What is TheTruthAboutSolitaire?
After browsing the Internet for other residents views on Solitaire Property Management, I found numerous Yahoo links to people complaining about the services and attitude of Solitaire Property Management.
Therefore, as a resident of a property that is maintained by property management company “Solitaire Property Management Ltd“. I wanted to create a website that would allow other home owners that are contracted to Solitaire Property Management, to discuss their services and performance.
Personally, I am disgusted by their attitude towards their residents. Since moving into my new property and paying Solitaire Property Management over £3000 during that period, my yearly fee’s have almost doubled, we don’t get hardly any of the services they say we get and the only time I ever here from them is when they want money!
I have sent numberous photographs, videos to Solitaire via E-Mail, I have recordings of the telephone converstations that I have made to them, and yet they still charge thousands of pounds for a service they don’t provide.
This blog is not only my personal views, but I also want to hear from other people that have problems with Solitaire Property Management.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:13 am
Hi
Finally a website dedicated to highlight the flaws of Solitaire Property Management!
I’ve been chasing Anthea Moors @ Solitaire in Bristol to discuss the development at Beaufort Vale, since Mar 2008!
They employ Kelly’s cleaners to clean and they falsify the cleaning record – they simply fill it in but don’t clean.
The gardeners cut the grass but don’t pick up the rubbish or sweep the bin stores.
It’s a joke! Like the guy above, I’ve sent video’s, pictures and e-mails to Solitaire and never get a response!
Their brochure says “if you ever have a problem, we bring it to the directors attention”, I’ve tried this with Janet Dzie and got palmed off to the staff in Bristol.
It’s not good enough Solitiare! We pay far more money to you than the services we receive – I know other residents at Beaufort Vale also think and feel the same.
Adam Sheppard
August 2nd, 2008 at 10:12 am
i have been a ‘customer’ of solitaire for around fifteen years and i have never come across an organisation so profoundly awful. in my experience their management and maintenance standards are a joke and they get away with it because few of us take them to court whilst most of us only whinge about them. i am currently taking photographs to use as evidence against them very soon. if you type into google ‘leasehold advisory service’ then under ‘act decisions’ type ‘solitaire property management’ you will find examples of cases where people have challenged them. Also look up ‘small claims court’. by the way this is an excellent website and i intend to tell other residents about it.
August 4th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Hi,
We also have a problem in the midlands. They are fully aware of the issues: most of the residents have raised them vis email, letter etc on several occasions. They still send us bills for cleaning / gardening managing that doesn’t happen.
They only get in touch when they are demanding money via bailiffs etc but will not reply.
It also appears that one of the people running Solitaire is actually part of the ARMA body. So if you are unhappy with Sollitaire, you can complaint to…Solitaire. Genius.
August 4th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Hi,
I live in a David Wilson / Barratts leasehold development ‘looked after’ by Solitaire, and for the past 2 and half years since we moved in it’s been nothing but hassle.
It’s pretty much everything already highlighted here: very poor services, little or no communication – except to demand extortionate fees!
We found we were being charged for services / maintenance for areas of the development yet to be built, an error compounded by the fact these yet-to-be-finished homes were freehold, not leasehold, properties..!
As a group, myself and the other residents of Eden Gardens have decided to withhold payment for their ‘services’ and undertake much of the work on communal areas ourselves. This was agreed at a meeting with Solitaire, but we still periodically get letters demanding sight of our public liability insurance, or otherwise desist from doing the gardening..! This is also despite the fact that we have confirmed with our current insurer that specific public liability insurance isn’t legally necessary, as we are residents.
We agreed a six month ‘trial’ with Solitaire in which they were going to try and win us over with their improved service. Suffice to say, we remain dissatisfied. We learnt that with the landlords permission you can sack the property manager and appoint another.
(This is quicker, simpler and cheaper than forming your own management co. directed by the residents, and without the start up costs associated with starting your own management co.)
We’ve located a locally based property management co. It’s just a case of sacking Solitaire now. But with personnel and structual changes at David Wilson and Barrats, this is proving harder to do in practice.
(A word of warning, for those considering the same course of action, is that Solitaire may actually be both your landlord and your property manager, as Barratts have in the past transferred title to Solirtaire at the completion of the development. This could obviously make things tricky – you’ll be asking one part of Solitaire to sack the other. Thankfully as a David Wilson development prior to the takeover by Barratt, the builder remains our landlord.)
The word on the grapevine is that Barratt have received so many complaints about Solitaire that they are looking to terminate their ties with them, and not use them on future developments.
This can only be good news.
I for one am appalled that property management companies are not regulated. It really is daylight robbery.
I’d just love it if the residents of EVERY Solitaire managed development collectively said ‘NO’. I’d like to see Solitaire threaten all of us with legal action; I doubt they’d like the publicity, nor for a Court to hear about the ‘service’ they provide. They can’t even produce accounts – a judge would just love that!
Jon
August 5th, 2008 at 9:22 am
I thought I’d like to make yet another post about the poor services residence of Bridge Farm Walk, Bristol receive.
Today, for the first time in 6 weeks Kelly’s Cleaners actually arrived to carry out cleaning! Except this time I was home and had taken a photograph of the cleaning record before and after to prove they falsified cleaning records!
It was last done “allegedly” on the 8th July, when in fact I know it hadn’t been carried out since well before the 9th June! But today, this is a classic, they arrived and said they’d cleaned every Tuesday since the 8th July – what a joke!
I wish I could upload pics and create a mini gallery of their terrible service!
I’ll keep posting when the next thing happens!
August 5th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Oh my god….loving this website! I live in flats managed by Solitaire in Essex. Following this years extortinate service charge increase again….I sent a letter to the Area Property manager detailing all the services they are supposed to provide and do not.
Cleaning that is not weekly yet they’ll come in the following week and add last weeks date, gardening that is supposed to be done fortnightly or monthly depending on the season but is only done 4 times a year, failure to pick up litter, constant demands for money for external/ internal redcoration, ignoring health and safety and security issues, failure to deal with complaints, queries…..the list goes on.
I have reached a point where I am tired of paying for services that are not being provided and posted a copy of my letter to all the flats managed by Solitaire in my area. It created quite a backlash against Solitaire. However, they are an extremely difficult company to deal with and don’t seem to want to listen to their residents.
They have not had one residents meeting since I moved in 5 years ago. I suggested they hold one yearly meeting in the evening so all residents would have a chance to have a say but of course this is outside their working hours. They are probably to scared to put themselves in a room with their customers!
I will tell more residents about this site.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Well, Well.. Guess what I’ve had a response to my e-mail regarding the Cleaners falsifying the cleaning record!
Rob Banks from Solitaire Bristol has sent me the following:-
“I will be visiting the estate tomorrow in order to view this for myself.
I have raised this with the cleaning company, in addition to Anthea Moors having done this previously. I will need to consider a written warning, which I feel is a likely action, in the case of the cleaners.
I will need to look at the grounds maintenance contract in order to determine whether they are failing, but promise to take this up with them.
If necessary I will replace both companies.
Regards, Rob.”
Isn’t it amazing that after the guy who created this website has said that Solitaire have found it, that they respond to my e-mail!
The next question is – as I have proved with photographic evidence that both companies are failing to provide the service – will we as residents receive a rebate for services we have failed to receive? I doubt it! The charge will more than likely go up!
I’ll post another comment upon the outcome of Rob’s visit!
Sheps
August 5th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
When my partner and I moved into Aspect building, we set up a payment plan with amber credit to pay monthly. My partner and i broke up and she moved out. The direct debit was in her name so this had to cancelled and placed in my name, amber credit was unable to do this as the instruction had to come from solitaire. on calling solitaire all i seem to get is an answer machine which i have left numerous messages on, finally i managed to get through to someone who couldnt help me and promised to get someone to call me back, which never happened. Since, i have called on many occasions and know one seems to be able to help me, (e will ask someone to call you back everytime) when all they need to do is called amber credit to get a new account set up. Why is this so hard, its not rocket science, its very straight forward! ive now given up, the instruction from my lawyer is to not pay them anything and let them take me to court on which my lawyer is keen to raise all the above, as all message left and people who have promised a call back has been recorded and all the other numerous problems, like the massive water damages to my flat. (which Barretts and solitaire have both fobbed me off). look forward to fighting my case in court. . .
August 6th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I am currently paying £130 a month for a non existant service from Solitaire. I am being held to ransom and ripped off by Solitaire on a monthly basis.
I have been advised by consumers direct that there is no governing body for this type of complaint and that I should take up the matter with my conveyancing solicitor.
Does anyone else know of anything I can do the charges and services are beyond a joke!!
August 6th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Hello Ian. There seems to be common agreement between many of the commentators above that attempting to communicate with Solitaire in the usual way is a waste of time. One would expect a national management company to behave in a professional manner, instead they are slow to respond to correspondence – if they respond at all. When they do reply they avoid giving straight answers to straight questions or they fob you off.
I have learned through experience that the only way to get them to act is to shock them into it – and the action that ‘Sheps’ (above) has taken seems to support this.
As far as getting them to carry out their responsibilities is concerned. Many months and many letters after I had complained to Solitaire about unacceptable standards of external decoration (that we had paid for)nothing was being done to rectify the problem. So in frustration I took photographic evidence and did my homework on the possibility of taking them to the small claims court. A couple of days after giving them notice of my intention to raise court action against them the dodgy decorations were attended to.
As far as challenging their charges is concerned, a look at the Leasehold Tribunal Service might be a useful start.
Perhaps its worth remembering that in the absence of a governing body to keep these people in line we still have the law.
August 7th, 2008 at 6:06 am
Great to see people sharing views over this bunch of bandits previously thought of as a management company.
The real issue is – How do we get rid of them?
August 7th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Good morning all,
I represent a massive development ran by Solitaire in the London Greenwich area, and we have taken steps towards an Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (LVT):
http://www.rpts.gov.uk/about_us/lvt.htm
The LVT is designed to challenge unjustified service charges.
The only way to fight Solitaire is to use the LAW…they won’t be scared unless you threaten them with court action!
So I urge you all to contact your Residents Association (RA) at your respective developments, rally up all your residents and begin a LVT process if they have been increasing service charges without any reasonable explanation justifying their actions. Or simply all chip and seek a professional law firm that specialises in property and property management law.
Please feel free to contact me at secretary@eraqra.org for more information regarding the LVT or even better, share your legal experiences here!
Just remember this – do not be afraid of them, this web site already confirms on a national scale how incompetent Solitaire are, so
it’s time for all developments to stand up and get rid of them!
August 7th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Hi Everyone,
It’s nice to know that we’re not alone. I live in a block of shared ownership flats that are managed by Solitaire along with the whole rest of our development.
They are terrible. they are rude, off-hand, spend our moeny like water & ignore us when we complain. We are quite lucky, as we are shared ownership the customer is our housing company so we are trying to get rid of them.
The building next door are having a terrible time. They’ve just had in a new bill where the electricity had been underestimated by £5000 & the repairs & maintenance by £50000 on a NEW property.
This company are a bllody joke & our residents are at the end of our tether
August 7th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
We have received an appalling service from Solitaire they fobb us off and will not meet with the residents. The close has become neglected and is now an eyesore thanks to them. I have sent photos to the managing director of both solitaire and Kendrick with out success.
August 9th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Hi All
Further to my post of the 5th August, in respect of the response that I had received from Rob Banks at Solitaire Bristol.
This morning I received a letter from Rob giving me his views of the issues that I have raised with them, personally – it’s clear that the word of the contractors is more important to them than the unhappy customer!
Here’s the letter that they sent me – I’d love your opinions:-
“Further to Anthea Moors’ letter of 23 July 2008, I am writing to let you know that I visited Bridge Farm Walk on 6 August 2008. The purpose of my visit was to check the standard of cleaning to all communal stairwells and the upkeep of the grouds. As Anthea indicated in her letter, she raised these issues with both contractors in order to bring about an improvement. I also inspected the site in order to report any repair issues.
I was satisified with the level of cleaning and agree that this is in line with the required standard. Regarding the issue of alleged missed weeks, I spoek to the cleaning company manager who disputes there were any missed weeks. She has assured me that she will attend site if necessary, should there be any further reports of the cleaner not turning up. I noted that the signing sheets had been completed, with the latest date being 5 August 2008. If necessary I can ask her to put a note through your door signifying attendance. I understand your comment regarding the nature in which these sheets were signed and I suggest that as soon as you ralise the sheet is unsigned, let me know and I will arrange an inspection.
I inspected the grounds and whilst these are being maintained, noted some litter. This was not an unusual amount considering the amount of litter in the surrounding land. Clearly if there are items of litter that remain from one visit (of the gardner) to the next, I will take issue with the contractors.
Whilst on site I removed the adjustable spanner left on the window cill (presumable by the installer of the illegally erected Satiellite dish). I will ask a contractor to attempt to clean the rust stain off this cill whilst attending to the detatched downpipe at the front of your building.
I have also reported the badly closing bin store door, to the right hand side of the estate as you enter.
You will shortly be in receipt of copy accounts for Bridge Farm Walk. This will show your apportioned charges for the year 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. Your service charge apportionment is set out in your lease and will not alter even though there is further development on the estate. We will alter the budget year on year and this is very likely to increase due to the underlying inflation rate. I note the significant increase from 2007-2008. Erroronesously the budgeted amount for landscape maintenance for the form year replicated the previous expenditure for the half year September 2006 to March 2007.
I hop this helps to clarify the issue you have raised and I am happy to meet you on site in order to discuss any further issues.
Yours sincerely
Robert Banks
Area Property Manager”
So,
1) They are taking the word of the cleaning company over me – the person who has PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE that Kelly’s Cleaners have falsified the cleaning record.
2) He asks me to contact him if the cleaning record is not filled in. I’ve been bringing this to Solitaire’s attention since March!
3) If he inspected the Bin Stores – why has he not commented that they have never been swept? As this is part of the services we should receive – once again I’m in receipt of Photo Evidence!
It’s a joke! This is yet again another way of palming the customer off and assuming that I’ll just sit back and accept it!
NOT THIS TIME!
August 9th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I would like to thank whoever set up this site. It is good to hear from other victims of Solitaire. Our residents association’s solicitor has instructed a barrister on our behalf and I do not want to put in jeopardy any future court case, therefor I am not going to mention any of my complaints, as Solitaire monitors site.
A message for Martin Lee; We took Solitaire to the LVT but they successfully claimed that the LVT did not have jurisdiction over our case as we were Freeholders. The LVT were user friendly but were unable to prevent Solitaire doubling their admin charge each year for 3 years.
Please keep posting you complaints so prospective clients can find out the truth about Solitaire. BUT I think that the main use of this site will be bringing together, different groups who are trying to remove Solitaire as their managers. We can share our experiences and hopefully assist each other.
If you know of any clients of Solitaire, please make them aware of this site.
August 10th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Hello fellow sufferers,
I thought you might like to see some photographs. One of them illutstrates the beauty of the area in which I live. The remainder illustrate the disgusting state our close has been allowed to fall into. Double click on:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29416855@N04/
August 10th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Hi Geoff
Those pictures you’ve uploaded are awful. I can’t believe that they have let it fall into that state!
Solitaire should be ashamed! Although you’ve given me an idea that we should all open a flickr account and upload our pictures, hopefully the admin will then put them as a link for others to see!
Well done! Let’s continue highlighting their inefficiences!
August 13th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Hello fellow sufferers,
I hope none of you are football fans. If you are then you will be dismayed to learn that there appears to be a business connection between the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and Solitaire. For some very interesting reading type ‘football solitaire property management’ into google.
August 14th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Sounds about right. A bunch of lazy, overpaid, Neanderthals working with… the Professional Footballers Association.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Hi Shep
Found your letter from Solitaire very interesting reading…..almost like I had read parts of it before.
I complained we are charged for external ‘sweeping’ that I have never seen being done. The response….’having discussed the matter with the sweeping contractor they do sweep the car parking areas on a monthly basis…I have asked they put a card in your post box on each attendance or sign the cleaning sheet’. In 5 years I have never seen it being done. The bin stores are supposed to be disinfected once a month. This has never been done and depsite being raised, continues to not be done.
I complained the weekly cleaning was not happening weekly.The response…’with regard to the frequency of cleaning…can confirm that whilst on site the sheets had recently been signed’. This was because the cleaners had added in the date for the week before when they did attend. I have started to highlight the unsigned weeks adding a note with the date it was highlighted. It means the cleaners cannot just add in the date the following week. Their explanation is they forget to sign it. Every other week???? When I pointed out that the carpets had not been cleaned for a year and sent in copies of the cleaning records as proof, I was told they had been done every six months and the contractor had forgotten to sign the cleaning records. They then came round and removed all the old cleaning records. Although I still have copies…
The management fees have doubled in the last 3 years which I was told was due to increased staffing and admin costs because of changes in legislation. So can someone explain to me why whatever quote is chosen for the external redecoration of our property will have an extra 11% plus VAT added for admin costs? Why is that not covered by what we are already charged for admin?
Why do they not understand we do not have a bottomless pit of money and just want the services we are paying for!
August 15th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Hi All
This is brilliant! I finally managed to video the garden contractors carrying out their work and this time prove once and for all they take the Pi$$!
I’ve also sent the following to Rob, Anthea, Lee, Janet and ARMA including weblinks to the videos that I uploaded!
“Dear Rob / Anthea / Janet / Lee and ARMA
Rob, thank you for your letter dated the 7 August 2008, I appreciate your efforts in carrying out a site survey following my complaints.
However, from your letter agree with Anthea that the standard of cleaning from Kelly’s Cleaners was fine and that you couldn’t see a problem with it. I’d like to point out, that I did raise the point to you that she HAD ACTUALLY cleaned the day before your visit, and therefore the standard of cleaning was bound to be satisfactory.
I’m disgusted that you have taken the word of the cleaner that she carried out cleaning on the dates stipulated on the cleaning record, despite my photographic evidence to prove otherwise. Fortunately, this week when I heard her in the stairwell cleaning, I made a point of acknowledging Kelly.
For your information, any future visits that Kelly’s Cleaners fail to turn up to carry out cleaning, the cleaning record will be highlighted and comments will be placed next to the line so that they cannot once again falsify the cleaning record.
What WE as residents of Bridge Farm Walk would like to know is, what is “The required standard of cleaning that you believe the service we are receiving is within” as there is no documentation of this in any of your info packs. Therefore the standards that you expect are obviously VERY different to those that ACTUALLY pay for the service.
Once again, in two years of living here:
1) Communal Windows have not been cleaned
2) Carpets have not been cleaned – despite your literature advising this will be done twice a year
3) Bin stores will be cleaned and disinfected once a month – this has never been carried out in the last two years
Finally, in reference to clearing litter that you have advised Elmtree Garden Maintenance should carry out. Please find listed below 3 web links to videos that I filmed this morning of Elmtree carrying out their “Garden Maintenance” – it is quite clear that they don’t believe in picking up the litter and as I have previously stated – they simply throw it over the fence! However, this time I have video evidence that quite clearly backs up my claims which even Solitaire Property Management nor Elmtree can dispute.
The Before Link:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hu4g16N63s
During Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ7OOhoDcpM
During Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-_uHPfD_Y4 (This is the good one!)
It’s quite interesting that the website: http://www.thetruthaboutsolitaire.co.uk – which is dedicated to bringing together all the other unhappy residents of sites that Solitaire Property Management look after, say exactly the same thing. Even the letters you send are the same, I quote “If necessary I can ask her to put a note through your door signifying attendance”.
We the residents of Bridge Farm Walk look forward to your reply.”
Sheps
August 15th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Nice one Sheps – be sure to share their reply.
(On a side note… I’ve often thought a group of residents should turn up at the offices of Solitaire, fart about with a broom for five minutes, video themselves doing so, and then send Solitaire a bill for our services, in line with the rates they are charging us for a similar ‘service’.)
August 21st, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Has anyone else had dealings with the Leicester office??
Our development in Bolton is 2 years old but Solitaire are letting it slide. They signed off un-necessary and extortionatly priced works for outside lighting (with their contractor) and failed to get any other quotes to even see if this was competitive.
Would any employee of Solitaire spend £1100 of their own money in such a way??? I don`t think so.
I think there is a very clear picture here that no property managed by Solitaire receives the standard of cleaning/gardening that they pay for. Weeks are regularly missed but solitaire don`t care, they aren`t paying, we are.
Has anyone on here managed to get contractors changed to ones that residents choose/want??
August 28th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Hello to fellow Solitaire victims.
You may be interested in a website I have found that has lots of comments about Solitaire Property Management – and, as you would expect, none of them are complementary !
Look up ‘estate agents s customer ratings and reviews’
September 26th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Well Well Well – after my last post when I filmed Elmtree Garden Maintenance not doing their job properly I’ve just witnessed them doing exactly the same thing!
They turned up at 8.15am this morning, three guys – two cutting the grass and one strimming by 8.45am they were finished and gone!
What did they do – cut the grass, didn’t pick up any litter if fact they put the mower over the rubbish to make it even more messier and then left.
So we the residents of Bridge Farm Walk, Bristol are paying Solitaire £3000 for about 10 visits a year that take 30mins?
That’s £100 per visit for just cutting the grass!
I’m in the wrong job! Either Solitaire are taking the pi$$ and adding a massive margin on top of the small sum that Elmtree are being charged or they are all in on it!
If a previous poster “Gardener” said he invoices a small amount to Solitaire to do a similar job elsewhere, it would suggest we are paying for the privilege of Solitiare doing the Admin!
For £3000 a year – Solitaire – YOU PAY ME AND I’LL DO A MUCH BETTER JOB! I’LL ACTUALLY STERILISE THE BIN STORES, PICK UP RUBBISH AND MAKE THE GARDENS LOOK ATTRACTIVE!
Actually – pay me the £25,000+ that you are taking from the 30 residents here and I’ll do all of it and a much better job too!
YOUR COMPANY IS A DISGRACE AND SO ARE THE THIRD PARTY CONTRACTORS THAT YOU USE!
A Very Pi$$ed of Sheps!
September 26th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Hang in their Sheps! If you’ve also received a call from a certain organisation in the last couple of days, you’ll know that the boot will soon be on the other foot.
September 26th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Jon –
Thanks for your support – sometimes I get to the end of my tether and thankfully this website is here for me to let off some steam and vent my frustrations!
I just hate being ripped off, especially when I watch the contractors doing the job badly and all I can think of is what a waste of money it is!
Maybe I should setup a website too called “FreeCounsellingForSolitaireCustomers.com” lol that would be interesting!
January 10th, 2009 at 8:02 am
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=a9451029642de6f6c919adf075ef1af4&gid=40136597365#/group.php?gid=40136597365
January 16th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Fellow Sufferers,
I feel your pain and I have been in touch with Shep who has been exceedingly helpful and kind.
My son is having the same problem but this time with Broadlands Estate Management, who before then were Castle Estate Managements and before that Peveral OM…… there has to be a link to Solitaire because i see that Peveral were linked to them. Seeing I am in London, do you think Companies House will allow me to do a search in their offices? and surely amongst us there has to be a lawyer that is dissatisfied!…. Anything I can do to help please e mail me at fairyfabs@hotmail.com….thank you
March 5th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Hi
I have contacted you before about our problem with Solitaire.Recently someone contacted me asking me to get in contact with our local MP, I did as requested. Today I received a letter from my MP, passing on an email address for a reporter for the BBC Watchdog.
March 9th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
I would love to pass my views just sen them my details!!!
March 9th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I supplied full details of my experiences to Watchdog last week
April 10th, 2009 at 8:39 am
I like other Solitaire residents, I won’t use the word Customer as that is clearly not a word Solitaire understands, have received their latest missive about ‘improvements to their services’. This aside from demands for payments is the only evidence I have that Solitaire actually exists. It certainly doesn’t maintain the common areas on the estate in which I live and doesn’t respond to letters that ask for information about its maintenance schedules.
Call me a cynic but how does closing points of contact and reducing the number of people available to deal with its ‘users’ enquiries assist those users?
The recent letter was nothing more than a reminder that the company wants its fees paid, for my part I have already advised them in writing that I’m holding onto the fees until such time as I see evidence of their fulfilling their obligations.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
I am another victim of this dreadfuI company.I have no idea of what I am paying for and the caIcuIations are a compIete mystery.Iatest…my account is paid in September yet in May just past I have received a biII for 245 pounds…reason…???they under caIcuIated 2008 budget and the supposed ‘work’ was for fixing a gate and other spurious entries.This extra biII was aIso sent to the other 17 residents so they make a huge profit for doing nothing.They have now foIIowed up with more threats of added fees if not paid within their time frame.It’s time these cownboys were exposed and deaIt with by the courts for fraud and extortion.PIease endeavour to reIease us from this outfiy.
Thanks
N O’ConneII
July 14th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
I have just about had enough of this pathetic so called company. I have never ever in my adult years of dealing in day to day life come across such a DISGUSTING, rude bunch of idiots. This is it for me, they will NEVER, EVER get another penny from me EVER. I would be a total mug if i paid anything for this mickey taking excuse for a ‘business’. Lets all hold back payment…what can they do, maybe stand up and listen????? Im done, invoices going in the bin from now on, and believe me, i dont say all this lightly. This terrible excuse of a company have never returned calls, ripped us of, I could go on, but it sounds like all pepole on this site know exactly where im coming from!
July 15th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Hi Lee
I think some deep breathing and a double Vodak may help you.
I know its no consolation but there are 7 folks here that are in full agreement with you in every respect.We are indeed disgusted dismayed and appalled with this company. What is worse is that by now with all the comments made on “The Truth” ( a real worthy candidate for an OBE or something )is that someone in our ” Government”
has not done anything………………
……there are none so blind as those that can not see……
July 28th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Lots of deep breathing..20 bottles of vodka..and believe me, things no better, in fact worse!!!everything said above still stands..if only i could have written back with some positives!! I am still going to hold back payment, i have even sent them an email telling them this, course no reply at all,please please please lets all do the same!!! Not trying to teach bad habbits, im a good citizen!! just an extremely frustrated monster right now when it comes to these idiots. I WILL NOT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT to the best of my ability!!!
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Hi Lee,
I’m sorry to hear of your frustrations with Solitaire.
As the Solitaire Online Feedback Manager, my job is to monitor queries posted on this website, forward them directly to the relevant members of the Solitaire team and respond to you individually.
Please feel free to email me directly at andy.solitairepm@peverel.co.uk with details of your development/account reference number and your concerns and I will pass them on directly to the Solitaire team and come back to you with a response.
Many thanks,
Andy
Solitaire Online Feedback Manager
August 4th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Thanks, but no thanks. I have NO confidence and to say that i know im going to be ‘ignored’ is just putting it mildly!!
Would love to have confidence in yourself and actually believe you can help, alas this has all been going on for so long that i cannot even begin to trust solitaire or any member of this lousy establishment..harsh? yes, and you guys have earned this!
Solitaire DO NOT respond, they even, and i guess its a joke right? say they will respond WITHIN ten days, my last email was four weeks ago, and nothing. It actually gets worse, but to be honest, i cant be bothered to explain my plight anymore.. So, sounds good your offer,but i have had SIX years of my life being made a misery by solitaire,so be interesting to know how long you will be working for this ridiculous establishment Andy. No offence, just been far too long.
Thanks.
August 12th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Im with Lee on this. I am currently writing them a letter and all of the residents around here are going to sign it. Solitaire have asked for another £146 on top of the £1100 they have already had this year from us. We live in a development in Essex and we all have lease hold houses. Over the last 10 years the cocst has gone from about £150 to £1100 and NOTHING has been done to allow for this increase. All we really pay for here is Gardening. I have met with Tim Hughes and Janet Dzie at times but still nothing gets done. They will not be getting another penny from us and thats all there is to it. If we dont pay what can they really do? Take us to court? I would love that with all of the photos i have!
March 29th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
im in desperate need of advice or a solicitor who can help me tackle Solitaire, my charges have increased dramatically, i cant/wont pay this amount as with everyone else on here that seems to have the same issue..they dont do anything !!! ive asked them why im being charged for water and sewerage when i pay £30 a month already to Anglian water, this is just one small example of the problems ive had over last 5 years, i have now lodged 5 complaints to my so called property manager in the last 3 months and have had no response, well i did get one saying they would soon respond but never did, also got told they would freeze my account until they solve my issues, i got an invoice 2 weeks later for nearly double what i usually pay.
ill do anything now to get this company stopped !!
March 29th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Louise – welcome to our world…!!!
Being charged (by Solitaire) for water / sewage…??? That’s a new one. Is it just you, or are all the other properties in your development also being charged for this…??? The fact that they are charging you this would suggest there is a communal / landlord’s water supply (and therefore by association, drainage) within your development. Is there, actually…??? If there is, do you (and your fellow residents) have any access to it? If not, who does…???
We have previously seen on here examples where developments are being charged for items that simply don’t exist (maintenance on non-existent electric gates springs to mind…). I wonder if this is another case?
Perhaps Louise can provide further information. I suggest she also emails “Andy” with a list of all the problems at her development (his email address is andy.solitairepm@peverel.co.uk), along with details of when she lodged complaints, who to, and what (if any) acknowledgments she has received (i.e. the standard 10-working-days auto-reply we all get…). Don’t forget to tell him your account number (found on your service charge invoices) so that he can identify your actual development.
As to the general invoicing issues – sounds pretty standard to me. It’s common knowledge that the accounts department at Solitaire is a total shambles…..
March 29th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Louise,
Your lease should specify exactly what work and what the service charge covers.
Do you have a copy of it? If not I suggest you obtain on from the Land Registry. Can be bought online for £4.00
March 30th, 2010 at 8:10 am
Hi Louise
Thanks for your recent posting; I am here to help find a resolution to your problems with Solitaire.
We manage a large number of properties, so in order to investigate I do need to identify who you are and the development that your issues relate to.
If you can let me have as much information about the problems at your development including your customer reference number I can quickly bring it to the attention of the Solitaire senior property management team. We would come back to you with a detailed response, particularly regarding your questions on water and sewerage payments.
As regular poster “Matt” has kindly stated my direct email address is andy.solitairepm@peverel.co.uk
I do hope you will get in touch.
Thanks
Andy
Solitaire Online Feedback Manager
March 30th, 2010 at 9:12 am
Andy
When are you going to answer, Michael Epstein questions?
Louise, I wouldn’t put any hope in Andys fixing the problems,
He is not fit for purpose.
March 30th, 2010 at 9:55 am
Andy,
Please add my name to Paul list Nicky Vogg.
You and your Company need to justify your actions as I am going no where unless go to /sent to final box of resting. You and rest of you can ignore me as much as you like or try to discredit me which has not worked in last 3 years so do you still fancy your chances. The Truth always come out sooner or later. What ever I predicted has come 100% true hope it will carry on. One of you need to talk to NH or concierge to verify it.
Tell the owner of your company that I am the biggest gambler who at the toss of the coin decide what direction to go. You may talk to The Surveyor Duncan Taylor how I tossed to decide whether he should be talking to my contractor or not. If I put my money on horses ( only bet few times a year ) 95% of the time I win when I have no knowledge what goes on who is the Jockey or any knowldge of horses. This record is going on for 40 years. I won twice on famous “Red Rum” that started my gambling.
I need justice which I shall I get whether dead or alive.
Nicky Vogg
March 30th, 2010 at 10:30 am
Louise,
Despite “Andy’s” sweetly worded offer of help (remember the story of Litle Red Riding Hood?)- which I sincerely hope does go some way to sorting out the problems you have at the development that contains your home – I would still recommend that you and your fellow leaseholders obtain copies of your leases.
You never know – once you have sorted out this service charge problem you may all decide you want to buy the freehold to give yourselves total control over your bit of residential territory.