Albemarle & Bond/ Herbert Brown has closed its stores and ceased to trade. It has transferred all existing accounts to their Pawnbroking Centre. They say pledged item(s) will be held securely in the Pawnbroking Centre for the duration of the loan.
If your items are expired or due to expire, please note the firm states;
“We will not take any action with your items until we speak to you”
A and B also say that;
“only after speaking to you and you do not redeem your loan on the agreed date your pledged item(s) may be sold in accordance with your Pawnbroking agreement. If your item is sold for a surplus, we will write to inform you how you can receive these funds.”
If you would like to redeem your pledged item(s), please contact their customer service team on 0800 144 8485 to arrange repayment. They say that this Customer Service line will operate Monday to Friday between 9am and 7pm. Alternately you can email us on info@albemarlebond.com.
However, their contact centre appears to be often overwhelmed.
So it may be a good idea that you e mail them at info@albemarlebond.com and keep the e mail as a record that you have tried to contact them.
The firm says-
“The redemption figure in respect of your loan will be reduced by £1.90, to reflect the cost to you of posting your agreement to us. Once you have repaid your loan redemption figure (as adjusted in accordance with the previous sentence), you will need to return a copy (or the original) of your Pawnbroking Agreement to us via Royal Mail signed for 1st class post. Once your loan has been repaid as set out above and we have received your Pawnbroking Agreement we will arrange for your pledged items to be returned to you. This may take up to 10 days but we will attempt to return items as soon as possible. You can make payments to us in respect of the agreement by:
- Debit Card over the phone; or
- Bank Transfer – please contact us to discuss details on how to complete this payment; or • By visiting a Natwest bank and making a cash payment - please contact us to discuss the details on how to make such payment. Agreed payments by bank transfer or at a Natwest bank branch should be deposited to the following bank account:
Natwest
Sort Code: 60-00-01
Account Number: 45723877
Please use a payment reference which consists of your Agreement Number and your Surname (e.g. LT-EDM000123 Smith) to enable us to identify your payment. Please send us a confirmation email once you completed your payment to info@albemarlebond.com. We apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused by the store closure..”
Will this Firm Steal My Pawn?
Your pawns are protected by regulation and by the Consumer Credit Act 1974, the firm cannot steal your pawns.
It’s past the end of my contract and I can’t get through to redeem, is interest mounting up?
The best advice is to e mail them as proof that you have tried to contact them on that day. So long as the loan was for more than £75 the firm must ensure that the contract end date has past and must give you 14 days notice to intention to sell, in writing, before it can sell the item. They must also make any surplus available to you.
General Q and A’s Found On The A and B website
My local store is closed - where are my items?
Yours items have been moved to our Pawnbroking Centre for the duration of your agreement. Why have I not had notification of the change? A letter has been generated and posted to the registered address of each affected customer. We are sorry if you have experienced a delay in receiving your letter regarding your pawnbroking item. If you have changed your address since pledging your items please contact our offices on 0800 144 8485 (Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm) or you can email us on info@albemarlebond.com.
Why didn't you advise me of the store closure before it happened?
Unfortunately, we were unable to contact all customers prior to the closure date. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused. My pledge has expired or is due to expiry, what will happen to them? No action will be taken with your item(s) until we speak to you.
What Repayment options do I have?
You can redeem or make a part payment towards your pledge at any time during the length of your Pawnbroking Agreement. Please call us on 0800 144 8485 to discuss your repayment options. The line is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm or email us on info@albemarlebond.com. You can make a payment to us by:
Debit Card over the phone - Bank Transfer - By visiting a Natwest bank and making a cash payment
Agreed payments by bank transfer should be deposited to the following bank account:
Account Name: Natwest Sort Code: 60-00-01 Account Number: 45723877
Please use a payment reference which consists of your Agreement Number and your Surname (e.g. LT-EDM000123 Smith) to enable us to identify your payment. Please send us a confirmation email once you completed your payment to info@albemarlebond.com. We estimate that the average timeframe from payment to receipt of your item to be 8 to 10 working days.