"Failed my gas certificate for the sake of charging me"

D&G Lettings arranged a gas safety certificate and the contractor, Waterways failed me for no apparent reason. A quote of £720+Vat followed as a 'recommendation' in order to pass. Although I opted for the fully managed, I arranged for another engineer myself to reinspect and the flat passed without a hiccup; my engineer told me that the options on the certificate were Yes, No, or N/A. Waterways could choose N/A but instead, 'recommended' an £800 option. Failing me for the sake of charging me to get more business. From what I understand, as a recommendation, I do not need to go ahead as it is just to raise awareness, but if it is a requirement and by law, then I must rectify it before I will pass the test. If I didn't appoint an engineer myself, then I must spend £800 before passing. Why is it that one engineer failed me and recommended an £800 fix and another passed me?

I know most landlords are busy and would have chosen fully managed to hope that the letting agents will do a good job, but judging from my experience, it is worth spending an afternoon seeking out a second opinion. It is unfortunate that we are paying them and still need to do the job ourselves.

I tried asking D&G Mr William Hodge to waive this charge as I didn’t think it was fair. If I did genuinely fail the test, then so be it, pay for the inspection and fix the problem, it is what's necessary. But for Waterways to fail me so that they can charge £800 is another issue. William sided with Waterways, they attended the property and did a job, good or bad. Waterways attended the property even though it was an unreasonable fail. So, pay.

I would advise ANYONE and EVERYONE to avoid using D&G for ANY SERVICE, unless you want to get ripped off and receive the world's worst customer service. Con artists who just take people's money for the sake of it. AVOID AVOID AVOID. I'm basically for a FULLY MANAGED property, albeit it POORLY managed, so that you guys can appoint your rubbish contractors to earn more money. BRILLIANT business plan.

"Dealt with their Wimbledon branch…"

Dealt with their Wimbledon branch looking for a rental. I have contacted one of their agents who promised she would get back to me about the flat of interest. She returned a call to a landline the next day and did not hesitate a second to share all the information with my partner (not that I mind but it made us chuckle- clearly basic data protection is unheard of at D&G). The agent said she could not get hold of the landlord. Of course we have never heard from her afterwards. Chased her a week later and was told she was still trying to get hold of a landlord. The flat is still advertised on Rightmove. Pending the landlord has never been found-maybe it's time to file a missing person report?

I'm being sarcastic ofcourse but you can't take this company seriously. Having looked through all the comments below I can see my experience is just a part of their standard modus operandi. They come across as a bunch of poorly trained teenagers doing "real estate" without a system,leadership or enthusiasm.

"Very unprofessional and disorganised"

Very unprofessional and disorganised. Avoid at all costs.

Douglas and Gordon East Putney are the most incompetent agents I have ever worked with.

I had to chase multiple times to book a viewing. The viewing was finally held by Martha who said she would send me the offer form the following day but 8 days later I am still waiting for this to be sent. I had another viewing booked with Ciara where I made an offer on the spot which Ciara was very confident would be accepted. I heard nothing the following day so I chased for an update and was told I was given the wrong price and that my offer was rejected. Not great but mistakes happen so I made a second offer which I was told would be submitted straight away.
I had to again chase multiple times for a response to then be told again that the offer was rejected.

I raised my concerns to one of the managers, Sophie, who was dismissive and sarcastically suggested I could submit my offer online (although none of her negotiators have ever suggested this option to me) and added that my expectations are unfair. Clearly Sophie and I have a very different understanding of acceptable service.

Switched to a big brand high street agent and received a much more personal service and secured a place within a few hours.

Extremely disappointing.

"Very good - Julia and the team in the Fulham office…"

Julia and the team in the Fulham office were exemplary.

I’ve not dealt with an estate agent in my years of local property who have been as proactive, professional, nor friendly.

"Thank you so much Phoebe Caldarara for…"

Thank you so much Phoebe Caldarara for helping find a property

"D&G - I'd never use another agency.."

Sophie H. and her team at D&G have looked after me and my rental for years. Sophie has vast experience in lettings, is uber efficient and very professional. It is always a joy to deal with D&G as they are also very proactive - they have guided me through each re let with great professionalism. I would never use another agency.

"Georgia at D&G was amazing in assisting…"

Georgia at Clapham branch of D&G was amazing in assisting us in the sale of our property - really helped to push our sale over the line when it became tricky at the end, we couldn't have done it without her. Would recommend to anyone!

"Renting property in Hammersmith"

Orla Lynch Marla & her team have been impeccable in handling & letting of a small flat in central Hamersmith ,problem free and super efficient ,found a tenant for me within a week.

"James has been super helpful and…"

James has been super helpful and patient. He was always prompt and very professional. He tried to keep me well informed and provided a variety of options from a very limited market at the time of my search. Would definitely recommend!

"Emma as my agent at Douglas&Gordon"

I had Emma as my agent at Douglas and Gordon and I must say she was very thorough and brought up properties that were best described as per my liking. She was ultra prompt courteous and very professional. Kept me informed all the time and she had all the details one would need or ask for in a viewing.