We buy any house .... com

[Mick Mac]

This is he next financial scandal in the making surely.

"We know that you may not get market value but you get the cash guaranteed, sometimes within 7 days...."

Who on earth would go for it.

[miga]

.

[Lowlander]

Been talking about regulating them for years..still nothing.

Yes, some are vultures - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23588742

Who uses them? Those most vulnerable.

[Jeremy]

These companies rarely buy the property themselves, they're essentially an agency/broker for cash investors.

Without doubt unscrupulous. But I find it hard to muster sympathy for people daft enough to fall for it.

[Lowlander]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> These companies rarely buy the property

> themselves, they're essentially an agency/broker

> for cash investors.

>

> Without doubt unscrupulous. But I find it hard to

> muster sympathy for people daft enough to fall for

> it.

People sometimes need to move house quickly (ill-health, new job). They fall for a sales patter, and, to be fair to those people, the companies involved are quite devious and persuasive - claiming to be endorsed by celebrities, charities and that they're regulated by the Property Ombudsman (who have no legal powers).

As you say, completely unscrupulous. But, unfortunately, perfectly legal. What is needed - and should have happened years ago - was for them to be regulated somehow.

[Jeremy]

Surely it is only a small number of highly vulnerable individuals who don't have the ability to figure out for themselves what their house is really worth (or have people who can help them with this). Of course I have sympathy for these people. But if it's simply a question of falling for sales patter (or worse still, celebrity endorsements) then I have very little...

[Lowlander]

Agree, but where do you draw the line?

Thetrainline.com (more expensive than booking via train companies, yet ASA turn a blind eye to their fraudulent claims)

Mobile phone companies (who effectively charge an extortionate rate of interest if you get a smartphone directly from them as part of a package)

Insurance companies racking up renewal rates and associated charges for loyal customers (nearly always cheaper to renew as a new customer)

The list goes on

[Loz]

Lowlander Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thetrainline.com (more expensive than booking via train companies, yet ASA turn a blind eye to their

> fraudulent claims)

Really? Apart from adding the ?1 fee, I've not seen any difference between TTL and train companies prices. Have I missed something?

[Earl Aelfheah]

Ex-council houses sold off at massive discount to people who then struggle to keep up repayments. Sell it on to one of these sharks, again for less then market value and suddenly it's part of someone's property portfolio. They rent it back to someone who would previously been renting from the council at full market rates and taxpayer picks up the housing benefit bill. Everybody gets shafted, except the 'buy to letter', who get's a lovely big subsidy from the state and claims it's free market capitalism in practice.

[Blah Blah]

Greed is good and profit before people and all that. The government today sold it's 40% stake in Eurostar (a profittable business btw) to the French and Canadians. And we wonder why we have poor tax receipts and our economy is nose diving? Why don't we have the power to stop a government, that never had a public mandate to govern, from selling of what little is left to foreign shareholders?

[Lowlander]

Loz Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Lowlander Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

>

> > Thetrainline.com (more expensive than booking

> via train companies, yet ASA turn a blind eye to

> their

> > fraudulent claims)

>

> Really? Apart from adding the ?1 fee, I've not

> seen any difference between TTL and train

> companies prices. Have I missed something?

Trainline charge credit card fees, postage fees and booking fees.

Booking direct avoids those (and you can buy tickets for any train company from any train company).

East Coast used to offer 10% discount but now give Nectar points instead.

Southern offer a no quibble refund on unused tickets (others charge at least ?10).

Telegraph found that booking direct saves around ?10 on average http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/11333215/Can-Trainline-be-more-than-a-railway-middleman.html

[uncleglen]

It says on their ad 'up to 80% of market value'

[Mick Mac]

That's bad. up to 80.... Jeez.

So at least you are guaranteed to not get more than 80% of what your asset is worth. You can sleep at night.

[titch juicy]

Lowlander Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Loz Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Lowlander Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> >

> > > Thetrainline.com (more expensive than booking

> > via train companies, yet ASA turn a blind eye

> to

> > their

> > > fraudulent claims)

> >

> > Really? Apart from adding the ?1 fee, I've not

> > seen any difference between TTL and train

> > companies prices. Have I missed something?

>

> Trainline charge credit card fees, postage fees

> and booking fees.

>

> Booking direct avoids those (and you can buy

> tickets for any train company from any train

> company).

>

> East Coast used to offer 10% discount but now give

> Nectar points instead.

>

> Southern offer a no quibble refund on unused

> tickets (others charge at least ?10).

>

> Telegraph found that booking direct saves around

> ?10 on average

> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/1133321

> 5/Can-Trainline-be-more-than-a-railway-middleman.h

> tml

I've never paid more than a pound extra. I collect my tickets from a machine at the station, which is the easiest method anyway.

I'd be astonished if most train companies didn't charge to send tickets home.

[keekybreeks]

rahrahrah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Ex-council houses sold off at massive discount to

> people who then struggle to keep up repayments.

> Sell it on to one of these sharks, again for less

> then market value and suddenly it's part of

> someone's property portfolio. They rent it back to

> someone who would previously been renting from the

> council at full market rates and taxpayer picks up

> the housing benefit bill. Everybody gets shafted,

> except the 'buy to letter', who get's a lovely big

> subsidy from the state and claims it's free market

> capitalism in practice.

Im not seeing any surplus value from that construct bro'

[Lowlander]

titch juicy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Lowlander Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Loz Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > Lowlander Wrote:

> > >

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> >

> > > -----

> > >

> > > > Thetrainline.com (more expensive than

> booking

> > > via train companies, yet ASA turn a blind eye

> > to

> > > their

> > > > fraudulent claims)

> > >

> > > Really? Apart from adding the ?1 fee, I've

> not

> > > seen any difference between TTL and train

> > > companies prices. Have I missed something?

> >

> > Trainline charge credit card fees, postage fees

> > and booking fees.

> >

> > Booking direct avoids those (and you can buy

> > tickets for any train company from any train

> > company).

> >

> > East Coast used to offer 10% discount but now

> give

> > Nectar points instead.

> >

> > Southern offer a no quibble refund on unused

> > tickets (others charge at least ?10).

> >

> > Telegraph found that booking direct saves

> around

> > ?10 on average

> >

> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/1133321

>

> >

> 5/Can-Trainline-be-more-than-a-railway-middleman.h

>

> > tml

>

>

> I've never paid more than a pound extra. I collect

> my tickets from a machine at the station, which is

> the easiest method anyway.

>

> I'd be astonished if most train companies didn't

> charge to send tickets home.

None of the train companies charges a booking fee.

None of them charge for using a credit card.

Some offer a discount for booking direct (can be as much as 10%).

Some will give you a total refund on unused tickets (trainline charge ?10)

Most will post out free of charge

This means that without exception you are better off booking through any of the Train companies than the trainline (see the article).