To think Brighthouse TV ads should be banned

[Eastie77]

I know it's a free country and no-one forces anyone to buy from them. However I watched an ad on TV this morning as the presenter explained that the sofa on display cost £1200 but with Brighthouse repayments the total cost would be something like £2600 and wondered how this kind of company is allowed to exist. They were fined over £14 million for irresponsible lending last year and refunded 250,000 customers but I think a responsible financial regulatory body would just ban them full stop.

The ad presenter smiled as the 69.9% APR figure floated across the screen so yes, there is full transparency but I really struggle with the whole concept and the fact that people on a low income are targeted and basically penalised for being poor

Morally corrupt company that preys on some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society.

YANBU.

I agree with you. Although some would argue don’t take the bait, with Xmas coming up and families on low incomes wanting to give lavish gifts, it’s so tempting for some.

Hate the place.

I think Brighthouse should be banned - parliament could set a maximum APR (rather lower than 70%) for finance; that would solve the problem. You can get second hand goods in the city where I live which might not be as pretty as new ones but won't leave you in crippling debt.

Hate it with a passion.
Along with doorstep lenders like Provi it keeps people in debt.

I may even call them on their freephone when they send me leaflets.
bee in bonnet

Legalised extortion imo!!
An ad this morning was for a bed costing £440 ish. Total payments =£1040 ish!! Even my dd 11 was horrified!!
Our local shop has baby items in the window, guilt tripping the skint to get into debt before the baby has even arrived!
The' must haves 'apparently!!
Bloody disgrace imo.

Brighthouse and Bookies should be heavily rated to discourage the spread.

"Being poor costs you more" I hate them. It's shocking

Totally agree, they should be banned. I don't know how they keep going; there's one in my town and as I go by the window I don't ever recall seeing a customer in the store.

The place should be banned! If you can't afford a new sofa, get a secondhand one (we were married 7 years before we had a new one!!!)

There should be an APR cap to prevent exploitation.
That said people also need to manage their own finances and not buy things they cannot afford. Like a previous poster said we had ikea deck chairs while saving for at least a year instead of a sofa.

I have them. I'm paying off a cooker till 2019 with them.
Also own a washing machine and fridge from them.
People go there coz something breaks like washing machine and they can't get credit from anywhere else.
My credit rating is shot as I have bipolar and ran up 6000 debt getting payday loans and bloody provi loans and lost my job so couldn't keep on top of the repayments
Not ideal and I won't get anything more now that I have a job but they are already plaguing me about their fantastic offers for Christmas

The one in my local shopping centre is always empty. I've never seen more than 2 people in there at any one time and I keep hoping it will close down. I agree the govt should impose an upper limit on APRs. I don't understand how they can justify poorer people being targeted and fleeced in this way.

@recklessruby - that sounds really tough, I'm sorry:( I have a relative who is bi-polar and she has had similar financial issues.

Theres one on my high street, its always empty but its been there for years so people must use it.