Haart Estate Agent and their charges

[Fringer]

Does anyone know if we would be entitled to a discount for poor service from an estate agent?

 

We were duped into thinking we could get a lot more for our property with Haart estate agents

Their fees were more than anyone else we had value our place but as they were so sure in getting more for us, we agreed to go with them

 

From the very start there were problems. The photographer didn't turn up when he should, the pictures didn't go straight on Rightmove, we wasn't getting any viewings and then when I queried it, we were getting viewings booked and the person wouldn't turn up

 

I was having to come home from work for a supposed viewing only to be telephoned right at the time of the appointment to tell me they wasn't coming or I'd sit and wait and they never showed up

 

I kept calling Haart to ask why this kept happening, like asking for feedback from their viewers but was told this happens and there's nothing they could do about it. In this time we'd decided to drop our price twice to try and attract more viewings, actually dropping it down to what the other 4 agents had said we'd probably get for it.

 

I was arranging my mortgage through an independent mortgage advisor but who is based in their offices, I was telling him about it 1 day and he rang someone he knew who was looking for a property to rent. His words were 'I'll try and get your place sold, don't worry about them'

His viewer actually arrived but didn't want it

 

I never heard from them until I'd been and found a property I wanted and had my offer accepted so I rang them and said you need to sell my place and fast. Within 3 days I had 2 viewings and 1 of them made an offer.

 

Great I thought! Then that was it..... I've been chasing up the solicitors, our freeholder, asking questions from the other agent we're buying through. I've had nothing from Haart this was over 4 or 5 weeks.

I'd ring them and leave messages and they didn't get back to me

Eventually I wrote to them making this complaint I then received a phone call saying our agent had been on holiday for a week and that was the reason he hadn't contacted me

I said I'd been doing all the chasing up and asked what exactly I was paying them for

He tried to sweet talk me saying he was sorry and he'd get on the case now he was back and get back to me

 

Another couple of days passed and I'd heard nothing so my husband emailed a complaint, he stated he wasn't able to talk on the phone as he works shifts and drives for a living. He also said not to contact me as i was getting very stressed.

The manager responded asking for a number to call him on and the next day I received 3 phone calls which I ignored.

My husband responded to the email again stating he couldn't be contacted on the phone and any answer would have to be done by email, he also asked for the contact details for head office or complaints depth.

3 days it took for a response and all it was was an apology, no offer of the information requested.

 

I've been chasing everyone myself again as not heard from Haart so I emailed to tell him that and he came back with the exact update I'd already got myself

 

I feel their fee of £3300 is extortionate especially when I've been doing their job!

[citizenB]

I cant offer any advice, but from my own experience with Haart - this appears to be something they do regularly.

 

 

When we first moved to the property we are currently living in, I hated it - and after a couple of months instructed Haart to market the property for us. We, like you were waiting in for viewers who never turned up with no explanation. With the two viewings we did have we had no feed back from them. After 2 months they started to put the pressure on to reduce not by a couple of thousand, but by a whopping £10,000. Fortunately we had opted for a short term contract and when it was up we decided to take the property off the market and sent a complaint to their office. We were told that the agent had been "overly bullish" in his expectations !

[king12345]

Send them a letter explaining that all of their failure (and list them) amount to breach of contract, therefore you release them from acting as your agents with immediate effect.

They'll get on the phone within seconds of receiving it trying to fob you off once again.

Do not give in.

Sack them.

Then go to a better estate agent.

[Fringer]

Thanks for the advice.

 

CitizenB I'm sorry u went through something similar. I've since been hearing so many bad stories about them

 

We are now coming to the end of our nightmare as we should have anot exchange date this week. I need to know if I can get some money knocked off for their poor service

[honeybee13]

Hello Fringer.

 

In your position, I would be talking to the branch manager or higher up about a reduction in view of the problems that you've had.

 

I don't see why they shouldn't make a commercial gesture.

 

HB

[Fringer]

Thanks

I'm gathering all emails and records of phone calls or lack of at the moment.

I'm intending to write a letter tomorrow

 

Was just seeing if I had a leg to stand on. £3300 for a few photos on a website is totally unreasonable as that's all they've done!

[Fringer]

I've asked for a breakdown of all fees as they really haven't doneven anything since we sold.

The answer I've had back is

We pay them to market and advertise the property, find us the best buyer and get us the best possible price, to negotiate and substantiate any offers and to progress our sale to point of exchange of contracts.

 

I have a total of 5 calls, averaging 2 mins over 3 months from this company

Now everything I get an email it is in response to an email sent to them, they still do not come forward with any information unless I chase or ask them

How can I word that I would like a discount in these fees for lack of service?

Funnily enough as writing this I've had a generic email from the agents, stating they are trying to improve their service and now each agent has a direct line to contact them on

 

I emailed them yesterday asking for an update, I had a response back saying he'd chased the buyers solicitors and asked for an update yesterday but he hadn't heard so would chase them again today. I've not heard from the agent at all today. It's this that drives me mad, just email and say I've chased, haven't heard. To not hear anything mages me feel they're not doing anything

[Fringer]

You may remember my post about the trouble I was having with our estate agent... if not - I was having problems with me doing all the chasing up and enquiries and the agent basically doing nothing at all yet wanted to charge me £2750 + VAT in fees!

 

Well we've now moved and thankfully our solicitor (on my request) didn't pay their fees.

I'd requested a breakdown but was told it wasn't as easy as that! I did however finally get an email address to write a formal complaint to after the 3rd request.

 

I wrote an email to that address on Monday 23rd May and I've not heard a single word from them since.

Not an acknowledgment of the complaint, not a response, not even an invoice asking for payment!

 

My question is do I contact them again asking for a response or do I wait to hear from them?

Surely this is going against them along with all the evidence I have of the numerous emails to the solicitor and our previous freeholder, all the while they sat on their backsides doing nothing and expecting a nice big pay out for it!

 

They should be paying me!

[steampowered]

I've merged your threads so that people can see the history.

 

Personally I wouldn't bother chasing them. I'm sure they will chase you for payment soon enough.

[Old Cogger]

Used them in the past , they have poor photos (other Estate agents laughed out loud at the disgusting so called professional pictures) saw 3 different managers within 4 months, no viewings in 9 month period and dam right negligent when asked questions.

 

years later used another agent (who estate agents called be careful) = Proper Professional + pictures many viewing and sold within 3 months - job done-

[Fringer]

Thanks steampowered

 

I await correspondence from them with baited breath

[Fringer]

I've had a message left on my answerphone on my mobile (after they've been told not to contact me)

I'm thinking to not answer to force them into writing to me as I'd rather everything in writing - thoughts?

[steampowered]

You can't tell them not to contact you. They are perfectly entitled to contact you. But you can tell them to only contact you in writing. If they call you, just tell them to put it in writing.

[Fringer]

Thanks

 

I meant I have asked them before not to call me, only to email my husband.

A number of times I'd explained he cannot talk on the phone as he drives for a living and the response was 'can I have his number to call him on'

 

I have requested they email him and not me as it was all becoming too stressful, and still they telephone me. I've just had another call today.

 

STILL no response or acknowledgement to my complaint tho! Funny that!

[steampowered]

It might be worth emailing them to say that you won't speak on the phone and need them to put any correspondence in writing. This way you have a record of your request to point to if they later claim you were trying to ignore them. I'm assuming your previous request was made verbally, in which case you have no proof unless you recorded the call.

[Fringer]

Hi again

 

Following on from this whole saga...

I've now had response from Haart after my husband tweeted them saying how crap their service was. I'd had no previous response to my email complaint to the branch manager, AT ALL.

During the process of sending another complaint I had a letter from Haart quoting a completely different address to what they sold for us. I forwarded this on to the head office providing more evidence that the company is totally incompetent

 

I've tonight received an email apologising for their lack of service, for their mistakes and for the upset caused and offered me £300 off my £3300 bill

 

My husband's way of thinking is that they've admitted they were crap so we shouldn't accept this offer

 

Do you have any thoughts?

[king12345]

Offer them £50 as a gesture of goodwill for the 3 calls they made and the crappy pictures.

[Old Cogger]

Crappy picture is their theme, got another agent later and showed their pictures and will not comment as they said they were too much of a lady but bally hell!

 

 

new agent took her own pictures and the property sold with 2 weeks and completed w ithin 6 weeks , shows you need a good solicitor to action.

[Fringer]

I actually offered the £1950 in full and final settlement which is 1.5% of the sale price - the national average I do believe!

 

They haven't responded yet. Today was the day they told me I had to either accept or decline their offer of £300 so I wrote to them again yesterday enclosing our offer and said if they dont reply in 14 days the offer will be withdrawn and the matter will be taken further

[Fringer]

They've responded refusing the offer. They said that my email complaint of 23rd May was responded to, by email on 29th June! I never received any response at all

 

I told them that they had lost me a sale of £1500 to my purchaser (of which I had previously emailed them about) for the sale of my range oven and fridge freezer, they're denying any knowledge of this. (I have proof of this email)

 

They are still offering me £300 off

 

Do I now take it to the Property Ombudsman?

[king12345]

They've responded refusing the offer. They said that my email complaint of 23rd May was responded to, by email on 29th June! I never received any response at all

 

I told them that they had lost me a sale of £1500 to my purchaser (of which I had previously emailed them about) for the sale of my range oven and fridge freezer, they're denying any knowledge of this. (I have proof of this email)

 

They are still offering me £300 off

 

Do I now take it to the Property Ombudsman?

 

I don't think the property ombudsman would do anything.

Their view is that they advertised the property and eventually it sold.

Some properties sell in a day, some others are on the market for a year.

In any case, it won't harm to make a complaint.

You've been very generous with your offer.

I would stick to it at risk of being taken to court.

[steampowered]

What happened with the email - did they fail to pass the purchaser's email onto you?