coldel Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 ...a rant and a request Rant: Dealing with estate agents, I don't know whether they are just stupid, ignorant, deaf, clever, manipulating or just a mix of all of the above. Rebecca and I want to move from Windsor and rent in Richmond/St Margarets, not Isleworth, not Teddington, not bleedin Barnes. So why is it, when I give explicit instructions for a specific property they send back stuff in other areas with the wrong spec. Yes, its closeby, but for gods sake Iran is technically only a mile from Turkey but I know where I wont be taking my holidays this year. Why bother asking me for instructions if you are incapable of following them. I specifically say I dont want Isleworth and I still get sent properties there. Idiots. Do they think I will just say 'oooh thats nice, I dont want to live there but lets go see it and rent it' I specifically said I dont want Isleworth or the like, so dont send it. You are making yourself look dumb and incompetent and generating more and more hatred for these people amongst home searchers. FOXTONS, send me the ideal property, I ask for the address, they send a map with the arrow pointing at the middle of a crossroads, I ask again the address, they respond and ask when I want to view it. I query that the floorplan doesnt match the picture on the outside of the property, I ask the address, they ignore my questions and ask when I want to view it. I arrange at great hassle to my working day, they cancel hours beforehand. I rearrange, they cancel 3 hours beforehand just now. They want to rearrange, I tell them to get professional and stop wasting my time, they cant understand why I am unhappy. Anyway...rant over, feel better. Anyone hear of any 2 bed places going in Richmond/St Margarets please let me know! And no jokers sending through Isleworth links Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 I feel your pain. Me and Helen are in the process of buying a house, and dealing with the various estate agents was a nightmare. Especially when they won't do viewings on an evening or a weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cragus Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 ...a rant and a request Rant: Dealing with estate agents, I don't know whether they are just stupid, ignorant, deaf, clever, manipulating or just a mix of all of the above. Rebecca and I want to move from Windsor and rent in Richmond/St Margarets, not Isleworth, not Teddington, not bleedin Barnes. So why is it, when I give explicit instructions for a specific property they send back stuff in other areas with the wrong spec. Yes, its closeby, but for gods sake Iran is technically only a mile from Turkey but I know where I wont be taking my holidays this year. Why bother asking me for instructions if you are incapable of following them. I specifically say I dont want Isleworth and I still get sent properties there. Idiots. Do they think I will just say 'oooh thats nice, I dont want to live there but lets go see it and rent it' I specifically said I dont want Isleworth or the like, so dont send it. You are making yourself look dumb and incompetent and generating more and more hatred for these people amongst home searchers. FOXTONS, send me the ideal property, I ask for the address, they send a map with the arrow pointing at the middle of a crossroads, I ask again the address, they respond and ask when I want to view it. I query that the floorplan doesnt match the picture on the outside of the property, I ask the address, they ignore my questions and ask when I want to view it. I arrange at great hassle to my working day, they cancel hours beforehand. I rearrange, they cancel 3 hours beforehand just now. They want to rearrange, I tell them to get professional and stop wasting my time, they cant understand why I am unhappy. Anyway...rant over, feel better. Anyone hear of any 2 bed places going in Richmond/St Margarets please let me know! And no jokers sending through Isleworth links They are desperate for sales! What they don't realise is, if they gave a professional service, they would be far more likely to get a sale! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK350Z Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Foxtons. During the housing boom they started opening "barrista" style offices in london. Nuff said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 I know it's of no use, but I used to live in St Margarets. If you know of St Margarets Stores next to the hair dressers we used to own the stores, many years ago. Nice part of town. I agree though, Isleworth isn't worth looking at. Have you tried Twickenham or Kew (not trying to be a stupid estate agent ) as I know St Margarets and Richmond are V expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Good point well made Andrew I know someone who worked for Foxtons, high turnover of staff, appointment makers, deal closers and commission driven, enough said Foxtons. During the housing boom they started opening "barrista" style offices in london. Nuff said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveRS Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Foxtons are one of the worst around, I would avoid them if I were you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 this any good? http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to- ... 22208.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomS Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Just wait until they've got a nice chunk of cash from you, then they really start to not care. Once the money is in their pockets most estate agents are as useful as s chocolate teapot. Ridiculous that all they need is good manners, timekeeping and organisation to get a hell of a lot more custom, yet most fall over on the easiest of things then expect you to be ok paying admin fees, check-in fees, check-out fees, etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 I really gave Foxtons the sharp end of the stick this morning, I felt guilty for a short time, then came to my senses and realised that I lost my temper with them for a reason, that they were taking the pi$$. We will find somewhere, but I wont suck up to an estate agent to get it. Rich, that looks really similar to our place from when we used to live in Paris! Open plan living area downstairs with the annex bit upstairs etc! Bizarrely similar in fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Moving again so soon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Not really liking Windsor mate, havent really settled, always be SW London people I guess. Anyways, been with Rebecca nearly 7 years now and in that time we have lived in four different places in the UK and also in Tokyo and Paris - another move just down the M4 isn't really too big a problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Well if you need a hand moving give me a shout, ive got tons of storage space in the roadster to help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Well if you need a hand moving give me a shout, ive got tons of storage space in the roadster to help Well thats a couple of small cushions and the cuttlery sorted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sized Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Nowt wrong with Isleworth (yes, I do live there!) Good luck with the hunt Col. Will let you know if I come across anything in St Marg's/Richmond. My mate just rented a 2 bed flat off Richmond Hill for £1,300 a month which seemed pretty reasonable to me, considering the location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to- ... 73485.html Looks nice, with off-street parking too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Where's Captain?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I went through all this pain last year and just couldn't believe how useless estate agents were for the relatively huge amount of cash in "commission" you give them. The guy who bought my house in the end, the estate agents did not even do the viewing, they sent the guy out - I personally showed him around my house and he agreed to buy it. So all the estate agent did was put the house on rightmove, take a call from the guy and send him over. Thats it!!! Prior to that, they were sending over people and telling them that I would "happily" take 20k less than the asking price, even though they had already put it up for 30k less than the one 4 doors away sold for the month before. Then you got people coming and offering you less for a fully refurbished house which cost me 35k to do up, including landscaping, new garage and every room in the house redone, then a house 3 doors away sold for needing full restoration?!!!! At the end of the day, the estate agent only cares about his commission. You may think he is "working" for you, but all he cares about is getting someone to buy your house. Back in the old days, estate agents used to take a % commission, so it kinda encouraged them to make the most they could for your house as then they got more money. Now adays all the ones I spoke to charge a fixed fee, so regardless of what they sell it for, they get their fixed fee. When your buying a house, most estate agents try and sucker you into speaking to their financial advisor "just to see if he can give you a better mortgage deal". They then know exactly how much you can afford and regardless of what prices you have said you want, still try and push more expensive houses over to you. They also try and encourage you to use their own solicitors "to speed up the process" - which may not always be the best ones for the job. etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Where's Captain?? Here darling. I'm used to all this cr*p. Get it every day. There's a truism in the business - "buyers are liars". I think for every "spin" I'm weaving, I get 10 back from buyers and sellers. The worst? Anybody wearing a crucifix or displaying a picture of "our lord" in their house. Complete fraudsters. Never met a straight one yet and as tight as 2 coats of paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 Bloody hell, just when you think you have sorted your housing situation out, another utter cretin of an estate agent makes your life hell once more. I appreciate there are probably estate agents on here, and that there may be some out there that are actually going to do whats right for their customer rather than something else, but can someone please please point me at them, its getting desperate. Chancellors this time in Richmond. They have a place on their website, available 1st April, we go see it, we like, we say on the spot that we will take it, perfect price range perfect moving date. We get all the details of payment from the to-be dick head who claims he is an estate agent, not a problem we can pay thats all fine. However, throughout it all he keeps saying that there are other properties we should look at, even after we say we want this one. So alarm bells already ringing that we have another dishonest lying out his backside estate agent on our hands - unfortunately we like the place so we have to tolerate him. We wait two days whilst he 'confirms it' with the property managers, we chase, we ask for updates, we get stone walled but at the same time get emails showing other properties from the same estate agent. Then we get the line 'oh my manager is dealing with it, its no problem, its all going through, just needs the ok from the property managers'. We just get the call an hour ago 'oh its been given to someone else'. Sick and tired of it, would like to say its an exception but its not. We were fortunate to have a great estate agent when in Putney, Andrews, just hoping to find some honest ones once more - hard bloody going though. We are totally straight down the line with these cretins, we have been very clear about what we want, we have taken a lot of time to travel back and forth from Windsor on days off and during work hours to see them. For the love of god return the same level of respect please and be honest. As I write this I am just deleting another email from Featherstone Leigh, after repeatedly telling them 'Richmond or St Margarets' I have a property which is 'equidistant from Richmond and Kingston', turns out its in Ham. Just send what I ask for or nothing at all please!!!!! I beg you!!!!! Stop it!!!!!! Its really bloody simple, do you speak English? Do you find 'I want something in Richmond or St Margarets' challenging to understand? Would you like me to draw pictures!!!! /endrant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 Update...Dexters, actually seem to listen to what you say - both Rebecca and I are struggling to get to grips with it really - but its a great feeling. I outlined what I wanted and they offered me something which matched what I described by actually listening to me. Big thumbs up for Dexters so far. Also, have to say, dealing generally with estate agents in Richmond, well lets just say they are somewhat aloof - they seem to think because they are renting out expensive places that somehow makes them very important people and above most customers - whereas dealing with Twickenham branches, a very different attitude - a better one ...that said still have nothing after being gazumped a number of times again (and this is letting!) - bizarrely the estate agents keep also cancelling viewings because 'the tenant doesnt want people around this week' - stop me if I am wrong, but tenants are just that, tenants, its not their property and once they have 24 hours notice (and in the case of the one today a weeks notice of viewing) they are not legally in any position to cancel a viewing - wish estate agents were a bit more on the ball all round really. I have to say, certainly one area that really needs a good shake up is property, far too hit and miss with who you deal with and how they behave - a lot of the time unprofessionally, its a sad state of affairs that when you find a good one that you are literally jumping up and down for joy like its christmas. The search goes on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Col you are a little naive, you haven't sussed yet that the agents need to be slipped a little "admin" fee so that you've got their priority attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 No I didn't know they needed bribing, although it wouldn't surprise me...but have been renting for years, never had to do it before, I guess since coming back to the UK standards have dropped substantially compared to what I remember! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 Success! We have somewhere to live, move in early May! In the end Savills came good, again (we used them for the place in Windsor) with a nice house in Richmond It has been a shockingly painful experience dealing with these estate agents, worse than I can ever remember, in summary: Foxtons, lots of rogue younger sales reps who couldn't give a jot about you or what you want and will speak down to you like an idiot Dexters, actually did listen to what you want, did a lot of follow up with places that were on our spec, although their automated email system is terrible after I specced Richmond/St Margarets I was being emailed places in Hammersmith and Kensington and I would get the same property emailed 6-7 times a day Chancellors, have to say worse than Foxtons, their approach to the rental market is to take people to see the property, then you say you will take it, they say ok and then proceed to tell you for two days all is ok, only then to find out you havent got it after 'all the bids were put to the landlord and he chose someone else' - I never realised the rental market worked like ebay... Chase Buchanan, seemed nice and helpful but then did a lot of faffing with properties coming in that were perfect for us and them forgetting to tell us All in all a really painful experience and one not keen to repeat anytime soon - generally they are staffed by wet behind the ears sales reps who think because they are renting out a half million pound property that makes them somewhat above the people renting it - I have never experienced such general poor levels of customer service be it in a pizza restaurant or when buying a car off a forecourt. They really are in a class of their own at the bottom of the scale there - to the point when you get a good one who actually listens to you its like Christmas come early. Anyways...onwards and upwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Glad you got sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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