A new site for agents has been launched, Say No to Rightmove, in the wake of the portal’s deferred payment scheme for agents.
It has been launched by Rob Sargent, of south-based chain The Acorn Group, who has called on Rightmove to give agents a payment holiday during the coronavirus crisis.
The new site, launched last night, acts as a platform for agents to share their reactions to the deferred payment scheme.
Sargent last night said: “We created the campaign following the clearly huge amount of positive interest from the rest of our industry.
“There’s currently no central location for agents to collectively show and share their anger and frustration, or to show their competitors that we’re all on the same page.
“The aim of the site is not to boycott Rightmove completely, but convince them to see the truth which is staring them in the face, that their long term survival depends on us, and by not extending a full payment holiday to agents, they’re shooting themselves in the foot, as well as dooming many agents to closure.”
He went on: “I mentioned yesterday in the comments on EYE that I’ve already had some positive discussions with Rightmove.
“But if Covid-19 has shown us anything, it’s that we don’t have time to get bogged down in bureaucracy.
“Every single day makes a difference.
“Bosses are having to make choices about the future of their staff and business today, right now!
“Decisive immediate action is required in this rapidly changing environment.
“Since we pushed the site live, my inbox has been lighting up.
“I’ve been getting one or two emails every minute or so, and I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Sargent began his campaign by calling for a six-month payment break but has actually now demanded from Rightmove’s chief executive a three-month, no strings attached, three-month payment holiday for agents.
Comments (58)
I just wanted to give those of you leaving, or thinking of leaving Rightmove some tips and suggestions in the coming weeks or months.
We left Rightmove in June 2019, after 9 months of in depth analysis that showed their enquiries (not leads), were always 4th behind ZPG, Primelocation and OTM.
in the final 4 weeks of our notice period, we were called everyday and, unfortunately, I bore the brunt of most of those calls. They started off quite pleasant, gently encouraging me to change my mind. However, in the final week, the tone became more aggressive with numerous “retention staff” saying things like
“we could get more benefit from Rightmove if we bought more products” or “did I know how to get the most out of Rightmove” or the best one “We’re Rightmove”.
To the lady who made the last comment, I asked her what she meant by “we’re Rightmove” to which she replied, “well, we’re Rightmove, we’re too big to fail” To which I pointed out that The Titanic was unsinkable, Woolworths was an institution and Northern Rock was a popular bank. Needless to say, this was lost on her.
Throughout the whole notice period, I found Rightmove arrogance astounding. They genuinely believed that they were untouchable and that we needed them. How wrong they were.
Since leaving, we have found an extra hour per day, not dealing with their spurious enquiries, the quality of the applicant has improved and business levels have increased.
The ridiculous £250 or £500 they offered did not surprise me and I would urge you all to re-consider your position with Rightmove because you don’t need them now that we have OnTheMarket, Zoopla and Primelocation.
Very nice, if a little preachy, article Rob but doesn’t your company own shares in the only alternative to Rightmove?
If everyone leaves Rightmove and moves to ‘on the market’ will you not hugely benefit?
Didnt you also put over 100 staff on 4wks unpaid leave yesterday, people who will now struggle to survive without a salary? The rich get richer.
Hypocrite
Just leave they will rinse us all later if we stay
R/M share price down 7% this morning….I say we have them by the dangly bits…This will be our best chance – Stick to your guns folks.
I say that we also want a price freeze for at least two years.
R/M share price down 7% this morning….I say we have them by the dangly bits…This will be our best chance – Stick to your guns folks.
How about they agreed to cap their future profit margins to 25% and adjust their charges each year to give us the best value and their lowest affordable charges?
Otherwise they’ll be pushing to increase their margins above 75% in future to impress their shareholders.
I still say leave and get rid of this parasite on the property market.
Tell your customers that Rightmove charge a premium on every phone enquiry.
Say no to Rightmove.
As conveyancers we go live shortly with a change to our closing sale and purchase lettersto all our conveyancing clients (and also contained in our purchase property reports) warning clients to ALWAYS consider an estate agent who has deliberately chosen not to use Rightmove. They are the go-to agents now, who care about their business, and the quality offered to the public. “It’s who we would reocmmend when you come to sell, making sure you look to OnTheMarket.com as the go-to property portal now too”
Dear all
Thank you for your early responses.
Rightmove have already made an announcement this morning – bit.ly/2xVDWRR
The question is – is this enough for us all at a time where we will inevitably be losing money? And with their legendary 75% profit margins, they will still be earning from our efforts whist we fight the Covid-19 crisis.
I feel three months tariff-free listing on Rightmove would be a fairer and more reasonable response, given they have the ability to look after those who have looked after them for almost two decades.
Rob Sargent
CEO – The Acorn Group
Rob, I can’t see them offering anything better than this…they will want to bill something.
If you want to make a more substantial difference you could always lead the calls to leave.
75% OFF?!! I am truly shocked, the email appears to be non-repayable too, just full 75% discount from April for 4 months. I am impressed.
Don’t be that impressed…. they’ll get it off you later….
I very much doubt that!
if its not next year or the year after at some point in the future they will I promise you, they won’t forget …they will just look for the right moment to increase fees to an even dafter level
It’s a sign of desperation on the part of RM not generosity.
I’m for leaving. Save 100% for ever.
You shouldn’t be. This is a desperate measure prompted by genuine concern momentum is building to leave RM for good.
You have taken the bait and will end up on the RM dinner table with a wedge of lemon when this is all over.
Just heard Rightmove will slash rates by 75% for 4 months…..This is it…At last they have woken up and smelled the coffee…they have seen the revolution taking place and been caught with their pants down….All I will say is let’s not stop here, we now have them on the ropes, after 15 years of being bullied, now is our time. Over to you Rob.
“Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes”
An allusion to the story of the wooden horse of Troy, used by the Greeks to trick their way into the city.
Rightmove have now reportedly dropped their prices but this is very much like the school bully suddenly realising all the kids he’s bullied over the years are now surrounding him behind the Elliot block and he’s trying save face/ avoid a good kicking. Walk away agents. Walk away.
PS check your emails everyone…. 75% off for 4 months from 1st April. Official counter bid.
So, everyone happy?
They will just get it back in the yearly proce increase.
Be interested to see if they agents that have given notice now go through with it.
75% off for 4 months and not repayable, can’t argue with that.
100% agree… See you in the next **** storm, same moans different reason, same outcome.
It was very clear the message I started to pick up on yesterday which was a mass desire for a reduction not leave!
Twitter a wash with people playing their hands in a public forum. Akin to Brexit Negs. RM have watched, sat back and delivered the sweetener which will make everyone happy… until they (everyone) are not happy again.
Just had email in 75% reduction for 4 months.
Yup, me too. Watch this space or more so, that’s that on this subject now. Next provider please.
I can’t help but feel this is a well intended but ultimately watered down and frustrating message. Agents should use this opportunity to come together and leave once and for all.
Even if Rob is successful in achieving the payment holiday, you as agents all know you will pay the price later when Rightmove takes revenge in its trademark vindictive way.
The message should be to cut off the head of the Dragon, not step on the tip of its tail. I’m afraid I fear this action could be worse than doing nothing at all as it will encourage others to stick with RM rather than leave, and will anger RM who will take revenge later on those agents that stayed.
This really is the best chance you will ever have to shake off the shackles of RM, it comes under awful circumstances but strikes me as absurd not to take that chance now whilst it’s available. I can already hear the thousands of regretful moans of ‘we should have toppled RM when we had the chance’ coming down the line at the next swathe of price increases.
Still no sign of Seller0169…must be busy at RM HQ…
Perhaps it’s RM who’s purchased all of the loo roll? 😉
This is great… brilliant really. But, I remain confused.
1. They say; you can all have a 3 month full membership break – then everyone happy?
2. No to above; they say you can have a 6 month break – then everyone happy? (you would think so?)
3. 150 Agents signed up to this site…. is that 148 who want a break and 2 who want off forever? or?
4. OR RM say; (this is possible) Thanks for your notice, Adios? so is that then 150 agents leaving?
Rightmove scored a screamer of an own goal, but getting a break, or whatever acceptable deal is agreed, will be met with BIG hikes when the market is good, and therefore at a time you are even more scared to come off. Everyone listing houses, you tend to think **** I need to be on Rightmove. (you just do, doesn’t make me a rubbish EA! otherwise every good agent would not be on and the local market leader)
It is odd we do this when stock stagnates or even drops, yet when the going is good, we moan but crack on.(I don’t know how many times I have said, next round of moans, next time **** hits the fan… see you all soon)
I am just thinking, there are 3 camps here, 1. get through it, 2. get a reduction and 3. get off for good – therefore BAU for RM.. I have a feeling they will know how to play 1 and 2.
PS – Stay safe all… and remember BeKind in our comments… tough worrying times for many.
75% reduction in RM bills just announced is a help. Hope there’s no daft small print…
Take the discount and leave
Anyone just seen the new offer? 75% discount for 4 months. That’s better RM!!
They are a nasty company who are obviously worried but don’t think we can be suckered into a victory parade…. they will get their own back at a later date….
It is a much better offer, however they will simply claw back the loss of that revenue by putting in place crippling price hikes again over the next couple of years so your net position will be worse than it is now.
They have not listened or cared.
Rightmove motto …’divide and conquer’
Agents motto…..’leave en mass’
Simple
Notice given
Only one answer if your aren’t already sign up to On The Market, come on fellow colleagues. This is a rare opportunity that has presented itself to move away from RM once and for all. RM without ‘us’ is nothing, consumers go where the stock is… lets get behind them once and for all…
OTM consistently provides us with twice as many leads as RM every month.
We have 2 offices, 140 properties for sale with another 80 Sold STC.
I’m convinced we don’t need RM and will vote to leave at our next board meeting.
Too late Rob – the damage has been done. It would be a case of shutting the stable door after the cash cow has bolted. My firm, and many others have left in the last day or two with many more to follow.
Cost to RM of their insane offer will be £££££millions
Pop a “Poll” on your website Rob…. list Rightmove Options and see how Agents Vote
Stay Deferred
Leave
Planning to Leave
etc……
I’m disheartened to see that the Say No To Rightmove website just seems to be a way of gathering bargaining chips to negotiate a better deal with Rightmove.
A cynic might even think that it is an information gathering tool by somebody close to the Rightmove board room.
This information will be invaluable to RM as it will enable them to assess the level of impact to their business and shareholders and decide how much to offer us in the short term before hiking up prices again soon.
The time to bargain with RM is over.
It is time to leave…collectively! Is Rightmove really the kind of business partner we all want to work with? The arrogance that they have shown for years now is quite staggering, only matched by the arrogance of their pricing structure.
I believe the public are waking up to the fact that using Rightmove to sell a house will become old fashioned and a mark of a lazy agent. There is a perception with a large number of clients that some agents already just “stick it on Rightmove and see what happens”.
Now more than ever is the time for agents to show the public that we can be creative and good agency is about people selling houses not just portals!
Just remember one thing…if we all leave or even half of agents leave then RIghtmove will no longer be the place that people go to search for property.
Clients will start engaging with agents like they used to!
Ditto SW
Agreed it is imperative that we all leave. I’ve gone. Not coming back. This is a horrific time, for this country and industry we should focus on ridding ourselves of two viruses over the next few months.
We left at the end of December, so so glad we did, I am sorry for those who stayed and the expense they have ahead of them working their notice with RM, at a most crippling time. There is light outside of the RM darkroom. Free yourselves of them now, this is time for you to be decisive and make critical cost saving decisions on the very survival of your business. You don’t need to be enslaved by RM, this is your Spartacus moment. Decide now who runs your business, you or RM.
i’m Spartacus !
No I’m Spartacus!
Fantastic…..well done!! We have just registered our support and will spread the word!!
My agency experience equals pretty much 50% pre internet and 50% post internet, if I say so myself my team and I are formidable competitors with deep ties to our patch and demonstrable market leaders over two decades, if we were wrong uns we’d of been found out by now people use us because we are everywhere in the community and that presence has come to represent a successful outcome if the intention is to move.
Rightmove has a very large opinion of itself, if it wants to test us at the local level I already have a number of ideas as to how not being on their boring, scroll scroll scroll tap web advert is not only safe but desirable…..Mr and Mrs vendor…..
The CEO and his team should all be fired. !!!!!!
A tasteless classless bunch of disgusting morons.
Lets look at this week alone…….
The death of thousand is just a blip
We’ll teach agents how to make the most of this
We’ll teach agents how to work from home
This will be a bit like Christmas
We’ll lend you a fiver but we’re sending the boys round for it it if you can’t pay it back
Leave Rightmove and don’t return
Sheesh, I could compose a Facebook/mailer/window campaign incorporating those points alone ( forget the price gouging for a sec ) which makes leaving them the honourable thing to do!!
…and you have to prove your pipeline / cash reserves for the privilege?!?
No No No!!!….said No to Rightmove July 2017.
Don’t let the RM beast dictate to you anymore.
This is how a business is put in place.
Well done Rob.
Great time to launch this attack on RM.
There is a boycott rightmove Facebook group too. This is getting traction. I just hope this isn’t all hot air and agents stand their ground and leave them for good.
We’ve said Goodbye and signed up with OTM it’s scary stuff but Rightmove response to the present situation was the last straw
Just leave. Only takes an email. No website to discuss it required. If you’re not going to do it now then for goodness sake stop bleating about every price hike.
Unfortunately we’re locked into a contract with Rightmove which means I can’t currently leave. This provides an outllet for those who are trapped in an abusive monopolistic relationship with a company that has a clearly broken moral compass. Well done for setting this up, you have my 100% support in getting this deplorable parasite to face reality.
Enjoy the discount and leave at the end of your contract
Well done Rob.
For many though, we’re past “No to Rightmove” ……it’s time to say “GOODBYE Rightmove”.
The fact that Rightmove can’t read Our Industry’s plight, amidst this unique crisis?
It has to be Goodbye, as Rightmove will never change their strategy of “milking Our Industry” …..way beyond what is a reasonable value portal provider.
Correct. Vermin have to be exterminated.
Very nice, if a little preachy, article Rob but doesn’t your company own shares in the only alternative to Rightmove?
If everyone leaves Rightmove and moves to ‘on the market’ will you not hugely benefit?
Didnt you also put over 100 staff on 4wks unpaid leave yesterday, people who will now struggle to survive without a salary? The rich get richer.
Hypocrite
This is the moment to unshackle ourselves from this arrogant, profiteering monster of our own making.
Please revert to your portal of choice, as long as its not Rightmove!