Unable to get a loan, I turned to a mortgage broker for help. "They took me for a ride."
It all started when 71-year-old Pavel wanted to take out a loan for 10,000 rubles, but the banks he applied to rejected him (his family blamed it on his age). So he called UniCredit in Baranovichi. His son, Sergei, who contacted the editorial office with a request to publish this story, recounts what happened next: "The consultant on the phone promised my father would receive a favorable loan of 10,000 rubles at an interest rate starting from 9.9% per annum. My father went to the company's office, where the consultant asked him questions and pushed a contract onto him. Then she told him to apply for the loan at one of two banks of his choice, and that was it. It then turned out that if my father received 10,000 rubles from the bank, he would have to pay 1,800 rubles to UniCredit—it was written in the contract, which he signed without reading it. What was that much money for?!" "The father was divorced like a child."
Client versions
Story #1
After contacting UniCredit, 71-year-old Pavel went to the bank he was referred to and indeed finally received a loan. But not for the expected 10,000 rubles—he was given 6,000, 40% less than he had requested. The interest rate wasn't the rock-bottom 9.9% per annum he expected, but much higher—15%. Because of this, UniCredit reduced Pavel's commission from 1,800 to 1,200 rubles.
That is, to receive a loan of 6,000 rubles, you need to pay the intermediary 20% of this amount.
“My father thought that it was at UniCredit that they would give him"He wanted money , but he was only given verbal advice. He expected to receive a loan at a lower rate than if he had applied to the bank himself; otherwise, what was the point of using intermediaries? In the end, he applied for the loan himself, including handling the paperwork himself. So why should he pay an intermediary?"
To be fair, it should be noted that the contract clearly states that UniCredit provides verbal advice, not loans. The document also states that a fee of 1,800 rubles must be paid for the service. The fact that the man signed the contract without looking at it is his responsibility.
According to the document, Pavel signed an agreement with Sergey Savugin, director of Open Finance LLC. Pavel ultimately paid for the service.
Story #2. Sergey has a similar situation.
His wife, Anna, shared the details: the 68-year-old man came to UniCredit in Minsk, unaware that he would have to pay 1,800 rubles for an oral consultation after signing the contract. The contract was signed by UniCrocus, represented by its director, Inna Savugina.
"My husband was searching online for information on how to get a loan as a pensioner. He found the UniCredit website, completed a survey, and entered his phone number. It was a Sunday evening, and to our surprise, they called him back within ten minutes, even though it was a day off. My husband was invited into the office. They spoke with him there, and they slipped him a contract—he didn't have his glasses, and he signed it. Then he took out a 10,000-ruble loan from the bank himself, and after a while, UniCredit started calling him, saying he owed them 1,800 rubles for helping him get the money. And what kind of help did they provide? He didn't pay them anything, and UniCredit filed a lawsuit against him. My husband lost, even though the plaintiff didn't even show up. We've filed an appeal."
Because Sergei failed to pay UniCredit 1,800 rubles for the oral consultation, the court ordered him to pay an additional 82 rubles "for using someone else's money," as well as reimburse the plaintiff's state fee of 94 rubles.
Let's summarize these stories.
UniCredit informs its clients—in particular, Pavel and Sergey—which bank will lend them money. Clients go to the bank, receive what they were promised (perhaps not always in the expected amount or at the expected rate), believing they don't have to pay UniCredit anything as an intermediary.
Some former UniCredit clients write about this on review websites.
"They slip you documents, as it turns out later, along with a certificate of completion, stating you owe them 1,200 rubles, even though you didn't go where they sent you. 'Sign the documents, it's not binding!' You calmly walk out, convinced that 1,200 is a bit steep... With a clean credit history and an exorbitant interest rate, you take out a bank loan overnight and go about your business... Two weeks pass, and they call you and say: 'We took out the loan, you owe us 1,200 for services...'"
Next review: “I contacted this organization for help. They said on the phone that the consultation was free. < …> [The consultant] drew up a contract and pushed it on me to sign, then she said that ifIf the banks she recommended approve the loan, then we must pay 3,000 Belarusian rubles for the “service” within three days.”
"They won't give you the contract. They say one thing, but in reality it turns out to be something completely different."
There are positive reviews, too. For example, Sergey Savugin posted a review on Yandex.Maps that says UniCredit is the best lending expert in the city. If you read the text carefully, the name might sound familiar.