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★☆☆☆☆

“One to avoid...”

written by Reynaldon127 on 27/10/2014

Very disappointed with Countrywide Mortgage Services. The estate agent (Bridgfords) put unreasonable pressure on me to use the service of this in-house mortgage broker, saying that I couldn't even view a property unless I had finance in place, but as I really was keen to see the property, I agreed. This pressure was PROBLEM #1. I was then charged a fee, which was relatively high compared to other brokers - this was PROBLEM #2. The broker did a minimal amount of work (ask me a few questions, look at a computer screen, and choose the mortgage deal at the top of the list) and did not really explain anything to me. Eventually I applied for the mortgage he recommended, and a mortgage offer came through. It took a while, but I wasn't in any rush, so that was OK. However, when checking the offer carefully, I found that I did not meet one of the essential criteria. The terms and conditions were only supplied to me post-offer, so I couldn't have picked this up myself any sooner. When I raised this, the broker consulted with a friend in the bank concerned and then after a few days advised me not to mention the matter to my solicitor, so no-one would know about the problem and the mortgage would go through. This was PROBLEM #3 - a lack of ethics, which could have had disastrous consequences had I gone along with the broker's advice.
So in summary, unfair pressure to use the broker in the first place, an expensive service for what is actually provided, and an ethical approach that is totally unacceptable. The only positive thing for me was that I was eventually able to secure some compensation for being mis-advised. I'd suggest you avoided this company and choose your own broker or just approach lenders directly.

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