Use London & Country for Remortgaging

MissMoneysaver_4

I can highly recommend L&C - they provide a promt service - mostly done online so no lenghty forms to fill in, and they dont charge a penny for their services! John Charcol quoted me a mortgage, along with their £350 fee. L&C can get me the exact same deal and I dont have to pay the £350 brokers' fee, plus L&C seem to be far more efficient at getting the paperwork done.

Gingham_Ribbon

Hiya, MissMoneysaver,

Since this is about remortgaging rather than paying it off, I'll move it over to the mortgage board for you, where it will be read by more people looking to do just that.

Thanks.

MortgageMamma

You'll find that most fee free whole of market mortgage brokers can offer you the same high standards, even better with a personal touch. if you like the onlline over the phone things L & C are good, but most people like to see their advisors in person.

[Deleted User]

I've used L&C a few times and have nothing but high praise for them.

Free_Mike

Got to disagree with the comments on L&C. My experience is that they have been unresponsive, lost mail and have not chased down the mortgage company/solicitor in the same way that a fees broker would. In our case this has lead to a simple remortgage taking 16 weeks so far, still counting . . . . .

If I was being charitable I would think that this was due to demand for thier services, otherwise I would just say they are incompetant.

AndrewSmith

Free_Mike wrote:

Got to disagree with the comments on L&C. My experience is that they have been unresponsive, lost mail and have not chased down the mortgage company/solicitor in the same way that a fees broker would. In our case this has lead to a simple remortgage taking 16 weeks so far, still counting . . . . .

If I was being charitable I would think that this was due to demand for thier services, otherwise I would just say they are incompetant.

I think the issue is not so much the fact that they do not charge a fee,but more one of accountability.

L&C are an incredibly busy company and, on the whole, do get positive feedback for their services.

However the service of telephone and postal based advice is not right for everyone. Having once worked as a call centre manager I have seen this first hand.

If you deal face to face with a local broker there is, in my opinion, a higher level of accountability for the service he gives as you can easily visit his office and chivvy them up. With L&C being based in Bristol you are not likely to do this from West Sussex. Also larger companies such as L&C will pay their staff a salary plus a level of comission, taking away from the actual adviser some of the sense of ownership of the individual mortgage cases. A small broker firm with say one or two partners will rely entirely on satisfied clients as they will only receive commissions / fees at completion, with this forming their only income source. They do not have the luxury of a company paying them a salary. They can also offer a far greater personal service.

There is a place in the market for both types of advice, neither will be right for everyone.

Andy

homer_j_3

lets keep it pc my friend

AndrewSmith wrote:

I think the issue is not so much the fact that they do not charge a fee,but more one of accountability.

L&C are an incredibly busy company and, on the whole, do get positive feedback for their services.

However the service of telephone and postal based advice is not right for everyone. Having once worked as a call centre manager I have seen this first hand.

If you deal face to face with a local broker there is, in my opinion, a higher level of accountability for the service he gives as you can easily visit his office and chivvy himor her lol up. With L&C being based in Bristol you are not likely to do this from West Sussex. Also larger companies such as L&C will pay their staff a salary plus a level of comission, taking away from the actual adviser some of the sense of ownership of the individual mortgage cases. A small broker firm with say one or two partners will rely entirely on satisfied clients as they will only receive commissions / fees at completion, with this forming their only income source. They do not have the luxury of a company paying them a salary. They can also offer a far greater personal service.

There is a place in the market for both types of advice, neither will be right for everyone.

Andy

Free_Mike

I don't think location or the fact that it is a telephone based service is the issue. Previsously I have used Savills who are also not local to me and I deal with on the phone - the service has however been efficient and responsive. The fact that I have a fee which I do not pay to them until I am satisfied I think has a large bearing on this.

It seems to be more of a cultural thing - I accept that things do not always go smoothly and some remortgages can take longer than others, however I think that once things have gone wrong (which is clearly what has happened in my case) the company concerned should show some concern to fix the issue rather then just sitting on thier hands. As yet no apologies or extra action has been forthcoming. . . . .I'm not holding my breath.

If it wasn't for the fact that I would lose valuation & solicitors fees I would have gone elsewhere weeks ago.

highet

have used l+c several times myself and have recommended them to several friends - we've all been very pleased with their service

mummytofour

I used L and c brill service very quick, no problems at all and would use them again, for me its easier as they are over the phone and email, better when you have children to look after and having somebody round or going to somebody would of been a big PITA for me, infact l and c were fabby!

king_3

I had good experience with L&C recently. I said somewhere else before and say it agai, it would be most likely to do with the consultnt you use. Mine is Steve Clapp, might worth ring the no and ask for him.