Acorn Estate Agents - has anyone had problems with them?

[seanmlow]

If so, please contact me on SeanMLow@aol.com or PM me.

Thanks,

Sean

[tibby]

acorn are crap they will send lots of people to you who are not intrested they promise but dont deliver bushells are first class they said they will sell in two weeks and they did

[seanmlow]

Well Acorn have been so bad that I have written into watchdog. My landlord has told them to stick it and has gone to Roy Brooks.

[andypandy]

Well... I have a friend who swears by them ( not at them) - they had a small 2 bed flat and they did wonders. When we were looking ( for a big house in ED) they were rubbish sending us inappropriate properties that clearly were nothing like brief we gave them. So it's horses for courses. There are plenty of agents in Dulwich, generally speaking each are good at doing certain things, so if you are looking for an agent do your homework and pick the best one suited to your property type. And go in and meet the staff - they will all be responsible for selling your home ( or dealing with matters) check that you are happy with the whole package not just the salesman who walks through the door.

[MadWorld74]

We are with Acorn and they have been good at some things, and bloody useless at others. They seem to be very young and a bit like mobile phone sales people; you know with that kind of standoff-ish shitty attitude. They have a very high turn over of staff and you can never strike up a relationship with just one person, because they either leave or get sacked after a few months. We're just happy that our landlord hasn't dumped them for Foxtons, who would no doubt rack up our rent in order to get a more 'professional' couple paying double into our place.

[yourmomma]

We bought our house through them and they were fine, however I have rented through them in the past and they were poo. Dunno what that proves other than the quality depends on who serves you that day i guess.

[mikese22]

I sold my flat about 3-4 years ago (with Bushells) and whilst doing the rounds of the local estate agents to view houses Acorn were by far the most obnoxious - I think it was pretty much summed up in their questioning of my choice of Bushells as sales agent - quote 'we call them Bastards at Acorn' - needeless to say I did no more viewings qith them. If they slag off the competition that much I don't want them getting any of my cash!

[monica]

In all fairness to acorn they were very supportive of the Wintergreen fair SNUB held in December and without them we could have not afforded the marquee.I dont think anyone has a great story to tell about estate agents,there was the watchdog report about foxtons the other week which proved to be in my opinion, in keeping with the whole "we dont like estate agents" theme.

[Sue]

Yes I had MEGA problems when I used them to rent out my house a few years back, don't get me started (6)

[dave]

Yup - not sure whether you're talking about buying, selling, renting or what.

I wouldn't recommend them. Our neighbours used them as a letting/management agent and haven't had a very good experience. I've phoned them about some issues and been told different things by different people in their office. PM me if you want details.

[Jamma]

Yeah we had dealings with them a couple of years ago, they were part of our chain. All were trying to get the deal finished but Acorn held everything up. If you give them the benefit of the doubt they were spectacularly incompetent, at worst they are a bunch of scheming, lying morons. Victoria Scammell was the woman we dealt with. Inept. (Something is only libellous if it's untrue)

[Cassius]

I used them when I was renting a room out in my house. I don't know if there are legal implications, but there are certain types of people that I don't think are suitable to be sharing with a single female. I didn't even want to let them in, let alone rent them a room. Sorry if that sounds awful, but when you are alone it is better to be safe than sorry.

[barrymarshall]

By way of balance, I got my flat through Acorn back in 2006. Most of the other agents on the Lane were rubbish, apart from them, who found us a lovely place that was precisely what we wanted. They only showed us places that matched our spec, rather than just any old toss they had on their books. Other agents (esp Haart and Winkworth) were dismissive, obviously coz we weren't the yuppie demographic they were after.

[seanmlow]

Barry -

2 years has obviously changed that!

[louisiana]

I had huge problems with them when renting out. They put in a tenant who

- was a serial non-payer and absconder - she had around half a dozen local authorities and all the utility companies after her, and no doubt private landlords too

- a nutcase; she used to phone up when the light bulb went, threaten the neighbour with a hammer

- had a son who was a criminal

Everything caught up with her (and me) at my flat. What a saga. Theft, bailiffs, a hit and run (by the son).

She hadn't been checked out at all.

If you ever get a short dark Brazilian woman, who wears dark glasses even when it's dark, and who has studied psychoanalysis at Kings/the Maudesley, don't give her your flat!

[benjaminty]

If that hasn't put people off I don't know what will.

I ran a mile after one viewing in 2004 with an Acorn guy. Explained in detail that I wanted victorian with period features. Dragged to me see what I believed to be just that (without spec) and showed me a 60s bungalow with "period" features ... They couldnt even do the basics.

I rent out property and would never go anywhere near them.

Sean - hope that however you have come a cropper with them that everything can be worked out.

As a rule I think we can all be put off by Estate Agents actions but we all tend to deal with them with some trepidation I'm sure. We all have a bad story to tell.

Hmmmm any connection with Acorn Antiques?