House Deposit Refund - Help!!

[Thehonestbadger]

We put a £500 deposit down on a Harron Homes house around 3 months ago. Checked it was totally refundable - yes.

Within 2 weeks changed our minds (largely because of several awful reviews and issues with the site which came to light) well we were obviously right. In the last 10 weeks we’ve had a massive endless battle to get our money back. They’ve changed staff at the site SIX TIMES, they go through staff like changing pants and they just lie and fob us off every single time. Spoke to head office and they just ping us straight back to the site. It’s the most hideous customer service I’ve ever had.

What can I do? Where do I go next?

We are a young family with 2 toddlers one disabled and high needs. We need this money back! I’d rather not go to the local papers/news and kick up a fuss but I’m debating it!

Go into the sales office and sit there until they reverse the transaction. I had to go to the sales office to get one reversed as it was a card transaction.

@BashfulClam
Apparently it’s the accounts department who deal with it and they process it via baccs into account. I don’t have childcare to go sit in the sales office all day unfortunately otherwise I would

Ah well that’s not as easy.

I'm sure two screaming toddlers in the sales office will soon get them moving. Think of it as a day out for you and a crap day in the office for them.

Take lots of chocolate. Melty lovely chocolate.

No childcare you say? Perfect.

Did you pay on a card? Debit card or credit card? If so you can contact your bank/card company and do a charge back. If you paid cash or by bank transfer then you can consider a small claims court. There would be a fee to register the claim.

If charge back doesn’t work. Send a Letter before action followed by small claims court action.

We had to cancel with a developer. Had the
money back within a week. They’re having a laugh, OP.

Get some of that kinetic sand to keep the toddlers busy.

The small claims court works wonders (I took that big rail company that's digging up the countryside through it and won). It's amazing how quickly people can act!

Why bring your children into this,is it relevant?

Take the kids with you.

File it with the bank who may be able to reverse the charge for you, in which case it would be up to the construction company to get it back, if what you say is true and it should have been refunded anyway then they won’t bother/have a leg to stand on anyway.

Take the kids with plenty of crisis and crumbling biscuits.

Crisps not crisis!
Although the sales office will be in crisis with 2 small kids messing things up!

Take kids and crafts. With glitter.

Or this!

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/123782988806?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=x1p_f8krRB2&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=Am1D7WaiR7W&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=SMS

My BIL threatened to buy it for my kids as revenge for buying his 6 year old acrilic paint 🤣

Take them with you. And feed them lots of sweeties.

Send them a letter, on paper rather than by email. Tell them that as per their reservation T&Cs you want your deposit back, to be paid into bank account XXXXXXXX sort code XX-XX-XX, within 7 (or 14) calendar days. Across the top of the letter in capital letters write/type "LETTER BEFORE ACTION" in large underlined text.
Send 2 copies of the letter, one to head office and one to the site office, and get proof of postage rather than signed for delivery (as they can be useless/arseholes and either refuse to sign or not get round to collecting it from sorting office). Also hand deliver a copy to the doris in the local site office.

After 7 days if you haven't got the money back in your account start a claim with the money-claim-online service, which is the small claims court.

At any point during the 7 days feel free to visit the office with your children, slime, glitter and those infernal musical nursey rhyme toys that sing non-stop in irritatingly cheerful voices.

Good luck.