A Reply From Andy In Response to “Quiet Few Weeks”
By admin | July 23rd, 2010 | Category: Past Articles | 10 commentsSolitaire’s Online Feedback Manager – “Andy”, sent us an e-mail directly because apparently he was having problems posting the following on the site.
Sounds like they’ve blocked access to TTAS!
Anyway, as we always like to post comments from ‘both sides’ – here’s the e-mail Andy sent us with some ‘positive’ emails apparently! Although, two emails out of 30,000 residents isn’t really something to shout about is it!
Hi Nirmal
Latest News
I was very pleased to see that you had visited the Customer Updates section of our website [REMOVED] and found the latest information on the improvements made to the Solitaire Property Management Customer Services telephony system. Thanks for bringing the news to this website as these updates are designed to be available online for everyone to view.
For those that haven’t seen them simply visit [WEBSITE REMOVED] and click on the ‘News Update’ links on the left hand side of the page – the latest update is dated July 2010.
Since I started posting here last year, I always said I would update people on our progress in improving the service Solitaire provides its customers. That’s why we have been open in letting customers have the facts about the percentage of abandoned calls. We believe that the high call volumes earlier this year were simply because people were putting the phone down and ringing again – January was the peak month for call volumes so we always knew that we had to improve our telephony system.
Our work to improve response times and the other changes we have made in our Customer Services team are having a very positive effect for our Solitaire customers. I thought I would share two recent email comments from customers to illustrate this. I have removed the customer’s names and references to their development:
Recent Email from a Solitaire Customer – 22 June
From: Dxxxxx Gxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 22 June 2010 17:39
To: Solitaire Customer ServicesSubject: Ref bill query invoice 141107
To the Manager Customer Services. This is the first time in 8 years that I am contacting you with good news about your service. Matt dealt with my query yesterday while his computer was down but came back today on two occasions and has resolved the concern. In the past any query was dealt with as a nuisance but Matt was very professional and shows there has been a big improvement in your company’s approach to customer care. Good news needs to be passed on. I look forward to receiving an amended bill.
Thank you
Dxxxxx GxxxxxxxxxRecent Email from a Solitaire Customer – 9 July
From: Jxxx Wxxxxxx
Sent: 09 July 2010 16:35
To: Solitaire Customer Services
Subject: Fw: xxxxx message for Kelly and Supervisor if she has one!Good afternoon,
I have just listened to a voice message left for me at 4.15pm by Kelly with regard to the xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
I understand what you have told me Kelly and I would like to commend you on your clarity, precision and delivery of content. Your customer service to me today is excellent.
As someone who complains at poor service it is only right that I should commend you on good service.
I hope that Solitaire’s actions in this matter prove fruitful before xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx but in the meantime, thank you for your efforts on my behalf and for the excellent information.
Sincerely,
Jxxx Wxxxxxx—————————————————————————————————————–
These positive emails from customers are encouraging but we still know we still have a lot of work to do in further improving our service for our customers living on Solitaire managed developments.
I will continue to let you have updates in the coming months.
As always I welcome any constructive feedback. My direct email address is [REMOVED]
Hi Admin
It’s important to say that the comments made to you by an employee of an ‘independent company’ do not apply to Solitaire or any other Peverel Property Management company.
Many thanks.
Andy
Solitaire Online Feedback Manager
We were slightly confused by ‘Andys’ comment in regards to comments to us from employees of an independent company…. sounds like they don’t agree with some of the things being said by the ‘independent company’.
Why not post copies of your e-mails to Solitaire where you have complained and still waiting for replies on this thread, to show that two positives don’t sort a negative!
(Please remember that if you do post e-mails, can you edit the SPM employee name to be just their initial’s please e.g. AM (for Andy MissXXXX)
TTAS Matt, thanks for you comment – isn’t it nice to finally get a response from ‘Andy’ at last?! I missed his great posts on this site! Just trying to bring responses to it onto this new thread from Admin. Thx Admin for highlighting it.
I guess the reason it took ‘Andy’ so long (from my post on the 19th Jul to today, 23rd Jul) was, as Admin said, to trawl thru over 30,000 emails and only come up with the handful of positive ones must have taken some time! And it must have been quite depressing for the ‘Senior Management Team’ to have to go thru so many bad ones to find the few good ones that they did (…though seeing as Solitaire is still laughing all the way to the bank / CBG Bondholder Investors then they’re probably not that depressed after all!?)
I note that the first Email from a Solitaire Customer – 22 June – was in relation to a bill / invoice query? Solitaire trying to pass on some more unscrupulous charges to unsuspecting Leaseholders?? What would have happened if this ‘customer’ hadn’t raised the query? Would Solitaire have pocketed the money or fairly paid it back? Also the opening line “This is the first time in 8 years that I am contacting you with good news about your service” is again hardly anything to shout about ‘Andy’ (…was this one of the best positive emails you could find / come up with??) Again to quote “In the past any query was dealt with as a nuisance…” and even though ‘Matt’ (I’m talking about Solitaire Matt not TTAS Matt)
managed to sort out the problem while his ‘computer was down’ (…did he travel to the ‘customers’ property and actually do the work that the ‘customer’ was billed for?) 
to have your ‘customers’ think that by contacting you it’s a ‘nuisance’ to you is again hardly laudable customer service or good reputational advertising is it!?
Also the second Email from a Solitaire Customer – 9 July – Quoting “I hope that Solitaire’s actions in this matter prove fruitful before xxx…” isn’t really that positive is it as Solitaire haven’t actually done what’s been asked of them (which has been deleted by ‘Andy’) and the customer is still in ‘hope’ that it will be done! ‘Andy’ will you confirm when this is in fact completed for this ‘customer’? This person is basically complementing the fact that she received a call back with a follow up to his/her initial query – NOT that the problem is resolved! But all truth be told, to actually get a call back and response from Solitaire in this manner is indeed a step forward for them!! A miracle no doubt! WELL DONE ‘ANDY’ and ALL AT SOLITAIRE, you’ve figured out how to now finally use your fancy new “telephony system” that ‘Andy’ and Mr. Billson love to talk about, how about now learning how to manage our homes properly!??? (BTW we’re all paying for their new “telephony system” indirectly through the 08450 number, see Phone SPM / PPMG Without Using the 0845 Number for more details!)
So you see ‘Andy’ I’m not very convinced from your response. Do you want to reply further? I hope so
Also you say “It’s important to say that the comments made to [Admin] by an employee of an ‘independent company’ do not apply to Solitaire or any other Peverel Property Management company” with regard to a Satellite installation – would you care to comment on EXACTLY how much Solitaire would charge us to have a fitted socket for the cables rather than having them run through the walls? The reason I’m interested is that I queried about a block Satellite installation for our block well over a year ago (and a few times before that too!) even providing details of Sky who I’d talked to extensively and was told that even if only a handful of properties decided to opt for it they could do a free installation for the block. I’ve still not heard anything back from Solitaire on that, care to chase that up? Thanks ‘Andy’
Nirmal
In reply to your comments about Andy advising about the views of an employee of an independent company (relating to the Sky installation)
Andy appears to have missed the point that when we wrote ‘Naming no names….’ we were being sarcastic! The engineer actually named Consensus Business Group of Property Management Companies! So if that is what Andy refers too by saying that these comments do not apply to Solitaire Property Management or any other Peverel Property Management company is false!
We’ll be posting your response to IM and we have forwarded your email onto him.
Nirmal – I assume your references to me as “TTAS Matt” are purely to separate me from the “Solitaire Matt” who is mentioned in the positive emails “Andy” has kindly posted for us…??? I’m still awaiting “Andy” to post some examples of non-positive emails they have received, but I suspect I will have a long wait…..
I am simply one of the multitude of residents living on a Solitaire-managed development – I have no direct involvement with this website (apart from posting comments), but continue to support the great effort being done by it’s creators / owners.
One word that keeps cropping up is “customer”. That would be us, then. Can I request that “Andy” and the rest of his office look this word up in their dictionaries. Might serve as a starter for 10…..
Dear Michael,
I have now investigated your complaints.
I can find no record that you were ever sent a notice of valuation. I can find no record of a valuation being carried out prior to you receiving a demand for payment.
You were quite right to insist on seeing a copy of the survey and you were right that in certain cases backdating was done to the wrong date. It was very wrong to have threatened you with a debt collection agency.
It was wrong that you were never told about Kingsborough.
It was wrong that Peverel have not accounted for their charges in an upfront manner.
I agree that cherry pickers should never have been used on your Estate, especially, when you begged the Estate Manager not to use them.
Peverel will put everything right that we did wrong. Since i understand all the stress and time off from work you have had to take as a result of our actions you will be awarded appropriate compensation.
I trust this meets your concerns.
Andy Online Feedback Manager
HEINEKEN DON’T WRITE ANDY’S POSTS BUT IF THEY DID
THEY WOULD PROBABLY BE THE BEST POSTS IN THE WORLD!
Hi Michael
I fully understand your plight and wish you well
As for us well we received an increase amount for our insurance premium on our year end accounts from the number 1 property management company in the UK. Not a great amount but it was more than the figure on the original policy. We asked direct the insurance company concerned if we could have the additional policy or the revised policy showing the increased amount – after all they issued the original.
We have had no reply ……………..
A letter to the insurance ombudsman is being drafted together with a letter to our MP demanding an answer.
In the interests of fairness, I believe “Andy” has to provide us with a couple of “bad” emails Customer Services have provided. I’m sure there are plenty to choose from – certainly more choice than for the “positive” ones already offered…..
So come on “Andy” – let’s see a couple of examples of the complaints Customer Services have received, rather than just the emails you are happy to print….. You know there are plenty. We know there are plenty.
If “Andy” cannot find any, I have quite a few he can have …
Haven’t we all, Bushbrother, haven’t we all…..
All, just seen that nobody has yet rated the “new” OM Property Management on http://www.allagents.co.uk/om-property-management/ I suggest you go voice your opinions so that it soon reflects their previous guise of Solitaire: http://www.allagents.co.uk/solitaire-property-management-ltd/
Happy rating!
Dear Andrew
It has been sometime since I posted on this site as we were freed from your shackles sometime ago.
However since you claim to have improved your service maybe you can help?
There have been previous postings highlighting the issue with Health and Safety assessments and charges that were made for these. After weeks of trying for an answer my ex property manager Mr Tim H informed me that indeed that the assessments never took place on our site and he would be speaking to the H&S manager about a refund but as to be expected nothing has been forthcoming.
This amounted to £353.
We have since tried to contact Mr Tim H and Ms Clara L-B but they have not responded and unless you tell me otherwise positive news Andrew as I informed the above we will take this to an LVT and the flood gates will well and truely open.
I look forward to your reply with anticipation.