Countrywide is writing to vendors of rival agency group Spicerhaart who received touting letters trying to exploit the confusion over OnTheMarket.
Earlier this week Spicerhaart made a dramatic claim that three Countrywide-run local agencies had written letters, claiming that Spicerhaart was delisting properties of clients from both Rightmove and Zoopla.
In reality, Spicerhaart was dropping Zoopla but not Rightmove. Spicerhaart claimed to be considering taking out an unjunction if Countrywide did not remedy the issue.
Late last evening Countrywide issued a statement saying:
We believe it is crucial to get a client's property in front of as many viewers and potential buyers as possible, which is why we continue to list properties on Rightmove, Zoopla and our own website propertywide.co.uk.
On average, customers move house every fifteen years, therefore selling a home is not something they are readily familiar with. We believe it is important to help people choose the right agent from an informed perspective and the intention of any communication from us is solely that. Ultimately the customer will always choose the right agent for them.
We recognise that whilst the intent of our recent mailing was to inform customers, the letters may have been misleading in some cases. Where that is the case, we have written to customers to both correct our error and apologise.
Spicerhaart has not yet responded to the Countrywide statement.
Comments
Well done indeed countrywide, I feel they missed a trick (or might not have) but the vendors they had to send their apology to ' should have been them offering to sell there homes free of charge as a gesture of good will, still taking money out of the pocket of Spicers'
CLASSIC: The article reads:
"We believe it is crucial to get a clients property in front of as many viewers and potential buyers as possible......."
Fantastic. A double dig. The original letter was an insult and this one is a kick in the nuts. Hats off to Countrywide.
But where is Spicers apology to all those vendors whose listings are soon to be hidden away OffTheMarket. Or at least on a site consumers havent heard of.
Regarding some of the statements we have heard over the last few months, I'm surprised the media haven't actually questioned more on some of the claims about firms doing things in the client's interest when the claim could be viewed as dubious. There's some things that are black and white.