Fox & Sons

Reviewed by Kenyon on 26th June 2009

Services: Sales (Prospective customer)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: EJ3.JIB.ERQ.9VB

Pushy, rude and they tried to make you see their mortgage advisor otherwise they wouldn’t give you a viewing for a number of days. If you are thinking of putting your house on the market with them, don’t, they scare away perfectly good potential buyers. Rubbish!

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Reviewed by 123brightonnewbie on 24th June 2009

Services: Sales (as a Buyer)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  Yes
IP address: SZN.TTN.S7T.UDN

I cant believe people have had such bad experiences with Fox and Sons. I have no hesitations in recommending the Brighton branch.

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Reviewed by Tourist 23 on 18th June 2009

Services: Sales (Prospective customer)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: TUG.S9G.UN9.T7Z

I am at my wits end trying to make the Romsey branch communicate with me. Having put my house on the market with them and being assured, as is everyone, that they just needed 'to get them in the door', I waited for the viewings. There were some actually but could I get any feedback from the Agent? Never! I've had to contact them every single time, sometimes having waited over a week, and I too have had the same story about "Couldn't get hold of you" or "couldn't get hold of the viewer". I have now had three very long conversations and a meeting with the Manager to explain the imp[ortance of communication but now, a fortnight after the last viewing I am still waiting for feedback, despite yet another reminder. Today I am giving them notice. I'm fed up chasing them all the time. I thought they weren't that busy at the moment?

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Reviewed by Buzz on 10th June 2009

Services: Sales (as a Buyer)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: S9U.SZZ.UDU.UNG

I am an Independent Financial Adviser, not a prospective customer. Some facts about this lovely company..

1. They will practically force you to see their mortgage adviser - if you do not take your mortgage through their broker with their limited lender panel, they will probably not even inform the vendor about your offer.

2. I know of two instances where they have not too subtly hinted that you may get the property cheaper if you use their adviser.

3. The "manager" of a branch close to me patted a sole female viewer on her backside on the way out the door. I joke not.

I could go on. They lie to people every day, they are breaking every regulation in the book and I hope some day soon it all comes crashing down round their ears.

If anyone reading this thinks I am bitter because Ihave lost a few prospective clients to their bullying and lies, well at the time, I was. Fortunately I have a solid business now and it doesn't worry me. However their bullying tactics, their complete lack of professionalism and their flouting of every regulation going needs to be aired.

Do not use this company for anything. I wouldn't let them wash my car for free, they would either scratch it or ask me if I wanted a mortgage on it.

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Reviewed by Where are you? on 20th May 2009

Services: Lettings (as a Tennant)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: 9FE.EVE.9VX.93E

As many others have warned... Stay away from this company. I believe there are all sorts of communications going on in the background that shouldn't be.

The first mistake we made was to accept a shorthold tenancy on a property one month before we were due to leave our live in work accomodation. No, apparently this wasn't long enough. It took them 5 weeks to get all the paperwork done and give us the keys. By paperwork we all know his means printing out pre-drafted/saved contracts and documents. They couln't even get the date right on our conract.

Towards the end of our tenency there was a very bad leak in our lounge. We didn't even want to turn the light on because of watermarks on the ceiling, and we had to move our blongings out of the room. We spoke to the Landlords builder who said he has informed our landord that this would happen repeatedly, months previously. He did not get anything done. We were thinking for staying another 6 months and had even filled out the forms. No phonecalls from anybody. We phoned Plymouth branch who told us to phone Cardiff, who then told us to speak to the branch again and so on. There was no hint of concern or action being taken by anyone, no updates. We were just left there in a stinking flat. Finally 4 days later I got very angry and actually made them react/do something and get their own contractor out to stop the water coming down. So, due to his own detriment and very strange mentality our completely negligent landlord didn't fix his roof when advised. He lost two good tenants and now has some heavy repair expenses, much more than they would have been. Very strange!

I am also writing this on day 9 after receiving our checkout report. Unless there is a dispute it is 10 days by law your deposit has to be back with you. Still they can't seem to get hold of our illusive landlord, he also needs to respond to our letter of complaint.... or is he that illusive something makes me think they are concocting some stories because they are worried I will take this further.

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Reviewed by Mr Catt on 27th April 2009

Services: Sales (as a Vendor)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  Yes
IP address: S9U.SZM.ULG.U7M

Professional, and got us more than the little local agent told us was possible.

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Reviewed by SPIKE on 8th April 2009

Services: Lettings (Prospective customer)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: SZT.S5Z.T77.UN9

Please, please heed my warning and steer clear of this company!! Especially the Eastbourne branch.

-Really intrusive credit check form ( everthing but blood type and inside leg measurement!)

-Badly informed staff ( resulting in losing me money)

-Air of corporate supertority (we are better than you because you are just a tenant!)

-Basically, made me feel like I had been robbed, when due to their sortcomings and lack of information they refused to give my money back, because it had been "allocated". ( I would not have proceeded if the information had been in place at the beginning! )

-Bitter, sore losers when put on the back foot. ( the same property i viewed with fox & sons was on with another agent and I enquired with them. Fox & Sons bad-mouthed me to the landlord saying I was a bad bet and bad-mouthed the other very nice, professional agent too! All because Fox & Sons feared that they would lose me and the property. They basically ruined my chances at getting the property and the other agents, all because they had lost out. Not very professional and very childish.)

-The whole attitude of the company is COMPUTER SAYS NO! ( some times a personal touch really helps and this company are all souless corporate sheep.

So again I warn. Please, please do use Fox & Sons, even if your life depends on it.

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Reviewed by munchkin on 4th February 2009

Services: Sales (Prospective customer)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: TUT.U9G.UGM.UZG

I have all my finances in place, iam a first time buyer and in a very good position, i go to fox and sons in brighton, trying to buy a property with them, and encounter nothing but problems.

Firstly they tell us, even if the seller accepts our offer if we dont take a mortgage with them they will keep it on the market. Then they accuse my partner of lying when he says he already has a mortgage. They say the seller requested that any potential buyers must have a mortgage through them so there is no risk!! So we go and see the seller and thay don't know or never said anything of the sort.

They still have not got back to us about our offer and they have i reckon told the seller we are high risk!! We have had to go into the office and show our mortgage details, bank statements ect.. and still no reply to our offer!

I am going to call the ombudsman in the morning and contact my solicitor to see where to go next! And they still haven't told the seller of ou offer!!!!! I also recorded all conversations for proof. They cant keep treating people like this.

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Reviewed by would be seller on 6th July 2008

Services: Sales (Prospective customer)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: 3PW.3HP.WSC.3BK

They told us prices are dropping so fast in our area that we would be lucky to get last years prices (before they went up). This goes against everything that has been said in the papers and on the internet.

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Reviewed by a14 on 13th March 2008

Services: Lettings (as a Landlord)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: WHP.WKA.3CY.3BA

Reviewed by kym on 20th February 2008

Services: Sales (Prospective customer)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: UEC.UEC.8D4.45N

Reviewed by Shiraz on 7th February 2008

Services: Sales (as a Buyer)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: 7MB.003.7M0.0D4

Needed constant chasing, didn't take us seriously as buyers and insisted on leaving the property on the market just because we didn't take out a mortgage through them (we were tied in to a fixed rate with our lender anyway!). Basically they were rubbish and we only used them as they were the sole agent on the property we were buying, so had no choice!

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Reviewed by crissriz on 6th September 2007

Services: Lettings (as a Tennant)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: 80B.770.B38.0B7

Our experience with Fox and Sons has been the worst we ever experienced in our life. We lived in three countries and travelled the world, but never encountered such a poor service as we did with this company.

The lack of knowledge and professionalism have shown in all the communication. Actually the only time when the agency communicated with us was when they needed to let us know that the landlord would visit us. Otherwise, we have been waiting and waiting for answers at our questions.

They mislead us from the very beginning with information given about the house, with the fee for the inventory (which over night "raised") and with promises that problems would be solved.

A very disappointing experience. When we are ready to buy a house, we definitely won't use this company and we will never recommend anyone to use their awful services.

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Reviewed by Hathi on 7th June 2007

Services: Sales (as a Vendor)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: M0R.MBM.0RM.B3D

Trying to sell our house through Fox and Sons Eastleigh was one of the worst moves we ever made. Their manager was very helpful and positive at the valuation, but this was in reality the only good point I can think of.

They were 'confident' they could get 'feet through the door' at the price we agreed, but failed miserably. In 8 weeks we had 7 booked viewings of which one actually turned up. They constantly claimed to have been 'trying to contact us' despite having every contact number under the sun for us (with multiple voicemails).

They placed the house on Rightmove but when I phoned to report it didn't come up under our area it took me five attempts (with no returned calls) to get them to vaguely say they thought this was an issue with the website.

I would not recommend this branch to anyone bar my worst enemies.

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Reviewed by vicky on 25th May 2007

Services: Sales (Prospective customer)
Property: Residential
Experience: Would you use the agent again?  No
IP address: XB8.UEX.BUU.B00

That old lady there is a sure shrew. She sold the house we offered on to a cash buyer[or so she says]. First they insist we use their financial advisor and their conveyancing. The FA is not supposed to disclose our personal information and observations to anyone but has given his idea about us as a high risk. so we lost that lovely house with beautiful landscaped garden and a childrens playground at rear.

Still what did I do? The following week I showed that old cow our mortgage agreed on principle. Later she showed us a house which was also marketed by few other estate agents. I took my revenge and bought that house through the other agent. She tried treatening and all other nasty tricks for commision. nothing worked though. Someone should teach agents lessons about hurt & gazumping.

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