Brighthouse Problem Again

[clemma]

Trust me - once they know you know your rights, they back down. I have battled BH many times (and won), not just for myself but many others too.

 

They are under the obligation to repair/replace your TV whether they like it or not. The fact you have no policies means diddly-squat, no matter what they might tell you.

[cazcraig]

think its because it was a refurb when i bought it that is making me dubious as to wether they will do anything about it, i know they will try everything in their power to get out of it but like i say i will try not losing anything by trying, will try the phone call first

[clemma]

Even as a refurb though, there would still be a guarantee for 12 months minimum on it. You are well within that limit.

 

Do not give up on this!

[cazcraig]

sorry to be a pest but just realised what could possibly be another problem!! the television in question is 28" plasma and manufactured by a company named twf, on my agreement it says it is a 32" manufactured by philips, they couldnt find the right thing when we purchased it so put it through the system as a model that was the same price. could this cause any problems on my part??

[clemma]

You've got me there......not come across this one before, so I can't give a definite answer. They would certainly have a strong argument unless you had some sort of proof that the TV in question was indeed the one the delivered to you......

 

Hopefully someone else will know - but your best bet for now is to maybe call them and ask.

[clemma]

I've just thought - this sounds far to dodgy to me. It means that a) you could probably never take any action against them for repairs and b) they could never take action against you for non-payment. At the end of the day, you have signed a contract for something that has never been supplied.......

 

I mean, how could they get a court order to take away the goods (as per contract) if you do not have the TV in your possession? The same goes for you asking to repair it as well - they are going to fight you tooth and nail on this one.

[cazcraig]

maybe i should not mention the make and size to them in the letter then?? see if they will agree to repair it first ? thoughts

[clemma]

To be perfectly honest - I don't know what to advise with this one.......maybe a letter explaining the problem may be in order. I just dont want to give the wrong advice here, as I am sure you can appreciate.

[angel28]

hi new to all this but have a prob with bh i have 7 agreements in my and my husbands name but husband left last week and left me with the bh bill what he used to pay every week amounting to £70 per week. I am noe 2 weeks behind with payments an i rang today and my bill is now over 200 and i just cannot afford to pay it i have said i will pay what i can up untill my finances are sorted out . i have said i will send back non essential items once i can replace them in a couple of weeks i have now paid over 1/3 on all my items my couch and tv are nearly paid off im now a single mum and have just applied for benifits but they can take up to 2 weeks to be sorted out and i have no money till i start getting paid off them . i cannot find my agreements and i was also misled when gettin washer dryer and cooker as the person who served me told me they were over 1 year but now they are saying they are over 3 years so they did lie 2 me over that they are constntly ringing me even frm witheld numbers is this allowed i really dont no my rights so need some advice on this . I have only ever re set my account once and on this occasion i still had 2 pay over 100 pound on the day i did it any advise would be appriciated thanks

[SallyAnnH]

You are not the first person iI have heard of with this problem but my advice to you and experience from dealing with BH is to ask them for a copy of your agreement and that way you can see what entitlements you have and wat was agreed when you first got your sofa and stuff. They have to give you this

[cazcraig]

just a quick update on the above, husband went into local store today and asked about the telly they have agreed to repair it no fuss!! just waiting for a call to confirm the service booking and date in shock at the no fuss lol

[jeremy1976]

i have had brighthouse for 2 years now i ordered a 42" tv and was told that i had to have a 37" tv for the first time fair enough my tv got delivered and within a week it packed up just went off and never came back on so i phoned them and they brought me out a replacment only to find out then this 1 was making a noise from the back i phoned them again and changed it to a 42" tv and had no problems since then i went up and ordered a dryer fine got delivered made 8 payments on it started to make a bad rattle noise and a buzzing noise i phoned brighthouse they sent a engineer out who said it sounds fine to me and went so i told them to come and fetch it i dont want it so they did they didnt even offer me my money back what i had paid on it

[bhemployee]

i kno none of u r goin 2 lyk this but i am a sales advisor for brighthouse in north england. i am afraid to point out tht most of the cases reported on this forum r pretty unique. if u hav goods from bright house service cover is optional and this is explained when you sign your first agreement, HOWEVER DLC is not optional and i kno from experience tht 9 out of 10 customers get the 2 confused. it is completely your choice if u want service cover or not but if you dont hav ur own house insurance or your house insurance doesnt cover hire purchase products then u have to hav damage liability cover (always check with ur insurers). ur agreement is a Hire purchase agreement therefore the products r still owned by bright house until u make the final payment THEREFORE if u return your product (which by the way you can only do so with service cover unless you pay or have paid half of the total amount payable) any money you have paid is classed as rent for the period u had the product, BUT if u hav service cover u r entitled to a re-start voucher which will state how much you hav paid and (providing brighthouse can find a product of a similar age and value to the product you returned). im afraid to report that the length of time it takes for products like laptops and phones is a maximum of 8 weeks but after 6 weeks u should b askin your store for a service report. bright house's service department has major room for improvment but it is beyond the stores control so please try to be patient with staff that can only make a phone call to chase up something tht is in for service. i am also sorry to report tht if anything is stolen outside of your home or where ther is no sign of a break in then it not coverd by brighthouse's insurance AND brighthouse's insurance DOES NOT replace anything! on another note brighthouse can repossess anything tht is in any arrears wether it be 7 days or 77 days (sorry). if you have paid more than a third of the total amount payable they need a court order. BE WARNED if u sell anything you have got from bright house before you pay it off then brighthouse can repossess anything you have should they find out no matter how much u have paid. im sure ull all b pleased to kno tht brighthouse staff r not by any means well paid. in fact probably 40% off customers earn more per month than the staff tht sign them up and i mean both people on benefits and full time workers. ull b also pleased to kno tht i hav been tryin for a promotion for the best part of 7 months and despite hitting my targets week in week out i hav been declined on numerous occasions which has driven me to post this. brighthouse staff are sometimes treated worse than the customer which may b the reason some staff pass mistreatment onto the customer although ull find the most ignorant staff are the best paid or hav the best jobs. sorry for the hard points in this post but ther r also positives for the customer.

 

BHEmployee

[Mr lex]

I think the command of the English Language just about sums it up...............

[clemma]

You can return the goods at any time.....regardless. The only difference being is if you have paid less than half you MAY be liable to pay up to that amount. The same goes if you have paid more than this amount - hand them back at any time (without penalty though). The OSC apparently guarantees your payments BUT you are also told you will get you item back - this is utter codswallop - you get what you are given.

 

The service department does need improving - how can BH justify keeping an item that needs repairing for 8 weeks yet STILL expect the customer to continue with the weekly payments - in essence they are paying for something they are not actually hiring.....

 

Brighthouse can repossess anything if you have paid less than a two thirds (not a third as you stated) - very true. BUT you would still need a court order to enter the customers home - it is very unlikely that the goods you want to repossess would be outside (that is the only other way you can take them if less than two thirds has been paid).

 

You stated that these cases are unique.....I'm sorry, but I have yet to find a positive comment from any Brighthouse customer (this includes people who have NOT posted on this forum). BH have a bad reputation, and have done since their Crazy George's days. Staff need training properly, need to be understanding when customers run into difficulties and actually HELP them.

 

I have done lots of "mystery shopping" in Brighthouse, in a few stores (even those outside of my home area), and they give the same bull about OSC and DLC. OSC is a waste of money as SOGA (Implied Terms) gives more protection. DLC.....well, what a battle I had trying to remove that! My house insurance clearly stated I was covered - but would they remove it.....not until I threatened action against them (and made them pay me back all the money I had wasted - a nice figure it was too )

 

The fact staff are underpaid (although you will be on minimum wage, which most people in my part of the country are) does not mean they can push customers/bully customers into paying so that the store meets it's targets.

 

The only point I 100% agree with is the selling of goods - if anyone comes on here for help because they have done this, then my advice would always be to own up and risk prosecution.

 

Anyway, thank you for your input - but please do not think that these are isolated cases. Maybe you just work in a store that actually has ethics. However, how do you deal with customers in arrears - I am doubtful your store will accept part payments/reduced payments etc. The whole amount or nothing - that seems to be the BH way.

 

Sorry for the rant, but Brighthouse was and still is the thorn in my side (even though I have not been a customer for 6 months now).

Edited July 31, 2009 by clemma
typos and my own stupidity.....

[clemma]

...........edited

Edited August 2, 2009 by clemma

[clemma]

......Brighthouse can repossess anything you have should they find out no matter how much u have paid

 

Just noticed.....:mad:

 

Really?? Are you sure?? I would think BH could only prosecute the customer for theft for that one item. You would still need a court order to repossess the other goods or to enter the home. However, if BH prosecuted, then I would presume the Judge would order this anyway.

 

Brighthouse staff are not, and never will be, bailiffs - they have absolutely no rights whatsoever to enter anyone's home and take items without a court order......

[Mr lex]

ull b also pleased to kno tht i hav been tryin for a promotion for the best part of 7 months

 

Good luck with that then

[padre]

You thank him for his input then you mock him . You people lack integrity PADRE

[clemma]

How dare you - he/she posted on here, made some errors, and I put him/her right......

[Mr lex]

Integrity and Brighthouse don't belong in the same sentence.

 

Padre, you obviously missed the recent TV programs were a Brighthouse employee openly boasted about taking a washing machine away from a crying woman, just because he could. . We know different and will make sure others do. This company is the pits, and the staff they employ have no understanding of consumer law, either that or it is beaten out of them in search of greater profits.

 

Lex

[clemma]

Just noticed your rep - cheers lex

[padre]

Clemma HOW DARE I ????. Ihave no problem with your 1st post to bhemployee and your correction of some of his points. It's the 2nd post that you sent. highlighting and quoting Mr Lex view on his/her grammar . As you are the LINCHPIN of this forum only the salient points of the post are what matters. People come on here seeking advice and help and not to recieve criticism for their layout .being flippant can cause hurt and that is what i find disappointing. PADRE.

[clemma]

Fair comment - post deleted.

[boh_girl]

Hi there,

I am a single parent with two boys and have been a customer of Brighthouse for approximately 13 years, last year (unsure of precise dates) I purchased an LCD TV and a washing machine - however recently my partner and I split up and I can no longer afford to pay th £45 a week (Just under £200 per month!!!!!!) I know through experience that asking them in store for help only results in very abrupt answers and also them suggesting that you borrow money from somewhere to pay!!!! I have decided that I shall email the head office instead and offer £5 a week. I have also mentioned that I refuse point blank to return my items-(I feel that I have over the years paid for these items already! I have sent 2 emails and still had no response, Below are the emails I have sent, could you advise me if there is anything else I need do please and what the expected outcome is likely to be;

(FIRST EMAIL)

To whom it may concern,

 

I am writing to you regarding my current account of which I have a LCD TV and also a washing machine, of which i have paid for a period of months. Recently I was declared bankrupt but wanted to continue paying Brighthouse however financially i am finding things increasingly difficult, (my partner, and I have split up) and as such I can no longer afford to pay the weekly payment. I can afford to pay £5 a week. I am not prepared to hand back the goods due to the amount that I have already paid, and also that I have been a very regular customer for almost 13 years I believe that I have more than paid for these items, also I have children and therefore these items are a necessity.

I feel that the phone calls that I am receiving and visits to my door are bordering on harrasement and are leaving me extremly anxious (the customer care in particular from your staff in store, leaves a lot to be desired, manners and a polite disposition is obviously not in their remit as staff) - I also feel that my sons need not witness these visits. I therefore request that these stop from today 10th August 2009 - if not I will have no alternative than to seek advice form the police.

Please respond ASAP and hopefully we can come to an amicable arrangement.

I have kept a copy of this email for future reference.

 

Kind regards

 

(SECOND EMAIL)

To whom it may concern,

This is the second time that I have emailed you, and I am disappointed that I have received no response from you.

May I take this opportunity to reiterate that I do not wish to have any more phonecalls or visits to my door, as from 10th August 2009, I shall phone the police if this happens.

I have visited the Citizen Advice Bureau, to find out what my best course of action is - I have offered £5 per week as this is all that I can afford, but I refuse to hand back my items due to the amount of monies already paid towards them.

I have been a constant customer since approx 1995 and I believe that I at least deserve a response to my email!

Please do not leave this any longer before responding I have been decent enough to explain my situation.

I have kept this email as reference for the future.

Kind Regards

 

Can someone please advise Thanks xxxxx