“Don't be taken in by the hype and good reviews ......”
1 Star Review
Jan 17,2014
By:
'Craig'
Jan 17,2014
Branch: Worcester, 1 Himbleton Road
Services: Sales (as a Vendor)
Would you recommend?: No
Postcode: WR2
Branch: Worcester, 1 Himbleton Road
Sales (as a Vendor)
Postcode: WR2
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people found
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Don't be taken in by the hype and good reviews others have left, our experience with Nicol & Co left so much to be desired it is unbelievable. Our door was left unlocked 4 times by various staff, and we finally achieved a sale after the two before fell through. The staff knew nothing about the potential purchasers shown around we subsequently found and in particular Rachael was most apathetic to our communication. Indeed, when the Purchaser turned up on moving day having not yet had the keys, when asked to attend the property to resolve the dispute as the Purchaser requested she initially didn't have time due to a prior appointment. Then we come onto Mr Nicol himself, who when thought he was going to lose his sale as the Purchaser's had not exchanged by the deadline set for them, said he would not re-market the property and effectively threatened to break their Terms of Contract. We were under pressure as we had to move to get within a school catchment area and despite putting the house on the market over 6 months before, we only moved on the day of the deadline. This was the first contact from Matt Nicol for a while as a previous complaint went unanswered. I also have found out that their Lettings Dept cannot pay the rent they collect on landlord's behalf on time; another example of them not being as perfect as they make out. Be aware, as whilst this agent will say they work for you, our experience proved that they actually only work for their fee. I don't normally leave reveiws but I thought that given Nicol & Co's reputation they were the best option, and sadly we found them to be a nightmare.
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We appreciate all feedback that is given to us, positive or negative, as it allows us to continue improving our business. However in this instance I'm afraid to say we completely disagree with a number of your points and wanted to add some context for potential clients who are reading this.
I fully appreciate that your move was a stressful one given that it was around Christmas & with the deadline to apply for the upcoming school year. The team in the Worcester office made sure that you were kept up to date with the progress of your sale as they were fully aware of your timescales. In fact part of the delay was due to points raised in your buyers survey. The Worcester team were insistent that we saw the buyers survey report before proceeding on the renegotiation & points raised, working in your best interests - the impact of this was that it took a few days to resolve. With the Worcester Branch Manager being away on annual leave between Christmas and early January, Nathan & myself took to more of the day to day dealings, you will remember that I was the contact that expedited enquiries to you by email for you to answer rather than waiting on DX post.
As the business owner I am in the position where I do get to make some decisions that are best for my company and on reading the email you had sent to the client direct I had no option but to step in and ask you to refrain from any further contact. Your buyer at this stage felt intimidated and it was Nathans hard work that kept her interest in the house. Your point regarding my decision not to remarket was as a result of points in your email:
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2. The house is being re-marketed
3. We have viewings booked on rental properties this week.
4. Should a new suitable purchaser be found before you exchange - we will go with them.
5. If upon seeing one of these rental properties they are suitable we will be removing Bozward St from the market and renting it out ourselves (as we do this already with another property).
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In my conversation to your wife Rachel I made her aware our service was 'no sale - no fee' so to remarket the property for 2 days (when you planned to rent it out afterwards) was not something I agreed with. I actually said that I wouldn't hold you to any contract if you wanted to remarket with another agent and then followed this up with the email below.
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Dear Craig & Rachel,
To confirm my recent conversation, I would ask that you make no further contact with your purchaser as she herself has just rang to say she feels uncomfortable with where this is now at.
It’s frustrating that at this final stage we have reached a stalemate but I’d like to confirm where we are currently.
We’re trying to act in your best interest despite your comment about our performance. If this sale is not successful I will not get in the way of you marketing with another agent should you decide to let it or sell. If you wish to start this process immediately we will cease all activity.
We have spent many hours collectively to get a resolution and I hope one will be forthcoming, I will not however go to anymore expense on marketing costs for the property in light of your decision to look at rentals on Thursday. Your buyer is also at this stage considering her options.
Please contact me at any point if you wish to speak again.
I’ll be in the Worcester office tomorrow.
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It is my understanding that even on the day of completion the solicitors gave authorisation for the keys to be released to the buyers at 11am & despite several calls to you the buyer still had no keys at 4pm. We had to attend the property to resolve this for you as the buyer was understandably frustrated that you were still removing your belongings from the property. This again is above & beyond what most estate agents would do for a client but again was done in your best interests in mind.
I also dispute your claim that Rachael’s attitude is apathetic based on the number of positive reviews that she receives personally & that she is one of our top performing negotiators.
Finally, the accusation that we hold on to landlords monies & don't pass on their tenants rental payment is completely unfounded. We were once asked by a tenant to change the payment date for ongoing rent payments and had to check with the landlord. When the landlord had agreed to this we even requested the additional amount from the client for the 4 days change.
I hope that potential clients will see the positive feedback that we receive on a regular basis & that this isolated review doesn't have any impact on the exceptional work that my teams perform on a daily basis.
Matt Nicol