Lettings Agents

[holdthesky]

And people wonder why estate agents have a bad reputation.

Them: Welcome to ABC Lettings. Tenants Press 1, Landlords press 2.
Me: 1 (silent line) 1 (silent line) 1 (silent line) 2 (answered in 1/2 a ring)
Them: Hello, ABC Lettings.
Me: Hello XYZ lettings asked me to arrange an inspection by you on their behalf. They Asked me to contact Mr. JKL.
Them: Mr. JKL isn't in the office at the moment. Can I help?
Me: I'm trying to arrange an inspection by Mr. JKL at your company on behalf of XYZ Lettings.
Them: What's the house number please?
Me:42 The Street
Them: (type) We don't have a 42 The Street in our system, we have a 40 The Street?
Me: No definitely 42. It's not managed by you, it's managed by XYZ lettings. You're looking to inspect it on their behalf.
Them: Oh, I see. And they told you to contact us?
Me: Yes, Mr. JKL.
Them: Putting you through. ... Hello, Mr. JKL.
Me: ...(arranging times)... do you have access to the spare key?
Them: No. Can you arrange to be at the property?
Me: Not during the week. I could do Saturday or Sunday Morning.
Them: It's ok, we'll use the spare key.

Comments

[stephdairy]

To be fair, that's just incompetence rather than the active malice for which some agencies around here have a reputation...

(S)

[holdthesky]

As far as I can tell it includes two instances of lying for a quiet life, which doesn't bode well: Mr JKL claimed not to have a spare key until it might mean him working on Saturday, at which point it magically appears, even more impressively he wasn't in the office until the person answering didn't know how to deal with the call, whereupon he immediately appeared. There's plausible explanations as to how each of those could have occurred, but it doesn't bode well for a first contact.

The "just not listening" and broken automatic phone system are probably just par for the course, though, at a badly run office, and it's certainly not in the Russell's league, yet....