Paid Natwest For Survey But...

anuvidy

I paid natwest around £ 810 for a 'full structural' survey when I applied for my mortgage. No terms and conditions were given to me. I wasn't happy when the survey was sent to me. Natwest investigated my complaint and have now told me that they farme dout the survey to Legal and General who then farmed out the survey to Metropolis, and that it is Metropolis I must speak to in order to resolve my complaint. I've pointed out that it's Natwest I paid, and therefore Natwest from whom I expect the service, and that if they want me to deal directly with a 4th party, I want my money back - Natwest don't deserve margin for providing exactly zero service. They have declined. I know some of you would say I should just speak with Metropolis, but I put a serious amount ofmoney through Natwest, and pay for private banking, so I do feel that I shoulld get more than a 'nothing to do with us'.

Alter_ego

I agree, your contract is with Nat w. Pursue it further up their chain of command. In writing is always best.

JQ.

It is nothing to do with them. You do need to speak to Metropolis, your complaint is with them and you do have a relationship with them, they are not a 4th Party. Nat West made the arrangements on your behalf that is all. You could have arranged your own survey, but presumably chose to let Nat West do it as it was more convenient.

Metropolis will have a complaints procedure in place, find out what it is and take the necessary action.

G_M

Do both!

Look up the complaints procedures for both NatWest and Metroplis, and write separate letters to each.

anuvidy

JQ there are two reasons I disagree with you (though I respect your opinion and appreciate you taking the time to respond). Firstly service. I assume that Natwest taking £ 810 from me and paying the ultimate service provider pennies in the pound means that they're giving me a service for that margin ? An example outside banking would be if you're not happy at the state of the rubbish collections in your area you complain to the council you pay council tax to, not the third or fourth party they've outsourced to. Secondly if as you say they simply arranged it for my convenience they should have given me Ts and Cs to that effect, which they didn't. Had i known that all they were doing was making a phonecall to Metropolis - I may have saved a few hundred doing that myself, directly. IN fact funnily enough they thought they'd asked L&G to do the survey and only found out that L&G outsourced it after my complaint. So I have to disagree and say that your answer would be most convenient for the bank, but that when they offered me the full structural and a price, it was as a service, not as my PA.

G_M I have in fact done as you've said, but my intention is that once they've told me their final position in writing I'll take them to small claims for the full fee. Whatever the outcome, it can't cost me more than the £ 80 going to small claims, but it will certainly cost the bank far more than that.

anuvidy

Can anyone guess that I'm angry ? Maybe bailing out the banks, then watching all my services being cut, and then paying for private banking and then being told to deal directly with 3rd and 4th parties just isn't good enough !

G_M

anuvidy wrote: »

G_M I have in fact done as you've said, but my intention is that once they've told me their final position in writing I'll take them to small claims for the full fee.

Then I fail to see the point of your post.

Wait for the result of the two complaints investigations.

This is not a forum for the venting of rage, it's for requesting/providing monetsaving advice. You clearly don't need advice.

anuvidy

Perhaps I was hoping that somebody else's experience might assist or inform my case.

vikingaero

Easy, use NatWests complaints service, they'll probably fob you off, then ask for a deadlock letter and make a complaint to the FOS.

Grogged

Initially you can only use the complaints service.
Also dropping (not so) subtle hints to your private banking manager that a change of bank is in order may also help.

JQ.

Fair enough, I'm just telling you how it is. Feel free to ignore me, but you're wasting your time with Nat West, perhaps you should have asked for a copy of the T&C's before you paid them £810.

There will be terms and conditions attached to the rear of the Valuation report that Metropolis provided directly to you, which will detail the complaints procedure.

Banks do not provide Valuation Reports or Surveys, never have, never will - they have to receive Independant advice on loan security, hence why they instruct 3rd parties to complete the reports. Nat West have not provided a service to you, they have arranged for Metropolis to provide a service to you, which they have - directly.

Firms of Chartered Surveyors such as Metropolis have Professional Indemnity Insurance to cover issues such as this - any claim you want to make therefore needs to be directed at Metropolis. I doubt they'd actually make a claim, if your complaint is upheld they'd probably just refund your money.

I realise you're angry, but banging your head at Nat West's door will just make you angrier and provide no solution. The only way you will get this resolved is following the compaints procedure provided by Metropolis - that's why it's there.