Estate Agent Misselling

BoredOfSavingNow

Hi All,

I am after a little advice if anyone can help...

I recently decided to put my house up for sale with an estate agent (who will remain nameless for now)

Doing so an agent came around to my house with whom I negotiated a fee etc.

He also talked me through their marketing proposal and told me if I went with their associated conveyances I would receive a discount on this. He told me I MUST decide now.

So based on having a time constraint I chose to take the agents advice. I now find that I did not need to decide now but I am now obligated to their conveyancing because if I go elsewhere they will charge more the for the marketing (photos and floor plan I did not even need as the house sold before that was even distributed)

My question is: Should I complain now? (and risk getting into arguments when they need to be finalising the sale of my house)

Or

Complain after the completion of the sale? (in which case they could claim that I did not have much concern as I did not raise it formally sooner)

I have already complained to the branch manager over the phone however he didn't seem particularly bothered. Although he did mention that his agent had received a complaint about this previously!

cattie

I wouldn't consider this a misselling issue, rather than an ea being true to form & stretching the truth.

You signed up to their recommended conveyancing to get a cheaper marketing rate, which you have achieved, so you've not exactly been missold.

Your mistake was thinking it would be a cheaper option to go with ea's recommendation instead of doing your own research beforehand to ensure it was the best deal for you overall. Put it down to a lesson you won't make again & make your complaint when completion date has been set but before ea receives selling fee.

BoredOfSavingNow

Thanks.

I do still however believe it was misselling as I asked "do I need to decide this right now?" to which he replied "yes you do". Which was a lie.

ermine

I went with their associated conveyances I would receive a discount on this. He told me I MUST decide now.

You probably did have to decide then...to get that particular deal amd set of conveyancing discounts You didn't ask "is this particular time-limited deal the best that your firm can do for me in the next week"

One of the oldest sales tricks in the book... You weren't mis-sold, you were suckered.

If a salesman tells you you have to sign now, walk away, always.

Having said that, if the agent came to your house you may be entitled to a cooling off period of seven days.

dunstonh

I do still however believe it was misselling as I asked "do I need to decide this right now?" to which he replied "yes you do". Which was a lie.

The way I read it was that if you agreed it "now" you would be £x as your terms as part of a discounted package. But if you didnt sign up "now" they would not discount those terms. It is a traditional sales tactic but not an actual mis-sale. Any firm is allowed to run special terms over its normal that way. It smacks of double glazing techniques (going in with a high price but will discount if you sign up there and then) but it isnt actually a mis-sale as the product is as described.

greatcrested

I chose to take the agents advice.

Take a bit of personal responsibility for your own decisions and stop blaming others for your bad choices?

dimbo61

We decided to put our house on the market and had 3 local agents round to value the property and tell us the costs of selling.
Now the third agent was very keen to market the property and even reduced the FEE to the same as the cheapest agent.
We agreed and put the house on the market with them on thursday night at 5pm.
Had a viewing on friday night at 6pm and accepted an offer at full price on saturday morning at 11am.
We did the viewing!!!! Agent had printed NO DETAILS or put property on website ( Rightmove etc )
Great way to earn 1.5% of the sale price and Buyer had been looking for this type of house for some time.
The good old days of selling a house

gazter

BoredOfSavingNow wrote: »

Hi All,

I am after a little advice if anyone can help...

I recently decided to put my house up for sale with an estate agent (who will remain nameless for now)

Doing so an agent came around to my house with whom I negotiated a fee etc.

He also talked me through their marketing proposal and told me if I went with their associated conveyances I would receive a discount on this. He told me I MUST decide now.

So based on having a time constraint I chose to take the agents advice. I now find that I did not need to decide now but I am now obligated to their conveyancing because if I go elsewhere they will charge more the for the marketing (photos and floor plan I did not even need as the house sold before that was even distributed)

My question is: Should I complain now? (and risk getting into arguments when they need to be finalising the sale of my house)

Or

Complain after the completion of the sale? (in which case they could claim that I did not have much concern as I did not raise it formally sooner)

I have already complained to the branch manager over the phone however he didn't seem particularly bothered. Although he did mention that his agent had received a complaint about this previously!

Adding a pressure of a time limit is a standard means for a seller to close a deal. The agent sounds very good at their job. I wouldnt mind them selling my home.

roundturn

gazter wrote: »

Adding a pressure of a time limit is a standard means for a seller to close a deal. The agent sounds very good at their job. I wouldnt mind them selling my home.

Good point. But most people are less gullible than the OP, especially when about to pay £X00,000 .....