Ian Springett, CEO of OnTheMarket, is sending out the following letter to members, addressing the recent claims of threatened departures by some agents in receipt of legal letters sent by OTM. It reads as follows:
Dear Agent,
You may well have seen some recent negative stories about OnTheMarket.com. In view of the vested interests of some of our detractors in undermining your portal, I wanted to take this opportunity briefly to set out the relevant facts.
One “story” related to a “legal warning” we sent to “rebel agents”.
It is certainly the case that a week ago legal letters were issued to a very small proportion of member agents who, according to our records and monitoring, were in payment arrears. Like any organisation, we see it as standard practice to seek to recover outstanding debts from customers in arrears with the payments they are contracted to make. On behalf of the broad membership of Agents’ Mutual, it is vitally important that we work to ensure that those who have entered contracts with us meet their obligations.
Another “story” has reported that some agents were considering legal action against your portal for alleged misrepresentations made in relation to pricing policy.
We have no reason to believe that there are any grounds for such action. As you would expect, the board and management team of Agents’ Mutual have at every stage of the company’s inception and development taken appropriate legal advice.
Ultimately, locally-based full service agents like yours have the power to transform the portals landscape for consumers and agents alike with your continued support for OnTheMarket.com. Your team is keeping its focus on the task in hand. I’m pleased to report that support from agents across the country continues to grow and that we had another record month of traffic in March with over 7 million visits.
We can only expect the level of noise and aggression to increase in certain quarters. In the meantime, we must not lose sight of why thousands of agents joined Agents’ Mutual and created OnTheMarket.com.
Kind regards,
Ian Springett
Chief Executive
He is absolutely right – there are so many vested interests at play here: OTM fighting for survival, Zoopla fighting to get members back, Rightmove seeking to strengthen their position further and agents protecting their businesses & investments .
As long as the end result sees the end customer/consumer best served, rather than the self serving commercial interests of those involved, then we will have the right outcome.
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With the presence of OTM this is the best chance we as agents have to take control of the ever increasing fees that RM and Z impose on us. If we do not get behind OTM and it fails we may as well just sign over any profit we make to RM and Z as they will have carte blanche to charge what they want its as simple as that. Ask yourself this question if RM and or Z informed agents tomorrow their fees were increasing by 20% 30% 40% or even 50% what are you going to say? Mmmmm there’s food for thought I guess your answer would have to be the same as mine either you will pay or close the doors on the business. It took RM 10+ years to gain their dominance Z a little less time with large investment. OTM can and will get there with the backing of us agents We put RM and Z where they are today and can put OTM there as well. As a family run business I for one want to see OTM work.
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I would rather pay RM £1000 a month and get a good flow of business rather than £500 to OTM and get nothing, at least RM and Zoopla give a return of investment.
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Extremely weak excuse to blame others for ones own shortcomings and to use agents money to sue other agents. Days seem numbered for AM/OTM…
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It is our ‘vested interest’ financially and the erosion of our own business ‘financially, which has turned us from supporters of OTM to detractors ——– duh!!
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well done for ignoring the discontent in your own camp Springett.
Some agents are in arrears and need to pay up to date – simples! No one doubts that and everyone would do the same in your position but you don’t seem to have addressed their concerns!
Some are finding that the portal isn’t for them and holding these to term is not good for your PR. They knew what they were signing up to (1-5yr deals) but didn’t realise that the portal would underperform. How are you going to help these agents whose business right now is being negatively affected by your underperforming portal? he’s going to chase them for money… what a wally. He will drive some underperforming businesses down the pan for the good of the ‘industry’ but that shouldn’t surprise anyone when you look at the AM board members and those who ‘VOTE’ in this ‘MUTUAL’
but all this is by the by – no one should be in arrears – pay your bills – If you have genuine reason for not paying then so be it but you can’t be allowed out of a contract because it doesn’t suit – they didn’t make you sign it (I HOPE)
Also if this contract is as iron clad as Springett seems to think it is then it is ultimately the agents fault for signing the contract and if you signed based on being number 2 portal by xmas then you have been misled but you still had chance to read the contract and say ‘no’
It seems that some agents are trying to use the £50 OTM deals as a get out clause because the portal isn’t performing for them. Address their concerns – don’t fight them – work with them, because what doesn’t work for them now may in the future.
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The word ‘Your portal’ is used alot.
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As many know, i have sat on the fence for sometime.
Reading comments and talking to others this week, I think now is the time i get off it and throw my support behind OTM.
I think there is still along way for OTM to go and still not convinced they will topple RM but with the rise of Online only agents, increased fees, data sales and by the looks change in stance of OTM fees we should take the plunge. Its a risk but a calculated one.
I hope others too will join up in the coming months.
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Did they pay you to say that ? only a mad man would jump in at this point….. oh but of course you would only pay £50,00 a month and not have restrictions like other founder members paying £500.00 pm !!!! better get back on the fence…. no wonder your smiling while OTM shaft their founder members
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“no wonder your smiling while OTM shaft their founder members”
Sorry to disappoint – but I don’t feel shafted in the slightest.
I don’t give a fuppenny what ‘smile please’ has agreed to pay to join – in fact, I would give him FREE Membership for life.
He is another nibbler at the elephant – and he is welcome to the table.
‘smile please’ is going to be one of OTMs biggest challenges to satisfy.
Let’s just see how this pans out, shall we.
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Only one thing to say, smile please…
WELCOME ON BOARD.
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What has happened to change your mind? I was offered £50 deal( as I presume you have been now) but it is the one other portal rule that is the main (though not only) stumbling block for me. Other than lower fee I can’t see what advantage you perceive in joining at this point?
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Personally i like the one other portal rule, last thing i want to do is pay for three!
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Really? I believe that the combination of £50pcm and no restrictions would see OTM become the No.2 Portal virtually overnight.
I would expect their next gambit will be to offer the rebels the £50 deal to keep them. A can of worms has been opened regarding fees and just like the Titanic what lurks unseen is what will do the damage.
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Before OTM:
Rightmove TV ads – usually pretty awful and glimpsed once in a full moon.
Zoopla TV ads – pretty good, but again, only glimpsed once in a full moon.
Since OTM:
Rightmove TV ads – I think I see one pretty much at least once a day.
Zoopla TV ads – if the wife decides to watch one of the cheaper channels (which she insists on doing way too often), I’ll pretty much see one of Zooplas (new) pretty awful TV ads.
Also, the mother in law travels up to London quite a lot and keeps me up to speed with things – apparently the place is awash with Rightmove branded cabs.
And how long had Rightmove and Zoopla kept their look and feel for? And when did Rightmove suddenly come up with a fresher design and when did Zoopla start adding more features? Once OTM came along.
If OTM hadn’t come along, would all the money that has been spent on redesigns and advertising merely have been added to the coffers? Probably. I’m pretty sure that Zoopla would be going straight to vendors and offering private sales too.
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Mr Springett talks about this as merely members in arrears, rather than addressing the fact that this is just the start, the members concerned are not advertising on the portal, this in many cases to save their companies from suffering further financial damage, by joining OTM effectively we lost the revenue of one major portal and gained nothing from OTM ! what can they expect, the companies at the head of OTM have national and global web sites that were able to absorb the loss of zoopla, other independent companies do not have this luxury, OTM have failed to provide a portal to match anyone and Springett is delusional if he thinks he will ever be the No.2 portal, the traffic is a drop in the ocean compared to Zoopla
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