ANCHOR LIFESTYLE DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED Hook reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

How you get to view a property is a mystery!

Hats off to anyone who actually got to view a property with Anchor nevermind rent one!I've been trying for over a week just to speak to someone about a flat they are advertising as available. Voicemails go unanswered, the lettings team do not ring back and even the customer service team have no response to the emails they send!This one star is a gold one for Alice(customer service) who did her best for me yesterday, sending emails and trying various phone numbers. All to no avail.I hope they are a lot better if their residents have an emergency!

Sue · 29 April 2021

★★★★★ 3/5

Trustpilot

Not enough support for many residents

I have been living in an Anchor property in Northumberland for two and a half years. There are several aspects of the setup I'm critical of, but I want to focus on one thing that particularly bothers me. This scheme has several residents with learning disabilities who moved here from a specialist residential setting. There are also a number of residents in the early stages of dementia. I am fairly sure that the managers have not had any special training in dealing with people like this who need more support. When the pandemic started and the managers were moved off site, residents who lack the mental capacity to understand social distancing, masks, etc, were left wandering around in a confused state putting themselves and others at risk. I feel strongly that the decision to take the managers off site was mistaken and that Anchor could and should have made the case that this is an essential job that cannot be done from home. Anchor have provided almost no help or support with Covid. It took them two months to distribute a list of phone numbers of local organisations that could help and three months to place a bottle of hand sanitizer beside the door. All they do is stick up notices reciting the latest government rules, and when the rules change they don't take down the old ones. I did email customer relations about my concerns in the early stages of the pandemic and they sent me a reply in an encrypted form that I couldn't read without downloading some software I didn't trust.

Elaine · 26 April 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Hello my name is gerry phillips and i…

Hello my name is gerry phillips and i live at Rydal Court Morecambe. Can i through Trust Pilot thank the department responsible for the new decoration of the public areas of the complex, it has brightened the place up so much. I would also like to thank the dept that put up the new sky dish, i can now get all my channels after nearly two years yippee. Thank you all once again and to Julie Smith our scheme manager who has to put up with us on a daily basis.

Gerry · 15 April 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Incompetence rules!

Recently, I rang, answerphone so left name, number and why ringing.No response for a week+.I emailed.No response for a week+.I emailed again, days later (10th), I received a phone call:The person who rang me, difficult understanding him because he was slurring his words.I said my name and told him why I was ringing.He repeated what I said in a sort-of reverse order, making no sense whatsoever. I repeated and he repeated as before.I told him I was wasting my time and hung up.I wondered if he was on drugs, drunk, speech impediment though the first struck me given he was responding more like bad AI than human.Given this was a few days ago, I was not even going to write a review but decided to anyway.

Andrew · 14 May 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Complaints get past round and round at…

Complaints get past round and round at the moment we are waiting for a reply to a letter from the independent complaints panel, which took 2 years to reach,Quote from AH Later life is for living.Helping people enjoy later life is our passion. It has been for more than 50 years. And today, we offer an impressive choice of housing, care homes and services at almost 1,700 locations across England.Buy or rent from us and you’ll enjoy a secure and welcoming home from a not-for-profit organisation that puts you at the heart of everything we do, a home where you’ll love living in later life.They are having a laugh.I like the bit about value for money, charging £141.to change a smoke alarm battery is not value !!!. I could go on but life is to short.

Audrey · 9 April 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

AH water rates complaint

AH water rates complaintI sent this request below, to AH customer service a few weeks ago, still no response yet! However I am not surprised, it will I am sure be passed down the line for someone else to deal with... I think we have a right to see the original bill from the water company! I have a question for AH accounts department about the total bill for South West Water, each individual flat at xxxxxxxxxxxxxx is charged £50.82 monthly, there are 28 flats in our complex, therefore the total payment monthly = 1,422.96 Annually = £17,075.52. Is it possible to confirm that AH are paying South West Water £17,075.52 annually? I just feel transparency is important in this case as tenants feel this charge is very high for a one bedroom flat, I have spoken to other households in this area and they are paying less, even for a 4 bedroom house with 4 occupants.

Alan · 7 April 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

This organisation can only improve by…

This organisation can only improve by examining residents issues and responding to them in a truthful manner. At this time Anchor appears to have a 'no fault' attitude, is deceitful and lacks morals.I notice that you mention standards, are these standards written if so where can I see them.

Customer · 24 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I wonder why AH have a customer…

I wonder why AH have a customer relations department.I really think it should be renamed customer adverse department! Seriously though I have had to make a couple of complaints which I felt justified in doing, however instead of this department dealing with it, even after I specifically asked them to, each time they passed it down to an area manager, who did not deal the complaints, he just put the AH spin in his replies. They are I believe trained in this. I don’t mean to ramble on, and I am writing this out of pure frustration! The AH ethos is care of their tenants well being, I definitely feel my health and well being has been put in jeopardy due to AH customer relations lack of communication skills, professional conduct, and general apathy. I am sure they must respond to some feedback, perhaps it happens when they are paid the occasional compliment, what is going wrong with this housing association? Does anyone have any idea!

Alan · 6 April 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Complete lack of customer service skills and unresponsive complaints procedure

Email below sent to the complaints department on 11th March 2021, no response, follow up email sent 17th March 2021, still no response. Goes against their policy and has a complete disregard for the stress caused to elderly and frail people. Then after no response he receives a direct debit mandate addressed to him and my mother. My mother passed away in those very premises 3 years ago, not exactly tactful. Appalling customer service.To whom it may concern,I am emailing on behalf of my father regarding the recent correspondence relating to an increase in the service charge for his property. The current service charge paid is £485.00 per month, in January my father received the budget proposals for 21/22 with the proposed service charge for 21/22, which was much in line with the current payment. Following this, in February, an actual budget statement arrived stating that the service charge was to increase by over 22%. The difference appears to be in an extra homeowner's charge that had not appeared previously. An increase in service charge of over 22% is not a reasonable increase and my father was extremely stressed and worried. Therefore, on 4th March, my father, along with another resident's relative met with the area manager to raise the issue and share their concerns. The area manager stated that she knew nothing about the charges and said she had not seen the information that had been sent out. My father asked if the matter could be looked into and was promised a response.Today 11th March, my father received a letter (attachment 3) saying there had been an error in the service charge and that it should have been £568.00 not £593.00 and this was due to an administration error, however there are no figures that back up the information. A raise per month from £485.00 to £568.00 is still an increase of over 17%. We accept that there is likely to be a slight increase in service charges, but not to this scale. Although your complaints policy clearly states you do not accept a complaint if:The complaint is disputing the cost or reasonableness of a service charge or sinking fund/reserve fund contribution.​An increase of this magnitude is unreasonable and there has been no concrete evidence to back this up with the figures supplied. The letter sent today is not only unprofessional but states that further information will be sent out regarding the rent increase, rent has nothing to do with this issue.I would like my father to receive a clear and concise breakdown of the increase and the reasons behind it. Please advise if you refuse to accept the complaint and we can then raise this with the housing ombudsman. I am deeply concerned about the stress this matter is causing my father, he suffers with a heart condition and the last thing he needs is to be worried about being able to stay in his property. I hope that this matter can be looked into as soon as possible to avoid any more stress and worry.I look forward to receiving your response.

Paula · 22 March 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Since they put in bii_mas heating they…

Since they put in bii_mas heating they have taken off the heating off our rent and we have to pay it ourselves and it is now costing me another £22 a month rent and £30 a month heating this bio mass was supposed to be cheaper for us. When I first came anchor was brilliant but since July2020 it has gone down the drain. Nobody can give us a straight answer why we are having to pay so much.

Joan · 26 May 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Don't do it!

My mother lives in Moat Croft, Shoeburyness. She is 88 years old and bed bound. She has been having boiler problems for years and keeps being told 'it'll be replaced in the next financial year'. They are happy to see her with no hot water for days at a time while they find someone to bodge up the boiler to work for a few days before it goes again, and the latest episode is to leave her without heat for 2 days over last weekend. Any complaints are fobbed off with the same old 'next financial year' tripe. They were telling my Dad that when he was still here and he's been dead 5 years! It takes so long to get anything done and it all has to be done on the cheap. As soon as you become a bit of a problem needing more help they want to shove you into one of their homes - and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Mum had respite at one of these homes and came home with plenty of other peoples clothing but not all of her own! The only good thing to come from my parents living there is that it has definitely made us know we will NEVER go in anywhere run like this.

Anne · 3 March 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Stay away from Anchor HanoverIf I could put 0 stars I would… kitchen…

If I could put 0 stars I would… kitchen 25 years old, keep putting it off and spent the money on a cheap plastic carbon monoxide detector that you can pick up for pennies…. I expect the boss is on £200,000.00 no profit organisation 🤣🤣 Where is the kitchen????

David · 15 March 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Tenants disregarded.

For the people who are writing such glowing reviews. You are in the honeymoon period. It will wear off. My husband and I have resided at one establishment for eight years. We were reasonably happy. Hated the Budget meetings they left a lot to be desired never got a proper answer. We eventually moved to another location for better facility’s, and it has been the worst two years of our life. And Anchor has greatly hit the skids I do not know whether to call the experience a horror movie, at times a comedy, did it happen, didn't it happen. Twists and turns. The story still ongoing. Blindsided, ignored. Pushed from pillar to post not getting any straight answers. Gone through so many managers, area managers. This manager will be in touch, then they are not there anymore. It’s unbelievable. And to top it all, in their brochure they say they have A DUTY OF CARE. to their tenants.???

Enid · 24 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

ANCHOR EXPLOIT LOOPHOLE ALLOWED BY TRUSTPILOT

I GIVE FIVE STARS TO OWNER RESIDENTS’ GROUP & SALLY KNIGHT FOR YOUR REVIEWS! THANK YOU BOTH! Anchor invite their new residents to review their staff when they make contact with them. Good hearted residents will give the person they were helped by, a good review, thereby separating it from Anchor. These reviews are not about Anchor but about their employees. It is easy to spot this because you will see 5 star reviews thanking Sandra, Steff, Liz, Jamey, Jay, Mel, the decorator, the parish priest etc etc. TRUSTPILOT PLEASE STOP THIS LOOPHOLE as this seriously undermines the value of 5 star reviews posted since the beginning of MARCH 2024 when the actual ANCHOR ORGANISATION WAS RATED POOR!

Bessie · 21 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

1 And 2 Star Reviews

This 1-Star review is for both Anchor AND Trustpilot.We have had our latest, utterly factual post taken down and, despite providing a lot of supporting evidence, Trustpilot refuse to re-post it. Big win, Anchor. And yet this 2-star post for Anchor (look it up) goes uncorrected:"...Vermin PeopleParasitic, verminous, anti-anglosaxon, anti-locals, social council estate hub of vermins at The Crown & Anchor Edmonton, 222 Forestr St.London N18 2QD. Any europeans from continental europe or even respected englishman or woman must not go there. Even the waisted local verminous woman at the till, what i belive, she told me her and what appeard her semi drunk man and her "local degraded gang" ,supports tens of thousands of killings of ukrainians. The woman and her gangmen actually supports killings of ukranians. And they must be very proud of running that shhite hole pub..."Trustpilot - REALLY? Great comment filtering Pfffttt....

Owner · 21 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Anchor are not trustworthy

I have lived in a Hanover/anchor retirement bungalow for 10 years there is always a querie about who owns what re the outside of the building, 2years ago we had new windows at the front money taken out of the funds we have been told on numerous accounts that the porch doors belong to us and any repairs we have to have done ourselves so some residents have paid for this themselves, we have asked for these doors to be replaced with upvc and the monies taken out of the fund but the answer comes back every time they are the homeowners responsibility. We have just had a letter to say they are going to paint all outside woodwork we are assuming it means the doors as well so why all of a sudden have they decided that this can be done as the money is coming out of the fund what a waste of our money when these doors need replacing they are rotten just like anchor rotten to the core just take our money and tell us what we can have done , they don’t tell you this when they interview you to see if you are acceptable on the estate perhaps we should start interviewing them to see if they are acceptable to us

Vivienne · 17 April 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Denham garden village excellent transition for the move and…

easy transition for the move and updated extremely well with the process from start to finish thanks to Jayne James at denham garden village a big thank you Jayne we love our new home

Mrs · 8 March 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

I spoke to a lovely young lady today

I spoke to a lovely young lady today regarding my housing situation she was so very helpful patient and understanding thanks to her help I'm now registered with anchor housing and am confident they can help me thankyou 😀

Annie · 18 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

How do I contact Trust Pilot to…

How do I contact Trust Pilot to complain about ‘invited’ comments from residents who have been coerced into putting a good review on , even though they have only just moved in ?One telling us how good the removal company was.This is unfair and biased . It should not be allowed as it is cheating your system to get a higher rating . Residents who have actually lived with the company for many years and have left useful and fair reviews are being overlooked .Trust Pilot , you need to sort this out asap.

Anon · 7 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

St Clements Court Clacton on sea Phase 1

St Clements Court Clacton on sea Phase 1. My partner had to move out of here. The 2 managers are useless & dont help with ongoing problems. Dont even know how they both got a Scheme managers job with no managerial experience or training at all. They both lie just to keep their jobs easy and minimal amount of effort put in. Mainly on private phone calls and generally unapproachable. That's when they are in work! Always late. I know there's many unhappy tennants. We are glad to be gone.

Mr · 24 October 2020

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Loverly flat near all amenities

Moved in last month and found the manager very helpful and quickly sorted out a few minor issues we had in the flat. Everyone we have met so far is very pleasant. Easy walking distance to shops and all amenities and we are looking forward to living here.

David · 3 April 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Fabulous Block

I 100% love my flat on the first floor and Maria who runs the block is amazing with information and really gave me help in everything!!! I feel safe and will recommend it to anyone!!

MARIA · 7 November 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Very poor attitude.

A lot of residents aren't aware that Trustpilot reviews exist. Seems my last honest review hit home and has been flagged and temporarily removed. This is a tactic used to get reviews hidden from the general public. Anchor know exactly who I am and I've not received a single enquiry from their "customer services" to investigate what I said. What I will do however is point out this site to the rest of the residents in my block which will give them the chance to write their own review. I've listened to my neighbours complaints regarding Anchor so they should be afforded the chance to air their grievances.If someone viewing this clicks where it states the number of reviews I have left, you will be able to gain a lot more insight into Anchor.

Nige · 27 March 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

After leaving a 1star review on trust…

After leaving a 1star review on trust pilot three days ago I was asked to contact Customer Relations either by Email or phone in order to investigate the matter further!!!Which I did via a phone call and what a waste of my time that was, i was put on hold and told to take my complaint to the “Ombudsman “ !!!Which i am mystified about because we haven’t raised a formal complaint yet!!!I’m lost for words on trying to get any sense or logic out of Anchors

Diane · 25 March 2024