"Email deception"

I run a charity, and pay no commercial rates, we received an email from Hampton Lovett today stating.
“ My name is Sophie I am writing you to as we have noticed that there is an unclaimed Business Rates credit note against your property”

Obviously this is a lie designed to draw you in to some elaborate scheme.

"Don't waste you money go else where quickly."

We engaged this company back in 2017 to challenge our business rates. Unfortunately, we were based in Wales and were then subject to the Wales' VOA method of working - put a file on the shelf and forget it is there. However, since then the Welsh VOA has updated in May 2023 to use the English system. Meaning things can not be left unattended.
Regardless of the above delays HL (Hampton Lovett) kept sending us letters informing us of the delay and their lack of progress, right up to late 2022.
The killer has been that the VOA, requested in 2019, for further information to be supplied by HL. Their request was ignored by HL, consequently, the VOA closed our case. No notice of this event was sent to us by HL.
We are in receipt of letters from HL since 2019 continuing the theme that they were still working on our case.
A few times I have called HL requesting further updates and promised each time thta I would receive a returned call, none were received.
June 2023 I called the VOA for an update to be informed that they have updated to the English system. Consequently I was awaiting for something from HL. Guess what, noting was received!

I have recently (July 2023) called their offices again a couple of times requesting to speak to the MD. So far as of 19/07/2023, no return call has been received.

They clearly do not know what they are doing.

My advice would be DO NOT USE this COMPANY, avoid at all costs. Only use them if you want to throw away your money.

In response to HL's response to my review.
I spoke to HL via Telephone this morning, quoting their reference to my case, dated 16/09/2021.
Letter reads: We write with reference to the above matter, which has been allocated to our Negotiator EE..... As you will appreciate, the past 18 months have been challenging time for all of us, whether we are Ratepayers, Rating Consultants or the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) itself.
So far as the appeal against your rateable value is concerned we can confirm that we are preparing to make further submissions to the VOA..........

I leave it up to the reader to decide the meaning of their response to my review and my general concerns that they do not know what they are doing?

"We engaged this firm in Oct 2021 for…"

We engaged this firm in Oct 2021 for 2017 rates review paid the full fees and till date nobody has bothered to give us a satisfactory response. Our check and challenge deadline was almost missed once, if we had not chased them for an update. it's absolute scandal this firm till date nobody is seriously addressing our request and no effort is being made to process our application. it's been almost 2 years and we are still waiting for them to do anything.

"Please AVOID this company"

Please AVOID this company.
I like many businesses on these trust pilot reviews have been totally mislead by Hampton Lovett regarding my claim against business rates. As a new small business owner who has struggled through the last couple of years their behaviour is nothing short of disgusting
This is not a Fake review and currently reporting this company through the Financial Ombudsman.
I am currently waiting for a satisfactory outcome since May 23 and have yet to hear from them despite assurances that my case was sitting with the MD and litigation team. I can provide names of the team I have been speaking to plus a huge amount of emails to support my case.
Unfortunately I had to give 1 star to be able to write this otherwise it would have been none

"Their spam emails are clearly intended to deceive the gullible."

We receive emails from them every day. The emails state that they have reviewed the rates our business is paying and that they can reduce the amount we pay. This is impressive as we have no premises in the UK and therefore pay no rates. They are clearly therefore lying when they state they have carried out a review. They are also lying when they say their surveyors are in our area. How can they be, when we have no UK premises!

Would you trust a company that sends out daily spam emails with such a clear intent to deceive? Neither would I.

"Absolute con!"

Absolute con!! Seeking a winding up order against this company for non- refund of failed appeal on no-win, no- fee contract.

Update: Hampton Lovett are desperately trying to remove the review, by saying they have no record of our order.

We have submitted the order form, email dialogue and winding up petition to Trustpilot, who have now verified this.

"Expensive Hidden details in the contract"

Hidden in the contract is a second rates review with a substantial cancellation fee. It isn't mentioned by their sales staff when signing the agreement. It isn't until a couple of years later when they try to start a second case which in all likelyhood, will have no additional benefit to the client that we became aware of it. I've explained I was unaware of this but they are threatening court action without performing any work. Stay away from them.

"Absolute con!"

Absolute con!! Seeking a winding up order against this company for non- refund of failed appeal on no-win, no- fee contract.

"An extremely dodgy company"

An extremely dodgy company. I posted a one-star review about their mis-selling their services. They approached me telling me that they could get a massive rebate for me on my 2017 business rates valuation and charged up-front. Then the VOA re-valued all business rates to take effect in April 2023. Hampton Lovett immediately invoiced me for a cut of the new reduction. This was not something that they were contesting. Indeed when I checked with the VOA Hampton Lovett had only just, over 9 months down the line, started challenging my 2017 valuation. The new 2023 was a VOA initiative and they had not had any contact from Hampton Lovett.

Hampton Lovett eventually withdrew their invoice, this was after repeated threats of court action to instruct debt collection, but would not return the up-front payment for work they had only just started.

Now Hampton Lovett are sending me new emails trying to get me to use their services - their record keeping is so good that they don't even know that they have been in contact with me for over 18 months already at the same business.

Avoid like the plague

"Mis-selling service, terrible communication, avoid."

This company sent a rep to cold call on us a couple of years back, promising rebate refunds of thousands and thousands and more or less said this rebate would be guaranteed. We paid them around £4000 to do the appeal for the first rate period. Communication was terrible and we barely heard anything until I started chasing. They kept asking for the same information. In August 22 they started to talk about the next rate period appeal but we raised concerns and said we wee not interested in pursuing this, unless and until they achieved success in the first appeal. In February 2023 we were informed our appeal had failed. They then invoiced us for a further £4000 for the second appeal. We kept asking them to send the report as to how they had decided a second appeal would have merit but we got no response and then in April they said they would put the matter with debt collectors as we had not paid. We responded asking to receive a copy of their
code of practice regulating business rates consultancy work as well as the complaints procedure to raise
the matter with the RICS/IRRV and RSA. So far nothing. It appears many others have had similar. I am now considering legal action against them.