Don’t Let Your Reputation—or Your Wallet—Fall Prey to Scam Complaint Site
“The site, Realtor-complaints.com, supposedly publishes consumer complaints about real estate agents. However, an investigation by the New Jersey association of REALTORS® showed a string of complaints against its members, all using similar phrasing. “This leads to suspicion that these are not all public-submitted complaints,” says Lauren Castellano, director of communications for the New Jersey Association of REALTORS®.
Kudos to REALTOR Magazine’s Stacey Moncrieff for bringing attention to this matter, as of last week the site was shut down. Inman News also has some great tidbits you should check out.
So because the verbiage was similar, this means that they were not all genuine submissions? Does that mean that if Realtors submitted requests to their board with the copy/paste verbiage that RPR provides that they are not genuine submission? just sayin.
@isthatso The fact the site was hosted in Seycheiles, “an archipelago located east of Africa in the Indian Ocean” and they were charging agents $99 to remove these “submissions”, points to the fact this site was a scam.
But I do think “agent ratings” are a good thing, when properly implemented.
I still exists folks.
I just got an email from a similar site called “agent-ratings.com”. Supposedly 4 former clients submitted ratings on me (ratings I can’t see) since Feb ’11 and I’m rated with Ds and Fs with a total average of F.
And a nice little link that says:
AGENTS ONLY
We realize that clients can often be difficult to deal with, and sometimes downright unreasonable. We also realize that Realtors make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and get better at their jobs over time. This comes with industry experience, continuing education, and dedication to your career.
We now offer experienced Realtors who are serious about their real estate careers the opportunity to improve their reputations on our website and reach out to the disgruntled clients who rated them poorly. Simply join our site as a “Platinum Agent” and instantly improve your rating and reputation!
Platinum Agent Membership Benefits:
• Perfect “A” overall rating for life
• Removal of all negative ratings
•“Platinum Agent” verified badge next to your name
•Link to your website or social media profile
•Premium listing in our “Top Realtors” section
•Send a personal message to all clients who rated you poorly
You will receive all of the above benefits for only $99″