Up to 60 jobs could go at Rightmove

Some advice from someone who has left Rightmove and decided to rejoin...

If any of you who seem to hate Rightmove, actually believe that if you leave them immediately you will not suffer, please benefit from my experience and think again.
I left at the end of May and have come back because although it was nice to save the cash in the short term, I simply couldn't survive with 60% fewer enquiries (which coincided with a corresponding reduction in sales) that I had when I was with them. My enquiry volumes, although not high now, due to the state of things, are back up since I rejoined. I definitely lost enquiries and sales in the 3 months I was relying on Primelocation and Findaproperty, and yes, when I did come back, I actually listened to the rep and now use the report facilites to help me get reductions, which again helps to get more enquiries.
I also wasn't accurately recording where the enquiries were coming from prior to coming off so was blind to the reality.
Now I know many agents don't monitor this kind of thing, but if you do you'll soon see the reality of it all.
Just because things are tough for us and we want Rightmove to treat us better and reduce their rates, doesn't neccessarily mean that they are actually delivering bad value for money.
Separate emotion away from this particular commercial decision and you will start to see things a little differently.
I did, and its probably the main factor in my continuing business.
RE propertylive, has anyone else noticed how they have copied most aspects of Rightmove? Word for word in some cases... I will list here as well and again, monitor closely the responses. I'm dubious that PL will deliver with no marketing budget. We shall see, but I won't be cutting my nose off to spite my face again until I have cast iron proof that anyone else can deliver what Rightmove does.
Lastly, (and yes this is something that the rep told me, but I happen agree with him) RM are not owned by a newspaper group and are therefore not trying to protect their historic advertising revenues in the same way that Primelocation, Findaproperty and Propertyfinder are. Who do you dislike more... Papers or Rightmove?
If anyone thinks for even half a second that these other portals will not increase massively their rates (as Rightmove have done) when they have an opportunity to do so, they aren't thinking straight. Better to be on one that costs more and does actually deliver, than to be on several that don't work and collectively cost a lot more than the one expensive one.

Do what you have to do, but do it with your eyes open and for your own reasons. Not just because everyone else says so. They only want you to do it because they don't have the guts to do it on their own.

I did have the guts to do it, and it hurt me.

Good luck to all in these tough times.

• 24 October 2008 11:37 AM

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/rightmoveboycott

• 23 October 2008 05:15 AM

Guys guys, you are all moaning about Rightmove but are still firmly in their clutches. Third party advertising isn't the way forward anyway. You need to be advertising your brands and getting website traffic to your own website rather than lining the pockets of the likes of Rightmove (feeding their greed). What would benefit you all is a company that promotes your brand and your websites, getting vital traffic straight to your internet shop window. Here is a tip! take a look at www.email4property.co.uk you will thank me in the long run.

• 23 October 2008 02:20 AM

I am one of the few who said no to Rightmove. So pleased.

• 23 October 2008 02:06 AM

http://www.e-consultancy.com/news-blog/366515/q-a-daniel-lee-of-globrix-com.html

• 23 October 2008 11:42 AM

Steve Norris. You only maon about leaving Rightmove and going to another because you have never been on rightmove and have attacked on it since you opened. You can't wait for us to leave so you are not the only one not on anymore....

• 22 October 2008 09:25 AM

I am always amazed when I read the comments on here. EVeryone on rightmove can leave at any point with 30 days notice and as such why are you all waiting for the new year. My agency is still pro rightmove, I am not selling as much as I would like but i am selling and this is mainly through online enquiries. The people waiting for property live as a saviour may as well shut the doors now, those promoting Globrix might as well join them. We all know how much it costs to open our doors and all businesses are struggling due to the current state of the economy, however, this is not the fault of rightmove or anyone else come to that other than bankers in the city.
When I look for what I can get for my rightmove fees I am staggered to find I can get a page in the paper or some leaflets or maybe 1 or 2 other portals that even combined give me about a qtr of the exposure I get from rightmove. On their own what chance would I have of selling.. Why should I change..?
As someone else mentioned, look at google trends and then when you have looked, come back on here and still tell other agents to move to the sites that the public hasn't even heard of or doesn't even look at. They might be cheaper but you might ask why...? How many of you anti rightmove agents use the information they provide when you go on a valuation..? how many are like me and use their report for contacting vendors....?

i think that moaning loadly about how much you hate something is not the best way to get that something to reduce costs... I have accepted that I am staying with rightmove as there is no other proper option to go anywhere else. Are people leaving SKY to go to Sentanta... Of course not. Some will, some won't but like me you all still have SKY. I am sure that rightmove will be there in years to come and I cannot be sure that property Live will be here next week and Globrix is talking big but walking small. Let's all meet back here in a year and see how many are missing. This is a time for making the right decisions on marketing and this means staying with what people accross the country know and use surely..? I spoke with my rightmove rep today and she told me that there are staff going from the company but they are doing it to make sure they are still around in years to come. This actually made me feel more secure not less.

I am sure that you will all keep moaning about rightmove, nobody will leave and you will still be looking for excuses as to why you still with them in 2 years time.

I am going to carry on running my 3 offices and hope that the others around me are on this site and they leave as this will mean they will hand me more bullets...

I will look again in a year and see who is still moaning and who has left rightmove and therefore probably out of business.

good luck.

• 22 October 2008 07:48 AM

What sticks in my throat, is that EA's provided rightmove with the free publicity they needed to establish their current position & in return they turn the screws year on year with their unreasonable increases in charges. Thanks very much rightmove! The sooner we all stand together & walk away the better.

• 22 October 2008 07:32 AM

Ok Ok OK, Everybody seems to hate RM right now. Personally i think your just trying to make a load of noise so that they reduce prices, fair enough. Deep down inside you all know that you need RM. Oh, by the way, have any of you taken a look at Google Trends to see how RM are lightyears ahead its so called competitors??? Im sticking with RM!

• 22 October 2008 05:30 AM

I AGREE WITH THE POINT THAT THE INDEPENDENT AGENTS HOLD THE KEY WITHIN THE INDUSTRY BUT AGAIN UNLESS YOU WORK TOGETHER IT WILL BE THE SAME YEAR IN YEAR OUT AND YOU WILL CONTINUE TO BE TOOTHLESS AGAINST THE MONOPOLY OF RIGHTMOVE, BUT AT THE SAME TOKEN WHEN THE MARKET WAS BRINGING IN A HEALTHY INCOME STREAM HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN HONESTLY SAY THEIR MAIN TOPIC OF CONVERSATION WAS THE NEGATIVE EFFECT RIGHTMOVE HAD TO THEIR BUSINESS. ITS A NASTY TIME FOR ALL OF US OUT THERE. I WISH THE INEA GUY DISAPPEARED DUE TO THE FACT HIS WEBSITE IS SO ANTIQUATED AS OPPOSE TO HIS IDEAS TO THE FUTURE OF AGENCY.

• 22 October 2008 04:56 AM

I'm so not surprised this has happened. Rightmove are the greediest, most arrogant organisation I have had the displeasure of working with. In London I never felt they really cut the mustard anyway! I always got many more 'quality' leads from propertyfinder and findaproperty anyway. I just paid the Rightmove subscription as Vendors and Landlords alike asked if advertised them. Then I found out they thought all property portals were called Rightmove and that it wasn't actually specifically Rightmove they were looking for. My business has not suffered one jot from giving them the heave ho!

• 22 October 2008 04:48 AM

Rightmove have got it all wrong they have charges that out value the response but however are reducing the consultants that we all speak to. What happens now will others take the time to consult us??

• 22 October 2008 04:48 AM

I read these comments from my fellow agents each day. I am certain rightmove staff read them too, and relay some of the comments back to Mr Shiftyside. Surely, he can see that there is HUGE dissatisfaction with his product. Any MD would do something about it, but as Connells own 17% of his decision making, its no surprise they are continuing with their head in the sand. "Ships? I see no ships!"I genuinely wish the other portals huge success, but I fear RM will STILL be there.

• 22 October 2008 03:05 AM

Rightmove are blatently advertising private ads - they know about it but do nothing to stop it. A number of 'agents' with one computer pay a fee for one office then advertise to private landlords charging a fee to upload their property to a number of portals. Not impressed.

http://www.charispropertyservices.co.uk/

• 22 October 2008 02:57 AM

Are agents aware that Rightmove are facilitating a growing number of private ads? Various 'on line agents' offer private sellers the opportunity to pay £60 to have their properties on Rightmove. These agents have one 'office' and pay one fee for the same, but cover huge areas. Rightmove dont care.

• 22 October 2008 02:09 AM

Can anyone tell me how Globrix are performing given that they are new. I am still with Rightmove but have to say that business has understandably dropped off and now need to explore other avenues as well. However when I compare the price of advertising with RM to the cost of advertising in local media (one having national coverage and the paper only say 40 mile radius), I still think Rightmove are a pretty good deal. Yes I don't deny they are being arrogant but the newer portals whilst known to us agents, may not yet be known to clients and therefore it could take a fair while for the same level of business to be generated. Don't jump too quickly is my advice!!

• 22 October 2008 02:00 AM

..and another thing: surely there's a conflict of interest. rightmove's majority shareholder is Connells - with almost 17% of the company! If smaller agents close, it can only help the larger corporates. RM should have a duty to both agents and the public using the site to tell them that this is the case.

• 22 October 2008 01:43 AM

Why hasn't anyone taken RightMove to the office of fair trading? Their advertising campaign earlier this year in which they stated "we're investing £3m to help our members reduce their advertising cocsts", was a complete and utter misrepresentation. Transpired that yes, they would save you £200 per month, ONLY if you INCREASED your monthly spend by £200! Incredible!! If you threaten to leave them, they'll tell you that your sub will be higher when you rejoin!! I think there's a word for that, and it isn't "loyalty"
I rememebr last recession, my boss was asked to review staffing, which he did, but the senoir management sacked him! You just never know!

• 22 October 2008 01:24 AM

The comments about Shipside are spot on. He goes on TV and advises consumers how they should be selling their house, he then tell us how agents should be marketing the properties. He should concentrate on keeping his client base by lowering his obscene charges. The man has no idea where his company's profit sweet spot is. I cannot imagine any other company that is hated by its clients as much.

They also need a new IT director - every program change they have is full of bugs & their servers cannot handle the volume needed. with their margins these issues should have been resolved years ago.

GOOD LUCK GLOBRIX!!!

• 22 October 2008 01:11 AM

I have built our marketing proposition (we are an online only agency now) around the strength of rightmove – with it being the only paid-for portal we advertise on, so I am watching to see if we are witnessing their demise or not – this latest news does indeed suggest we are in trouble. As for their service – well last year before the s*** hit the fan with northern rock – rightmove was selling houses for us – no argument. Obviously we can't compare it's performance against the others – we have never been on them. As for their arrogance – well i have found the staff in general pretty good – however our local rep is poor. The thing that did it for me in terms of loosing any kind of respect for the organization and why I agree that they deserve to lose agents – is when they started charging (or trying to – we never signed up) for putting your LOGO next to YOUR advert on their site – this was just ridiculous. We all know it costs them nothing to do this and to ask for around 15% extra on top of their subscription was criminal. Then there are their brand plus other things – pay extra for flagging up a property as “New Price” - well this is not adding real value to their service – lets hope Globrix does well – but I expect there to be issues with them when they get too big too

• 22 October 2008 01:01 AM

I have wrote to Rightmove with a defined way help aid this current tricky market. Asking them to be more pro-active with home sellers regarding viewing although not SSTC themselves. I have repeatedly asked if they would consider slightly re writing the rule book regarding the BUYING and SELLING thought process...
1, Find suitable property
2, Enquire with agent to acertain a 'ball park selling price'
3, Place own property O.M reflecting the potential purchase price drop of desired property
4, Ensure finances are in place and are achievable.

Like may pro-active agents we all agree vendors who receive interest in there own property are more likely to view others, as a result of one word....CONFIDENCE!.

i DO NOT feel the idea will change the market place over night, however i firmly believe it will re-install confidence to vendors resulting in a positive 'chain effect' regarding viewing levels.
I dont think the idea is that far fetched, all i asked Rightmove was for them to display this idea visibly on there home page, or to that effect...

After 4 letters, x2 head office (Milton Keynes) x2 (London office) and 2 emails To Rightmove press enquires.

Have i had a response? or acknowledgement?

........Nothing!

Must be extremely busy people!

Thanks Rightmove!

• 22 October 2008 12:46 PM

When I first started my lettings business 6 months ago, the Rightmove rep told me that he didn't need my business as Rightmove were in such a dominant position, and wanted £220 a month for lettings only! Had a call a little while ago, just before he lost his job to ask me to please advertise with them, to which he got a firm and impolite NOT A CHANCE! All the other portals have been fantastic to me as a new starter, and my loyalties firmly lie with them now.

• 22 October 2008 12:26 PM

60 jobs. I bet a lot of those could be saved if Mr Shipside did the honorable thing and fell on his sword. To ignore his core customers so flagrantly, arrogantly and consistently he has surely made his position untenable. I would like to bet that a great many of us would have stayed with Rightmove with even a small reduction in charges. Loyalty is a commodity and Mr Shipside simply hasn't bought ours!

• 22 October 2008 12:24 PM

I saw our local rep last week and asked if there was to be any reduction in costs and was given a blunt no! Normal situation here where those at the top do not listen to what customers want PASS THE MONEY SAVED ON TO YOUR AGENTS if you want to keep them.

• 22 October 2008 12:23 PM

Glad that rightmove have finally got the message that the majority of agents are not going to be putting up with their greedy, self rightous attitude any longer. We gave 1 months notice and quit at the end of this month, which rightmove accepted. We shall be heavily promoting the new propertylive web site (when it finally goes live) to all our future customers. Hope Rightmove end up without any properties on their web site, but this can only happen if all other agents follow suite?

• 22 October 2008 12:15 PM

cost cuttting redundancies! sounds like rightmove are losing considerably more agents than they are owning up to hence they know their income will plummet

• 22 October 2008 12:12 PM

How arrogant!!!Surely he must have read the comments and understood the feelings of agents who are struggling. Lets see how many agents renew their contracts in the new year. Time will tell.

• 22 October 2008 12:01 PM

for once please could EAT focus on giving us more news on how how the other portals are performing? i'm sick and tired of hearing the same old dross from rightmove, they seem to get all the publicity. i've just paid up to the end of the year with RM but beyond that will be off loading them and sticking to the others. i haven't advertised my letting stock on rightmove for the last three years and its not affected me at all.

• 22 October 2008 12:01 PM

Why waste money on increased advertising when the market is as flat as this? Surely it's a waste of money as the market just isn't there?

• 22 October 2008 11:53 AM

all you agents should check your rightmove listings. It is reported only 50% appear in the correct area search. so you're all paying twice as much as you should be. Try it and see for yourself...Type in an area and see if your property appears. Look for your competitors, also, becauase Righmove maintain its all down to postcodes. Rubbish. Go check, make some noise people

• 22 October 2008 11:53 AM

"The portal will also be cutting back on the Rightmove Overseas business “to reflect a decreased demand for property in continental Europe”. "

A virtue out of necessity?
Croatian agents have abandoned them. They only have 66 properties listed for the entire country. Primelocation have 205 for Istria alone with more in other regions.

• 22 October 2008 11:43 AM

Over priced and I look forward to competitive alternatives soon. Property Finder, Findapropty and Globtrix all moving up the scale. Don't waste money advertising. Reduce our costs.

• 22 October 2008 11:38 AM

I note that RM will be cutting back on RM Overseas. My business is overseas sales. If they're cutting back on the Overseas service, they're sure to reduce my subs - aren't they?

• 22 October 2008 11:33 AM

Words like sh*t and p*ss are not becoming to professionals!

• 22 October 2008 11:33 AM

I agree that rightmove should look at its cost base. Any business with 90% market share is either totally excellent, or looking at a reversal in its fortunes.

Rightmove is NOT totally excellent, even with it's new design relaunch, it still only delivers equivalent services to other portals, yet charges between 2 - 4 times as much.

My answer for why Agents don't deal with the Rightmove issue is sadly that most agents are not capable of understanding modern marketing.

The solution is to cease your Rightmove contract when it comes up for renewal, and move to another portal.

• 22 October 2008 11:32 AM

Rightmove charge too much and are developing an arrogance beyond belief. Incidentally, Mr Shipside unloaded most of his shares a while back.

Fortunately, I've been shorting these people since the heady days of £6 per share !

Every cloud... !!

• 22 October 2008 11:32 AM

Sounds like re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. This move is not going to help estate agents during this tricky period.

• 22 October 2008 11:32 AM

Rightmove has obviously been hit in the same way as many other businesses. In the same way that many large agents depend on churn to maintain their business model - Rightmove depends on turnover from Estate Agents to maintain theirs.

• 22 October 2008 11:17 AM

mike shipside will love your mis spelling of his name

• 22 October 2008 11:10 AM

Precisely SA, I just rang them and asked if they would reduce subsription charges, the answer..... a blunt No! Final nail in coffin? Here's hoping!

• 22 October 2008 11:10 AM

i would rather these cost savings be passed on to the customers not waste more on advertising in a quiet market, who is rightmove putting 1st? themselves? shareholders? certainly not the estate agents

• 22 October 2008 11:07 AM

Looks like Shipside doesnt care who he shits on!! In a perfect world these people would find employment with a rightmove competitor.

• 22 October 2008 10:59 AM