Iberian International

Iberian International - UK office are asking for £275.00 Admin charge.  I have requested that they inform me of what they do to warrant this charge, which has been met with refusal.  As they have not been helpful at all, I have refused to pay it.  I have never signed any document to say I would pay this either.  They have now threatened by letter and verbally that if I do not pay, there will be complications and delays in the completion of our purchase.

Anyone else had this experience.

Iberian International - Spain,  have been reasonably helpful when contacted, but no more than a few e-mails. They also charge to help arrange NIE numbers - 120 euros. 

Feeling a bit ripped off to say the least.

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Wow. Thats a new one on me. I dont know of other agents charging and admin fee or why as usually they get commission on the sale.

Perhaps run this past your lawyer.

The charge for the NIE is average but check they can get it for you as in my area you have to attend personally. Again your lawyer can hadnle this but usually charge more - dependant on the area of Spain you are buying in

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Thanks for that Rixxy,  when I say they charge for helping to get NIE, I mean they will take you to Alicante at 5am and wait with you - then bring you back to there office !!!!  One very expensive taxi ride.

Have been advised that Lawyer can no longer get them for you.  Has to be done in person.  This site is advising me all the time.

As for Lawyer - I - now in hindsight stupidly - went with Iberian's recommended one, not paid any money out to them yet, so thinking of changing due to the info given on this sight, but they will probably charge a fee to appointing them.  Buying a property in Spain can be financially painful and parts of the dealings are certainly leaving a bad taste.

Again, thanks for advice.

Cheers,    Ellen

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Gosh yes that is steep for a taxi. You can do it yourself and the 120 will pay for your flights! You go to the local police station and wait. Alternatively you can do it via the consultate in your country. I think it takes a bit longer but no early start needed!

If you havent paid then change lawyers immediately, you shouldnt pay more than 1% of the purchase price and they may ask for funds up front - you can alwasy offer 50% and the rest on completion, but it will pay you off in the long run.

Yes buying anywhere can be painful but if you take basic steps then you will be fine and will love the place!

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Do any of us actually sign anything to say we will have agents lawyers working for us as I know we didn't (we had our agents (Millennium Worldwide) own legal team, what a joke they were too !) If we haven't signed anything how are they able to charge ?

Ellen, they're all out to get as much money off you as possible thinking you'll just keep coughing up. We went on an inspection trip with Iberian International around four years ago & they caused us lots of problems & their woman MD actually agreed in a taped telephone conversation we made that they had, too. Her words actually were "we cocked it up !" She wanted us to take another trip at their expense but we decided we didn't want to risk being with a company that couldn't even get a minor thing correct on an inspection trip & my husband wanted the money back which we paid for the trip & was refused. In those days it was £139 each or thereabouts, certainly not a small amount like todays inspection trips. (Parador was charging only £20 per couple I think recently, as a couple from this forum were going but backed out !) Our friends bought through Iberian on the same inspection trip we went on & had all kinds of hassles. They were retired & not well people & yet Iberian, like most others, let them down very badly.

Janice

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Thanks Janice,  you are right.  Sadly, we purchased via Iberian, before I knew of this excellent forum.

We niavely (spelling?) bought through them, thinking that they will do it the "British" way, if you understand my meaning! 

It just galls me to think that the UK office can threaten delays and complications regarding the completion whilst trying to extort money from customers for services not rendered.   I am awaiting a call from their woman MD regarding the matter.

The Spanish office has been more helpful, only because I have built up a good relationship with a young married couple who work together there, they always responds immediately, and do try to help as much as they can.

As for the lawyers, I am considering changing - any recommendations?

Cheers,  Ellen

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Hi Ellen,

We use Mila in Torrevieja as our solicitor. Her office is behind the church. She was educated in the UK & speaks perfect  English so there's no problems with language.  Her email address is milaballester@yahoo.es

She did our fiscal representation last year & arranged our Spanish wills (300 € for us both for the wills including notary charge) which every homeowner should have AS WELL AS your British will.

We actually were naive enough to allow our agent's (Millennium Worldwide) so called legal team to do our conveyancing & they had no idea of what to do if a problem occured & it got very nasty. We went through trauma after trauma.

Janice

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Hi

I to have bought through IB and am starting to get concerned about your statements. Have I something in front of me i dont know about.#

I received invoice for £275 which i have paid. I thought this was stated in Welome Package although I still am not sure what the bill was for.

I thought  IB was very reputable, Am i to learn different?

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I have heard that Iberian International is also a trading name of Atlas International

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Hi Conrad

Yes what you have heard is in a way correct.

It was explained - Masa was owned by a group of three, then something happened causing a break in that partnership and Atlas was formed. Then out of Atlas we have Iberian International. Although they are separate companies the owners of all three used to be partners.

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Hi Chrism1620

You said you received invoice for £275 and paid it, unsure what the bill was for.  I received the invoice too and questioned what it was for - to be told that it was an administration charge.  When ask what exactly had they done to warrant this charge,  Iberian Intl. UK office,could not or would not give a direct answer and still have not given me an answer, even though I am waiting for a response from their MD. 

The only "admin" they have done is to translate a generic contract.  Independently, this translation would have cost less than £20.00.  

I have found that IB not only charge for anything and everthing they do, but also for things they dont!  I have found the UK office totally useless and have no intention of paying for something I have not agreed to, signed for, or services not received.  The Spanish office, todate, have been reasonably helpful and will endeavour to assist.  The two offices appear to work independently.

Their written and verbal threat of complications and delays in completion is appalling and certainly leaves a very bad taste and I just feel that they are just going to rip customers off as much and as far as possible.

Agents usually make their money from the commissions they get (not earn!) from the builders, so I am aware that I have already paid over and above for my property.  Unless anyone on this forum knows differently.

Regards, Ellen

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It´s inconceivable that, if that´s what your suggesting, a delay in completing can be brought about by the failure to pay administrative charges, valid or otherwise. The builder is not interested - your contract is direct with him.

Willing to be corrected but I believe Mila is more a gestoria rather than an  abogado.

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Hi Ellen

I was interested to your last reply and was wondering when you reserved your property because you sound quite familiar with the goings on  unlike me.

sandra m16 20

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Hi Sandra,

I have sent a Private Message to your e-mail via this site.  Only because there are things I have said in it that I may not be able to state on this site.   Dont want to get myself into any more trouble!!

Cheers

Ellen

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Hi Lapalma -

Thanks for your input - I am thinking along the same lines, which may explain why the IB MD has not contacted me. 

Just hope that this thread warns others regarding the admin charge.

Cheers

Ellen

This message was last edited by ellemum on 3/13/2007.

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Lapalma said  "Willing to be corrected but I believe Mila is more a gestoria rather than an  abogado."

Mila would've done our conveyancing, had we known about her before we put ourselves in our agents legal dept's hands, & she was recommended to us by friends who use her as their solicitor, to have her as our fiscal rep & to make our wills.

I would expect any member who decides to contact Mila, or anyone else, to enquire & see for themselves what she does or doesn't do.

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Hi Ellen

Sent you message back

Tack soon

Sandra

 

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Thanks for PM Sandra,

From the list - all the UK office did was translate the (generic) contract - my Spanish friend charges £20 per hour to do this.  Other than half a dozen letters - so postage no more than a couple of £s - nothing else.   We organised our own mid term visit, and the independent Spanish office deals with progress reports - which are poor.  We rely more on the info provided by people living on the developement. 

As for the 120 euros - check out the IB General Information brochure - page 12 - mid term visits   

".......to obtain the N.I.E. ........... we shall have to introduce a minimum charge of 120 euros per propery.  IB will organise a service for our clients to be collected from either Alicante or Murcia airports and taken to the various offices to obtain the N.I.E. number"   We confirmed this with the Spanish Office.  Yep, one expensive taxi ride!

The individual you mentioned at the UK office - is not particulary popular with the staff in the Spanish Office either, for much the same reasons you and I both say.

Cheers

 

This message was last edited by ellemum on 3/13/2007.

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Hi ellen

A couple I have been in touch with has just came home at the weekend to get their nie.

They went through Atlas. I will ask them about costs and let you know.

sandra

 

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Hi to let you know what has happened to myself, two years ago i went to to the channel 4 homes in the sun exhibition and decided to book a viewing trip i knew what i was looking for and had been told by a developer that i had to go through one of their agents if i wanted to purchase

I decided on a three bedroom villa at Las Kalendas near Fortuna in Murcia. I decided omn a certain plot because i wanted an underbuild with the property and negotiated a price with the builder through Iberian. I paid the deposit and the £275 admin Charge .

When you buy through Iberian they give you a sheet which asks colour and fixtures plus extras required so happy to fill this in and return it because the ideal time was at the time of sale

On return home i awaited the contract which arrived just before the next payment had to be made and the contract had to be returned due to many fauls and i would not sign a n appendix page.

I travelled a gain to spain because i had been told that my property had been started and that a mistake  had occured on the plans and that i would have to accept them because it was to late to change when i got there nothing had been started and at my cost travelled around to get all plans amended Iberian director Laura Nichols compensated me for all this with free pre installation of air conditioning this was the only way that i would sign the contract (at this stage i had decided that i would take the cheapest apartment going rather than the villa just to get my deposit back if no compensation for time given)

I awaited my extras from Iberians Technical Department AIB Technical you do not havea choice but accept this company. I never recieved any paperwork which i awas expecting and was in regular contact with Iberian after sales and  Aib Technical, it end that AIB were sending quotes in Atlas paperwork and me thinking it was a circular did not open and file under bin (I had already bought from Iberian had no intention og opening letters from Atlas Ulta Procal ec)

I was then told they could not do my extras even though they hd been agreed on the original sales sheet

I went to spain in June 2006 when the underbuild was being built and realised no damp membrane had been attache like on other villas the depth of the underbuild is approx 12 meteres deep
I visited Iberian After Sales and AIB saying about this and thay said they would contact the builder in later photographs it shows Procumasa the builder had not done this approx 30 more letters of correspondance and reassurance from Iberian

I visited spain again in November 2006 this time most of the villa shell was completed and pipework and electrics were being installed. I found no entrance to the underbuild no damp membrane 3 batrooms wrong way round an the villa not built in right position but a metre out, this meter was important so that a vehicle could be parked at the side of the villa
I contacted Iberian who blamed AIB who Blamed the builder who blamed Iberian who said it will soon be christmas

I just recieved more photos whilst sending letters to Iberian about the underbuild i was told if i do not like the property sell it when it is complete how do you answer that statement
the photographs showed the villa in a terracotta colour not mustard so basically now everything fom original sheet had been ignored
I contacted Iberian and recieved a letter after 2 weeks from John Sawyer deputy spanish director sayong it is not their faulty but AIB Technical which are partof same group so i complete in 2 weeks  and i am now putting everything in the hands of a solicitor i have been patient given them time to sort things they have done nothing they will make £40000 out of this deal

So any suggestions?

If you are to buy of iberian or any part of the group Atlas, Costa Blanca Baleares, AIB please be warned by my experience

I am looking forward to moving to spain this has been a night mare and whatgoes around comes around i think the only way to get help from Iberian is to hit their pocket in sales at exhibitions atound the country web sites in the same heading as theirs they are a big firm and need sales to survive by hitting the UK end it will cut off the supply of sales I intend to fight them all the way as long a s it takes

After all i can always sell my dream once it is completed quote Iberian International we are not a t faut John sawyer Iberian we are cowbous AIB technical we are out to lunch and having a nother bank holiday Procumasa


This message was last edited by LAM1963 on 3/20/2007.

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