One of the things I like about blogging is the fact that I can put the silliest little slips of whimsy on here. Of course, I ensure that I always try and write balanced posts, or if my strong headed opinions insist on being heard, at least to ensure that I have researched them thoroughly in order to substantiate anything I write.
The advantage of writing a blog over journalism is of course, that if I want to hold an uncompromising view, then I can publish it, and as the cliche has it, be damned. Although of course I have no boss, no advertisers to answer to. So my only responsibility is to my readers, and even that is just to write what I think and feel, and if it sparks a lively debate, then all the better.
So I don’t think it is possible to abuse a blog. And this being the case, I am going to write this entry on an Estate Agency called Bentley and Bond or, for the purposes of this getting picked up more on google, Bentley & Bond, who recently mistreated me very badly. I would warn you strongly not to use them.
Here is their story, in the form of a letter I wrote them:
The Managers Bentley and Bond Estate Agents 97 Lauriston Road Victoria Park E9 7HJ
1 August 2005
Dear Tony, Nathan
I am writing to you with great concern at the handling of the offer which I put on xxxAddress. As you will be aware, I put in an offer of £227 000 which the vendor accepted, and on May 3rd I visited your offices to pay a reservation fee of £1000, for which I received a Reservation form, which stated explicitly that ‘the above mentioned property is reserved to the above mentioned purchaser’.
In the following 6 weeks I liaised with your office regularly to ensure that the offer was still in place, and was reassured that it was.
On 22nd June I phoned prior to departing on holiday to confirm that the owners were still happy with the offer. I was told by Tony that they were on holiday, and were happy to wait. I explained that I had still not had an offer on my property, and that I was concerned that I didn’t want to mess the vendors around.
On my return on 4th July I called because I saw on the website that it said ’sold stc’, and was told by Tony that this referred to my offer.
On 25th July, having tried to phone the office, with no reply at all on the phones for a week or more, I called the vendors’ solicitor who informed me that the property had been sold. They also confirmed that 1) they had never been notified of my offer, and 2) the purchaser was a different person to the one who had had an offer in on the property which had fallen through prior to my making an offer. I called and left a message at your offices.
On 26th July I called again and spoke to Russ, the mortgage broker. I left a message with him, stressing my grave concern and that I had looked into seeking legal advice on the matter. The call was not returned. I called later, and spoke very briefly to Nathan, who said he would call me straight back as he was with clients. The call was not returned.
On 27th July I called and spoke to Nathan who told me he had left a message (this was not true) on my work phone, and that a message had been left when the property was sold (of which I can also find no trace anywhere). He also lied to me and told me that the property had been sold to the person who had initially put an offer in. I knew this to not be the case due to my conversation with the vendors’ solicitor on July 25th. I agreed that I would accept the money back plus interest despite the fact that I was aware that they had been acting in breach of contract by marketing the property. He agreed to mail a cheque that day to my work address.
On 28th July, the cheque had not arrived. I phoned and spoke to Nathan who said that he needed Tony to sign the cheque and it would be sent out on Friday.
It is now Monday and I am not in receipt of the cheque.
I would like to inform you that I have spoken to my solicitor who advised that I put in writing my demand for my reservation fee to be returned to me at xxxAddress. This should include interest on the sum at a rate of 5% which is the savings account interest rate. I will not seek any damages despite the fact that you broke the contract and marketed the property. Failure to receive this by the end of the week will mean that I seek legal action against yourselves, and I should inform you that I have all documentation, including email correspondence between Roland Thurston and myself, the reservation form, and a note of all phone conversations between myself and your offices.
I look forward to a satisfactory conclusion of this sorry matter.
Recidivist
I called every day, sometimes several times a day after sending this letter until the Thursday, and finally received the cheque (with no interest) on Friday. Bentley and Bond clearly flouted the law, and to anyone who happens across this posting from a search engine, I warn you not to use them.
You made a typo…my opinion of you is shattered…YOU HAVE RUINED THE FANTASY!
Despite the typo, I read through to the end. Soooo…Recidivist is your real name?
yup, and xxxAddress is really where I live…
Recidivist is a real name? You’re either very dry or very slow.
You know, I am so glad that you immerse us, your humble readers, in the hurly-burly world of the property rollercoaster that we call London. I wish more advertisers and editors realised that we demand instructive tales of the evils of capitalist debt and the inevitable spiral of the over-mortgaged into fiscal collapse and intellectual bankruptcy.
Come on, this is a very elaborate spoof of Dickens’ Little Dorrit, isn’t it?
Hey, do they still have debtors’ prisons in foggy parts of ye olde London Town? I very much look forward to your letters to the gaoler complaining about the quality of porridge.
Blog too long on this one…does anyone not know that estate agents are moral free ratfinks?
Sorry Doctor, I will try and condense my ramblings for you in future… But on the plus side, if you google “Bentley and Bond” in inverted commas now, voila, my entry is first! Mission accomplished…
Surely you mean ‘everyone’? As you have taken it on yourself to point out TT’s grammatical failings, I can’t let you get away with that. Lovin’ your use of the word ratfink. Haven’t seen that in print since the days of Adrian Mole.
If nothing else this site has done wonders for my grammer..thanks to everyone involved.
PS viola?? what are you on about.
I think I prefer dry to slow, but f**k it…you choose!
I’m not really sure what the cat with the weird name is talkin’ about, but I wanna know…did you rip off Dickens? I mean hell, you can blag me, I’m a f**kin’ idiot…but still…I’d feel kinda cheated!
What’s more, as I think Doc will tell ya…that aint good for my therapy!
Anyway Recidivist, your un-charitable remark about me not going out much got me to thinking…and the sun was out today, so I stuck on shorts, shades and Rammstein…and headed out on my MB to check out the C’s n E’s!
After all, wasn’t it Wren that said …
‘He who is sick of hearing those knarly ass variable pneumatics scream, is sick of life?
So I was out there, six pack of Schlitz talls, chillin’…waiting for some high velocity action! Then got to thinking, this aint cool…I’m a fuckin’ plane spotter for Chris sake…
I should of drove down to Cambridge and gone watched a black and white French movie I can’t understand! That would have been worthy of some credibility…but not this!
Obviously I was getting a little depressed by this point, I was thinking…should of stayed at home…At least when I was auto-eroticising in my own evacuation…at least then I knew where I was at!
I could go on, but I may of said too much already.
So how was your day Recidivist? Do they have AC in that open plan office?
You got me figured out yet Doc?
Y’know, I’m in a different league, but I gotta tell ya! The more I read the cat with the weird name’s post, the more I am convinced he aint happy!
Doctor, I got an e-mail for impotence drugs today. I dunno why they picked on me, I have no problems getting it up…give me some Dexedrine and a recent picture of redneck Britney, and I’m good to go!
Anyway, check out number 2…
2) Cialis Soft Tabs does not make you feel dizzy or make vision blurred, so you can easily drive a car or operate heavy machinery.
Why in the f**k would I want a stonking hard-on while operating heavy machinery?
TT, the mystery deepens. I’ve been searching the dustiest files in the hospital library and it turns out that you may be a one off. I am hoping to take you to the Royal Society to show you off. Before that I really should observe you in a real social environment. I’m thinking about a weekend at Recidivist’s house, big brother style with a webcast on this site. I might throw in some late night Cialis Soft Tabs to see if we can recreate Craig and Anthony with you and Dave.Hold tight I’m just waiting for the go ahead from the ethics comittee.
Tony, I’m not sure if you’re referring to me as ‘the cat with the weird name’. I’ve been called a lot of things, granted that some have begun with c but never feline.
Pixl dahling. I have never called you cupcake in my life.
Anyway, I kind of think the cat with the weird name is strcprstskrskrk. And given what I know of him, I don’t think he would be upset with me if I divulged that that’s not the only odd thing about him.
I wasn’t thinking of cupcake but you knew that.
DAVE….f**k that! I’m only coming if I can tamper with Recidivist…and then only if she wears her glasses and a business suit!
Pixl, listen to the smart girl…she understands me!
Bentley and Bond have just stolen our deposits. It’s been months since we moved out
The sneaky cunts must be stopped.
Specifically Nathan Field and Tony Godleman.
Don’t do business with them!