Current mood:

infuriated

Weekes Letting Agency Is Crap
After moving from Exeter to Brissol at the end of June last year, I tried prodding the rental agency I was renting from there (Weekes Estate Agents) to send me back my 400 quid deposit somehow. They muttered about contact details and stuff, and I sent them some stuff and didn't think any more of it. Then several months later I remembered that nothing had appeared in the post or my bank account from them, and started pestering them to send me my money back. I got told that they didn't have my contact details, so I sent them again.

Some more time passed and nothing, so I started calling them more often. I was fobbed off with stories of the only guy there who handles the deposits not being available, them not having any contact details for me, or just general ignorance. Of course, this was interspersed with them saying they'd call me back, or get person N in their office to call me back, and I don't remember them actually calling back at any time (at least not with anything useful or conclusive).

Eventually I sent a threatening letter, saying that I'd take them to the small claims court if they didn't give me back my deposit, and they seemed to take a little notice of this and started actually claiming to have sent me a cheque for the amount (although over 2 weeks after I sent the letter). This mystery cheque never arrived, of course, I expect because they never sent it.

Then they said that they wanted to get it all sorted and they would BACS transfer me the money straight away. A week later the money hadn't appeared in my account, so I called them to hassle some more, and suggested that I (or someone on my behalf) could collect a cheque from their office in person. They said "ok", which immediately brought to light that they hadn't even attempted to transfer the money, or they'd be chasing where that had disappeared to.

Anyway, so the lovely Becky went to their office and extracted a cheque from them (and a refusal to pay for her train fare to get there), and paid it in quick before it disappeared into the magic ether that cheques from them apparently get sent to moments after they are written.

9 months after they should have given me the deposit back they have finally done so.

I heartily recommend NOT renting (or buying, as they do sales as well) from them if you want competent, friendly customer service and if you want money back from them at any point.

If this cheque bounces I shall be a very unhappy bunny >:/


[title edited to make it more obvious ;)]