Purplebricks has denied claims that customers facing severe disruption with their property transactions after the online estate agent’s primary conveyancer was hit by a major IT failure earlier this month are now being charged for switching to a different law company.
Law firm Premier Property Lawyers, part of Simplify Group, is recommended by Purplebricks to its customers to handle the legal side of a property transaction.
But earlier this month Simplify Group’s related conveyancing brands, including Premier Property Lawyers, were hit by major IT problems, with all their websites down for the past three weeks, leaving thousands of purchasers in limbo with property transactions not being processed.
Several buyers have contacted EYE to raise concerns, while others have taken to social media to express discontent at the ongoing delays, with some claiming that they are being quoted more than £300 by Purplebricks to switch conveyances despite the extenuating circumstances.
One disgruntled Purplebricks customer wrote on Twitter last week: “Just told #purplebricks we no longer wish to use #premierpropertylawyers to then be told they want another £300+ Nice.”
Another buyer commented: “We got told [by Purplebricks] that “we can’t allow you to transfer to another conveyancers as its in the T&Cs”. Diabolical. It’s not our fault that we are in this position. PB can wait for their fee upon completion and not paying a penny more than originally agreed.”
But a Purplebricks spokesperson has told EYE this is simply not the case.
The spokesperson commented: “We are not charging a fee if customers wish to move to a different conveyancer and they’re free to do so, if they want. However, depending on their chain, moving conveyancer might not be the best course of action and may actually cause further delays.”
Comments (2)
Well they would say that, wouldn’t they?
From Twitter – 22 November
“Hello Tim, I can confirm we no longer charge a £360 unlock fee. I can see you have messaged us and we have responded there. ^Sophie”
(to the above, I responded “Interesting development! Please advise – is this a PERMANENT thing, .@purplebricksUK?”. I don’t expect a response…)
Yet several days later we were seeing Tweets like this from ‘Squid’:
“I paid you 5 days ago – unlock my account and change my lawyer.”
twitter.com/Squid80397798/status/1463480635855716354
So… what about the ‘Squids’ of this world – those that have paid the “unlock fee” before bricks changed their tune? Do they get their money back?
In the website Terms & Conditions it clearly states
“We may receive commission for introducing you to third parties but only when you agree to take advantage of such products or services. You may decide of your own free will and we will never pressurise or require you to use such products or services.”
Yet also in the Ts&Cs it states
“It is a condition of Pay later with conveyancing that you agree to instruct the Conveyancing Firm to act on your behalf once a sale is agreed with a purchaser”
presumably to be read in conjunction with
“Where you decide to use Pay later with conveyancing but later elect to instead instruct your own conveyancers, you must tell us by emailing us at the contact details above. Please be aware that if, having decided to use Pay later with conveyancing you subsequently seek to instruct your own conveyancers, you must immediately pay to us the applicable Product Service Fee(s)”
So… would it not be reasonable to think that any company with such Terms and Conditions clearly stated ARE exerting pressure on customers to use the “product” in order to receive the “service”?
What I would suggest be best called ‘a bu99er’s muddle’.
One that’s been ongoing now for over seven years, mostly unchecked.