Purplebricks rip off merchants??

bassy1000

Hi has anyone else had an issue with Purplebricks when trying to get out of usung there conveyancers? We were told by the useless estate agent that we could defer payment by agreeing to use there conveyancers no mention of £360!! If we decided later not to use. When queried with the rudest person in there head office I think they must have I was told it didn’t matter that we weren’t told it’s in the t and c when I asked what page he said there are no page numbers and the only thing I could find says there would be an admin fee ... but no mention of £360 honestly please please do not use them they are like Ryan air on the surface looks good value when you add up everything else and the hassle of using them not worth it !

hazyjo

Search the forum for Purple Bricks to find many many posts on people's experiences and opinions.

They don't have the best reputation on here, and many wouldn't view a property up with them.

pinkshoes

I would be asking them to justify their £360 as this seems excessive for an admin fee for a service that was not used. If it just says 'admin fee' then that is all they can charge.

jon81uk

Its in the terms to be fair.
https://www.purplebricks.co.uk/terms/service-agreement/

PAYMENT TERMS – EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

 PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

If you choose to Pay Later you shall make payment in full of the Product Service Fee when any of the following occurs, whichever happens first:

• When the property sells and the legal process is complete or
• If you withdraw your instructions for us to market the property or
• If you choose not to use the Conveyancing Services or
• Ten months from the date your property listing is published.
  

Please note: If you choose not to use the Conveyancing Services the Administration Charges are payable.  If you do not wish to take advantage of the Conveyancing Services, then payment on instruction is the best option for you.

Under definitions "‘Administration Charges’ means the sum of three hundred and sixty pounds including VAT (£360.00)."

If you didn't want to use their conveyancing you should have paid the Product Service Fee upfront.

I agree £360 is a lot of money, but you could have avoided it by paying the listing fee upfront.

eddddy

pinkshoes said:

I would be asking them to justify their £360 as this seems excessive for an admin fee for a service that was not used. If it just says 'admin fee' then that is all they can charge.

£360 is likely to be about the amount that the Conveyancing Service pays PB as a referral fee. So if you don't use the Conveyancing Service, PB expect you to pay them instead. As above, it's clearly stated in their contract terms.

So it's probably worth bearing in mind that the conveyancing fee you're charged includes about £360 for PB, so it may not be particularly good value.