Brighthouse - Ideal for pensioners?
Brighthouse - Ideal for pensioners?
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Discussion

JaredVannett

Original Poster:

1,650 posts

172 months

Monday 15th October 2018
quotequote all
Watch this video featuring Carol, a pensioner who's furnishings are supplied by Brighthouse:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW8gU7Kx8V0


I've seen the commercials like many of you in between episodes of Jezza on ITV.

I know how they make their money and they are very popular to low income families.


But... as alluded to in that video, does the Brighthouse 'model' offer a reasonable solution for pensioners struggling on low income?

Based on that advert, paying £3 a week for a new washing machine will be easier for a low income pensioner than coming up with £250 to buy it outright.

Anyone have elderly relatives/friends that use Brighthouse?

Lemming Train

5,567 posts

101 months

Monday 15th October 2018
quotequote all
People that use Brighthouse as OAPs will have always used Brighthouse because they've no money management abilities.

mike9009

10,861 posts

272 months

Monday 15th October 2018
quotequote all
JaredVannett said:
Watch this video featuring Carol, a pensioner who's furnishings are supplied by Brighthouse:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW8gU7Kx8V0


I've seen the commercials like many of you in between episodes of Jezza on ITV.

I know how they make their money and they are very popular to low income families.


But... as alluded to in that video, does the Brighthouse 'model' offer a reasonable solution for pensioners struggling on low income?

Based on that advert, paying £3 a week for a new washing machine will be easier for a low income pensioner than coming up with £250 to buy it outright.

Anyone have elderly relatives/friends that use Brighthouse?
I know some less financially astute people who use Brighthouse. If a relative were to consider using them (ie that strapped for cash) I would buy the telly for them myself and allow to pay back 0% over three years.

An example, Samsung 55" telly on Brighthouse will cost £1248 over three year (£8/ week)

Same telly on Amazon is £520 or (£3.33/ week to me)

Mike


4x4Tyke

6,506 posts

161 months

Monday 15th October 2018
quotequote all
They are a rip off and that video is blatant advertising.

200Plus Club

13,565 posts

307 months

Monday 15th October 2018
quotequote all
I misread this and thought you were on about a certain west Yorkshire village...

Toaster

2,940 posts

222 months

Monday 15th October 2018
quotequote all
Lemming Train said:
People that use Brighthouse as OAPs will have always used Brighthouse because they've no money management abilities.
remember the there are only two stable financial types the ultra poor and the ultra rich everyone else in between is a big risk

JaredVannett

Original Poster:

1,650 posts

172 months

Monday 15th October 2018
quotequote all
Toaster said:
Lemming Train said:
People that use Brighthouse as OAPs will have always used Brighthouse because they've no money management abilities.
remember the there are only two stable financial types the ultra poor and the ultra rich everyone else in between is a big risk
Good points! - toaster what do you mean by everyone in the middle being a big risk?


4x4Tyke said:
They are a rip off and that video is blatant advertising.
Rip off for sure, see this washing machine example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JsyiNU1QIA


TPSA7514

741 posts

86 months

Monday 2nd March 2020
quotequote all
If they go under what is likely to happen to their clients if they stop paying

Mikebentley

8,610 posts

169 months

Monday 2nd March 2020
quotequote all
Shockingly expensive. They at least double the normal retail price for everything.

PositronicRay

28,978 posts

212 months

Monday 2nd March 2020
quotequote all
TPSA7514 said:
If they go under what is likely to happen to their clients if they stop paying
Debts will be sold.

DonkeyApple

69,797 posts

198 months

Wednesday 4th March 2020
quotequote all
To be honest, Brighthouse are a leading argument for the Government to operate a procurement business for pensioners.

The £3/week is clearly coming from benefits payments for many and they are the group that can least afford to pay crippling interest rates but must do so because they are a financial liability.

What we should do as a country is have the Govt put in place a deal with reputable vendors that cover a range of key goods that are deemed to be not necessarily essential but appropriate for modern life that someone on benefits can buy and sign an agreement that sees the vendor paid by the State via direct deduction from the individual’s benefit payments. That charge would contain a modest uplift for interest and also insurance against death etc but it would allow the poorest pensioners to replace household goods at fair value as opposed to at twice the fair value.


Pothole

34,367 posts

311 months

Wednesday 4th March 2020
quotequote all
DonkeyApple said:
To be honest, Brighthouse are a leading argument for the Government to operate a procurement business for pensioners.

The £3/week is clearly coming from benefits payments for many and they are the group that can least afford to pay crippling interest rates but must do so because they are a financial liability.

What we should do as a country is have the Govt put in place a deal with reputable vendors that cover a range of key goods that are deemed to be not necessarily essential but appropriate for modern life that someone on benefits can buy and sign an agreement that sees the vendor paid by the State via direct deduction from the individual’s benefit payments. That charge would contain a modest uplift for interest and also insurance against death etc but it would allow the poorest pensioners to replace household goods at fair value as opposed to at twice the fair value.
Have you ever been party to a public sector procurement process?

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

290 months

Wednesday 4th March 2020
quotequote all
mike9009 said:
I know some less financially astute people who use Brighthouse. If a relative were to consider using them (ie that strapped for cash) I would buy the telly for them myself and allow to pay back 0% over three years.

An example, Samsung 55" telly on Brighthouse will cost £1248 over three year (£8/ week)

Same telly on Amazon is £520 or (£3.33/ week to me)

Mike
Do people struggling on low incomes really buy 55" TVs?

untakenname

5,352 posts

221 months

Wednesday 4th March 2020
quotequote all
Not 55" these days it's at least 65" now.

A fool and his money.......

DonkeyApple

69,797 posts

198 months

Wednesday 4th March 2020
quotequote all
Pothole said:
Have you ever been party to a public sector procurement process?
Indeed. Which is why you wouldn’t use it. What I meant was that a pensioner has a guaranteed monthly payment from the State. Essentially it is guaranteed so super low risk but this should give them purchasing power but it doesn’t. So they would shop at Govt approved retailers (Dixon’s etc) but as well as Dixon’s having an agreement with someone like Hitachi Finance for conventional low income customers they would have an additional finance agreement that was backed and paid by the State. Or deducted from the pension income at sourc.

Helicopter123

8,831 posts

185 months

Wednesday 4th March 2020
quotequote all
mike9009 said:
JaredVannett said:
Watch this video featuring Carol, a pensioner who's furnishings are supplied by Brighthouse:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW8gU7Kx8V0


I've seen the commercials like many of you in between episodes of Jezza on ITV.

I know how they make their money and they are very popular to low income families.


But... as alluded to in that video, does the Brighthouse 'model' offer a reasonable solution for pensioners struggling on low income?

Based on that advert, paying £3 a week for a new washing machine will be easier for a low income pensioner than coming up with £250 to buy it outright.

Anyone have elderly relatives/friends that use Brighthouse?
I know some less financially astute people who use Brighthouse. If a relative were to consider using them (ie that strapped for cash) I would buy the telly for them myself and allow to pay back 0% over three years.

An example, Samsung 55" telly on Brighthouse will cost £1248 over three year (£8/ week)

Same telly on Amazon is £520 or (£3.33/ week to me)

Mike
Costco doing a 55" smart TV for £270 + VAT

TwigtheWonderkid

49,040 posts

179 months

Wednesday 4th March 2020
quotequote all
untakenname said:
A fool and his money.......
rarely get together in the first place.

Jon39

14,921 posts

172 months

Wednesday 4th March 2020
quotequote all

It looks as though the game might be over for Brighthouse.

I read (last weekend I think) they have either been fined, or had to pay so much compensation for mis-selling, that 'trouble' has arrived

.

TPSA7514

741 posts

86 months

Thursday 5th March 2020
quotequote all
Jon39 said:

It looks as though the game might be over for Brighthouse.

I read (last weekend I think) they have either been fined, or had to pay so much compensation for mis-selling, that 'trouble' has arrived

.
Yes

Which is why I was wondering what happens to the folk that have agreements with them. My cunning plan was to do a chav and get some stuff to a house I have ownership of and then stop paying.
I thought one of those tellys with the lights on the back. A nice washing machine and a Tibo stereo hi-fi would do

KTF

10,656 posts

179 months

Thursday 5th March 2020
quotequote all
TPSA7514 said:
Yes

Which is why I was wondering what happens to the folk that have agreements with them. My cunning plan was to do a chav and get some stuff to a house I have ownership of and then stop paying.
I thought one of those tellys with the lights on the back. A nice washing machine and a Tibo stereo hi-fi would do
As already posted above, the debt gets sold on rather than written off.

However feel free to do as you suggest and let us know how it goes smile