Raaaaa!

Now, I don't mind playing by the rules (most of the time!!) and I don't even really mind when things are out of people's control but that's just the way it is, but one thing I cannot tolerate is lies. Why is it, that companies feel it in their power to lie mercilessly through the nose to you when you know full well they are doing so and when they are spouting dog poo whilst you are supposed to sit there and say "oh ok, not to worry."

Is it because I'm a dumb looking/sounding blonde? Or a female? Don't get me wrong, I am not a feminist activist doodah, in fact, the whole movement bores me to tears, but I don't like being treated like some kind of inferior being because people who don't know me assume that I am unintelligent.

We have been lied to by our current letting agent and are now being lied to by our new one!!! This is after being lied to by every other utility company I deal with and spending hours (and £s) on the phone trying to sort them out! I have had enough.

The other day we received a letter from our current agent in response to our notice and complaints. Given that they are just up the road and the seriousness of some of the complaints, I am astounded that it took them two weeks to respond. They disregarded everything that I had said. I bit my tongue and didn't go storming in. Today we receive an invoice from the new guys with £200 more charges than we thought. Why? Well, apparently JT doesn't earn enough to guarantee that our rent can be paid, so we have had to use a guarantor. Suddenly they are charging us £88 for the privilege and the guarantor receives a load of forms that we were not told about and have not seen demanding that he signs a contract. When querying the £88, JT was told "we can't waive the fee because it is all there on the web site and although we didn't tell you, you could have read about it." I was confused, I seemed to remember having looked on the web site due to being stitched by the current agent. So I look on the web site and? No details. I would have been surprised but not angry, had I not been expecting it, due to it happening time and time again.

Then there is a £100 charge for pets on top of the deposit. Really? Why didn't they tell us? The landlord has not stated "no pets" in the description. The existing deposit is a month's rent and an extra £100 per couple, I hardly think that two cats who will spend a lot of time in the garden are going to cause £780 worth of damage to a house with ropey carpets. We have to pay a day's rent for the day that we are moving in because they could only hold the place till the 30th and not 1st May, there is also a random admin fee and not to mention a month's rent upfront.

Every time they have a reason for why they are clinging to the law by the skin of their teeth even if it is immoral. I am going in tomorrow for a 'chat', but of course there is no backing out as they already have nearly £1000 of our money by means of holding fee and deposit. They will, no doubt say "tough luck" and smirk, just like the current agent does. I think I might flip - good job I m being forced to sleep on it. Perhaps I might even behave in a slightly more Christian manner tomorrow.