Let’s start with Twitter!

As GreenSquareAccord promote their ‘we are true leaders within the sector’ narrative, they continue (oh yes, it’s a trend - read here) to buy up nominations (through opting to pay for a table at our expense) at a corporate award session, the UK 2022 Housing awards. Their nomination is for innovator of the year! For what I hear you cry? A shipping container in their car park. Innovative stuff indeed, you can refresh yourself with the money wasting venture here.

However, one resident was not in the mood to celebrate this nomination (and neither should he be).

This is a mixed bag. Having moaned about the sector and the pavlovian response ‘Send us a DM’, it is great to see Jessica reaching out to Phil. The ‘I am sending you a DM’ is a considerable improvement. Why should disgruntled residents and members of the public have to further chase when they’ve already reached out? Well done, this is a step in the right direction and perhaps further proof that GreenSquareAccord do read my social media posts, blogs and website and that they might actually be listening. I’ve always said that I’m far more effective at communicating with GreenSquareAccord since being put on their communication plan than I ever was before!

So on one hand GreenSquareAccord employees have been accused of endangering the lives of people by driving while on the phone (supported with evidence I may add) but they’ve also implemented a better response to dealing with issues raised on Twitter.

This next Twitter post, not such a mixed bag

Rather more of the ‘same old, same old’. It’s starts with the usual dose of banality. With GreenSquareAccord having increased service charges across their property portfolio, they now need to offset this, and as such they’ve tasked their newly appointed Communication Team (at a cost to residents of circa £200k PA) to do some copy and pasting from other sources on how not to be poor, and if you are poor, how to deal with it.

It’s full of standard advice, ranging from finding another job, opening your curtains to allow sun in, closing doors, turning down heating and eating less, etc.

I came up with an idea on how I could actually send children to school well fed, a way that would reduce some of the stress their parents would be under, and as such create a safer and perhaps more supportive home environment. All we have to do is cut back on the wages of Ruth Cooke, perhaps trim back on this new communication team, or maybe even tax Rachel Crownshaw for her innovative money waster - the aforementioned shipping container.

Like so many of my (I think!) great ideas, this too was ignored by GreenSquareAccord, perhaps because they think they warrant such salaries and don’t want to have to turn their own heating down. I digress.

Scott also pointed out that he was unhappy with GreenSquareAccord, and he was unable to have his voice heard as he couldn’t DM them.

Scott had been on my radar for a few days at this point as (although GreenSquareAccord weren’t interested in hearing what he had to say) I was.

And what was the issue that was bothering Scott so much, luckily for us he shared a video with me:

At least his curtains were open allowing the sun light in, and he doesn’t appear to have any of his furniture blocking his radiators. But seriously, Scott a GreenSquareAccord resident had to take to social media to be heard, the voice of the customer has exhausted emails and calls and has had to take to Twitter. And their response? ‘DM us…’

I’ll keep in touch with Scott, let’s hope that GreenSquareAccord have now rectified this ongoing issue.

Support your local councillor!

An often unsung hero is that of local councillor, never underestimate the power they seem to have, they certainly warrant a response it seems, or do they? For this we need to go back to 19th August:

Meanwhile over on Facebook

With GreenSquareAccord now thinking the best way to ‘pump up the voice’ of the customer is by limiting who can post comments on Facebook, some of those residents have chosen to comment on mine instead. This seems backwards unless of course GreenSquareAccord don’t want to know what their residents (by the way we are not customers, we are tenants and residents - customer implies we can take our business elsewhere) have to say.

Rather than me put words into the voice of the customer I’ll let them speak for themselves. I have approval from some to use their names, however I have anonymised the comments here. These can all be viewed via my Facebook page, where people are not restricted on what they can say.

The next text block comes from Carolyn. I’ve copied and pasted the text direct from messenger (changing only some of the formatting to make it easier to read). I share this with her permission.

Carolyn

Am at work all week am afraid , I moved into the property at end of June , this leak happened early hrs of 23rd July , this is really getting to me now I pay full rent and can’t even use my living room , my carpet keeps getting wet when rain is really heavy dispite me putting things down to protect it , I suffer from psoriasis due to stress and this situation ain’t helping me am sitting at work thinking what the hell am I going home to , never heard anything like it on length of time u have to wait , I also have a leak in the kitchen but this doesn’t always leak when it rains but when it does the water is landing on my cooker thankfully I have a glass top cooker so I can just wipe it just can’t use it if the ceiling is leaking

If I don’t see any results by end of month am taking it to the papers I really have had enough now

GreenSquareAccord Residents

Good idea, if I get a chance to write something up this week I'll share with you, if you're happy I can post online.  Stay strong

Carolyn

I don’t mind who sees it I just want to live a normal life in a house that is actually liveable isn’t that what I work and pay them £403 a month for

GreenSquareAccord Residents

No it isn't - do you have kids at home?

Carolyn

No and I think that’s why they don’t care but it’s affecting my daily life and my health , haven’t been able to have my grandchildren at mine , it’s to dangerous what if the ceiling gives way I couldn’t put my grandchildren at risk

GreenSquareAccord Residents

Okay, leave it with me.  I'll throw my weight behind it to see what action we can drive.  Thanks Carolyn - so sorry you have to go through this.

Carolyn

I didn’t know who to turn to as am new to the area and I have had a lot going on as well as dealing with this , my stepdad passed away recently just a few weeks ago so u can imagine how all this is getting to me now

GreenSquareAccord Residents

I can - I'll do what I can to raise this issue.  Stay strong x

Carolyn

Thanks any help would be very much appreciated

GreenSquareAccord Residents

Thumbs-up sign

Carolyn

I live in *******************  -  GreenSquareAccord, if you’d like Carolyn’s address please let me know.

And this is why I give up so much of my free time. If I don’t listen and share, who will?

Better news over on LinkedIn

While most of what I’ve shared here today has been rather depressing and worrying, there was better news over on LinkedIn.

The first is I was invited to discuss issues affecting many tenants across the housing sector. It was great to have engagement from many industry insiders, and further supported my notion that many within the sector want to improve the status quo.

GreenSquareAccord wanted the right to reply but have chosen to remain silent even though they have a solid communication team on the payroll!

Unfortunately for Steve, I suspect he is not permitted to talk with me or engage in any way. How frustrating it must be to be employed as a Director of Communications, then being told he is not allowed to communicate.

I’m here as always when they do want to engage. Together should actually mean together.

For those of you who are interested here is the discussion.

Elsewhere on LinkedIn my article GreenSquareAccord, their Messiah Complex, and the Missionary Position was shared on the Shared Ownership Resources website. Great to garner further attention and clear evidence of how the skills of a decent editor can vastly improve my writing! You can read it here.

And what about GreenSquareAccord?

What about them indeed! Well they wrote informing me that I was still forbidden to contact them (apart from the info@ address) that i wasn't allowed to tag people or mention them by name, and that I bullied junior female members of their team. This last accusation is something I emphatically deny and something they are unable to provide evidence of.

We, as residents and tenants, need somewhere to share our issues and somewhere we can seek support. If our own housing association are refusing the job they’re literally paid to do, then we must find our own platform.

Coming soon - www.housingsector.co.uk

In Conclusion

It seems GreenSquareAccord aren’t listening. They block, ignore, bully, and close cases that are still open.

However, others within the sector are listening and offering support. I know GreenSquareAccord read the content of my site, they check it almost daily. As they sell a false narrative we are here pushing the actual state of play. This is why it is essential that we keep sharing and posting. The truth must not be lost to their narrative.

Thanks for your continued support, together we will make GreenSquareAccord brilliant. Wouldn’t it be great if we could reduce the wage bill until they are actually brilliant!

Of course no action would be taken. However Councillor Kerry was optimistic that GreenSquareAccord would be able to sort, perhaps she hadn’t dealt with the before. GreenSquareAccord, always quick to dispel any negative press responded in haste!

Of course, even with the ‘team being made aware there would be no action. As is common practice for GreenSquareAccord would have closed this as done, then needed to reopen as it wasn’t! Who knows if it’s been cleared, updates to follow.