PB is purely a gamble - we lost.
This is what Purplebricks say about reviews on their website:
"Every single review counts. We believe we're only as good as our last review. Every customer is asked to leave feedback (and they are free to choose Trustpilot or Feefo). We use customer reviews to ensure we deliver an excellent service. And if we ever come up short, we put it right."
Firstly, no one from Purplebricks has "asked me to leave feedback". I haven't spoken to them for at least 3 weeks, since my original "Local Property Expert" left the company.
We instructed PB in August 2019. To be honest, we did pretty much everything ourselves and this is where we found our first bit of 'inflexible' PB. We really struggled to manage all the viewings ourselves and it became a real headache. Unfortunately - once you've deferred the original cost - you then have to pay up front for any changes. We wanted PB to handle our viewings but they wanted a few hundred quid there and then to do it. We didn't do it.
Our "Local Property Expert" didn't really show any more knowledge of the market than what we had ourselves. We would get a weekly phone call/VM telling us how many hits the advert had had, any interest shown, appointments etc. All this stuff was things we could find out and knew ourselves - it was a bit like someone ringing up to tell you what was on the Sky box that night, even though there is a TV guide available. We didn't feel like any 'expertise' was going into the sale of our property.
We had plenty of interest but only got one (silly) offer during that time. That's not really PB's fault - that's more about a flat market and buyers having all the power. But that's what makes PB a gamble...why should they work hard for a sale when they already have or will have your money in their pocket?
We certainly didn't feel like there was much communication going on and everything was down to us.....we even had someone ring the PB HQ to arrange a viewing and turn up at our house unannounced one Sunday afternoon whilst we were having dinner! PB HQ said they had no record of arranging this (and then not telling us) but that is what happened....
When we realised we were unlikely to sell before the 10 months were up, I called PB to ask if we could start paying off the debt in chunks. "Sorry, we can't do that" was the response - "you'll just have to set it aside each month". A bit odd I thought, not to want people to pay off their imminent debt? It was only when I withdrew the property from the market that the reason behind that approach became clear...they offer you a further 12 months to make the payment in instalments with a nice 15.9% APR interest slapped onto it. They didn't mention that part to me when I called....in actual fact, the "Local Property Expert" told me before I called them that it was possible to pay it off.
I'm sure PB does work for some people and - in the event of selling your house - the cost is significantly cheaper than using a High Street Estate Agent. However - for us - we are left with a bill for almost £1,500 for placing some adverts and for using an app. It feels like a complete waste of money - which is why it is a gamble; some you win, some you lose.
I certainly can't / won't recommend Purplebricks and I certainly won't ever use them again to try to sell my property.
18. marts 2020
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