To those BUYING in these difficult times....

Skint_Catt

tyler80 wrote: »

Picked up the keys today.

Not the end of the stress though, I've now got to deal with the utility companies :eek:

We're planning to continue with the current ones until a month or two down the line to space out the stress!

Well our vendors are still on for completion on the 19th but it's the chap above him (who promised to move into rented if he was holding things up) that is trying to delay by a week :mad: EA tells us our vendors sols (also been dragging their feet) are a problem in every sale they deal with - typical! They could have mentioned that to our vendors before now!

ChrisEvanson

It makes me chuckle... sorry. Dealing with the utilities - stress?! You simply choose your new provider and tell them, and submit meter readings when asked! Or do it online. Absolute doddle. Also (again sorry I am not mocking as I know how stress affects people differently) I am amazed people are getting stressed having exchanged and completing in weeks. We wanted to exchange a week before but the days dripped away to the day we had planned it, and we didn't know for sure until that morning that it would actually happen after all. We had booked a man with van and taken time off work etc. It all happened on that last day but we couldn't get in because vendor had only supplied a key to an inner door and locked outer doors and left keys inside. So we ended up having to get our solicitor to insist the estate agents sorted it (got locksmith out).

Now THAT was stress!

tyler80

Or in our case, you choose a new provider, give meter readings, set up direct debit - easy peasy. Then still got to sign up with existing provider apparently. It takes 4 phone calls to be given the right number and they then want an 80 pound payment up front or a 78 quid monthly direct debit. So now I've got to pay that and claim it back in 4 weeks.

When things go wrong dealing with utility companies is hell. It took me 2 years and several engineer visits and a 3 page letter to get severn Trent to bill us correctly for a flat we'd already moved out of.

I've had the council issue debt collection letter to my parents address when in fact they owed me money.

Solicitors and house buying were easy in comparison.

tleefox

Have you tried going through uswitch? We've done it twice in 2 years now just to keep our bills down and it has been totally stress free - the only thing we have had to do, as someone else has said, is give them meter readings online when asked.

Plus, if you go through a cashback website like Quidco you will get cashback?

Apologies if this sounds like a sales pitch - it isn't!

TwistedPsycho

ChrisEvanson wrote: »

It makes me chuckle... sorry. Dealing with the utilities - stress?! You simply choose your new provider and tell them, and submit meter readings when asked! Or do it online. Absolute doddle.

and do it via one of the quote websites that comes with a crate of wine so you can toast the hassle and stress when its all over.....

madhouseof4

The battle of the solicitors has begun today. We were supposed to have exchanged contracts on our repo last Friday (12th) but our buyers people are bloody useless, one of these internet only firms. We had been informed that the searches were not back and would not be back until today, so have been expecting exchange today and completion tomorrow. Our solicitor worked hard to get the extension from the asset management company, for either exchange today or exchange & complete tomorrow. I was informed by my buyer last night that she has no idea where we got the 18th as a date and that there is a search outstanding, is expected tomorrow but more than likely exchange will not take place until Monday and then wants completion 6 working days after exchange. Needless to say I am incensed right now and am fighting my gut instinct of telling the buyers to take a long walk off a short pier. We had 2 offers on our house on the same day but went with these people because their position was stronger, they are in rented, supposedly had a mortgage in place. They don't seem to understand that if we lose our purchase, they will lose this house as I won't see my kids homeless.

On top of that, we paid upfront to insure the house from supposed exchange (12th), we paid to have our mail redirected from Monday, hubby has arranged to take time off work etc, the deposit for the removal van, we already informed sky (phone/broadband etc) that we were moving this weekend. All money down the drain.

Skint_Catt

Stress is trying to get BT to flick a switch to turn your bloody phone/broadband on after 12 WEEKS of waiting because you need to work from home! That's what I hate and why I will never deal with BT again!

Vendors sols (not the vendor!) tried to delay ANOTHER week - we've refused and have agreed with the vendor to exchange early next week and complete a week tomorrow - won't be holding my breath.... all being held up by the chap at the top of the chain of three who's moving into a bloody empty property! :mad:

tyler80

We're waiting for our cable to be installed next week, it'll be a miracle if it all goes to plan judging on past experience. I've never once managed to move somewhere that has a bt line just waiting to be activated unfortunately.

Our last rental has a phone line with a dial tone, you could even do the bt tests on it and find out the phone number. But BT insisted it wasn't theirs and various calls to various providers didn't yield any clues so we ended up having to get cable instead.

ChrisEvanson

madhouseof4 wrote: »

The battle of the solicitors has begun today. We were supposed to have exchanged contracts on our repo last Friday (12th) but our buyers people are bloody useless, one of these internet only firms. We had been informed that the searches were not back and would not be back until today, so have been expecting exchange today and completion tomorrow. Our solicitor worked hard to get the extension from the asset management company, for either exchange today or exchange & complete tomorrow. I was informed by my buyer last night that she has no idea where we got the 18th as a date and that there is a search outstanding, is expected tomorrow but more than likely exchange will not take place until Monday and then wants completion 6 working days after exchange. Needless to say I am incensed right now and am fighting my gut instinct of telling the buyers to take a long walk off a short pier. We had 2 offers on our house on the same day but went with these people because their position was stronger, they are in rented, supposedly had a mortgage in place. They don't seem to understand that if we lose our purchase, they will lose this house as I won't see my kids homeless.

On top of that, we paid upfront to insure the house from supposed exchange (12th), we paid to have our mail redirected from Monday, hubby has arranged to take time off work etc, the deposit for the removal van, we already informed sky (phone/broadband etc) that we were moving this weekend. All money down the drain.

But you have hit the nail on the head as to why 99% of people will stick with it because you hope against hope it will still go through, you know if you tell them to get stuffed you will not only lose all that money already invested but will guaranteed not complete at all until you start the process all over again.

tyler80

Uswitch isn't an option as the house is currently on an economy 7 tariff and we don't want to be.

Just received the first bill from severn trent which is based on ratable value despite the fact the search said there is a meter and we've seen the meter!

I must have been bad in a previous life, none of my dealings with utility companies have ever been straightforward