Online agent eMoov late yesterday pulled wording from its site which specifically referred to high street agents by name in certain locations and that they were likely to charge 1.5%.
It took the action within hours of EYE asking about the references to those agents and their fees.
The wording had been in eMoov’s ‘area guides’.
It did not appear in all the guides, but yesterday, having been sent one example, EYE swiftly found three others simply by googling eMoov and a place name. We looked only in locations close to us.
The wording was not quite identical, as can be seen from the examples below, but in all cases appeared towards the bottom of each page, and in all cases specifically named certain agents plus the 1.5% figure.
Property marketer Jonathan Rolande whose clients include an agent named in one of the ‘area guides’, said the wording was all about SEO: “This is a blatant attempt to get the agents named to the top of people’s searches with the mention of the misleading fee. Why do it otherwise?”
We asked eMoov boss Russell Quirk about the new marketing.
Quirk, who made it clear that he does not micro-manage his marketing team and asked us to direct him to the wording, at first told us yesterday afternoon: “We will consider this internally.
“My initial thoughts are that we could probably further qualify the 1.5% reference fee, in that it may be more accurate to state ‘up to 1.5%’.”
He added: “To reference competitors is not in any way unlawful and just seeks to allow potential customers a transparent and level playing field of agents from which to make an informed choice.”
By yesterday evening, however, all the references were removed. Quirk told us that this did not mean that they would not be reinstated after consideration.
These are the examples that we found live yesterday in Reading, east Hampshire, Slough and Worthing.
- “Patrick Williams Estate Agents, Haslams Estate Agents, Walmsley Estate Agents, Prospect Estate Agents; all are high street agents operating in Reading. All of these agencies are likely to charge an estate agent’s fee of approximately 1.5% to sell your home. Here at eMoov, though, we can sell your home in Reading for as little as £595, saving you thousands of pounds.”
- “There are a plethora of estate agents operating in and around East Hampshire, including Chapplin Estate Agents, Winkworth, haart, Jeffries Estate Agents Estate agents [sic]; the list is endless. All of these traditional high street agents are likely to charge an estate agent’s fee of around 1.5% when they sell your home. However, here at eMoov, we can sell your home in East Hampshire for as little as £595!”
- “There are a plethora of estate agents operating in the Slough area, some of which are Ashview Estates, Conells [sic] Estate Agents, Staples & King, B Simmons & Son Estate Agents and Anderson Estates. However, all of these estate agents are likely to charge around a 1.5% agent’s fee to sell your home, whereas here at eMoov, we can get the job done for just £595.”
- “Estate agents in Worthing include Michael Jones Estate Agents, Sawyers Estate Agents, Howard & Co, Winkworth and Robert Luff Estate Agents. These firms are likely to charge a 1.5% estate agent fee to sell your home. However, at eMoov, we can sell your Worthing home for as little as £595, saving you thousands of pounds!”
Emoov sell a property up North for 50k on their revolutionary No Sale – No Fee option of £1495. The fee is 3%!!! You rip off merchants, Emoov!!
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If your service is great, sell on service.
If your service is poor, sell on fee
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“Quirk, who made it clear that he does not micro-manage his marketing team”
err one can’t have it both ways
“As the bulk of eMoov’s PR creative ideas come from me, I will continue to head up that important aspect ongoing.”
from
http://www.propertyindustryeye.com/newsflash-emoov-says-it-has-asked-stephen-jury-to-leave/
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I would suggest that The Quirkster – who states that he doesn’t read PIE himself so must have someone read it for him – thank Frau Renshaw for her highlighting the glaring errors on his website which for him could have potentially led to his receipt of YET ANOTHER wristy-slappy moment from his bezzies at .@ASA_UK…
…and even did it without actually drawing attention to the worst of said schoolboy gaffs.
That’s awful nice of her. I’d have been gnawing your ankle like a good ‘un.
Anyways – he’s obviously had his Marketing Minions beavering away for the last couple hours like demented Duracell Bunnies, bashing away at the Delete key and thereby ‘putting right’ those three OOPS! moments highlighted above.
And probably quite a few more.
BUT – and this wouldn’t have happened on Mr Jury’s watch – the Devil being in the detail… they simply haven’t gorn and dug deep enough and hoped that scratching the surface and polishing the t*rd to gemstone brilliance will do.
Thing is – I’d tell The Quirkster where he has left his belly exposed to the thorns that are ‘Informal Resolutions’ (being the caring, sharing sort that I am) but seeing as he’s blocked me on Tw@tter, a Direct Message ain’t gonna happen… is it?
SO (please pass this on to your Brave and Fearless Leader, Mr/Ms EYE-Reader) good luck with this one, Russy-boy. You’re on yer own.
(I’d also tell him to pencil in a call or ninety from his ASA bezzies pretty soon – ‘cos as a lot of Agents in A LOT of towns will no doubt seek to discover what I’m banging on about…)
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It’s fine Pee, the ASA have him on speed dial, so won’t take long!
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And no doubt eMoov will be one of the many sites on their browser’s ‘Favourites’ list…
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