When the broker won't quit: An e-mail exchange

A reader writes to complain about a real estate broker who wouldn’t take no for an answer, and to pass along their e-mail exchange. In the exchange, she’s trying to get herself removed from his e-mail list of houses for sale. He’s … well, you decide what he’s trying to accomplish:

READER to BROKER:
PLEASE REMOVE ME FROM THIS LIST!!! Thank you ~

BROKER'S RESPONSE:
We can remove you from this list, but may we first ask why you are choosing to unsubscribe?

READER:
We purchased a home already so no longer need to receive listings.
Thank you ~

BROKER:
May we ask one more question.  When you where looking for real estate you found us useful, but when it came time to purchase you forgot about us?  Could you let us know why?  It would help us in our business model.  Thanks.

READER:
I was not looking in the areas you sent me e-mails about. Plus, I have had a real estate agent since the very beginning. Please remove me from the list and no more questions.
Thank you

BROKER:
Please lose our website address.  Use your realtor’s website next time so we aren’t bothered with your stupidity and rudeness.

READER:
I have e-mailed you multiple times to be removed from this list and have been ignored, including right after I got an agent and determined that I would not be buying in the areas you were sending me homes for. You offer no "unsubscribe" or "opt out" option on the list, which is what you are supposed to have in order for me to unsubscribe on my own. When I FINALLY receive a response from you, you pepper me with questions that are really none of your business. It is the law that if I request removal from e-mail lists, you must do so. There is really no reason to be rude to me as you so clearly were. I am seriously considering forwarding your e-mail to the CA Division of Real Estate to show them your unprofessional behavior (as well as telling them about your e-mail practices in general) and will be sure to tell everyone I know that your company should be avoided if they are interested in buying or selling real estate. Have a wonderful day.

BROKER;
Go ahead and forward the e-mail, it was sent in response to a rude person.  FYI USING ALL CAPS IS CONSIDERED YELLING!!!  Next time you e-mail someone just type.
Please tell all your friends to avoid us as we are not interested in referrals from people that don’t use our services.  Let them go somewhere else.  Our site is for our clients only.

There you have it. Thoughts? Comments? E-mail story tips to peter.viles@latimes.com

Comments

[Dan]

Could you please post the name of the broker so I can make sure to avoid signing up for their list?

[Doug in Toronto]

Looks like the Permanent Vapid Smile Brigade is getting a little testy...

[HulaGirl]

Whatta waste of time - why didn't the reader just block his email and domain address?

[JK]

***Whatta waste of time - why didn't the reader just block his email and domain address?

Posted by: HulaGirl | April 16, 2008 at 11:17 AM

Why didn't the broker just remove her from their list as she originally requested?

Thank her for the opportunity to share information with her, ask her to keep them in mind should she ever need broker services again, delete her from the list and it would have been settled; at least that's how the professionals do it...

[sfvrealestate]

Wow! The vapid little smile has just been wiped off my phony little face. Peter, we all know how little your posters think of Realtors. But is it necessary to throw raw meat to the lions?

[Ed]

HulaGirl - if someone was as rude to you as this Broker was, I seriously doubt you'd simply block their emails and call it quits.

To the reader that dealt with this broker - i suggest we use the broker's email address and sign up on as many spam sites as possible.

[Rob]

That was great...

LEFTY:

READER:

LEFTY:

READER:

LOL !!

[John]

Hey Peter,

The broker said "Please tell all your friends to avoid us as we are not interested in referrals from people that don’t use our services. Let them go somewhere else."

Well, how about taking him up on his recommendation and posting his name up on the website so we all know who to avoid?

It's people like this that make me glad that so many of these schmucks are about to be looking for new employment.

[Inland Empire]

The broker needs to be named. While 99% of the RE agents aren't this rude, the bad ones need to go out of business.

[Robert S. Hoover]

Similar meltdown symptoms from an agent in Barstow who sent weekly 'reminders' of homes for sale in that area. The only trouble was, my initial querie had been about a COMMERCIAL property... at the Blythe airport. Clearly, many of these real estate 'professionals' aren't.

[dclogang]

SFVreakestate:"Wow! The vapid little smile has just been wiped off my phony little face. Peter, we all know how little your posters think of Realtors."

I wonder why this is with what has happened. A lot of Realtors driving customers into houses they couldn't afford. (I have a friend who is a Realtor too by the way.)
I think trust has been broken. Evidence is all around.

But is it necessary to throw raw meat to the lions?"

So, now we are lions whereas before we were...... what? sheep to be led by what wolves?
Well, I was never a sheep and thank goodness I didn't listen to the wolves back when this mess statered.

The market needs to adjust to normal house prices and Realtors and Lenders need to be nice to people and honest. That's all we ask. Please don't call us Lions. Makes me not even want to deal with realtors or lenders. Hmm. I think I'll get off the fence now and continue to rent for another year or so. Thanks for helping me make that decision..

Geez....

[mark g]

Gotta go with Dumb and Dumber on this one... the "no more questions" remark was interpreted a little more divisive than intended I'm sure, so it should have been left out... that said, the broker has no cust. serv. skills to speak of and from there this exchange bubble burst... hula got it right, just flag any inbound as spam and be done with a few clicks of the mouse, rather than depend on this idiot broker to remove from the list, if he even knows how...

[Robert S. Hoover]

Similar meltdown symptoms from an agent in Barstow who sent weekly 'reminders' of homes for sale in that area. The only trouble was, my initial querie had been about a COMMERCIAL property... at the Blythe airport. Clearly, many of these real estate 'professionals' aren't.

[Jackie Romulo]

I don't even see where in the email conversation the reader was rude. I think the Broker is so on edge because he was used to making lots of $$$ but now because of the turmoil, he's in a little bit of a bind and is taking it out on the very people that could help him recover, his "clients", or what is supposed to be his clients. Just remove her from the list and be done with it.

[toby]

sfvrealestate, honestly I'm not trying to be rude BUT....

NO ONE likes Realtors. They're ranked slightly above Used Car salesmen.

And some would argue they're ranked lower than UCS because with Car salesmen, there's a camaraderie. They will actually help each other to "Score against the Mark".

Where with Realtors, they can't even stand each other.

[KateNonymous]

This exchange looks a lot like the one between the recent law grad and the law firm that offered her a job a couple of years ago. Maybe the broker here is her brother or father.

[mike]

she is stupid and pathetic...

why didn't she just buy in his area to shut him up?????

[Maxers]

It's brokers like this that make me smile from ear to ear when I read article after article about the housing crash...

Could you imagine having this loser's job? Trust me, karma is a real bear, this broker is going to get his in spades if he hasnt already...

[JohnnyBGood2RealtorsNOT]

Can we have PLEASE a name and address of this fancy pants no-manners broker, so we can rip into his flesh?

[Pop]

"at least that's how the professionals do it..."

How is that relevant when discussing a realtor?

[pathetic]

Peter, can we get the contact info on this guy? Me thinks he deserves a lion's rampage.

[Hank Venture]

Yeah, I'd like to know the name of this broker. Consider it a service to the community to keep people like me from accidentally picking him/her out of the phone book.

But you all shouldnt be asking Peter, it's up to the Reader to disclose the name.

So, Reader, please?

[Dominic Smith]

It's a waste of time to post this without and URL to the realtors site and a name.

Quit holding out on us. Reader who passed it on, we know you are reading this. Give it up.
OK, Please? Pretty please.

[somedude]

I vote for disclosing the realtor.

[mike]

to hank venture...

can a realtor still afford a yellow page ad???