So here it is, “the letter”. I’ve removed our personal details, although my misspelt name remains visible. I’ve removed the final figure because I thought that’s perhaps best kept private. I don’t know. It’s less than £1,000 and more than £500 if anyone cares enough to wonder what kind of fortune provokes a four month delay and a last minute “confidentiality clause” letter from Taylor Wimpey.
As you can see from the letter, it’s ambiguous at best, down right sneaky and underhanded at worst. You can read it several ways I guess.
What I don’t like, and why I wont be signing this letter.
The part stating “the encashment of this cheque will conclude all matters”. I never agreed to this, and wont agree to this. This sounds very much like they want us to say that this reimbursement, promised months ago (originally two years ago) will literally be the final conclusion of ALL our problems and Wimpey owe us nothing more.
We have several outstanding issues, jobs incomplete, and have been put through more than two years on and off of hell here at Oxley Park. They expect us to say a cheque to reimburse us our bills, as previously agreed, is the end of everything, before they’ve even finished fixing our property? Seriously? No way.
The letter then goes to say this is “acceptance of all terms”. I’m not even sure what this means, and I won’t be signing to say that either!
Then the final paragraph says we understand this is considered on an “individual basis”. Clearly, they offered to pay our bills, not all the neighbours here at Oxley Woods.
Then the confidentiality clause. This, as stated, is pointless, and wont be agreed to either.
They are coming at us with this letter four months after emailing to say they agreed to pay us. Four months we have been talking with friends, family and neighbours about the money they agreed to pay and haven’t. Bit late to ask us not to tell anyone.
Then there’s the cheques we’ve already been sent, cashed, and discussed with others. This isn’t the first reimbursement for fuel bills Wimpey agreed to pay us. But it IS the first time they’ve tried to demand we keep quiet about it. Moving goal posts again?
But, don’t just take our word for it that this “standard” letter isn’t apparently as standard as it is claimed to be. Not only have we never had to sign one for previous payments, we know neighbours have not been asked to sign a confidentiality clause when reimbursed either. Some for substantially more than we are receiving on this occasion.
It’s also slightly suspicious that the customer service advisor we deal with claimed in an email to have not known about this letter needing signing before we received our cheque until a few days before we found out ourselves. A standard letter that a customer service advisor dealing with our case for a LONG time didn’t know about, really?
So Taylor Wimpey. As we’ve already asked, can we just have our money please? And what’s more, can you STOP trying to get us to sign forms containing a great deal of content we have never, and will never agree to, simply to have you keep to your word.
I’ve posted this up for a number of reasons. Not least because I feel it is in the interests of other Oxley Woods residents, as well as the wider public who may have bought, or may be considering buying a property from Taylor Wimpey, to know that they DO pay compensation, and sometimes, they try to stop you telling other people.