Since Rightmove & Zoopla why use an expensive High St estate agent ?

[Cyclone 10]

I just say the exact opposite. Works well.

 

It just makes you look like an idiot.

 

---------- Post added 15-06-2016 at 21:58 ----------

 

Cyclone trying to wind people up again ? Shall I bother to answer ? I`m tempted not to bother because anything I say will be a waste of time (to Cyclone), but it may be worth answering for other people reading this thread, and I hope there are loads of them and they save shed loads of money when they sell their house........

 

Your sandwich from Tescos. You knew what you were buying for what price and how much work and materials had gone into it.

Yes.

Which is pretty much the same as when you hired an estate agent.

 

Compare this to a customer who actually changed the whole way we operate when he phoned and complained all those years ago. Our Online system charges a flat £8 carriage * (for orders under £50) and, in fact, the great majority of our orders actually cost a bit more than that to send out by carrier. However, some of the smaller stuff can actually go by RM which is considerably cheaper. We sent out a small order to this chap, he paid the Online £8 but, when he received the order, he saw the Franking label for £2.00. Not surprisingly he was p****d off, phoned us up and complained. Now, using Cyclone`s logic, he had no right to complain, but I beg to differ,

If you lied and charged £8.00 for postage which cost £2.00 then he had a legitimate complaint.

If you'd never mentioned postage and built it into the item prices then he wouldn't.

Did the estate agents lie to you?

even though it should be noted here that we put many warnings on the site saying carriage is cheaper for small orders but only if they`re phoned through. And that is what I told him, but that did not pacify him. I should have put him onto Cyclone, but, unlike Cyclone, I could understand why he was so annoyed. So after that we automatically refund some carriage to all customers (whose orders can go RM) without them even asking for it because the fact is most people don`t complain even if they`re actually quite annoyed. It`s called good business, but it`s also doing the right thing.

That's just called not ripping people off by lying about the cost of shipping.

* There are so many different combinations of length and weight and number of items per order that it`s impossible to do otherwise.

 

A second example from my own business. A customer comes in and spends £110. He says this order is over £100 and you offer free carriage on orders over £100, can I have a discount because I`ve saved you the cost of carriage ? We say of course. It`s called good business, but also doing the right thing, again.

You could say no. That's entirely your choice. Try asking for a discount in most places and the answer will be no. You can pay the marked (or previously agreed and signed for) price, or you can go and shop elsewhere.

 

If you DO want to haggle, the time would be to do it BEFORE you sign the legally binding contract.

 

I run a business as well, and you know what never happens, I never ask my customers to pay more than the agreed rate, and they never ask to pay me less. The time to negotiate the rate is BEFORE the work is done, allowing both parties the opportunity to say no.

[Tomjames 10]

It just makes you look like an idiot.

 

 

As opposed to being a troll.

[TimmyR 10]

The only people who may need to use [a high street estate agent] are those who cannot do their own viewings. .

 

 

You answered your own question. I'm using one to sell a house in burton because I can't keep going down to burton (£1200). I sold one in sheffield though, in which I was living, and used an online service (£600). Its a big difference in cost and not one that represents the additional benefit of the estate agent doing the viewings.

Edited June 16, 2016 by TimmyR

[Cyclone 10]

As opposed to being a troll.

 

You don't know what a troll is then. It's not someone who disagrees with you or asks for evidence.

[Justin Smith 10]

It just makes you look like an idiot.

 

---------- Post added 15-06-2016 at 21:58 ----------

 

Yes.

Which is pretty much the same as when you hired an estate agent.

If you lied and charged £8.00 for postage which cost £2.00 then he had a legitimate complaint.

If you'd never mentioned postage and built it into the item prices then he wouldn't.

Did the estate agents lie to you?

That's just called not ripping people off by lying about the cost of shipping.

You could say no. That's entirely your choice. Try asking for a discount in most places and the answer will be no. You can pay the marked (or previously agreed and signed for) price, or you can go and shop elsewhere.

 

If you DO want to haggle, the time would be to do it BEFORE you sign the legally binding contract.

 

I run a business as well, and you know what never happens, I never ask my customers to pay more than the agreed rate, and they never ask to pay me less. The time to negotiate the rate is BEFORE the work is done, allowing both parties the opportunity to say no.

 

Not worth arguing with you.

 

---------- Post added 16-06-2016 at 09:59 ----------

 

You answered your own question. I'm using one to sell a house in burton because I can't keep going down to burton (£1200). I sold one in sheffield though, in which I was living, and used an online service (£600). Its a big difference in cost and not one that represents the additional benefit of the estate agent doing the viewings.

 

You`re completely correct, though I didn`t think I asked a question, or if I did it was rhetorical ! I thought I said what you did, i.e. it`s not worth using an expensive High St estate agent if you can do your own viewings. It`s a complete waste of money, you`re giving the estate agent (Morfitt Smith in my case) thousands of pounds for doing not very much. This is particularly the case if the seller actually wants / needs to sell their house quickly at a realistic price, as opposed to just testing the market, maybe on a no sale no (or minimal) fee basis.

 

---------- Post added 16-06-2016 at 10:05 ----------

 

You don't know what a troll is then. It's not someone who disagrees with you or asks for evidence.

 

My definition of a Troll is someone who argues for the sake of it, or uses an argument that nobody (or hardly anyone) would use if you were talking to them face to face (I call it a Forum argument) and/or gets personal.

I feel you are doing the first two here because any reasonable person would understand (and feel the same way in my position) why I`m very p****d off with Morfitt Smith considering how much I`ve paid them for how little work they`ve done. Have you actually read and understood the opener ?

[Cyclone 10]

Well, like quite a few people who posted, I think you're wrong to expect to negotiate a discount after the service you've agreed to has been provided. I can't see how having (and justifying) that opinion is trolling, but you can obviously think what you like.

 

You are most definitely not correct that any reasonable person would feel that way, as demonstrated by the number of people who disagree with you. In fact any reasonable person would expect to pay the agreed price or negotiate it before the service is provided.

I'm sure you are annoyed at Morfitt, you've said so and I have no reason to doubt you. I think your annoyance is entirely unwarranted and sounds ridiculous to me, if you didn't like the price you shouldn't have signed the contract.

 

Who signs a contract for a service and waits until the service is complete to ask for a discount and then gets all upset that one isn't forthcoming. The expectation at that point that you might get a discount is just ludicrous IMO.

[Tomjames 10]

You answered your own question. I'm using one to sell a house in burton because I can't keep going down to burton (£1200). I sold one in sheffield though, in which I was living, and used an online service (£600). Its a big difference in cost and not one that represents the additional benefit of the estate agent doing the viewings.

 

thats a good reason to use an estate agent.

I get leaflets through the door every week from the various agents asking if i am selling the house.

 

It suggests we have a sellers market.

 

---------- Post added 16-06-2016 at 10:36 ----------

 

Well, like quite a few people who posted, I think you're wrong to expect to negotiate a discount after the service you've agreed to has been provided. I can't see how having (and justifying) that opinion is trolling, but you can obviously think what you like.

 

You are most definitely not correct that any reasonable person would feel that way, as demonstrated by the number of people who disagree with you. In fact any reasonable person would expect to pay the agreed price or negotiate it before the service is provided.

I'm sure you are annoyed at Morfitt, you've said so and I have no reason to doubt you. I think your annoyance is entirely unwarranted and sounds ridiculous to me, if you didn't like the price you shouldn't have signed the contract.

 

Who signs a contract for a service and waits until the service is complete to ask for a discount and then gets all upset that one isn't forthcoming. The expectation at that point that you might get a discount is just ludicrous IMO.

 

No harm in asking.

[Cyclone 10]

I agree with that Tomjames, there is no harm in asking. But there is also no point in being surprised when the answer is a polite "no".

[Justin Smith 10]

Well, like quite a few people who posted, I think you're wrong to expect to negotiate a discount after the service you've agreed to has been provided. I can't see how having (and justifying) that opinion is trolling, but you can obviously think what you like.

 

You are most definitely not correct that any reasonable person would feel that way, as demonstrated by the number of people who disagree with you. In fact any reasonable person would expect to pay the agreed price or negotiate it before the service is provided.

I'm sure you are annoyed at Morfitt, you've said so and I have no reason to doubt you. I think your annoyance is entirely unwarranted and sounds ridiculous to me, if you didn't like the price you shouldn't have signed the contract.

 

Who signs a contract for a service and waits until the service is complete to ask for a discount and then gets all upset that one isn't forthcoming. The expectation at that point that you might get a discount is just ludicrous IMO.

 

Sorry, I don`t appear to have seen "a number of people" saying it`s perfectly reasonable to pay £2100 for the amount of work Morfitt Smith did*. Quite the opposite, most people are saying estate agents charge far too much for what they (usually) do, and my sale is at the extreme end of that. In fact, now I come to think about it, nobody from Morfitt Smith even came to my property, apart from John Morfitt who came round initially to do a "free" valuation.

Whatever you may think about how reasonable it is to charge £2100 for the small amount of work my estate agent did I`m going to make it my duty to try and save as many people as possible a shed load of money.

 

* Do you think it is ? Or are you simply arguing from a contract law perspective ? A number of people ?

Actually I don`t know why I`m even asking you this because, knowing you of old, I`m pretty certain you won`t answer it, certainly not a clear simple answer. Thus it`s time to abandon this particular line. I refer you back to this post.

Edited June 16, 2016 by Justin Smith

[Cyclone 10]

Well, there have been what, 5 people comment, including yourself.

And only Tomjames appears to agree with you.

 

I haven't said whether the cost is reasonable or not, if you didn't think it was reasonable though, why did you sign the contract for the service they provided?

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

The EA also did quite a lot of the chasing with solicitors and so on, generally moving the sale forwards as they only get paid when it completes.

Sad to say, this 'chasing' makes the transaction slower and not quicker.

You see, the time wasted by solicitors in answering EA's unnecessary calls is better used in furthering the transaction concerned.

[Cyclone 10]

Sad to say, this 'chasing' makes the transaction slower and not quicker.

You see, the time wasted by solicitors in answering EA's unnecessary calls is better used in furthering the transaction concerned.

 

Hahahaha.

The task most often seems to be pawned off onto the work experience student, who doesn't know what they're doing nor have much interest in doing it.

My most recent experience of a house being sold (my parents house) had the non local solicitors asking for ridiculous things like proof of the annual maintenance charge. This was a 3 bed HOUSE. Not a flat. It took weeks before they would accept that there was no maintenance charge.

They also asked for planning permission for having had the boiler replaced.

These are supposed to be professionals. So how can they get it SO, SO wrong? Weeks wasted, months probably, as they would send a letter with their single inane question, then take weeks before sending the next stupid request.