Fresh Start Financial UK (aka Harrington Brooks) - Thoughts? :(

Hbdc

I've been getting calls from these for months and think they must have got my details from a competition I've entered. I've asked each time that my details are removed from their call list and today have asked for the complaints procedure as I still get calls a few times a week. I explained that I do have some debt but am managing it well and have a very good credit rating, they try to encourage me to go on a debt management plan which would affect my credit rating etc. Don't use freshstart or any of these type of companies, check the mse forum for who to go to.

sasha88

PLEASE I NEED ADVICE!!!

My partner signed us up with HB in January this year. We have paid the fees but recently been having problems with them. I've been looking into how our money is distributed and nothings adds up. We paid GOPHER MONEY £150 and the HB £150. They have been taking a fee which was not discussed, they also have been sending money to our creditors but when i look the balance is 0 as they have not agreed to anything. They have meant to be paying littlewoods and looks like they have but when i spoke with littlewoods they haven't had any sort of communication from them. Also they have not received any money either. I spoke with an advisor this evening and raised questions as our initial thought was we had signed an IVA but he confirmed we were indeed in a debt management plan. I was furious!!! I mentioned i had phone calls from other companies stating that i would be in this plan for upto 10 years due to HB fees. I asked the advisor to confirm that we would be debt free after 5 years to which he replied no it will be 102 months!!!!

I have had a major breakdown due to the stress of being in debt and currently on medication as well as regular counselling. And finding all this out has made me incredible worse. Its affecting everything in our life. We have downsized house, sold nearly all our possessions of any value.

I need some advice on how i can try and re claim any of the money back. And make them pay for what they have done. We are currently researching non profitable companies that deal with IVA or DMP. I've requested that HB listen too the initial sales call as they so aptly named it and i am awaiting a response.

PLEASE HELP ME AND MY FAMILY

nick26kuk

Just Read Some Stuff About Harrington Brooks And Man How I Wish I Read That be4 I signed up with those people .same old same old was desperate to start dealing with my debts and went with HB as they presented them self's as the best option.3yrs on and £4000 later am exactly where I was be4 when started .I have now stopped all payments to HB and going to forward all details to financial ombudsman and make it an official complain ...

nick26kuk

Just Read Some Stuff About Harrington Brooks And Man How I Wish I Read That be4 I signed up with those people .same old same old was desperate to start dealing with my debts and went with HB as they presented them self's as the best option.3yrs on and £4000 later am exactly where I was be4 when started .I have now stopped all payments to HB and going to forward all details to financial ombudsman and make it an official complain ...

notavillain

For the people who have had problems with these companies, legally you have a 14 day cooling off period to get a full refund, you are also never in a contract so you can cancel at any time. I appreciate that it can be difficult to get through at times but they can be contacted by email or even on a live Web chat. It may take a day or so to get a response to emails but they do get back to you. Now I know their initial points of contact are pushy but they are being monitored very closely and advisors who are not showing sufficient care for customers or are lying are losing their jobs. The FCA changes are changing the debt management industry for the better and within a few months all companies will have to focus on helping people or will be closed down.

I am not an apologist by any means, I just hope some of this can help those who have had issues.

playerno1

I got myself in to all sorts of debt, by means of gambling etc. I am truly shameful of to the extent of the gambling but it is in the past With so much debt I entered into a debt management plan with Payplan. They are fee free and are a charitable organisation and have helped me out big time. I was getting swamped with demands and court threats from payday loan companies but now I receive nothing. I checked out companies like Harrington Brooks / Fresh Start financial but they are just vulture companies who charge a huge fee upfront and each month, meaning only a small percentage you hand over to them each month actually goes to pay off the debt you owe to your creditors. Other companies include USave and Zebra money management. They either cold call you or buy your details from lead generation companies hoping to persuade you to part with your cash. Please do not have anything to do with any of the four companies I have mentioned. With Payplan I have halved my debt, am on affordable repayments and wont get stung huge fees if I am unable to make a monthly payment. Keep smiling

BOBRICH

Today I spent an hour on the phone with them and they appeared to be very helpful.
Has anybody got a good word to say about them.

Ilona

BOBRICH wrote: »

Today I spent an hour on the phone with them and they appeared to be very helpful.
Has anybody got a good word to say about them.

Doesn't look like it, do you work for them? Nobody should ever pay a fee charging debt management company. Help is free from Stepchange.
Ilona

sourcrates

BOBRICH wrote: »

Today I spent an hour on the phone with them and they appeared to be very helpful.
Has anybody got a good word to say about them.

What is it you believe these people can do for you that you can not do for yourself ???


I take it you can write, and are able to post a letter ?


yes ....... ?


then congratulations, you can make lots of money from desperate people just by doing the above, I wish I had thought of it sooner !!!!!

Stu1405

I've had issues with these clowns too.
After Barclays said they weren't able to approve me for a consolidation loan, I assumed that no others would either, after all I've been with Barclays for more than ten years now and in the past two years have managed to pay £760 per months into loans and never missed a payment in the years I've had them.
Last month I did a web search about debt management and consolidations etc. Harrington Brooks called me the next day after I registered on a website for 'carefully selected' partner companies to contact me- why I did this I don't know, desperation I guess. Anyway, the advisor was very friendly and seemed to understand the difficulties I was having. Having had sleepless nights for a long time I was desperate and vulnerable and eventually thought 'do you know what just go for it'. Harrington Brooks offered me a package to be debt free in 4 years by paying them £317 a month for the duration including my credit card balance, very attractive compared to the £760 + credit card per month I was paying before. I was immediately sent a letter to sign and return as soon as possible and paid my first month upfront of £317. During the 14 day cooling off period I held off returning the letters they'd sent me on the off chance that I was able to sort something for myself, which I was......hooray! I secured a consolidation loan with Sainsburys over four years with lower monthly payments than I was offered with HB!
So on around the 10th day of the 14 day cooling off period I contacted HB and informed them that I wish to cancel my account and I would like the refund I'm entitled to, firstly by phone then something told me that I couldn't trust them, so I emailed to get it in writing that the account had been cancelled......what a surprise, no reply! So then I called again a couple of days later and still within the cooling off period to be told 'oh that account hasn't been cancelled' 'let me put you through to your accountant' so I spoke to him and was assured it had been cancelled and I will receive a refund in three working days and also got an email from him saying the account had been closed and a refund was being processed. So again, I waited and three days later no refund had arrived in my account. I then called again to be told 'actually it can take up to 14 days'. 17 days after cancellation I still haven't received any money! The latest I've been told is that a refund is being processed and they're not sure why it hasn't gone through yet. Does anyone know what action I can take to get this money back from these idiots?

Stu