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SCAM: I do not Recommed using Real Estate Client Referrals (RECR)

Reblogger Mark Brian
Real Estate Agent with Silver Star Real Estate LLC 67090

Please please please!

I am begging my fellow agents to stop giving your hard earned money to these scumbags. And it isn't just this company.

Never ever pay for referral leads!

Do not get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with referrals from another licensed agent. Especially when that other agent has taken the time to search and find an agent worthy of referring their friends, family or former clients to.

But companies such as this need to go away!

Original content by Angela Helfrick

BE VERY CAUTIOUS WHEN THINKING OF USING THE COMPANY "REAL ESTATE CLIENT REFERRALS." (RECR)

I was recently contacted by this company and everything sounded good.  They give you referral leads that they have spoken to and confirmed for $99 per referral with a minimum purchase of 5.  If that lead is not good or your unable to work with the person, you have 7 days to let RECR know and they will replace the lead for free. 

Well I was also told that I had 90 days to try out the service and if I was unhappy, I would be refunded any $ spent on leads that I couldn't reach and the start up fee.  Well there was a place in the contract that seemed to contradict what I was told , so I questioned it and they said, Our customer service people will work with you to keep you happy and yes you could be refunded all you $ if you were unhappy.   BIG LIE!! 

I have received 3 "new leads" 2 of which I am unable to contact and 1 is no longer able to purchase.  So 3 bad leads which I had to pay for.  What I was not told is that when they replace your leads, they do not give them to you until you have received all the paid for leads and you can only have the paid for leads replaced 1 time.  This in effect means that you can get a max of 10 leads if you purchase 5 and it does not matter if you are not able to get in touch with 100% of them, you still need to pay for them and have nothing to show for it but a $600 bill and a HEADACHE.

New to real estate, this could not have come at a worse time with all the start up fees that I have had to pay without any income.  

Please do let yourself get taken advantage of like I was.

I believe this could only be good it you need some referrals, but are willing to pay a lot of money up front without any return.  After calling and speaking with the Customer service manager, I was cheerfully informed that only about 1 in 5 leads are converted into closings.  This means that an average you can pay up to $500 for 1 closed deal.  She also said there was nothing they could do to credit that money that I spent on dead leads, but if I would like they would refund me $198 for the 2 leads that I have not received and stop my service.  Yippee I could walk away with $400 less than I started and nothing to show for it.  I thought are you crazy, my best bet now is to spend the remaining $198 and Pray to God that I get 1 good lead out of the remaining 2 "paid leads" and 3 "free replacement leads" that I paid $99each for.  I found it interesting when I was told that the manager only had 2 choices: 1) to stop my service and refund the remaining $198 or 2)to give me 2 more "free referrals" that I would first need to spend the remaining $198 to get.  What a sham!  usually a manager of a good company would at least try to make a person happy, but that's not the case here.


Pardon my negative attitude.  I normally am not like this, but when people mislead other people just to get their $ I really take offense.  

I hope this saves at least one person out there from throwing away money.

 

Cindy Edwards
RE/MAX Checkmate - Johnson City, TN
CRS, GRI, PMN - Northeast Tennessee 423-677-6677

Oh my gosh,

thank you so much for re-blogging this.  I have been contacted by this company and I have not used them.  I'm glad to ready this.  We need to watch out for each other, thank you!!!

May 17, 2012 09:08 AM
Mark Brian
Silver Star Real Estate LLC - Anderson, SC
Anderson SC Realtor

Cindy, I had to share this. We have got to share the good bad and ugly vendors with our fellow real estate professionals.

May 17, 2012 09:13 AM
Ralph Janisch ABR CRS Broker
Janisch & Co. - Conroe, TX
Selling Northwest Houston to good people like you!

I just hang up on these kinds of idiots when they call me..... Or I offer to use their service for free for one year and if it performs like they say I offer to pay double or triple at the end of the year to continue.....  Funny..... not one of them has ever agreed to do that. Imagine that.

May 17, 2012 09:58 AM
Mark Brian
Silver Star Real Estate LLC - Anderson, SC
Anderson SC Realtor

Sadly, we are one of the few professions that works on a contingency basis...

May 17, 2012 10:03 AM