Appalling, Dreadful, Disappointment, Rude, Not helpful, Infuriating, Unprofessional and Frustrating

I would like to take the opportunity to review Mather Marshall in Stevenage, as I am very disappointed with the service we received. We would like to warn people like us that they are not satisfactory, this was our first time living in rented accommodation due to circumstances that left us homeless and in need of accommodation quickly. Mather Marshall was the only agency with a house which fit our needs at such short notice, so we went ahead with this. Throughout the application process the staff were slow and very unhelpful (though they knew of our situation), we were not made aware of the steps and stages of renting and being young and new to renting we felt very looked down on and taken advantage of. It took us 2 weeks to get into our home after calling and chasing them with our identification and details (which were misplaced by them several times) so that we could get in as quickly as we could. Near to the end of our tenancy we were made aware that the end date was the 18th January, and told to put our notice in writing. There was no response to our notice email so we stopped by the agency as we were already in the process of finding a house, another member of staff informed us that someone else deals with the notice and would contact us as the end date was actually a month after. This was our first time renting we were not given the details or informed correctly of any of the dates or notice periods. After chasing for the correct staff member to clue us in on our end date (as we only had 2 weeks left till the original suggestion) we never did get a call back or get through to them, from here I then called the agency and asked for an exact date to which I was told the 18th February. I was then told to put this in writing so I did. From here another member of house hold received an email response and the other members were not included in on the email. The email stated that the end date was then in fact the 17th February. As we had already said we would pay for the last month of rent and hand the keys back early (due to our hands being tied with a new property) we started to get calls and emails from the agents asking if they could let new tenants view the house. Not giving us 24 hours’ notice, including other members on the viewing details and not spelling one of the tenants name correctly multiple times. On top of this they were also cancelling viewings several times and rearranging the times and dates. Bearing in mind we are in the process of moving and all have full time jobs it is hard to keep the house to a tenant viewing standard on short notice demands. This I feel, as though our privacy has been invaded as well as giving a free extra month of rent due to the agency’s mistake. All of which is hard to prove due to all being in verbal communication. Eventually we moved into our new property and have handed back the keys, we were not told about the deposit until I started chasing them 10 days after with details on how it works and when we get it back. I got through to different staff members every time each one of them not knowing what was happening or even that the property was vacated. Always with the promise of a call back. After I spoke to someone who said the check would be done Friday and that the deposit would be given back within the next week. By Monday I called to ask details of the property check and again I was given a different response that the deposit would not come back till after the due date (which they could not tell me what is was) and that we were responsible for a property which we did not even have keys for. To which we wanted answers as to what was going on. An email was sent from us stating we wanted written details of what was happening, by this time we are frustrated and the response was rude and sarcastic. Saying that out of their “good will” they had brought the checks forward to a different Friday and that they were not obliged to give us our deposit till after our end date. This staff member was petty she picked out parts of the email and gave halfwit responses. Still we did not know what was going on or when we would get our deposit back. In this whole time I am unsure the landlord was aware we had left the property early and the reasons why we had. I feel that if she would have known she would have wanted to get new tenants in the property to get 2 months’ worth of rent (as it would have been profitable for her) and not leave the property vacant for such a long period of time. Yet as he was overseas we never had her contact details to even make her aware so she could benefit. Eventually more than a month after moving we received our deposit, though it was not the full amount due to; bulbs? A door stop? And the extractor fan needing to be cleaned? This deducted £200 off our deposit… ridiculous as I spent a weekend scrubbing their extractor vents before we left. Majority of the bulbs were not functioning when we moved in and I don’t even remember there being a door stop. We took the hit being we couldn’t win, as they spitefully deducted money because we were chasing them.. Yet again the agents were unsympathetic and unhelpful when it came to explaining how to claim, we just wanted to finish contact with them, it had gone on too long. If anyone is looking to use this agency or let their properties with this agency I would advise not to use them if this is your first time or first step in the world. In comparison to the new agency we are with, we got our property within 2 days and were able to move in when we chose, there was no pressure or hassle. When there are issues the staff are friendly and understand that things need to be done with some sort of urgency. They are not afraid to explain details or give you set dates and keep their word for deadlines. Unlike Mather Marshall! I am thoroughly appalled with their service! The staff do not communicate with one another and give their own responses to what they feel like on the day. They take advantage of you then suggest what they do is out of their own “good will”. They caused us a very frustrating and stressful 3 months! I am utterly disgusted and will never use them again