Quealy & Co

So today I handed back my keys after renting my flat for 6 months from Quealy and Co. The flat itself was lovely. When being shown around the flat I was treated well although simple questions like 'is this place gas central heating?' and 'where is the meter?' weren't able to be answered. The moving in process was straight forward enough and they dealt with setting up the energy supplier (Octopus Energy - great customer service) which was a great help. That is where all the helpfulness ended however. Throughout the tenancy I had a couple of issues, one being the lack of hot water. I let Quealys know and it took them 3 weeks to send someone out. This was when it was freezing and heating and a warm bath would've been much appreciated. When my standing order didn't go through because of a spelling mistake however, it took them no time whatsoever to contact me asking where the rent was. Another issue was towards the end of my agreement. I noticed a small leak under my kitchen sink and discovered that the plumber has secured the water drainage pipe to another pipe with sellotape! This technically isn't the estate agents fault and it was fixed immediately but that's a poor choice of plumber on their behalf. Whenever I called up to report an issue I was always spoken to like it was more of an inconvenience to Quealy's than it was to me. But that being said, each problem was solved. The final point I need to make is what happened to me today before I handed my keys over to the genuinely nice and professional man who came to inspect the flat for any damage. Before he was to arrive, me and my stepdad was to remove the final item of mine that was in the property (a fridge freezer) and load it onto his van. The reason the fridge was still in the flat so close to the handing over of the keys is because I kept being let down by a lady who said she wanted to buy it. While waiting for my stepdad to arrive so we could get the fridge out I got a call from him to say he's going to be late as my mother has been rushed to hospital. I contacted Quealy's to explain why there's still a fridge in what is now their flat and that I would need to reschedule as I needed to go to the hospital. Lizzie, who I spoke to, didn't show any sympathy whatsoever. All she said was that the company will charge me for every day the fridge is still in the flat, it was as cold as that. Yes, it's my fault the fridge is still in the flat on moving out day and yes they should charge me for having furniture in there past my moving out date but how about show a bit of humanity towards someone who, despite only being in the flat for one term, is actually a good tenant. In the end we managed to sort the fridge out before the inspector arrived and I couldn't hand my keys over to the guy quick enough. For my previous job I used to do a lot of work sorting out aerial and satellite systems for Quealy's as a contractor and had heard a lot of horror stories from tenants which I always thought were exaggeration but having experienced it firsthand I now know the truth. Stay away. Also bear in mind that you have to pay to get your deposit back!! I hope posting this review doesn't result in my deposit getting knocked back!