Pennyfarthing Fordingbridge reviews

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Good aftercare team, shame about head office!

Bought a 4 bed detached house in April. Generally happy with it, build quality etc seems fairly good, but with some irritating exceptions, such as poor tiling here and there, kitchen worktops not properly fitted/sealed, double glazing needing alignment, varnishing and painting all a bit slapdash etc. That said, Malcolm the on site manager, and the rest of the customer care team have been impressively responsive so far and most things have been quickly resolved with a succession of trades people in and out over the last few weeks with a refit of the kitchen, hopefully last item, due this week. It's a shame therefore that the head office people caused us so much problem and extra cost on the day of our move, and have yet to respond to my reimbursement request, (sent via email to the local sales office team) Their refusal to allow hand over of keys in a timely manner, despite all funds for purchase having been transferred to their solicitors early in the day, made our move very stressful, running late into the evening and cost me extra "late key" charges from the removal company. I don't think it unreasonable to ask for these charges to be met by those who caused the delay!

Colin · 25 July 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

We are very delighted with our new…

We are very delighted with our new home. Melcombe and the team were excellent on moving in day and that support and service.Reassurance has not faltered since.Malcom and Rafal are always available with advice and a cheery smile.

Ray · 17 January 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Have been dealing with the after care…

Have been dealing with the after care service part of Pennyfarthing and they have been brilliant. Matt has been superb, nothing is too much trouble and everything is fixed quickly and to the highest standard. Very professional and friendly.

Nuts · 9 December 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Matt from Customer Care is the best

Matt from Customer Care is by far the best member of staff to deal with. He goes the extra mile and is spot on with getting things resolved. If I could give Matt 6 stars I would. Thank you Matt!

Mason · 21 October 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

All the sales team were extremely…

All the sales team were extremely polite and helpful during the whole process. Dealt with Jackie the most and she was always attentive to any needs and willing to helpful the whole time! Thank you so much,Matt

Matt · 30 January 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Perverse sense of Transparency & Integrity

Evaded responding to questions about their contract, crucially one concerning the absence of indemnities, and revoked the sale without notice following a 6+ week wait for a reply. Our chain collapsed from lack of progress between times and although restored shortly after, the developer seemingly had advertised, sourced & authenticated a replacement buyer in the interim all whilst maintaining the "Reserved" tag on their website and without any notification to us as the Reservee! An incredible feat given the somewhat sluggish market but more astounding as we were in correspondence with their MD at the time about their delays !!! Our request for timing details of that ‘resale’ not too surprisingly failed to elicit a reply. The net result was that we lost out on the purchase and left with abortive legal costs as a result of failures on their part. The implication being, whatever the "weaknesses" of the contract, the prospective purchaser must accept it unconditionally under threat of unilateral withdrawal of sale without warning. We do wonder whether the ‘irregularities’ in the contract would have come to light if we had appointed the developer’s recommended solicitor to act on our behalf (billed as giving surety of completion but at twice the cost of high street equivalent). Certainly personalising finishes by non-refundable payments in advance of seeing the contract which we felt pressured to do, would have placed us in a more submissive role in relation to accepting the contract ... thankfully we repelled such overtures. BEWARE

Kurseong · 23 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

I have excellent experiences with…

I have excellent experiences with Pennyfarthing Homes especially Jackie of Sales and Malcolm of Customer Care do pay great attention and conscious of my needs. I am happy with my new homes at Potters Wood.Thanks,Derek

Derek · 1 February 2023

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

6 month review

What initially appeared to be a positive experience has sadly been progressively soured by consistently poor customer service from Head Office. The staff based at Potters Wood are fantastic and very helpful, but ultimately they are let down by their Head Office. My house recently had failed coaxial cabling for satellite tv, a replacement en-suite required due to poor workmanship and no hint of an apology. Poor tiling and damp loft voids are common faults throughout Potters Wood, and Head Office refuse to address this, stating instead that buyers should expect their lofts to be damp and mouldy for up to two years. They don’t tell you this until you’ve moved in, and they refuse to reimburse you for items stored in the loft that are damaged by the mould, or the inconvenience of having a brand new en-suite ripped out and replaced. The timber roof rafters in my loft and the underside of the ‘breathable’ roof membrane are covered in mould, and this is getting worse over time. Penny Farthing insist this is normal. On the surface these properties appear very good, but sadly over time poor quality and workmanship becomes apparent, made worse by the woeful customer service experience from Head Office.

Mr · 1 May 2023

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

A huge disappointment

Upon completion of the purchase of the property, I was extremely impressed with the workmanship and the level of customer service I had received. Sadly, all this is a distant memory. When looking over the property with finer detail now I have moved in, it’s clear that standards are slacking. The carpentry is pretty poor in places & the painting and decoration lacks a fine finish. I genuinely haven’t purchased a large spirit level as I really don’t want to highlight how poorly aligned some of the interior walls are. Additionally, don’t use their carpet fitters or tilers. The carpets have been fitted with absolutely no pride and the tiled floors in the bathrooms are all scratched from boot wear. Also, we’ve been one of many plots to have had our bathroom ripped out since the tiling was so poor, leaks were found. I’d suggest using an alternative developer.

Anonymous · 26 April 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

A special mention and thank you to…

A special mention and thank you to Malcolm, he has gone above and beyond to assist us with his customer care. He has been very friendly and professional in helping us.

AJ · 9 May 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

First class company

First class company. We have been in our new build for two years now and have had a few minor problems but all have been dealt with very courteously and efficiently by an excellent Customer Care Department. Sue located some chrome screw covers for our shower which we had accidentally broken and within a couple of days we had an email to say they had been sent by the manufacturer and would be forwarded on to us. Excellent response Sue- thank you! We have been pleased with the response to all the issues we have had since moving in. We would highly recommend Pennyfarthing to any potential purchaser for their quality of build and aftercare.

Tony · 23 March 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

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Lovely homes

The homes are really lovely

Aimie · 25 March 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

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We bought a bungalow from Pennyfarthing…

We bought a bungalow from Pennyfarthing Homes and we have been impressed by the quality of the build and the fixtures and fittings. The company has a comprehensive system of dealing with any problems and they are sorted out quickly by their friendly staff who seem to be proud of their company and treat us with the respect we would like as customers.

Vic · 27 July 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Extremely helpful and friendly .

Extremely helpful and friendly .Especially Jackie in the office , Malcolm and Rafal in customer care in potters wood Very well built house and no complaints…. So far !!!!

Elaine · 8 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Even better than expected!

Great experience purchasing a new home with Pennyfarthing Homes. The sales team have been excellent from the outset, keeping us updated on the progress including the photos and estimated completion date. Jackie, Gaye, Sina and all the sales team at Potterswood have gone above and beyond to ensure our move went as smoothly as possible. We honestly felt that they had our best interests at heart. Since moving into our house 1 month ago, we have been more than impressed with the quality of construction and the finishing touches. Malcolm and Rafael from the after sales team have been excellent and the very few imperfections we found have been fixed quickly. We would definitely recommend buying a new home with Pennyfarthing.

Matt · 26 February 2023

★★★★★ 3/5

Trustpilot

Moved in 3 months ago (Potters Wood)

Its been a mixed bag. Positives include superb quality finish, high specification of the build and appliances, excellent attention to detail, and really friendly staff. In fairness, most snags were fixed quickly, but negatives include damp in the garage and the house loft void due to inadequate ventilation, and cracked grouting on two walls in the en-suite leading to water leaks into the bedroom. Expect to have to replace all the light pendants as the threads are too short to hang a lampshade, and pay close attention to the dimensions of the space in the kitchen for the integrated washing machine as a standard machine will not fit. The gold spec says the house is 'wired for an alarm' but in reality this is just a fused spur in a cupboard and there is in fact no wiring anywhere else in the house for PIR or door sensors or an alarm box. Clarify the detail of where your garden path will be because it won't be to the pedestrian door on your garage - it'll be from the patio to the side gate. Caveat emptor.

Mr · 25 February 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

The team went above & beyond

The sales office team really went out of their way to keep me in the loop and minimise the stress associated with moving into a new build property in Verwood on a tight mortgage offer deadline.They responded quickly yet thoughtfully to all of my questions (of which there were many!).A friendly demeanour was maintained throughout, I never felt like I was just 'one of the numbers'.I have no past examples to compare with but it's hard to imagine a higher quality experience.

James · 27 January 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

My Experience

Malcolm and Jackie were very accommodating and helpful throughout the whole experience. Made the move and purchase hassle free. They are great custodians of Pennyfarthing and a value asset to the company.

Chumbawamba · 14 January 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Matt Hayworth from the customer care…

Matt Hayworth from the customer care team is an absolute credit to the Penny Farthing team. No job has ever been too much for him, and he’s always gone above and beyond with every job he’s done for us. He is not only a really friendly guy but extremely professional and knowledgeable at his job, he literally has the answer to everything, no job is too much and he does everything with a smile! It is very clear how good he is at his job and he deserves all the praise he gets. Would like to add all of the above is the same for Chris from customer care team, communication was always very clear with all the jobs and they were both an absolute pleasure to have in our homes and a real credit to the team at PennyFarthing!!

Beth · 23 November 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

I am absolutely over the moon with my…

I am absolutely over the moon with my house!! My partner and I moved in to our first just over a week ago and couldn’t be happier. Jackie and the sales team have been amazing, even when I kept changing my house choices! We had upgraded parts of our kitchen and bathrooms, very happy with the results!As of yet, no major concerns with the house. The snagging process is well thought out, giving you 4 weeks to identify any problems.

Yasmin · 5 November 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Pennyfarthing Fantastic service as ever.

Fantastic service as ever.We trust them implicitly.Everything done to high standards.We felt that Pennyfarthing wanted what was best for us the customer.We are very pleased that we chose them to buy a new flat.The staff are very efficient and helpful.They were very supportive and have given proper guidance in each and every step.A totally professional team who deliver a top class service. Customer Care guys Malcolm and Rafal did great job to complete our snags on time.

RENJITHA · 1 February 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

HOME FROM HELL

HOME FROM HELL, AVOID PENNYFARTHING AT ALL COSTS!!!Here are the significant issues that STILL persist nearly four years later:Pennyfarthing (PF) consistently delays responses, ignores emails, cuts corners at every opportunity and are aggressive in attempting to shut down complaints. Blocked Drains• We reported issues with blocked drains within a week of moving into the home, making half of our toilets unusable. PF initially blamed us for our choice of toilet paper and later claimed that, since only two of us live here, we weren't using all the toilets enough. We even suggested a toilet usage schedule and have had endless excuses for terrible workmanship against building standards. • After persistent communication, PF eventually acknowledged the problem. However, they have attempted to fix it in a half-hearted manner many times, each time with poor execution. Numerous professional assessments have recommended effective solutions over the years, but PF has consistently ignored these suggestions. This led to our garden being dug up multiple times, with broken fences and digging up our neighbours block paved driveway without permission.• Everytime, when the same professional returns to unblock the drains, they find the work was inadequately completed, just last week they stated that if they had performed the work, they would be shut down by trading standards given that the pipework was so poorly laid, the manhole did not use correct size pipes and so was not secured and had never been sealed, this means our house is at significant risk to rodents in our walls and ceilings with pipes left uncapped. Failed Subfloor• When we decided to install hardwood flooring, our flooring company informed us that the subfloor had completely failed. After much effort, PF agreed to let the same company fix the issue and pay for the extra work, then later refused to pay as it was “unfair.”• Following a lengthy dispute and a court case, we eventually recovered our money. PF insists the rest of the subfloor, although all laid at once, is not the reason all the kitchen tiles have come up. And still refuse to sort the problem out 2 years later. The tiles have not bonded. Major Temperature Issues• Our room above the garage is uninhabitable for half the year due to extreme cold. Every winter, PF proposes changes, and we wait to see if any improvements are made.• We have connected with other homeowners facing similar issues, confirming that this is a widespread problem.In addition to these ongoing issues, a professional snagging company identified over 100 problems in our home, and we have had leaking ensuites replaced five times, with expectations that they will leak again.We strongly advise anyone considering a Pennyfarthing home to reconsider, as they are negligent and uncaring. We are open to discussing our experiences in more detail.

Aimee · 20 October 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Matt and Chris in customer service…

Matt and Chris in customer care provided excellent quality of repairs to our home. Matt and Chris delivered great communication to ensure we were always aware of each stage of the repairs and continued to offer to resolve other minor problems in our home. Overall, Matt and Chris could not do enough for us and went the extra mile in providing excellent service. I feel that Matt and Chris in customer care are a huge credit to Penny Farthing.

Customer · 7 October 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Customer Care more like Customer not Care

Don’t even bother buying a Pennyfarthing Home unless you are prepared for over a years worth of builders in your home fixing the problems. If your happy to deal with that then buy away, otherwise avoid at all costs!Tiles downstairs replaced 5 times, Both en-suite and main bathroom redone due to poor workman ship.I could only name 3 members of staff that aren’t undermining, rude or patronising.As a first time buyer this experience was meant to be exciting but due to Pennyfarthing the whole thing has been awful from start to finish.

Lauren · 17 August 2022