Rightmove special deals to new joiners infuriates agent

A furious estate agent who objected to the latest pricing from Rightmove says he was told he would be saving £600 on the price for a new joiner.

In fact, he claims to have discovered that as a new joiner he would be paying one-third less and says he has the paper trail to prove it.

Now Rightmove has confirmed that it is offering special deals to new agents.

A spokesman yesterday told EAT: “We can confirm we are currently running an area-specific ‘Join Now’ campaign which includes a time-limited offer on our existing new joiner rate. As with most subscription based models we hope this will allow non-member agents to trial the benefits of Rightmove for a set minimum term.

“However, Rightmove has always rewarded its long-standing members for their loyalty with improved membership rates and product costs over new joiners. Although we would prefer not to discuss individual cases, we can confirm that the existing member rate in question is less than that offered within our ‘Join Now’ campaign.”

Michael Usher, partner of Ushers Estate Agents in Carshalton, Surrey, is now contemplating legal action against Rightmove, which he says has put up his subscription anyway, despite his protests. Usher says he has already been in touch with the OFT.

Usher has used Rightmove for eight years and reckons to have spent some £30,000 on it.
He said he was livid to get a letter from Rightmove telling him that membership rates were going up but offering to freeze his subscription rate provided he spent more money on its premium add-ons.

Usher said: “I stood back and thought, this is just a back-door price increase.”

He said he emailed his account manager, who first of all ignored his complaint. He was then told he would be “saving over £600 over a new joiner”.

Usher said: “I smelt a rat so decided to do a bit of investigating myself as my gut instinct was telling me I was in fact being stitched up by Rightmove as opposed to being offered savings!

“I then contacted Righmove using a spurious name to enquire about new joiner rates and have obtained written proof of the membership rates for a new joiner. I asked for the same like-for-like package that I was currently on in December 2010 prior to the forced price increase.

“Surprise surprise, and contrary to what I was promised that the benefits offered to me as an existing member would far outweigh those offered to a new joiner, I was in fact offered a much better deal as a new joiner for the same like-for-like package.

“A new joiner is saving a whopping 33% for taking out the same like-for-like package.”

Usher says he escalated the complaint to the regional sales manager, who Usher claims also fobbed him off by ignoring his request to immediately cancel his membership with Rightmove and then take up the offer as a new joiner.

Instead, says Usher, the manager wrote to him saying: “I do not believe that this email will change your views on the subject, but based on the details we have provided we must respect that fact that we can’t always agree on all matters.”

Usher said: “I want to share my findings so other members are also able to see that as existing members we are being forced to pay outrageous premiums in the middle of a housing slump, and with my investigating I have found out that as a new joiner I can benefit from a 33% saving on the same like-for-like package I have as an existing member.
 
“Other members can then also dispute their membership rates and Rightmove have a duty to treat customers fairly, which they are failing to do.”