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Where Did The Ethics Go?

By
Education & Training with RealtyU

I am venting.  Not to long ago I was attending an Expo for a large nationally recognized company.  I was speaking and had also setup a booth at the trade-show (not something I normally do but this group was an exception). 

The first night of the Expo I had to leave early to meet a vendor who worked about 90 minutes away.  Packed up the booth so that the table top had only order forms on it for the book I was selling at the Expo ($150 each).  My inventory I placed under the table in SEALED boxes.  The next day at the Expo one of the boxes had been opened and 12 books had been taken.  12 times $150 is $1,800. 

No note was left no one called later ... nothing.

As I stayed late on night #2 at the Expo I overheard an agent walking by a booth that had left all their books and CD's out on the table ... understand that the Expo Hall is CLOSED and these agents were not to be there.  As this woman walked by she told her counterpart ... "This looks really great I am going to take some."  To which her counterpart said, "I think you have to pay for that!"  ... to which she replied, "But there just sitting here".

Every wonder why real estate agents have such a bad wrap?  This is just one of many examples. 

Love to hear your stories.  

Suzanne Gantner
Realty Texas - Round Rock, TX
GRI, E-Pro, SRES, SRS, ABR, CNE, REDS, CPS, WCS
That is sooo wrong but you know how we Realtors love stuff!!  Before I became a Realtor, I was the VP of Marketing for a Fortune 500 national builder.  I used to put on Grand Openings and Realtor parties in a huge way and always got a great Realtor response in attendance. We used to stand back and observe who took what in the way of gifts/food, etc.  It never failed the same top 5 would always show up and stuff their purses, pockets.  They would take anything that wasn't nailed down. Too bad about your expensive books though.  Good luck!!  
Mar 05, 2008 03:48 AM
Allen C. Wright
RealtyU - Aliso Viejo, CA
NS, AHS, REPS

Suzanne,

Thanks for sharing your experience.  It is one thing to have free items laid out ... it is another to go looking to things that are obviously NOT FREE ... I was at a show held right before Halloween ... a group of three walked by the booth and would take handfulls of candy ... on the third thrip by as they were digging their hands in to the bowl I asked "This is your third time by, why are you taking all the candy?" ... their response was priceless and maybe I should have left the industry right then.  "Well Halloween is coming up and we need to stock-up on candy."

Mar 05, 2008 03:55 AM