Rightmove is being urged to give agents a choice between the 75% discount over four months that it has now offered, and a complete payment holiday for three months.
Rob Sargent, CEO of The Acorn Group and instrumental in the campaign, said that the choice would be a big help to agents.
He has put the case in an open letter to Rightmove CEO Peter Brooks-Johnson.
Sargent told EYE: “A payment holiday would allow agents to stay with Rightmove in the meantime, and not have to worry about the cost. For some smaller agents, this could be critical, the difference between staying in business or not.
“I do think there should be a choice: I am not here as a trade union leader or to tell agents what to do. They can and should make up their own minds and do what is best for their own businesses.
“But I am here to help the industry if I can, and to negotiate.”
Sargent said that so far over 350 different businesses have signed up to his Say No to Righmove website, launched less than 24 hours ago.
He has three people working on the site, to ensure that each signatory is a bona fide agency business.
Sargent said that he will also take down the ‘Rightmove’ reference in the name of the site in due course.
However he said: “Say No will be the rallying call, the war cry, of the industry.
“We will hold to account any supplier that we feel is not playing fair.”
Sargent’s full letter is below:
Dear Peter Brooks-Johnson,
Firstly, I must thank you and the Rightmove team for engaging with me and my fellow Estate Agents up and down the country. We have seen a big shift in Rightmove’s stance since Monday, and I am aware that as you lead a public company, it takes time to galvanize support for a concession the size of the one you have now offered our industry.
It has never been my objective to advise agents to leave Rightmove, however it is my primary focus to fight for fair value for my business and others like it.
By doing so, my fellow Estate Agents can then freely choose what works best for them, based on the specifics of their own businesses.
I will continue to liaise with every agent who feels that the lobbying of Rightmove is reasonable, regardless of the concessions you have offered thus far. My PR team are currently uploading the company IDs of those who have shown their support and given consent onto our, ‘Say No to Rightmove’ website (www.saynotorightmove.co.uk).
Turning to the offer of 75% discount in our tariffs over the next four months; it is not lost on any of us the value of this to our industry. We acknowledge that it represents an enormous income sacrifice by Rightmove in the short term.
Nevertheless, the point that agents are making in their representations, is that Rightmove has enjoyed huge annual profits for well over a decade.
Those profits are a direct result of the support given by UK estate agents to your business.
There is now also significant distrust for your charging model and the way in which it is delivered – something we all demand you address in the near future.
I would further point out that by not agreeing to a three month tariff-free option, you may be forcing some agents to cancel their direct debits and leave, regardless of contract.
This is purely because they don’t have the marketing budget to spend in the short term, or that they can’t practically capitalise on potential viewings or listing opportunities as a result of the pandemic we are experiencing.
I therefore ask that we are all given the option to accept the 75% discount for four months or three months tariff-free.
There is logic to this request as it takes the pressure off agents having to make a difficult decision whilst they are trying to triage their cashflows.
I will also be suggesting to agents who are currently undecided where to place their future portal loyalties, to give you a chance to respond to this request.
Offering this option may also allow some, who thought they had no choice but to walk away as their cash flow dries up, to make a reasoned decision.
As this crisis develops, we all need time to find ways to handle the challenges of the next few weeks and months.
Finally, in due course, once all supporters of www.saynotorightmove.co.uk have had a chance to register their details, I will change the name of our new site.
However ‘Say No’ will become the cry of our industry going forward if any supplier tries to over leverage us.
I hope you see fit to vary the concession as requested and Rightmove now use this platform to start winning back the trust of your member agents and some of those who have already decided to leave.
We all look forward to a very quick response, after which the independent agents up and down the country will make their own decisions.
Regards
Robert Sargent
Chief Executive Officer, Acorn Group
The Acorn Group
020 8315 6999 – Robert.Sargent@acorngroup.co.uk
Comments (35)
Well Well Well, Rightmove isn’t so invincible after all. Agents its time to kick Rightmove in the balls while their on there knees. They don’t give a damn about you or me.
There are signs that RM are fighting back – 75% off the fee came after intense pressure from “the industry”.
There are many who will accept this “victory” without questioning who really benefits from it.
The two stories about Belvoir and Spicerhaart provide some clues – both decided to sacrifice their most valuable asset instead of ditching their most expensive overhead.
Contrast that decision with the many independent agents who have declared that they will sacrifice RM in order to protect their most valuable asset – the staff that work for them.
The problem for many regional/corporate/onliners is that they are locked into RM contracts and can only cut costs by losing headcount. If the independents “kick Rightmove in the balls while their on there knees” it will effectively shift the balance of power in the industry.
RM and “the industry” will do everything they can to avoid this happening now.
……I get polite etc Rob, but really?
“Firstly, I must thank you and the Rightmove team for engaging with me and my fellow Estate Agents up and down the country. We have seen a big shift in Rightmove’s stance since Monday, and I am aware that as you lead a public company, it takes time to galvanize support for a concession the size of the one you have now offered our industry.”
Don’t forget to sanitize your tongue 🙂
Just go with…..
Dear PBJ,
Further to our ongoing discussions regarding Rightmove and its Subscribers.
………
S-h-it the bed, do that what he said, we are not honourable Frenchmen slapping people with gloves around the cheek, we don’t have the luxury of the aristocracy, make it fair or bon voyage, if that seems unreasonable look at yourself in the mirror, we’ve said make it fair how is that unreasonable?
I’m off to Wetherspoons to test out whether their Coronavirus door policy works. Oh damn they’re closed …. really?
A momentous week…
For Our Industry as well.
As I drove home through the Galloway Forest tonight, passing no other cars for over an hour, I had time to appreciate how good life is …..when you get a chance to pause & take it in.
……and we could do with “Pausing” in the pursuit of utopia with Rightmove.
I don’t applaud Rob Sargent but I do thank him for his efforts thus far. I APPLAUD every single Agent who has already left Rightmove or is now leaving Rightmove – THEY ALONE have taken the courageous step, not offering words (like mine or others) but ACTION.
So, to those who have LEFT RIGHTMOVE, YOU HAVE MY RESPECT AND THE RESPECT OF SO MANY OTHERS. I for my part have been talking with fellow agents about how we move forward …… trying to take decisive action and ensuring transparency – not easy when dealing with competitors.
Rob …….you have stepped forward as the spearhead of an Action Group – call it what you will.
I and many others are only interested when you have 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000 supporters, then sit down and “NEGOTIATE” ……in the toughest terms possible, to include the option for Leavers to return under the same re-negotiated terms.
Otherwise, we DON’T have “ OUR INDUSTRY “ at heart, we simply have a small band of Rightmove Subscribers racing towards a Quick Self-Interest Solution!
DO NOT PASS UP THIS OPPORTUNITY! ….to NEGOTIATE terms that ALL Agents (if they wish) CAN embrace.
Otherwise – WE MUST ALL WALK- AWAY from Rightmove! If we believe in Our Industry ……. we MUST seek to support EACH OTHER, even although we are competitors.
To simply re-support Rightmove with a half-@rsed compromise? …..we fail at the very thing we do for a living – NEGOTIATE!
GO HARD ROB or GO HOME.
Dear Fellow Agents
Excuse my silence, I have been dealing with a variety of strategies and change of works practices within my own business.
Just to simplify what I have tried to achieve, is a choice between three months totally free or 4 months at 75% discount to your normal rate. I would like Rightmove to offer the market that choice, not least because some people are having to make decisions purely based on cash flow, and this request will allow everybody to make the right choice for their business.
We now await Peter Brook-Johnson and the Rightmove Board’s decision? In the meantime, I intend to reach out to everybody who has signed up to our ‘Say No’ website with a view to sharing ideas and initiatives that will work for us all during the next weeks/months.
Above all else, this is a human crisis and our priority has got to be to keep our families, friends, colleagues and clients safe and well.
Rob Sargent
Mr Sagent, As a local competitor I remember not so long ago that you were in my ear begging me to join OTM because there was something in it for you (in your back pocket) If you don’t like RM then leave, everyone else has the same choice and at a time when we all need to tighten our belts and get through what’s coming we need to look at what’s best for OUR business and not be bullied into your own personal crusade.
Spot on Crispy.
Hi Rob
Thank you for your ” point of the spear ” effort on behalf of our industry, I am under no illusions that the heft of your branch network amplified your voice and those of us with more modest concerns could never of broken through.
Equally, the discounts that scale businesses achieve for a competitive advantage are getting old really fast, I get it if it is paper or energy supply whatever, but a common service and a digital one at that should not have the disparity going forward that has existed to date, personally I would rather fight it from the outside than be suffocated within.
Talking to Rightmove? You’re just shouting at tea now Rob.
What we have witnessed in the past 48 hours is a clear insight into the motives of both Rightmove and Zoopla.
Rightmove trying to appear supportive but just couldn’t bear the thought of taking a cut in their magnificent profits , no doubt the powers that be had an eye on targets and performance bonuses.
Then Zoopla announces their extraordinary offer , a discount but only if you drop Rightmove, the“OOPR“returns the very thing that Zoopla/DMG and David Livsey of Connells fought so hard to stop ( and lost) except that the OTM case was that it was to help them as a new entrant into a market dominated by two dominant players therefore more competition whereas Zoopla is looking to take out its main competitor, it will be interesting to see if any knuckles are rapped by the Anti Competition Authorities.
In my view none of the above was designed to help the agents during this really difficult time they were designed to bolster their interests . The reason Rightmove have changed their tune is in response to Zoopla’s offer and possibly in response to the number of termination emails they have received, its time to be brave and not loose one’s nerve as many have said they have left Rightmove and not looked back and enjoyed the £1000+ per month savings
What an idiot, why not ask for it to be free for the rest of the year! I have no idea but I imagine it costs a small fortune to run Rightmove and keep it online, will it not get even more traffic with everyone at home?
Please, why the ( americanism ) shilling Seller0169?
Sigh, the Christmas argument again, go away there’s stuff going on.
“it costs a small fortune to run Rightmove and keep it online, will it not get even more traffic with everyone at home?”
Firstly, lets applaud Rob for bringing this to the fore.
Come on..we have been thinking about doing it for a long time but with many of us unsure where to start. Now is our time to act!
Whether that is collectively or individually is up to you, but the platform is there for us to make our choice and push for what we feel is right for our business.
It’s odd ……at least in my view.
An experienced Estate Agent knows how to negotiate …….rushing to close a deal?
In whose Best Interests Robert?
Accepted, it is not a payment holiday. Importantly RM will understand what Robert meant.
What is also important is they know we are serious and this is not just ‘negative hype’. It is clear plenty of agents like me have already given notice and are willing to take on the challenge without them. Each to their own but I personally view RM as a listing site only. No matter how much I spend I have never seen enough instructions form it. Those who come to me come through others sources never really mention RM and those who do only want to know we are on there. My job is to explain that we can sell their home without it.
There are far less premium listings, certainly in my area showing me that buyers are looking no matter how well we dress it up. This tells me they will look whether it is RM, OTM, Zoopla or any new portal that may come along. It will be my job to drive buyers in my areas to use other search options other than RM. One of my offices receives more leads through OTM already.
Until now too many agents have been scared to walk away from RM. In fear of being the odd one out in our village/town/city. We all know the moment we did, other agents will be all over it. Fair play, but in the meantime we are being played and used by RM and paying a fortune for it.
It is crazy when you think how much we pay them to simply list the properties we have worked so hard to get on. Then the majority of us work free of charge whilst waiting to secure the right buyer. Often no matter how hard we work that we get nothing for our efforts. I lose count of the times I list a property on RM and then have a seller say they are not moving. I politely go along with it but would RM accept terms where they get paid for each listing, but only if we sell it? They charge us an extortionate amount up front and we all just go along with it. There is no way the service or product has improved at the same pace as our fees. It is just a listing tool and buyers will look at OTM just as much as RM if that is where we all list our homes for sale.
For some absolutely MAD reason we have not found a way to collectively shift our listings to OTM. If we all did RM would disappear and we would save a fortune and see all the same buyers switch their search to there instead.
I urge anyone who is not sure to at the very least sign up to Robert’s website and allow us to stand together as a group and let RM see there are enough of us who can make a difference and say ‘NO’. If we add the numbers who are unsure, along with plenty of agents who do not even realise this is going on yet, I think we may be pleasantly surprised as to how many would be ready to walk away. When we then realise we are not alone in feeling like this the areas we are based, maybe then we can group together and knock off an area at a time. RM would soon react properly then.
Right now I want to see either three months of no fees or 75% over 4 months. I then want the following 9 months at a reduced rate and a further year with a guarantee that our fees will not charge. I want to see a true commitment and a pledge longer term.
We have been fighting our way through Brexit and various other factors in recent times with no support at all from RM. All they have done is dream up useless new ways to ‘invest’ which doesn’t really help us. They then put our fees up to cover the cost of their technology games. It is time they made a proper offer and not such a short term one. Then I might be happy. If not, I know it will be a short term offer to ride the storm, keep us where they want us and then punish us later. If that is the case I will continue with my own redundancy plan which is to lose the online employee in each office named ‘Rightmove’.
Fifty percent of the Estate Agents reading this will not be working in Estate Agency in three months time……..
If you don’t do everything, and I mean everything you can to cut your costs as hard and deep as you can; and then preserve the money in your sales pipeline ready to start again at some point only God knows when, then you are deluded.
Rightmove, Zoopla, OTM – you may as well come off them all now …….. nobody will be viewing anything of note after next week…….
Happy Friday everyone
Love from me xxxxxxx
ps. See some of you on the other side……
…….and there lies the problem Ian.
I’ve posted aplenty, Agents have contacted me ……however, as this is fast moving, I certainly don’t think it would be my place to “speak” collectively.
Knee Jerk statements of what Our Industry wants/doesn’t want? Not in my view.
Digest over the weekend and reach a consensus early next week.
I sincerely appreciate your co-ordination however, even though you say you are not “representing” Our Industry? …….you are putting forward your interpretation of where we are at.
I wouldn’t like to think that Our Industry is being “shepherded” down a path that isn’t in its best interests.
Many others will have their view, no doubt.
It’s time to take stock, not race to the wrong solution
The payment holiday request is a tariff free request, not one that has to be paid back.
This campaign has got agents to a point where they can make a choice, the choice being tabled (by Sargent) is offer 3 months free or 75% discount for 4 months.
Some agents will appreciate the fact there would be no outlay over the shorter period, where some will feel that the 4 month option is better with a smaller outlay.
We are now at a point where agents have choice, but will RM make those choices even more generous.
The other choice is to leave, but for those (and it’s their prerogative) that want to stay, if the best possible choices can be laid out to them, then all the better.
Payment holidays you pay back so the title of this article is a bit strange….
The 75% discount per month for 4 months is way better than a payment as it is not repayable. I don’t think a 3 month tariff free period is realistic in the slightest.
Share prices for most large PLCs have taken a dive, it is to be expected. The market will recover, I think all this negative hype is fueling the scaremongering fire and it is getting a bit out of hand now.
The market will recover regardless of where the hard earned data is placed, if buyers have to bookmark several sources well poor them, they dont pay the bills the service is free, I dont solely look on autotrader if I’m in the market for a car but I do look at it regularly because I like cars and I’m interested and like to dream, thats Rightmove, click city but equally doesn’t pay the bills….
Am I the only person smelling a rat here…Giving Rightmove all of this collective information must be in their words… ‘a little bit like Christmas’ for them! It gives RM the chance to see what they can offer as the bare minimum to placate agents in the short term before hiking prices again to appease their shareholders.
This really is doing a deal with the devil.
I have given Rightmove notice to quit and I have had more contact from them in the last 24 hours than in the last 5 years! If the majority of agents leave then Rightmove will no longer be a useful search tool and the agents left on their portal will slowly realise they missed a great opportunity to market property in new and exciting ways. It really is that simple!
I cancelled Rightmove in one of my offices a couple of years ago. Business didn’t falter, in fact business improved so it didn’t make a difference if I was with them or not. I have cancelled Rightmove in my other office and feel a lot happier that the cost that I would have had to sacrifice for them will go to my staff to keep them in a job.
In my opinion, anyone deciding to take RM up on this offer is a turkey voting for Christmas. This is THE chance for the industry to say to RM that we have had enough of their daylight robbery.
I gave up on RM last month after getting sick of month after month of running the figures and finding that i was getting near-as-dammit the same number of leads from OTM as I was from RM for around a sixth of the price. Yes some other agents in the town are trying to use this against us, but we have the data to show that most of our sales in the previous 12 months came from our website, walk-ins or OTM.
Not paying £1800+ vat every month is ****** relief in these times.
A very sensible suggestion in my view.
The fact that the Rmv share price has not been savaged today, despite the inevitable drop in revenue and profitability that the concession offered today will cause, proves that shareholders understand the plight of the industry in the immediate future and are prepared to support efforts by the company to retain the goodwill and support of it’s customers, without which it is toast!
And the minute this is over it will be business as usual for them. They will still make £150m+ profit this year, it must be awful for them, such a massive sacrifice!
Goodwill has gradually dwindled to nothing over a long period and this is the final straw for most agents. Why on earth would we want a business partner like Rightmove?
Sorry Harry, I know who you are and respect your achievements, I have never worked for your former company but have competed with them in their various branding for over 30 years, I assume you still have a soft spot for Rightmove as a founding member but read PIE and tell me there is any, any goodwill and support from the vocal indies.
Rightmove was conceived by, birthed and led by the corporate mindset, makes the top tier rich and the middle tier comfortable whilst everybody else scrambles to whims, that is not the mindset of a focused indie, one with any chance of longevity anyway.
I genuinely think Rightmove has had its day, good for all of you while it lasted but it’s time to paddle ones own canoe, couple of grand a month for a jpeg on the internet with some text and a floorplan all earned locally yet constructed, formatted and auto delivered to a 75% profit margin corporate?
There are reasons some of us choose to be independent.
Strongly disagree
They have only capitulated because of the potential long term damage to the company and as a response to the backlash
The very fact that you have connected their decision with the trajectory of the share price only goes to underline their motives behind the response.
Appreciate that you have a personal connection and likely to be more sympathetic
As every estate agent knows the cardinal rule is that the client/customer comes first if not your reputation gets scoured
Customers are assets to be cared for and nurtured not abused especially in a crisis
If this was a single act it could possibly be forgiven but its symptomatic of continuing bullying behaviour
RM have shown a total disregard for the valuable clients The appropriate response is to leave and go where you are appreciated
The share price hasn’t properly tanked…yet simply because the City remains blissfully ignorant to the scale of venom agents feel towards them. Rightmove will not recover from this.
I have to disagree – it doesnt represent an enormous sacrifice – they are only giving up their profit margin!!
Its not actually costing them anything!
Agreed!