My wife has a small shop and was approached by a firm which said it could get her business rates reduced. They said they would charge a fee only if they were successful. Although they weren’t, they are now demanding payment on the basis of small print which says the fee becomes due once they’d obtained a reply. Do we have to pay?
If you refuse it’s possible you will receive a County Court claim. However the conversation you had with the agent is as much part of the contract as the piece of paper you signed. If you made it clear that no money would change hands until your rates were reduced, and you feel you can convince a court of this, you may be able to defend the action successfully. I think it’s unlikely the firm will pursue this.