charcol.co.uk

I had a similar bad experience to another customer on this site with Charcol. I contacted Charcol on 28th January to arrange a routine remortgage. I contacted to say that I had sent them a completed application form (Charcol's own) on 6th Feb. On 16th Feb I was contacted to say that my advisor had just picked up my email of 6th Feb, with no indication that anything had been done since 28th Jan.

After chasing up the advisor I got an email on March 18th saying that the deal which we'd discussed on 28th Jan had now expired and that he was now looking for another one. In the meantime, interest rates had gone up. I was given no explanation as to why my advisor had not put in an application for the first deal in February, while it was still open.

After several phone messages left for my advisor, he wrote on 20th April that he was 'sorry we have been missing each other.' This was simply being evasive, since I had specifically asked him to email me to avoid us missing each other on the phone. In this email, my advisor set out a range of offers, something which should have been done in February, probably with better rates.

On 11th May I received a financial report with more details of the offer I had chosen. By this time, however, I really needed the extra money I had requested on the remortgage. I explained this to my advisor and he advised me that it would not be any longer than 6 weeks before the money was in my bank account. In the meantime, my case was handed on to an assistant who promised to chase up the parties involved and to give me a regularly updated time frame.

However, things proceded very slowly, the 6 weeks elapsed and I had no indication that the money was anywhere near being paid into my bank account. I wrote an email to the assistant complaining about the time taken and heard nothing. Some time after this I phoned the assistant who told me that he had been away for two weeks and had not seen my email.

Now it is mid-July and, incredibly things are no nearer completion. In fact, a new problem has emerged since the offer I have now been issued with is for the wrong amount and will have to be redrafted! I'm unlikely to receive the money before August now, 7 months after I had my first interview with Charcol. My case is now under investigation, since I have made an official complaint. However, judging from another post on this page, it doesn't seem as though this is a one off.