Our 4 Customer Commitments

When faced with a debt problem your choice of solution and, equally importantly, the provider of that solution is one of the most important financial decisions you will make.

We want you to be absolutely confident that, in getting help from Bridgewood, you are dealing with an ethical company that provides exceptional quality in its solutions. For that reason we have made 4 Customer Commitments to help you better understand what we do, and so you can be confident that when you come to us you'll get the help and support you need:

1. We Give the Advice that is Right for You

Giving the right debt advice is one of the most important things we do. We are not here to sell you a particular solution – our goal is to explain all the options open to you and help you make an informed choice about what is best given your unique circumstances.

When talking about debt advice people should keep in mind two important facts:

Fact 1: In most situations there will be at least 2 or 3 different options you could take

Because they all have pros & cons we will ensure that you fully understand how each of the possible solutions might work in your case, and fully explain the advantages and disadvantages of each, in order for you to then decide which one best suits your circumstances.

Fact 2: There is often a short-term and a long-term solution.

For example, it might be the case that an IVA is the best long-term solution for someone because there is no real possibility of them being able to fully repay the debt. However an IVA can take up to 3 months to put in place (sometimes longer if it's a complicated case) and, because it is a legally binding agreement, it is vitally important that it is properly planned and the person concerned is confident that they can make the level of monthly payments required. For these reasons we will often suggest that someone in this situation goes into a Debt Management Plan first (for between 3-6 months). This can be done very quickly, creating some financial stability, and ensuring that we can take the time and care necessary to propose the very best IVA.

For these reasons we believe that good advice is a 4-5 month customer journey, not just an initial debt advice telephone conversation. As we support you on this journey we will also seek to find ways to help you reduce your household bills, maximise your income and control your finances - enabling you to repay your debts sooner and move forward to a life with complete financial freedom

Finally, the fact that we do not spend money on advertising means that our advice model is more robust. And, whilst we reward our staff for doing a great job, we do not give them sales targets or large sales commissions – this means you can be confident that they won't try and sell you a solution that isn't right for you.

Start your journey to financial freedom today. Find out more about the solutions we offer »

2. We don't Advertise or use Enticing Sales Slogans

How often do you see or hear adverts in the Press, on TV or Radio from companies offering quick and simple solutions which are just a “free phone call away”? Have you ever wondered how much it must cost to advertise in this way, and how that cost is recovered? If you have then you may also wonder whether or not the advice you are going to be given can be totally impartial, given that the company concerned will need to sell solutions to cover the costs of its advertising.

At Bridgewood we have chosen to take a refreshingly different approach - we decided a while ago not to carry out any direct marketing or advertising. This means that when we talk to you there is less pressure to sell you something, but instead we can focus on making sure we understand your situation and give you the best advice we can.

Rather than advertising, we rely on customers being introduced to us – and we believe this helps build trust and confidence in the advice we give. It also means that, without having to recover the costs of expensive advertising campaigns, we can offer our services at much lower fees than many of our competitors – which is better both for you and your creditors. As an example of this take a look at our Comparison Table for debt management fees.

Customers are referred to us either by; one of their creditors; an authorised intermediary (for example an accountant or Independent Financial Advisor); another customer who has recommended us; or because they have read about us in the media or on the Internet. These sorts of people wouldn't be introducing us if they didn't think we did a good job.

3. We Deliver Great Customer Service

You may not have heard of the term “solutions factory”, but it describes how some of the larger businesses operate. Often these are large call centres where you might get passed from one team to another, and they are dealing with thousands of customers every month.

We aren't saying that these sorts of companies don't do a good job, but our view is that smaller is better and our business model is based on quality not quantity. We therefore use highly experienced and qualified staff, operating within small teams, who will stay with you and be able to deal with your specific circumstances, no matter how complicated. We are just as comfortable working with a sole trader who has complicated business debts as we are supporting an individual or family with consumer debts.

When you come to us for help we will respond as quickly as possible to make sure that you get the advice you need – you won't need to book an appointment. And because we have teams with the skills and experience to tackle every type of case we won't keep you waiting when it comes to getting a solution in place either.

We also recognise the importance of supporting you all the way through your journey to financial freedom. We will therefore provide you with regular updates and will review your circumstances frequently to make sure that the solution you are in remains the right one.

Start your journey to financial freedom today. Find out more about the solutions we offer »

4. We Offer exceptional Value for Money

Our debt advice is completely free and without obligation. We are happy to spend as much time with you as is required for you to decide on the best solution for you. In some cases it may take a number of conversations before you are in a position to decide what to do – that's fine with us.

We never ask for money upfront and will always send you a detailed proposal in writing, and make sure you've had time to read it, before asking you to make a commitment. In cases where you are paying fees to us directly we will always offer a 14 day “cooling off” period – if you decide not to proceed within this period then we will give you your money back.

Where we offer a fee-charging service (for example a Debt Management Plan) we pride ourselves on having amongst the lowest, if not the lowest fees in our industry. We can do this because we don't spend vast amounts of money on advertising, which would then need to be recovered in our fees. The benefit to you is that you get great value for money, and your creditors also get a fair return as well.

Click here to see how our fees compare against some of our competitors »

If we recommend that you move from one solution to another (e.g. from a Debt Management Plan into an IVA) then we will make sure that any further fees are reduced to take into account work done that has already been paid for - this makes it better for you as well as for your creditors. No other company does this.