Help - rating advisory bureau

DHVL

dhickman-moron wrote: »

What I want to know is what does Dhickman get from all this because I am sure he is not being a knight in shinning armour to all these poor hard done by clients that he claims (and probably posted).
Smacks of an ex employee with a serious axe to grind to me.

Dhickman here - I helped a mate who was scammed by the RAB and in doing so discovered what a horrible scam they are running. I saved him a grand and have since found ten others via forums like this that have got the same story and are now able to defend themselves. Why help a mate? Why stand up to deception and bullies?

There is protection in numbers, thanks to the internet and the ability to hook people together businesses can no longer pull scams like this.

dhickman-moron

Get that man DHickman (ex employee) a cape. I wonder if he wears his Batman outfit when he's out fighting crime making our streets safer places to live.
What ever business you run you are going to have a small minority that are unhappy, I work for a large food chain and the complaints we get are daft. But the point is some will be unhappy but a large proportion will be helped to a good service.
DHickman/Batman doesnt seem to realise that just because his mate and a few clients are unhappy off set that against the thousands that are!!
P.S DHickman the kids near me are spraying graffiti can you fly over and sort it out please.

DCFC79

The thread is old, why is dragged up

dark1

To be fair, this rating agent is not the worst. Unlike many cowboy fly-by-nights who have come and gone over the years, they do at least have some professional surveyors on their books that will conduct some negotiation where there's an easy settlement to be had. But they are kind of like the McDonalds of rating agents. They make their money on volume, not quality. That is if they can convince thousands of businesses to sign on the dotted line, it only takes a tiny percentage of favourable outcomes to turn a profit for them. The rest just get withdrawn, leaving a lot of people in varying states of dissatisfaction.

DHVL

dark1 wrote: »

To be fair, this rating agent is not the worst. Unlike many cowboy fly-by-nights who have come and gone over the years, they do at least have some professional surveyors on their books that will conduct some negotiation where there's an easy settlement to be had. But they are kind of like the McDonalds of rating agents. They make their money on volume, not quality. That is if they can convince thousands of businesses to sign on the dotted line, it only takes a tiny percentage of favourable outcomes to turn a profit for them. The rest just get withdrawn, leaving a lot of people in varying states of dissatisfaction.

Although this does happen this does not represent the true problem with this particular scam, they claim a fee of a grand up front for simply filling in an online form to submit a rating appeal. The contract and the salesman do not clearly state this. THEY DO NOTHING ELSE APART FROM PUTTING THE DEBT QUICKLY THROUGH THE FAST TRACK SMALL CLAIMS COURT. The victims also find that when they have to submit a claim themselves (with some actual reasons for why a reduction should be given) that the first appeal lodged by the RAB invalidates their own appeal. Yes - not only do they fleece you of a grand they also stuff your chances of sorting out your business rates.

Respectfully yours Oh Dark1
DHVL

torit

Do not part with any money to the Rating Advisory Bureau. I have not come across anyone who has actually saved money. The best thing to do would be to ask them to carry out the work and if they can actually save you money, part with some money to them then -but only if you receive the documentary evidence.

Beware of these sorts of companies.

boobious

I have been approached by DPS who say I have a good case for a rates appeal, but reading the thread, am a bit sceptical as they want around £800 to do the survey and the appeal up front has anyone had any dealing with this company or know if they have been successful, also how would I go about getting my business rates down myself, can someone point me in the right direction.

lincroft1710

Contact a local respected firm of chartered surveyors and ask their opinion and what their charges would be. They won't be asking for any money upfront. You can do the work yourself but make sure you are not in fact underassessed, compare your actual floor area with that quoted on VOA website.

Poor_Little_Shop_Owner

Hi there

I signed a contract after a meeting with a difficult salesman. He said that nothing would need to be paid untill and unless a rates reduction was agreed, and then it would be only £795. Now they're asking for the £795 plus VAT before any reduction has been agreed and will want another 25% of any reduction.

Any advice so so welcome.

hansfritz

Hi,
It seems I have also fallen foul of DPS consultant surveyors. After an initial look around my shop,the "salesman" said there was a few very valid reasons to challenge the rates I was paying. I signed up on the 2/6/2011 to pay £595 + vat for a surveyor's appointment and for them to deal with our local rates office on our behalf. Certainly he seemed very confident of a good result.
Just had a letter from DPS dated 24/01/2012 to tell me that after the survey and negotiations with the valuation office my rating list at £13,750 is fair and reasonable.
So unfortunatly I have lost my £595 .

Please beware of the promises made by the initial contact.

I would not ever recommend DPS. I had to chase up the negotiation results monthly ,with DPS making no effort to contact me at all.

Good luck to all trying to run a small business in these times.