99 home website refusing to give a refund before receiving passport & confidential documents

Spank

Mike1l said:

camelot1971 said:

Estate and lettings agents are legally required to obtain identify information as part of the money laundering regulations. You are the one being suspicious by refusing to provide the relevant documentation.

Since when are you obliged to provide your passport, your proof of property ownership, and a proof of address to a call centre in India in order to get a refund?! Especially before any service has been provided.

Just because they have outsourced their phone's to India doesn't make them dodgy (a lot of companies do that to save money).
I doubt that you will be sending documents to India (maybe electronically).
If you want your money back It looks like you have to do it.

Mike1l

hollydays said:

I thought everyone established it was a reputable company? I was talking hyperthetically, from the laws point of view.

They have a London phone number, but it redirects to a call centre in India, they have plenty of negative reviews to which  they respond to "FAKE REVIEW" on Google, their positive reviews seem quite shady, this is not a company to give your confidential information to.

Mike1l

Spank said:

Just because they have outsourced their phone's to India doesn't make them dodgy (a lot of companies do that to save money).
I doubt that you will be sending documents to India (maybe electronically).
If you want your money back It looks like you have to do it.

I agree with you on that, but it seems dodgy that they still want my confidential information before issuing a refund even though they have done zero work for me. Doesn't Consumer Rights Act make it so that important information about products/services can't be hidden in terms and conditions? Their page where this product is advertised makes no mention of having to give them any confidential information!

LilElvis

You can't rely on the Consumer Rights Act because you're not a consumer, you're a business.

hollydays

They have premesis in Wembley, so it seems that's where you would be expected to post your I/d to.

LadyDee

From their website Anti-Money-Laundering-documents-check-list
in accordance with money-laundering-regulations-2007-supervision-of-estate-agency-businesses

Mike1l

LilElvis said:

You can't rely on the Consumer Rights Act because you're not a consumer, you're a business.

Why am I business, and not a consumer?

davidmcn

Mike1l said:

LilElvis said:

You can't rely on the Consumer Rights Act because you're not a consumer, you're a business.

Why am I business, and not a consumer?

Because you're a landlord advertising commercial premises for rent.

Spank

Mike1l said:

LilElvis said:

You can't rely on the Consumer Rights Act because you're not a consumer, you're a business.

Why am I business, and not a consumer?

Because your leasing a shop, it's a business

Mike1l

davidmcn said:

Because you're a landlord advertising commercial premises for rent.

Is there anything similar to Consumer Rights that applies to businesses? I don't even own the shop, I just wanted to find someone to over as my business had closed down due to COVID-19.