80% of those who used housing agents saw “bad service” of some sort: survey

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 25 Jan 2010

A survey has found that almost eight in 10 people who used housing agents here encountered “bad service” of some sort.

The survey by Ngee Ann Polytechnic found that 77 per cent of respondents said they met with bad service from their agents.

Some of the respondents’ top grouses were that their agents failed to negotiate a good price, that they gave the wrong advice and that they were late for appointments.

Other less common bad service include aggressive property agents, negligent agents and agents who were dishonest or unfamiliar with the transaction procedures.

Generally, however, respondents were content their agents’ services, with 65 per cent being either satisfied or very satisfied.

At the same time, 73 per cent of those surveyed felt that accreditation of the profession is necessary.

In addition, 97 per cent of those who indicated that accreditation is necessary for every agent also wanted some form of government intervention.

1,041 people took part in the survey.