Ward & Partners

So, after real experience with the Ward & Partners services, I have to update my review and it’s for the worse.
In my previous review, I spoke highly of their mortgage broker service, Mortgage Matters Direct and Rachel Haller. And I do stick by that initial review… to an extent. Yes, she’s great when you’re starting out and trying to get a mortgage and she DOES know everything there is to know about mortgages, the process, banks, etc.
BUT. When our flat fell through, Rachel was nowhere to be seen. She’d just disappeared off the face of the earth as far as we were concerned. We emailed her, we called her, we left voicemails with her and with Ward & Partners and nothing. Until, that is, we found another property.
No doubt with commission shining in her eyes, she finally called us back nearly a month after our initial property fell through. We arranged a meeting and off we went.
I really wish we hadn’t gone, to be honest. Never in my LIFE have I ever felt so demeaned and humiliated by an agent. She called me three things during our short meeting to really highlight how much of a negative effect I personally had on our mortgage application: A dependent, unemployed, and a housewife. All things I would apparently have to be listed as to even feature on our mortgage, despite my having a job and having had it for longer than my partner.
After 15 minutes of me sitting there crying, she brusquely informed us that she had another appointment, our dreams of owning the property we’d seen, and I quote, ‘wasn’t going to happen’, and we were ushered out with me still in tears.
I really genuinely thought Ward & Partners wanted to help us. That Rachel was working in our interests and that this ‘estate agents are all rubbish’ thing was a myth. But as far as this branch goes? There’s more truth than not.
We’ve since found a different broker who makes eye contact and talks to me instead of just to my partner as if I don’t exist. He’s working for BOTH of us, not just whoever has the higher paying job and the contrast between the two is incredible.
The experience with Ward & Partners as an agent (see my Dartford review for the second half to this story) and Rachel Haller as a broker was almost enough to put us off buying altogether and seriously? I’d recommend you find another agent. If our dream house came up with them, we’d never consider viewing and that speaks volumes I think.