payments until my situation changes. They were kind of OK about it and said they would sort it and I shouldnt worry. I think I had missed 2 payments so they did a re write on the account even though I said I didnt think this was the right answer as they had advised they couldnt do another re write on the account and I was telling them I couldnt afford the weekly bill. The store manager said we would deal with this when we needed to.

Anyway I havent made a payment for the last 3 weeks as I just dont have it. I have a 6 yr old daughter who needs a roof over her head and feeding. BH called me on Saturday with not a very nice tone of voice telling me I was in arrears and I needed to pay them. I told the man that there was no need to speak to me like that, we had always had a good relationship in the past (now I see thats when I was a paying customer) and I thought better of him. He said he was doing his job and started laying down the law over the phone. Telling me if I dont pay he will send the debt to a 3rd company who are balliffs and I will have them to deal with. It was at this point I started to rais my voice a little and told him who did he think he was threatning me over the phone and he knew where I lived if he wanted a row! (I know I shouldnt but was a bit hepped up by now). After a couple of minutes slagging match he ended the call you know what your just a typical brighthouse customer and put the phone down. I am due to ring them today to make a payment but, after checking my bank this morning, the lovely tax credits people have randomly cut my weekly tax credits which has now left me short of money. I cant afford to pay them anywhere near what they say I owe but was going to try with a token gesture...what do you think I should do?

 

Below is a list of items I have with them:-

 

Home PC:- Taken out 9th July 2011...74 weeks left, £787.28 left to pay

TV:- Taken out 30th August 2010...81 weeks left, £584.19 left to pay

22" TV:- Taken out 26th October 2012...141 weeks left, £268.09 left to pay

Laptop:- Taken Out 24th November 2011...94 weeks left, £556.82 left to pay

Fridge Freezer:- Take Out 1st October 2009...38 weeks left, £127.51 left to pay

Cooker:- Taken Out 18th October 2008...61 weeks left, £147.84 left to pay

Washing machine:- Taken Out 22nd September 2011...137 weeks, £602.21 to pay

Acer Tablet:- Taken Out 16th August 2011...79 weeks left....£405.95 to pay.

 

Many Thanks for your time and I really appriciate any help you can give.

[Anus Horribilis]

Below is a list of items I have with them:-

 

Home PC:- Taken out 9th July 2011...74 weeks left, £787.28 left to pay

TV:- Taken out 30th August 2010...81 weeks left, £584.19 left to pay

22" TV:- Taken out 26th October 2012...141 weeks left, £268.09 left to pay

Laptop:- Taken Out 24th November 2011...94 weeks left, £556.82 left to pay

Fridge Freezer:- Take Out 1st October 2009...38 weeks left, £127.51 left to pay

Cooker:- Taken Out 18th October 2008...61 weeks left, £147.84 left to pay

Washing machine:- Taken Out 22nd September 2011...137 weeks, £602.21 to pay

Acer Tablet:- Taken Out 16th August 2011...79 weeks left....£405.95 to pay.

 

The first thing you need to do is dump some of that debt. Do you actually need 3 new computers, for example? A basic web & office computer can be purchased for cash at under £200, recycled from a corporate user. Get rid of one of the TV's too.

 

What are your options for ending the agreements? Can you return the goods and walk away? If so, do that asap - reduce your debt load. They will pursue and harass you remorselessly, and there's no point in trying to hang onto shiny toys that you can't afford.

 

Someone here will help you work out the details, but you must end some of these contracts before the arrears start to overwhelm you. Good luck.

[pinkfloydianuk]

The first thing you need to do is dump some of that debt. Do you actually need 3 new computers, for example? A basic web & office computer can be purchased for cash at under £200, recycled from a corporate user. Get rid of one of the TV's too.

 

What are your options for ending the agreements? Can you return the goods and walk away? If so, do that asap - reduce your debt load. They will pursue and harass you remorselessly, and there's no point in trying to hang onto shiny toys that you can't afford.

 

Someone here will help you work out the details, but you must end some of these contracts before the arrears start to overwhelm you. Good luck.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?341152-New-to-this.....in-a-mess-financially-and-got-Brighthouse-to-deal-with