Problem with Perfect Home - Please Help!

[so fed up]

Hi not sure what to do as i am new to the site but had to get my anger out to someone at the absurd way PH bill thier customers, I usually pay them a month in advance but unfortunatly my partner has had a serious illness and was off work for 6 months. We didnt pay for 2 weeks and received a letter, with it was a photocopied piece of paper saying they could help with arrears, My partner rang up and explained that we did want to pay its just we were struggling so if they would come to some arrangment with us. The person on the end of the phone said yes they could if we brought the account up to date !!!! ( if we did this we wouldnt be in arrears) We brought the account up to date and were told to ring back the following week, our pay day is a Saturday so we rang on the Monday after as we had forgotten, we were told we couldnt come to some agreement and that we owed the the payment plus the week afters payment and a late fee I told them i would not pay the late fee so the customer advisor said they wouldnt take the payment. I couldnt believe what i was hearing so i put the phone down. We brought the account up to date when someone called round to the house. The same has happened again this week we couldnt get into town on Saturday to pay so i gave my mum the money plus the late payment fee i knew i would be charged and they refused to take it , they said i needed to pay the following weeks money. I have just got off the phone after having a heated conversation with their store manager , Can someone please help me as these people are making me ill i feel i can no longer call them or go into the shop incase i say or do something i may regret !!!!! HELP.

[Lefty]

Hi there - and welcome to CAG.

I have moved your post into a thread of its own - that way it becomes easier to follow, and doesn't simply tag onto an existing thread.

I'm not much of an expert when it comes to Perfect Home (but I am VERY keen to learn more! ;) ) but my guess is they operate in pretty much the same way as our old friends, BrightHouse.

As you are set up to pay monthly, are you being a charged a monthly late payment charge, or a weekly one? And how much is the charge?

The way BrightHouse work is like this (Perfect Home may well be the same) :

Your weekly payment is (usually) due on a saturday. If you are late paying BrightHouse will THEN require the late payment, plus a late payment charge of £3 per agreement, PLUS the following week's payment on the following Monday.

What I generally advise people in this situation to do is, seeing as you have been CHARGED a weekly late payment charge, make the buggers wait until the following SATURDAY for the two week's of payments. Simple!

On a general note, you may like to read through our BrightHouse factsheet HERE which, although based on our experiences with BrightHouse, you can be pretty sure most of it will also apply to Perfect Home.

If we can be of any further help get back to us here.

Cheers

Lefty

[robert1981]

i have alot of problems with perfect homes,they are such a pain!i got a sofa 3 years ago now from them and how i wish i hadn't,they pester and harrass if we are not in on a monday morning to pay,they will call at least 5 times a week even though i made an agreement with the store manager to pay fortnightly,we will go in n pay and they will still ring up on the monday asking for money,they have even threatend me with coming to take my sofa back,can they do this?i have also asked them to stop ringing my wifes phone but they still persist on doing it and keep saying they will carry on ringing untill we make a payment.surely they cannot come and take my goods after paying for so long?and can i do anything about them ringing every day for payments after we made an agreement with the store manager,they just dont care as long as they get there money!

[moomoo1511]

hi i sent my telly away for repair in jan and it came back with same folt it has gone away again for same folt the tv the have given me is not warking and ive been complaining for two weeks ive told them im not paying till they bring me another one and they have said if i dont pay they will not bring me one i need to know were i stand plzs help me

[markas1]

I have just finished working for PH after being told I am not being firm enough regarding arrears collections. PH work along the same guidelines as BH, but are more rigorous regarding repayments & employ a 'pay up or pick up' culture. My ethics would not allow me to do this.

PH pay good bonus for arrears targets being met as Sales targets are easy to achieve as evrybody who comes in wants something because they cant get it elsewhere.

Instructions are to collect goods or cash from debtors in anyway or form providing you dont break any laws, or get filmed or recorded doing it!!

Late fees are charged on initial lateness & per account like BH, regardless of your payment frequency.

You always have to pay in advance, therefore if your benefits change to fortnightly, then you need to pay fortnightly in advance. Your contract states that when arrears are paid, a full renewal payment is required, ie to put you 1 week in advance minimum. Your Landlord wouldnt accept his rent being paid in arrears all the time would he? This causes major concerns for the customer & though generates a large amount of cash fees for PH, they would prefer UTD accounts because that pays bonus!

I am glad I am out now, but PH pays good wages but have a high staff turnround due to its opinions & dismissal of staff who dont tow the company line.......

[loopylass30]

I have just finished working for PH after being told I am not being firm enough regarding arrears collections. PH work along the same guidelines as BH, but are more rigorous regarding repayments & employ a 'pay up or pick up' culture. My ethics would not allow me to do this.

PH pay good bonus for arrears targets being met as Sales targets are easy to achieve as evrybody who comes in wants something because they cant get it elsewhere.

Instructions are to collect goods or cash from debtors in anyway or form providing you dont break any laws, or get filmed or recorded doing it!!

Late fees are charged on initial lateness & per account like BH, regardless of your payment frequency.

You always have to pay in advance, therefore if your benefits change to fortnightly, then you need to pay fortnightly in advance. Your contract states that when arrears are paid, a full renewal payment is required, ie to put you 1 week in advance minimum. Your Landlord wouldnt accept his rent being paid in arrears all the time would he? This causes major concerns for the customer & though generates a large amount of cash fees for PH, they would prefer UTD accounts because that pays bonus!

I am glad I am out now, but PH pays good wages but have a high staff turnround due to its opinions & dismissal of staff who dont tow the company line.......

 

Hi Markas1

Would i be able to pick your brains on a problem im having with perfect homes? iw as going to pm you but thought it would be rude not to ask you first.

 

loops

[dollers]

At last somebody else who has suffered from the despicable way PH treat thier employees. It seems with them its one rule for the way they treat thier customers, ie anything goes - just get the sales and then get the money in ( for which they pay outrageous bonuses to store managers, ie tens of thousands), but when it comes to thier staff ......well if your face doesnt fit with them (especially the HR department) then your out for any jumped up reason.

[Achillies]

i to am having problems with ph .regarding their tactics & telephone manner .but i phoned trading standards ,they took all the particulars& said they would look into it, they then put me on to the national debt line who told me that we must write to the company tell them the problem .if we are not satisfied with the answer we get on to the financial onbudsman & the office of fair trading .for one complaint the office of fair trading will flag it .then if they get any more complaints they will look into it providing what they find they will either fine the company heavily or remove their licence to trade .(so thats what we who have had problems with Ph should do, write to the company head office first then to the ombudsman & the oft,)(so something will get done )the ombudsman on the other hand has to look into even one complaint but im not sure what they do i was to intent on the OFT part of the conversation .

i am going to send my letter today .

i hope this helps if not do what i did phone trading standards then the national debt line to see your choices

i hope this helps

[Achillies]

I to am having problems with Perfect Homes .regarding their tactics & telephone manner .but I phoned Trading Standards ,they took all the particulars& said they would look into it, they then put me on to the National Debt Line who told me that we must write to the company tell them the problem .if we are not satisfied with the answer, we then get on to the Financial Ombudsman & the Office of Fair Trading .For one complaint the OFT will flag it .then if they get any more complaints they will look into it. Providing what they find they will either fine the company heavily or remove their licence to trade .(so that's what we who have had problems with PH should do, write to the company head office first then to the Ombudsman & the oft,)(so something will get done )the Ombudsman on the other hand has to look into it even for one complaint but I am not sure what they do,I was to interested in what the OFT can do .I am going to send my letter today .

I hope this helps if not do what I did. Phone Trading Standards then the National Debt Line to see YOUR OPTIONS

I hope this helps

Regards Achillies

[trish82]

perfect home frustrate me like no other!!!!!.The sales advisors there are arrogant,rude,pushy and just damn right insensitive!.After explaining to them over and over again that i get paid 4 weekly and letting them know when i will pay them,they still call me 9 times a day the earliest being 7.40am,i explained that i would be paying them 4 weeks on wednesday and they told me not to bother as they only kept customers accounts open for 2 weeks then passed them onto debt collectors,i asked how i was suppose to pay them they replied dont know its no skin of my nose what you do,(charming)this was fri 29th today they rang asking for a payment because the debt collector emailed ph asking them to contact me,they said i had to pay today else they would pass it back to the debt collector i told them i would ring head office explain my situation and make a payment and they told me head office wouldnt speak to me,so i asked if they wanted my money or not to which he replied he was doing me a favour by letting me pay wednesday and that he was sticking his neck on the line for me,awww how nice of him! i brought a second hand bed of them with the assurance i would get discount yet still having to pay £1800.56 back they harrass me and threaten me often then try and get me to buy more things from them seriously are they having a laugh! i cant wait to finish paying them and get them out of my life they are truly disgusting!!!!!!!!!!

[trish82]

perfect home frustrate me like no other!!!!!.The sales advisors there are arrogant,rude,pushy and just damn right insensitive!.After explaining to them over and over again that i get paid 4 weekly and letting them know when i will pay them,they still call me 9 times a day the earliest being 7.40am,i explained that i would be paying them 4 weeks on wednesday and they told me not to bother as they only kept customers accounts open for 2 weeks then passed them onto debt collectors,i asked how i was suppose to pay them they replied dont know its no skin of my nose what you do,(charming)this was fri 29th today they rang asking for a payment because the debt collector emailed ph asking them to contact me,they said i had to pay today else they would pass it back to the debt collector i told them i would ring head office explain my situation and make a payment and they told me head office wouldnt speak to me,so i asked if they wanted my money or not to which he replied he was doing me a favour by letting me pay wednesday and that he was sticking his neck on the line for me,awww how nice of him! i brought a second hand bed of them with the assurance i would get discount yet still having to pay £1800.56 back they harrass me and threaten me often then try and get me to buy more things from them seriously are they having a laugh! i cant wait to finish paying them and get them out of my life they are truly disgusting!!!!!!!!!!

[msj78]

Hiya... i couldnt find a (post) my own msg so hopefully this will still appear.. Ive read alot about Perfect homes and now regret signing up.. Ive signed a contract and already made two payments but still not been verified to whether im able to have the tv package?? I mean at the time it was like yeah sign .. pay.. and recentely i thought to myself, isn't that illegal?? To get someone to sit there go through all terms and conditions, sign a contract etc when i havent actually been given the thumbs up of being aproved!? It worries me now and i do not want to proceed but do not how to go about it.. do i loose what money i have paid ? Am i going to have to pay a termination fee? It makes me sick as i was signed up for this for 180weeks..I had to pay weekly over the phone as they stated they do not do direct debits etc ..But in contract they state they do.I read quite alot and it seems that no matter the circumstances you will still owe them money Please help and advise me)

[dawniib]

Hello, i am also new to the cag forums, however like most of you have problems with perfect homes, just recently i have had a lot of family issue's to which i have explained to them and they was quite understanding and froze my account for a few weeks to stop charges, however i am in dispute with PH as they are discussing my account with family friends and my partner, which in my opinion is in breach of contract under the data protection act principles, I have told PH not to discuss my account with members of my family and friends, my partner has clearly told them he does not need to know what is going on with my account as it is MY account, they have also been told about harassment and there never has been any refusal to pay for what i have bought from the company, can you please help me as to what i can do, I would prefer to do this in writing, as no amount of talking appears to sort this out, and they have gone to the extremes of discussing my account on the doorstep in front of my neighbours and passer by's.

[DJPB]

Hi,

 

As a former assistant manager at PerfectHome I can answer some of these queries. msj78. it is not illegal to sign a contract and make payments without the goods being delivered. If you are not accepted for the items then you will receive a full refund of any monies paid.

 

dawniib - Is your account in arrears? The only reason I ask is because if a PH member of staff is visiting you on your doorstep, there must be a reason for it. If your partner is named on the account, then the company are legally allowed to discuss the account with them, as they are a namee on theaccount. HOwever, they are not allowed to discussed your account with any of your references or family or friends. All they can do is ask that person to pass a message on to you to call the back. Unless you specifically say that the account details can be discussed with anybody else, this is the case. When the freeze was applied to the account, did you arrange to make payments during that freeze or have you just left the debt outstanding and tried to carry on? If you post back, I may be able to help.

[katieak]

makes me so angry.. call the store manager who you made the agreement with and ask why this is going on. and get a written agreement from him stating that you have agreed to make the payments fortnightly. keep a diary of all calls they make to you, as this is harassment, nobody can come into your home and take anything without a court order and that takes months to get, and you will be informed of it before it happens, it then gives you a chance to go before the courts who are far more understanding that these people. if you have paid more than 1/3rd of the goods they cant remove them. sometimes they come round waving a piece of paper saying its a court order. which in fact its not. if they do ask to see it shut the door on them and ring the courts to check if its legal. if its not call the police, call the police if they put one foot in door without you letting them in. if your finding hard to keep on top of the payments, i would ether return the goods. to them or if you have paid more than 1/3rd make them a offer of what you can afford to pay each week do it in writing, if they refuse your offer, then tell them to start debt recovery that way all interest stops and the court will deal with it, but be warned they will try to bully harass you keep a diary, off it all and dont give them access to your home. or your goods, and if they force entry call the police.

[dawniib]

yes i did make payments during the freeze, no my partner is not named on my account and i always pay my account in full no matter what goes on in my life, but this time as been the most serious thing that has happened which am not about to air on a public forum to a complete stranger, payments to perfect homes weren't the only people who suffered thankfully i have a very nice bright house store who actually understands me instead of harassess me, and yes i did say a very nice bright house store, the point am trying to make is i dont take advantage of people, i just expect people to understand n be a little more thoughful, anyway my solicitors are now in touch with the company under the data protection principles

[dawniib]

forgot to mention they discussed my account with my mum my brother, my boyfriend, and in front of neighbours passing up and down the street cos the nosey cow 2 doors down wanted to know who i owed money to, meanwhile craig was adamant at getting shut before the nosey neighbour gossiped about my personal affairs on the street further to all and sundry

[vjohn82]

forgot to mention they discussed my account with my mum my brother, my boyfriend, and in front of neighbours passing up and down the street cos the nosey cow 2 doors down wanted to know who i owed money to, meanwhile craig was adamant at getting shut before the nosey neighbour gossiped about my personal affairs on the street further to all and sundry

 

Were any of these people part of the referencing system employed by PH?

 

If not, they have committed a number of breaches of the Data Protection Act and OFT Guidelines.

 

If you can be more specific, I might be able to help.

[soozii]

hi i am looking for advice regarding the famous perfect home!!! I purchased a TV from them last year,when i was in store dealing with all the paperwork and filling in forms i was told that the insurance they sell covers me for any accidental damage and theft blah blah blah....to cut a long story short at the beginning of this year my house was broken into and the TV along with other things were stolen,i phoned the police ect ect got a crime ref and informed PH..I was then told on the phone by PH to come down and make a statement and fill in some forms and they will get a new TV out to me within 2 weeks.....THIS OF COURSE DID NOT HAPPEN when i went to the store i was then told that i will have to pay £150 there and then and i wouldnt get a replacement TV and basically the insurance i paid them for covers them and not myself....I am fighting PH as they have been misleading on at least two counts and I am now dealing with their very friendly debt collectors temple finance steve mosses who has threaten violence ect ect he has said that he is going to come to my property with a knife and stab to death any dogs that are on my property...very nice guy!!!!

 

any advice or help regarding this matter would be most welcome

[vjohn82]

Why are you dealing with debt collectors? Have you missed payments?

[soozii]

because i refuse to pay them any more money for a TV i no longer have..i have also asked that no further weekly charges be put onto my account which i found out today that they are still billing me every week so the account balance is now £250 in areas plus £25 a week there on...i have agreed to pay the £100 excess for the insurance but refuse to pay the £25 weekly instalments from the date i informed them of the theft

[vjohn82]

Do you have the OSC (Optional Service Cover)?

[soozii]

yes we had the best cover package and the tad one

[vjohn82]

Can you post some of your documents in a new thread (i.e. via scanning/camera upload)?

[phyllismems]

If anyone has any issues regarding PH please contact me as I can advise.

I worked for PH for 2 years and left them last year because they mistreat everyone.

hi i have 2 item from PH its costing me nearly £20 a week for insurance so i took out home ins with my bank i told them i wanted it to cover these items they asured me that it does but PH will nor accept this to be true but according to they web site any house content ins will cover how can i make then stop charging me for there ins and get wot iv paid refunded