The Say No To Rightmove campaign has responded to Tuesday’s news that Rightmove is extending its discounting period until the end of September.
The campaign say:
‘Say No To Rightmove’ was set up by a passionate group of agents and supporters who wish to bring about long term change to the UK estate agency portal sector.
Whether as a result of our efforts, or that of the industry as a collective, we have achieved significant short term discounts from Rightmove.
Neither the first four-month discount nor the most recent two-month discount working back towards full tariff have been voluntarily given.
Furthermore, at no stage have Rightmove directly addressed their customers (UK estate agents).
To a degree, Rightmove continues to ‘knock the can down the road’.
The issue remains that the vast majority of UK estate agents are disenfranchised by Rightmove’s charging matrices, the way in which they service their clients, and the abject disregard for agents’ feedback.
It remains the case that we as an industry support paying nearly £300 million per annum to a single supplier and one that makes an infamous 75% profit margin year on year.
Such a margin would be respected and understood if it came as the result of greater innovation and genuine stimulation of the property market as a whole.
It’s further interesting to read that Rightmove preys on the insecurity of its clients and their fear of leaving instead of motivating them to want to stay for true overarching customer service and value.
Unless we have missed something, the issue has not gone away.
Reading between the lines, the only promise we can see from Rightmove is that 2021 (or before) will see a return to full tariff and beyond.
It will be interesting to see how the industry, from one office firms to major corporates greet Rightmove’s message via the stock market to their long-suffering customers.
Will the 600 agents that have left Rightmove thus far this year turn into 1000 by the end of June, and even more between now and the end of September?
Rightmove also seems to have ignored the fact that the period between end-Q4 and early-Q1 is normally our most challenging trading time.
Comments (32)
You have to ask yourself, what do RM do to justify £300m in revenue per year?
makes you think – at the end of the day the Consumer is paying – by that I mean the sellers that actually complete
If your willing to put up with the bully boy tactics then you’re weak and vulnerable, why would anyone put up with suppliers that takes you to the cleaners and laugh in your face. Once the hosts of the 4 groups get a little bit of a discount they will view that as a victory Rightmove will probably offer the gang leaders a deal just to shut them up. Is this the really reason Rob and Murray is rallying the troupes to better their own positions because it’s clear and obvious they are never going to leave.
Every Agent/Poster is entitled to their tuppence worth and frankly, I have NO issue reading a story every day about Rightmove, if it continues to expose/publicise how shocking their service/attitude etc is.
Stay or Leave Rightmove ……you could fill Wembley with opposing views….
However ……Our Industry is entitled to publicise the “other side” of the monster that is Rightmove. To let those that say if you don’t leave or you don’t do this then your voice doesn’t count? ……get a life.
Say “No” has lost its way in my view, however that is my view and in no way knocks what those involved have done. Should Rob Sargent etc “Leave”? …….in doing so, it would be a huge statement however that is for Rob to decide.
What do I want? …….I want a 365 Day a Year Campaign to expose Rightmove’s shocking service, shocking attitude towards its paying subscribers, shocking dictatorial attitude, sustained use of mis-leading statements to portray why Agents have left Rightmove, it’s continued effort to portray itself as the “Voice of the Property Industry” …….and that is just me getting started.
The CRIME in this whole saga? …….would be to simply melt away and let Rightmove off the hook.
Every single day, of every year …..Rightmove should be held to account for their shockingly poor/overpriced offering for Our Industry.
Rightmove likes to portray its “Be Happy” theme with the public ……let’s just remember that if your are an Agent advertising your property stock on Rightmove because Rightmove spend millions managing their “image” as the “place for property” ……we should equally have large Logo’s with “Rightmove? We’re UNHAPPY! …..ask us why” ……..paste those on your windows/website.
Tell the public ….being on Rightmove is anything BUT happy!
…….don’t forget your sun protection 🙂
As I’ve been reading in the press recently that the market has reached record levels and Zoopla saying yesterday that Cambridge is desperate for stock it always amazes me that the same names are on this site posting comments all day long about how unfair Rightmove are. If the activity levels are so high at the moment and there’s an opportunity to set up the rest of the year for your business and your staff how you find the time to check on here every 5 minutes and reply to anything you don’t agree with is beyond me.
If you don’t like RM then leave, Rob Seargent clearly hasn’t got the ba**s to and every day that goes by makes him seem like more of a clown.
From the person who believes Pi is something you eat.
#sayyestomathslessons
Good one, busy working for your clients are you?
#saynotogap
Always.
I think it’s reasonable to expect some gratitude for sticking your head above….definitely, and I salute your efforts.
It’s easy to sit on the sidelines being a knocker but you guys have walked the walk so well done.
We all know the difficult part is changing the vendors perception of Rightmove – Vendors aren’t interested in our spats and the $hitty attitude of RM reps.
htsnom’s post above goes some way to changing/managing that perception, but this will be down to each area expert educating the customer base, and more importantly getting them to swallow it.
I’d be more inclined to give Rightmove the bad press they themselves have earnt. Nothing slanderous, put quite simply; tell the vendor it’s a shrinking business model in terms of agent numbers, the share price is falling, agent earnings are down, agents no longer regard it as the only medium of choice etc etc…
This is a dirty war with RM because they do not listen to their own customers which is Rule No.1. So **** ’em.
I left Rightmove before I knew anything about this campaign. I was quite taken-aback by Rightmove informing me that, if I did leave and then I decided to rejoin, my monthly bill would increase from £600 to a figure closer to £1,000.
Mafia
Hello David
Hope you don’t mind me asking but I run a one office estate agency in South East London and pay £1170pcm to Rightmove so intrigued on why yours is around the £600 mark. Maybe its regionalised but would like to know as don’t really know any other agent round here that I am comfortable to ask.
Many thanks
Brendan
Maybe it includes the 75% discount.
Hello David, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I own a 1 office agency in the south and we pay £1600 a month, so intrigued as to how you only pay £600! Oh, I forgot, Rightmove charges as much as it can get away with! Which is why we left in April! Many thanks Louise
Wow £1600 Louise2972, the prices are all over the place from the sounds of it and I never see a rep nowadays, not that I want to but would be good to think that they cared!!
Wait until you find out how much the corporates pay.
Hi Brendan,
Our price was for lettings only.
regards David
Thanks David
Interesting as I am sales only so the plot thickens lol…
Many thanks
Brendan
Will be interesting to see what happens after September. For us this discount is fair. Our relationship is good and I’ve had more contact from Rightmove these last few months than ever.
I look forward to no longer seeing Acorn properties on Rightmove any day now.
Your comment almost seemed rational until your last paragraph!
Why do you think you have never heard so much from RM in the last two months?
How do you think you got that discount that you think is so fair?
And now you look forward to seeing Acorn’s properties off RM; that’s a leap right there?!!!
He got that discount by virtue of the leavers – not the hot air of the SayNo movement who sadly and disgracefully are being ignored.
Actions speak so much louder than words.
Portal-reliant agency. Has not even considered what life after Rightmove could/would look like.
Totally agree with your assessment of Rob Sargent there
A witty one too.
Did an entire campaign take 2 days to write this statement?
It reads like it was written by a disgruntled 16 year old who has a strop on at his mum because she now makes him pay some housekeeping money.
If you think it costs too much, then just leave. This has now turned into the world’s longest running flounce!
I can see why you name is “Outsider” with comments like that.
Never understand why people dont stand up and say who they are rather than hide behind nom de plumes
My name is clear to see and so is who and where I am. I may be short but I stand by by statemenst abd dont hide behind a cover
As I said above and will defend the position we have had 2 good results (from a paltry deferal option) and any agents who continue to critisize should actually be backing us for what we have done
1 or 2 batttles will never win the war but a continued campaign with good generals oftern will
#togetherwearestronger #agentsunite
Have a nice day !
Mate, if you think your campaign made RM temporarily lower their prices you are deluded!
The easiest way you can win this “war” is to leave Rightmove. You obviously don’t like them and think they charge too much for the service they offer, so why not hand your notice in?
Ladies & gentlemen, the troll is back in the house.
I’m with Murray on this, Rome wasn’t built in a day and it’s schadenfreude knowing that from the first minute that the corporates birthed them Rightmove are finally feeling some heat, keep it up and thank you. I posted the following on a separate thread a couple of days ago but it’s just as relevant here.
I’m looking at it in a different way, we are the dominant agent on our patch ( more sales this year than no’s 2 & 3 combined, couple of hundred under management, boards everywhere, sponsored roundabouts et al, 20+ year legacy etc ) and I think not being on Rightmove could be a marketing positive, admittedly coming from a position of strength, off the top of my head the sales pitch would be:
We were Rightmove subscribers from day 1, since then things have moved on and we just got fed up with the number of timewasters and dreamers wasting our clients time, sometimes exclusivity which requires the serious buyer to seek us out cuts through the chaff, google us and we’re there position one, generic patch search we’re there position one ( after the sponsored tw@ts ) we are on OTM, Zoopla, Homesearch,Onedome, Facebook, R4 if Robert pulls his finger out, sitting there on Rightmove with all the corporate cr@p driven by hope value targets became a problem, so we’ve transitioned with no lack of reach and our figures back it up.
Lot of reps, shills, naysayers and cynics.
Just need to persuade my 2 fellow directors
Can we assume that the 600 who have left will now approach 650 with the departure of the Acorn Group?
I think you are missing the point
We have won 2 battles but the war is not over
We need to continue to fight
We have shifted the power balance and they have taken notice
We need to keep up the fight…and we will
A “thanks” for all your (volunteer for free) efforts would not go amiss
Those that chose to stay have saved bundles and MANY have thanked me/us personally
1 agency even suggested I saved some jobs
Thats the right attitude, not to keep knocking
I don’t believe I’m missing the point Murray. The point is you’re all being fleeced and are simply firing blanks at RM who are having a laugh. In relation to ‘thanks’, thanks should be due from you guys, to the movers and shakers who took RM to task over their derisory £275 repayable discount and then resigned, no messing.
You’re using us to strengthen your case, without our resignations you’d be back to paying top whack – which you will be soon anyway, unless that is, you back your own words with action.