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BritishGoldRefinery
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2.3 6 Complaints
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BritishGoldRefinery Complaints 6

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9:37 am EST

BritishGoldRefinery These people are thieves and liars

These people are thieves and liars. Avoid them. They undervalued a gold bracelet by 55%. (I knew the approximate value of the item beforehand). Their very plausible web site suggests they will give a good price for your gold but once they get possession of it - you've seen the last of it, unless you want a long fight to get it back.
They use all kinds of tactics to justify their lousy offers eg, no Hallmark (Gold bullion, gold sovereigns jewellery made overseas has no Hallmark either) They lie about the weight and the carat. Then they tell you it will cost you £50.00 for them to post it back to you and they won't release the items until they have this money! And so it goes on. Save yourself a pile of heartache and grief and steer clear of these crooks. My advice is that if you have unwanted gold to sell first get 3 independent valuations from 3 proper reputable jewellers and don't lose possession of your items . Only after you know the true approximate market value of your items should you enter into negotiations and even then don’t hand it over unless and until you are paid.

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5:33 am EDT

BritishGoldRefinery I find it incredible that a company can behave in such away with a misleading website drawing people in

I write in reference to the company The British Gold Refinery. The above company is registered online as a sell your unwanted gold site and I have recently sent in a ring to them to be appraised after first seeking an estimate on their website. I had had my ring valued in Leeds City centre approximately four weeks ago and it was valued at £251 however I chose to see what sort of value I could receive online, I visited the British Gold Refinery website and on the homepage is a calculator where you input the carat value and weight of your gold and below the calculation brings up "your items are worth" and an amount is shown. The amount shown on the calculator brought up that my gold was worth £316 so I sent for an envelope to send in my gold, I received my envelope and mailed it back once again checking the estimated value before sending off my ring the value was £312 I ticked the box to say that I would like the amount in the form of a cheque on the understanding that in the short period of time it took between sending off my ring and reaching them there could be a small variance in the price. A couple of days later I received a cheque for £165, I rung immediately to explain there must be an error and was told that the amount was correct, when I questioned the valuation on the website I was first told that the value could have changed since I last looked but sat with the laptop I checked and the amount was the same. I was then told that my ring was 17 Carat not 18 but even if this was the case the estimate for a 14 Carat 12g ring was £255 and my ring was supposedly 17 Carat and then I was finally told that the amount on the website was the price of gold that day and not the price the company pays, the website and calculator are intentionally misleading. I insisted that my ring was sent back as I had been offered £251, the employee named Alex Said she would have it reassessed and said I would be called back. I received a phone call the following day with an offer of £186 I once again requested that my ring was returned and was told it would cost me £50 to have my ring returned I was disgusted by this and asked to speak to a Manager and spoke to a manager called Anthony who said he would send it back to see if they could match the £251 value that I had been offered and glossed over the astronomical returns fee. I once again received a phone call to say the offer had been increased to £203, clearly I was becoming very frustrated by now and once again spoke to Alex who must have had a supervisor listening in on the call as she offered to return the ring for free if the valuation team couldn't match my requested amount from one final attempt. I was called back again by Alex a couple of days later who said am I prepared to take the £203, I reminded her of the previous conversation and she denied saying the ring would be returned free I requested at this point a Manager to ring me back as none were available and could she also forward me the details of the regulator, which she said she would do. I did not received a phone call from a manager nor a email with the complaints details but instead on the 20th March a phone call from another staff member threatening that if I did not accept the offer the gold would be refined on the 22nd anyway and the amount would decrease, so had no option than to take the £203. I since have seen on forums that many people have been misled by this company. I find it incredible that a company can behave in such away with a misleading website drawing people in, an exorbitant return fee and managers refusing to deal with complaints.

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1:53 am EDT
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BritishGoldRefinery Underhanded Bunch Of Crooks

This company didnt even phone me with an offer for my gold, they paid the money straight into my bank account without giving me a valuation. They then increased the offer 3 times when I insisted on them returning the gold to me. I had to pay £50 to get my gold back. This company are underhanded and their customer service is shocking.

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7:36 am EDT
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BritishGoldRefinery Misleading advertising/obtaining property by deception

Advertising:
* No Charge: There is absolutely nothing to pay. We provide free postage or courier collection and even free quotations*, and will return your jewellery to you completely free of charge if you decide not to accept our confirmed valuation:
on their website. Website also shows a 'gold calculator' which again, misleads customers into thinking that the amount shown is what they will be paid for their personal items.
ASA adjudication against this company in January this year ruled that they were no longer allowed to advertise in this way and that details of the £50 return fee consumers had to pay if they refused BGF's spectacularly low offer for their gold/jewellery, must be shown in the main content of the web page.
Two months on this has not been done. they are still misleading customers, still hiding behind 'terms and conditions' and still taking peoples' money. I have had to pay them £50 today to have my £925 gold watch returned after I refused their offer of £212 for it.
ASA adjudication can be seen at
http://www.asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudications/2012/1/Weston-Knightly-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_165168.aspx

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netbuster149
Ilford, GB
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Apr 22, 2013 9:26 am EDT

RE BRITISH GOLD REFINERY.
Sent these people 153 grams of 9 ct. gold 2 weeks ago and have heard nothing other than an email saying they have received them.
Have tried phoning but just get voicemail, think I have been had!
Am 72, disabled, living on state pension and BROKE!
Should I sue through the County Court?
Should I go to the police?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
netbuster149@hotmail.co.uk

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6:12 pm EDT
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BritishGoldRefinery misleading

Did my homework. Contacted them asking for the prices they pay for silver and gold. Expected return at least £80. Offered £24 and will have to pay £50 to get it back. Not happy!

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netbuster149
Ilford, GB
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Apr 22, 2013 9:20 am EDT

I have sent 153 grams of 9ct gold to these people and after 2 weeks have got nowhere, no offer, unable to get through on the phone just a complete dead end.
I'm 72 disabled, living on a state pension and BROKE!
Is it worth me sueing these scoundrels through the County Court?
Should I go to the police?
Any advice would be much appreciated
moscrop149@btinternet.com

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Kingbongo63
GB
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Apr 16, 2012 6:07 am EDT

Avoid if possible, they will not offer you anything like their web site offers, your gold is ALWAYS of lesser value, not pure enough etc etc, the DEDUCT for anything and everything and will take your gold and keep it unless you pay them fees.

They are under investigation by the Trading Standards in Manchester and advice direct from them for anyone caught up the the British gold refinery trap is to seek urgent assistance an advice from Citizens Advice as soon as you can.

I sent them 66gm 9ct PLUS 40gm of 18ct gold all verified before I sent off for what I thought was to be a good price of £1785 on their web site, they took 5 days not to even call or reply to me I emailed them only to get a reply to say they paid £775 into my account, I challenged them and was told best offer is £1109 after many calls and emails they settled on £1150.

I after speaking to Trading Standards was advised to either settle and walk away or
TRY AND GET MY GOLD BACK, but would likely lose as they advised Posession is nine tenths of the law - not what one wants to hear when a shower of crooks have your gold and will NOT pay the going rate so I reluctantly settled and ran.

Types of scams they use are...

Your Golds not pure
The Clasps ar not gold
The tests were inconclusive as to the gold content
The stones need to be removed we have costs for that
The weights are not accurate - your weights are wrong
Your items are not hallmarked
The price of gold has gone down
The price of gold goes down more on a Friday ( they may call you on Thursday with an offer though)

My ultimate experience was not good, they effectively stole my gold for an unfair price, but knowing what I know now about them and the issues being addressed by the Advertising Standards Agency, Manchester Trading Standards and the very many unhappy people commenting I would advise anyone looking to sell toe AVOID AT ALL COSTS www.britishgoldrefinery.co.uk

------------------------------------YOU WILL LOSE OUT...

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moomintrog1
glasgow, GB
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Mar 07, 2012 3:12 pm EST

Every feedback, review and comparison website is going to hear about these crooks. A complete disgrace to the industry. Don't take it lying down guys. Small claims court doesn't cost a lot and I'd rather pay the court than pay the robbing swines at britishgoldrefinery.co.uk .
If they hold your items to ransom, as they are with me after I refused their laughable offer, then report it as theft to the police. Then it becomes evidence and they cannot dispose of it by refining it or otherwise - as they threaten to do within 10 days if you do not pay up the £50 they demand to return your jewellery. If they paid out what the display on their website you wouldn't ask for your items back! But apparently thats just a 'spot price' and not the price they pay!
People need to know that all of the bad reviews are true. So I'll tell as many as I can and I'd appreciate your help!

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paul cleverley
Holyhead, GB
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Nov 21, 2011 11:53 pm EST
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anyone got their gold back yet?
me to has gone in feet first, should of stayed with hatton garden metals, brilliant they are.

i to get board meeting every day

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Trysomewherelse
GB
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Oct 10, 2011 8:06 pm EDT

One of those companies that relies on the Small Print in return for the good faith one places in entrusting items to them, Not a good experience and one that has cost me Pds 50 and wasted time.

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constructivekm
Blandford Forum, GB
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Oct 10, 2011 3:34 pm EDT

This company is now a complete scam. They are taking items of jewellery and simply keeping them without paying a penny. I have requested my jewellery back every day for a month and every day I'm told "sorry sir, it will definitely be sent today." When asking to speak to a senior member of staff, I'm told the same each day: "They are in a board meeting". Avoid.

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4:15 pm EDT
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BritishGoldRefinery under value

on valueation of my gold on the web site my gold was 18ct and waight was 16 grams it was valued at £433.00. i sent my gold of which including the chain 2 watches and earings they phoned me and offerd me £144.00 the gold calculator showed me £433.00 this was very missleading and i think unfair now they want £50.00 to return my gold or they will refine it within 10 days if you can help me in any way it would be very much appreciated thanks anthony

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Update by robbie19robbie
Sep 12, 2011 6:24 am EDT

yes but they said they pay £23 per gram you fool

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deeply upset
Glasgow, GB
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Jun 21, 2016 4:31 am EDT

I sent a bracelet and various other pieces of jewellery to this company to sell. I knew what they were worth and they offered me less than Glasgow's most notorious pawn broker for the lot. Naturally I asked for my items back as I knew I could get more for them elsewhere. They said they would phone back and they did a couple of days later with another offer. I told them I didn't want an offer I wanted my items back. It has been two weeks and now their phone number is invalid. I am heartbroken and have the police coming round later to take a statement from me. Beware this company and their very plausible website.

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King Richard
Huddersfield, GB
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Jun 21, 2016 4:31 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

These people are thieves and liars. Avoid them. They undervalued a gold bracelet by 55%. (I knew the approximate value of the item beforehand). Their very plausible web site suggests they will give a good price for your gold but once they get possession of it - you've seen the last of it, unless you want a long fight to get it back.
They use all kinds of tactics to justify their lousy offers eg, no Hallmark (Gold bullion, gold sovereigns jewellery made overseas has no Hallmark either) They lie about the weight and the carat. Then they tell you it will cost you £50.00 for them to post it back to you and they won't release the items until they have this money! And so it goes on. Save yourself a pile of heartache and grief and steer clear of these crooks. My advice is that if you have unwanted gold to sell first get 3 independent valuations from 3 proper reputable jewellers and don't lose possession of your items . Only after you know the true approximate market value of your items should you enter into negotiations and even then don’t hand it over unless and until you are paid.

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moomintrog1
glasgow, GB
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Mar 07, 2012 3:01 pm EST

I have had to involve police and trading standards today too. They quoted me £500 online for my gold - then offered £214, saying that the online price is a 'spot price' and not the actual price they offer. I refused and asked for my watch back. They will not return it unless I pay £50. I won't pay as they are in clear breach of contract. Their website states
''•No Charge: There is absolutely nothing to pay. We provide free postage or courier collection and even free quotations*, and will return your jewellery to you completely free of charge if you decide not to accept our confirmed valuation''''
Their terms and conditions contradict this. Trading standards advised me that this is unfair business practice and a criminal offence.'
I had seen all the negative reviews about this company AFTER I sent my gold so I called and expressed my concerns and was told it was all being posted by rival gold companies trying to tarnish their name.
Well I'm here to confirm that it isn't! They will rip you off if you give then half a chance. AVOID AVOID AVOID!
I have now given them 24hrs to return my jewellery before I proceed with legal action.

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DUKKE
London, GB
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Nov 22, 2011 10:41 am EST

THEY ARE DISHONEST CROOKS TO SAY THE LEAST! PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THEM! THEY DELIBERATELY MISLEAD PEOPLE AND THEIR T&C ARE BIASED AND UNFAIR. BUT DON'T WORRY... THEY 'LL BE SHORT LIVED AS TRADING STANDARDS ARE ON THEIR CASE!

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constructivekm
Blandford Forum, GB
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Oct 10, 2011 3:39 pm EDT

The company is a complete scam. No address on their website, no returned calls, lies about valuations. My jewellery has simply been stollen by this company. I have reported them to the police and suggest everyone does likewise.

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trainers54
GB
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Oct 04, 2011 6:05 pm EDT
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I too have had a similar experience. I called in advance asking for their prices for silver and gold and expected a comeback of at least £80. Advised today a pathetic valuation of £24. And £50 to get it back. I expect this has been to Watchdog. I have sent them my details. Saddened.

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Ian H.Thain
GB
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Sep 19, 2011 8:01 pm EDT

The high price of gold has encouraged the thieves and sharks to move in, as always. Whatever their offer, there is no way the dealer should be charging you £50 to return your own property. Suggest you (1) Contact your local council's Trading Standards department (number in the phone book) and ask them to intervene, and (2) Email the gold dealer to demand your own property back immediately and tell them you have asked Trading Standards to assist you, and that you will hold the dealer responsible for any and all consequential loss to you.

Trading standards are never quick and you may have to kick them a bit to get some real action, but they do have the legal clout to close a dishonest business. Good luck.

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Overview of BritishGoldRefinery complaint handling

BritishGoldRefinery reviews first appeared on Complaints Board on Sep 11, 2011. The latest review These people are thieves and liars was posted on Nov 13, 2012. The latest complaint Underhanded Bunch Of Crooks was resolved on Apr 06, 2012. BritishGoldRefinery has an average consumer rating of 2 stars from 6 reviews. BritishGoldRefinery has resolved 2 complaints.
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  1. BritishGoldRefinery Contacts

  2. BritishGoldRefinery phone numbers
    0800 014 8222
    0800 014 8222
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  3. BritishGoldRefinery emails
  4. BritishGoldRefinery address
    PO BOX 5426, Manchester, M61 0HT
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    Jun 13, 2024
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