Boy, we just got hosed by Coldwell Banker! We were trying to buy 10.7 acres of our neighbor's 46-acre horse farm that was not selling after a year on the market.

I spent three months chasing their unresponsive agent, (name withheld) of Coldwell Banker Hetzel & Associates in Leesburg, VA. He never called me once except when I left him voice mail first.

We surveyed the land, my attorney prepared the sales contract and performed a title search, I did all the legwork with the surveyors and the county, etc. Finally, I dropped 2 copies of a signed contract at his office on 12/1. On the morning of 12/2, he says he will present them to his client that day and talk to me that evening, or the following morning at the latest. He says "we should be able to get this deal wrapped up tomorrow".

Well, the next day comes and goes with no phone call. I leave voice mail, I call him at home, nothing. Finally, the receptionist helps me track him down and he calls me, and it turns out that he sold the whole property to another couple!

Good for him, but why did he string me along at let me drain my wallet on a sale that was never going to close? And not even the courtesy of calling me at the appointed time after I gave him a signed offer backed with escrow money?

Isn't this unethical, or am I just being a sore loser?

-- Tomislav A. Marincic (tomandkate@compuserve.com), December 05, 1999

Answers

My family and I were really hurt by ColdwellBanker/West Realty Inc. and not by just a sales agent but the owner of the branch, Don West in Columbus, MS. He had shown us a house that was coming out of foreclosure and knew how well we liked the house and let us know we were first in line for the home and he wasn't even going to list on the MLS system and also, repairs were still in the process from damage by the previous owner. We were in the process of arranging financing as I had indicated to Mr. West. In the mean time someone else came along and bought the house. The very very least Mr. West could have done was let us know that someone else was now also interested in the home and asked us if we were ready to purchase. Not even a call. We found out from someone else. He obviously knows he put the screws to us because he wouldnt return our calls or take our calls, especially when he found out it was my wife calling, hope the secretary relayed the message that when he lost his chicken feathers to call. If the Owner will treat customers this way Im sure it must acceptable for the entire sales staff to act in the same way. Unfortunately, we live in a small community and they're the largest realtor in town so they will make there money regardless of what small families are walked on along the way.

-- Randy Oswalt (oswalts@bellsouth.net), July 16, 2001.

حق چار يار – خلافة الراشده – روزنامه اسلام – الجنة لاهل السنة

-- Your Full Name (Your Email Address@greenspun.com), July 06, 2003.