BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE

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People on this site bash agents for being unethical, sleazy, etc. Butthen they expect agents to violate their relationships with the otherside. You seem to think ethics means giving you everything you ask forand not appearing to play games.

no, i think its about making a reasonable effort to fulfill the agency agreement that you sign and not appearing to play games. you cant be selling my property and your agency at the same time. playing that game is a far more severe ethical conflict.

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October 26

Mack McCoy
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- Person called today to ask "what is the bottom line price that Seller would accept?"

I haven't had that, but I've had people come into my open house ask similar questions. What can you say? "If you really want to find out, let's write it up?"

The thing that some people don't get is that it isn't enough to pretend to be a potential buyer - nobody is interested in that. Sellers aren't interested, and agents aren't interested.

What we want are serious, qualified buyers. And here's the dirty little secret - these people don't pretend and play games.

Serious, qualified buyers - even (especially?) if they're bargain hunters - don't play pretend schoolyard games. They want information, and they're willing to be called back with the information they want.

Money talks - and gives contact information. The rest, it walks.

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November 01

Pasadenan
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I'm not "polite" to all people that call my business either. In fact, I'm quite rude to many of them, especially if they are cold-caller marketing people that have no idea what we do, or are in a completely different field.

And when I get telemarketer calls at home, I used to ask for name, company, phone number, address, height, weight, birth date, social security number, credit card number..., but now I just tell them "I'm sorry you have the wrong number" and hang up the phone.

And if some one calls up and asks "how are you?", I really want to tell them "it is none of your business!" and hang up the phone on them, but instead, I say "who's calling please?", and when they give a name and don't state their business, I say "about what?", and then I usually tell them, "I'm sorry, you have the wrong number", and hang up the phone on them.

I'm happy to provide free information when it is not personal and doesn't have personal ramifications, but I'm generally annoyed by all sales people, especially if I haven't indicated any intention of buying anything. And I'm generally annoyed at people asking for information that takes my time when they have absolutely no use nor comprehension of the information.

As for obtaining information about a home of interest, I would much rather call a realtor who is already a friend and knows me than someone that is just looking to give me a sales pitch. I doubt that I could trust the information from a cold call likely to turn into a sales pitch anyway.

And if calling in response to a classified ad for the sale of ANY previously owned product, I really don't expect ANY exchange of names and phone numbers until the general interest level is established, and there is some kind of confirmation that the item meets the search criterion.

So, of course it is not bad customer service not to answer cold call questions to unknown parties, nor is it unreasonable to withhold giving personal information. I won't "register" on most websites for the same reason, and I won't let software automatically "register" over the internet for me either.

As pointed out before, you can't receive poor customer service if you are not a customer and are not even a potential customer. And for most products and services, it really doesn't matter.

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October 28

shaunee
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I never get how still they do such things, when customer satisfaction is most important feature you will find in every company. more than anything it is very annoying.

_________

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October 28

Caleb Yamanaka, "CHUTTA"
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Caleb Yamanaka, "CHUTTA"

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Mack has a point... what was the information that they wouldn't give up. There are many times a prospective Buyer asks for information that is just not available or the Seller will not answer.

Case in point. Person called today to ask "what is the bottom line price that Seller would accept?" well the Seller will not disclose that info. That is the Seller's perogative. What the Seller was willing to say is "make an offer. I will review any and all offers."

Now this could be a serious buyer and it might not. If that line scares you off then you really are not as serious as you might think you are, because you can still make any offer you wish.

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October 28

Mack McCoy
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RapperDawg has a point; a kind word and a gentle tone can be useful.

But, as to the question at hand - we don't know what the info was, every office has their own policy, and all agents do not subscribe to the same theory.

There are a couple of things worth noting, though:

1. Not everybody who calls a brokerage is a client;

2. If they're not a client, all an agent owes them is courtesy.

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October 27

NTETS, "Caveat Emptor"
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hey! you almost had me there!

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October 27

frisky1
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Rapper Donte Washington, "RapperDawg"

Name is Paris Hilton, fax is 5555555555 send it over right away

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October 27

Rapper Donte Washington, "RapperDawg"
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This is common practive.. Just give the bogus name and number and be super nice to them on the phone.. They melt like butter when you give them everything they want to know and your friendly...

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October 27

NTETS, "Caveat Emptor"
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i'm telling you, it will be the deal of the century!

don't you trust me? all you have to do is sign the papers, i'll take care of everything! promise! its a great deal!

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October 27

frisky1
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can't fax me anything if I won't give you my name or fax number.

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October 26

NTETS, "Caveat Emptor"
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i'll tell you what: i will give you an excellent deal on a fabulous lot with acreage and miles of riverfront in beautiful country.

i'll fax you some documents later today. the only catch is, i cannot disclose the address to you, i have to protect my client... you understand.

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October 26

frisky1
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ntets--if you're talking to a used car salesman at a lot, you've probably told him your name (even if its fake), he can see your license plates, and you're no longer anonymous. And the used car salesman is not representing another member of the public (the seller). All agents at that brokerage regardless of whether they are the listing agent are not or even work at the same office, represent that seller.

The problem I have is that you all think that agents should give information not in the listing (regardless of how inoccuous it may seem and which may include the address) to random unidentified people on the phone. You want the agent to violate their relationship with the seller to satisfy someone who is untraceable and who's motives are unverifiable.

I know that desk agents are not sitting there trying to do the right thing by not disclosing info to anonymous people (they are looking for business). However, a truly ethical agent would respect the sellers relationship with them and protect the non public listed info unless the caller provided something in return. Everything an anonymous caller deserves to know is in the public listing (including, as you say, number of bedrooms and list price).

People on this site bash agents for being unethical, sleazy, etc. But then they expect agents to violate their relationships with the other side. You seem to think ethics means giving you everything you ask for and not appearing to play games. But true ethics is respecting agency relationship and not putting their clients in any kind of disadvantage. To me, you just prove that most people would not recognize an ethical agent if they saw one.

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October 26

NTETS, "Caveat Emptor"
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frisky

i assume that if i go to a used car lot for a car, the agent there will answer all of my questions honestly and promptly. i wouldnt buy a car from an agent who gave me even the slightest reason to question his ethics, and i apply the same logic to homebuying. there are a thousand other homes out there and if you dont think that its your job to disclose "secret" information like where the property is, how many bedrooms it has or what the listing price is, without an agency agreement, i am going to have a problem with that. conversely if i were going to start asking questions about tax liens and the age of the front porch, yea, i can see wanting to set up an appointment to look at the house. your client expects you to disclose the address, not play dumb games.

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October 26

Song San, "song san"
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Terrence Askew, "YourMoneySource"

Is the home a new listing? I have seen many agents that would hold off on new listings for as long as possible so they can make dual commissions. In California, I believe the agents have up to 3 days before they have to post it up on the MLS. During that time, they would only show or take any offer if they could be both the listing and selling agent.

It could also be that the agent is worried that once you have the address, you can have a friend or someone that is a realtor to look up the information and skip them out. They are just watching for themselves and their pocketbooks.

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October 26

Terrence Askew, "YourMoneySource"
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Nina Hollander, "Nina Alix"

It is poor customer service. I can understand that this is a competitive market but when you seem desperate it shows.

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October 25

Nina Hollander, "Nina Alix"
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Robert and Yoko Walker, "Orangecrest"

If one agent/agency doesn't speak with you, just go call another one! If there's one thing there's doesn't seem to be a shortage of these days is agents/agencies. Of course, you can always also provide a fake phone number!

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October 25

Robert and Yoko Walker, "Orangecrest"
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Riverside, CA

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Call the next agency... They are pretty much looking at it the same way... You don't want to work with them, so why should they work with you. Sorry to be so blunt, but it is reality. They are paying to be an agent at that brokerage and any other brokerage, by the thousands of dollars per year if they are producing anything, and still thosands even if they don't produce anything. They don't get an hourly wage and still pay to be there if they don't make a dime.

If your employer told you to work the phones and give any information someone ask for, and by the way, your desk fees, E&O insurance and realtor fees are due; would you be handing the information out without any return?

Unfortunately, bill collectors don't forgive payments because you had a rough month. Being an agent is a line of work where it will pick you up and spit you out in a heart beat.

Your agent can get the information for you. Even without an address, give your agent the info, and a picture if possible and they can trace it down if it is listed to the MLS.

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October 25

frisky1
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Robert and Yoko Walker, "Orangecrest"

ntets--I don't know why you assume that agents ethically and legally should give out addresses over the phone to random anonymous people. Desk agents work for the seller until there's a relationship with the buyer and unless info is in a listing, its proprietary.

in NJ, more and more homes are being listed with addresses anyway (its the seller who decides this) and since NJ tax records are online and, at least on gsmls, the listings include assessment info, anyone with half a brain and 2 minutes can get the address of maybe 98% of all listings.

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October 25

Robert and Yoko Walker, "Orangecrest"
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Call the next agency... They are pretty much looking at it the same way... You don't want to work with them, so why should they work with you. Sorry to be so blunt, but it is reality. They are paying to be an agent at that and any other agency, by the thousands of dollars per year if they are producing anything. They don't get a hourly wage.

Your agent can get the information for you. Even without an address, give your agent the info, and a picture if possible and they can trace it down if it is listed to the MLS.

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October 25

jkonstant
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This could very well be the way Weichert does things. Right or wrong may not even be the issue here. I don't agree nor do I disagree. However, you fail to mention any of the questions they refused to answer. In addition is it possible someof these questions might actually require a call back. All calls for my listings are directed to me personally. At the peak of insanity many of us were handling as many as 20 listings and even more buyers and prospects. Some of the common questions asked are lot size, taxes and days on the market. It is a bit unreasonable to expect an agent to have this info at his or her fingertips at any given moment.

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October 25

NTETS, "Caveat Emptor"
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Since January 2009

... and good luck selling a cheese wheel, if you refuse to talk to interested buyers. face to face, or over the phone. you arent going to make the sale by fighting with buyers.
________________

I'd bet that disclosing any information about a house that isn't on a public listing sheet, including the address...

don't even get me started on that practice. hiding the address so that good buyers ignore the listing and so you can make your phone ring is just as reprehensible, probably more.

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October 25

Mack McCoy
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Seattle WA

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Since October 2009

- real estate agents need to be reminded what their job actually is, and i have news, its not networking. thanks anyway Mack McCoy.

Hmmm. Subject, predicate, gratuitous "anyway," . . . not sure what this sentence means. Probably some sort of specialized academic thingy. Regardless . . .

It's useful to understand just what the job of the listing broker(age) is: it is to sell homes. It isn't to provide people with information, it isn't to upload information to websites, it isn't to be polite or kind or gentle - although every one of these is useful towards that end and expected by their sellers.

Brokerages often have "floor agents" field calls from the public, and those agents are prospecting for clients. They, surely, are expected to be polite - but their objective is to land a face-to-face meeting with you, not to dispense information.

The Listing Agent, however, has a different motivation, which is to actually sell the house. But their objective on sign/ad calls is remarkably similar - they want to land a face-to-face meeting between you and the property.

It doesn't really matter whether you or I think is right- or wrong-headed, it is simply, quite often, the way it is. As grownups, we learn to deal with things the way we are, don't we?

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October 24

frisky1
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Believe me, I am no fan of Weichert. They easily share the number 1 spot for sleaziness and incompetence (with many other RE cos in NJ). However, I'd bet that disclosing any information about a house that isn't on a public listing sheet, including the address, to an anonymous caller is a violation of real estate law and just because others do it doesn't make it right. the listing agency represents the seller until there is a buyers/dual relationship and even then, the RE agent still represents the seller and needs to keep their mouths shut except about material facts.

I don't know what kind of info this person is looking for but if its an address, there are ways to get that info online if its listed in gsmls.com

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October 19

sunnyview
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Courtney Cooper, "CourtneyCooper"

I agree with you and I wish all agents felt the way that you do. Maybe we could all chip in and send you to NJ to give Weichert a seminar on your professional marketing style. I appreciate straightforward agents.

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October 19

Courtney Cooper, "CourtneyCooper"
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They should give you the info no strings attached and earn any potential business from you by being honest, forthcoming, informative, and kind in general. I hate that there has to be a sales pitch to get your number - ridiculous. Sorry. I guess that is how sales people do it. I am a Realtor and I don't do it that way. I also have a lot of Realtor friends who also do not do it this way.

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October 19

frisky1
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And since Weichert is the top 1,2 or 3 listing agency in almost all NJ markets, if you ever become a serious buyer, there's a good chance they'll get your money anyway. Either give them a fake phone number or shut up about it. My guess is asking for a phone number lets the agent figure out if you are a complete waste of time and a total pain in the neck. And STOP YELLING!!!!

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October 19

SusanHH
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Caller ID..?

Seems a simple courtesy on the part of someone calling up to give their contact info. Can't remember the last time in my professional job that I refused to give my phone number to a vendor.

Settle down.

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October 19

NTETS, "Caveat Emptor"
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yeah, its not like they have to carry the mortgage each month, its not like they have to put their lives on hold because the agent was trying to fatten up his rolodex, what does the agent lose? nothing.

real estate agents need to be reminded what their job actually is, and i have news, its not networking. thanks anyway Mack McCoy.

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October 19

Mack McCoy
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Seattle WA

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