43% sales valuation accuracy
29% sales fee satisfaction
67% lettings valuation accuracy
55% lettings fee satisfaction
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Jul 31,2017
Jul 31,2017
6
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Firstly, I am fully aware that each member of staff has their job to do. This is not the issue at hand. I am also aware that there are many legalities to comply with at your agency and that is not the issue either. These things are completely understandable and are in no means what I have to issue a complaint over today. However, I am truly horrified by the way in which one of your employees has spoken to my guarantor. This is by no means customer service and I believe completely lets you down as an agency.
There were communication errors between my guarantor and the agency which led to confusion on both ends. This was never taken into account by Cavenders. My guarantor is in Vietnam until August 7th. You would like her paperwork for the 5th. Once again, understandable. However, the lack of consideration into the fact there was miscommunication at first on both ends that led to the initial discrepancy, there is no physical way of getting the paperwork to you before the date requested. As stated in the latest email received from David, you have legalities in place and yes- this is completely fair enough. My issue here is that you showed no compassion or understanding towards a woman who is willing to guarantee one of your tenants. It is not a personal fault on either ends for the miscommunication but it is a personal fault when your member of staff does not take this fault into consideration and why it has then effected the further process. This failure to communicate adequately has resulted in the elongation of this process and increasingly, it's difficulty.
As stated previously, my complaint is not about the agency itself- it is about the service provided by David, one of the company's employees. The email was sent on Saturday 29th of July 2017. My first issue of the email being that David addresses his personal dispute with my guarantor, yet cc'd in all other tenants and their guarantors likewise. This is completely unprofessional on his behalf. If he wished to address my guarantor on such a personal matter, this should have been done so without exploiting his differences with her for others to see. I understand it's important to cc' in tenants and guarantors the majority of time when it's to do with a shared property but this was a personal matter between one tenant, guarantor and the agency. Sending the email to everyone else was completely inconsiderate to her especially with it's sarcastic and rude tone.
David may be correct that the email was sent to all parties on the same date however, this was evidently not received by all on the same date which led to the miscommunication in the first place as previously stated in an email paper trail between the guarantor and himself. Fair enough Mia was not in the office on the Saturday (that is nor her or my guarantors fault) but leaving my guarantor less than 24 hours to arrange getting these documents to you was unreasonable considering she had contacted you prior and it was not her fault that no-one was there to respond. The fact you did not receive her tenancy agreement but did receive her signed deeds of guarantee exposes the miscommunication between both parties. The sarcastic phrase ‘I was a little surprised' should never be used again when talking to your clients as it comes across extremely belittling and rude. My guarantor had obviously done her best to comply with your wishes and rush to get these sent to you before flying abroad yet you had the audacity to then belittle her which I just think is disgusting customer service.
David would also like to point out in the email that 'this has to date never been an issue with any guarantors or tenants previously and I have never had this discussion before.' Why is this even relevant? This is a personal situation between your agency and a guarantor. It is completely unnecessary to impose opinion-as-fact towards someone about other guarantors and their behaviour. This situation isn't about other people you've dealt with. This should be about my guarantor and the issues at hand with your agency. ‘I was a little surprised' myself David by this alleged fact and that you used information about the majority of your guarantors/tenants in order to belittle a specific case.
After beginning the email stating this Thank you for the reply. Thank you for your point confirming when you will be back in the country, I understand that the documents will not physically be with me on the Monday however on route in the following day or so you then conclude your email saying As previously mentioned we will require your signed tenancy agreement before we can allow this tenancy to commence. Failure for us to receive this will mean that the commencement of the tenancy cannot go ahead. These statements juxtapose each other. I don't understand what you want my guarantor to do myself so I'm not quite sure how she's supposed to interpret this. Are you implying she must fly back from Vietnam to get the documents to you for the tenancy to commence? Or are you saying that you're happy for the tenancy to commence two days later than planned once you have the signed tenancy agreement? Or are you implying the tenancy can't go ahead at all if my guarantor cannot fly back from Vietnam to provide you with the documentation before the 5th? Who knows? I sure don't. These parts of your email are very contradicting and nothing is clear. No wonder my guarantor had such miscommunication with you earlier on. Maybe if your emails were more to the point and clear, we could actually establish what needs to be done to meet your needs and would not have to be on the ends of such bad service.
So overall, the email sent to my guarantor on the 29th July lacked professionalism and good service. In fact, the way in which she was spoken to offended me so much that I've had to spend time out of my day to write a complaint about it. I do not wish to witness anyone else spoken to like this. All David has done is continuously mention the problems at hand but offer no solutions. Anyone who works in any realm of customer service should at least try to offer alternate solutions. I'm surprised the manager of an estate agency can't even make some simple suggestions. This is one of the fundamental basics of good service.
There were communication errors between my guarantor and the agency which led to confusion on both ends. This was never taken into account by Cavenders. My guarantor is in Vietnam until August 7th. You would like her paperwork for the 5th. Once again, understandable. However, the lack of consideration into the fact there was miscommunication at first on both ends that led to the initial discrepancy, there is no physical way of getting the paperwork to you before the date requested. As stated in the latest email received from David, you have legalities in place and yes- this is completely fair enough. My issue here is that you showed no compassion or understanding towards a woman who is willing to guarantee one of your tenants. It is not a personal fault on either ends for the miscommunication but it is a personal fault when your member of staff does not take this fault into consideration and why it has then effected the further process. This failure to communicate adequately has resulted in the elongation of this process and increasingly, it's difficulty.
As stated previously, my complaint is not about the agency itself- it is about the service provided by David, one of the company's employees. The email was sent on Saturday 29th of July 2017. My first issue of the email being that David addresses his personal dispute with my guarantor, yet cc'd in all other tenants and their guarantors likewise. This is completely unprofessional on his behalf. If he wished to address my guarantor on such a personal matter, this should have been done so without exploiting his differences with her for others to see. I understand it's important to cc' in tenants and guarantors the majority of time when it's to do with a shared property but this was a personal matter between one tenant, guarantor and the agency. Sending the email to everyone else was completely inconsiderate to her especially with it's sarcastic and rude tone.
David may be correct that the email was sent to all parties on the same date however, this was evidently not received by all on the same date which led to the miscommunication in the first place as previously stated in an email paper trail between the guarantor and himself. Fair enough Mia was not in the office on the Saturday (that is nor her or my guarantors fault) but leaving my guarantor less than 24 hours to arrange getting these documents to you was unreasonable considering she had contacted you prior and it was not her fault that no-one was there to respond. The fact you did not receive her tenancy agreement but did receive her signed deeds of guarantee exposes the miscommunication between both parties. The sarcastic phrase ‘I was a little surprised' should never be used again when talking to your clients as it comes across extremely belittling and rude. My guarantor had obviously done her best to comply with your wishes and rush to get these sent to you before flying abroad yet you had the audacity to then belittle her which I just think is disgusting customer service.
David would also like to point out in the email that 'this has to date never been an issue with any guarantors or tenants previously and I have never had this discussion before.' Why is this even relevant? This is a personal situation between your agency and a guarantor. It is completely unnecessary to impose opinion-as-fact towards someone about other guarantors and their behaviour. This situation isn't about other people you've dealt with. This should be about my guarantor and the issues at hand with your agency. ‘I was a little surprised' myself David by this alleged fact and that you used information about the majority of your guarantors/tenants in order to belittle a specific case.
After beginning the email stating this Thank you for the reply. Thank you for your point confirming when you will be back in the country, I understand that the documents will not physically be with me on the Monday however on route in the following day or so you then conclude your email saying As previously mentioned we will require your signed tenancy agreement before we can allow this tenancy to commence. Failure for us to receive this will mean that the commencement of the tenancy cannot go ahead. These statements juxtapose each other. I don't understand what you want my guarantor to do myself so I'm not quite sure how she's supposed to interpret this. Are you implying she must fly back from Vietnam to get the documents to you for the tenancy to commence? Or are you saying that you're happy for the tenancy to commence two days later than planned once you have the signed tenancy agreement? Or are you implying the tenancy can't go ahead at all if my guarantor cannot fly back from Vietnam to provide you with the documentation before the 5th? Who knows? I sure don't. These parts of your email are very contradicting and nothing is clear. No wonder my guarantor had such miscommunication with you earlier on. Maybe if your emails were more to the point and clear, we could actually establish what needs to be done to meet your needs and would not have to be on the ends of such bad service.
So overall, the email sent to my guarantor on the 29th July lacked professionalism and good service. In fact, the way in which she was spoken to offended me so much that I've had to spend time out of my day to write a complaint about it. I do not wish to witness anyone else spoken to like this. All David has done is continuously mention the problems at hand but offer no solutions. Anyone who works in any realm of customer service should at least try to offer alternate solutions. I'm surprised the manager of an estate agency can't even make some simple suggestions. This is one of the fundamental basics of good service.
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Address
Cavender
19 Epsom Road
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 3JT
01483 457728
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 43% | 29% | £230,000 | £230,000 |
| Lettings | 67% | 55% | £795 | £2,200 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Areas covered
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
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Dec 31,2023
Dec 31,2023
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Just rude and aggressive staff. Matt especially was outright lying to us and so unprofessional. Not someone I would want to have any dealings with. There was absolutely no call for his rudeness and lies....
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Sep 14,2022
Sep 14,2022
1
people found
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Terrible
Incompetent
Landlord released our deposit but yet they are dragging out payment. Leaving as in a terrible position
Landlord wrote 3 mails and cc then in thread and they still refused. We approved in 2 separate mails and again. But they are dragging and making excuses ...
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Apr 01,2021
Apr 01,2021
4
people found
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this helpful
Had a nightmare experience with Cavender. They promised repairs, professional cleaning and removal of furniture prior to my moving in. The landlord and I both signed the contract and I paid my deposit and first month's rent. I visited the property two days before the ...
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Mar 28,2021
Mar 28,2021
5
people found
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this helpful
I do not have experience with letting agents but this one did not leave me pleased at all.
I contacted via email that I would like to arrange a viewing of one flat in Guildford.
Initially, it was all ok except for the agent asking ...
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Mar 05,2021
Mar 05,2021
0
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Cavender were really helpful in finding us a new rental in Guildford. In particular, Isla Ward was very helpful, friendly and very professional. I'd recommend both Isla and Cavender....
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Nov 25,2020
Nov 25,2020
3
people found
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We have moved out months ago and they still didn't refund us our deposit. We have also contacted many times them and no response. Whenever we had issues in the house, we would contact them again and no one would come to fix it. In ...
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Sep 16,2020
Sep 16,2020
4
people found
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DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY, THEY HAVE REFUSED TO RETURN HOLDING PAYMENTS, ADVISED BY SHELTER TO GO TO COURT. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY AS THEY HAVE BROKEN THE LAW.THIS IS A FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS AND CAN NOT BE TRUSTED. MATHEW JOHN CAVENDER IS ...
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Sep 23, 2020
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This case is a matter of the Guildford small claim court as you have failed to returned monies. You are lawfully not allowed to hold back monies. Reference fees of £195 should not be passed to new tenants as per the legislation hence the county courts are dealing with case. Shelter have stated you are not allowed to keep holding payments regardless what excuse you have used Matthew John Cavender. Will see you in courts as you and your company will not be allowed to get away with this anymore. I ...
Jul 10,2020
Jul 10,2020
0
people found
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We were very satisfied and happy with the service Isla Ward provided.
She was very professional yet friendly and helpful, honest and followed up after our viewing.
She made the experience very positive!...
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Feb 09,2020
Feb 09,2020
0
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Have recently gone through the renting process with Cavender, Isla was very helpful and got us set up, good communication and easy to deal with, a stress free process and very happy....
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Feb 03,2020
Feb 03,2020
0
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Very happy with the service. Isla was very helpful nice and friendly. Now I found the perfect house for my family. Recommend 100 % the Cavender agency....
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Jan 20,2020
Jan 20,2020
0
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Excellent customer service!
As student first time renters we are new to this process. Daniella, the agent assigned to us has been extremely helpful. We've had a lot of questions during the entire process and she's been able to answer the vast amount we had ...
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Jan 20,2020
Jan 20,2020
0
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Sarah from maintenance is absolutely fantastic. Nothing is too much trouble and she handles any issue with efficiency and professionalism. She is a pleasure to deal with. Great asset to your business
Suzanne White...
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Nov 08,2019
Nov 08,2019
1
people found
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Hi --I would like to commend Danielle and Emelio on their pro-active support in finding my family rented accommodation prior to us arriving in the UK. We had found it difficult to find a pet friendly landlord and really wanted to agree a deal before ...
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Oct 16,2019
Oct 16,2019
4
people found
this helpful
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Absolutely terrible!
They withheld our deposit over ridiculous things and claimed it was the landlord being difficult. However, when we provided evidence to prove our innocents they claimed that they agreed with the landlord and that we didn't have a leg to stand on. When ...
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Dec 09, 2019
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Hi Lorna,
Thank you for sharing your experience. Unfortunately my boyfriend just got in the same shoes you had. This morning he got an email from Cavender saying that the landlord declared the deduction of a ridiculous amount of 1700 pounds from his security deposit due to carpet replacement etc.
It would be very kind of you to share your experience how you "won the dispute" eventually. I'm happy for you to be over this issue.
Looking forwards to hearing your story
Kind Regards,
...
Sep 20,2019
Sep 20,2019
0
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I am really impressed about your service especially about Emilio as I could find a property even before I move in. Also I highly appreciate the quick feedback and response from Emilio and Megon . Your service provided me a convenient way to get the property.
...
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Aug 16,2019
Aug 16,2019
1
people found
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this helpful
Great service. Emilio is very pro active and found me a new tenant with a few days over the asking price. Definitely recommend them....
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Aug 09,2019
Aug 09,2019
0
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Very professional, quick answers to our questions. Just perfect.
Comparing with my previous experience with other agents can say it was Heaven!...
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Aug 09, 2019
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Emílio Ascione is 5 stars! Made us feel like friends! ...
May 29,2019
May 29,2019
0
people found
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I am so happy to recommend Cavendars - after renting my property through them for 5 years and now sold my property, they have consistently kept me in touch in every aspect of the rental and sale and all their staff; Megan, Daniella, Matt and Doug ...
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Comment on agent fees
Fees are good and fair
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Mar 02,2018
Mar 02,2018
1
people found
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I was recommended Cavenders by another Landlord who was very happy with their service. They found new tenants within a few days of contacting them.
Danielle and David were friendly and easy to deal with.
Very professional and courteous, everything ran smoothly, and the tenants ...
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Comment on agent fees
Average fees
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Jul 31,2017
Jul 31,2017
6
people found
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Firstly, I am fully aware that each member of staff has their job to do. This is not the issue at hand. I am also aware that there are many legalities to comply with at your agency and that is not the issue either. These ...
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May 28,2017
May 28,2017
7
people found
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They will tell you anything u want to hear I was disgusted by their lies and they work as a team to support the lies very poor this agency won't be arofor long even the director is a bag of nonsense...
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Comment on agent fees
Disgusting
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Jul 24, 2017
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I am very surprised and disappointed to read your review. I can assure you that as individuals and as a company we are entirely honest and open and do not in anyway lie. I am keen to know the details surrounding why you feel you have been lied to so that I can look in to this. ...
Feb 20,2017
Feb 20,2017
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
poor...poor...poor...do not go anywhere near this 'agent.'especially students BEWARE..no customer service,no respect,rude,arrogant....slow or no repairs...all they care about is your rent...if i could give a zero rating that would be too much...AVOID...
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Comment on agent fees
bad
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Jul 24, 2017
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Please contact me directly on [email protected] or on the office telephone number (01483 457728) so that we can discuss this. I am sorry to hear you have not been happy with the service you have received and I would like to investigate the surroundings so we can improve if we have fallen short. ...
May 16,2016
May 16,2016
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Agency has policies that are not condusive to good customer service. The Admin manager was uncooperative. This is the kind of service that needs personal courtesy and this agency fails in this area....
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Jul 24, 2017
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I am sorry that you were not happy with the service you received. Jamie usually receives very positive feedback so I am interested to know what went wrong on this occasion. Please contact me on 01483 457728 or [email protected] so I can take the relevant details and investigate accordingly. ...
Jan 13,2016
Jan 13,2016
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
What an absolute disgrace. Rude, abusive and not a shred of humanity in them. Our boiler broke 5 days ago (still counting) and we also discovered the heating immersion tank is also broken â‚€‚“ so no central heating or hot water â‚€‚“ in the middle of winter with ...
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Oct 26,2015
Oct 26,2015
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Firstly them seemed very open and friendly team. The male that showed us round properties was very charming.
However it did not take us long to realise they would only take us to view property above our budget.some even by £300.
We felt like they ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
The fees were in competition with other agencies where we lived. This is standard company behaviour. Though the company we are now with are cheaper by a fair amount.Attached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
The fees were in competition with other agencies where we lived. This is standard company behaviour. Though the company we are now with are cheaper by a fair amount.
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Jul 24, 2017
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Hi Melissa
I am sorry that you feel let down by your experience.
Naturally we can only show you properties that we have on the market and whilst they may have been above your budget, I am pleased that we did find you the right one in the end which you moved in to. When you were leaving this property, we were not able to help with your search as we did not have any properties that suited your requirements/ budget.
When we are booking viewings with people occupying the property, we always aim t ...
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