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The shopper has to relocate to Basingstoke for work reasons. He is looking at buying a house in the area with his girlfriend and they are both first-time buyers and recent graduates. The shopper has student debts of £12,000 and an additional credit card of £500. He has defaulted on payments in the past but has recently set up a payment plan, which he is honouring. He is worried about what effect this will have on the possibility of getting a mortgage and wants to know what options are available. Between him and his girlfriend they have savings of about £5000 and have a combined income of £44,000.

Corporate and Professional

Basingstoke, RG21 7QQ

www.candpifa.co.uk

Speed of response: Time of call: 10.46am. The call was answered by an adviser after only two rings.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Telephone manner: The adviser was friendly and kind and had a sedate tone of voice.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Qualifications: The adviser said he was able to give advice on mortgages but did not elaborate.

Rating: 1/5 star

Payment method: When asked the adviser told the shopper normally he was paid by commission from the lender, which would cover his fees and be at no cost to the shopper.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Guidance: The adviser sensibly ascertained the situation. He briefly talked about the differences in fixed rate and variable mortgages. He suggested the shopper firstly look into house prices in the area in more detail and mentioned the possibilities of shared ownership or getting a parent to act as guarantor. The shopper was also told to consider additional fees.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Knowledge: The adviser clearly knew about the mortgage market but only gave a vague and broad account to the shopper and did not go into any real detail.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Verdict: The adviser was easy to talk to, extremely pleasant and professional. Despite his telephone manner putting the shopper at ease, he was a bit vague when it came to explaining the mortgage market even though he knew the shopper was a first-time buyer. He tended to focus on the house prices in the area, rather than explaining the mortgage options available to the shopper but was willing to arrange a meeting at a later date to go into more detail.

Rating: 20/30

Duffield Financial Services

Basingstoke, RG24 8UP

www.duffieldfinancial.com

Speed of response: Time of call: 10.55am. A friendly and professional receptionist answered the call after two rings. She quickly transferred the shopper to an adviser.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Telephone manner: The adviser had a no-nonsense tone and seemed to be serious but pleasant.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Qualifications: No qualifications were discussed.

Rating: 0/5 stars

Payment: The adviser did not mention anything about fees but did say the shopper could arrange a free consultation.

Rating: 1/5 star

Guidance: The adviser quizzed the shopper in depth and said how it was becoming increasingly difficult for first-time buyers to get a decent mortgage because of loan-to-values and interest rates. He also mentioned how the shopper could find himself in a good position as people are becoming more desperate to sell. The adviser said he would research what sort of options are available for the shopper and then email across an illustration of what he had found.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Knowledge: The adviser clearly had a good knowledge of mortgages and the market and had obvious confidence in what he was talking about.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Verdict: Although the adviser knew his stuff, the conversation was a bit short. He seemed to be in a bit of a rush and was quite eager to finish the call and just email the shopper some details. Knowledgeable and professional, the adviser was just eager to get off the phone.

Rating: 17/30

Templegate Financial Planning LTD,

Basingstoke, RG21 8EN

www.templegatefinancial.co.uk

Speed of response: Time of call: 11.01am. An adviser picked up the call after three rings.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Telephone manner: The adviser was professional and also friendly. He made the shopper feel at ease but was quite authoritative at the same time.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Qualifications: No qualifications were mentioned.

Rating: 0/5 stars

Payment method: The adviser explained he usually took a fee from the lender but in cases where this fee would not be sufficient, he would be compelled to charge an additional fee from the client.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Guidance: The adviser ascertained the financial situation of the shopper and said he was not likely to find anywhere in his price range. The adviser told the shopper he would not have to pay a stamp duty and advised to set aside some money to cover costs like legal fees. Taking the debt into account the adviser explained these annual payments would automatically be deducted from the combined salary, but they still should be able to get a mortgage in excess of £100,000. However, the adviser stressed the shopper should save for a bigger deposit before looking for a mortgage at the current time.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Knowledge: The adviser was knowledgeable about the mortgage market and knew how to answer all the shopper's questions concisely and coherently.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Verdict: The shopper was impressed with the knowledge and straightforward attitude of the adviser. He was concise and clear and not only explained and simplified the market for the shopper, but also offered him honest and healthy guidance.

Rating: 22/30